26. Aurélie
The French anthem began, a regal melody that sent shivers down my spine. I glanced to my left. Callumstood there, his face calm but his eyes warm with pride. On my right, Marco gave me a cheeky wink, his grin as wide as the Mediterranean.
And then… me on the top. Standing above two world champions while in my rookie season. It was a dream I never imagined when I stepped into the paddock for pre-season testing.
Then the champagne spray began. Marco wasted no time, aiming straight for me with an impish gleam in his eyes.
I squealed as the ice-cold liquid drenched me, my grip on the trophy faltering as I laughed.
Callumretaliated, his spray catching Marco mid-laugh, and I used the distraction to aim at both of them.
The three of us dissolved into laughter, the champagne fizzing in the air around us, mixing with the rain and the scent of victory.
I let myself revel in it. This wasn’t just a win—it was a declaration. Against the odds, against the doubts, against everyone.
My eyes scanned the crowd, soaking in every face, every cheer. Somewhere in the chaos, I spotted a young girl perched on her father’s shoulders, a handmade sign clutched in her hands:
Girls Can Win Too!
I raised the trophy higher, hoping she—and every other little girl watching—could see themselves in me. This moment was theirs, too. A reminder that they didn’t have to stay on the sidelines. That they could take the leap.
By the time the podium ceremony ended, I was drenched and shivering. The crowd was still screaming. My skin was still tingling. My racing suit was soaked—rain, champagne, sweat—and I was vibrating with something feral anduncontainable.
I ducked under the barriers, nodding at the security guard who let me pass back toward the paddock. I just needed a second. To breathe. To cry. To scream. Something.
My hands unzipped my race suit and tugged it down to my waist, but I didn’t make it more than three steps before I heard his voice.
“Aurélie.”
I turned, andCallumwas already there. Hair plastered to his forehead, his suit undone like mine, revealing soaked black fireproofs clinging to every hard line of his chest. His eyes blazed—no mask, no performance—just admiration and yearning .
I opened my mouth to say something, but he didn’t give me the chance.
He grabbed my wrist, tugged me into a shadowed edge of the hospitality compound, and then he kissed me like he’d been waiting his whole fucking life.
I gasped against his mouth as he pressed me into the wall, his hands on either side of my head.
The wet fabric of his suit brushed mine, zippers clashing as we collided. It was all mouths, teeth, pants.
“Callum—” I choked, breathless.
He pulled back just enough to whisper, “You win like that again, love, and I’ll fuck you on the hood of the fucking car next time.”
“ MonDieu ,” I exhaled, knees going weak. “I think I just came from the words alone.”
He groaned, pressing his forehead to mine, then dragged his mouth down to my jaw, my throat, biting gently at the soaked collar of my suit. His hand slid to my waist and gripped the curve of my hip.
“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you,” he murmured against my skin. “You drove like a fucking goddess. I wanted to rip this suit off you the second you overtook me.”
“You called me your love,” I whispered, my handsfistinghis suit by his hips, finally finding my words as I pulled his hips closer. “You said?—”
“I meant it,” he rasped. “And if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to make a scene.”
I laughed, but it broke into a whimper when he kissed me again—deeper this time, hungrier.
My back hit the wall. His thigh wedged between mine.
I pulled him closer, biting his lip, tasting champagne and rain andCallum.
My pussy pulsed, and I rolled my hips against his thigh.
His hands slid over my ribs to cup my breasts, thumbs brushing my nipples.
He pulled back, panting. His eyes dropped to my lips, then lower. “You’re still shaking,” he whispered.
“Adrenaline,” I said.
“Sure,” he smirked. “Let’s go with that.”
He cupped my cheek, fingertips brushing my cheekbone. Tender. Reverent. So in love with me I felt it in my bones.
“Later,” he said, voice rough. “After the bullshit chaos. I can’t wait to get you alone.”
“I’ll hold you to it, Fraser,” I murmured.
He kissed me one last time, slow and dirty and devastating, and then stepped back, eyes raking over me like he didn’t want to leave.
“I’ll see you in the press room,” he said, adjusting his suit like he hadn’t just tried to undress me with his mouth. He was so hard beneath, and I wanted to grab his cock and show him just how much I appreciated him.
“I’ll be there,” I promised, tugging at my zipper to fix myself up.
As he walked away, I nearly collapsed against the wall, blinking up at the cloudy sky.
I gave myself ten seconds to recover, then I turned to head toward the post-race press conference. I was in the hallway outside the media pen when aFerrari-logoedfigure appeared in the doorway. My heart skipped a beat as their team principal,Silvio, approached, a folder clutched in his hand.
“Aurélie,” he began, his voice smooth and deliberate. “Today was a masterpiece. You’ve proven you’re not just a rookie. You’re a phenomenon.”
“Thank you,” I said cautiously, unsure where this was going.
“Walk with me?”
Tentatively, I nodded and fell in line with him. He extended the folder toward me, the Ferrari logo embossed on the front. “I knowLuminisisn’t extending your contract. We want you at Ferrari. Four years. Everything’s here.”
I blinked, my brain short-circuiting as I opened the folder.
The life-changing number on the salary section made me dizzy.
It was surreal, seeing validation laid out in black and white, so different from the criticisms I’d faced.
For a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming as I skimmed through the terms of the contract.
“You’d have the resources, the legacy, the chance to cement yourself as one of the greats, more than you already have,” he continued. “But, of course, we want transparency. There have been… rumors.”
For the briefest second, a flicker of insecurity stabbed through me. Was this the part where they’d use my relationships against me?
I straightened, meeting his stare dead-on, my grip tightening on the folder as I snapped it shut. “I get along with some drivers and not others—it’s no different than anyone else on this grid. But my performance speaks for itself. Personal relationships won’t change that.”
He hesitated, and I took a deep breath, worried that what I said next would result in a revoked offer. “To be transparent,CallumFraser and I have been involved. But it hasn’t—and won’t—impact what I bring to the track. If anything, it’s made me hungrier to win.”
Silvio nodded, seemingly satisfied. “I can’t argue with results. Take a moment to review the contract, but we’d like an answer soon.”
I didn’t need a moment to decide.
“Our meeting wasn’t scheduled until next week,” I said slowly. “Why the sudden rush?”
He turned to me. “That was before you were a race winner. And now that you are, we want you wearing red next year.”
“I see. Just seems a bit unconventional and informal.”
“Then take the time you need to review the contract,Aurélie. If you want to sit down with all of us, I’ll keep the meeting on the schedule.”
I stopped in the corridor we were walking through and turned toward him. “You’ve seen what I can do in a midfield car. Imagine what I can do in a top-team car.” An impressed look crossed his features. “I don’t need time to think about it.”
I grabbed the pen secured to the folder, pressing the contract to the wall for support. Normally, I would’ve read every line, clause, and footnote before even touching the signature line. But I needed out of Luminis, and Ferrari red was as iconic as it came.
Before I could second-guess myself, I signed my name at the bottom of the last page. When I handed the folder back, a wave of pride swelled in my chest. This wasn’t just a contract. It was a statement .
“I don’t like to keep people waiting,” I told him with a wry grin, handing the contract back to him. “Thank you for the opportunity. I won’t let you guys down.”
He hummed, giving me a scrutinizing look. “I don’t doubt it. Good luck during the press conference,Aurélie. They can be vultures in there.”
He took off in the opposite direction I was heading, and I just stood there, mouth agape.
He turned and grinned at me. “Oh, andAurélie?ForzaFerrari.”
All my sacrifices, late nights, race losses and wins, highs and lows, the struggles of being underestimated… none of it mattered now.
I’d just signed with Ferrari, the most iconic team in Formula 1 history. Right after I’d been kissed senseless.
This was the best day of my life.
Callumand Marco were both lounging on the couch scrolling on their phones when I entered the conference space.
Reporters shifted in their seats and whispered to each other as I stepped onto the dais and took my seat between the Vanguard drivers who’d thrown everything at me today, the two of them sitting up with practiced ease.
The moderator started with Marco, who leaned forward, his signature grin lighting up his face. “MarcoBianchi, third place in today’s Monaco GrandPrix. It’s been a consistent season for you so far. What are your thoughts on today’s race?”
Marco smirked. “Consistent, sure. But not nearly as entertaining as watching these two go at it up front. If it weren’t for the rain and the safety car, I might’ve joined them in their little dance.”
Go at it. If only Marco knew his teammate and I were all over each other not ten minutes ago.
I rolled my eyes, lifting my mic. “Oh, please. You barely made it through Turn 6 without hitting the wall on the first lap.”