Page 75 of Red Queen
After the bottle’s empty and the photographers have taken their pictures, Teo runs back down to the garage where the team is already waiting for me. He first greets Barney and Aiden, then Wiley, then almost each and every engineer hugs him, until finally he reaches me.
“Hello, Mr. Acosta, Formula 1 champion.” He runs toward me, then scoops me into his arms.
“Mhm. Can you call me that from now on?” I laugh at his answer, locking my legs around his waist.
“I’d rather not. Your ego’s big enough already.” He smirks, chuckling at my reply, then leans in to give me a kiss. I immediately return it, closing my arms around his neck, enjoying the way he tastes, tasting the champagne on him.
“Come on.” He puts me down, and then pulls me toward the team where they’re already waiting for him.
“Teo. Go on.” He looks back at me, confused, tugging at my arm. “It’s your team. Celebrate with them. We can celebrate together in the car, in the hotel, if we’re sneaky, then perhaps even on the plane back home.”
“Okay. I like these ideas. A lot.” I chuckle, pushing him towards the team.
“I’ll be here taking pictures, and when you’re ready to go, we’ll go.” I smile and he nods, jumping on the team members, just in time for pictures.
The last thing I want is to take his time away. It’s his first championship title, I’m not gonna stand in the way of celebrating with his team. We’re dating for real now, so we’ll have plenty of time to celebrate privately. Or not so privately, but together.
A couple of hours later, I’m wandering around the paddock, occasionally stopping to chit-chat with familiar faces, when I feel an arm snake around my waist from behind.
“I’m ready to go, querida.” He plants a kiss on the top of my head, taking my hand in his as we walk to the gates.
“Are you sure? You’ve had enough celebration?”
“Well, they’ll most probably kill me if I don’t go to the after-party, but I’m good for now. The party only starts at 11.”
“Alright. Let’s get back to the hotel then.” I kiss the top of his hands, following him to the car.
As we’re driving back, he stops at a red light and suddenly turns toward me.
“I want to take you out. Can I?” I laugh, for a moment I thought it was something super serious, but he’s just being romantic. Hopefully.
“I’d love that,” I answer, then he changes lanes and turns left onto the next road.
“I hope you’re hungry.” He smiles, sliding his hand on my thighs.
“For you, or for food?” His face turns into a fake frown, laughing at my question.
“That was too cheesy. And I meant food.”
“Well, I could eat, yeah.” I barely ate today. I was so nervous about the race that anxiety took over my brain, and I could only manage to shove some steak down my throat. So yes, I definitely could eat.
“Good. You’ll like this.”
A couple of minutes later, he stops the car in front of a huge, luxurious building, then helps me out. He keeps my hand in his as he pulls me with him, entering the building. My mouth falls open at the sight.
Almost everything is decorated in gold, and at first it seems a little too much, but I quickly came to like it. “Come on.” He tugs on my arms, not letting me soak in the beauty of it for too long.
We step into the elevator, then my eyes widen at the buttons. This building has 52 floors. While that might not sound like too much, it most definitely feels too much. I grab onto Teo’s arm, clinging onto him while the elevator’s flying upward, taking us to the 52nd floor.
“Are you planning to push me down from the top so that you won’t have to spoil me anymore?” He laughs at my question, holding my arm with a strong grip as he helps me out of the elevator.
He lifts my chin up with his index finger, moving my head around so I finally realize how beautiful the view is. It’s a fancy but cozy restaurant at the top of the building, presenting a breathtaking view of the city. And it’s even more beautiful now, as the Sun’s going down.
“Hi. I’ve booked a table for two. The name is Acosta.”
The lady nods, gesturing us to follow her. “Right this way, please.” She takes us to a somewhat private corner, where you can see the whole city from.
“What would you like for drinks?”
