Project Girlfriend (Sebastian Vettel)

8: Denial

Daniel arrived in Portimao full of enthusiasm. He'd had a nice break. Apart from his interview with Men's Health, a couple of mornings in the simulator and training he'd had some appreciated downntime. He was waiting for Mia to arrive with the rest of the team so they could discuss his upcoming engagements. He'd tried calling her a few times since he'd last seen her but hadn't been able to get through. She was only communicating by emails. He'd asked Lando if she was ok but he'd only given a vague answer telling Daniel he needed to ask her himself.

Daniel was a bit concerned to be honest. He knew Andy was being a jerk, even if Mia did defend him all the time. His thoughts turned to Project Girlfriend. After the first date with Izzy had been a failure he had to decided which of the potentials to go for next. Maybe Zoe, the Alpha Tauri photographer. According to Britta she had already dated a racing driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, so she knew how it all worked.

He made a mental note to text Britta later that evening. He'd been surprised that Seb hadn't fancied Izzy. She was totally his type in looks. He had no idea what any of the other potentials looked like but now he felt that didn't matter if Seb was deviating from his usual type.

There was a knock on his hotel room door. He slowly ambled across the room to answer. He opened the door to find his elusive Press Officer stood there.

"Mia, you exist! I've been trying to get hold of you for days. I was getting worried." Mia walked into his room, without asking to be invited in.

"Sorry," she apologised. "Personal stuff." Daniel noticed how on edge she seemed to be.

"Mia," he said, gently. "Sweetheart, if there's anything I can do, and I mean anything, please tell me." She nodded, avoiding making eye contact with him.

"Andy and I are having issues. I'm staying with Lando at the moment until further notice," she finally admitted to him. Daniel didn't really know what to say. So in the end he said nothing, just laid his hand on her arm to offer his silent support. She flinched at his touch.

"Mia, what is it?" He pushed the sleeve of her sweater up and gasped at the sight of a cluster of angry bruises on her forearm. "What the fuck?" The bruises was unmistakably in the shape of fingermarks. "This was him, wasn't it? I'm going to fucking kill him!" he said, furiously.

He started to head to the door, intent on hunting that bastard down and teaching him a lesson.

"No, Daniel please!" she cried. "He didn't mean it. It was an accident." Daniel looked at her, rage written all over his face.

"How can this be an accident Mia?"

"I slipped at the top of the stairs and he grabbed me to stop me falling." Daniel raised his eyebrows at her. That was bullshit. He knew it. And he knew that she knew he knew it. "Please just let it go," she said wearily.

He nodded,but he wasn't forgetting this though. If he caught wind of Andy hurting a hair on her head again, he would make him regret it.

"So," he said, changing the subject, trying to take her mind off of Andy. 'I was thinking for date number 2 we should go with Britta's candidate, Zoe, as she's dated a driver before and she knows how this life goes. Any ideas on what to arrange for them if she agrees?"

"Daniel, I told you I'm out. I did my bit. I want nothing more to do with this. I'm sure Sebastian can find his own girlfriend, if he even wants one," she snapped.

"OK, keep your hair on love." Mia rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed. She shouldn't be snapping at Daniel but the stress was getting to her. She knew deep down she shouldn't be with Andy but fond memories stopped her from cutting him out of her life completely. He hadn't always been like this. It had been great in the beginning. But since she had started working with Daniel it had begun to go downhill.

Andy had texted and rung constantly since she had left to stay with Lando, begging for forgiveness. Full of promises that it would never happen again. She did not love him anymore but felt obliged to at least try to save things. She couldn't throw a three year relationship without trying everything she could to save it.

"Mia,please," Daniel begged with puppy dog eyes. She didn't get why Daniel was so obsessed with finding a girlfriend for Sebastian Vettel. He said Sebastian was shy but Mia hadn't got that impression from him.

Her thoughts drifted back to Imola. She and Andy had fought with him calling her some horrible names. She had fled outside, upset. There she had a most strange and mindblowing encounter with the blonde German.

She began to feel flustered as she remembered his lips on hers. His tongue probing her mouth. No, he certainly wasn't the shy guy that Daniel thought he was. He was hot as hell. Guilt flooded through her as she recalled kissing him back, albeit briefly. It had been the first time in her life she had ever cheated on a partner. If Andy knew he'd go mad. She knew that she shouldn't keep thinking about it but the kiss kept replaying in her mind. She had been so aroused by it, by his arms around her, his hands on her butt. She had never felt her body respond to a man like that, not even Andy. A man who until that night she had never met in person.

Of course she knew who he was. Everyone did. Youngest ever world champion. Now a 4 time world champion. The handsome blonde German was the subject of a lot of women's fantasies. But not hers. She wouldn't allow him to be. Her life was enough of a mess without adding Sebastian into it.

Plus, he had probably forgotten all about her. She'd just been some random stranger he had decided to plant one on. She made up her mind to do everything she could to avoid Sebastian Vettel from now on. If that meant distracting him by arranging dates to keep him busy, then so be it.

"OK," she reluctantly agreed.

                                         ***

Seb laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Moonlight shone through a gap in the curtains. Since Imola all he could think about was his kiss with the mystery woman. Who was she? Was she haunted by their kiss as much as he was? She filled his thoughts and dominated his dreams. He longed to kiss her again. Hell, he wanted to do a lot more than that. He wanted to take her and make her his.

His thoughts turned to the man he had seen he kissing. Was he her boyfriend or had it just been a fling? He needed to find her. He had to know one way or the other. Then he had the perfect idea. Daniel. Daniel wanted to find him the perfect woman. He could help find her.

He decided that if he didn't find her here in Portimao then he would ask Daniel for his help in Barcelona. Seb wanted that girl and he wasn't going to rest until he found her.