Page 3
Chapter three
Bianca
“He’s hot! ” Sophia squealed beside me as we headed away from Kristian’s office and back to the garages. I wasn’t sure if it made me feel better or worse that I hadn’t been the only one to notice Kristian’s handsomeness – and lack of wedding ring. He reeked of stoic, playboy arsehole and unfortunately that was just my type, but not for the reasons people usually assumed. There was nothing I loved more than breaking down men like Kristian until they were gibbering wrecks, begging for my attention. I shivered, crossing my arms tighter over my body.
“Sophia, get your mind out of the gutter,” I chastised. “He’s old enough to be your dad.”
The blonde immediately flushed bright pink. “I d–didn’t mean I was—”
I stopped, turning to look at her. Keeping my voice low, I moved in closer. “Look, I’ve been around longer than you. Don’t be that girl. Women have worked too hard to be taken seriously in this sport for you to go opening your legs for the team principal and ruining it all.”
Was it harsh? Yes, but I couldn’t risk Sophia getting in my way. I needed her off the scent of Kristian because I wanted to be ‘that girl’, not her. I tolerated her out on track because I had to, I wasn’t about to compete with her over our attractive team principal as well. He was mine. I’d ensure it.
Sophia’s eyes widened and I wasn’t sure if she was about to cry. She nodded hastily. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Good, okay. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” I spun on my heel and began walking once more. Our trainers squeaked against the shiny marble floors, echoing around us. I burst through the doors leading to the garage, greeting mechanics and engineers as I passed them.
When I laid my eyes on the two McLaren cars – side by side, their orange, black and grey livery shining like a gemstone under the halogens – I shivered. I would never get over the thrill of being able to race one of these beasts. I smoothed my hand over my car – number 68 – with a smile.
“Hey, baby,” I breathed. “Ready for some fun?”
My car’s engineer approached, clipboard in hand, to run me through the tweaks and upgrades they’d made. I nodded, listening intently but never taking my eyes off my car as I circled her, checking over every inch.
“When will I get a chance to try her out?” I asked, interrupting the engineer’s flow of technical gibberish.
“Oh, well, um—” His gaze flitted over my shoulder.
“We’ll trailer them to Silverstone later this afternoon.”
I tensed up, hearing Kristian answer my question. I turned around, trying my best not to show my excitement to lay eyes on him.
“Good. I’d like to get a practice in before Vegas,” I replied, crossing my arms beneath my bust. To my annoyance, his attention turned away from me immediately and he pulled his phone from his pocket. His thumbs tapped against the screen as he typed, and I watched them intently. He had nice hands, I decided – strong, with neat, short nails. My mind began to dream up elaborate fantasies and I was lost in imagining how good those fingers would feel buried inside me. I shuddered. Man, I needed to get laid.
“We can set something up for tomorrow,” Kristian said, and I faltered, wondering for a moment if I’d spoken aloud. When I was slow to answer, his eyes – an attractive green colour – flickered up to look at me, brows raised. “I assume that suits you? The car will be at the track later this afternoon, but it won’t be ready to drive. I can arrange for a practice run tomorrow morning.”
Oh, thank fuck – he was talking about the test drive. I resisted a relieved laugh and instead ran my hand through my hair, flicking it over my shoulder. “Sure, I’ll be there.”
Kristian’s attention turned back to his phone. “I trust that fits with your busy schedule,” he replied sarcastically.
This time I did laugh aloud before pursing my lips with annoyance. “I’ll make it work.”
“Good.” Kristian turned away, phone still in hand, without so much as a goodbye. God, he was frustrating and shamefully that just fuelled my interest further. I was going to teach that rude, arrogant arsehole who the real boss was around here.
As if on cue, my own phone pinged, and I fished it out. With a heavy sigh, I spotted the reminder about a press conference. No rest for the wicked. I headed for the exit and noticed Kristian was talking with Sophia and her engineer. His phone was away now, and I felt a startling wave of jealousy swell up within me. So, Sophia was somehow more deserving of his full attention? That wouldn’t do. I waved to catch Sophia’s attention as I passed by.
“You coming?” I asked her.
The blonde’s face brightened and after muttering her farewells to her engineer and Kristian, she scurried out of the garage to catch me up.
“I didn’t realise we were travelling together today,” she said, falling in step beside me.
In truth, there was nothing I despised as much as sharing a car with anyone from my team. I usually insisted I travel everywhere alone. My whole life was a whirlwind of social engagement, whether that be with the team, the press, the fans… Sometimes sitting in a silent car for half an hour was the only quiet time I would get for myself in an entire day. As much as I didn’t relish the journey ahead with Sophia, it was preferable to leaving her here with Kristian.
“Well, we’re both heading for the same press conference.” I shrugged.
At the exit, Sophia and I waited a moment as the chauffeur brought the team car around. He hopped out and opened the door for us to enter. I stepped forward, hesitating a moment as I caught sight of movement from the corner of my eye. Kristian, with his leather satchel draped over his shoulder, came trotting down the shallow stone steps towards us.
“Here, ladies first,” I muttered, hastily stepping aside and shoving Sophia towards the car ahead of me. “Are you joining us, team principal?”
“Senseless to waste fuel when we’re all going to the same place,” he replied tersely.
Sophia clambered into the car, scooting herself across the back seats to the far side. I ducked inside next, my heart thundering with anticipation as I took the middle and awaited Kristian joining us. Sometimes we were given large, seven–seater MPVs to ferry us back and forth between venues, but I’d never been more excited to squeeze inside a tiny, regular five–seater in my life.
Kristian paused, standing beside the open door for a few moments whilst he had a discussion with the driver about something and with the rest of him obscured, I felt my eyes drawn to his lower half. He had an expensive–looking leather belt attached to his tailored suit trousers. I nibbled my lip, eager to unfasten it and run my hands over the tempting bulge beneath. Kristian suddenly ducked, easing himself into the car beside me and I cleared my throat, looking away.
If Kristian was aware of how close we were to one another, he didn’t let on. The whole right side of my body tingled, touching his from thigh to shoulder. He squirmed, fighting with the seatbelt and I nearly whimpered when those lovely hands brushed against my hip as he struggled to reach for the buckle. I’d never felt like this before, such a sudden, intense attraction to someone. My belly fizzed with excitement, though I forced myself to keep my eyes trained out of the opposite window with cool indifference.
The driver got behind the wheel and the car set off, jostling us against one another. The conference building was about half hour from here and I wondered how I was going to make it that far without internally combusting.
We sat in stony silence for a short while before I caught Sophia’s eye. She cast me an awkward smile that spoke a thousand words. She was uncomfortable, neither of us able to relax with our new, rather intimidating boss beside us. Kristian seemed blissfully unaware. His phone was out once again, and I watched the screen as he answered emails.
He spoke suddenly without looking away from his phone and I flinched. “Are you both ready for the questions you’re going to be asked about Harold Warner today?”
“No comment,” I replied, fighting a smile when Kristian chuckled beside me.
“Good answer.” He paused. “Sophia?”
“Yes, I’m prepared. We’re under strict instruction not to engage in any questions regarding Harold and instead try to redirect the conversation back to the season ahead.”
“That’s right,” he replied. “I have the jet arranged for Las Vegas next week. Details will be in your calendars.”
Sophia and I made noises of acceptance before the car fell into silence once more. I pressed my lips together, body tense beside Kristian’s. I could feel the warmth of him against me and it made me a little breathless. I was curious to know if our close quarters had registered with him at all, and with a barely perceptible smirk, I relaxed a little, allowing my body to grow floppy and the motion of the car jostled me into him.
“Sorry,” I murmured, though I didn’t attempt to move away.
“It’s fine.” Kristian cleared his throat. “It’s a little cramped back here, hm? I’ll make sure the MPV is available to collect us after the conference.”
I scowled. That wasn’t the outcome I’d been hoping for. I gathered my hair up from the nape of my neck, growing a little clammy. Sophia silently offered me a hair tie and I smiled in thanks. I sat forward as far as my belt would allow, tying my hair up in a messy bun. The car took a bend, and I lost my balance, sliding across the leather seats into Kristian, my elbow nearly hitting him in the face.
“Whoa, careful.”
“Fucking hell, sorry. I—” My breath caught in my chest as Kristian took me by my waist, pushing me back into my seat. It was barely more than a second or two that he was touching me, but I felt an uncomfortable heat creep up my back, and I flapped the neck of my t–shirt.
“I’ll ask the driver to crank up the AC,” Sophia said, easing forward in her seat to relay the instructions. Immediately, ice cold air began to blast through the vents, and I sighed.
“Thanks.” The back of the car quickly cooled down, chilling the perspiration on my skin. Goosebumps sprang up over my arms, hairs standing on end and I felt my nipples stiffen. It had been a decidedly hot and humid British summer day outside, but now I was being blasted with freezing cold air, I lamented my choice of thin, lace bra. The lack of padding allowed my stiff flesh to tent through my McLaren team polo shirt and though I plucked the material away from my breasts, there was not much I could do to conceal them.
Just then, Kristian’s phone slipped from his hands, and he scrambled to snatch it back up. “Fuck,” he hissed. As I glanced across at him, I caught his gaze darting away from my chest and my pulse quickened. Had that been a glimmer of interest I’d seen upon his expression, or did breasts just possess some curious gravitational pull for the male gaze that they were all powerless to ignore? Either way, I smirked. It was a starting point at least.
The car pulled up outside the venue and we waited patiently for the driver to hop out and open Sophia’s door for her. My teammate was eager to get away from the tense atmosphere, slipping out hastily. I followed behind, sliding across the leather seats, a plan formulating in my mind. I stepped out with one foot, but as I went to heave myself out through the door, I pretended to slip.
I squeaked, allowing my weight to fall backwards and prayed Kristian was going to play into my hands. In his eagerness to escape, the team principal had shuffled up right behind me. I was either going to fall right into his lap, or…
“Careful!” I felt Kristian reach out to steady me, with little thought to where his hands would land. I felt his palms on my behind. Barely a split second later, he realised what he’d done and released me. I squealed with genuine surprise, falling back into his lap as I had originally intended.
“God, sorry,” I gasped, hoping my performance was believable. “I lost my footing.” I took my time squirming against him as I fought to pull myself out of the doorway.
“N–no, it’s alright. I, uh, yeah. Don’t worry about it,” Kristian spluttered, his powerful facade slipping.
I stepped out of the car, tugging my jeans up by their belt loops and righting my polo shirt where it had ridden up slightly. I strode ahead to join Sophia with a shit–eating grin plastered all over my face.
“Are you alright?” the blonde asked.
“Peachy,” I replied, tugging out her hair tie and handing it back to her before flicking my long locks over my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
I deliberately kept my attention fixed anywhere but on Kristian as we were welcomed by a team of PR assistants and shown through to where the conference was being held. As usual, the room was filled with folding seats. At the head was a long table, lined with microphones and a chair behind each. Sophia took her seat, and I sat beside her, Kristian taking the third spot. Sound technicians flurried around us, attaching yet another microphone to each of our collars and running tests on all the equipment to make sure everything was in working order.
It wasn’t long until journalists began to flood the room and cameras flashed. I sucked in a breath, preparing for what promised to be a challenging press conference. Sports journalists were always bloodthirsty in their attempts to get the inside scoop, but I knew that would be increased tenfold now the news of Harold had been announced. I glanced at Kristian, and sensing my gaze, his attention flickered to me.
“Good luck,” I muttered under my breath. “Something tells me you’re going to need it.”
He chuckled. “We’ll see.”
Before I had a chance to reply, the room was quietened down, and we were introduced. When the first hand was raised, I prepared for the onslaught.
“Jerry Wolfe, Sport Daily Magazine. Kristian Wright, you have a big job on your hands taking the helm of the McLaren F1 team and stepping up into the team principal role for the first time as a replacement for Harold Warner.”
There was a pause as Kristian sat forward in his seat. “Is that a question or?”
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from laughing. Kristian didn’t take any prisoners with the press it seemed, and I was so on board with that.
Jerry floundered for words. “When you received your promotion, did Frank Matthews give you any advice?”
“Don’t defraud the company for millions?”
This time I couldn’t hold back my amusement, but thankfully neither did the rest of the room, the crowd erupting into muttering and laughing. The rumours of Kristian’s straight shooting were not exaggerated. I doubted I was alone in my expectation that we would hedge around the reasons for Harold’s swift departure from the team.
“Sorry, I kid. I realise the circumstances in which I have arrived within the McLaren team could certainly have been better, but I feel my brief from Frank is clear: improve the team’s performance and maintain the success we have already achieved. The damage Harold’s actions have inflicted on the team cannot be undone. That’s not what Frank wants us to be remembered for.”
Another journalist leapt to his feet. “Mr Wright. Geoff Wegner, Sporting News. There has been a lengthy and highly scrutinised internal investigation into Harold Warner’s indiscretions. Warner has placed the McLaren Racing team at the centre of the spotlight. What can you tell us about the investigation that took place?”
All eyes, including mine, were on Kristian and yet he seemed entirely unfazed. He rested his sexy hands upon the table.
“The controversy came to light in early February and the authorities launched an independent investigation into Warner’s activities. McLaren have handled the matter professionally given the difficult circumstances and have supported the police investigation throughout.”
“And your feelings on the matter?” Geoff shouted.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss much out of respect for McLaren. Whilst I am open about the reasons for Harold’s departure from the team, I’m not going to air all the private discussions that have occurred, nor my own opinion. It’s not an F1 issue, nor an FIA issue – it’s a company issue and that would be the same in any major organisation. I think it’s time to draw a line under this and move on. We are here to go racing as an F1 team and to focus on what’s happening on track, the drivers and performances of the cars – that is where the spotlight should be.”
The room was quiet for a moment as everyone took in Kristian’s answer. The reason Frank had brought him in became suddenly clear – he was a professional press schmoozer. I’d expected the conference to be messy and to be fielding uncomfortable questions from all sides, but Kristian had shut them all down swiftly and professionally. I was impressed.
“Can someone please ask us some questions about racing now?” Kristian asked with a smile, and the room rippled with laughter once again.
The rest of the conference passed without a hitch. Kristian had successfully put the Harold Warner issue to bed and to my surprise, the journalists obeyed his requests. Every question I had answered had been about the upcoming season or my feelings towards the car and its performance. As we were ushered back out towards the exit, I fell in step beside the team principal. He was typing away furiously on his phone once more.
“That was impressive,” I murmured.
“It’s my job,” he replied coolly, not breaking his concentration for a moment. “Though I recognise that’s high praise coming from you, so thank you.”
I pursed my lips, feigning irritation. “Don’t get used to it.”
Kristian didn’t reply and we all waited in the lobby for our driver to collect us and return us back to the McLaren head office. As we were called forward, I spotted the larger, seven–seater MPV awaiting us and smirked. Someone was rather keen to avoid any more inappropriate touching, and it definitely wasn’t me. I’d gotten under Kristian’s skin – I was sure of it – and that just excited me further.
We clambered into the car, Kristian choosing one of the seats on the opposite side of the vehicle to Sophia and me. We belted ourselves in and the car began to trundle away, back towards the McLaren office.
With Kristian absorbed in his phone – as he always was, it seemed – I pretended to look out of my window, sneaking glances at him from the corner of my eye. The more I looked, the more I liked. Every time I gazed at him, he seemed more handsome than the last – with a strong jawline, straight nose, great teeth… I realised having a fling with my boss was pretty cliché, but at that moment I truly didn’t care. Just as I was imagining what lay beneath his smart office attire, my phone and Sophia’s pinged in unison. I didn’t have a chance to look away before Kristian’s attention turned to me. He seemed surprised for a moment to find me already looking at him and I capitalised on his confusion by smiling flirtatiously.
“I’ve, uh, put an appointment in both your calendars,” he said, coughing into his fist. “Well give the cars a practice run around Silverstone first thing.”
“Sounds good to me,” I replied, turning to stare out of my window once more.
Sophia fished her phone out, smiling. “I’ve accepted the appointment.”
The car fell into a comfortable silence. I was relieved that Kristian’s presence had rendered Sophia unusually quiet. The blonde was a real motormouth, but today she was on her best behaviour in front of our new boss. I sighed, gaze flitting to Kristian again. This time, it was my turn to be surprised. He still had his phone in his hands, but he wasn’t looking at it. Those lovely green eyes of his were fixed on me. I expected him to look away hastily, but he didn’t. Instead, he held my eye contact for a moment longer than was truly necessary before the sexiest half–smile crept onto his face and he returned his gaze to his phone. It was barely a second, but I’d seen it, as clear as day and my heart leapt into my throat.
I wasn’t sure what I had expected in response to my rather blatant show of interest, but reciprocation of said interest came as a shock to me. I had assumed I would need to work harder than this to get his attention. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or disappointed that it had been so easy. Either way, I was excited by this new development and wanted to see how far I could push before Kristian Wright broke and gave me what I wanted.
The next day, I arrived at Silverstone racetrack half an hour later than the time Kristian had asked me to be there for. Despite having risen earlier than usual, excited to get back behind the wheel after the summer break, I had deliberately taken my time getting ready until I knew I was going to be late enough to get a rise out of my new team principal. Was it mature or professional? Absolutely not, but I just couldn’t resist.
I strolled into the racetrack, heading straight to the pit garages where I knew the rest of my team would be waiting for me and working on getting the car set up for the practice run. My minder would have my racing overalls and the rest of my safety equipment ready in the small changing rooms. She knew I was rarely on time. As I pushed through the doors and into the garage, I received a few welcomes and some knowing grins.
“You’re going to regret pushing this one’s buttons, Rossi,” one of the mechanics muttered with a laugh. “Wright is steaming that you weren’t on time this morning. He’s no laid–back Harold.”
I smirked, but didn’t reply. My minder greeted me and ushered me hurriedly to my allocated changing room. I was just tugging up the legs of my racing overalls when there was a knock at the door.
“Yeah?” I called out.
“You’re late.” Came the terse reply and I could barely keep from grinning. Kristian was pissed, that much was clear from his tone of voice.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I replied. “Some errands ran over.”
“Rossi, I’m not sure how to make this any plainer to you. You are not untouchable. You’ve had a good season so far, but if you think you can swan around like you have been doing under Harold’s watch, you can think again.”
“Alright, well I—”
“I haven’t finished,” Kristian interrupted me. I scowled and stopped dressing to hear him out.
“You’re a good driver, one of the best, but I’d rather have a reliable and considerate driver than one who clearly doesn’t give a shit,” Kristian snapped. “Don’t fuck with me, Rossi. I will pull one of the bench drivers up from F2 and you’ll be out on your arse so quickly, you won’t know what hit you.”
He wasn’t playing with me, and I saw red. What had begun as a somewhat playful flouting of my new, stuffy boss’s rules had swiftly developed into a full–blown threat to my career. I’d worked so hard to get here, to lose it now would be unthinkable. I threw open the changing room door, uncaring that my overalls were at my waist, just my bra covering my top half.
“What the fuck?” I snapped. “I was late once. The season hasn’t even started back up yet, how could—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Kristian growled. “Shape up or you’re out. I mean it.” I couldn’t even bring myself to be delighted as his eyes dropped to my breasts. “And put your tits away. This isn’t page three.”
I watched on, stunned as Kristian Wright turned his back on me and stormed away through the garage. Mouth agape, the same mechanic I’d spoken to on arrival caught my eye.
“I warned you.” He shook his head. “He’s not messing around.”
I cast him a withering glare. “Oh, and you can fuck off too.” I slammed the changing room door so hard the whole cubicle rattled. I felt humiliated, my wrist well and truly slapped. Perhaps I had misjudged Kristian’s character. The mechanic was right, he wasn’t messing around. It was unusual, but not unheard of for a driver to be fired mid–season. McLaren had a raft of drivers lined up to take my place, and though I knew none of them would be as good as I was, Sophia and I had set the team up for winning the constructor’s championship already. McLaren wouldn’t necessarily need to score full points from here on in to still come out on top. I couldn’t let someone else reap the rewards of all my hard work. I wasn’t sure whether Kristian had known what he was doing, but his threat had been a red rag to a bull. I scowled, hurriedly dressing. I would show him exactly what he would be missing if he thought to remove me from this team.
I stormed from my cubicle, ignoring Sophia as she tried to sidle up to me, her brows furrowed with sympathy. So, the whole garage had heard my dressing down, hm? That just fuelled my determination.
“Let’s get going,” I muttered to my engineers, snatching my face covering and helmet from my minder as she held them out to me. I tugged the tight Lycra hood over my head, ensuring it was in place correctly before wiggling my head inside my helmet. I felt a cool, steady determination envelop me and I took a deep breath. I was going to show Kristian fucking Wright.