Page 111 of Full Throttle

A woman wearing a headset clapped her hands. “Everyone to set, please.”

Dominic sat on a stool. Someone attached sensors to him, and he could see Cap trying unsuccessfully to persuade his dog not to chew a blood pressure cuff. All part of the lie detectors, presumably. The lights were blinding. Juliette glanced toward the packed seats, shifting in her chair, and he felt a pang of protectiveness. Right. The live audience that Liêm had mentioned. He’d almost forgotten that loads of F1 mega fans and influencers would be live streaming the whole thing. Not your business, he thought firmly, but he was already leaning closer.

“Don’t worry,” Dominic murmured. “The questions will be easy. And the audience is on our side.”

Juliette wiped her palms on her lap. “Easy for you, you mean. You always know the right thing to say in these things.”

Dominic paused. She thought that? He wanted to say more, but a shadowy figure was counting down off-camera: three, two, one…

The producer smiled into the camera: an Australian woman named Sarah. Dominic recognized her from previous interviews.

“Welcome to Grill the Grid! We’re here with six Formula 1 drivers, and we’re about to play a lie detector game answering your burning questions.” Sarah turned. “First up, I’ve got a question for you, Capulet. Can you tell our viewers…?”

And so it began. Had they ever gone out with a celebrity before? Had they ever kissed a fan? Who was the driver with the biggest ego? Sinclair lied for every question, Cap and Juliette lied once, and Liêm never lied. Dominic had made it through the game without lying, although only because he’d given a very creative answer when asked if he resented his father for kicking him off Duro Stallion. Honestly. Who approved these questions? He was having a word with his PR team later.

“Great!” Sarah clapped her hands. “We’re going to end with a quick game of Never Have I Ever. Everyone hold up five fingers, please.”

Everyone obliged. Dominic chanced a glance at Juliette, who was staring straight ahead. A cold stone settled in his stomach. Surely they wouldn’t ask anything that personal, right? Sarah consulted her checklist.

“Never have I ever used food in the bedroom.”

Okay. Turned out they would ask personal questions. Dominic put down a finger. Juliette did too. He ignored the way that his chest suddenly felt like it was on fire. Again. None of his business.

“Never have I ever stolen something,” Sarah continued.

Everyone left their fingers up. Cap’s siren went off, sending a shrill sound through the room. Sarah looked delighted.

“You’re lying, Capulet!”

Cap looked sheepish. “It was just the once. I took a pint glass from my favorite pub in Hackney.”

Sarah smiled. “Very naughty. Okay, we’re getting down to our final questions now. This next one’s juicy. Never have I ever…” She winked at the camera. “Slept with another driver.”

Dominic’s blood went cold. He kept his fingers raised, staring hard at a tray of iced coffees. Looking anywhere but at Juliette, really. Two sirens blared, and the sound was grating in the silent studio.

“Look at that!” Sarah waggled her pen. “We have two lies.”

Shit.

Shit.

“Dominic and Juliette.” The pen waggling continued. “Very naughty. Was it other people, or…?”

Dominic’s heart pounded. This couldn’t be in the pre-approved question packet. He scanned the studio for Ranya—for literally anyone on their PR team—but all he could see were cameras. God. Being electrocuted would have been preferable.

This would be all over social media within the hour.

Juliette recovered first. “A lady never tells.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Not even a hint?”

“Oh, come on, Sarah,” Dominic drawled. “Do you really think we’d sleep together?” His heart was pounding, which probably wasn’t a good sign. How did lie detectors work? He should have paid more attention to that television crime series that Liêm bullied him into watching. “Ask us something else.”

He gave the producer his easy smile. The self-assured I-am-the-Prince-of-Racing-and-you-will-listen-to-me smile. Sure enough, Sarah gave a rather theatrical sigh.

“I guess we’ll move on. For now. Never have I ever…”

Dominic didn’t hear the other questions. As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, Juliette was out of her seat, pulling off her sensors. Cap and Baz were close behind. Dominic took off his blood pressure cuff slowly, chatting to a Swedish producer about his new cockapoo and the football last night. Eventually, he turned in the direction of the corridor, keeping his steps unhurried. Chasing Juliette would only confirm suspicions, but fuck if it wasn’t killing him.