Three months had passed since your fateful meeting with the HR department and the Board and as promised, you and Toto had kept your relationship on a strictly need-to-know basis. Bar the interview with Christian, the media had not picked up on your relationship and it seemed as if ultimately no one really cared.
That being said, there were still only a few members of the team who knew the full truth as you had decided it just didn't need to be addressed within the workplace. Time and time again you wished wholeheartedly that Lara wasn't one of them but thankfully she had dialled down the sassy comments. You still didn't quite trust her and you couldn't put your finger on why.
Since the French Grand Prix there had been several more races as well as the Summer break. You had taken this moment of peace and quiet to get to know Toto even better, away from the office, having travelled to Tuscany together for a short break at the beginning of the Summer. Things were going swimmingly and you were falling more and more in love by the day. Toto was keen for you to meet his two children and had suggested you take advantage of the impending end of the season to come to Austria and spend some time with them. You were apprehensive but hopeful that you would get along with them, although you weren't holding your breath as they were teenagers at the end of the day.
During the shutdown, Toto had taken them on holiday to Costa Rica on an outdoorsy jungle adventure whilst you went to Portugal on a girl's trip. Those two weeks were the longest that you'd been apart since the beginning of your romance and you were happy to be right back at his side when racing returned.
Across the races that had transpired between France and Mexico, Mercedes had managed to claw back the points difference that had been lost and were now neck and neck with their arch rivals Red Bull. Toto was trying his best not to show it but you could tell that he was extremely stressed on behalf of the entire team and the manic energy flowing out of his veins was palpable by the time you touched down in Mexico City.
Fortunately, you had a distraction, your father was finally coming to a race weekend and you were looking forward to showing him what you did for a living. The only apprehension that you did have was the fact that you hadn't told any of your family about Toto, knowing that they would disapprove of the large age gap not to mention the fact that he was a divorcee with two children that you were still yet to meet. You hoped that you could keep your relationship under wraps in front of your father as successfully as you did with the team.
FRIDAY AM
One positive about Mexico City was that you and Toto were able to share a room without anyone from the team being aware of it. The way that the hotel was laid out, in various buildings around a compound, meant that you could easily get around without being spotted. This meant that you'd spent the last two nights in Toto's rather impressive suite, cuddled up to your favourite man.
This particular morning you'd woken up to find the bed empty, guessing that your boyfriend had gone off to the gym as he often did in the morning. To kill some time you scrolled through your phone, grimacing at the barrage of emails that had already come in for the day. Just as you were about to scratch the surface of your inbox, the door opened to reveal a very sweaty-looking Toto.
"Y/N," he said breathily, "You will never guess what I just saw."
"I'm not sure if I've got the energy to guess right now," you said, stretching and yawning as you sat up in bed.
"Well I was crossing the bridge from the gym back into our building and I saw Christian Horner walking out from the other section of the hotel," he said excitedly, his demeanour much like a kid waking up on Christmas.
"Okay, I know you and Christian have a really special relationship but I'm not sure if that's that exciting," you said, still half asleep and not thrilled with the idea of sharing a hotel with the nasty Red Bull team principal who had publicly outed your romance just a few months earlier, jeopardising your entire professional reputation.
"No no but don't you see?" said Toto, "Red Bull are not staying in this hotel. Why would he be here first thing in the morning?"
Now you understood why Toto was so excited, "Oh gosh," you said, "I didn't think about that, weird."
"Exactly," said Toto with a wild look in his eye, "I'm going to ask at the front desk which other teams are staying here. I know Red Bull are on the other side of town but I think Ferrari are here."
"Damn, I can't believe you of all people found some juicy gossip," you said, now fully sat up and awake.
"I know," said Toto, crossing the room to lean down and kiss you.
"Ew, Toto, you're kind of sweaty," you said, recoiling as he dripped on you.
"Well then I have to make you sweaty," he said playfully.
Batting him away jokingly, you replied, "Should I be worried that you see one glimpse of Christian early in the morning and you're this horny?"
Toto laughed, "Maybe, I am actually going to go down to the reception and ask them now while it's still quiet."
"Sure knock yourself out, I'll be waiting for you here." you said, bemused at his enthusiasm, "I might jump in the shower if you want to join me when you are back?"
"I would very much like that." he replied, kissing you once more, "Right I will see you in five minutes."
At that, he swiftly exited the room, on a mission to find out what was going on.
You couldn't help but laugh, Toto and Christian had a very strange and complicated relationship where they went from throwing relatively harmless schoolboy insults at each other to hitting below the belt as Christian had done at the French Grand Prix. Christian was an unpleasant character and wasn't friendly with many of their counterparts, whereas Toto had a few more friends in the paddock. This meant that Toto typically took the high road and didn't retaliate but the French Grand Prix had shown Christian's true colours and he'd been looking for a way to retaliate for months.
Crossing the soft beige carpet of your suite to the bathroom you picked up the clothes that you'd strewn across the room last night as you'd made frantic love to Toto. You smiled as you picked up his crumpled white Mercedes shirt, thinking about how far you'd come in a relatively short time.
Having tidied, you'd barely made it into the shower when Toto returned, knocking on the bathroom door.
"Y/N, it's me, can I come in?" he called out.
You laughed at his perpetual politeness, "Of course, it would be rude not to. How was your mission?"
"Successful," he said with a smug grin as he stripped off his gym kit and joined you under the steamy water.
"Oh yeah?" you asked as you turned around to face him.
"Yes," he said, so excited by his news he wasn't even distracted by the fact that you were fully naked and lathered up in the shower. "The woman at the front desk said it's only Mercedes and Ferrari staying here."
"Ooh, that is juicy!" you said, "So he was either seeing someone from our team or someone from Ferrari at seven in the morning in their room?"
"Exactly," said Toto, the wild look back in his eye, "And the best part is we know everyone who is staying here so we can figure it out."
"Check you, Sherlock Holmes," you said laughing, "What shall we do?"
Toto stepped behind you wrapping his arms around you and palming your breasts as if it would help him with his predicament, "I can think of a few things." he said.
"You have a one-track mind, Mr Wolff," you said, "I meant about this Christian situation."
"I have some ideas," he replied, continuing to caress your breasts absentmindedly, "I think maybe we invite the team out tonight. We conquer and divide, maybe you can ask Rosie as well. She seems to always be on our side?"
"It's divide and conquer," you said, creasing up as his attempt at an English idiom, "But if I ask Rosie, then George will know by extension and he's not great at keeping secrets or being discreet."
"But he kept ours?" wagered Toto, "I guess you're right, let's keep it to just us."
"I reckon," you said, "Besides, my Dad is coming. So I need to keep him entertained too."
Toto's wandering hands stopped dead, "Oh shit, I had almost forgotten."
"Really?" you asked.
"Kind of." he said guiltily, "I hope he likes me."
"How could he not?" you said, "And anyway as far as he is concerned, you're just my boss."
Toto's hands began moving again, "Your boss who you let shower with you?"
"Oh yeah, do you not shower with our other colleagues?" you said with a smirk, grinding yourself back, pressing your ass against Toto's growing semi.
"Can't say I do," said Toto, growling, his hands now roaming lower, towards your sweet spot. "Turn around," he added commandingly.
As you turned, you leant up to meet his lips with yours, always a stretch due to your height difference.
"Mmm." he said, "Let me soap you up. Get you all clean."
"Always so diligent," you said.
"It's the job of a Team Principal," he said dead seriously, squeezing shower gel into his large hands and starting to meticulously lather your behind.
"Oh, so you do this for everyone on the team?" you said with a smirk.
"Only the hot ones," he said, working his hands up your back and around to your stomach.
"Oh, so Lewis too?" you said, laughing.
"You're such a nightmare," he said, "I'll have to teach you a lesson." With that he bent down to kiss you once more, pushing his fully hard length into your stomach.
Just as you were starting to lose yourself in your lover's arms, you were snapped out of the trance by a loud buzz.
"Fuck, what was that?" you said, as you jumped apart.
"I think it's the door." Toto said, stepping to one side, "I'll go and check. God help whoever it is. Stay here."
As Toto wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way out of the bathroom, you shut the water off and wrapped yourself in a large towel, padding over to where he'd left the door open just a crack.
"Rosie." you could hear Toto saying, his tone surprised.
"Hi Toto, I am so sorry to bother you this early but I tried texting Y/N and heard nothing. There's something you both need to see. I tried her room but figured she may be here with you but don't worry, if not I can just show you." Rosie rambled, clearly nervous.
"No, no come in, she's just in the bathroom," said Toto.
Guessing this was your cue to come out, you opened the door.
"Hey Rosie," you said sheepishly, well aware of how it looked, with you and Toto wearing nothing but towels.
"I am so so sorry to have interrupted," said Rosie awkwardly.
"It's fine, we were just getting ready." you said, "What's up?"
Rosie sighed, "The press have got wind of you two, the Daily Mail has a photo of you kissing and they're going to run it on Saturday."
"Scheiße!" exclaimed Toto, sitting down on one of the lounge chairs in the living area of his suite.
"How do you know?" you asked Rosie, as you followed him through to the living area.
"We got a request for a comment from the journalist and I'm so sorry I only just picked it up because of the time difference," said Rosie apologetically, as you paced up and down.
"Fuck, what are we going to do?" you said, stopping your pacing and turning to Toto.
"How should I know?" he replied, "You're the Director of Communications, that's why I hired you."
"Touché," you said "Well I think that what we should do is sit tight and see how this pans out. It might be a case that the story will be three-quarters of the way down the sidebar of shame and no one picks it up or thinks anything of it."
"That's true," said Rosie empathetically, "Sometimes these things don't take off in the sensational way that the journalists hope."
"I certainly hope so." said Toto, his tone serious, "But I know who will care about it."
"Did they send the photo?" you asked Rosie.
"Yes, they did. Let me show you," said Rosie, taking out her phone.
Glancing at Toto, you grimaced, wondering where this photo could have been taken. You hoped it hadn't been in Tuscany as there was no denying it was a romantic holiday and you'd gotten carried away on your romantic picnics more than once.
"Here it is," said Rosie, bending down to show Toto as he sat in his chair.
"Scheiße!" Toto exclaimed once again, "That was by the factory after we met with HR and the board."
"Can I see?" you said moving closer.
"Sure," Rosie replied, moving her phone across so that you could take a look.
Sure enough, it was blurry but it was undoubtedly you and Toto walking along the river bank after you had your meeting, cups of coffee in hand. To make matters worse, it wasn't just one photo, it was a series, one looking like you are deep in discussion, one with your hand on Toto's chest and then the final one was him leaning down to kiss you.
You made a face at Rosie which she exchanged.
"Look it's obviously not great," you said, "But honestly I think people don't care that much. Look at what happened after Christian tried to out us to Sky, no one cared. I just worry that the board will see this especially because it's near the workplace."
"But do they know that it's near the factory?" said Rosie, "It's not that obvious where that is if you don't know where it is. If that makes sense?"
"Robert will know," interjected Toto, "I've taken him there for a coffee before."
"Shit." you said, "Although to the outside world, we're not wearing our uniforms it could just be any day."
"That's true," said Toto, "At least they can't say that we're bringing shame on the brand."
"I'm so sorry guys," said Rosie, standing back up and putting her phone away. "If there's anything I can do to help let me know. I'll leave you alone now and again, I'm so sorry for coming to disturb you so early."
Standing up from the chair, obviously feeling awkward about the fact he was only wearing a towel, Toto said kindly, "No, thank you, Rosie, I appreciate you coming to us. I'm sorry for not being so presentable this morning, I just got back from the gym."
"Yes, thank you, Rosie, honestly it's good to have a heads up about things like this. At least we can start to think of a game plan," you said kindly, "And again sorry that we're not quite ready."
"Don't be silly," said Rosie, "I'm just sorry that it was early and that I was the bearer of bad news."
"It's okay, we'll figure something out," you said as Rosie made her way back out of your suite. "Thanks again. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"See you later," said Rosie as she closed the door behind her.
"Are we ever going to get a break?" Toto asked as he sat down on the bed still only wearing a towel.
"Unfortunately, I think not," you said, "If it gets to the Board again obviously I will go, please don't jeopardise your life for me. You've worked so hard for so long to build this team up, it would be stupid to throw it all away just because of something silly."
"It's not silly when it's you," he said very seriously, looking you in the eyes, his dark eyes flashing intensely.
"You know what I mean," you said, settling down beside him on the bed and putting an arm around his shoulder.
"The thing I don't understand is how there are so many photos. Why would a paparazzi be at the factory on a random Monday?" Toto said, leaning into you.
"I agree, it is suspicious. I am going to ask around and see if someone will name the source," you replied, trying to reassure him.
At that, he managed a small smile, "Thank you. Do you want to finish in the shower and I'll come in afterwards? I love you but I'm not really in the mood now."
"Don't be silly, we can still go together. We don't have to fill every moment with sex. I'm happy to just have a shower with you," you said.
Toto flopped his head down on your shoulder in agreement, "Sure let's do it."
FRIDAY PM
Having wrapped a successful Free Practice, you were now back in Toto's hotel room, frantically deciding a game plan for the evening's dinner. The news story Rosie had rushed to tell you about was due to come out in the early hours as it was running on Saturday morning UK time, and you just hoped no one would see it while you were all out. On top of that, Toto was still insistent on going through with his madcap scheme to find out what Christian was doing in your hotel that morning.
The team had been surprised by your sudden insistence to go out last minute on a Friday night but seemed enthusiastic about going for tacos and margaritas. You'd managed to convince most of the team to come along and ulterior motives aside, it was always nice to build some team spirit.
Crazy schemes aside, you also had to contend with the fact that your Dad was coming to join you for drinks after dinner, having landed in Mexico City that afternoon.
"So, what do I say to him?" asked Toto as he buttoned up his blue linen shirt beside you in the bathroom.
You sighed, "Nothing, you're my boss, that's all he knows. Say boss things."
"I don't like it." said Toto, "But I'll play along."
"Good." you said, kissing him on the cheek, "I just know he'll be dramatic about his little girl dating a big scary man and we don't need more drama this weekend."
"Big and scary?" said Toto, raising an eyebrow, "I'm not sure I am big or scary."
"Have you seen yourself?" you asked.
"You know what I mean." he said, "I hope the team doesn't feel weird that I'm coming tonight."
"I think you have a complex about this." You said, "They love it when you participate."
"I doubt this," said Toto, tightlipped and unconvinced.
———
The atmosphere in the restaurant was jovial, with the team in high spirits after a successful Free Practice. It was a good turn out and Lewis and George had even joined for the evening, much to the team's pleasure. Toto had been correct in his assumptions that people would be thrown off that he was joining you but it wasn't long before the margaritas were flowing and they began to let loose, not worried about what their boss would think.
You'd divided up, working the tables to make sure you spoke to everyone in the team, casually dropping the fact that you were sharing the hotel with Ferrari here and there, hoping that someone might talk. It wasn't long before you struck gold, with Bella.
"It must be nice being in the same hotel for once, no?" you asked, knowing that her husband, Gio, worked for Ferrari.
"Yeah, it almost never happens!" she said brightly, "Who do I need to speak to for us to always stay together?"
You laughed, before trying to subtly dig some more, "I guess the travel department but Ferrari would have to agree too. I'm not averse to it personally, I'd rather see them around than the Red Bull lot."
Bella nodded in agreement before dropping her voice, "Yeah but do you not know about Christian Horner?"
"Huh?" you asked, playing dumb, "What do you mean?"
Bella looked around as if scared someone would overhear her in the loud restaurant, "He's seeing one of the PR girls at Ferrari, Gio saw them a few weeks ago and he must have been in our hotel last night. We saw him creeping out this morning."
You tried your best to feign shock, "No way! Isn't he married as well?"
"Yup." said Bella, pulling a face, "Nice guy right?"
"Indeed." you said, "His poor wife. Although, actually, scrap that, if I was married to him, I'd be encouraging him to go off and find someone else."
Bella laughed, sipping her margarita once again, "Same to be honest. They're all whispering about it at Ferrari. I think they're worried he's doing it for information."
"Oh really?" you asked, trying to catch Toto's eye to signal that you'd uncovered what he was looking for, "But what does this girl look like? I'm sure he's just a horny old man."
"That's true, she's much younger than him, pretty and a redhead, so just his type."
"Oof," you said, finally managing to catch Toto's eyes and winking at him.
Never one to miss a trick, Bella whipped her head around to see who you were winking at. "I still swear he has a thing for you, you know."
Playing coy, you laughed it off, "Nah, he's just goofy."
"You like that though," said Bella cheekily.
"I do like him, but just as a colleague," you said, "I'm glad he's our boss and not that slimeball Christian."
"Me and you both," replied Bella.
Just as you raised your glass once more you clocked a familiar face coming into the restaurant, "Bella, you'll have to excuse me, my Dad has just arrived!" you said excitedly, "I'll just go and say hi and bring him around to say hello to everyone."
"Ah lovely, I'm looking forward to it," said Bella, turning to chat with her colleagues who were sitting on the other side of her.
Crossing the restaurant, you were nervous, your Dad had never visited you at work before and you weren't sure what he'd make of your increasingly rowdy colleagues.
"Mi hija!" he exclaimed loudly as he spotted you making your way towards him.
"Papa!" you said, warmly embracing him. It had been a while since you'd seen your father, having only gone home for Christmas, "How was the flight?"
"Good thank you," he said, "How are you? How was the free practice?"
"Good thanks, it went well. I'm excited for tomorrow and so excited you're finally coming to a race." you said, "Do you want to meet my colleagues?"
You'd spotted Toto immediately clocking your father and straightening his collar. You couldn't help but smile, clearly meeting the parents was nerve-wracking at any stage in life.
"Sure," replied your Dad with a wide grin, "I want to meet the famous Rosie."
Smiling that he remembered your friend's name, you clocked Rosie, lurking in the corner with George and a few other members of the press team. Making your way over you spied Toto getting up to come over and join you.
"Hey guys, there's someone I'd like you all to meet, this is my Dad!" You said, "Dad, this is Rosie, George, Olivia and Emily."
"Nice to meet you, we've heard so much about you!" said Rosie, immediately leaping up to say hello. George followed suit, shaking your Dad's hand and exchanging pleasantries before a scared look in his eye told you that Toto was standing somewhere behind you.
"Hey Toto," said George nervously, clearly not sure if your Dad knew about your relationship.
"Oh Dad, this is Toto, our boss," you said, turning around to allow Toto to make his introduction.
"Hello, so lovely to meet you finally," said Toto, flashing a grin as he shook your Dad's hand, "Your daughter is a superstar."
"Likewise," your Dad said, clearly pleased by Toto's words, "I know, you're very lucky to have her."
"Believe me I know it," said Toto, looking over at you adoringly. "Can I get you a drink at all?"
"That would be great, I'll come with you to the bar," replied your Dad, slapping Toto on the shoulder, despite the fact he was a good foot shorter, "Mi hija, would you like anything?"
"Can I please have another piña colada?" you asked.
"Of course, can I get anyone else anything?" your Dad asked, turning back towards Rosie and crew.
"We're good for the moment but thank you," Rosie replied.
At that, you watched nervously as your Dad and Toto disappeared off towards the bar. Settling down beside Rosie and George, you checked that Olivia and Emily were deep in conversation before saying "Eek I'm nervous."
"Does he know?" asked George.
"Nope, we decided it's better to go with he's just my boss for now."
"Oooh." said George, "Well you need to tell Toto to stop making googly eyes at you, he's so obvious about it these days."
"I think that will be the least of our problems after tomorrow," you said furtively, glancing at Rosie.
"I'm sure it will be fine." she replied kindly, "As we said, no one really cares."
"Hmm," you said unconvinced.
———
As the night went on, drinks were now freely flowing and you could see some of your colleagues were too far gone. The younger mechanics always pushed it too hard and you were worried they'd be hungover and grumpy for quali the next day.
Your Dad was deep in conversation with Rosie and George and you spied Toto leaning against the wall, chatting to the senior engineers. Making your way over, you gently tapped him on the arm.
"Hey Y/N, how are you? The guys were just saying how much they like your Dad," said Toto.
"Aw that's sweet, I think he's loving it!" you said, looking over to where he was now dragging Rosie up to start dancing.
"I can see that," replied Toto. "Do you think we should try and wrap things up?"
"That's why I came over." you said, "Shall I do our usual trick?"
"Good idea," said Toto, winking at you as his companions looked blankly, "You'll see," he said, turning to them.
You smiled as you sauntered over to the bartender. Having booked the restaurant out entirely you could easily call it a night.
"Hey, I know this is unorthodox but do you think we could do a last call? I don't want everyone to be hungover tomorrow," you said.
"Sure," said the bartender, "Although I think it might be too late."
As if on cue, you spotted Mo falling over his chair as he tried to get up. Sighing, you replied, "Maybe."
Rejoining Toto, who was now standing alone, checking his emails and looking grumpy, you discreetly whispered, "I have the juicy gossip by the way."
He perked up immediately, "No one was cracking, who is it?"
"Good news, none of our lot." you said smiling, "He's knocking off one of the PR girls at Ferrari."
"How did you find out?" he said, his eyes lit up.
"Bella," you said with a smirk.
"This is good," said Toto, "I can use this."
"Jesus, you're as bad as he is," you said. "I'll tell you everything later, yeah?"
"So you're coming back to mine?" he said excitedly, just as the last call bell rang.
"Of course." you said, "But we need to be careful with my Dad. And on that note, what were you talking about with him at the bar?"
"Just chatting," said Toto, folding his arms smugly.
"Sure," you said suspiciously.
———
Having rounded up the troops, the team were now merrily making their way back towards the hotel. Thankfully it was just a short walk and you were happy to see your Dad getting stuck in and chatting away to anyone who would listen.
Toto was walking ahead with Bono and Lewis, deep in conversation about the coming weekend so you rushed to catch up with your Dad.
"Hey stranger," you said, looping your arm through his.
"How are you my love?" he asked, "Your colleagues are very nice."
"I'm glad you like them, it's my favourite part of the job." you said, "They were all excited to meet you so I'm sure you'll be spoiled all weekend."
"Yes, George said I can sit in the garage." your Dad said smugly, "And Toto, he's quite something no?"
"Did he now?" you said laughing, "Well it's actually my decision who sits in the garage as a guest so I'll be having words with George. But yes Toto is lovely."
"He is in love with you." said your Dad, turning to you on a more serious note.
"Huh?" you asked, taken aback by his frank admission.
"He only has eyes for you." he said, "When we were at the bar he kept glancing over at you. Trust me I know these things. You could do a lot worse mi hija."
Feeling guilty that your Dad was right on the money you sighed, "Well then, there's something I need to tell you."
Your Dad smiled, "I knew it. Just be careful, he is a little old for you."
Smiling, you replied, "I will be. He was so nervous to meet you."
"I could tell," your Dad replied, "He kept telling me how brilliant you were at the bar and that he hoped you would work together forever."
You laughed, "How romantic."
"I could tell what he really meant." said your Dad dryly, "He will have to meet your mother though."
"I know." you said shyly, "I hope she likes him too."
"Of course, she will. You look so happy mi hija, I haven't seen you glowing like this in a long time."
'Thanks, Papa," you said, kissing him on the cheek. "Just so you know, only a few of our colleagues know so please keep it quiet.
"Of course." he replied, "It's wise in the workplace."
Having reached your hotel, it was time to say goodnight, "I will come and meet you in the morning and we can go to the track together?"
"Sounds good, sleep well and thank you again for inviting me," he replied, grinning widely.
SATURDAY AM
Waking up on quali day, you were very content with how the following evening had gone. Toto had been thrilled by the fact that you'd confessed your relationship to your Dad and that he semi-had his blessing. Snuggling into Toto's broad chest, you were so comfortable that you almost forgot the shitshow that was going to greet you when you checked your emails.
Leaning up to kiss Toto's neck you could sense he was stirring awake.
"Morning," you said, kissing him once more.
"Morning," he replied sleepily, clutching you closer into his chest and kissing the top of your head.
Knowing that you had to face reality as quickly as possible like a band-aid being ripped off, you extracted yourself from Toto's vice-like grip.
"No cuddles?" he said, now wide awake and put out.
"I need to check my emails," you said, sitting bolt upright and reaching for your phone.
"Oh shit," said Toto, rubbing his eyes.
"Indeed," you said.
You didn't have to look far to find the article, it was the top search result for Mercedes AMG Petronas this morning, the glaring headline reading "LOVE IN THE PADDOCK, MERCEDES TEAM BOSS TOTO WOLFF COSIES UP TO YOUNG COLLEAGUE."
Groaning you scrolled down the article, they'd gone in heavy on the fact that Toto was two decades your senior and that he was your boss.
"What does it say?" asked Toto, sitting up in bed and putting on his glasses.
"The tone is not great," you said, continuing to read. "But it's not very long and mostly just the photos."
"Okay, so what do we do?" Toto asked.
"I think we let it be, I'm sure it won't go far," you said, hoping you were correct.
"Fuck," said Toto, now checking his phone.
"What's wrong?
"Robert has put in a meeting." he sighed, bringing his palm to his face.
"Shit, when?"
"After quali."
It wasn't often that Toto looked nervous but he was looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Look, like I said, if he gives you a hard time, I will go," you said bluntly.
"I don't want you to," said Toto, equally as bluntly.
"He'll push for it," you said.
"I'll push back."
"I know you will," you said, reaching across and putting your arm around Toto. "But like I said, don't jeopardise this for me. It's a job for me at the end of the day. You built this team, it is what it is thanks to you and I wouldn't ever forgive myself if anything came in the way of that."
Toto pondered silently, obviously mulling things over. "Let's see."
———
Unfortunately, as your colleagues had started to wake up, your phone had started to blow up with messages asking what was going on.
Omg, Y/N! I knew it. Hope you are okay, the Daily Mail is brutal.
It was Bella. Then came a message from Tom.
Sheesh Y/N, no wonder you're always smiling these days. I expect a full juicy debrief asap.
Not having the energy to reply yet you turned your phone off, turning to Toto.
"Everyone is asking me what's going on," you said flatly.
Toto sighed, "Well maybe it's time to come clean. I don't like lies in the team."
"I guess," you said, laying your head on his chest.
"Look, I know that you still feel everybody's going to think that you're trying to sleep your way to the top," said Toto, "But you've more than proven yourself at this point. No one can possibly think that. Just that you're crazy for going out with me."
"I hope so," you replied, "Stop saying that, people will think that you're the crazy one for going out with me."
"As if," Toto snorted, "They'll be jealous of me."
You rolled your eyes, "I doubt this highly."
"Let's wait and see," said Toto, leaning over for a kiss, pinning you down in between his strong arms.
SATURDAY PM
Quali had gone even better than you had dared hope, with Lewis and George obtaining P1 and P2. Despite the sore heads from last night's shenanigans, drinks were flowing once more in the garage as the team celebrated the first front-row lockout of the season.
Nowhere to be seen, however, was your affable boss. Toto had slunk off to his office to take his meeting with Robert, barely raising a smile at your drivers' valiant efforts. Now that your relationship was common knowledge, you felt in a way that a weight was off of your shoulders, however, now the pressure was on.
"Where's Toto?" asked Rosie, as you stood nervously in the garage, not participating in the celebrations as you awaited his return.
"Long story," you said.
Rosie looked a little shocked at your glum demeanour, "I hope everything is okay."
"Thanks." you said, "I'm going to head to my office for a bit, can you please keep an eye on my Dad?"
"Sure, no problem," she said, looking concerned.
As you wove your way through the garage and down the paddock to your office you were a bundle of nerves. You loved your job almost as much as you loved Toto and it would kill you to give it up after the huge amount of work you'd put in over the last eighteen months. But in your heart, you knew you would never forgive yourself if Toto put his neck on the line for you as this was his team at the end of the day.
You grabbed an espresso before settling down at your desk in your office, desperately trying to distract yourself with your inbox. You could hear Toto murmuring next door but not loudly enough for you to pick out any words. Furiously typing a reply to an email, you heard his chair roll back and the door creak open.
A gentle knock on your door, "Y/N, I can hear you typing. Can I come in?"
"Sure," you said, feeling awkward that he knew you had been trying to listen in.
Closing the door behind him, a serious-looking Toto crossed the space to sit on the sofa in your small office.
"Sorry, I didn't realise I was that loud," you said, embarrassed.
"No, not at all, I like it, I always know you're close by," he said, folding his arms. "Look, Robert is not happy with me but I managed to talk him around."
"Really?" you said, eyes bright.
"Don't get too excited, there is a but. He asked that you stay out of the spotlight, so no more press conferences, no more TV, no more media appearances, no more attending sponsorship events on behalf of the team."
"That's the but?" you asked incredulously, "Honestly, I'm fine with that."
Toto smiled, "I know. But I pushed back."
"Why?" you asked, eyebrows raised.
"Because whether you believe it or not, you are a huge asset to the team. I told him that you will continue your day-to-day role, and the fact that you are my girlfriend is incidental. And that one day you'll be my wife and he'll have to get used to it."
Your mouth fell open. Wife? "Well, thank you, and he was okay with that?"
"He has to be," he said bluntly.
At that you hopped up, making your way around your desk to lean down and give him a lingering kiss, his large hands wrapping around your waist and pulling you down onto his lap.
"Toto!" you squealed, "This is my office!"
"I know, and I also know no one will be up here for at least the next ten minutes," he said with a smirk, pulling your hips down closer to his, his hands creeping up your now untucked team shirt. Sighing, you gave in, kissing him back voraciously and running your hands through his hair.
With your luck, it was only inevitable that at that very moment, there was a knock on your door.
Leaping up, you straightened your shirt and Toto tried to fix his ruffled hair.
"Hello, Y/N, are you there?" It was Rosie.
"Hey Rosie, yes, sure come in," you said.
As the door opened to reveal a startled-looking Rosie who had caught onto what she was interrupting, she stuttered, "I can come back later. I'm sorry..."
"No, don't be silly, I was just leaving," said Toto, getting up from the sofa and flashing a grin at your flustered colleague.
"Oh okay," she said.
"See you later Toto," you said.
"See you," he replied, closing the door behind him.
"I am SO sorry." said Rosie, "I need to stop interrupting you guys."
You laughed, "Don't worry, he was just updating me on the Daily Mail situation."
Rosie looked sceptical, "Sure, sure. I just came up to check if everything was okay. You looked super sad in the garage. And before you panic, George is with your Dad."
"Thanks, Rosie," you said, "I was worrying, but it seems to have been for nothing."
Appeased by your cheerful tone, Rosie replied, taking a seat on the sofa, "I'm glad to hear that, I knew Toto would handle it. He's always been good at smoothing things over."
"I hope so," you said, gazing off into nowhere. "I guess I should head back down, and rescue George."
"He's fine, he's loving the attention." said Rosie, "You know what he's like, a sixty-year-old man in a twenty-something-year-old body. They're kindred spirits."
You laughed, "That's true."
"I'm sorry again about this morning, when Toto opened the door in a towel I was mortified," Rosie said, looking nervous.
"Oh gosh don't worry, I think he was more embarrassed than you." you said reassuringly, "And for the record, we genuinely were just getting ready."
"Still embarrassing." said Rosie, "Although for the record, damn, he's in good shape. I always thought he would be but sheesh."
Laughing, you replied, "He's alright I guess. And you can talk, George with his washboard abs."
"Let's see how long they last into retirement," said Rosie wistfully.
"Ooh things are that serious?" you asked.
"I hope so, he asked me about maybe getting engaged soon," Rosie said, looking down at her feet.
"Oh my gosh, Rosie this is big!" you leapt up from your desk, "I knew it."
Rosie looked pleased, "Let's see."
"Shall we head back down?" you asked, "I came up here to answer some urgent emails and managed to smash through them."
"Sure," said Rosie, standing up.
———
A few hours later, the team were wrapping for the evening in an attempt to get an early night ahead of the race. Your Dad had already gone back to his hotel to freshen up for dinner leaving you alone with Toto once again.
Wandering through the paddock you were conscious that rival teams were now aware of your relationship and you hoped they wouldn't take too much notice. As you walked side by side you were suddenly greeted by a loud wolf whistle.
"Ooooh, look at the happy couple!" It was Christian Horner, looking smug as usual, swaggering up to you from within the Red Bull hospitality area.
"Good evening Christian," said Toto frostily.
"Toto." said Christian, nodding slightly, "Y/N. How's wedded bliss? I heard you were getting frisky in the factory recently."
Sensing Toto's body clenching beside you, you tried to diffuse the situation in the only language that Christian would understand, sarcasm, "Yes, all day every day, right in the middle of the boardroom."
"You're a lucky bastard, Toto," said Christian, "How does the phrase go, you're only as old as the woman you feel?"
Toto looked livid, replying angrily, "Well I heard you're fond of a little Italian."
The blood draining from his face, Christian fought to compose himself before replying nonchalantly, "And?"
Toto's eyes narrowed, "I'm not sure your wife would be thrilled by the news."
Looking defeated, Christian threw his hands up before backing away, "You're a sly bastard, I'll give you that. Enjoy your evening."
"And you," you said through gritted teeth, Toto still raging beside you.
Making your way towards the car park you turned to Toto, "He really is a piece of shit."
"One hundred per cent." replied Toto, "I hate bowing down to his level but he went too far last time."
Stroking Toto's arm lightly you tried to calm him down, "Oh, you got him good this time. He'll leave us alone now, I'm sure of it."
Toto's brow furrowed, he was unconvinced. "I hope so."
"I know so." you said confidently, "By the way, I've been trying to get to the bottom of who sold the photographs to the Daily Mail and every source is a dead end. I think it has to be someone at the factory."
Toto's eyebrows shot up, "At the factory."
"Well yes," you paused, explaining, "It's not always a paparazzi who provide images to tabloids, sometimes they buy them from a private individual."
"But who would do that?" asked Toto.
"I can think of someone," you said.
"Lara?" he asked, on your wavelength.
"I think so. She's been suspiciously nice to me recently," you replied, having finally reached the car that would take you back to your hotel. Sliding into the back seat beside Toto, you turned to him, "How has she been with you?"
"The same as always," mused Toto, covering your hand with his.
"I just don't get her," you said quietly, aware that the driver could hear every word.
"I know." said Toto, "I will do some digging tomorrow if I have time."
"Well it's race day so don't get too distracted," you said. "We can find out next week when we're back home."
"True." said Toto, "On that note, I wondered if you would like to come to mine for dinner on Wednesday next week?"
Surprised by his invitation as you were yet to go to his place in England, you replied, "Ooh yes, I'm curious."
"It's nothing special but I'd like to cook for you," he said sweetly.
"I'd love that," you said, looking at him lovingly, "And after you said that about your house in Monaco, I'm not sure if I believe you."
Toto smirked, "No, the Monaco place is nicer. But this place is cosy."
Already envisioning cuddling up on the sofa, you couldn't wait.
SUNDAY PM
As usual, race day flew by at an alarming pace, with you feeling as if you'd barely sat down in the garage when the chequered flag was waving. It was a double podium finish with Lewis taking P1 and George P2, a success that meant Mercedes were now even with Red Bull as constructors.
The team were elated and Toto had rallied the team to meet in the garage post-race, your Dad included. He'd had the time of his life this weekend and fortunately for you, with your demanding schedule, the team had doted on him constantly.
Standing in the garage beside Toto, you could tell that there were once again some curious glances being shot towards you. As more of the team gathered, Toto made his way across to you, sidling up beside you and bending down to whisper in your ear, "I'm going to tell them."
You turned to him surprised, "Are you sure, is it not kind of weird?"
"No, it will be fine trust me," he said, winking at you and walking towards the bar.
"Gather around everybody, there are a few words I would like to say," said Toto, immediately commanding the attention of the team, the chatter instantly dying down. "First of all, I want to congratulate each and every one of you for today's incredible effort and the results. We are now equal with Red Bull in the Constructor's Championship and have the possibility of overtaking them." He paused as the team applauded and cheered, "I'd like to say a special thank you to Lewis and George for their drives today, as well as our engineers and technicians who worked so tirelessly to gain us these crucial tenths of a second."
"Thanks guys!" interjected Lewis, who was standing on the edge of the garage, listening in.
"Yes, thank you, couldn't have done it without you," said George cheerfully.
Toto laughed, "And as always thank you to everybody else in the team who makes these weekends possible." he paused before glancing over at you, "I am also sure that many of you may have seen the story in the press about Y/N and I. As we are a team, I do not want secrets and I wanted you all to know that it is true, we have been seeing each other romantically for quite some time now."
Murmurs echoed around the garage as heads turned around to look at you. Shrinking back behind the hulking figure of Bono, you had never felt more embarrassed in your life, until Lewis broke the tension with a cheeky wolf whistle.
"Ooohhh, tell us something we don't know boss," he said with a glint in his eye. "Just make sure you invite us all to the wedding yeah?"
Toto blushed and continued, "I just wanted you all to know straight from the horse's mouth... is that the right phrase?" he looked at you pleadingly.
"Yes." you said laughing, "For once."
The team broke into laughter as your boss often confused English phrases and you always ended up correcting him.
"Thank you. Anyway, now that is out in the open, I hope you will join us in celebrating this weekend tomorrow evening at the factory." Toto was beaming, clearly relieved to have got the news off of his chest, "Again, thank you to every one of you, this weekend has been good."
Applause followed before the team started to mill about, some staying to pack up and others rushing off to the airport to make their flight. Fortunately, you would be taking the jet a little later so had no need to run yet.
Making his way towards you, Toto was smiling widely, his dimples out in full force. "Well that was easy," he said.
"Worst kept secret in the paddock if you ask me," said Bono, turning to you both, "Joking aside, I'm happy for you both."
"Thank you, Bono," you replied, wrapping your arm around him, "I'm happy too."
"I'm glad to hear it," the engineer said, "Toto, this girl is special, you're a lucky guy."
"Believe me, I know," said Toto, beaming down at you.
Through the throng of people your Dad emerged, walking straight up to Toto and slapping his hand on his shoulder, "Well that was interesting, young man." he said.
Toto looked a little embarrassed, "I hope you didn't mind."
"Not at all," said your Dad, "If Y/N is happy, I'm happy. But you do need to come and meet my wife soon."
"Dad..." you shot daggers at him, not wanting to make Toto uncomfortable.
"It would be a pleasure," replied Toto. "Y/N is coming to Austria during the Winter break to meet my family so maybe we can come then too."
"Perfect," said your Dad, clapping his hands together and turning to you, "Your mother will be thrilled."
Shaking your head, you couldn't help but hope that this meant Toto was serious about your relationship. The casual comments about becoming his wife and the declarations of love pointed that way but you didn't want to get your hopes up.
"Great," you replied, "We'll come in December sometime then."
"Check with your Mother though!" said your Dad, backtracking slightly.
"Always," you said with a wink, knowing full well that she ran things in the house.
"Right, well I think we had better head off no?" said Toto, conscious that you had a plane to catch.
"Indeed, you said," leaning towards your Dad to say goodbye and thank him for coming. It had been a great weekend all around, both professionally and personally. As he bid farewell to Toto you had a newfound respect for your charismatic boyfriend. Your father was not an easy man to win over and he'd done it in a matter of minutes.
In the hubbub of the garage, what you failed to notice was the same pair of eyes that had watched you on and Toto the river bank, this time angry.