Chapter 6 #2
“Ok, we won’t take up any more of your day. Thank you, my darling, for looking after him,” Ingrid said as she got up.
Erik took this as the cue that they were leaving. He hugged Oliver goodbye and whispered, “Thanks for the info,” in his ear.
???
Seeing Oliver and Erik so comfortable together had shifted things a bit for Ingrid. It was nice to have this domestic interlude between the showmanship of the race weekends. When they got back to her flat, she pulled Erik into a kiss.
“That’s a surprise,” he said. “I thought I was going to get a lecture about how we can’t be together.”
“That’s coming, for now, take off your clothes.”
She watched him as he fumbled to take off his shoes and socks, then she walked to the couch, slipping off her slacks.
By the time he joined her, he was completely naked.
It was the first time she had seen him like this in full daylight.
His lean, muscular body with its delicate tattoos on his shoulder and upper arms. That magical dick which she had been thinking about being inside her most of her morning.
He slipped off her underwear, and she sat him down on the couch as she straddled him.
“Take off your top, I want to see those beautiful breasts of yours in the daylight,” he whispered in her ear, and she complied.
“You know people can see us through that window?” She turned her head around, and he pulled it back to kiss her.
“Let them watch, I don’t care. I don’t think you care either.”
Deep inside each other, they forgot about the world outside.
Responsibilities, friendships, commitments, they all disappeared in a brief moment of ecstasy - and love?
When they were satisfied, they lay back on the couch, gently kissing each other.
Ingrid had never felt a physical – or intimate – connection this strong before.
“You can’t lecture me after that.” He broke the silence of the moment.
“No, I don’t think I can.”
“Now, I’m really starving.”
“Let’s order in. Pizza?”
“Ja, Jimmy can punish me in the gym tomorrow. Or we could work it off later.” He grinned.
“I prefer the second option.” She smiled and started putting on her clothes. “I’m going out for a smoke.”
“I’ll join you,” he said as he went in search of his clothes.
“Urgh, knew my brother would be a bad influence,” she called after him.
“Weird, I have a voice note from Mark.”
Mark:
Hello mate, I’m at the hotel. It says you’re checked in, but I knocked on your door, and you weren’t there. Out with the coach? He laughed. Anyway, want to grab a beer later? That’s if you aren’t too busy shagging the hottie. I don’t mind if you are. Just thought I would check in. Let me know.
“You told him about us?” Ingrid said angrily.
“It was in a moment of frustration, but then I corrected it and told him it was over.”
“Fuck Erik!”
Ingrid started pacing on the balcony.
“Ok, you’re thinking. This is a good thing.”
“No, I also pace when I’m angry.” He was correct, though; she was thinking about how to salvage the situation. “You have to go see him.”
“I don’t want to. I want to stay with you.”
“Shagging the hottie?” She retorted.
“Oh, don’t take what he says seriously. I never used those words. I would never with you. Especially after the past day. You know it means more.” He stopped her from pacing and held her tightly. “Please don’t lecture.”
“I’m not going to lecture, but it’s back to the agreement or plan or whatever we had in place.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
“You have to try.”
“And you? I’m supposed to watch you with other men.”
He let go of her at this point. Ingrid lit another cigarette. She had never thought about being with other men or how it might affect him.
“I wasn’t planning on being with anyone else,” she responded. “Ok, so you will respond to Mark now and say you were out meeting a friend, Oliver, but it would be great to go out for a drink. Behave as you normally would with him. Chat up girls or whatever you do.”
“You can handle that?”
“Not really, but I’ll have to.”
Erik did as he was told, and they ate their pizza in silence. Ingrid felt like she was in one of those F1 cars that was spinning out of control, and she couldn’t stop it from hitting the barriers.
“I don’t want to do this,” Erik said.
“You have to.”
“Can I at least kiss you goodbye?”
“I’d be very upset if you didn’t.”
He gave her a long, lingering kiss goodbye, then she shut the door behind him.
Ingrid felt like shit. She had planned on having this discussion with him anyway, but had changed her mind.
Fate had intervened in the shape of Mark.
She kept telling herself it was probably for the best and tried not to think about what Erik was doing or who he was doing.
???
Suzuka was always a wild ride both off and on the track.
Ask any driver, and they list it as one of their favourite circuits.
Erik had finished on the podium there four times and won once.
Mark had won it three times. This year, the battle was between them as to who would win.
Nico was never good at Suzuka, even though he had managed two podiums there in his career.
Antoine might be in with a chance at a podium this year.
This was the main topic of conversation on the flight over to Japan.
“You think you can do it?” Mark asked Antoine.
“I’m going to try!” He replied. “The car felt good in the sim.”
“Where’s that hottie coach of yours?”
“Putain, will you stop talking about her looks?”
“Can’t help it.” He shrugged.
“She’s flying over tomorrow,” he said. “Plus, why do you care? I saw that you and Erik had some fun in London.”
Erik had followed instructions and was snapped with a model at a hotel bar. He messaged Ingrid afterwards, but she didn’t reply. In fact, she didn’t respond to any of his messages or calls since he left her that day.
“Just some harmless fun,” Erik said as if it were nothing because it was nothing to him.
“Nothing with you is harmless,” Nico responded. “Are you dating that model now?”
“Oh, hell no!” He grimaced. “She was worse than Bianca. Plus, I said to Jimmy and Astrid that I would try to stay single for a bit.”
“I can’t wait to see this!” Antoine laughed.
If only Antoine knew who he had actually made that promise to.
“I’m going to get my beauty sleep now. Ready for the media circus,” Erik said.
Erik’s initial wins and his team’s sponsorship by a prominent Japanese tech company meant that he had some early media and sponsorship engagements.
At least the sponsorship part was with Mark, and he could take some of that responsibility off himself.
Mark loved the attention. The first two days were packed.
It didn’t stop him from looking out for signs of Ingrid.
Every time he smelt her perfume, he turned around to see if it was her.
It was only on media day that he saw her. She had found the smoking area. He had found her. Back with her straight bob, dark red lips, she looked more severe. Or perhaps that’s because he was afraid of what was coming?
“Ingrid.”
“Erik.”
“You haven’t responded to me.”
He leaned against the wall next to her.
“I thought it best.”
“For who?”
“Both of us.”
“I don’t think you can make that decision for me without talking to me.”
He put his hand over hers. She tried to move it, but he wouldn’t let her. Touching her again, feeling her hand relax under his, made all his fears from the past week disappear.
“We can’t be seen together, Erik. Everyone will know.”
“Then let’s just be open about it?”
“No, I saw you with that model. You should still be single for a while.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, stop it.”
Someone was coming, and he quickly removed his hand. The conversation had to end there.
“Ingrid, Antoine said I’d find you here.” It was one of the team assistants. “He’s looking for you. Hello, Erik.”
The assistant gave him a flirtatious smile, and he responded with a charming ‘hi’.
“Tell him I’ll be right there. Thanks, Annie,” she replied and waited for the assistant to leave. “You’re insufferable! Every woman here wants a piece of you!”
“Except for you, apparently…”
“You’re wrong.”
She put her hand on his chest, looked around, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Erik felt like all was right with the world again. Ingrid was back with him. They could figure this out together.
Ingrid walked back, thinking she had no resolve. One look at him and she knew she’d be back in his bed later that day. Annie was a little paddock gossip, so it would also be all over that Erik was talking to her.
“Hello, Ant, sorry you had to send someone to find me.”
“It’s ok, the media was finished early,” he said cheerfully. “I was wondering if you wanted to do a circuit walk with Gaetan and me today?”
“Are you serious? I would love to!”
“Yes, we didn’t do it yesterday because of the rain, but we can do it now. Umm, can you cycle? We usually cycle.”
“I haven’t been on a bike in a while, so this should be fun.” She laughed.
Ingrid’s cycling skills were rusty in the beginning, but she got the hang of it. She was just grateful that she didn’t faceplant within the first 100m. Mark cycled up to join them. It became a fun social media post of coaching Ingrid to ride around Suzuka.
“It was fun, non?” Antoine said afterwards.
“I’m so unfit! Gaetan, you’re going to have to make me join some of Antoine’s gym sessions.”
He laughed, “Ok, we’ll do coaching for all of us.”
“Dinner at eight?”
“See you then.”
Ingrid wasn’t sure how she was going to get back to the hotel. She had arrived with Antoine and Gaetan, but they were staying behind. She was trying to map out a route to walk back when Mark arrived at her side.
“Today was fun,” he said.
“Yes, but I’m so unfit!”
“You don’t look it…” He was taking her in. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Trust me, I feel it. And I’m sure the sweaty look and smell prove it.”
“I think you look great!” He said. Again, there was something in his voice that made her feel uncomfortable. “Are you heading back to the hotel now?”
“Yes, I was just about to start walking.”