Chapter 8

"Here's $300 in Traveler Cheques, Mrs. Chinetti will help you get what you need." Ava gave him a kiss and jumped into the back seat of the limo. Paul climbed into the front seat of Mr. Chinetti's car and headed to the Ferrari Factory.

The meeting was held in a small conference room. Mr. Ferrari was not present but Mr. Chinetti and Mr. Mulso were. The first discussion was of modifications to the GT class and to Prototype class of cars.

"We won't be able to use the wings," Mr. Lugittio said, "May tried it and was banned."

"Yes sir he was, but the Factory Porche team didn't back him. The officials were able to come up with a reason to refuse to let him in. Our wings will be mounted low. The rear wing will be no higher than the top of the car. If we put a break light on it, we can even make the argument that it will make the cars safer. Our car will have the backing of the Ferrari factory team. That carries a lot of clout that May didn't have."

Mulso asked, "Why two wings Paul?"

"If we have two and make them adjustable, we can adjust the handling of the car as the tires and racetrack change."

"So we introduce both the wings and this so called ground effects on the next years car?"

"Mr. Lugittio, I wouldn't do both next year. If you do, you only have an edge for one year. If you slowly add the ground effects, the other teams might not notice. They will be staring at the wings and might overlook other changes. They will wonder why we are faster than they are but won't be able to do anything about it.

Eventually, the size of the wings will be restricted to slow down the cars. Then the ground effects will be more important and someone will notice it. Then we go all out. I do recommend that we put every safety measure in that we can and that you patent all of them."

"Paul, there is a gentlemen's agreement to give safety away," said Mr. Lugittio.

"I like that agreement but someone could patent them. I'd like to see you charge one lira a year to each manufacturer who uses them. That's essentially free. Mr. Lugittio, there is one problem that I haven't mentioned. The cars will have down force going forward, but if they spin, the might go airborne. We need flaps that will come up and spoil air flow when the cars are going backwards."

"Call me Lugo since we will be working together. Come on to my office and show me what you mean."

"Do you want to see my ideas for F1 first?"

"Paul, come with me and let's get a contract in place before you start to work with Lugo. Then we can get to work. We have our own secrets to protect." Mr. Chinetti led Paul to his office.

When Paul returned to the guesthouse he was tired. He was met at the door by an excited Ava, "Look at the dress I found." She held it in front of her. It looks like a black dress. He knew better than to say that.

"It will look lovely on you."

She turned to the mirror. "It will, won't it? By the way, I need $200 more. It was more expensive than I thought but it was perfect so I got it anyway."

"You spent $500 on a dress!"

"Don't be like that Paul, you have lots of money and I bought a purse and shoes."

"Yeah I have money and I'd like to have some left by the end of the year. At $500 a shot it isn't going to last long."

"Aren't you being paid?"

"I am when I'm working but I'll only be working two days. The rest of the time is just a visit."

"You should ask for more money."

"You should spend less. I'm going to shower." Paul headed to the bathroom.

"Thanks for ruining my day," she said as he closed the door. "You didn't even notice my hair."

Crap. Was her hair different? She had probably had her nails done too. Fuck her; a $500 dress should be more than enough to keep her happy.

Paul spent the next day going over the F1 car and how safety fit into the design. The driver's tub was the key. It was solid and should not be breached. A crash violent enough to breach the tub would kill the driver.

To save weight, there would be no frame. The engine would be bolt onto the tub and the transaxle, a combination transmission and axle, would be bolted to the engine. The nose cone would adsorb front-end impacts, and a foot long collapsible box would help adsorb rear end collisions. The wheels, the suspension, and the fuel tanks would also adsorb collision.

The car would be designed to collapse in a predictable way. It was going to take a major design overhaul and months of testing to make the design work. Next years car would use some of the safety features and wings.

It might be two years before the total safety package was implemented and with luck 3 or 4 years after that before all the changes were needed to stay at the top.

That evening there was a formal dinner in town. Paul wore a tux and Ava wore her $500 dress. Paul and Ava were seated next to Mr. Ferrari and Fiamma Breschi, his mistress. Dinner was exquisite; what you would expect from high society in Europe. Mr. Ferrari may not be Royalty, but he was the next closest thing in Italy.

That night Ava sucked Paul him off and fell asleep, her head on his chest. What the hell; it was only money, he thought as he drifted off.

"We've got 2 days left. Do you want to come home with me?"

"No, Paul. I have assignments I need to do. I'll see you when you get back."

"OK"

That night Paul drove to the Dog and Suds. Ann was there. He parked his car, snuck up behind her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you and that Bill guy doing?"

"Paul!" She stood, hugged him, and pulled him down next to her.

"Hey Rachel, I should have known you'd be here." He smiled when he said it.

"It's nice to see you too Paul. Is that your car?"

"Yep, it's mine. How is she doing with that Bill guy?"

"She is head over heels in love with him. How does that make you feel?"

"I've got mixed feelings but I'm happy for her." He put an arm around her and pulled her to him for a moment. "You know I wish you the best."

"How are you doing?" Ann asked him.

"Pretty good, I'm dating Ava."

"Do you love her?"

He didn't know. That's odd, he thought, how could he not know? Why wouldn't he be in love when he was so close to her? "Yeah I do," he lied.

"Good."

The conversation made him uneasy. He left shortly afterwards and drove home. He sat on the front steps and thought but nothing made much sense. He had been right when he first saw her. Ava was high maintenance; maybe too high.

Paul continued to date Ava through Christmas and New Years, and into the second semester. Now she spent more time with him; meeting him between classes and spending and occasional night at his house. Spring break was going to be a surprise for her. He would take her to France for the Le Mann Grand Prix.

"Ava," he asked when she came to the phone, "do you want to go out to dinner tonight?" Paul had plans for the night.

"Paul, I'm sorry, but I can't. I already have a date."

"What the Hell do you mean you already have a date?"

"Paul, I like you a lot, but it's not like we're going steady."

He was stunned. "Well... don't worry about it. I'll find someone else to take to France next month." He hung up the phone.

He sat in his house until Arthur came in. "Why are you staring at the wall, Paul? Hey I rhymed." Paul didn't reply. He walked to the stadium. That bitch was in his seat again so he sat in the end zone seat. He didn't see her leave but she was gone when he left. He walked back to his house about 2 AM. Ava was on the steps.

"Paul I'm so sorry. It was a mistake. I had a terrible time."

Paul had no expression on his face as he walked up to her and hugged her. She fiercely hugged back and whispered, "I'm so sorry." Paul moved his hand down between her legs, pulled up her skirt, and pushed his way into her panties.

"Stop."

He didn't. He jammed his finger into her. She was soaking wet. He pulled out his finger and held it to her face. "Paul, you're hurting me."

"Funny. It doesn't smell like you had a terrible date. Was he just a terrible lay?"

He left her on the doorstep and locked the door behind him.

God I am an asshole. He stayed home the next day. Arthur was worried about him so Paul reasoned with him, "Mind your own fucking business."

The problem was he still wanted her. Physically she was perfect; her skin was unblemished, her hair was full and silky, her breasts were mesmerizing, he ass was incredible, her every motion fluid as a cat's. He knew she wouldn't change. Even now she would be looking for a way to go to France. He would have to pay her price and she would have to pay his. This couldn't be love, could it?

He walked to the stadium. He had it to himself except to a couple making out on the field. They didn't notice him. He kept his eyes on the heavens and thought of all the different deals that could be made with the devil. Paul's eyes were open; he thought he knew the price.

In April, Ava and Paul were descending into Paris. They hadn't really made up or reached resolution, they had ignored that night as if it had never happened.

The Boeing 707 was quieter, smoother, and faster than propeller driven planes. It made the flight more bearable. Once in Paris, they rode by rail to Le Mans. They were a few days early so Ava could attend parties and Paul would be available to the press.

This race was the first race in which the factory Prototype Class Ferraris would have wings. They would also have crash resistant fuel tanks. As was done the first time around, the press was shown demos of people hacking at the fuel tanks with axes. No damage was done. The press went nuts. Although some teams complained about the wings; they were not banned as long as they didn't impair vision.

During the days he worked on the 1959 250 GT. It would be the first production car with wings and a little bit of sneaky ground effects. The F1 car was coming along slowly. Tires were going to take a beating as the down force went up; so would suspensions.

Bad things happen to a racecar when a suspension collapses. Redesign of the engine wouldn't be a problem. The transaxle would be completely new and could be expected to fail until a multitude of bugs were worked out.

Even Paul enjoyed the parties. Europe's rich and famous were there. He met the not yet legendary Sterling Moss and Jack Brabham. He didn't spend much time with the current world champions, he didn't speak Italian, but Moss and Brabham were happy to try to dig information about the wings from him. Too bad he couldn't tell Ava who they would be. She would be blown away. Maybe just as well.

Halfway through one party, Ava lean in to Paul and softly said, "I'm not wearing panties tonight."

"Perhaps we should head back to the hotel?"

"No I just thought you would want to know."

She left him to talk to a woman she knew, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away. He was trying to hide an erection. Two hours later they were back at the hotel. They were in a third floor room overlooking a garden. Ava walked out onto the balcony.

"Paul. Come here!"

"What is it?" He wrapped his arms around her.

"Look at the couple over there. They are doing it!"

Paul grabbed a breast with one hand and moved the other between her legs.

"I love your hands on me. Watching them is so sexy."

Paul unzipped his pants and raised her dress. She was surprised but guided him into her. "Oh my god," she said. "They see us now."

"Give them a show."

Ava kept one hand on the rail and rubbed her breasts with the other hand. Her eyes never left the other couple. She slid her hand down between her legs and rubbed herself while they watched. She came first; unusual for her. As Paul finished she pull her dress down to show a breast to the other couple. The woman reciprocated.

Ava laughed from deep in her throat as she turned around, "I wonder who they are and what they are doing now."

"They are wondering who you are. They might guess you're taking a bath. They would be right," Paul swept her up and carried her to the bathroom. He had finally started to put on muscle. Ava was right, he thought, that was sexy. Do I just like to show off with her or am I an exhibitionist?

The Le Mans race is 24 hours long; an eternity. The race is far too long for a car to hold together or drivers to go without make a mistake. Paul wore hearing protection and made Ava wear it also. She hated it. At 140 dB it wouldn't take long to damage her ears hearing permanently. Paul wanted to listen to Opera when he was old. He needed to take Ava to The Magic Flute or the Marriage of Figaro; something she would enjoy. Then maybe she wouldn't mind the ugly headphones.

The day wore on. At 11:00 PM Ava went back to the Hotel to get some sleep. Paul took a few hours on a cot in one of the trailer. When the sun rose, Ferrari was 1st and 2nd with Porche 3rd. The third factory Ferrari had crashed. That was the way they finished; 1st and 2nd. He was happy to take some of the credit and praise the engineers, mechanics, and drivers. At the victory party that night, he made a toast to the vision of Mr. Chinetti, Mr. Mulso, and Mr. Ferrari.

Paul and Ava were exhausted. They slept most of the flight home. Ava spent the night with him and most of the next day. They stayed in bed and made love when the mood struck them. Then something amazing happened, Ava whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." He was pretty sure he did.

That night she went back to her dorm. He walked her there and went to the stadium; he was alone. His thoughts tonight were happy ones.

Paul stayed at school over the summer. Steve would be at school most of the summer, getting ready for football. There was no one in town he really wanted to see. Since Arthur was gone, Steve stayed at the house. Ava was gone but Paul didn't date. He promised himself there would be no more Mandys.