Safe and Sane

Bobby's eyes were red and his face was pale under scrubbed red cheeks. He sniffled, just once, then curled on the couch, asking a little plaintively, "Pet me?"

Cathy'd taken her tour, filled out all the forms and paid her fees. She was surprised on the tour to find a baby grand in a small lounge, so as soon as she was done, she retraced her steps. "Oh. Wow." She sat down, lifted the lid and ran her fingers lightly over the keys. "Wooow."

Feeling a little like she was breaking the rules, she started to play quietly, a classical piece that her fingers remembered, but her brain couldn't name.

Dani had taken a day from work and been at the track for the qualifying runs today. Nashville was rather hot, but it was only for a couple of days. Besides, she rather liked Spencer's response to her hot-weather clothing.

After watching him do his qualifying laps (and saying hi to a couple of the team members she was getting to recognize), she let him finish up sorting things out for the race tomorrow and went back to the hotel, citing the need to be able to breathe and not get heatstroke before the actual race. She was fair skinned, so the excuse was actually true. It was largely just an excuse though.

Back in their room, Dani tidied up, showered, dried her hair and just generally made sure everything was perfect. When Spencer showed up, the room was at a pleasant temperature and had the feeling of being aired out. Everything was tidied away or folded neatly to the side so the not-very-big hotel room didn't actually seem as cramped as it might have that morning. And Dani was smiling and kneeling in the middle of a perfectly made bed. Perfectly naked.

It was cloudy, gray and ninety degrees in Boulder. The humidity and heat, in combination, were killer. The doors to the coffee shop were closed, to keep the heat out and the air conditioning it. There were still tables outside, and people sitting there, but most of the business was inside, where it was cooler. They were selling more iced caffeine and frozen, shaved, sugary drinks than anything that steamed.

There was talk about ordering ice cream and sorbet as well as baked goods, for the rest of the summer. Someone decided if they got it in, it would cool off and be 50 degrees. Everyone who heard them thought it would be worth the order, just to get the heat to break.

Dani arrived at his house with food. She held it up with a smile when he came to the door. "I thought I'd save us time cooking. And save your kitchen."

Hannah brought a huge wedding cake into the club, setting it on the bar with forks, plates, and a knife beside it. "...It's pretty, right?"

The temperature Wednesday had dropped rapidly - from nearly 90 to right around 50 by the time the munch started, and the promise to drop below 40 overnight. The coffee shop doors were closed, hot chocolate and steamed drinks were selling well, and there was discussion about steamy kinksters amongst the employees. There was also the requisite bets - this week about how long it would be before someone suggested an inappropriate, dangerous use for fire.

They hadn't made any plans and he hadn't called, so when Dani opened her apartment door she wasn't expecting to see Spencer. It was a more than welcome surprise though.

"Hi!" She smiled warmly, stepping back to let him in. The apartment wasn't large but it was enough. It would probably look bigger if half the open-plan living space wasn't full of books, canvases, sketch pads, other art materials and a resealed bag of air-drying clay. The shirt that she was wearing had a few old paint stains on it, too. None of it was new though, so when he stepped inside and she shut the door behind him she didn't hesitate to press close and kiss him hello.

( Left for him when he gets home from this weekend's race )

Dani met Spencer at the track. She was nervous as hell, but trying not to show it, walking up to greet him with a cheeky smile. "OK, we have to make a deal. No complaining about my driving."

Dani wasn't entirely sure if Spencer wanted some time to himself after the race, so she hadn't called right away, leaving him to have his space. She did decide to stop in at the club though, see who she could see. She hadn't been that sociable in the last week or so, and that wasn't like her.

That didn't stop her smiling warmly when she saw him and walking over to join him at the bar. "Hey, you," she greeted warmly, sliding onto a seat beside him. "Fancy seeing you here."

Jon had a splint on his nose and two black eyes from it.

He looked cranky as shit, trying to manage to drink his beer without hitting himself in the face or tilting his head at a painful angle.

Finally he swore and asked with a sigh, "Can you pass me a straw?"

Spencer...never took losing well. Especially not when it came to races. He'd made a decent showing at Indy last Sunday, but he hadn't come in first and frankly, that annoyed him. It always took him a few days to get back into the proper headspace and usually his team just let him do his thing because he'd always come back 100% afterwards.

So, right then, his thing was sulking. He'd flown back from Indianapolis and shuttered himself at home, sleeping to recharge his battery. Once he woke up, he sulked, with a pillow and blanket over his head. Some might call it childish; for him, it cleared his head and relived every turn of that race, so as to not make the same mistakes next time.

The ringing phone snapped him out of his reverie, and reached for the receiver, which he pulled to his ear, under the covers. "'Lo?"

Munch Wednesday.

Coffee and conversation at the cafe. The doors were blocked open to let in air, people were milling around and it was, as always, friendly and inviting.

Danielle was getting herself a soda from behind the bar, and though she'd heard someone approach she didn't look up right away. "Can I get you anything while I'm here?"

The engine revved, a sound he felt reverberate through his entire body. Nothing better than the sound of a powerful engine warning you of the power that was contained under that hood. He waited, willing the light to turn green; it felt like it was stuck at red for an eternity and a day, until suddenly, before he even had time to really think, just time to react, the light changed to green, and the tires squealed.

Spence shifted as he accelerated through the streets, taking the chance there weren't any cops around to tag him doing far, far over the limit (speed limits were for pussies). He took corners at speeds most people would avoid, but he wasn't most people. Barely down-shifting, he made a hard, sharp right, and accelerated down the street. The next turn was a tight left, taking him into the parking lot. With a quick turn of wheel and slam of break, his 1967 red Chev Camaro convertible squealed to a spinning stop into a parking space.

As he turned off the engine, Spencer smile, then pet the dash lovingly. "There's a girl." He slipped out of the car, locked it, then walked around it to inspect it for nicks or scratches. Satisfied his baby was unscathed, he straightened and headed towards the club's doors.

The Power Company always had their munches on Wednesdays.

The cafe always had their two for one expresso nights on the 14th.

Rarely did the twain meet.

But boy, when they did.

The demonstration was held in one of the rooms designed for the purpose, with plenty of room for observers and clearance.

Tonight's demo was Chris, Ben (naked from the waist up), a bullwhip and a spotter to keep anyone from walking into the backswing. Ben was restrained for his safety and Chris' peace of mind. Chris checked clearance, Ben dropped his head, and the demo began.

It was less a teaching exercise than a simple, pretty, demonstration of skill. It was about flash and flare and elegance and leather and crack. It was about control and focus, not just from Chris but from both of them, as they acted out something that was very nearly dance, as their breathing shifted and synched.

When it was over, and sweat was stinging Ben's back and Chris's face was flushed and his eyes were dark, the audience filed back into the common room, where there were snacks and drinks waiting, and the lights were lowered, just enough to be soothing.

Chris and Ben would be in, eventually.

Meanwhile, conversation and mingling were encouraged.

It was Friday night and Len had thought a little delayed Cinco de Mayo might be nice. There was a buffet of Mexican finger food along one wall. The bar was decked out in festive blankets and decorations and were serving a wide array of virgin and not so virgin margaritas. He had forgone that Mariachi band because he really didn't need the headache and had settled for something Alex had picked out to play in the background.

Dani was just sitting at the bar, having a drink and thinking. About everything and nothing. She was pretty much a million miles away, and jumped when she suddenly realized someone was nearby, splashing some of her soda over the bar.