Chapter 7
Erik looked for Ingrid in the hospitality area afterwards. He found her sitting with Daniela and Antoine.
“Mate, you could have warned me you were going to pull that stunt!” He said to Antoine.
“Sorry, but thanks for stepping in. How’s Mark?”
“He’s pissed. He won’t be travelling back with us. Jonny has told him that they’ll be talking on his jet.” He laughed. “Ingrid, do you want to join us instead?”
“You aren’t flying back to London, so I’m afraid not.”
“I think I can say in front of these two now, I’m inviting you home with me.”
Erik knew that he was putting her on the spot as she looked at both Daniela and Antoine.
“Oh, come on, Rookie,” Antoine said with a smile. “You and Daniela can give me a lecture on the flight about how I screwed up.”
Erik could see her squirm, and that she had no option but to say yes. They agreed to meet at the airport in about two hours and head home.
On the flight, Ingrid took a photo for social media of Daniela icing Antoine’s soon-to-be-very-black eye.
Daniela did most of the lecturing on the flight about how they had hired Ingrid for advice, and Antoine should listen to her.
After the couple had fallen asleep, Erik sat next to Ingrid and was more openly affectionate.
“Yes, thanks to you, too, for not warning me that he was going to do that,” Erik said. “I know Antoine means well, but Mark has a temper sometimes.”
“Sorry, I thought he would eventually listen to what I had said,” she said and snuggled into his arm. “You also could have warned me about this flight offer.”
Erik chuckled because he had seen the flame in her eyes ever since they got to the airport.
“How else was I going to convince you to come home with me?”
“You could have asked.”
“You would have said no and come up with excuses.”
“I don’t have enough clothes, and also, there’s Sir Lewis.”
“You see? Excuses. I’m sure Oliver can look after Sir Lewis for another day or two, and I do have a washing machine. I’m not really expecting us to be wearing clothes.” He kissed her on the head. “Now let’s get some sleep.”
Erik welcomed Ingrid into his place in Monte Carlo. He watched her take it in. It was deliberately understated. He didn’t like the frills and fuss of some of the other places he had seen when he eventually moved there from his mother’s place.
“Do you actually read these books?” She asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “Did you think I was illiterate just because I’m a driver?”
“No, I’m just surprised. Didn’t take you for a reader,” she said as she ran her fingers across the books. She stopped to inspect his collection of Norse mythology. Erik always brought an aspect of it into his helmet design.
Erik’s dog, Senna, came running up to him. “Down, Senna.”
“I see we both have our GOAT dogs,” Ingrid said, chuckling.
She came over to pat Senna, who licked her all over.
“I also have two cats around here somewhere,” Erik said, looking for them. “They must be sleeping. Mamma must have been here earlier to feed them.”
Ingrid looked good in his place, at home. He knew she wouldn’t stay, but at least he’d contrived to get her there for a bit. Erik wanted her to experience his life with him.
“Are you tired? You look tired.”
“Thanks!”
Ingrid knew she probably did look tired.
“I was just saying you could rest if you wanted to.”
He was also feeling nervous. Now that she was here, he didn’t know what to do.
“A hot bath and some sleep?”
“Ok. The bathroom is through here,” he said, carrying her bag to the master bedroom. He went to run a bath for her. She came in and got undressed.
“Aren’t you joining me?”
Erik was relieved. He had felt unsure about his plan and thought she was still annoyed with him on some level. He quickly took his clothes off, almost tripping over himself. Ingrid laughed at him.
“Darling, you’ve got me here, so relax. It isn’t like I can escape.”
He climbed into the bath behind her, and she rested against him.
“I thought you were still annoyed with me about that.” He kissed the back of her head. “You barely said a word on the drive here.”
“I was tired and thinking.”
“Thinking about?”
“This life, the Mark incident, Antoine, us…I have to do debriefs for myself sometimes.”
“Are you going to share them with me?”
“Not right now. For now, we can just stay like this.”
He held her tightly because he felt like she needed it.
Afterwards, they climbed under the covers.
He thought she would be asleep within a few minutes.
Instead, she started kissing him. He was tired too, but his body responded immediately to her touch.
Being with her felt as good as a race win, sometimes better.
Ingrid was on top of him, and he sat up so he could wrap her legs around him.
Staring into her eyes, he whispered, “I’m falling for you. ”
“Shhh,” she responded, kissing him. “Keep it just like that.”
It felt so intimate, and he didn’t want to stop, but his body reacted.
He felt hers, too, as she let out a gasp and tightened her legs around him.
She kissed him immediately afterwards as they sat there.
She might not have said anything back to him, but he knew she felt it as they let their tired bodies fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Ingrid had obviously heard what Erik said, but she didn’t want to say it back just yet.
All of this was still a fantasy life to her.
Race weekends, fancy hotel rooms, chartered private jets, being driven around Monaco by Erik Svensson, who was six years her junior and not known for his seriousness off track.
It wasn’t as if Ingrid didn’t live a successful and well-off lifestyle in London, but not on this level.
Sure, the boys were all down-to-earth once you got to know them, but she was still new to this world.
A rookie, as they now called her. She needed time to adjust. Figure out what was real and not.
Ingrid was already awake and heard the front door open. Someone said, “Hej!”
“Erik.”
She shook him.
“Hmm,” he mumbled, and she shook him again.
“Erik, someone is here.”
“Shhh,” he responded, so she kissed him. “That’s better.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Erik, someone is here,” she said again as she heard footsteps in the living area.
“Oh shit. My mother.” He sat up quickly. “Umm, ok, let me get dressed quickly, and then you can come through.”
“Erik, it’s your mother!”
“She’ll be fine. I already told her about you.” He grinned. “Told you we were close.”
Erik left her, and Ingrid looked for some clean clothes that were presentable enough to wear. She went toward the voices that were chatting away in Swedish.
“Mamma, this is Ingrid.”
Ingrid put out her hand, but Freja Svensson immediately gave her a hug.
“It’s so good to meet you.”
She was an elegant woman in her late 50s, ageing gracefully. Often seen in her son’s garage with her striking blonde bob, talking to the team. She wasn’t the average driver’s mother; she had been a successful driver herself until a mysterious off-track accident cut her career short.
“Likewise. You were an idol for us girls who liked racing.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, and Ingrid could see where Erik got his smile from. “I came to see if you two had eaten yet.”
“No, we haven’t.” He looked at Ingrid. “Mamma was just talking about taking us out? Ingrid is always worried about getting caught on camera.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. If we take my car, then no one notices. It’s only when he drives one of his fancy cars around that people start looking.”
“Ok then,” Ingrid responded with a forced smile.
Ingrid couldn’t really say no to this offer.
She felt like Erik was trying to show her his life was normal, but she knew better than that.
Lunch felt like a regular mother-son lunch, except for their surroundings.
It was nice to have a meal with Erik, where they weren’t disturbed for autographs or photos.
“How are you finding all this F1 craziness so far?” Freja asked.
“Craziness is a good word. It just doesn’t seem real. I always wanted to work in F1 like my Farfar-”
Erik interrupted, “Your grandfather worked in F1?”
“Yes, he was an engineer for Wentworth back when Sir Frank was in charge. Why do you think it’s my favourite team?” she said, with a playful grin at him.
“It’s a different world from back then,” Freja added.
“Yes, very different. I still enjoy it, though. Just not the attention I’ve been getting lately.”
“Unfortunately, that comes with the territory. My advice to you would be to embrace it and show that there are powerful women in motorsport. We need more of those.”
“Thanks, I hadn’t really thought of it that way because I have been so focused on getting Antoine through these first few races, but it’s also an opportunity.”
Back at Erik’s flat, if you could call it that, they were cuddled up on the couch watching a film. Again, his attempt to show her that he leads a normal life.
“Is this really what you do?” She asked, “Have a meal with your mamma and watch TV?”
“Ja. Sometimes I read or play video games. If Antoine, Nico and Mark aren’t busy, then we will have dinner together. We occasionally play padel together too, or I go for a run with one of them if Jimmy isn’t around. Life is very normal, and sometimes lonely, here. What did you think I did?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. I suppose I assumed you went partying all the time.” She chuckled.
“Sorry to disappoint you.” He kissed her head. “Nothing like that, except maybe when we have a three-week break between races. Then I bring out the yacht and girls.” He laughed.
“Very funny. But I did see those stories!”
“Want to know where I was? Watching racing videos downstairs. I was so bored, but the guys had fun.”
She looked up at him as he was staring at the TV.
“You aren’t what I expected.”
“Yes, you said to me in our first conversation that you think I don’t care. I care.”
“So then why haven’t you done anything about it?”
“I think I just needed someone other than my family to point that out to me.”
They fell into their comfortable silence again.