When the Summer break started, Stefano Domenicali had this brilliant idea on having a mid-summer ball, inviting the team principals, drivers, and other prestigious people of the sport to be a part of it. When they got the invite, Alessandra, Max, Charles, Mick and Carlos, who were hanging out in Monaco at Max's house for a Fifa and take out night, bursted out laughing, not able to understand what went through the mind of the CEO of Formula One for him to want to gather all the drivers, team principals and other important people within the sport when they were supposed to be taking a break from the sport in the first place. They knew that Stefano was a man of crazy, and sometimes, questionable ideas, especially when it comes to the sport. But for them this ball had to be the craziest, and weirdest thing he could come up with, yet.
The group were hoping that the ball would be in a nice location, and when the invites came out and saw that it was being held in Venice, Alessandra couldn't help and get excited, especially when she read that it was a mask themed ball. She loved the art of masquerade, and she couldn't stop envisioning the idea of channeling her inner phantom of the opera love for her outfit. And having the ball in Venice, the city with rich history and beauty in regards of masquerades, she was about to live a childhood dream of attending a ball in Venice. She was looking forward to show her friends around the city, let her cultural side come out and explain to them about the extravagance and wonders the ancient city offered.
When she wasn't travelling somewhere with her friends, or working at the factory, she had dedicated a lot of her time designing and working on the dress for the ball with a local seamstress who had designed some of her dresses and suits for special occasions, along with the Ferrari luxury designers. She went to endless consults, choosing the perfect fabric, calculating the perfect amount of petticoat she wanted under her dress, creating the style and design she desired. She also got some input from the guys, who were quick to give her their honest opinions and comments when she needed them, but they didn't have any bad thing to say, they were amazed by what she was creating. And a couple of days ago, she had her last fitting, and she fell in love with the final result of the masterpiece her and her talented team created, and she could not wait for the ball the arrive.
Alessandra had invited her friends to stay with her in Maranello before they head to Venice, deciding to take a two hour road trip to their destination. Max had been to Maranello a few of times, especially this year after Imola and when they went to Turin, but every time he would have to roam around incognito, which is always funny to Alessandra, having to sneak him out her home town, because imagine the chaos if he was seen in his rival's city. Isa and Kelly were also coming to the ball, but they decided to fly straight to Venice, wanting to explore the city before the ball, so they promised to meet up there.
It was late in the afternoon, and the five of them were sat on the lounge chairs around her pool, soaking up some Italian sun and the cool water in the middle of the large piece of land behind the home belonging to the team principal. They had arrived to Maranello from Monaco, Spain and Germany the day before, resting from their short flights and were roaming around Maranello in the very early hours of the morning, whilst the town was still asleep. Alessandra had her headphones in, listening to the soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera, becoming a bit obsessed with it after seeing it live in London a few weeks ago. She couldn't explain it, but something flipped inside of her whenever Phantom of the Opera, or especially Point of No Return played on her phone. She felt alive, powerful, a fire burning in her, like she was in her own fantasy.
That feeling was long gone when someone pulled one of her airpods out, bringing the song to a holt. She let out a groan as she turned her head in the direction of the person disturbing her listening session, finding the Dutch world champion smiling sheepishly at her when he saw the look she gave him. "What do you want Massimiliano?" She asked as she lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Are you excited for Venice?" He asked, grinning widely like a little kid, "I don't think I can remember the last time I've been!"
"That's because you don't visit Italy that much when you really should," Alessandra chuckled, "and yes, I'm actually really excited about the ball. I always wanted to attend a masquerade ball in Venice, it was my childhood dream whenever we visited for the carnival and saw all the beautiful costumes and masks!"
"Is Toto coming?" Charles asked, butting in the conversation, "cause he might actually have a heart attack when he sees you in the dress!"
"How should I know?" She asked as she turned to the Monegasque, "I don't really see him as a masquerade kind of guy. I mean the man was raising an eyebrow during the masquerade scene of the Phantom whilst I was basically bouncing in my seat!"
"I still can't believe that you ended up watching a musical with him," Mick laughed as he sipped on his beer, "Especially that one, and in the royal's box!"
"And it's one of the most romantic musicals out there," everyone turned to Carlos with a raised eyebrow at his sudden knowledge on musicals, which he gave them questioning looks for, "What? Musicals are amazing, plus Isa's been dying to attend one in London!"
"Is Phantom really that romantic?" Mick asked, turning to his best friend, which she nodded to, "like how romantic?"
"Heart wrenching, angry, hot, kind of romantic," Alessandra sighed as she thought about the musical, the words to every song, sang with so much passion, "it's madness, but god it's beautiful!"
"And did Toto like it?" Charles asked, "or did he hate that kind of madness?"
"I think he did, I mean to be honest we didn't really talk much about the musical when it finished," she shrugged, "but anyway, I don't care! I'm gonna have you guys around the ball and I couldn't be more excited!"
"I still think you should have invited Marc to come," Carlos said, wiggling an eyebrow at the Italian, who rolled her eyes at him, "it would have been adorable with the theme and all!"
"Oh yeah!" Max exclaimed, "how's it going with Marquez? Is it serious between you two?"
"No it isn't," she shrugged, earning a groan from Carlos and an eye roll from the rest of them, "we both live busy lives, and I don't have time for serious especially in the first year of this job. I'm enjoying my time with him but it's just two friends fooling around. I don't need to bring that into a work function." She laid back in her lounge chair, putting her headphones in as she continued soaking up the sun, whilst blocking her friends' comments with the music.
"Or maybe because she doesn't want Toto to know what she's been up to since the break before Baku," Max said, glancing to see if she heard him, but she didn't. "How do you think he would react if she showed up with a world champion rider? We saw the looks he gave them when they were just talking in the paddock."
"Don't you guys remember the way he wanted to kill Marc if he could during Ale's birthday celebrations?" Charles asked, earning nods from the rest.
"I mean Toto can attend the ball with a new woman," Mick said, "I heard Susie might be there, do you think chaos could erupt?"
"Depends on how mature they were during the divorce," Charles shrugged, "but if anything does occur, we're not letting Ale being dragged in it in any kind of way."
"Agreed," Carlos said, "because as much as we tease her about Toto, the last thing she needs and deserves is being dragged in some sort of messy feud between a divorced couple."
They all glanced at the Italian, who was gently bobbing her head to the music that was playing, oblivious to the conversation the drivers were having right next to her. each and ever one of the guys sat around her love her to bits, and would protect her from anything, even if they act like jokers most of the time. They'll never forget the first time Alessandra Ferrari and Toto Wolff met during pre-season testing in Barcelona in 2018, and the funny thing is that Charles and Max got to witness their first encounter.
It was the first weekend of pre-season testing. Anyone who worked on a formula 1 car was in their respective garages putting everything together, preparing for the first few hours of testing new components, collecting data, see how the new car works altogether, and most importantly, get an idea to see if they can compete at the top.
Drivers were having their interviews done around the paddock, all expressing how excited they are to jump in the car. For one of the drivers, it was their first season, and he was excited than the others, itching to jump in the formula 1 car he can finally call his, not just drive it around for a practice session during the year. It was finally his.
Charles Leclerc had one of the most stellar GP2 seasons anyone has ever seen, proving his worth to the Formula 1 grid and earning his place within Alfa Romeo Sauber. He was looking forward to everything Formula 1 had ready to throw at him, and he was ready to fight and give it his all. He was also excited for the fact that his best friend was going to be around for every race of the season, because she had started working as an engineer with one of the teams. And he was looking forward to see her and hang out with her every chance they had whilst they travelled the world.
Pre-season was the perfect time for team principals to try and snoop around the new cars, see if their rivals had better specs and take ideas to implement them on their own configuration of cars. And a team principal who was notorious for inspecting the cars, especially during pre-season, was none other than Toto Wolff.
He had his hands crossed over his chest as he walked down the pit lane, eyes glued on every car he passed by, trying to eye and memorise any details that stuck out to him. His next stop for his inspection was Ferrari, and he stopped in front of the garage, staying behind the red barrier as he tried to see what new configurations the SF71H offered. He was in front of Sebastian Vettel's car, many mechanics and engineers around as they seemed to set something on the bodywork. An eyebrow quirked on the Austrian when he saw a figure dived deep inside the cockpit, their legs almost dangling out of it and their upper body disappeared in the car.
He looked to his side when he heard the light screeching sound of a bike stopping next to him. He recognised the driver, the 2018 rookie Charles Leclerc who is starting his formula 1 career in a couple of weekends. The Austrian wondered why he was standing in front of the garage of the team he was not driving for.
"Ale!" Charles shouted, confusing Toto even more. "Giulio, where's Ale?"
"Deep in the car," one of the engineers chuckled, pointing at the figure who was half deep in the cockpit.
"You're here for Ale too?" Toto was straight up feeling like an idiot with all the confusion he felt when Max appeared on the other side of Charles.
"Of course mate," the Monegasque chuckled, "first day on track, gotta show my support!"
"Me too," Max nodded before the two drivers glanced back at the garage.
"Who's Ale?" Toto asked, no longer able to hide his curiosity that crept through the confusion. He knew almost every person who worked at every team, especially rival teams like Ferrari, in case he would want to snatch one of them for his own team, so he learnt to be on their good side. And the only Ale Toto knew was Sebastian's engineer, but he was certain that he wasn't friends with Charles and Max.
"A good friend of ours," Max said, looking at the team principal of his rival team, "first day as a track engineer too. I think you'll be impressed."
"Oh yeah?" Toto asked, raising an eyebrow at the Dutch, "why's that?"
"You'll probably see soon enough," Charles chuckled, grabbing on the barrier to lean a bit forward, "Come on Ale we just want to say hi!"
The three watched the figure that was in the cockpit slowly slide out, jumping out of the car, revealing the upper part of their body. Toto saw the long ponytail cascade her back, swaying as she turned around, and his eyes widened slightly when he got a good look of her, slightly not expecting the Ale person to me a girl, and especially not expecting someone looking as young as she did.
"Don't you two have your own jobs to do?" She asked as she walked towards them, quirking an eyebrow, "like I was doing mine?"
"We get in the cars tomorrow Ale," Max scoffed, but then grinned widely as he pulled her in a hug, "I am so excited that we're going to be in the same place for the majority of the year!"
"Ah yes, I've got you annoy my ass more now," she chuckled, turning to Charles, "how's my rookie doing?"
"I'm doing good," he replied as they hugged, then remembered that Toto was still there, so when he pulled away, he looked at the team principal, "Toto, I don't think you've met Ferrari's new engineer?"
Alessandra looked up at the tall man in front of her, not needing an introduction because anyone who worked in the formula 1 industry knew of the man. He's created a legacy ever since he became part of it himself, about to become the best team principal the sport has ever seen.
"No, I have not," Toto said, extending his hand between them, "I'm Toto Wolff, heard them say it's your first day?"
"It is, been working on road cars before I transferred to Formula 1," she said as she grabbed his hand, which was way larger than hers, "and I'm Alessandra Ferrari."
"Same last name of the team you're working for," Toto chuckled, letting her hand go, "quite a destiny move."
"Not really destiny when you're literally born and raised in Ferrari," Charles quickly said, which earned him a hard slap on his arm from the engineer, who looked at him with a deadly care.
"You're Piero's daughter Alessandra?" Toto asked, his voice sounding shocked which got Alessandra groaning slightly, but the Austrian heard it, and he could tell that she was annoyed, "I didn't know his daughter was working in F1."
"Yeah well," she shrugged, "I don't really want my dad shouting it to the world."
Toto suddenly felt flustered, especially at how she showed confidence at him with her challenging bright blue eyes. He was used to having people who he just met, especially someone who did not have some sort of place in the upper part of a hierarchy. But she was a Ferrari, the grand daughter of Enzo Ferrari, only heard of her through whispers of the paddock rumouring about her whenever Piero visited a race. He had heard that she was draining the family's bank account, he had heard that she was shallow, he had heard that all she did was party.
But apparently all those whispers were lies, because she was standing in front of him, dressed in Ferrari team wear, and was head deep in the cockpit a moment ago. And she wasn't shallow, because he saw how she smiled widely when she saw her two friends in front of her garage, and how annoyed she seemed when Charles mentioned when she came from.
"What made you change from road cars to F1 cars?" Toto asked, "and what is your specialty?"
"Aerodynamics mainly, but even fixing anything there needs to be fixed or arranged, which is why I was right in Sebastian's cockpit," she chuckled, "and I love speed, I love the adrenaline from the competition, and when there was an opening to join the team, I applied."
"I'm not saying this because she's my best friend," Charles joined in, "but she's genuinely one of the smarted and most talented person I know. She was gifted to work on cars, and being so good at what she does, barely fresh out of university, it's insane."
"Out of university?" Toto asked, quirking an eyebrow, "how old are you then?"
"I turn 22 in a few months," she said, giving him a shy grin as she got slightly embarrassed to share how young she was.
Toto was surprised even more knowing how young she is, especially with Charles saying how good she is at her job. He couldn't lie, he was intrigued, she gave off a certain energy which slowly captivated him, and had a feeling that she was good at her job, and would need to keep a good eye on her.
"I think it's time to do some interviews," Toto said, nodding at the drivers before turning to the girl, "it was nice meeting you, Alessandra. I'll see you around."
"You too," she nodded, giving him a gentle smile, "and good luck this season."
The Austrian nodded, returning the smile before making his way back to the garage, leaving her to chat with her drivers some more, joking with her about Toto looked slightly intimidated by her, which earned them a playful slap on the head.
ººº
The next day, the group were packed and ready to start their journey to Venice. They threw their bags in the back of Alessandra's red Ferrari Purosangue, Charles calling shotgun before the others could, laughing as she watched the other three drivers complain as they got at the back, whilst Charles slid in the passenger seat, grinning in satisfaction. Alessandra threw her phone at the Monegasque as she buckled in, bringing her car to life as she drove out of her drive way and headed on the autostrada.
Two hours filled with endless laughter, off key karaoke and a pitstop to pee and get a quick bite, the group arrived at the gorgeous city of Venice. Since no cars are allowed in the city, a friend of Alessandra was waiting for her by the water taxi docs, and when they got out of the car with their bags, she gave her friend the key to her Purosangue, promising to see each other in a couple of days to get her car back.
The guys got onto the water taxi, Alessandra telling them about the historic buildings and canals they passed by before arriving to the heart of the city. They got off the water taxi, bags in hand as they walked through Piazza San Marco.
"Oh wow," Carlos said as his eyes roamed around, admiring the art on the facade of the cathedral, and the architecture surrounding the square, "this is beautiful!"
"Venice is truly beautiful," she said, grinning up at her friends, "now come on, let's head to the hotel so we can unpack, meet the girls and I'll show you guys around!" The boys nodded at her idea, quickly roaming through the narrow streets, arriving at the hotel which overlooked the grand canal.
Max and Carlos were reunited with their girlfriends whilst Pierre and Kika, who arrived in the morning after driving from Milan, greeted them at the hotel before everyone checked in and went in their separate rooms to unpack. Alessandra decided to jump in the shower, washing off the two hour ride and water taxi journey they had. She dressed in a baby blue midi dress with small pink roses all over it, wide straps tied in a bow on each of her shoulders, a sweetheart neckline on the front, a slit up her left thigh. She slid on a pair of white and baby blue nike dunks, putting her curls in a half ponytail, a matching blue ribbon at the top. She exchanged her black sunglasses for a pair of white ones, finishing off her look with a white mini Hermes Kelly, putting on some light lip gloss.
Everyone met back in the lobby of the hotel, asking Alessandra on where they should do today.
"Since the ball is tomorrow," she started as they walked into the narrow street filled with small shops, "I was thinking of showing you guys around, maybe visit the other islands?"
"That sounds nice," Kelly beamed as she linked her arms with Alessandra, "is one of the islands the one known for their artisan glass?"
"Yes!" The Italian exclaimed, "and there's all these houses in different colours, it's truly beautiful!"
"Then lead the way tour guide Ale!" Charles beamed, playfully bumping hips with hers.
And that's what they did. Alessandra showed them around the square, taking a tour inside the cathedral and up the tower, which had the perfect view of the city. They then took a water taxi to Murano, one of the islands around Venice, and everyone was going crazy over the bright painted houses and the beautiful designs on the glass, going all out with buying various souvenirs. They then had lunch at the other island, Burano, and headed back to the main part of Venice.
"What's on that island?" Max asked whilst they were on the water taxi, pointing at the small island all covered in large trees.
"That's the cemetery," Alessandra replied, earning wide eyes from everyone, "it's actually really beautiful and peaceful."
"Have you been there?" Pierre asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Only once," she shrugged, "was curious to see it." She let out a chuckle when the group looked at her with wide eyes, like she was a lunatic. "Oh calm down, why are you looking at me like I went there to dig graves?"
"Because I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that they were curious to see a cemetery," Mick said, creasing his eyebrows in confusion.
"I did not know it was a cemetery until I got on it," she said, raising her hands in defence, "I was just curious about a tiny island covered in trees."
When they got back on the square, after the man driving the water taxi was kind enough to take a longer route to show them historic buildings that are accessible by boat, the girls, and Charles, decided to do some shopping, whilst the others went to find a good coffee place, getting a cultural shock at how coffee shops charge in Venice.
"Have you got everything ready for the ball tomorrow?" Isa asked Alessandra whilst they were in Chanel, "I was hoping to see if I can find a mask that would match my dress. I got a simple black one with me just in case but I know how notorious Venice is for having the most beautiful masks!"
"Me too," Kelly jumped in as she tried on different sunglasses, "need to get one for Max too."
"I'll take you to my favourite store which have the most beautiful masks," Alessandra said as she looked through the tennis accessories they had on display, "they've custom made my mask for the ball, which is going to be delivered to me tomorrow!"
"Oh that's amazing!" The girls squealed, "your dress is black, right?"
"Yes," Alessandra nodded, "with a few designs in red and gold, which are going to be incorporated on the mask too!"
"And how's the neckline?" Kika asked, turning to her with a new pair of glasses on, which the other three nodded in approval of.
"A bit of a deep sweetheart neckline," she explained, "I went a bit all out on the dress, but I've always wanted to go to a ball like this!"
"I'm glad you did go all out," Charles said as he stood behind her, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze, "the goddess of the paddock is about to become the goddess of Venice!" Alessandra rolled her eyes as she looked up at the Monegasque, giving him a gentle smile.
"Grazie, amo," she said, giving one of the hands that was on her shoulder a squeeze, "also, you need to get that shirt, it looked really good on you!"
"I will," he chuckled, "should I get the matching shorts?"
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," she laughed, turning to face him, "now the question is, do I become THAT person and buy a Chanel racquet and tennis balls?"
"Why the hell not," Kelly said, "you play, you're extremely good at it. Play a bougie game!" Alessandra shook her head, temptation winning over as she told one of the store employees that she was getting the racquet and tennis balls, and the four of them went to pay for their stuff.
After going to a few other shops, Alessandra took them to the shop she told them about back in Chanel, their eyes widened in mesmerisation as they glanced at all the different styles of masks on the wall, all covered in the most beautiful designs. The lights were dim, which gave the store a more eery, gothic effect, but it still felt warm and welcoming.
The store owner came to the cash point, eyes widening when he saw two familiar faces walking through his store. "Alessandra?" He called out, getting the Italian's attention away from the masks, "I didn't know you were giving me a visit! The mask isn't ready yet!"
"I know, Luciano," she giggled as she walked towards the older man, "I brought my friends cause they wanted to buy masks for the ball tomorrow!"
"I'm honoured that you brought them here," he said before turning to Charles, "and it's a huge pleasure to have you in my store, Mr. Leclerc. I am a big fan!"
"Thank you, Luciano," the Monegasque chuckled as he shook the store owner's hand, "and please, call me Charles! Everything looks beyond amazing!"
"Thank you, Charles," Luciano replied.
"This is Isa, Carlos Sainz's girlfriend, Kelly, Max Verstappen's girlfriend, and Kika, Pierre Gasly's girlfriend" Alessandra introduced, "would you be able to help my three friends out?"
"Of course!" Luciano exclaimed, walking towards them, "do you guys have ideas on what would you like?"
Almost an hour later of the ladies and Charles looking around the store whilst telling Luciano what they liked, showing him designs of their dresses and Charles's suits, and the girls also choosing for their boyfriends, the four met with Mick, Max, Pierre and Carlos at the coffee shop they left them at. They added another table, ordering a coffee and a pastry as Isa, Kelly and Kika showed their boyfriends the masks they got them.
"I know you brought your own mask," Alessandra said as she turned to Mick, handing him a box, "but I saw this and thought it would suit you!" Mick opened the box, smiling widely as he held the black mask with gold victorian patterns on it, matching the suit he was wearing.
"This is amazing," Mick beamed as he looked up at his best friend, "thanks Ale!"
"No problem," she smiled, turning to the others, "how about we go back to the hotel and rest, the bars here become really fun at night, maybe we can visit one of those!"
"I'm down!" Max quickly exclaimed, with the rest nodding in agreement. They finished their coffees and pastries and left after paying.
"I'm surprised we haven't bumped into anyone we know," Charles said, "I mean Venice is relatively small, are we the only ones attending and we don't know?"
"Could be that they may be arriving tomorrow," Pierre shrugged, "we decided to come today to enjoy the city."
"Maybe Toto really isn't coming," Carlos said, which made Alessandra shoot her head at the Spaniard at the mention of her rival team principal, giving him a strong glare, "I mean the man is tall, we'd probably spot him from meters away!"
"Oh god don't even mention the man, you're gonna jinx us bumping into him," Alessandra groaned, "leave that for tomorrow yeah?"
"if Carlos has a jinx, it's already working" Mick said as they were about to cross the bridge over a small canal, "Cause isn't that Toto?"
Alessandra's head snapped to the direction the German was looking at, eyes widening slightly when she easily spotted the Austrian, slightly crouched down as he looked outside the window of a store with various souvenirs. He's dressed in a light blue linen button up, sleeves rolled up neatly under his elbows which exposed the popping veins over his forearms, khaki tailored pants and dark blue loafers. He had his usual black sunglasses over his eyes, his lip sucked between his teeth as he carefully looked at the small ornaments, his jaw clenched in concentration.
Alessandra hated how good he looked, and how it was fucking with her mind.
"You guys are matching," Pierre chuckled next to her, arm wrapped around Kika's shoulder as she leaned on him, "you could be that couple that co-ordinates outfits or some shit."
"Oh fuck off," Alessandra laughed, putting her hands over the small, old brick banister, her eyes still on him, "he doesn't pull blue off like I do."
"That's true," Charles agreed, standing on her other side, leaning his head to whisper, "are you okay? or are you not in the mood to deal with rival team principals?"
"Of course I am," she quickly replied, and she was. That was until he stood up straight and turned slightly, with Alessandra's eyes landing on the opened buttons of his shirt at his chest, his tanned skin contrasting slightly with the colour of the shirt. She watched him walk further down the street, his stride radiating power and dominance, without even trying, and for some reason, Alessandra felt her abdomen fire up, warmth between her legs.
Oh she needed to get back to her room, now.
Toto was stopping in front of stores that caught his eye, seeing if he could get any souvenirs for himself for for his children whilst he was in Venice. The street he was walking through was quite busy, which was expected for Venice at this time of the year. He stopped at another store, seeing if there was anything to his liking, but was slightly conflicted, so he decided to visit it tomorrow. He continued walking, looking up to see if there was anything else that caught his interest.
And there was.
And she was standing on the bridge, hands on the wall as she laughed with her friends. Dressed in a beautiful baby blue dress, which he chuckled at when he realised they were colour co-ordinated, hugging her waist perfectly, the sweetheart neckline almost made him drool at the sight, white frames covering her eyes from the sun. She turned her head slightly, probably to say something to Charles, but stopped when their gazes locked. Even under sunglasses, they felt their eyes capturing each other. And seeing her all dolled up, with the little bow in her hair making her look innocent, but her chest threatening to come out of her neckline saying otherwise, was doing something to him.
They stood like that for a moment, feeling like it was just two of them in one of the most romantic cities in the world. His heart skipped a beat when she slightly lowered her head, pushing her glasses on the bridge of her nose, revealing her bright blue eyes. She sent him a wink, then pushed the glasses over her eyes again before turning around, getting a view of her back, spotting the tattoo on her shoulder and a quote down her spine which he couldn't make what it said, linking her arm with Charles's as they walked down the bridge, disappearing from his view.
Alessandra had spent the next few hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling which was painted by a baroque artist, trying to distract herself from rollercoaster that was her thoughts. Seeing Toto in one of her favourite cities in the world, dressed all domestic and away from work, has messed her brain up. She hated how he accumulated her mind, in ways that she knew were wrong.
They were rivals, she was in her first season as a team principal, and she knew very well how messy it could be if they somehow got involved. Even what happened in her apartment the night of the Monte Carlo Masters, that was messy, they were too close, he shouldn't even have come. They were rivals and competitors at the end of the day. She couldn't even imagine the headlines and the shit thrown at her by journalists if they became involved and were caught. She could kiss her career within F1 goodbye, and she loved the sport more than anything in the world. She would risk nothing for the sport.
And yet, her body screamed for her to get close to him, to feel his skin with hers. Her body was craving something she never had before. And all she could do was satisfy herself when that craving came.
She was losing her mind. She sat up straight in her bed, running an aggressive hand through her hair. She needed to drink until she blacked out, so she could let her mind rest for a while, forget about him and his handsome face and devilishly looking physique. She grabbed her phone, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was 8pm, knowing that they were meeting down at the lobby in 30 minutes. Jumping out of bed, she walked to her closet, grabbing a white cropped strapless corset top, her wide leg jeans which were ripped around the knees and threw them on the bed before taking a quick shower.
After getting dressed and put on a bit of mascara and lip gloss, she got a text from the groupchat that everyone was about to head out of their rooms. She slipped on a pair of black and white dunks, grabbed the same bag she had earlier and headed out. She smiled when she met with the group in the lobby, although Charles, Mick and Max saw that it didn't meet her eyes like it usually did. They decided not to ask her what's wrong, at least for now.
"Daniel messaged me," Max started as they walked through the narrow streets once again, "he's arriving tomorrow, he's coming to the ball with Heidi!"
"Ah, I'm so glad he's coming!" Alessandra beamed, already feeling better that another person from her wider friend circle is attending the ball, having someone else she can distract her from Toto, "the ball's become ten times better already!"
"Jesus send it by post next time," Mick muttered, pretending to be offended, causing everyone around him to chuckle. Alessandra wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him with beaming eyes as a form of an apology. He rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in his side as they walked.
Alessandra took them to one of her favourite bars, explaining to her friends how they served the best Aperol Spritz and later in the evening it would become like a small club. She had come before with friends, and she always had the best time when the place piled up and everyone was dancing to whatever the dj put on. When they entered, only a couple of people were there, so they sat down on the stools by the windows, ordering a few snacks for them to munch on along with the first round of Aperol Spritz, not wanting to get absolutely hammered on an empty stomach.
A few hours has passed, along with more rounds of the Spritz, and like Alessandra had told them, the place had filled up, people were mingling and dancing over their drinks and the dj was playing some good tunes. Alessandra laughed when Max almost fell off the stool as he got off it, taking Kelly's hand and dragged her in the middle of the crowd.
An hour later the group had swapped the Spritz for tequila shots and various cocktails, and one could say they have become a drunken mess, but they didn't care. They were letting loose and enjoying their summer break, they deserved it after a long first half of the season with endless battles between the current championship leader and runner up.
When Ai Se Ti Puego blasted through the speakers, Alessandra let out a squeal, grabbing her friends and pulled them to where Max and Kelly were dancing, the group watching her as she and many others in the bar did a dance choreography everyone seemed to know. They mimicked her moves, shouting the wrong lyrics to the song but they were having a blast as they let themselves be carefree, wide grins on their faces as the alcohol rushed through their veins.
After dancing to the song for almost ten minutes as the dj played it repeatedly after many requested it, Alessandra excused herself as she needed a bit of air, stumbling her drunken state through the hot and sweaty crowd and outside of the bar. She let out a sigh as the cool air hit her skin, goosebumps rising over her arms as she walked around the bar, leaning against the wall near a store that was closed, placing a cigarette between her lips and hit it, letting out a hum as she enjoyed the sharpness of the inhaled smoke hitting the back of her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment as she enjoyed the feeling of the cool breeze against her hot body, humming The Point of No Return, a song that for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about.
Toto decided to go for a midnight stroll through the city, wanting to explore it under the moonlight, with less people around. He hasn't been in Venice in a few years, but he remembered enjoying walking through it late at night. Something about the Italian city in late hours made it look a bit haunting, but not in a way that would scare the Austrian, on the contrary, he found it even more beautiful.
His hands were tucked in the pockets of the same Khaki pants he had on earlier in the day, only exchanging his thin linen shirt for a slightly thicker dark blue button up and a sweater with the arms tied loosely around his neck. His eyes were wondering around the streets he walked through, but his mind was elsewhere, on her.
He couldn't help as he wondered where she could be at that moment. Was she out with the drivers somewhere in the city? Was she alone in her room, about to fall asleep? The Austrian chuckled at the last question, knowing very well that the probability of Alessandra being out in the city to drink with her friends was quite high. Especially when he walked past a few bars which were filled with people dancing. He hated to admit it, but he did look through the windows, hoping that he'd spot her in one of them.
As he walked through another empty narrow road, he could hear a faint hum of a beautiful melody, which perked his interest as he thought it sounded so familiar. He looked ahead, spotting a figure leaning against the wall, a dim street light forming their silhouette. He walked closer, the humming got louder, his heart started racing when he was able to see who it was clearly, and recognised the song.
He stood a couple of meters away, wanting to get a good look at her before he got caught by her or he decided to speak to her. His bottom lip sucked between his teeth as his eyes roamed around her chest, which had quite a bit of cleavage showing, her toned abdomen exposed between the white corset top and the jeans. He looked at her face, a smile tugging on his lips as he saw how serene she looked, her eyes closed, her plump lips slightly parted, the humming stopping for a moment when he watched her put the cigarette between her lips, her cheeks hallowing as she inhaled, then watched the smoke exhale, ghosting her face before it disappeared in thin air, continuing to hum again. His body was getting hot just seeing her like that, his lower abdomen on fire, his fingers electrified, wanting to graze her skin so his could bolt up.
"Are you trying to live your modern day phantom of the opera fantasy?" Alessandra's humming stopped abruptly at the low, thick, Austrian-German accent, frozen in her spot, not sure if she should open her eyes, wishing that she was in some sort of dream or hallucination and that he was actually not in front of her. "You can look at me, I'm not like the phantom or anything."
"God, I wish you were the phantom," she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, the figure she desperately did not want to see was standing right in front of her, a smirk on his face, "at least I'd be singing with him or something."
"You liked the phantom?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her, "I thought he was the bad guy in the musical."
"Depends on the perspective you see it from," she shrugged, flicking the ashes of the cigarette before taking another drag, "I have quite a different perspective from you."
"Well then," he said, taking a step closer, "why don't you explain to me your perspective as to why you think the phantom was not the bad guy?"
"We are not doing this while I am wasted," she said as she threw the finished cigarette on the floor, turning her head away from him for a moment, shaking her head before looking at him, "what the hell are you even doing here? It's like one in the morning?"
"I always enjoyed a late stroll through the city whenever I visited Venice," he shrugged, "it's more peaceful, and in my opinion, more beautiful at this time of night."
Alessandra looked up at her rival team principal, finding his dark eyes looking straight down at her. Her breathe hitched in her throat as he took another step closer, the gap between them reduced with every step he took. She was too captivated by his gaze to move away from him. Her body was reacting the same way it did earlier in the day.
"I didn't think you were going to attend the ball," she managed to croak out, "you're not a man who strikes me to attend masquerade balls."
"Clearly, you don't know me that well, Alessandra," Toto chuckled when she raised a questioning eyebrow at him, "alright fine. I wouldn't usually attend, but I don't mind getting dressed up once in a while." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breathe as he took one more step towards her, "plus, attending a masquerade ball in Venice, a city so famous for its masquerade balls, I couldn't pass that up. Especially when I know that there could be someone dressed in such a beautiful dress, hidden under a mask."
The conversation had sobered Alessandra up, even though she still felt drunk, and her mind was going into overdrive once more, along with the sensations she was feeling throughout her body, standing so close to Toto. She didn't know what do say, her mind was creating scenarios of what could happen tomorrow, her in the gorgeous dress which was a work of art, and him in a tux and a mask, knowing how devilishly handsome he'd look.
She averted her gaze from his face, wanting to find some sort of distraction, letting out a loud laugh when her eyes fell on the cardigan around his shoulders. "Why do you even have a cardigan on you? It's boiling hot right now."
"It's actually quite chilly," he chuckled, "I'd say I'm surprised you're not feeling cold, but you've probably been dancing and drinking so you're all hot and bothered now."
"Bothered? No," she said, rolling her eyes, "hot? Yes, for more reasons than one." Her big, drunk, mouth caused Toto's eyes to widen, his imagination running wild. She saw the look on his face after what she said, a satisfied smirk on her face even though inside, she was battling with herself at the lack of control she has over her words from all the alcohol in her system.
"And what are the reasons?" He asked, trying to sound confident in front of her, even though his heart was beating out of his chest, fearing that she could hear it.
"Wouldn't you like to know," she hummed, taking a step closer, now barely a hair between them. "I'll see you tomorrow Toto, that is, if I recognise you." She tapped her finger on his bare chest, giving him a sloppy grin before she turned around and walked away, watching her hips hugged perfectly by the jeans sway as she entered back in the bar.
He glanced at the window, watched as she joined her friends, Max pushing a drink in her hand which she downed in seconds, Charles wrapping an arm around her bare shoulders as they all danced together. He shook his head, turning around and headed back to the hotel, the front of his pants tightening as he couldn't stop imagining Alessandra being hot for other reasons.