Page 54 of Close Contact
“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 eventouchingthe signature line. But I needed out of Luminis, and Ferrari red was as iconic as it came.
