The couple of days that passed were a whole new experience for Alessandra, and it was an experience she would shamelessly admit that she wanted to relive over and over again. She had never spent more than a night with the same guy, hell she never spent consecutive nights with the same guy, and never even brought men who weren't her circle in her house. But here she was, waking up to the same handsome Austrian in her bed, a sight that she'd photograph and keep it in a crystal ball if she could, along with how good it felt to wake up in his arms.
After their eventful night under the stars - and on her F40 - the two team principals headed back to her house, and poured themselves a glass of wine as they stayed in her balcony as he asked her about elements of her childhood she never disclosed, and he shared his own stories from his, some of which Alessandra found very amusing, and teased him about how good looking he was when he was a teenager and what happened now, which he retorted back with "I'm sure you don't mean it, you wouldn't have let me fuck you over our beloved F40 if you did."
It was the second consecutive morning of Alessandra and Toto sleeping in the same bed, but this time, when Toto woke up, he found her laying on her side of the bed, her long her sprawled over her face, plump lips parted slightly as she breathed softly. He let out a silent sigh of relief that he found her next to him that morning, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her right into his chest. A smile started forming on his face when he heard her muffled giggles echo through the room, feeling her shuffle under his arm as she turned around, her face still hidden under her hair as she wrapped her leg around his torso.
Toto ran his hand through her long curls, gently pushing them away from her face and revealing her features, his heart fluttering in his chest as he exposed her big blue eyes, finding them looking up at him. Her lips curled up in a soft smile whilst she allowed her finger to gently roam over his bare chest, feeling goosebumps forming on his skin where her finger trailed.
"Good morning," a chill ran down Alessandra's spine at the sound of Toto's hoarse morning voice, "slept well?"
"Like a baby," she answered as she snuggled closer, enjoying the sense of closeness he brought in a little too much, but she couldn't care less as the arm around her tightened, his hand travelling under her oversized t-shirt and let his fingers draw patterns on her skin, "although my back feels a little sore."
Toto quickly grew concerned as he remembered the events of the night before, knowing how rough he was on Alessandra as she laid on the hard, metal surface of her classic car. He suddenly felt guilty as he thought that maybe he got carried away, even though she asked him to go harder on her and he granted her request, but at that spur of the moment he didn't consider how uncomfortable she was.
Alessandra saw how the smile on his face was wiped away, his eyes widened in concern at her physical update, and she couldn't help chuckling as she rose her hand towards his face, her thumb caressing his cheek in comfort. She pushed her body up slightly, letting her lips capture his in a kiss, the softness of it making Toto feel like he was about to turn into a puddle as he savoured how good her lips felt first thing in the morning.
"Don't go getting concerned that my back hurts, it's a good thing," she said when she pulled away slightly, the smirk on her lips visible, and Toto knew that she was replaying the events of the night before in her mind, especially when she tightened her leg around his waist, "it's the kind of pain that makes you want to push through it and do it all over again."
The concern from Toto's face vanished when he saw the mischievous look in her eyes, and he couldn't help himself as he smashed his lips on her, closing any gap between them as he held her tight against him. Alessandra quickly managed his energy, her arms wrapping around his neck, her fingers tangling in his thick, messy hair as their lips quickly settled in a heated rhythm.
They pulled away, their faces barely a centimetre apart as they caught their breathes, gaze locked as they felt their bodies, especially their lips, electrified. Warmth rushed through their veins like a tsunami, wanting to stay in that exact position for the rest of their lives, and the both started wondering what life would look like if they woke up in each other's arms and shared those kisses every morning, and they were slowly becoming willing to head that direction, but they decided to keep their thoughts to themselves.
"Come on," Alessandra said as she placed her hands on his chest, "let's have some breakfast." Toto nodded, and the two pushed the duvet off their bodies, untangling from each other before turning the opposite side and got out of bed.
Toto grabbed his reading glasses from the bedside table, sliding them on as he turned his head, and he stood right where he was, a smile tugging on his lips as he watched Alessandra, who had her back towards him, raise her arms above her head to stretch her body, the oversized shirt that belonged to him rising along, exposing the baby blue lace thongs for a moment before her arms and the shirt fell back down and walked towards the doors that lead to her balcony. He got a glimpse of the side of her face as she ran a hand through her hair, and caught the smile on her lips as she gazed at the view.
He made his way over to her, standing right behind her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest and laid his chin on her head as he also looked at the view. He could understand her smile, Maranello was absolutely beautiful from where he was standing, and he could only imagine what it was like enjoying every time he woke up in the very room his was standing in.
Alessandra leaned her head on his chest, her hands grabbing onto his forearms as she enjoyed the combination of the warmth from the sun beaming through the doors, and from the warmth of Toto's naked upper body that engulfed her so gentle and wonderful. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a content sigh as she took the warmth in, realising how much she needed and deserved such a warm feeling to wake up to. And she couldn't imagine sharing the moment with anyone that wasn't Toto.
After a long and blissful moment, the two made their way to Alessandra's connected bathroom, and just that move alone made Alessandra's heart skip a beat because it felt so natural to do so, and flutters erupted in her stomach when she saw Toto's toothbrush and hair brush on the marble sink, like they belonged there. She didn't say anything, biting the insides of her cheeks to fight the smile that wanted to make its way on her face as they grabbed their respective toothbrushes.
As Toto brushed his teeth, he couldn't help himself as he looked at Alessandra through the mirror in awe as he watched her do something so simple and domestic, but still looked beautiful. He then looked at her in fascination as she moisturised her face with a few creams, then gently brushed her long curly hair, and he thought at that moment that she looked like a princess from a fairytale. A fairytale he could relive time and time again.
When they were both done, they shared a glance through the mirror, exchanging small smiles before they made their way out of her bedroom and downstairs. They pranced through the kitchen, and as Alessandra opened the fridge to see what she could make for both of them, she let out a loud squeal in surprise when she was thrown on Toto's shoulder, becoming a state of surprise and shock as he walked through her house on his shoulder like she weighed nothing.
"What are you doing?" Alessandra exclaimed, trying to not enjoy the view of Toto's bum as she became confused of his current motives, "I was gonna make us breakfast!"
"No, you're not," Toto replied nonchalantly, earning him another squeal when he playfully threw her on the creme plush sofa in the middle of her living room, quirking a smug eyebrow as her chest rose and fell whilst she looked at him like he was insane, "you're going to keep your pretty ass sat on the sofa, see if you want to watch watch anything, whilst I make us breakfast."
"You do know I'm very capable of making us breakfast right?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest whilst sending him a raised eyebrow, "in my house?"
"I know that very well, because yours might have just become my favourite breakfast," he mused as he leaned down, putting a hand by her sides as he hovered down over her, "but I want to cook breakfast for you, and I'm not taking no for an answer."
Before Alessandra could open her mouth once more, her lips were captured in a kiss and in a flash, the Austrian disappeared from her sight and the sound of pans being taken out and doors opening were heard. She chuckled, shaking her head as she grabbed the remote and switched on the television, trying to see if there was anything good, but nothing peaked her interest, and the hand that was holding the remote took control, and an endless list of past races came into view.
In minutes, she could smell the food being cooked, enjoying the aroma entering in the living room, which made her stomach let out a loud growl. She tried to avert her attention back on the list of races on her screen, going through the ones in the 90s and used her memory of what ever race on the list entailed as a distraction from the hunger coming over her. She almost let out a loud sigh of relief when she watched Toto walk in the living room, and she let her eyes devour the sight, him shirtless holding two plates in one hand, and two cups of coffee in the other, and she knew right then and there that it was a sight that she could get used to, and a sight that was making her mouth water in hunger, and not just for the food.
"Thank you," Alessandra hummed when he handed her a plate before placing the mugs on the coffee table, then proceeded to take a seat next to her. She put the plate on her lap, admiring the selection of meats and eggs, along with some mushrooms, cooked on her plate, "this looks lovely!"
"Nothing compared to what you make," he chuckled, giving her a smile before glancing at the television, "planning on watching a race?"
"Maybe one of the classics if you're up for it," she shrugged, taking a bite of the bacon, "got any requests?"
"There's only one acceptable answer for this," he replied, giving her a knowing smirk, which she quirked her eyebrow to in amusement, "Michael's first win in red."
Toto watched Alessandra's eyes glisten as they widened at the mention of her favourite race. She nodded her head a little frantically, a wide smile on her face as she took another bite of the breakfast before grabbing the remote and selected the race, the sound of the 90s Formula 1 intro music blasting through the living room. She turned her head back to him, the exciting look on her face changed into a smug smile, which got Toto curious to know what she's about to say, or do.
"You know I'm not going to shut up during this, right?" She asked, waving the remote ever so slightly, "are you sure this is the race you want to watch with me?"
"I chose the race for a reason," he answered, the smile on his face matching hers, "I'd expect nothing less from Miss Alessandra Ferrari as she explains every detail of the race like she was in a debrief."
Alessandra chuckled, shaking her head slightly as the sound of Murray talking was heard in the background. "Don't say I didn't warn ya."
As much as the two team principals sat on the sofa shared various similarities, in both their personal and professional lives, one thing that differs between them was that whenever Toto was not working, he would try to steer away from anything related to racing as much as he could. Because as much as he loved his team, loved what he did, and motorsport itself, he needed that time to live in a world where the sport didn't accumulate his life.
But as he watched the race on the large television screen in front of them, and focused on how Alessandra kept her eyes glued on the screen as she spoke, expressing her emotions at whatever was happening, and turning to look at him to explain something to him, he couldn't help himself but enjoy the moment he was in. He couldn't get enough of watching Alessandra's enthusiasm and passion pour out of her over a race she watched a million times, her expertise shining through, the wide smiles and smug comments when Michael took the lead and her least favourite driver DNFed.
Alessandra was the total opposite of Toto, in the aspect that even during the time she had for herself, away from work, she would still surround herself with anything that had to do with races. Her comfort activity was watching past races, especially the one on the screen, wanting to relive the emotions that overcome her and are only caused by races. She kept on showing Toto how much she lived for her sport, how comforting it was for her, it was her safe space.
And even though Toto would want to avoid all that during times like these during the year, he would spend every morning watching races with Alessandra and just listen to her and discuss with her. He wanted the moment he was currently in to be a reality he would live every day of his life.
When the race finished and the German anthem started to play after the drivers had gone on the podium, Toto turned his head towards Alessandra, and his eyes widened slightly when he caught the tears sliding down her cheeks as she looked at the screen, a small smile on her face as she let out a soft sigh.
"Hey," Toto softly said as he wrapped his arm around her waist, "why are you crying?"
"Don't mind me," she replied, shaking her head as she quickly wiped her cheeks, "I always tend to get emotional over this podium."
"Even after watching this race so many times?" Toto asked in a playful tone, which earned him a playful eye roll from the Italian, but she let out a laugh when Toto pulled her in his side, "why does it make you emotional?"
"I can't really explain it," she chuckled, wiping her cheeks as she glanced up at him, "there's something about uncle Michael being on the top step of the podium, dressed in red, with the German and Italian anthems playing that just strikes something in me. It's something that makes me so happy and emotional, and I just become the happiest mess."
Toto didn't respond verbally, but he gave her a gentle smile as he cupped her face with his free hand, letting his thumb slide under her eye to wipe away the tears whilst he let himself get lost in the blueness of her eyes. His heart felt so warm as he listened to her explain, and even though he knew how much Michael meant to her, seeing her be so openly vulnerable around him in a positive way, showing her love and appreciation to the German legend in ways she wouldn't do in front of the media, meant so much to him.
"I warned you, didn't I?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow, which made him laugh loudly, nodding his head, "keep that in mind if you want to watch a race with me again!"
"I will," he replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he leaned his head towards her, "but that just means I'm going to watch past races with you again." A loud squeal left Alessandra's in surprise when his lips fell on hers, but she was quick to respond as she wrapped her arm around his neck to pull him closer.
Toto's hands were roaming over her back under her shirt as the kiss deepened, grabbing her waist and pulled her on his lap. They pulled away for a short moment, their eyes locked as Alessandra ran a hand through her long hair, pushing them out of her face as she watched his eyes darken as the touch of his hands on her skin sent shockwaves through her. She slammed her lips on his again, her hips moving ever so slightly against his, earning her a groan in pleasure from the Austrian, the movements making his mind slightly foggy as he dug his fingers in her hips in her flesh.
In a split second, with the next race automatically playing in the background but they were to distracted with each other to notice or care, Alessandra's t-shirt was discarded to the other side of the living room along with Toto's shorts. The Italian was laying on the sofa, with the Mercedes team principal hovering over her, kissing and biting his way down to her core as Alessandra grabbed onto the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down quickly and aggressively, giving a clear indication to Toto that she was desperate for him, just as much as he was for her.
"Do you want me to grab a condom from upstairs?" Toto asked, looking up at her with a slight concern look as his finger twirled the very thin waistband of her thong.
"I'm on the pill," she breathed out, her body feeling on fire as the need for him to be in her grew, "but I want to see your pull-out game, and I'll finish you off."
The mischievous glint in her eyes made his hardened cock twitch as he watched the determination take over her, her hips griding upwards against his naked member, a contact so short lasting but still made him groan out loud as he felt the heat rush through every fibre of his body. Their lips roughly caught each other's as Toto tore the thongs off her, feeling how wet she was for him when he positioned the tip of his cock in her entrance. A loud gasp left Alessandra's lips, and into Toto's mouth when he fully entered into her, Alessandra's fingers quickly reacting to the overpowering sensation taking over her body by digging into the toned muscles' of Toto's wide shoulders.
A rhythm was quickly established as their hips roughly slammed against each other, the air in the living room becoming hotter with every moment that passed, the sounds of their voices loudly expressing their pleasure for each other bouncing against the walls. They could feel the the orgasm build into them, Toto feeling her velvet walls tighten right against his cock, and he wanted to make sure that she finished before him, feel her cum all over his cock before he had to pull out of her. So he placed his finger right over her clit and circled over it,
Alessandra's back arched when she felt his finger over her sensitive nub, taking her by surprise as she let out a gasp, followed by a loud moan as the pleasure increased, and started rising through her body.
"I-I'm so close," she stuttered as she threw her head back, her nails digging deeper into his back when she felt his lips latch onto her neck, sucking onto her skin and devouring her. She could barely keep up with everything she was feeling, the way he was making her feel, "God, Toto!"
"I'm all yours baby," He growled against her skin, his eyes almost rolling back in pleasure at the way she called out his name, "cum for me!"
It was all it took for Alessandra as her hips sloppily thrusted against his whilst slamming her lips on his as she came all over him, her mind foggy and vision darkened as she rode her orgasm. Toto watched her in awe, almost forgetting that he was close to reaching his own high as he became so distracted by Alessandra orgasming under him, because of him, her voice calling out his name once more echoing in his ears.
When Alessandra brought herself back to earth, she remembered that Toto was next, so she pulled off his cock, and got her shaky limbs on fours, a smirk making its way on her lips whilst she looked up at Toto through her lashes, taking his cock into her palm and started pumping him in a similar rhythm they established before. She inched her face closer as she watched his eyes flutter in sheer pleasure, his head thrown back slightly as the orgasm started taking over every part of him.
A loud moan left the Austrian's lips when he felt Alessandra take as much of him as she could in her mouth, and when he managed to muster the energy to open his mouth, he felt himself inch closer and closer to his high as he watched Alessandra bob her head, her cheeks hollow as she continued taking more of him, whilst her hand moved between the rest of him and his balls.
Alessandra almost gasped when she felt Toto's large hand in her hair, tugging on it and pushing her head slightly forward, the tip of his cock that was already hitting the back of her neck going further down, and she almost gagged, but she kept on going, increasing her rhythm as she was determined to take as much of him as she could.
A couple of moments later, when Toto loudly announced that he was going to cum, she felt a big spray hitting the back of her throat whilst she looked up and watch his eyes roll in the back of his head, his body falling on the sofa as the Italian finished swallowing before she released him from her mouth, giving the tip a teasing kiss before she crawled next to him.
Toto's eyes were hooded when he gave Alessandra a lazy smile as she joined him, wrapping an arm around her and held her to his side, their chests rising and falling as they caught their breathes, enjoying the comfort within each other, and the silence as they laid naked on the sofa.
"So," Toto started after a long moment in blissful silence, "what's the plan for today?"
"Well," Alessandra started as she stretched her arm to grab her phone to check the time, "I have to take my dad to the hospital in an hour for a procedure, it's not a long one so I'll be back quick. Maybe I can give you the house tour I promised you yesterday?"
"Finally, I'm getting the house tour!" Toto jokingly said, earning him an eye roll from his rival, "and, what if we did something tonight?"
"Like what?" Alessandra asked, looking up at him with curiosity laced in her eyes.
"I don't know, maybe go for a drive to another city before I leave tomorrow," he shrugged, "it's not that I don't want to stay in Maranello, but I thought that maybe we could explore some place else, but again, you're the expert in your country, I don't know where we can sneak off too!"
"Okay, I'll think about what we can do," she grinned, trying to hide the slight sadness she felt when he reminded her that he was leaving the next day, "do you know when you're leaving?"
"I still need to arrange my flight," he said, "you're staying here, right? Or are you coming back to Monaco?"
"No, I'm heading to Monaco in a few days, I need to get some stuff done before I do," she answered, "but how about we arrange your flight together? So I can make sure that I can take you to the airport myself?"
Toto nodded, giving her a smile as he leaned his head towards hers, placing his lips on hers to give her a quick but gentle kiss. He felt his heart flutter at the thought of her wanting to be the one that dropped him off, although at the same time the thought of leaving Maranello and her made his stomach churn slightly, but he shook it off, he didn't want that feeling to be the one that took over and just enjoy the time he has left with her.
The two decided to head up to her bedroom, so they threw the clothes that were scattered all over the living room floor back on and grabbed the dishes off the coffee table and threw them in the dishwasher. They took turns in the shower, and Toto was sat down on the bed in a fresh t-shirt and short, laptop on his legs whilst Alessandra was sat down at the edge of the bed, a towel wrapped around her body as she dried her hair.
"Is there a place, apart from Maranello and Modena, that you like going to?" Alessandra turned her head to look at Toto after he asked the question, "you know, maybe we can go there tonight?"
"Uh, I have a place in mind, but you're gonna roll your eyes at me and call me obsessed," she chuckled, shaking her head slightly, "especially because we just watched an old race on our day off."
"Why would I call you obsessed?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
"Cause I thought that maybe we could visit Imola," she replied, an innocent smile on her lips as he let out a chuckle, "it's totally different from race weekends, and the garden surrounding the track is absolutely beautiful. Even doing a track walk when there's nothing happening is fun too, but I won't drag you to the track."
Toto chuckled as she finished off her rant, which he found adorable, pushing the laptop off him and moved next to her, smiling widely when she let out a loud screech in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on his lap.
"I think that sounds like a nice idea," he said as he placed his lips on her bare shoulder, right on top of the tattoo of the 2003 winning machinery, "plus, I always wondered what Imola was like when it's not busy with the race weekend chaos."
"Okay then," she said, smiling as she turned her head to look at him, "we'll head there tonight!" Toto nodded, his lips curling into a smile when she placed her lips on his before she wiggled out of his grip and disappeared into the closet.
Alessandra took her father to his appointment, continuing on the conversation they had the day before, and the doctors gave her and her father some good news, that Piero's results were looking very promising, and will not have any tests or procedures scheduled for two weeks, so him and her mother were going to fly somewhere and have a deserved break. Alessandra was so happy to hear, almost shedding a tear at the thought of her father finally having some normality for the first time in months.
Toto was in the living room, going through the schedule Hannah sent him for his training and appearances that are to come up in a few weeks, when he heard Alessandra get back home. He turned his head as he heard her walk through the house, a smile curling on his lips as he listened to her hum a song. Curiosity peaked him when he watched her waltz in the living room, the humming turning into singing as she danced around.
"Someone's in an even better mood," he commented, his smile growing even bigger as he watched her, "how's your dad?"
"His results are showing improvement, so much so that the doctors have scheduled nothing for the upcoming two weeks!" She exclaimed, throwing her bag on the sofa before twirling around, "he's finally going on a holiday with my mum and live some normality. Oh, I'm so happy for him!"
Toto felt his heart melt as he watched how happy she is through her dance and song, and he knew how much this meant to her. He'll never forget how much it broke his heart seeing Alessandra break down in worry over her father, and how much she tried to take care of him no matter where she was in the world. And he couldn't be happier to hear good news about her father's condition, and how carefree she looked, like a big weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
Toto got off the couch and walked towards her and grabbed her hand, giving her a spin which made her giggle loudly, and his smile even wider, and pulled her towards him. He put his hand on her back, her free hand on his shoulder as the two danced to whatever Alessandra was singing. He was surprised once more by her, because her voice sounded angelic, never knew that she could sing so well, and he could spend hours listening to her voice express its melodic tunes.
Alessandra pulled away slightly, the smile never leaving her face as she ran a hand through her hair whilst looking up ta him, her eyes shining brightly, a glimmer in them that made it known to Toto how happy she was at that moment. He couldn't help himself be happy for her as he cupped her face, letting his thumb caress her cheek before placing his lips on hers.
"That's such wonderful news, Ale!" Toto said when they pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you," the Italian breathed, her cheeks hurting from smiling so widely but she felt like she was on cloud nine, and she was happy to be able to share it with someone, the only person who knew of her father's current struggles, "now, how about I finally give you the house tour?" Toto chuckled, nodding his head as he captured her lips with his once more before pulling away, and he followed her out the living area and down a corridor.
Toto was very impressed with how each room she showed him was equipped fully, expressing her love for the other hobbies and interests she had apart from racing and sports. She started off with the library, which was the biggest he's ever seen in a home, books filling up every inch of the walls, and a dark brown in the middle with a lamp over it, along with a small sofa-like bench under the window, next was the art room, and Toto discovered that not only did she like to study and admire art, she had done a few paintings herself.
She quickly pointed out the two guest rooms which she explained were usually occupied by her niece and nephew whenever they wanted to sleep over at their aunts , along with a playroom for them, and a couple of other guest rooms which she said Max occupied one of them whenever he snuck into Maranello and stayed over. The last two rooms were a sim room, which was a very wide space room filled with around 6 simulators, which the guys love to use whenever everyone's over and want to have some competition, and Toto couldn't help the amused chuckle leaving his lips when she disclosed that she always beats them, and a game room, filled with various consoles and games, a large television and a long sofa in the middle.
On the top floor, she quickly told him which rooms Charles and Mick occupied whenever they were in Maranello, a quick mention of the office as he knew about it, and showed him the gym. Toto was very impressed to see how equipped her home gym was, and how massive, almost making it look like a professional gym.
"Last but not least, my music room," she said when they entered it, "the first room you were acquainted with!"
Toto felt his cheeks heat up as the memories from a couple of days flashed before him when his eyes fell on the piano, remembering their fight, and the reconciliation that followed. He slowly followed behind Alessandra as he got a proper look of the room this time, a few guitars hanging on the wall, a drum set in the corner, and a wall dedicated to her love for vinyls, with a few decorating the wall, a table with a player, and many other records under it.
"Didn't know you played an instrument," he said when he watched Alessandra sit down on the bench of the piano, "of in your case, instruments!"
"It's something I like to come to in my free time when I'm feeling inspired," she shrugged, giving him a small smile as he stood next to her, "I learned a bit when I was a kid, then stopped when I got into cars. When COVID came, and I was stuck in Monaco for a couple of months, Charles and I started learning the piano together!"
"Oh yeah I remember you staying in Monaco for a while back then," Toto said, "we used to bump into each other by the Marina!"
"Yeah, the early morning runs," Alessandra chuckled, nodding her head, "what time did we go out running? At like 5 in the morning?"
"Something like that, cause we coincidentally had the same idea, avoid the 6:30 am rush of people who thought they were going to be the only ones out on an early run," Toto answered, "imagine if the your boys started that tally of our coincidental bumps during that time!"
"Oh it would have been insanely long, cause we bumped into each other almost everyday," she replied, "I mean it was kind off to be expected, Monaco's small, we were both stuck there, and there weren't any other options to go running, really."
"So," he started as he rested his arm on the top of the piano, putting his weight slightly on it, "are you going to play me something?"
"You haven't earned that privilege," she answered, a smug grin making its way on her lips as she stood up, standing right in front of him, "yet."
"Understandable," Toto replied, nodding his head as he pushed a strand of hair that fell over her face behind her ear, "looking forward to hear you play when I earned it, then." Alessandra nodded, giving him a smile before she made her way out of the room, with Toto right behind her as they made their way back downstairs. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"Hmm," Alessandra hummed as they walked back inside the living room, glancing around, when a strange idea came into mind, "have you watched Drive to Survive yet?"
"I don't watch it," he answered, shrugging his shoulders, "but honestly, after hearing there's an episode about our teams, and us, I was thinking about watching that one episode!"
"How about we watch it then?" She asked as she plopped down on the sofa, "we can see how Netflix portrayed us at the end!" Toto chuckled, answering her with a nod as he joined her on the sofa whilst she switched the television on for the second time. Toto gave her the name of the episode, and she couldn't help the loud laugh that came out of her mouth when he told her the name was Battle of the Gods.
"They are so dramatic," she commented as the sound of the Netflix intro filled their ears, leaning onto Toto when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "this should be interesting." Toto answered with a laugh, leaning his head on hers as they watched the episode start.
Alessandra made her way inside the dark room with a couple of spotlights shining on the chair she just sat at, leaning her head back slightly when the make-up artist came to do the final touches. The Italian team principal thanked her before she left, and she was then handed the producer slate and a pen, being filmed as she wrote her name and date on it before holding it in front of her.
"Okay," the producer behind the camera started, "you can start by introducing yourself!"
"Alright," Alessandra chuckled, shaking her head slightly before putting on her signature smile, her lips shimmering with the red lip gloss, "I'm Alessandra Ferrari, and I am the team principal for Scuderia Ferrari!"
When she snapped the producer slate close, the scene changed to a panoramic view of Maranello, followed by the behind the scenes of the 2023 car launch, her and the drivers chatting in Piazza Michael Schumacher at Fiorano.
"So, Alessandra," the producer said, "give us a background on yourself, and how you got to where you are now?"
"There was never a time where I couldn't imagine not being around cars," the team principal said as they showed pictures of her from when she was a baby until she was in her early 20s, all of them being around some type of Ferrari car, or in the Ferrari garage during a race weekend, "it was my first love ever since I could remember. There was something about being fast, the sounds of engines, the brains it took to come up with ideas for new cars and execute them, that fascinated me."
"I grew up racing in karts, and I truly loved that feeling of adrenaline when I was on track competing," she continued, "but I was more interested in fixing my kart, tuning it to be better and faster, finding ways that other's didn't and improved the performance in that aspect, along with learning to read data whenever I was at the factory or in the garage during race weekends, which is what led me to become an engineer."
"Were you better at karting or at building cars?" The producer asked.
"I was good in both," she answered, a subtle smirk making its way on her lips, "if you ask any of the guys racing in Formula 1 now, like Charles and Max, they're going to say they're glad I didn't pursue racing."
"Oh yeah," Charles said when the clip changed to him in the chair, nodding his head, "Alessandra was really fast, like annoyingly quick and she won many times!"
"Alessandra is the only person I'll happily admit beat me on track every time we competed in karting competitions," Max said when the clip changed to him, a wide grin on his face, "she gave all of us a run for our money, she's super talented and sometimes I miss racing with her cause we had really fun battles, but now we have battles of our own as she's leading my rival team!"
"After years of studying to become an engineer, I started working full time at the Ferrari factory, working on road cars, something I used to do from time to time as practice whilst getting my degree," Alessandra said when the frame came back on her, "then a year later I moved to Gestione Sportiva to work on the F1 car on base, and in 2018 I started trackside. 3 years later I was promoted to chief track engineer, and now, here we are!"
"I thought I had reached my peak when I became chief track engineer, so to be entrusted with the role of team principal, for the team I live and breathe, it was a tremendous honor, and the biggest responsibility I have ever endured," she said as clips from the launch, and moments of her in the garage and around the paddock showed, "and I know where the team's been the past few years, I've lived it, and I'm going to work with everything I have to push the team back where we belong, back to the top."
"You've always been a known face in the paddock ever since you started working in it, friendships with drivers even from rival teams, but now you're the only female team principal, surrounded by men who have been in the role way long than you have, and two of them winning constantly for the past decade and a half," the producer said, "is there anyone from the team principals that you get along well with?"
After Alessandra put on an amused smile on her face, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back in the chair, the clip changed. Toto, filmed from the side, sat down in the chair, running a quick hand through his hair, followed by a sip of water before he crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at the camera with his signature smirk on his face when he was asked about Alessandra.
"I met Alessandra for the very first time back in Barcelona during testing in 2018, top half of her body hidden in Sebastian's cockpit, and Charles and Max introduced me to her after calling out for her a hundred times, which she was annoyed at but was used to, because they were her close friends," Toto started, "she was probably one of the youngest engineers I've ever come across."
"Did you know that she was Piero Ferrari's daughter?" The producer asked.
"Not until Charles said so," Toto answered, shaking his head slightly, "I've had many encounters with Piero, very interesting conversations, but I had never seen her at the paddock until then. I had thought that maybe Formula 1 did not peak her interest like her brothers, but in reality, she was always hiding in the garages or attending debriefs so she could learn and analyse the data. She was preparing herself to where she got."
"How would you describe the relationship you have with Alessandra?"
"I've known her for 6 years, as encounters in the paddock became frequent, and even though she was younger than most of her peers in her team and those of her rivals, she was very mature, very head on, and she's very smart," Toto said, as clips of their encounters around the paddock were showcased, "she's also humble, doesn't let her family relations get to her head, but she has the same passion that runs Ferrari, which is why I think that she's fit for the role. I think I can consider us as friends."
"Do you consider Toto as a friend?" The producer asked when the clip changed to Alessandra.
"I mean yeah, I do," Alessandra chuckled, nodding her head slightly, "but he's still a rival, and Mercedes is one of our biggest rivals and target. The moment we're in the garage, it's game on, no mercy."
After Alessandra gave her determined smirk to the camera, clips of the Italian team principal during races played, her focus on the screen prominent as her drivers battled on track against the Mercedes, and then the clips changed to Toto in the same position. A few more clips showed of the two team principals, celebrating their drivers' wins, showing their anger and disappointment when their drivers DNFed or had issues, or their opponents came on top.
The clip then changed to a panoramic scene of Suzuka as the sun rose over the city, showing glimpse of famous landmarks before changing to the gym of the hotel where the teams were staying, and Alessandra was standing on the mat as she prepared for her stretch.
"What does your work out entail?" Kyle asked, starting the interviews, "and does it vary every time?"
"I try to fit everything in whenever I work out, you know, stamina, strength and flexibility," she said as she stretched her legs, "I used to train tennis and gymnastics when I was younger, and they were sports I loved so I try to train them as much as I can, and with gymnastics I'm always still improving my flexibility, which is why I make sure to focus on it."
"And how many times do you train?"
"If I can, once a day," she said, "I'm sitting down a lot because of my job, so I need a way to keep on being active and I try to be physically active as much as I can."
"So you've always been involved in sports," he said, "what made you not continue sports professionally and focus on cars?"
"There was something about seeing the inside of a car, listening to the engine, watching the process of a car being made that gave me a rush like no other," she said, "my dad always told me that he knew that I was destined to be in a life revolved around cars when he used to take me to the factory and the sound of the cars calmed me down, whilst it scared my older brothers."
"Oh wow," Kyle laughed, "so you were always destined to continue the legacy then?"
"I inherited the love for cars I guess," she said, pausing for a moment as she went on to finish her conditioning. She grabbed her water bottle then made her way to the pull up bar, "a legacy is a heavy thing to carry on your shoulders, which I do carry, but at the same time, I do what I do because I love it so much, and all the hard work I pushed myself through paid off, and that's satisfaction enough."
"So, tell us," he continued as she set her bottle on the ground, then leaned against the bar as she looked at the producer, "what does a normal race week look like for you?"
"Uh, it varies if there are certain events involved in that specific race week, like Monza for example, I had three events before the weekend, so that changed things up a bit," she chuckled, "but usually, I have dinner with my drivers on Wednesday night to get into the week on a positive note, then Thursdays is dedicated for media duties, and sometimes Max comes and joins us for a coffee before interviews start. And in between interviews I'm in my office going through data and responding to any emails or calls with the team back at Maranello. Then it's full focus on the sessions and the race, and if we win, we go out celebrating on Sunday night."
"You've celebrated quite a bit this season, with all the wins your team's got under the belt," he said, "do you have a favourite celebration in mind?"
"Ah, I don't know if I can choose because they've all been really special and super fun in their own ways," she chuckled, "but probably it's a battle between the celebration in Maranello after Imola, Monaco or Monza."
She then turned to the bar, lifting her arms up before jumping, grabbing onto the bar and started doing her set of pull ups.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the camera turned around, and in view came Toto, a surprised look on his face when he saw the cameras and recognised the Netflix crew, "I didn't know the gym was occupied."
"Mr Wolff!" Kyle exclaimed, turning towards the Mercedes team principal who stood at the entrance of the gym, "we're filming with Alessandra for the series."
"Oh really?" Toto asked, an amused look making its way on his face as he glanced at the woman hanging on the bar, "Morning Alessandra."
The camera panned back to Alessandra, who looked at Toto through the mirror in front of her, challenging him with a smirk as she dropped back on the ground. She turned around, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the equipment.
"Morning Toto," she replied, "came to annoy me now before media day?"
"No, that's scheduled for tomorrow," he answered, earning an eye roll from his rival at the comment, "I'll let you guys finish up, I'll come later."
"Oh nonesense!" The producer exclaimed, "you should join Alessandra, maybe I can get some quick questions in about the two of you in a more domestic setting outside of the track!"
"I mean, I don't mind," Toto said, glancing at the team principal who was drinking from her bottle, "it's Alessandra's filming, she decides."
Alessandra nodded at the production team, and the excited clap from the producer was heard in the background as the camera filmed Toto getting miced. The Austrian then walked towards Alessandra, making his way to the bench after grabbing some weights, which was next to the bar Alessandra still needed to finish her set on. He gave her a wink when he laid on the bench, rolling her eyes at his cockiness before she grabbed onto the bar and continued her set whilst Toto started his reps.
"Okay so, you two have known each other for quite a while since you've both been working in the same sport," Kyle said when Alessandra finished from the bar and grabbed a dumbbell, starting her glute workout a couple of feet away from Toto, who started another workout with weights as he sat upright on the end of the bench, "what was your first impressions of each other?"
"Well, the first time I saw Alessandra, she was diving deep inside Sebastian's cockpit, her legs were practically dangling in the air so you can imagine how amused I was," Alessandra chuckled beside him at the memory, remembering it like it was yesterday, her first day working trackside, "and Charles and Max were in front of the garage, and they introduced me to their friend, only to find out that it was Enzo's granddaughter. I had no idea that she was an engineer before that day."
"I obviously knew who Toto was, but had never met him before that day," Alessandra continued, "He was snooping in front of Sebastian's garage, trying to get a good look of our contender that year, and yeah, Charles and Max came over to say hi and introduced me to Toto."
"And when was that?" Kyle then asked.
"2018," The two said in sync, which caused them to chuckle as they glanced at each other, "Pre-season testing in Barcelona."
"And were you always involved in Formula 1 cars, Alessandra?"
"Nope, started off working on the road cars for a year, then transitioned to Gestione Sportiva a few months before the 2018 season, working on the car at the factory," she replied, "then in 2018 I started trackside."
"And how old were you when you started working as an engineer trackside?" He asked.
"About to turn 22," she smiled, "practically a baby in an ocean full of sharks!"
"But you did become one of the big fish when you were promoted to chief engineer," Kyle replied, earning a nod from her, "Toto, was there a time where you wanted to bring Alessandra to your team?"
"Quite a few occasions, yes," Toto rolled his eyes when he heard the Italian laugh loudly as she squatted, "but she's turned me down every single time. She bleeds Ferrari."
"I mean it is literally in my DNA," she chuckled, "but yeah, I would not trade Ferrari for anything, not even a very generous offer from Mr Wolff here."
"And so years passed, and now both of you are on the big seat at your teams," Kyle said, "how would you describe your relationship? Especially because of the bit of fuss media created during the Singapore weekend where you were seen at a dinner together which you two said was not work related, and were even seen at the same wedding, which also had other motorsport faces attending."
"I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that Ale and I have a good, professional relationship on track, and we can consider each other as friends after five years," the Austrian answered, glancing at Alessandra, who was nodding at him in approval, a soft smile on her face as she dropped the dumbbell, grabbing her bottle, "We have the same inner circles, so we're bound to bump into each other at social events which do not have anything to do with our sport."
"Or in our case, coincidentally ending up at the same dinner because we had mutual friends we didn't know about, and finding out that we're going to be their child's god parents," Alessandra chuckled, "that was basically what happened during that dinner. It was a huge coincidence, really."
"You two are going to be god parents for the same child?" The producer beamed, "congratulations to the both of you!"
"Thank you," she replied, "but basically that's it really. We get along well, we have good chats at the track, and we keep the competition high between us. It's a healthy balance."
"Alessandra, you said you used to train gymnastics," Kyle then continued, "do you still practice?"
"Whenever I have the time, yes," she chuckled, "why? Want me to show you some moves?"
"If you'd like to," he nodded, "I know the viewers would love to see a new side of you unfold." She nodded, dropping her bottle then made her way to the mats.
Alessandra arched her back, landing on her hands in some sort of bridge position, not expecting her to be so flexible as she then got on her elbows, arching her back further, almost snapping into two as she brought her feet closer to her head. His mouth was open slightly as he watched her kick her legs up in a form of summersault before standing back up, raising her hands up in a finishing position. As claps were heard in the background, the camera turns to Toto, who looked at her with wide eyes in shock, his mouth open slightly but quickly regained composure and clapped along for a couple of seconds.
The two team principals were then shown packing up the equipment back in their place before taking the mics off and handing them to one of the production crew members. As they gave a wave to everyone, they walked out of the gym side by side, chatting but it wasn't audible as dramatic music started playing.
Clips of races from Suzuka onwards were shown, displaying the battles between the Ferraris and Mercedes once more, commentators heard commenting about those battles and how every race was determining the championship fight. Clips of Alessandra and Toto expressing happiness or disappointments were shown once more, and then, it focuses on Abu Dhabi.
"It is the finale of the 2023 season," Eddie Jordan's voice was heard over the clip of Yas Marina Circuit as it showed the chaos of race weekend, "and after a season filled with endless action and bombastic battles, we now come to the race which decides who wins the championships."
"Will Max become a two time world champion, or will Charles get his maiden championship?" Clips of Charles and Max preparing for the last race are shown, as dramatic music played.
"Will Mercedes clinch their 9th constructor?" Clips of Toto in the garage, looking focused and serious are played, "or will Ferrari get out of the decade and a half drought under Alessandra Ferrari's rookie reign?" Clips of Alessandra walking through the paddock, followed by her focused demeanour sat in the garage were shown.
The clip of the Abu Dhabi anthem played, and the title contending drivers and team principals were not placed in their usual position like every other race, but this time, the top three teams were stood around the race trophy, and the two championships. Alessandra was between Toto and Christian on one side, whilst their drivers stood on the remaining sides, standing still as the national anthem of Abu Dhabi played.
When it finished, Alessandra shook hands with Horner before he walked away, and then she turned to Toto, who looked down at her with a confident glance, a smirk on his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Are you about to get sappy on me because that was our last local national anthem for the season?" She asked, mimicking his stance as she crossed her arms over her chest, quirking an eyebrow at him behind her glasses.
"No," he replied, rolling his eyes, "I was going to say this is your last chance of feeling some sort of dominance before we come for the constructors."
"Alright then," she nodded, her lips curling up in a smirk as her eyes challenged his, "I'll see you on the other side."
"See you on the other side, Alessandra." He said, putting his hand between them, followed by her hand in his, exchanging a hand shake, "Good luck."
"You too," she replied, giving him a subtle wink before letting go of his hand and the two made their way to their garages.
Clips of the battles between Max and Charles, and Ferrari and Mercedes were shown, and then from time to time clips of Alessandra and Toto in their garages played, showing the emotions that played high that day as they cheered when their drivers got an advantage, or leaned back in annoyance when they lost a place.
When Charles was shown crossing the finish line, with his side of the garage hanging on the pit wall, Alessandra was shown trying to stay focus as Mick hugged her from behind and her family and friends celebrated behind her, and the radios between her and Charles were broadcasted as they both waited for Carlos to cross the finish line ahead.
"AND CHARLES LECLERC IS THE 2023 WORLD CHAMPION!" Eddie Jordan's voice over was heard, "FERRARI CLINCH BOTH CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE VERY LAST LAP! WHAT A SEASON, WHAT A FINALE! WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED HISTORY BEING MADE!"
Toto was shown shaking his head slightly in disappointment when Carlos beat George to clinch 4th and the Constructors, then the clip changed to Alessandra celebrating with her family, tears streaming down her face as she then ran out of the garage and to the pitwall to watch her driver celebrate by doing doughnuts on the main straight.
After showing clips of Alessandra and Charles on the podium, and celebrating with the team, the screen fades slightly, but then it goes to Toto back in the chair in the studio.
"That is not the ending we wanted to the championship, losing the constructors in the very last lap," Toto said, his voice laced with disappointment, "but you have to credit what Alessandra's done. She's the youngest team principal, and the first female principal, to win the double, in her rookie year. It's a remarkable achievement, something we've never seen in the sport before."
"But next year, the story will be different," Toto said, "she needs to enjoy the moment as much as she can, because we will be coming back fighting, and we will not back down. We want to be back at the top."
"I know for a fact that Toto is going to come back stronger and fight like hell, I wouldn't expect anything less from him," Alessandra said when the clip changed to her in the seat in the middle of the studio, a determined smirk on her lips as she lowered her eyes slightly, "so are we. The battle isn't over, it's only just begun."
As the episode stops, the two team principles, who were still comfortable in each other's hold, turned their heads to look at each other, and as their eyes locked, they let out a lighthearted chuckle, shaking their heads slightly.
"Even with the bit of excessive dramatics," Toto said, his fingers drawing patterns on her bare arm, like he's been doing throughout the duration of the episode, "I think they did a pretty good job depicting what happened between Ferrari and Mercedes last year."
"Yeah I agree, better than what I expected," she replied, stretching her arm to grab the remote and switch the television off before turning her head, which was on Toto's lap, back to him, "my favourite part has to be you looking at me with the widest pairs of eyes I've ever seen in the gym!"
"You took everyone by surprise!" Toto exclaimed, trying to hide the fluster creeping through his body as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Someone was surprised more than the others," She said, a smug smile on her face as she taunted him, earning her an eye roll from the Austrian.
"I might have been caught by surprise then," his voice dropped an octave as he spoke, causing Alessandra to nibble on her bottom lip as a shiver ran down her spine, "but now, I'm the only man who knows how flexible you really are."
The Italian held back the moan as he placed his lips on hers, running a hand through his hair and tugged slightly on it as the kiss got pretty heated. There was something about the slight possessiveness coming from her rival that turned her on, but at the same time it caused the feelings she couldn't understand what they were to creep up again, making her slightly confused, but she pushed the confusion away as she let herself melt into the kiss.
When they pulled away, Alessandra lifted her head off Toto's lap and got off the sofa, making her way to the kitchen when she felt her stomach growl slightly, with the Austrian following right behind her. She opened the fridge, and as she tried to see what she could make for lunch, a sigh slipped from her lips when she felt Toto's arms wrap around her torso from behind, leaning her head on his chest, enjoying the closeness, and the feeling of his lips in her hair.
"I'm surprised the jeans haven't annoyed you yet," Toto mumbled, curling his index fingers through the loops of the jeans, "I probably would have taken them off the second I got back home."
"They actually are, I just got too lazy to go back upstairs and change," she chuckled, "the important question is what can we make for lunch, cause I'm starving."
"I can answer that for you," he said as he leaned his head towards the side of her face, his breathe fanning over her skin, "you go upstairs and change, and I make us lunch!" Alessandra quickly turned around in his hold, ready to protest, but she didn't have the chance when Toto smashed his lips on hers for a moment, "I'm not taking no for an answer." Alessandra knew that it was a lost battle, and to be honest she wasn't in the mood to fight after he offered to cook for her, so she nodded her head and turned around, rolling her eyes slightly but still smiled when Toto playfully slapped her ass as she walked out.
After changing into a pair of Ferrari short shorts and slid on a t-shirt she stole from Toto's luggage, she was greeted to an aromatic smell of truffle when she made her way downstairs. A wide smile made its way on her lips when she found two glasses filled with white wine on the kitchen island, pushing her body up to sit on top of the marble top and grabbed a glass, watching the man who's kept her very occupied the past couple of days take over the kitchen like it was his, and she was enjoying every moment of it.
Toto was cooking a dish he remembered Alessandra eat at her first pre-season teams dinner, tagliatelle with slices of beef tagliata and truffle. He enjoyed cooking, and always did whenever he was at home or away from the tracks, but he was enjoying cooking for someone else. Apart from his kids, he hadn't cooked for anyone after he divorced Susie. Alessandra was the first person he cooked for after that, and a part of him hopes that the only woman he'll ever cook for is her.
As he turned the heat to low, letting the food simmer as he grabbed the plates from the cupboard, his actions becoming so unconscious as he moved around in the kitchen that did not belong to him, but almost felt like it did. And that feeling gave him a certain rush of warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time.
He turned around, about to call out Alessandra's name to ask her something regarding the food, but no words formed when his eyes fell on her sat on the kitchen island, her long legs bare and crossed over each, eyes focused on her phone as she typed on it, followed by taking sips of her wine every now and then. Her skin was glistening under the kitchen lights, the tan she got a the day prior when they were laying by the pool prominent, he couldn't tear his eyes off her, thinking about how absolutely beautiful she is as she ran a hand through her long curls. But then, an amused smirk made its way on his lips when he saw the shirt she had on, a burst of confidence coming back to him.
"Is that my shirt you have on?" Alessandra averted her gaze away from her phone, her cheeks heating up at the sound of Toto's voice as she lifted her head, finding him looking at her with an amused smirk on his lips.
"Maybe," she hummed as she watched him walk towards her, shrugging her shoulders slightly, "I hope you don't mind, I couldn't fight the temptation and just grabbed one from your bag."
"I don't mind at all," he replied, placing his hands on her thighs when he stopped right in front of her, moving them up and down against her skin as he towered over her, "I like it when you wear my clothes, especially when it's a Mercedes shirt."
"That is never happening again!" She exclaimed, throwing her head back slightly as she let out a loud chuckle, "you had an opportunity and took it that day, but next time I come over I'm bringing my scarlet red Ferrari t-shirt to stay in!"
"Like I said, and was proven right," he said as he leaned his head towards hers, "never say never baby." Amidst the laughs leaving her lips, along with the flutters creeping in her stomach when he called her baby, she felt his lips capture hers.
"You're impossible," she giggled against his lips, "and the food is still on the stove!"
"The food's done, I just need to plate it," he said as he pulled away, but keeping his face close to hers. Alessandra raised an eyebrow when she watched his smile drop slightly as he looked at her, letting out a low sigh, "I need to sort out my flights for tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah," she said, trying to hide the disappointment at the realisation that Toto's time with her in Maranello was coming to an end, "how about you sort them whilst we eat? You go grab your laptop, and I'll prepare the plates." Toto nodded, giving her one more kiss before disappearing out of the kitchen.
When she heard him make his way upstairs, she let out a sigh as she felt her heart drop slightly, putting the phone and wine glass on the marble top before jumping off it and walked towards the counter. She switched off the stove and put the food on the plates, then took them to the dining table, grabbing the wine and utensils and quickly set up the table and settled on a chair as Toto walked in, laptop in hand, and a smile on his face when he saw the table set up as he took a seat across from his rival.
The dining room was filled with comfortable silence as the two team principals ate, and as Toto settled his flight plans, his eyes were diverting between the screen and Alessandra, and he couldn't stop looking at her as she ate the food he prepared, in his shirt, and sorting his flights were becoming harder and harder, because all he wanted was to enjoy the sight in front of him for days on end.
However, his flights were settled, and the food was ate, both team principals stuffed, but Alessandra was quick to complement him on his skills once more, and how good the food was, which made Toto smile widely as he grabbed the dishes and took them in the kitchen. As he cleaned up, Alessandra took some ice-cream out of the fridge as she brewed some coffee, and the two settled around the kitchen island enjoying dessert.
"What's the plan when you get back to Monaco then?" Alessandra asked after taking a mouthful of caramel ice-cream.
"Spending a couple of days with Jack before we fly out to Brackley," he started, "then I fly back down to Monaco and take the yacht out and meet a few friends."
"Yeah we're doing the same thing," Alessandra replied, "When I get to Monaco, Charles and I are taking out his yacht, then meet the others."
"Where are you guys heading?" Toto asked.
"Honestly? We have absolutely no idea," She said as she sipped on her coffee, earning her a confused look from Toto, "Charles and I haven't decided where our first stop's going to be, then we'll see where's the closest to everyone and meet up." She let out a chuckle when she saw the confusion deepen on his face, making the creases on his forehead more prominent, "don't worry about it. Where are you going?"
"The destination's probably Sardegna, although it's not really confirmed," he answered, "but we're leaning to that, cause Flavio has his new club there."
"So I'm assuming its Flavio and Lawrence you're hanging out with?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement."
"Correct, and maybe George could be tagging along, who knows," Toto said, shrugging his shoulders, "and I'm assuming it's the group of drivers that you always hang out with?"
"Exactly, and I'm hoping that Lewis joins us too," she answered, "it's the first summer break with him in the team, and it would be nice to hang out and relax together."
"He seems to have settled nicely in Maranello," Toto commented, a small smile tugging on his lips, "still getting used to see him in red, though."
"He fits in really well here, and everyone adores him," she beamed, "in a way he's still kind of settling, I mean him moving to Italy working in England all his life is a big change, but he's been so professional about it all!"
"I know I might have hated you because I thought you stole Lewis from right under me," Alessandra chuckled as Toto stepped towards her and placed his hands on her hips, knowing that they can look back at the moment in their life where they hated each other's guts in joking manner, "but in all honesty, out of every team principal on the grid, I wouldn't want anyone else to push Lewis forward to be his absolute best when I can't, than you."
Alessandra felt her heart flutter in her chest when her eyes locked with his, a wave of warmth rushing through every part of her, her knees becoming weak as the emotions that were caused by his words overwhelmed her in a good way. She didn't know what to reply as she held onto his bulging biceps, only managing to get on her toes and capture her lips with his, as her way of saying thank you.
As time went by, and the two team principals enjoyed the blazing sun as they sat down on the edge of the pool, their legs in the water as they spoke about anything and everything, when they noticed that the sun had started setting, Alessandra announced that it was the perfect time to make their way to Imola.
So they headed back upstairs, taking a quick shower before Alessandra disappeared in her closet and Toto rummaged through his luggage to see what he could wear. The Austrian opted for dark navy blue pants and a white linen button up, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows and let the top two buttons undone. The air had cooled as the sun started to set, but it was still warm, even as he stood behind the balcony doors in her bedroom and looked at the scenery.
But when he heard footsteps coming from his side, he turned around, and the view he was enjoying a couple of seconds ago was forgotten as his eyes admired Alessandra, dressed in wide leg linen pants, and a baby blue cropped shirt with off shoulder sleeves puffed up elegantly, and the sweetheart neckline showing enough cleavage to make the Austrian swoon, but also looking modest.
"Ready to go?" She asked as she threw the small white bag over her shoulder before quickly putting on some dainty jewelry, "the track looks amazing during sun down!"
Toto just nodded his head, too capsulated in her beauty to find ways to form words, and the soft smile on her lips as she looked at him made him feel like he was in another world. He grabbed his white baseball cap, whilst she put on a white hat over her head, and the two made their way downstairs to the garage.
Since they were heading to a small town, but still beautiful and charming in its own way, whilst being filled with racing heritage and bittersweet feelings, Alessandra opted for a gorgeous classic, the 1972 Ferrari Daytona Sypder. As Toto made sure that the cap was fastened around his head, and sunglasses were slid over his eyes, Alessandra tied the ribbons attached to the hat under her chin, securing it so it wouldn't fly off during the drive, then brought the V12 engine to life as she left her premises and started the hour long journey.
The two couldn't really talk, as the sounds of the winds cascading with the engine filled their ears and hit their skin sharply, and Toto was enjoying the view of Alessandra sat behind a classic steering wheel, one hand on it, and the other on the long gearstick as she navigated through the autostrada. He couldn't help himself as he put his hand on her thigh, his fingers tracing over the inside of her thigh, which caused Alessandra to have another wave of warmth rush through her at the gesture, and the calmness she felt having him hold her. They didn't need words, each other's presence and their touches was enough.
Toto let his eyes wander around as Alessandra drove through the quiet streets of Imola, familiar to him but at the same time felt foreign as they looked much more different then during race weekends. It looked peaceful, tranquil, and he never realised how beautiful it was until that moment. He understood why Alessandra loved visiting even when there wasn't a race happening, he almost preferred it that way than when it's all chaotic and busy, and the stress and responsibility from running a team hung over their heads.
Toto spotted the prancing horse over the white building right by the track as they drove past it, reading the name of the track on the glossy red wall, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, named after Alessandra's grandfather and his brother. He knew the importance her grandfather held, and still holds, in Italy, he sees it in almost every corner of the country, but then he looks at Alessandra as she slowly started slowing down when they reached Parco Acque Minerali.
The two got out of the car, and as Toto glanced at it, and the entrance of the park, a small smile tugged on his lips as he thought about how even though Alessandra was younger than him by a good number of years, she had traits which were similar to his, and one of them was how she had an old soul, loving anything classic, and being in a serene environment after spending such a long time in a chaotic one. The more he gets to know her - as whenever he thinks he knows her already, he learns something new - the more he understands why he gets along with her so well.
He walked towards her, taking her slightly by surprise when he offered her his hand, but she smiled at him, putting her hand in his, glancing at it for a moment as she saw how her hand looked so small compared to his, but yet fit so well as their fingers intertwined. She tried to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, trying to play the gesture off as just a gesture of kindness as she led him through the park.
Toto knew about the park, but never had the opportunity to visit, so he took his time to let his eyes wonder around, the gentle breeze hitting the trees was the only sound that occupied them, not a person in sight. It was a different experience seeing the track he's been too countless of times from the park, the fences high around it, but the view was spectacular nonetheless, especially with the sun setting over the track.
"There's a shrine dedicated to Senna, right?" Toto asked, breaking the silence as he looked down at her, "I've heard a lot about it, but never actually visited it."
"Yes, and it's absolutely beautiful," she answered as she glanced up at him, "there's also two other monuments dedicated to other drivers, but they're not really visited by other people who come here for Senna's shrine."
"Yeah?" Toto asked, "who's monuments are they?"
"Outside the other entrance for the park there's a monument dedicated to Gilles," she explained, "and even though he didn't die here, it's no surprise there's a monument for him, Enzo adored Gilles so much!" Toto watched the small sad smile make its way on her lips as she talked about her grandfather, "the other monument's further up from Gilles' monument, and it's dedicated to Roland."
"Yeah, Ratzenberger," Toto nodded, letting out a small sigh, "the Austrian Formula 1 driver who's death seems to be forgotten most of the time."
"To some people yes," Alessandra nodded, "it's a shame people tend to forget that he died a day before Senna. But the drivers never forgot it, Michael always told me that it was the most haunting weekend he's ever experienced, and it took him a very long time to recover from all that happened that weekend."
"I can imagine, even watching that weekend on television was traumatising," Toto said, rubbing his thumb gently over the back of her hand.
Alessandra took Toto to the shrine dedicated to Ayrton Senna, and Toto was in awe when he saw the large number of flags hung up on the fence in front of his statue, a chill running down his spine as he looked closely to it, whilst Alessandra took a seat on the bench in front of it. He then joined her on the bench, taking her hand in his once more as the two sat in silence looking at the statue, both saying a silent prayer. Afterwards, Alessandra showed him her favourite spot, which was on a bit of an uphill at the side of the park, and the two sat down, Toto behind her as she sat between his legs, his arms around her shoulder as she leaned on his chest, watching the sun slowly descend behind the trees surrounding the track as the sky got darker, the silence comforting them, taking in each other's presence as they both secretly wondered to each other when they'll be able to be like this again.
"I've never enjoyed Imola like this," Alessandra mumbled as she snuggled more in Toto, as he asked her what she meant, "I usually tend to come here alone, or if the guys join me, we're running after each other, creating absolute havoc. It's a fun time, especially as we have pizza here, but this, this is really nice."
"Well, I've never enjoyed Imola like this, away from all the chaos," he said, placing his chin on her head, "never knew how beautiful it really is before now. And I'm glad you brought me to see it."
"I'm glad you accepted to come with me," she said as she looked up to him with a grin on her lips, "I'm glad you stayed in Italy after all."
"Me too," he replied as he leaned his head towards hers, quickly closing the gap between them as they shared a loving kiss.
The two spent a couple of hours sat there holding each other and sharing kisses, barely exchanging any words but they didn't need to, they were tranquil in each other's presence and that was more than enough for them. Then they headed back to the car holding each other's hands once more, and drove back to Maranello as they both started to get tired. They were quick to change and get in bed, limbs wrapped around each other as they kissed goodnight, trying to ignore the sadness that creeped through them when they remembered that this was the last night they were sleeping in each other's arms, and didn't know when they were going to be in that position again.
The next morning the two didn't want to wake up, but Toto's flight was in the early afternoon, so they only had a few hours until Alessandra needed to drive him to the airport. They spent the first few minutes laying in bed, holding each other as close as possible, and shared a kiss every now and then before deciding to go make some breakfast.
They ate in peace, but the lingering reminder that Toto was leaving was in the air and it was becoming harder to ignore, but they tried their best, because they didn't know where the sadness was coming from.
Alessandra tried to ignore the sadness that was creeping through her when she watched Toto pack his stuff as she quickly slid on a dress and put a cap over her head, trying to make sense as to how the past 3 days passed by so quickly, how the two team principals went from being angry at each other to sharing a bed, stealing a kiss and explored themselves in placed they never thought they would, every chance they had.
"You ready to go?" The Italian asked as she glanced down at her watch and saw that it was time to head to the airport.
Toto nodded as he threw the duffle bag over his shoulder and grabbed the hand luggage, giving Alessandra a small smile as they walked out of her room. His heart started feeling heavy, his stomach slowly turning in knots as he cruelly reminded himself that he's sleeping alone in Monaco tonight, and didn't know when he'll see Alessandra again, if it was sometime this summer or in Zandvoort.
The drive to the airport was quiet, none of them knew what to say to each other, but Toto didn't miss the opportunity of holding her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze every now and then. Alessandra's right hand was on the back of Toto's neck, running her fingers through his hair every now and then, and Toto almost fell asleep as her action made him feel instantly calm.
The Austrian's heart dropped when he saw that they were approaching the Bologna airport, feeling like the car ride went by too quick, and he hated that. He hated that he had to leave, he hated that he didn't know when he's seeing Alessandra again, he hated that all of this was making him sad, even though he knew that whatever was between them was purely physical. What he didn't know was that Alessandra was feeling the exact same way he was, and she was trying her best not to beg him to stay.
She turned her head around, giving him a small smile as she waited for him to make any move, or to say something, finding him looking at her with a small, gentle smile. She closed her eyes for a moment when he cupped the side of her face, his thumb gently running over her cheek as she leaned her head in his palm, opening her eyes slowly and let them lock gaze with his.
"Thank you for the past few days," he said, "I truly had a wonderful time with you."
"You weren't too bad for company," she playfully said, making him chuckle, "but yeah, I'm glad we did this, although you're not out of the woods yet to earn my forgiveness!"
"I know," he nodded, "and I'll do whatever it takes to earn it."
"Good," she grinned as she leaned her head forward, "now go or else you're gonna miss your flight, and I need to get back to work!"
"Oh, so you're kicking me out of Italy?" He asked, playfully raising an eyebrow at her. She let out a loud laugh, rolling her eyes as she shook her head slightly, but then the playful features became soft, as her big blue eyes looked at him lovingly. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Me too," she replied, letting out a small sigh as Toto rested his forehead against hers, "let me know when you've arrived, yeah?"
"Always," he nodded before placing his lips on hers. The two sat in the car sharing a long, passionate kiss, holding tightly onto each other, not wanting to let go, not wanting to part, but they knew that it was time to do so, and they were savouring the last moments they had left together and seal their time together in Maranello with a kiss.
When they parted, Toto gave her a small smile and a squeeze of her hand before getting out of the car and grabbed his bags from the back. Alessandra nibbled on her bottom lip as she watched him walk towards the entrance of the airport, trying hard to ignore the sadness as she watched him turn around and give her a wave, which she returned.
When he disappeared from her view, she started her journey back home, feeling her heart in the pit of her stomach as she realised that for the first time in 3 days,s he was going back to an empty house, and she was scared at how accustomed she's become to Toto's presence in her home in just 3 days. It scared her, along with how the feelings she couldn't recognised were coming in, in full force, and she wasn't sure how to handle them, and that scared her even more.