Revved Up (Audio Script)

Stories

Rocking chair creaking, nature sounds like birds chirping in the distance, grass softly blowing in the wind.

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of a place like this.

A quaint little farmhouse nestled between rolling hills, a wrap around porch, colorful wildflowers and tall grass that dances with the cool breeze.

A place so serene and peaceful that it feels like it leapt right off the pages of one of my novels,

A place that’s ours.

I still remember the first time he brought me here.

It was a hot, sticky July day, the humidity in the air almost choking me.

The second he opened that car door for me, he had this big goofy grin on his face that still makes me weak when I think about it.

I didn’t even think he was listening when I told him about my dream to own a little homestead once after one of our dates, but really, he was cataloguing it all in his mind, saving it for that very moment.

With my hand in his, he led me around the old, foreclosed property and detailed all the ways he wanted to fix it up for me.

New paint and shutters,

a swing for the porch,

sturdier fencing around the stable so we could eventually have some animals in it.

In the three years we’ve lived here, he’s done all of that and more.

He turned this dilapidated, rundown lot into a dream and I’ll never get enough of it.

Where is he anyway?

Probably out back, working on his precious car again.

If he’s not working or with me, it’s a safe bet he’s out there fiddling with it.

He’s practically rebuilt the entire thing from the ground up, and not for the first time. I can’t imagine what’s got him so occupied this afternoon.

A vintage 1967 Chevy Impala.

He actually calls it his baby.

I can’t help but laugh as I think about the first time he told me.

“... of course I named my car. She’s my best girl. After you of course.”

My man sure has a way with words….

Thump as VO1 sets her book down on the table and heads down the stairs

Gravel turns underneath my feet as I make the walk from the house down toward the old barn.

I’m willing to bet he’s got the Impala parked back behind it, in this heat, he needs something to cool him off.

Footsteps on gravel as she walks down the small road

Just inside the barn, there’s a fridge stocked with his favorite beer.

I grab a bottle, twisting the top off of the cool glass and heading around back.

Just like I thought, the immaculate black hood is popped and he’s got his head buried somewhere in the engine.

He curses something under his breath and then I hear something clattering.

“There you are.”

He perks up at the sound of my voice, stepping back from the car.

“Thought you could use a little refreshment.”

I slide one arm around his waist, nestling my body against his as I offer him the beer, which he happily takes.

“How do you always know exactly what I need, baby?”

I sigh, taking a long deep breath in as I rest my head against his thick, broad chest..

He smells like sweat and oil, but somehow that’s comforting.

He smells like hard work.

Like dedication.

Like home.

“What are you working on today?”

“The cylinder head gaskets. Both of them need to be replaced. They’re leaking all over the place. Gotta find a

Gasket scraper, and check the manual to make sure this replacement part is the right size before I remove all the adhesive. But first, let me take this off…”

I miss most of what he says next because I’m distracted as he pulls off the old checkered flannel he was wearing.

In just his black t-shirt, his thick, muscular arms are on full display and it takes my breath away. They’re tanned from hours working under the sun, and smeared with grease and dirt.

He flexes his forearms as he yanks the wrench back and lets out a grunt that makes my stomach flutter.

He’s so gorgeous I can barely take it.

His brow furrows as he concentrates, narrowing his sharp green eyes down at the engine.

Sweat beads at his forehead and he wipes it away with the back of his hand.

There’s nothing quite like watching this man work to get me all hot and bothered.

My throat gets dry… I came down here to check on him, but now that I’m here, I’ve got other things in mind.

“Babe, can you hand me the wrench?

It’s over there on the bench?”

I turn, scanning the many tools on his work bench for the one he needs.

A few years ago, I wouldn’t know a wrench from a pair of pliers, but I’ve spent so many nights underneath the lights with him, learning the names of the tools and what each one does.

I spot the wrench right away, but I hesitate…

We’ve played this game before, and I know exactly what it’ll get me.

My fingers glide right over the wrench, and I grab the pliers.

“Here you go.”

Without even looking, he reaches for it but when he realizes what it is, he pauses.

His gaze lifts, and catches mine, and right away, I can tell he knows exactly what I’m doing.

A half grin pulls across his lips, but he doesn’t give it away entirely.

V02-M

“I asked for the wrench.

Did you not hear me?”

The energy around us shifts and he takes a slow, deliberate step forward.

V02-M

“Or are you just trying to get a reaction out of me?”

I don’t answer, twirling a lock of hair between my fingers.

He sees right through my innocent smile and stalks toward me.

With just a few strides, his powerful frame is just inches from me– so close that I breathe him in again, his scent making me dizzy.

He puts a finger to my chin, gently lifting up until I have no choice but to look in those sparkling green eyes.

V02-M

“Maybe you need a little refresher.”

In one quick movement, he grips my waist, spinning me around and nudging me forward so that I’m leaning over the front of the car.

The pointed hood forces my legs apart and I pinned against him and the cool metal.

And honestly, there’s no place I’d rather be.

Suddenly I’m hyperaware of every sensation around me.

The cool metal against my bare thighs…

the stiff breeze in the air…

his belt buckle pressing into my butt…

his breath matched perfectly with mine…

The gentle pull he gives my hair.

“There.

What’s that part of the engine called?”

“Oh, um…”

I don’t answer fast enough for his liking and he lands a sharp slap to my butt.

The thin fabric of my thin blue sundress does nothing to soften the sting.

“Mmm.”

I can’t restrain the moan that slips through my lips.

“A piston.”

“Good girl.

And this one?”

He points to the fuel injector, and I know it right away, but my core throbs, knowing what’s waiting on me if I get the answer wrong.

“A spark plug?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I might think you were doing this on purpose.”

Sometimes it’s annoying how well he knows me.

He lands another spank, and I flinch.

The sting is as sharp as it is sweet and my knees start to feel weak.

His lips graze the back of my neck, his breath hot against my skin.

“I’ll give you one more chance.

That one, right there.”

It’s like my mind goes numb for a second.

I know the parts of this engine backwards and forwards by this point, but nothing comes to me.

It’s a manifold, but is it an exhaust or an intake?

Intake or exhaust…?

“Tick tock…”

“An intake manifold…?”

He notices the crack in my voice and meets it with a little tug of my hair.

My stomach flips as the silence grows.

I wait in anticipation, knowing… hoping… that I got it right.

“Good… fucking… girl…”

He spins me around so I face him, his grip still tight on my hips.

He gives me a rough, possessive kiss, and he lets the hood of his car snap shut.

The sound makes me jump, but his strong arm slides around my waist.

He lifts me effortlessly, and sets me on top of the car.

His dirty hands leave grease smears on my tanned skin like his brand on my body.

My core fires up at the sight.