"Skylar? Baby?" I hear Daniels voice, but all I can see is the woman in front of me. Smiling as she comes up to me to greet me.
My heart is racing, why did Christian think I would be able to sing with her, she's a queen, she's epic, she's everything I'm not.
"Hi Skylar, I'm Stefani. Or well most people know me as Lady Gaga, but please call me Stefani." She holds out her hand and I actually manage to shake it.
"H..h..hi. I am... ehm?" Who the fuck am I again? I'm making such a complete idiot out of myself right now. This is so embarrassing.
"I'm Skylar, I'm sorry I must look like an idiot." I feel my cheeks burning and they must be bright red by now.
She smiles reassuring, "don't worry. I get that reaction a lot, but I'm just Stefani, so please relax. We're going to spend a lot of time together today, so let's enjoy that ok?"
I nod, trying to pull myself together.
"I've got a meeting about the launch with Christian and Max, so I'll be on my way. Have fun today and I'll see you in a couple of hours for the game. I'll pick you up here." Daniel is about to head out, but gives me a kiss first.
"Love you handsome. See you later."
"Love you too baby."
Lady Gaga, or Stefani leads me into her dressing room, where I see her dress for the party hanging. She's known for wearing somewhat eccentric outfits, but this one is just gorgeous. It's a silver, sparkling long dress with a split all the way up her thigh.
"Take a seat, let's get to know each other. Do you want something to drink? I've got a mini fridge in here which is filled to the brim." She is so enthusiastic, that I can feel myself relax a bit.
"Yeah just some water is fine thanks." I sit down on the lush couch she has and I take a look around. She's got a piano in he dressing room, there's a massive mirror surrounded by little lamps, the make up table in front of it is loaded with all sorts of powders, lipstick and other beauty products I never use.
I thank her as she hands me a bottle of water.
"I'm so pleased to meet you, obviously I've seen plenty of videos of you online, but it's nice to actually meet you." She says when she sits down next to me on the couch, crossing her legs on the seat, making herself comfortable.
I smile a bit unbelievably, as if it's obvious that she has seen videos of me. It's not obvious for me that's for sure.
After a couple of minutes I relax a bit as she is chatting away and she really makes me forget I'm talking to one of the best singers in the world.
"I saw a video of you singing 'Hold my Hand' on I think it was Daniels birthday party right?" I nod, even though that wasn't the first time I sang it for him.
"I saw so much emotions in the way you sang it. You can't fake that, where did that come from?"
I swallow before answering, only 2 weeks ago our first due date passed and I was really happy we were with Seb and his family, because they really distracted us. We did go out to eat with just the two of us to just have some time to ourselves and to process that we have to wait a bit longer for our first baby. I think if I wasn't pregnant again on that date it would have been a lot more painful, but now we know that in a little under 4 months time we will become parents, which definitely eased the pain a lot.
We'll never forget our first baby though.
"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine, I could just see that that song has a deeper meaning for you and your husband, so I was just wondering why." She interrupts my thoughts.
"Oh no it's fine. Last year I was pregnant as well, but we lost that baby when I was 10 weeks. Daniel and I kinda lost each other during our grieving process. He felt guilty for being in a press conference when it happened so he distanced himself a bit. Feeling he was not enough of a support for me." It still pains me to think how much Daniel was hurting, but he wouldn't let me be there for him.
"So I had him brought to the bar I work at as a singer and I sang that song for him, as a bit of a message that I was there for him and we had to go through our loss together. It worked, after that we were stronger than ever. And still are."
She has her hand in her heart and I see the compassion in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, but I'm so honored that my song helped you find your way back to each other, that's really special."
"It was, the lyrics just said exactly what I wanted him to hear and it really worked very well. So yeah the song means a lot to us." I finish the bottle of water and Stefani gets up.
"Want to give it a go together?" She grabs a piece of paper with the lyrics on it and she points out the parts she thought I could do and her parts. And also what we can do together.
She takes a seat behind the piano and starts to sing. At first I get really nervous, I have to sing in front of her, but as soon as I did my first line the nerves fade and I enjoy it. How many people that are not famous singers can say they sang with the one and only Lady Gaga. After practicing a few times everything goes very smooth, we then head to the stage to practice the song there with more music than just the piano.
We decide to do a couple of more songs, just because we can and we have so much fun.
For lunch we can order something, which gets brought to her dressing room.
An hour or so after we finished lunch Daniel comes back from the meeting to pick me up for the basketball game.
Stefani and I decide to do a final rehearsal on the Thursday, but we also know after today we will be fine. We just really enjoyed our time together and as Daniel has more meetings anyways.
"How did it go?" He asks after knocking on the door and is calling him in.
"Your wife is amazing, it's been a blast singing with her, I really don't know why they even asked me, she could have easily done it on her own." Stefani says, making me blush by her compliments.
"I know, but it will be amazing seeing both of you on that stage." Daniel answers before giving me a long kiss.
"It was really great, I'm looking forward to Friday. How did the meeting go?" I ask while I put on my gloves and hat. It's seriously cold outside, but it's not as cold as Sweden was.
I do kinda miss the peace and quiet from Switzerland and Sweden though. Here in the Big Apple there's sounds and lights 24/7, but luckily we will only be staying here for a couple of more days. After the launch were going to fly home. It's been long enough and we really need some time back home to finish the nursery and I have another appointment for a check up as well.
I also hope I might be able to see Lewis, I would love to talk to him to see how things are now.
"The meeting went well, I know what the plans are for the launch and of course the announcement of the deal with Ford. Christian wants to have dinner with us tonight and tomorrow we're meeting up with Max and Kelly. By the way, Max and me can pick a Ford to drive privately. Now I know you love the Ford Mustang, so I thought we could get one of those."
Just like that he tells me we can pick a car, as if we don't have enough cars yet.
"Hang on, Kelly is here? Oh I can't wait to spend time with her and Max." I'm so excited to see her tomorrow. Then I realize he said something about a car.
"We don't exactly need another car."
He starts to laugh, "I know, but they kind of expect us to drive a car that is from the brand we are partnered with. Just like when I was driving for McLaren, they really like it if you drive one of their cars. It's just one of the difficult parts of being a F1 driver." He says sarcastically.
"Yeah that's horrible, I really feel for you. But as you are not part of McLaren anymore, shouldn't you give your McLaren back?" I really like the McLaren, but he also has the Aston Martin and I have my car as well.
"No I bought that one, so that's ours. But anyways, I was thinking we should pick a Ford Mustang as a family car."
We're now outside where there's a car waiting for us, so we don't have to take a taxi to the game.
"Babe come on, a Ford Mustang as a family car? Which type would you choose?" I ask him.
"I like the GT or the Mach 1." He says pouting a bit as I'm not convinced yet.
"Babe, the GT only has 2 doors, do you know how annoying that is for putting a car seat in the back. And the Mach1... does that even have a backseat?"
The car is driving down the busy streets of New York as Daniel and I still discuss the whole car thing.
"And what about the Mach E then?" He suggests, that is an SUV so yeah a lot more practical, but I remember the electric car Michael had rented when Daniel was in hospital and the zooming sound it made, I just felt it didn't sound right for a Mustang.
"Then I'd rather go for the GT, because I can't stand the lack of noise the electric one makes. I absolutely love the old Mustangs, they actually roar and are just... I don't know, sexy I guess. Look it's up to you, choose which one you want the most. We have a family car, mine, so just choose the one you love. If we're ever able to go out with just the two of us, we can use the one you end up with."
To be honest, I've always dreamt about one day having a Mustang, but then one of the older ones, they are stunning, but I understand they want him to drive a new model.
"I'll think about it, but it's for the both of us. We're married remember, what's mine is yours and so on." He smiles, knowing all to well that's one part of us being together I'm not used to and might never get used to.
"Yeah, yeah. I guess I'll never get used to being married to a very rich man."
I hear him chuckle.
"Baby, I don't know if you realize, but with the money you make at the bar and the money you'll be making with Red Bull. You're doing pretty well for yourself."
"The work at the bar will be a lot less once this little one is born though." I rest my hand on the bump that is so visible now that I would never be able to hide it anymore. Not that I want to, but it will be so weird when we get back on track during the season. Bahrein will be the first race where I go to as Skylar Ricciardo and pregnant. I just hope the press won't be all over us, they should focus on the drivers and the racing. Not their personal lives.
I'm still amazed by Seb and how he manages to keep his private life so private. His kids have hardly been at races, so there aren't a lot of photos of them online.
I'm not sure once our baby is a bit bigger if I want him to come along either. The first year I'll be able to keep him in a the sling, so nobody will be really able to see much of him. But then later, we'll have to discuss how to deal with it then.
We still have time.
"We're here Sky." Daniels voice reaches me and I look outside.
"Holy shit, that's a lot of people out here." There's lines and lines of people waiting to go inside, but our car drives around the block to drop us off at the back entry of the building.
"I didn't want you to be in the middle of the crowd with that bump, somebody might accidentally push you over, so we can get in through here." He helps me get out of the car and we walk inside.
I guess this is the entrance the basketball players use as well, because we actually walk past the dressing rooms, I'm glad somebody is there to guide us to our seats.
The rest of the fans are also coming in as we take our seats at the edge of the court.
"Oh wow this is seriously close to the action." I stick my feet under the seat, I'm terrified I might accidentally tackle somebody.
Daniel quickly gets us some drinks and food, about half an hour after we arrived the game starts.
I know by the amount of phones and cameras that have been clicking, we've definitely been recognized. So Daniel and I decide to take a selfie and put it on Instagram, just for the fun of it.
At least now nobody else gets the scoop.
The teams are coming through, I can't believe how tall these guys are, I mean I've seen basketball come by on tv when I was changing channels, but seeing them in real life is something else.
When they walk past us I have to put my head in my neck to see their heads.
"Holy shit, I feel like a dwarf right now." I whisper, but Daniel heard me and starts laughing.
"Trust me, so do I."
"You're the perfect size for me, in all aspects. Can you imagine having to give birth to a child of one of those guys. It would be never ending." I'm so happy that Daniel is just a normal sized guy now. Except for this one body part which is way bigger than average.
The game is pretty fun to watch, I don't know who we are supporting, but that doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that I don't really know the rules.
All I know is they have to get the ball in the hoop and once I figured out which team Daniel is cheering on I decide to cheer every time the other team scores points.
At first he looks at me with massive question marks above his head, but when I look at him, grinning and sticking my tongue out he figures out what I'm doing. The next time the opposing team scores I want to jump up and cheer, but he holds me down and he puts his lips on mine, distracting me from what I wanted to do.
"That's not fair, my team scored." I pout.
"So you'd rather cheer for a point than kiss me?" He knows he's got me there.
"Never, but I'm still not going to cheer for your team though. I'm going to need a lot more convincing than one kiss." I turn my attention back to the game.
Daniel bends over until his lips are dangerously close to my ear, I can feel his warm breath against my skin as he whispers, "there will be a lot more once we're back at the hotel."
I close my eyes, savoring the shivers he sends down my spine and biting my lip in anticipation.
"But we have to meet Christian for dinner?" I suddenly remember.
"We'll have to get changed first, don't you think?" I look at my jeans and I guess he's right. It's not likely Christian will take us to a fastfood restaurant so I will have to dress up a bit.
"Good point, so when is this game done?" I suddenly feel the urge to get out of here. I cross my legs and I squeeze my thighs together to somehow create some friction as I'm getting turned on just by the thought of what he's got in mind.
"Don't start without me just yet." He says when he sees me clench my thighs.
"It's your fault for getting me all horny." I try to say without everybody around us hearing it.
I think I failed, because I see some guys behind us smirk when they catch my eye. I decide to just wink at them before trying to pay attention to the game.
"Just 15 more minutes baby, then I'm all yours."
It feels like the longest 15 minutes of my life as it's impossible to focus on the game now. I've got my hand on Daniels thigh, only an inch from where I know he has a hidden treasure. A part of him that I know so well, but still surprises me when he's inside me. The part that I love the taste off and gives me a sense of power when I suck it.
I really have to think about something else, because the heat that is building up inside me and the throbbing ache that I feel between my legs is distracting me.
Finally I hear the whistle that means the game is over. I have no idea who won and honestly I don't really care. I just want to get to the hotel and have Daniel in between my legs as fast as possible.
Unfortunately there's some people who really want to take a picture with Daniel so I have to wait a bit longer.
Also our growing peanut is using my bladder as a bouncing cushion so I really have to go.
"Babe, your son is bouncing on my bladder, so l go to the toilet real quick, I'll be in the hall where we came in ok. Don't make me wait too long." I wink and quickly make my way to the toilets.
In the hall there are so many doors and I have no idea which one is the ladies room.
I just push one open, but I end up in a storage room.
The next one is also definitely not a toilet.
Then I open another one and I am greeted by about 10 super tall, very fit men who are all in different stages of getting undressed.
"Oooh Shit, I'm so sorry." I quickly close the door, my cheeks firing up.
Suddenly the door opens and one of the players looks around the corner.
"Were you looking for somebody?" He asks me.
I barely dare to look at him, "no just the ladies room."
"Oh I'm sorry then you have to be on the other side of the court. We don't have one here." He says and I curse in my head. My bladder is really getting stomped on by peanut so I cross my legs. There's no way I'm going to pee myself here.
The man who has his head sticking out of the dressing room calls inside.
"Boys cover up, there's a damsel in distress here." He looks back at me, "come in ma'am, there's a toilet in here you can use."
He opens the door a bit further and for a second I think about it, that is until I feel peanut move again and the pressure in my bladder gets even worse.
"Oh thank you I won't look." I rush inside where I try to keep my eyes to the floor.
"Sorry, sorry I don't see anything don't worry." I quickly get in the stall and finally am able to breathe when my bladder is empty again.
After flushing and washing my hands, I unlock the door and peek into the dressing room.
They all are now either dressed in their shorts or have a towel wrapped around their waist, so I step out of the stall and smile.
"Thank you so much. This little one in here is already testing me." I put my hand on my bump as these super tall guys all smile at me.
"No worries ma'am, glad we could help." I hear the young man who let me in say.
"Oh please call me Skylar, ma'am makes me feel so old."
"Wait a minute! You are Skylar, Danny Rics wife aren't you? The singer?" One of the players, who is only wearing a towel around his waist, showing his very well toned body.
I'm not really sure how to respond, but very soon they are all agreeing that it is me. So I nod.
"Yeah I guess you're right. Great game by the way." I'm glad I am in the dressing room of the winning team. It was actually the team I was cheering for, so now I'm glad I did.
"Yeeaaah we saw you in the front. You were cheering for us weren't you? And Daniel was for the opposite team."
I bite my lip, should I tell them the truth. I decide not to.
"How cool that you actually ended up in our dressing room." I hear a very handsome, tattooed player say.
"I didn't know to be honest. I was just looking for a bathroom."
We have a little chat and I almost forget Daniel might be looking for me, but these are such nice guys that I get caught up.
"So this might be a bit forward, but would you please sing for us?" The tattooed man says.
"Like right now?" It would be a first, singing without music in a basketball teams dressing room.
"Yeah, please?" Now more guys are asking me to sing a song and I decide to please them.
"Alright, I can do an Adele song if you want?" I suggest.
They don't care which song it is, so they all sit down on the benches, looking at me in anticipation.
Halfway through the song I see a worried looking Daniel coming in with the coach of the team.
I guess they didn't really expect to find me in here singing to mostly half naked guys. I think it's funny though, but I realize Daniel must have been a bit worried when he couldn't find me.
I have my phone, but it's in my bag and still on silent mode, so even if he called me I didn't notice.
After finishing the song the entire team gives me a standing ovation, which is really sweet.
"Thanks Skylar, that was amazing." Mr Tattoo says.
"You're welcome. Now I have to get going, I need to get ready for a dinner, it was fun meeting you guys."
They wave goodbye and start taking off their towels before getting in the shower so I quickly run out to the corridor.
"How on earth do you always manage to just enchant everybody you meet my love?" Daniel says as we are on our way to the car.
"I don't, they just let me use their toilet when I was really desperate for one. And then they recognized me as your wife and they asked me to sing a song. I mean they just won the game, I couldn't refuse now could I?"
We get in the car and I realize there's a screen you can put up in between the front and the back. As Daniel is getting in I quickly push the button, closing the screen so we have a bit of privacy.
"Who closed that?" But when he looks at me and sees my not so innocent look he already knows.