Chapter 22 - Sebastian
Sebastian
The smell of gasoline burned my nostrils, but it was a good smell.
It signalled to me that I was close to doing my favourite thing in the world.
The paddock was buzzing with anticipation for the three-way fight for the title, and it was within touching distance.
Despite it all, I felt troubled. Theo and I had been racing against each other all season without too many issues, but with a championship on the line, I was uneasy.
Could I forgive the man I loved if he beat me in today’s race?
Undoubtedly. But would I be able to look him in the eye for the next couple of months, be the man he wanted me to be? I wasn’t so sure.
Qualification was over, and the race was fast approaching.
Max Burnham had qualified in first place, but I was in second and almost alongside him on the grid.
Theo was in third and therefore would sit directly behind Max.
With so few points between us, any one of us could clinch the title.
So, to avoid the pressure, I was hiding at the very back of the garage and listening to the mechanics work on the car.
Even the most hardened of sports journalists knew not to enter the garage without permission from the team.
“You’re needed for media, Mr García,” said a young lady with an iPhone in her hand as she stepped into my field of vision.
“Is it rude to tell you to fuck off?” I asked, more harshly than I normally would. I tried to twist my voice up at the end, to make it sound like a joke, but her face crumpled. “Lo siento. Sorry. That was cruel of me. What is your name?”
“Maria,” she said, her lips quirking up into a countenance of a smile.
“My grandmother’s name is Maria. She is too old to travel to watch my races, but she watches at home. I bought her a big TV.”
Maria sat down next to me, on a stack of used tyres that wobbled precariously. “Bet she’s well proud of having a grandson like you.”
“She tells me every chance she gets,” I replied. “I won’t talk to the media, I need a little while to prepare. But I will do whatever silly trend you need from me.”
Maria grinned and within a couple of minutes had me miming to whatever TikTok trend had swept the globe since I last checked. I was a terrible mimer, but I had been reassured that my social media videos often went viral, even more so after my relationship with Theo had been made so public.
“Thanks for that, Mr García,” said Maria.
“Please, call me Sebastian. Mr García makes me sound like my father.”
“Really? And I was just calling you Daddy,” said a very familiar voice from behind me.
Before I could turn hand face him, a pair of arms in ZX Computing-branded overalls had wrapped themselves around my shoulders.
Maria took a quick snap before I could stop her, and I pressed a quick kiss to Theo’s hand.
“Please don’t publish that,” I said to Maria.
“Oh, I’ll keep it for my private collection,” she winked. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
Theo’s arms loosened for a second, but only so he could walk around and face me. His fingers laced up at the back of my neck and he pulled me in for a kiss.
“You OK?” he asked.
“If I say no, will you think I’m stupid?” I asked.
“Not at all. I’ll think you’re sensible.”
I smiled and kissed Theo on the lips, quickly. “Are we going to get in trouble for you being in my team garage?”
“Are you going to tell anyone? I don’t think anyone has noticed,” said Theo, gesturing around. I looked around the garage, where every single mechanic had dropped tools to look at us.
“Get back to work!” came Magnus’ voice from somewhere, and they all scrambled to pick up their tools again.
“Can you do something for me?” I asked Theo.
His breath hitched for a second, and I saw his eyes widen in trepidation.
Despite the trust that we had built up alongside the love, it was still conceivable to him that I might ask the unaskable.
“Not that, I promise. I will never compromise your race. In fact, I need to do the opposite. I want to give both of us a motivation.”
“What?” asked Theo.
“A bet,” I said. “It’s how we started. It’s how I want to end this tour.”
“And what are you suggesting, Mr García?” asked Theo.
“If you win…” I leaned forward to whisper in his ear, partially for dramatic effect but also because I did not want some lip-sync savvy photographer or journalist outside the garage catching what I was saying. “I will be your slave for the day. Full maid outfit, whatever you want.”
Theo chuckled. “Why is the thought of your furry legs in a frilly skirt so hot?”
“Because these furry legs are gorgeous,” I said.
“OK, and if I lose…” Theo started, but I put a finger on his lips.
“I have the most to lose here, so I will set the terms. If I win, you will head to my hotel room. You have a key, you do not need to wait for me. In my bedside drawer you will find exactly what I expect you to wear for me. You will wear nothing else.”
“No maid outfit though?” asked Theo. He sounded nervous, but I knew the uncertainty and risk turned him on. It always had, ever since we started these stupid bets.
“No maid outfit, Teodoro. But you may find yourself begging for it as an alternative.”
Theo pulled me closer, and I could faintly feel his hard length pressing against my thigh through heavy layers of fabric. I loved that I could do to him exactly what he did to me. That we both felt just as strongly for one another, in heart and in…other areas.
“Right, I better go,” said Theo. “I’d wish you luck, but…I don’t wanna.”
“You continue to drive me insane,” I countered. “Good luck, Teodoro.”
“Good luck, Sebastian.” Theo leaned in to give me one more quick, chaste kiss so as not to excite us again. “See you at the finish line.”