Author's Note: I don't own anything from the F&F franchise. This is strictly a not for profit venture.
This story has been sitting on my hard drive for years when I was still doing one-shots in the universe of the first movie. I really like adding some texture and context to the glimpses of team life that we saw. Although my beta has been begging me to finish it, it just never came together. But after I finally finished my last story, I thought I'd dust it off and see if I could salvage it and this is the result. (MelBelle94, this is the story I mentioned that's similar to your prompt. I guess we are on the same wavelength!). It's still a little rough around the edges and I apologize for any sloppiness in the details—I'm assuming my younger self did some fact-checking but my older brain can't recall.
I've got a few ideas for some new stuff so we'll see how it develops. In the meantime, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this one. Feel free to share any feedback if you're so inclined.
Chapter One
'Damn, it's hot,' Letty thought to herself.
Then again, no one told her to wear all black in the middle of the desert either. Despite how breathable her top was, she had to admit that choosing leather pants over cargo pants or a skirt really hadn't been the best choice. But they were comfortable for driving and she did look great in them, better than the herds of skanks running around with barely anything on. Besides, her attire would serve her a lot better later on that evening.
One last time, he'd said when they took this heist on. One last time and then they'd be set for life. But she knew better. There was no way any of them could give up a life revolving around adventure and action. Maybe Dom said it for Mia's sake. She had always hated the risks they took in the name of fun or recreation or to make ends meet. But she couldn't stop him; any of them. Instead, she endured it and made sure they had a warm, safe home to return to afterwards.
And, despite being the one to reassure everyone, Dom couldn't hide how stressed out he was about what they were doing. Letty assumed that was the burden of being a leader.
Last night she'd let him give her a long, slow massage the way he always liked to do when he was worked up. Something about keeping his hands busy, specifically busy with her, redirected his mind to other things besides his fretting. He'd been thorough in his treatment of her body. Every tight muscle was squeezed and kneaded; an occasional string of kisses peppered the back of a shoulder, the lower back, the inside of an ankle. He tickled and teased until finally she moved him over to return the favor.
But even that had only partly helped. It wasn't until she'd stripped their clothes off for a bit of foreplay that he seemed to let go of his worries long enough to breathe a little. There had been a throbbing intensity to how he made love to her; the long kisses against her slick skin, the fluid give and take of control, the way he slowed her down when she urged him on.
When they finally came up for air, spent and satisfied, she watched him as he fell asleep. His arms surrounded her, holding her so securely. Before drifting off beside him, she saw his lips turn up in a sweet smile as he dreamed. Probably, he was dreaming of cars and money, yet the occasional romantic in her hoped he was dreaming of her.
She wanted him to have a night of peace before they all put their lives on the line. That's the burden she bore being the leader's lover, best friend and closest ally.
Today was another situation entirely. She was sitting alone under the team's tent, sipping a Corona and enjoying being amongst her tribe. It was nice to feel a part of something like this where people respected the things she loved: cash, cars and speed. There was plenty of time to worry about their real money-making job later on.
Unfortunately, she also had to endure assholes like the one she'd just raced, feeding her a bunch of bullshit instead of driving his damn car. She was a hell of a racer—would kick the ass of anyone who disputed it—but she was pretty sure she won a decent number of races because some dickhole underestimated how good she could be. It was annoying but, ultimately, it didn't matter much to her because she still got paid when it was all over. And like the dude she had just beat, it was sometimes amusing to watch the perplexed, often angry look of shock when she inevitably went to collect her winnings.
Sensing someone behind her, Letty turned to find Vince plopping down in the chair next to her. He'd been suspiciously absent for the past hour and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he'd gotten into. He got his races over with earlier so that wasn't what kept him away. Leave it to Ole Coyote to find some time—any time—during Race Wars to whore around.
She grinned over at her long-time friend who was now lounging with his own beer and checking out the scene around him behind dark sunglasses.
"So who was it that tired you out so early in the day?"
Letty couldn't help herself. Sure they had each other's backs without question but it was always the ones closest that get under the skin. She and Vince bickered like siblings, even more so than actual siblings Dom and Mia.
Vince glanced at her and pretended to be annoyed. "It's just like you to be all up in my business."
"That doesn't answer the question," Letty challenged, not intimidated by his tough guy act in the least. "What? You embarrassed to admit which skank you've been banging for the past hour?"
Vince grinned wickedly but remained quiet.
"Eh, you probably should be hiding her knowing your type." She rested her hands behind her head in repose, holding her beer between her legs. "Or maybe you're the one hiding so you can look out for your next trick?"
Vince's grin widened, knowing he had been called out.
"Don't knock it 'til you tried it. Might do you some good to think about grabbing your man over there and finding something for you two to occupy your time." He leaned back and checked out Dom across the tent talking to a busty blonde in a bikini top and cutoff shorts. "Or maybe he's occupied already," he added with another devilish smirk.
Letty rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses without turning to see what Vince was talking about. She knew exactly where Dom was, what Dom was doing and with whom—and she was in no mood to get into it with him about the matter.
"Anyway," she said dramatically. "I just got myself two-large off this fool. Fucking cake walk! You should have seen that dude when I smoked his ass halfway through."
Vince laughed even as he tracked two bottle blondes in short skirts sauntering towards a group of guys they had seen at the races.
Letty would never understand why all these racing hoes walked around with their shit hanging out. She'd rather die than be seen like that in public, much less kick it with some dude that preferred it. However, she did recognize that her boyfriend really had been one of the biggest man-whores on the planet before they dated, with a different overly-developed, air headed bimbo every week it seemed. But when they got together—and had stayed together for longer than anyone would have predicted—she figured that he wanted her precisely because she wasn't one of those girls.
Or at least that's what she liked to think. It was hard to know with Dom and it wasn't like they really talked about their relationship. They were just together and it was that simple.
Vince's voice shook her out of her thoughts as she continued to do her best to ignore Dom and the blonde across the way. Thankfully, Vince seemed oblivious to her feigned lack of concern otherwise he'd make fun of her all day for it.
"Yeah, Babygirl, I had my eye on you. Blue piece of shit car with crap enhancements to make it look less like a piece of shit?" He shook his head in disgust. "I bet that dude didn't know what hit him. And a whack-ass ride like that, he was probably talking all kinds of smack too. Fucking valley wannabes."
Letty pictured the twinkle of pride in his eyes behind the dark shades. She'd never tell him but she appreciated that he kept her in his sight when she least expected it. She loved how he totally called it about that asshole's car too. Vince wasn't as versed or as interested in car guts as the rest of the boys but he could spot quality over crap in a hot second.
"I hear you, brotha," she said, chuckling. They tapped their bottle necks together and lounged while they enjoyed the scene.
"Hey, baby!" They both turned at the sound of a voice calling out to their general area. "Baby!"
"Speak of the devil…" Vince said laughing.
Letty had to keep her mouth from falling open watching the same dude she had just raced coming towards them. The fact that he was still calling her 'baby' told her that he was even more stupid than she originally thought. She turned to Vince and seeing his grin, she matched it with one of her own.
"This is going to be good," she said to him. She didn't have to hear the words to know that he agreed.
Finally the guy reached their tent seeming a little out of breath and definitely over heated from the pursuit. He looked down at the two of them sipping their beers, probably itching to ask for one. However, one glance at Vince's now unwelcome expression had him biting his tongue.
Instead he turned back to Letty. "Baby, you ran off so quick after we settled our business. I wanted to holla at you a little bit. You know, get to know you some."
Letty didn't bother meeting his gaze but took a long, satisfying drag of her beer instead, just to taunt him.
She realized he wanted a warmer welcome (and a cold beverage) and she was positive he wanted her. His eyes devoured her as her head tilted back to sip her beer, revealing the line of her throat as she swallowed and the sweat glistening along her cleavage from the heated, dusty desert weather. Even sitting back in her chair, her raised arm exposed a strip of bare skin where her shirt had ridden up. She was no typical racer ho but she was damn good at getting a man worked up all the same. A consistently satisfied Dom was proof positive on that point.
Letty leaned back in her chair again and looked around indifferently. "I think I know all I need to know about you. And now I've got a bunch of your cash to show for it."
The guy laughed awkwardly and tried to shake it off. "Well, you did kick my ass good, I'm not gonna lie. But you can't blame a guy for trying to get with you, baby. Especially after a performance like that." Letty glanced up at him and sighed. She always was a sucker for the ones that at least acknowledged that she has skills.
Seeing her icy demeanor melt a bit, the little man pressed on. "My boys call me Rasta Man. Just Rasta for short. How about you tell me what your people call you, Beautiful."
Vince and Letty exchanged a dubious look, although Letty's was slightly amused.
"Rasta Man is it?" she asked, deadpan. "How original."
Vince cracked a smile at that and proceeded to give the newbie a once over.
Rasta turned towards Vince. "You her man? Cuz if so, my bad for steppin' up like this but girl is fine." Vince laughed and nudged her in the arm with his elbow. Letty wasn't sure whether he was so amused by this kid's terrible game or the absurd idea of them dating.
It didn't matter really because now she was pissed.
"Uh, excuse me? 'Girl' is sitting right here and doesn't like to be talked over. You need me to take you back to school, huh? Am I gonna have to teach you another lesson today?"
For the second time that day, Rasta was getting a glimpse of her fire and Letty was pleased that it was eliciting fear in him. "And hell no, I'm not dating this asshole," she said pointing at Vince.
Taking a step back, Rasta waved his hands in surrender but grinned down at her when it sunk in that she wasn't with the man next to her. "Naw, girl, it's not even like that! I'm just trying to let you know that you are definitely appreciated." He punctuated the last with a lascivious licking of his lips that would have made L.L. Cool J cringe.
"Ugh," Letty said turning away from the man standing in front of her. But her visible disdain didn't seem to be deterring her suitor at all. If anything, he looked even more excited at the prospect of trying to get into her pants.
She felt rather than saw the shadow that fell over her and a shift in the air around where she and Vince sat. "Is there a problem here?" a very familiar, deep voice said almost too calmly.
Letty had forgotten all about Dom across the tent talking to the blonde. But no matter how distracted he was, he seemed to have always kept one eye on her.
'Definitely hot,' Letty thought again, turning to slowly take in the hulking figure of her man come to mark his territory.
TBC ...