Battle of The Gods

Quarantasei

The days that followed were all dedicated to hard work for the Italian team principal, quickly getting back into her routine of being the first in Gestione Sportiva early in the morning, and the last one to leave. But apart from working with the team to make sure that the car is ready for Zandvoort and the races that followed, it was also Alessandra that was the one occupying the simulator, changing her office attire to a Ferrari t-shirt and short, spending hours sat down in the state of the art contraption in the middle of the dark room, helmet over her head and screen in front of her, memorising the track in the Netherlands, getting used to the glimpse of the feel of competing in the F2004 and improved on her racing skills.

When she wasn't in Gestiona, she was at the track in Fiorano, as after the team's hard work, they prepared the F2004 for her to test in racing conditions. She was suited in tight bright red fireproofs, the 2024 race suit with her name and the italian flag on her hip and her custom red and white helmet under her arm as she talked to the engineers whilst standing next to the car. She felt every thought about her work, her personal life, her problems, all disappear when pulled the baklava over her head, slid the helmet on and arranged the HANS device as she got in the car, only focusing on the loud sound of the engine and the track under her whilst spending more hours pushing to the limit in her favourite Schumacher car.

On the outside, she looked calm and composed everytime she got in and out of the car after clocking over a hundred laps each time, with her lap times only getting better, as if she was a professional racing driver and done this a thousand times, but the adrenaline rush she was getting was one she hasn't felt in a long time, and that feeling made her immensely happy, giddy with excitement to actually race on a track again.

However, when she got home late at night after reviewing her data and planning with her group of engineers and mechanics what needs to be improved before finishing the day off with reading data related to the 2024 car, a wave of loneliness accumulated, and it started the day she went back home after dropping Toto at the airport. She had never felt it before, being so used to having her independence and finding solace in herself and her work, so she couldn't understand why she was almost expecting Toto to come out from one of the rooms in her house to greet her.

The loneliness almost kept her up the first night she spent alone since Toto left, trying to understand how her mind and body became so accustomed to sleeping in his arms, even if it was only for three nights in a row that they did. Truth be told, whenever she had her one night stands, or was in a friends with benefits phase, she either left right after or spent the night but left before the guy woke up. She was never really interested in the whole waking up to the guy and spending the morning with him after sex. That was, however until Toto really came into the picture.

The feelings that erupted through her even just by the thought of him were overwhelming, her confused mind becoming even more distraught as she tried to figure out what they meant and why she was feeling the way she did. And her text exchanges with Toto were not helping her, as she missed him much more than she wished to admit, and with every text message she was close to asking him to come back. But she restrained herself, she knew that she had to focus on herself, her father and her work, so as much as she missed Toto, she used everything around her as a distraction, to fully get back into what she loves the most before she went to Monaco to meet with Charles.

And after days of data analysing, simulator training, hundreds of laps under her belt done in Fiorano and taking her dad to his last few appointments before taking his needed vacation, she was pleased with her progress and satisfied enough to be able to relax without have to worry about anything related to work. So, she made her way to Monaco.

The moment she told Charles about her arrival in Monaco, the world champion was quick to invite her over for a family lunch at Pascale's place the next day, which she happily accepted. She enjoyed helping Pascale and Lorenzo set up the table on the terrace, the sun warm and bright over them as they chatted over a nice salad, giving each other a quick catching up since they only saw each other last a bit over a week ago at her god daughter's baptism.

She'll forever cherish the wholehearted laughs shared with the Leclerc siblings, listening to Charlotte tell her about her upcoming travel spots, and discussing new art pieces discovered by Alexandra, making coffee and tea with Pascale in the kitchen and finish off the lunch fully stuffed on the sofa and letting the food coma take over and end up napping on each other after attempting to watch a movie. It was her favourite thing about being in Monaco for the summer.

After managing to wake up from what was a 3 hour long nap and had some coffee, Charles offered to take Alessandra back to her apartment, which she gladly accepted, saying goodbye to everyone and promised to see them after her and Charles return from their vacation.

"So Alexandra isn't joining us tomorrow?" Alessandra asked when the two got into Charles's new Ferrari, curtesy of Alessandra and the team as a gift for winning the championship in 2023, which was a Ferrari Daytona SP3 in the exact same livery as his pista, "neither is Arthur?"

"Alexandra's leaving for Paris tonight, but she'll come and join us once we decide where we're all meeting," Charles answered, "Arthur wanted to meet up with Ollie in Italy and he'll decide if he joins us or not then."

"Ah, gotcha," the boss replied, nodding her head, "and have we decided where we're heading?"

"I thought we'd head to Sardegna instead of sailing through the French Riviera," Charles said, "what do you think?"

"I think that sounds lovely," she smiled, "maybe we can spend a day or two docked further out before docking in the marina, you know, so we won't get bombarded the moment we arrive, like we did during last year's boat trip."

"Yeah I was thinking that too," he replied, "so tomorrow I'll pick you up, and we'll get some groceries so we can be stocked for those couple of days, what do you think?"

"Sounds like a perfect plan," she nodded, glancing at him, "don't forget to load the equipment on the yacht if you haven't!"

"I already put the jet skis inside, along with some games," he chuckled, "would it be okay for you to make a list of things we need to buy? To have a base to work on at least?"

"Yeah, already planned to do that," she replied as she glanced out the window, feeling her heart beat slightly faster in her chest when her eyes fell on a familiar building as they drove past it.

Charles felt that Alessandra's fallen quiet, taking a glance at her and found her staring out the window. He took a quick look at where she was looking at, trying to fight the smirk that wanted to make its way on his lips when he also recognised the building they drove past, realising why she's fallen quiet.

"Is Toto in Monaco?" Alessandra looked at Charles as he asked the question, her cheeks heating up slightly when she realised that he saw her looking at the building. Charles knew where Toto lived, a lot of people did, Monaco's small and really hard to miss certain places, especially when you know lots of people living there.

"I don't know," she answered, shrugging her shoulders slightly, "I didn't tell him I'm here, either."

"Are you two okay?" He asked, "did something happen when he stayed in Maranello?"

"No, no, things were good in Maranello, they still are," she quickly answered, "we're not in a relationship, we don't need to update each other on every moment of our lives. Hell, I don't think you need to do that when you're in an actual relationship, let alone not being in one."

"You're right," he nodded, "but have you at least talked after he left?"

"Oh yeah, we did," she said, a small smile tugging on her lips, "he did tell me that he's probably going out on his yacht sometime soon, but he didn't tell me when. He's probably still in Brackley, or somewhere with the kids. But honestly, after spending over a week at the factory and in the simulator, I'm just ready to relax on sea."

"You deserve it, which is why I'm giving you a couple of days full of sheer bliss before the rest meet up with us," he grinned, slowly pulling up in her street as they turned the corner, "I think tomorrow we'll finalise the day when we can all meet up and decide on where to go."

"I'm secretly hoping that they decide to meet us in Sardegna," she said, smiling as he stopped the car in front of her apartment complex, turned around to look at him, "alright, so I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"8am," he answered sharply, but with a big smile on his face, "we'll get groceries, get some breakfast and head out."

"Perfect!" She gave Charles a hug before getting out of his car, giving him a quick wave as she watched him drive away before she ran up to her apartment.

The Team principal spent the rest of her evening preparing her bags for her mini holiday with her friends, and after she sat down in her living room with a glass of wine watching a movie. She was happy that after working night and day for over a week, along with simulator training and driving on track, she's taking a well needed break, and doing her yearly adventure on sea with her friends. Summer break was relaxing and intense, and she loved the balance of it.

But as she tried to focus on the movie, she couldn't help herself as she glanced at her phone every once in a while, hoping that she'd get a text from Toto. They had only talked in the morning before she headed to Monaco, and didn't disclose that she was there. He didn't tell her where he was either, so she just assumed that he was busy in Brackley, and she knew first hand how busy and tedious it was to have the job they have so she didn't want to bother him. But when she went to bed, she was surrounded by the feeling of missing his body against hers, and she did wonder if she'd get to see him soon, at least before the upcoming F1 event in a few weeks.

The next morning, as promised, Charles came for Alessandra at 8 in the morning, and the two took advantage of the cafes still being remotely empty and went to get breakfast. Over a nice cool iced coffee and poached eggs, the two went over the list of things needed to buy at the supermarket and the small itinerary for their first couple of days on sea.

"Did you see the picture Max sent this morning?" Charles started as he took a sip of the coffee, a slight chuckle leaving his lips.

"I did," she laughed, nodding her head, "I have to give it to P, her art skills were excellent, those flowers she drew on his forehead were beautiful!"

"Remember when we had a prank war going on when we were kids?" Charles asked, a wide grin spreading over his face as he reminisced their childhood, "but the only prank we were capable of was drawing on each other's faces whilst we were still asleep?"

"I'll never forget how Pascale almost died laughing when we managed to get each other in one night once, and walked in the living room with half of our faces painted red," Alessandra replied, "then Lorenzo nicknamed us oompa loompas for like two months!"

"Have Lorenzo's kids ever pulled a prank like that when they stayed over at yours?" Charles asked, his eyes turning soft at the mention of Alessandra's niece and nephew, whilst her smile got bigger as her heart ached slightly from missing them so much.

"On me, never," she answered, shaking her head slightly, "but whenever we all stayed at my parents' house, I might have helped them prank Alfie every now and then."

"Of course you did," he shot back, letting out a loud laugh, "be careful, karma might get you back when your kids decide to prank you someday!"

"That's years away," she chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't have to worry about my kids pranking me for a very long time!"

"Oh come on," Charles scoffed, rolling his eyes slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "you're with Toto now, don't you think about possibly starting your own family with him?"

"I don't cause I'm not with Toto," she replied, her tone slightly harsh, which took Charles by surprise, but he quickly realised that he overstepped with his comment, and the fact that he went overboard into thinking that his best friend and boss is in a relationship with her rival, "There are no feelings involved between him and I, and plus, he's still not out of the woods with me just because I let him stay over. He's got to really work for my forgiveness if he wants to earn it." She paused for a moment as she took another sip of her coffee to finish it off, "so trust me, there is no relationship anywhere, and certain there's no thoughts about starting a family with him."

As Charles nodded in understanding and apologised for overstepping, which she shrugged off and quickly changed the topic, Alessandra knew that saying that she was lying straight through her teeth when she told him that she had no thoughts about starting a family with Toto. She had her couple moments where she drifted off into a daydream and imagined what it would be like if she did end up in a relationship with Toto, and even having a family with him, and she couldn't lie, she didn't hate the image, but she always quickly pushed the thoughts away, because she knew very well that she needed to be realistic instead of running silly scenarios in her head.

The two headed to the supermarket after finishing off their breakfast, once again getting lucky that the place was relatively empty, which made the trip easier as they went through Alessandra's long list of groceries and necessities, quickly filling up the cart, and the trunk of the car with bags. The two were getting excited as they headed to the Marina, watching the streets slowly getting filled with people heading out for breakfast, doing their runs, and just like the Ferrari team principal and driver were planning, heading out on their yachts.

Alessandra quickly took over on stocking up the small kitchen in the lower deck with everything they bought whilst Charles started to make his way out on sea, the gentle rocking of the sea under them made Alessandra calmer, and ready to soak in some sun. She then went and unpacked her stuff in one of the rooms, excited by the fact that she'll get to enjoy the room for herself for the next couple of nights before having to bunk with Lewis.

She made her way up to the top deck, getting Charles's attention by tapping his bare shoulder, rolling her eyes when she realised that he did not bother putting on sunscreen as the sun soared over them. She made herself comfortable on the cushioned bench at the side, laying down as she glanced at her driver, finding him looking at her with a wide grin.

"Does sun screen not exist to you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow behind her large black sunglasses. "You're going to be a lobster before we even make it to Sardegna!" 

"I'll put some on when we're further out," he chuckled, shaking his head slightly at his boss' maternal instincts, "we should make it to Sardegna right before the sun sets!"

"Oh we should definitely bring out the jet skis and go for a sunset joyride!" Alessandra beamed, feeling a slight rush of adrenaline at the thought of being fast even on water, "until then, you just let me know when you want me to take over, or make you something!"

"Your job right now is to relax," he replied, "why aren't you tanning? We have the sun right on top of us, and you're not taking advantage of it!"

"I just wanted to make sure we're safe on sea before I do," she joked, earning her an eye roll from the Monegasque as she stood back up and hurried down back to her room.

The next hours were spent taking advantage of the soaring sun as Alessandra spent the majority of the time en route on sea lounging on the top deck, having a never ending conversation with Charles, after he finally put on some sunscreen. Alessandra took the liberty of making them some snacks to enjoy, and when Charles was able to take a break, she made the two some lunch, which they ate on the middle deck.

The moments she had with Charles, like the one they were sharing, were moments that Alessandra truly cherished, and makes her realise how great her life is. Charles and her were two peas in a pod, starting off with an intense rivalry between them on track, but quickly realised how great they were together off track, sharing such a strong dynamic, and quickly became each other's platonic soulmates.

For Charles, Alessandra was always the sister he never had, the person he went to for everything, the first person he called after receiving good news, the person he asks for when he needed someone during his horrible experiences. Alessandra was the person that truly understood him.

And for Alessandra, she saw Charles more of a brother than her actual brothers, having pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves, and never pulling each other down, plus she saw Charles more than she saw her brothers, and shared much more common interest with Charles than she did with her brothers, and he was always around, never hesitating to come to her when she needed him, which to her meant the world.

And they got to do what they loved the most together, in the same world, in the same team. She was his boss, but off track and away from anything related to racing, they were each other's non-biological siblings. And because of how busy their job keeps them, and how the only time they have to hang out during their work was with other people, she cherished the time when it's just the two of them, he understands her on a level like no one else does, and plus, he's holding her biggest secret.

The two could spot the Italian land belonging to the island of Sardegna, and the two cheered as they sipped on the Bellinis Alessandra quickly made for them, and Charles slowly started stopping the yacht, a couple of miles away from land to be able to enjoy some privacy on water. They quickly brought out the jet skis when they anchored, having the gorgeous backdrop of the sun setting as they sped on the waters, their competitive side quickly coming out as they playfully raced each other. They spent the evening like that, and also jumping off the top deck of the yacht and into the sea, finally getting their first proper swim of the year out at sea, and not inside a pool.

The next morning, the Ferrari duo woke up bright and early, ready to enjoy their last day just the two of them before they were joined by the rest of the group tomorrow when they docked in the marina in Sardegna. Dressed in their bathing suits, the two made breakfasts and sat down on the table set up on the middle deck, enjoying the solace of being out at sea alone.

"Arthur just told me that he's meeting up with Mick and Laila tomorrow morning in Maranello, and they're coming down to Sardegna together," Charles started as he glanced down at his phone, "and Alexandra, Andrea, Joris and Antoine arrive together early afternoon, probably around the same time as Arthur and Mick."

"Alright, that's good," Alessandra nodded as she took a bite of her eggs, "so Max and Kelly are coming from Ibiza, are they picking up Carlos and Rebecca from Mallorca or are they coming alone?"

"I think they're coming separate, but are arriving around the same time," Charles shrugged, "Pierre and Kika are coming from the French Riviera, and Daniel and Heidi are flying from Monaco, and then probably staying on Max's yacht."

"Thank god we planned the dinner for the night after," Alessandra replied, letting out a chuckle, "we're lucky if everyone makes it for dinner tomorrow night!"

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head as he gave her a smile, "can't believe we're going to Briatore's new club, have you been there before?"

"I haven't been there, but he had invited me a few months ago, wanting me to let him know when we'll be around so he'd book us a table," she answered, "apparently it's almost impossible to get a table during summertime."

"Well," he said as he stood up when both of them finished eating, grabbing both of their plates, "I'll guess we'll see if it's worth the hype." Alessandra laughed, nodding her head in agreement as she went to grab some water games from the storage room after Charles said he wanted to get into the sea in a bit.

The morning continued with the two playing water padel, which Charles commented endlessly about how harder it was than actual padel, as they had to swim to catch the ball and hit it to each other. They then threw the padels back on the boat and continued swimming around, then proceeded to get on the yacht and practice their flips as they jumped off the top deck in a backflip into the sea.

Charles had decided to rest up on the upper deck whilst Alessandra was laying on the inflatable bed which was tied to the end of the yacht, as she wanted to stay on water whilst she got a bit of a tan. The Monegasque was enjoying the music that was being played from the speakers of his boat, when he suddenly heard an engine sound close by. Confused and curious, he lifted his head up, and he saw a yacht, three times his size, anchoring a few meters away from his. He wondered if Alessandra saw the yacht, and if she was going to get annoyed because they can no longer take advantage of having the sea all for themselves, but when he stood up and went to take a peak at her, he found her with her eyes closed, head bumping to the sound of the music, the music was louder from where she was, so she probably didn't even hear the yacht.

He chuckled, deciding not to disturb her as he went back to the lounger, sitting down as he grabbed a bottle of beer from the small mini fridge, taking a swig as he glanced at the yacht, wondering if it belonged to a family or a group of friends, slowly also preparing himself in case he and Alessandra get recognised.

As the bottle stayed between the Monegasques's lips as he took another sip of his beer, he watched a figure walk out on the middle deck. He only got a backside view of the person as they roamed around the deck of their massive yacht, but when he turned around, a deep smirk formed on Charles's lips over the top of the glass beer bottle when he quickly recognised the figure. He couldn't help the deep chuckle leaving Charles's lips, shaking his head as he couldn't believe that this was happening, another coincidence was occurring, and the funniest part of it was that right now, Alessandra had no idea.

He wondered what would happen if Alessandra found out, how she'd react when she saw that the man she spent a couple of nights in her home, after finally starting to move on from the hatred and anger that lasted for over half a year. He still doesn't know to what extent they're involved with each other, and he did have his doubts that whatever was between them was strictly physical as Alessandra was letting on, but he knew he had no place in pushing her for a definitive answer. He just wonders because he cares about her, and the last thing he wants is to get hurt again, because he knew that if she was an expert in her field, and many other fields, she wasn't when it came to relationships, and he wanted to help her in anyway he can.

Toto was leaning against the metal railing, enjoying the warm breeze hitting his skin, the thin white linen shirt barely serving as a barrier on his body as he felt the sun blaze over him. He had the whole day and night to himself before he docked in the marina and met up with his group of friends. He was looking forward to make use of the time of solace he had before being dragged into the chaos that one of his friends liked to create whenever they were on holiday together, but it was chaos he somewhat needed every once in a while.

He anchored in the same spot he always did whenever he wanted to stay a few miles away from land before heading to the island, and he was slightly annoyed when he saw a grey yacht on a smaller scale anchored there too. He was hoping that he'd have his privacy, and now he just hoped that whoever was on that yacht would not bother him.

But, when he glanced at the top deck of the neighbouring yacht, the desire for privacy was thrown out at sea when his eyes fell on the driver belonging to his rival team, looking at him with an amused look as he sipped on his beer, eyebrow quirked, smirk present, almost taunting the Austrian.

"Who would have thought?" Charles asked, letting out a laugh as he moved to the edge slightly, "morning Toto!"

"Morning Charles," The Mercedes team principal greeted, as every part of his being was asking if Alessandra was around, "how's summer break treating you?"

"As good as it can be," the Ferrari driver grinned, "taking advantage of some peace and quiet out on sea before the others come and head to land. What about you?"

"Same as you really," the Austrian answered, nodding his head, "I'm assuming you're heading to Sardegna?"

"Yeah, we're all meeting there," Charles said, taking another sip of his beer, "but everyone decided to start the holiday separately, so right now, it's just Ale and I."

The mention of Alessandra caused Toto's eyes to widen slightly, feeling his heart skip a beat as his eyes looked around Charles's yacht, trying to see if he can get a glimpse of her. He had missed her since he left Maranello, their occasional chats on the phone wasn't enough for him, he missed her having close to him, being able to hold her, kiss her. The two hadn't spoken the last couple of days, as Toto thought that maybe she was busy in the factory, so he didn't want to disturb her.

But now he knows that she's only a few meters away from him, only sea separating the two of them, warmth was rushing through him like a tsunami at the thought of possibly getting to see her again after almost two weeks. And he was lucky, because he was alone on the yacht, and it was just Charles and Alessandra on their yacht, and Charles knew about them, so there was no need to sneak around him, which honestly for Toto, it was a relief.

"You're wondering where Alessandra is, aren't you?" Charles's question took the Austrian off guard, a blush rising in his cheeks in embarrassment as he wondered how predictable he looked in front of his rival driver. He tried to play it off cool, shrugging his shoulders, which caused Charles to let out a loud laugh, shaking his head at Toto's stubbornness. "She's tanning on the floatie, the music's blaring on her side so she probably didn't even hear your yacht anchor."

Toto nodded at the information, as his mind still wondered where she was, and when she would show up. He wondered if she'd be happy to see him, or maybe she still wanted space. He knew he wasn't out of the woods with her, he still needs to work his ass off to get her forgiveness after being the biggest idiot for even doubting her loyalty and work ethic in the first place. And all he wanted to do was show her how sorry he was, and that he's going to work for his forgiveness, even if it means he needs to grovel. He had swore to himself he'd never grovel for anyone, especially the implications left on him emotionally after his divorce with Susie, but for Alessandra, he was willing to go the mile.

Alessandra didn't know how long she's spent laying on the floatie, and all she wanted was to down a cold drink and backflip her way back in the water as her skin felt hot. She grabbed on the rope attached to the floatie, pulling herself towards the yacht as her head bumped to the beat that was blasting loudly through the speakers. As she managed to get on the yacht, she grabbed the shower and cooled her body off with the water, spotting a white yacht docked next to them from the corner of her eyes. She shrugged it off, hoping that whoever decided to become their neighbours did not bug them during the remainder of their private vacation before docking in Sardegna.

She went to grab a glass of water mixed with berries from the kitchen, sipping on it as she made her way up to the top deck where Charles was. As she went up the steps, she could hear Charles's voice, and she let out a silent chuckle to herself, knowing that he could easily get into a conversation with anyone if they shared a common interest. It was a characteristic that she adored in Charles, it was one that got them to become friends in the first place, managing to push their rivalry on track aside when they realised how many common interests they shared.

Charles heard footsteps making their way up, which quickly shut him up, an amused grin matched the mischief in his eyes when he watched his best friend and boss get on the top deck, sipping on her cold drink, only in her bright red floral bikini set which he knew would drive the man on the neighbouring yacht insane.

"How was your nap?" Charles asked as she stopped next to him, absolutely oblivious to the Austrian gawking at his rival at how gorgeous she looked in the bikini and the way her skin glistened under the sun as the droplets of water fell down her body.

"I didn't take a nap," she chuckled as she took another sip, "just enjoyed the sea rocking right under me as I tanned, although it did make me kind of sleepy."

"Are you going back in the water?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her as he tried to find the right opportunity to let her know about her rival across from her.

"Oh for sure, it's insanely hot today," she said as she ran a hand through her wet hair, "I hope that whoever's on the yacht next to us won't be a bother and let us enjoy our last day out here."

"I don't know," Charles replied, shrugging his shoulders innocently as his grin widened, "why don't you say hello to our neighbour?"

Alessandra looked at confused at the grin Charles had on his face, almost scaring her at how weird he was acting, slowly turned her head to the side, being met with a large white yacht. But when her eyes fell on the man that was standing on the middle deck, looking up at her with adoring eyes and a soft smile, they widened in shock, as butterflies erupted in her stomach. She could feel the way her body was reacting at the sight of him, realising how much she's missed him over the past couple of weeks, and she couldn't believe that he was standing only a few meters away from her, after she wondered when she'd see him the past couple of days.

"Another one to add to that tally the drivers have of us?" Toto called out, which made Alessandra laugh loudly, shaking her head slightly as her smile grew.

"I think Charles already told Mick about it," she replied back, grabbing onto the metal rails as she leaned forward, "have you just gotten here?"

"Yeah maybe an hour ago," he answered, "Charles told me you made the trip yesterday, are you staying in Sardegna?"

"Yeah, we've decided that Sardegna's our meeting point, we're docking tomorrow," she nodded, "I thought you were either in Brackley or Sardegna already!"

"I was planning to come earlier, but I needed to stay in Brackley for a bit more," there was a pause after Toto's response. The two looked at each other with warm smiles and longing eyes, every fibre in them burning to get close, and knowing that they were only meters away was becoming agonising for them. Toto took a deep breathe, mustering the courage which he felt he lost as he got lost looking at her goddess-like features, "how about you jump ship for a bit? Come have a drink with me?"

The invitation caused a wave of warmth to rush through her veins, feeling her cheeks heat up. She nibbled on her bottom lip as she turned her head towards Charles, almost asking him with her eyes on what she should do. Because as much as she wanted to get on Toto's yacht, she didn't want to leave her best friend for him, they were vacationing together after all, and she felt guilty that she'd leave him for their rival.

But Charles saw the slimmer of worry run in her eyes, and he gave her a dramatic eye role when he understood the reasons as to why he could practically hear the wheels running in her head.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?" He asked, his voice low so Toto wouldn't hear, but still kept the dramatics within it, "backflip your way off this boat and swim to his!"

"But I don't wan-"

"Oh just fuck off already," he laughed as he cut her off, "we have the next few days together, and the majority of the year. Do I have to throw you off myself?" Alessandra rolled her eyes at his dramatics, but she gave him a wide smile as she gave his arm a squeeze before holding tight to the railing whilst she got on top of it.

Toto looked at her with wide eyes as he watched her get on the edge of the railing, seeing how high she was as she managed to balance herself on it for a few seconds before she threw her body in a backflip. His eyes followed as she spun twice before diving head first in the water. When he watched her rise to the surface, he quickly made his way down to the lower deck, standing at the edge of the yacht as he watched her swim towards him, reminding him of the time they shared in the pool back at her home, the memories, along with the sight in front of him, bringing a smile to his lips.

He crouched down when he watched her grab the plank on the edge, the meters apart becoming inches as the two looked at each other with wide grins. Toto was quick to put his hands under her arms, pulling her out of the water in one swift motion, like she weighed nothing, which earned him a hearty chuckle from the Italian, causing his heart to skip a couple of beats as it rang in his ear.

He put her on her feet right in front of him, the gap between them getting smaller as they let themselves get lost in each other's eyes when their gazes locked. Alessandra's hands gripped onto this forearms, feeling his skin hot against her cool, wet hands, but it only increased the bolts of electricity blasting through them.

"Hi," she managed to breathe out, her chest rising and falling from the slight adrenaline rush she got jumping off the yacht, and being in Toto's arms as he held her waist.

"Hi," he replied, the smile never leaving his lips as he looked in her eyes in awe, watching the way her blue eyes looked big and bright as the sun shined through them. "How about that drink?" Alessandra nodded, glancing down when she felt him grab her hand in his, enjoying the way it looked small in his hold as he gently took her through the massive yacht.

Toto took her to the front of the yacht, telling her to get comfortable on the sofa at the side as he quickly ran inside the kitchen, which is what she did as she laid down, her head hitting one of the cushions as she quickly felt the sun soak in her skin. She let her eyes wander around the yacht, immersed by the size of it, especially because Toto was alone on it. She let out a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly as she couldn't believe that another coincidence had struck them like this, as if the was faith wanting them to reunite on Italian shores once more, like Italy was the place that would bring them back together.

She quickly got out of her thoughts when she saw Toto appear, holding two glasses in his hands with orange liquid in them, letting herself take in his appearance, which consisted of a khaki shorts and a loose white linen button up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the top 3 buttons undone. A smile made its way on her lips as she sat up when he took a seat next to her, both sat so close next to each other as she took one of the glasses from his hands, thanking him for the drink.

"It's a Bellini, I remember you telling me you prefer them from Mimosas," he started as she took a sip, trying to be respectful as all he wanted to do was let his eyes shamelessly roam over her exposed body, before his hands did that themselves, "honestly though, I also prefer Bellinis."

"Yeah, it's just what I needed," she hummed, "thank you!"

"No problem," he grinned as he let his free arm fall loosely behind her shoulders, "so, Charles told me that you're all docking in Sardegna tomorrow?"

"Yeah, guys decided they wanted to spend a few days in Sardegna, the chaos should start at around lunch time tomorrow so beware," she answered, tilting her head in his direction as the two let out a laugh, "what about you? Are you docking tomorrow too?"

"Yeah, but probably in the evening," he said, his fingers falling on the skin of her arm, letting them caress her and draw meaningless designs, "I'd like to spend a day or two out here, avoid being recognised cause even though it doesn't happen so often during Summer break, the area by the marina's always busy."

"Yeah I know," Alessandra nodded, "I wasn't with Charles when he came to Sardegna last year, and he had crowds in front of his yacht. Even in Monaco, so we decided to just spend a couple of days out here away from it all."

"I thought I was gonna spend the next day or two alone," Toto said, his eyes darkening slightly as he leaned closer to her, "but it seems that life had other plans."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him as she tried to hold back the sigh that wanted to leave her lips when his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her so close that she was almost on his lap, "and what are these plans?"

"Hmm," his face ghosted over hers whilst her arms wrapped around his neck, slowly pushing him closer to her, "well, apart of enjoying the sun and sea, maybe something like this."

The heat Alessandra felt on her skin from the sun whilst she tanned was no match to the heat that rushed through her like a tsunami when his lips fell on hers. She let a hand run through his hair, enjoying the way how soft it felt between her fingers as she slowly tugged on it, earning her a sharp moan in her lips, followed by him pulling her even closer, practically sitting her on his laps.

The way their bodies felt against each other made their mind fuzzy, skin tingling, emotions rushing through their veins, everything within them felt like a tangled mess, as the emotions and feelings that have confused them for the past few weeks kept creeping back up. But one thing's for sure, they missed each other, their bodies show how much they missed each other, and there was no better place than being so close to each.

Their foreheads rested against each other when they pulled away, their chests heavy as they rose and fell together, but their smiles were wide, eyes locked with each other's and they couldn't be more content to have this closeness within each other.

"You know, the water's absolutely beautiful," Alessandra commented, the tip of her finger tracing the side of his face, "it would be a waste not to enjoy it."

"You're right," he smiled, "I'm going to change, until then, think of what you want to do." Alessandra nodded, trying to fight the blush that wanted to get exposed on her cheeks when he stole a kiss before heading down to the lower deck.

She got up from the lounger, walking to the other side of the yacht, leaning towards it as she glanced at her best friend's yacht, spotting him on the deck doing a quick workout.

"Charles!" She called out, quickly getting his attention as he stopped mid-pull up, turning her head to look at her, "are you in the mood for some races on the jet skis?"

"You know I always am," he grinned as he stood up from the floor, "but what about Toto, where is he?"

"He's changing," she replied, "he can join us, if you're up for it?"

"Like you had to ask," he laughed, shaking his head slightly, "give me two seconds, I'll go and take them out!" Alessandra nodded, thanking him as she went back to the where she was sat, finishing off the Bellini as she enjoyed the views.

Her new favourite view arrived when Toto got back on the top deck, his toned upper body fully exposed, and she couldn't help the amused smirk making its way on her lips when her eyes fell on the pink swim shorts hanging low on his hips, the colour so light almost matching the skin of his legs.

"Have you thought about what you want to do?" Toto asked as he walked closer to her when she stood up from the lounger, his hands quickly making their way around her back.

"Do you have a jet ski?" Alessandra asked, looking up at him as her arms wrapped around his torso.

"I do," he nodded, a subtle smirk on his lips as he pushed her closer to him, "are you in the mood for the racing adrenaline rush? You know we'll be racing each other on track in a few weeks right?"

"I know," she grinned, "but it's also fun when you do it on water. I told Charles to pull them out, he's also in the mood for speed."

"Alright then," he chuckled, "it's like we had the same idea, cause I had taken mine out right before I came back up here."

"Who knew we shared the same desires?" She jokingly retorted, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Who knew indeed," he mumbled as he lowered his head towards hers, capturing her lips with his for another time.

When they pulled away, the two team principals saw that Charles had finished taking out the jet skis, and motioned for them to get on theirs as the Monegasque sat on his, ready to hit the water. The two chuckled at his excitement and impatience, and as Alessandra thought that they were heading on the lower deck to get on the jet skis, the Italian looked in sheer confusion when she watched Toto walk towards the edge on the deck.

"What are you doing?" She asked, letting out a short laugh as she walked towards him.

"You're not the only one who can jump off a yacht, you know," he grinned as he quickly steadied himself on the edge.

"Yeah, but you're even higher from where I jumped!" She exclaimed.

"Which makes it even more fun," he smirked, giving her a wink before he jumped head first into the crystal blue waters, as Alessandra looked at him swim back to the surface with wide eyes. Toto saw her expression, the mixed of surprise and excitement in her eyes as she held onto the railing. "Come on, Ale! I know you're dying to do it too."

"Oh you know I am!" She called back as she quickly got on the edge, steadied herself before jumping off into a double twist and getting into the water head first, a move that has very much impressed Toto.

"Now imagine if you did that flip for Drive to Survive," Alessandra laughed loudly at Toto's comment as he swam towards her, "would have probably increased the viewership, don't you think?"

"I'd like to keep some things away from the camera," she grinned as he wrapped his arm around her, "or at least limit it to the eyes of my closest friends."

"You mean your private instagram account?" He asked, an amused smirk on his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Exactly!" She replied before placing her lips on his, enjoying the hint of salt water on their lips as they moved together.

The two then swam towards the jet skis, and Alessandra rolled her eyes when she saw the amused look Charles was giving her as he was sat on his jet ski. She pulled her body up on it, pushing her wet hair back as Charles threw a pair of sunglasses her way, which she thanked him for when she caught them, sliding the large black frames over her eyes as the rays of sun were almost blinding over them.

Alessandra turned her head, smiling slightly as she watched Toto get on his jet ski, and when he turned to look at her, their gazes locked, and their competitive size quickly kicked in as they smirked at each other, knowing that in one way or another they're going to turn their run on the jet skis into some sort of competition. It was the strong factor in their dynamic, and it couldn't be denied, even whilst they were shamelessly admiring each other.

Charles was the first one off, his jet ski loud as it bounced on the open waters, taking the advantage of having the sea all to himself before the two team principals decided to join. Alessandra lowered her glasses at the tip of her nose, revealing her bright blue eyes at the Austrian before she sent him a wink and drove off.

The three were enjoying the adrenaline rush coming from the speed of the jet skis and the jumps from the occasional wave that graced them, and Toto let himself admire Alessandra, and how gorgeous she looked as she rode the jet ski, with the open sea and sun shining right behind her, looking like a work of art. He could see that the feel of the speed under her was making her happy, knowing how much she loved that feeling, and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips at the sight, whilst he also enjoyed the feel of the speed. They were going round their yachts, almost forming their own circuit as they started to race each other.

A couple of hours later, Charles decided that he had enough of the racing and the speed, and parked his jet ski near his yacht, getting back on the yacht and watched Alessandra and Toto slow down next to the yachts too. When Alessandra asked Charles if he was okay, the Monegasque replied with a smile that he was, and wanted to get a snack and go take a nap before disappearing in the lower deck.

"Hey Ale," Toto started, getting Alessandra's attention as she turned to look at him, both still sat on their respective jet skis, "want me to take you on one last spin?"

Alessandra smiled at the idea, nodding her head as she parked her jet ski next to Charles' before she swam to Toto's. The Austrian was quick to help her get on his, smiling to himself as she settled behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso, her chin resting on his shoulders, planting a quick kiss on his neck that sent shivers down his spine. He turned his head around, planting a kiss on the top of her head, which made her smile even wider as he sped through the seas once more.

Charles could hear the jet ski rushing through the seas as he walked back up on the upper deck, spotting the two that were in his storage parked next to his yacht, but his boss was not in sight. That was until he lifted his head, and smiled when he spotted her behind Toto as he took them for a joyride, not able to stop himself as he grabbed his phone and snapped a few pictures of them, knowing that even though she wouldn't say it out loud, Alessandra would want to have the moment her and Toto were sharing photographed as memory. He leaned on the railing, munching on the croissant as he watched his best friend have the time of her life with Toto, and the squeals she let out with the sharp turns he took confirmed that.

He could see how happy she was with him, never having seen her like this with a man in the two decades they've known each other, and even though she insists that it's only physical attraction she has towards her rival, Charles knew that it was much more than that. He wondered when she'd realise, and let herself take the leap and let Toto be the man in her life in a way that Charles, or any of her friends, could ever be. Because Charles knew that Alessandra deserved to be loved in the way him and the rest of her friends get to experience, and even though they're rivals, he could see that Toto cares for her in a way that wouldn't classify as just friends with benefits, and that he would push the rivalry away to love and care for her, like he's doing in that moment.

He knew that the last thing he should do is meddle in her personal life, especially when it comes to her intimacy life, but Charles hopes that in the near future, Alessandra would come and talk to him about her feelings, and help her figure them out. Because she had told him before, she doesn't know what being in love feels like, and she's scared that she would feel something and wouldn't know what it is. And having been in love before, and is currently in love with his girlfriend, Charles knew all about those feelings, which is why he could help her figure them out.

But until then, Charles will just watch from the sidelines, enjoy the fact that he's carrying the secret of the two biggest team principals of the current sport, and see his best friend be another version of herself, where she's happy and carefree in a way she has never been before. He'll support her, and be there for her when she needs it, even though he knows very well that she's more than capable of handling her stuff by herself.

The two team principals brought the jet ski back to Toto's yacht after enjoying the thrill of the speed and adrenaline right against each other, Alessandra enjoying holding Toto and being right against his back as he sped all over the sea, whilst Toto enjoyed the way Alessandra held onto him, the way she rested her head on his shoulder, and how her chest felt squished against his back.

As they got back on the yacht, and showered each other on the wooden platform, whilst stealing kisses every few seconds, the two decided to make some food after telling each other that they felt famished. Toto, being the kind host and gentleman, asked Alessandra if she wanted to invite Charles to join them for lunch, which made her heart skip a beat at the consideration and went to check the yacht. When she didn't hear anything coming from his yacht, she came to the conclusion that he was taking a nap, so she told Toto that it was going to be just the two of them, before he told her to get comfortable on the top deck as he started cooking lunch.

Alessandra helped setting up the table on the deck when Toto came back with two plates of pasta and a bottle of wine, sitting down across from each other, pouring a glass of wine and clinked it together in cheers before digging into the food.

"So," Toto started, "how long are you guys staying in Sardegna?"

"Probably for the week," Alessandra answered as she took a sip of the wine, "we have the luxury of leaving whenever we want since we've got the yachts, so I guess there really isn't a definite answer!"

"Yeah that's the beauty of travelling on your yacht," he chuckled, nodding his head, "I'm probably staying for a few days too, George and Carmen are coming tomorrow too, staying on my yacht."

"Oh that's nice," she smiled, "Charles is gonna have a full house tomorrow, cause his girlfriend, three friends, Lewis, Mick and his girlfriend are joining us!"

"Wow!" Toto exclaimed, eyes widening slightly, "how are you guys all going to fit on his yacht? It's not that big compared to the people he's hosting!"

"It has around four bedrooms, plus Mick and Laila will stay with Max when they arrive," she explained, "but we're gonna share rooms."

"Yeah?" Toto asked, trying push the jealousy that was burning at the pit of his stomach at the thought of her sharing a room with another man. At that moment his hands were itching to call George and pay for a hotel for him and Carmen, so he could tell Alessandra to stay with him on his yacht, "who are you staying with?"

"Why?" Alessandra asked, a smirk making its way on her lips, leaning back in her seat with arms crossed over her chest, raising an eyebrow as she sipped on his wine, sensing the jealousy he was trying to hide, "are you jealous that I'm sharing a room with someone that's not you?"

"No," Toto scoffed, rolling his eyes as he tried to mask the lie, "I'm just curious." Alessandra let out a laugh, shaking her head slightly, but the smile was wide on her face as she knew that he was lying, and she couldn't help be amused by it.

"I'm sharing with Lewis," Alessandra's reply had calmed Toto's jealousy, knowing that he had nothing to worry about since she was sharing with his former driver, and he knew that Alessandra's relationship with Lewis was almost sibling like away from their jobs, "Charles's friends and Arthur are sharing the other rooms, so I'm going to enjoy my last night sleeping alone in my room before everyone else comes!"

Toto shook his head slightly, giving her a soft smile as they continued eating, feeling lighter as the jealousy left his system, even though he couldn't really understand where the jealousy came from. The two weren't official, there were no feelings involved, at least that's what he thinks until he's around Alessandra and suddenly he gets flutters in his stomach just by the sight and closeness of her, flutters so familiar, but scary feeling at the same time. He had no reason to be jealous, until the thought of Alessandra being close to a man, especially one he didn't know what their relationship with her was, came through. But now he was at ease knowing that it's Lewis she's bunking with, and he pushed the thoughts of the feelings at the back of his head.

"Not too long until we're back on track," Toto said, "and this time, it's us actually on track!"

"Yeah, our race's approaching," she beamed, and Toto could see the excitement glistening in her eyes at the thought of her being the one to race, "have you tested the car? I know it should have arrived to Brackley a few days ago!"

"Yeah it did," Toto nodded, "drove it around Silverstone a couple of days before coming to Monaco."

"And?" Alessandra pushed, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity, "how did it feel?"

"The car's incredible," Toto admitted, a smile making its way on his lips, "the speed it has, the way it glides around the corners, I genuinely did not want to leave the cockpit, the simulator didn't do it justice!"

"She's truly a fast beauty," Alessandra replied, "driving it around Monza last year was an immense thrill, especially through the fast corners and the parabolica. I'm really looking forward to driving it over the banking in Zandvoort!"

"I cannot believe we have our own weekend schedule," Toto laughed, "having a free practice on Friday, and a short quali on Saturday."

"Yeah, we're going to be Formula 1 drivers for the weekend," she grinned, "living the best of both worlds!"

"I hope you're training hard," he smirked, "cause I'm not going easy on you, I plan to win."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she replied, reciprocating the smirk, "I just hope you're preparing to see the back of my car for those 10 laps. I tend to win, you know, just like how I beat you today on the jet skis." The two chuckled at their competitiveness as they finished off their food.

Toto quickly cleared the plates, coming back on the top deck with two ice-creams, handing her one as he sat down next to her, grabbing Alessandra's legs and put them on his lap, pulling her even closer to him.

"We have a few weeks until we're back racing," Toto started, his fingers tracing up and down her leg, "got any plans until then?"

"I mean, the only definite plan I've got is the FIA ball in two weeks," she answered, pushing her glasses over her head as she glanced up at him, "are you attending this year?"

"I am actually," Toto answered after taking a bite of his ice-cream, nodding his head, "apart from that small moment of anger I had last year, the ball was more fun than I thought." He looked at her with a knowing grin, wiggling his eyebrows slightly, "and I guess the waltz with you wasn't all that bad!"

"It takes two to waltz, you know," she shot back, followed by a wink, "and yeah, I guess our talk about the Phantom in the gardens was tolerable."

"You know it took all the strength I had not to pin you against the fountain that night," Alessandra's eyes widened at the confession, her cheeks heating up slightly at the thought of what could have happened that night if he didn't fight himself, "I never stopped thinking about you, in that beautiful dress you designed, under the moonlight leaning against that fountain. It was like something written out of shakespeare." He let out a small sigh, running a hand through his hair, "honestly, you kept me sane that night. I genuinely think I might have lashed at Susie and James if you didn't manage to calm me down and get me out of there."

Alessandra smiled softly at him, placing her hand on the side of his face, feeling him lean his head into her palm as she caressed his cheek.

"You did scare me a bit that night, I won't lie," she admitted, "till this day, I don't know how I managed to calm you down. I can only imagine how hard it was for you that night, especially after you told me what happened. I'm just glad the night went smoothly."

"I don't know how you managed either," he said as he grabbed her hand, taking it in his as he raised it to his face, "but you always managed to do so. Even in Singapore, you give me this look when I'm angry, and I can't explain it, but I suddenly stop seeing red, and it calms me." Alessandra nibbled on her bottom lip as she watched him place his lips on the back of her hand, the gesture sending a rush of warmth through her veins, which only became more powerful when he placed his lips on hers for a short moment.

A short yawn escaped Alessandra's lips, which made Toto chuckle slightly, asking her if she was tired. She nodded her head lazily, and the two decided to go take a nap, finishing off their ice-cream and grabbed the rest of the stuff on the table before making their way downstairs to the lower deck to dispose of them. Toto then wrapped his arm around her as he took her to the second floor, where the master bedroom was, and Alessandra admired the view she had from the balcony doors as Toto swapped out his swim trunks for a fresh set of boxers, handing Alessandra an oversized t-shirt as she shamelessly admired the way the white boxers fitted tightly around his groin, her mouth watering slightly as she threw the shirt on after discarding her bikini.

When they got under the sheets, Toto wasted no time to pull her towards him, grabbing her thigh and threw her leg over his waist, closing his eyes and snuggled his face in the crook of her neck as he tried to ignore the fact that under his t-shirt, Alessandra was naked. Alessandra tried to do the same as her head rested on his bare torso, but she could feel his groin insanely close to her bare crotch, and her body felt hot as Toto ran his fingers over her bare thighs.

Suddenly the tiredness disappeared, and in a split of a second, she pushed the Austrian flat on the bed, taking him by surprise and looking at her with wide eyes as she straddled his lap, seeing the way her blue eyes darkened. He knew what she wanted, and he was more than willing to give her what she wanted.

He sat up, grabbing the back of her neck as he smashed his lips onto hers, roughly running his hand through her hair as their lips moved messily, lust quickly fuelling their actions as Alessandra grabbed onto his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his skin. A moan escaped Toto's mouth, and into hers, as she grinded her naked crotch against his cock, which was becoming enlarged under her, desperate to enter her.

Toto pulled his lips away from hers, a smirk visible on his lips as his fingers ran through her cunt, feeling how wet she already was for him, moans slipping out of her lips when his thumb started circling her clit, whilst he stretched his free arm to grab a condom from the drawer of the bedside table.

As Toto wrapped the condom open with his teeth, Alessandra grabbed onto the waistband of his Tom Ford boxers, pulling them down his legs, licking her lips as she watched his large cock spring upwards. Toto removed his hand from between her legs, pulling the condom down, and he watched with wide eyes as she pushed his chest, forcing him to fall flat on the bed as she positioned himself.

Toto felt like he was transported into another world as he watched Alessandra waste no time filling herself with his dick, bouncing on him and moving her hips in ways he's never seen her do before. The room was filled with loud moans, the mist from their sex cascading in the air as the Italian rode her rival like a carnival, each bounce and thrust sending him into oblivion. The only thing Toto managed to do was grab the hem of his shirt that covered half of her body, desperate to see all of her, and pulled it off, throwing it to the side of the room as he tried to focus on her body, his hands latching onto her breasts, and louder moans left Alessandra's lips as he toyed with her nipples.

The Mercedes could not believe that with each time he had sex with his rival, and who he thought was the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on, he discovers new ways on how she can make his mind and body feel crazy, in ways he never experienced before. He couldn't believe he finally has someone who's willing to unleash a more intense side of intimacy that he's always felt he had to limit with his past partners, and he couldn't wait to unleash more with her.

Thrusts were getting sloppier as Toto joined in and started raising his hips to slam with her, his abdomen turning red as she clawed onto him every time he hit her g-spot, minds becoming foggy as pleasure started rising through their bodies. Alessandra felt herself floating in cloud 9, all whilst her hips enjoyed the ride she took on Toto, the sweet nothings they expressed to each other. She knew very well why her body cried for him, he made her feel ways she's never experienced before, and the intensity of it just increases with each time she's intimate with him, and every time she never wants it to end.

Loud moans were shouted, echoed and bounced against the walls as they rode their high, feeling the walls collapse as the orgasms took over, stars blinding their vision as their moves slowed down. Alessandra's breathing was hard as she collapsed on top of the Austrian, who was quick to wrap his arms around her, their sweaty bodies sticking against each other as they slowly started coming back to their senses.

Toto looked at her in awe as he gently pushed a strand of hair off her face, his hand cupping her jaw, thumb caressing her bottom lip as he gave her a gentle smile. He was at loss of words, and could only manage to thank her for the ride she took on him with a long, but gentle kiss, which Alessandra was more than happy to accept and oblige to.

A moment later, Toto pulled out of her, quickly discarding of his condom as he got off the bed. Alessandra had a lazy smile on her face as she watched him walk around the room naked, grabbing the clothes discarded on the floor and put them on the bed before disappearing in the ensuite, coming back a couple minutes later with a wash cloth in his hands, walking towards the side of the bed she was on. He crouched down in front of her after gently pulling her legs at the edge of the bed, and Alessandra couldn't help but admire the way he was so gentle as he wiped between her legs, followed by planting kisses on the inside of her thighs.

He then handed her the shirt he gave her earlier, and the boxers he was wearing, which she changed into as he put the cloth back and grabbed another pair of boxers, sliding them on, and once more, the two held each other as they put the sheets over them, sharing a kiss before the tiredness they felt before came back, and the two fell into a deep slumber.

When Alessandra woke up, she was met with Toto's bare chest, and the feeling of his fingers drawing patterns on her back as his hand slid under the shirt. She looked up at him, his eyes closed, face looking peaceful, but she saw the small smile on his face, and she couldn't resist as she placed her lips on his. Toto chuckled against her lips, pulling her closer as their lips moved together gently.

"What time is it?" Alessandra mumbled when the pulled away, "how long have we been asleep?"

"Probably a couple of hours," Toto replied with his voice slightly hoarse, which sent a wave of warmth through Alessandra, "I didn't check the time, but it looks like the sun's already starting to set." Alessandra turned around, facing the glass doors, and indeed she could see the sky turning into hues of pinks and oranges, smiling at the sight, and also at the way her stomach fluttered when Toto snuggled his face in the crook of her neck when he pulled her back into his chest.

"The sky's gorgeous," Alessandra commented softly, "would be a waste to not enjoy it over dinner."

"It's like you read my mind," Toto mumbled against her neck, followed by a kiss on her skin which sent goosebumps through her body, "what are you feeling?"

"I'm good with anything honestly," she answered as she turned around to face him once more, "how about we invite Charles for dinner? I feel bad for leaving him alone, when we planned to enjoy these two days just the two of us!"

"Of course," Toto smiled, nuzzling his nose against hers, "I did steal you away from him, it's the least I could do!" Alessandra smiled, thanking him with a kiss before the two slowly got out of bed. Alessandra got out on the balcony, being surprised with the sudden temperature drop, wrapping her arms around her body as she glanced at Charles's yacht, wondering if she could spot him.

"Hey Charles!" She called out, grinning when the Monegasque was quick to appear, giving her a wave, "how was your nap?"

"Really good," he replied, an amused smile on his face, "you look like you've woken up from a nap too!"

"Yeah, not long ago," she chuckled, running a hand through her curls, "we're going to have dinner, come join us!"

"Are you sure?" Charles asked, a hint of concern laced in his voice, "I don't want to intrude on you and Toto!"

"We insist," Toto said as he appeared behind Alessandra, his arms on each side of her as he held onto the balcony, "now come on! I'm making a tagliata!"

"Alright then," Charles said, "let me bring my yacht closer so I can jump on yours. It's cold and I don't want to get my hoodie wet!"

"He's right," Toto said as Charles went on the top deck to move his yacht, wrapping his arms around Alessandra as he saw her shiver slightly, holding her against his chest, "want some wine?"

"I would love some," she answered, looking up at him with a smile as she rested her head on his shoulder, "come on, I'll go set up the table whilst you cook!"

The two got back inside the room, and Toto took out a grey hoodie, throwing it towards Alessandra as he told her they were eating on the deck. She swapped the t-shirt for the hoodie, his scent engulfing her as she snuggled into the warm material whilst Toto put on a crew neck and a pair of shorts before the two headed down in the kitchen area.

Charles got on Toto's yacht, admiring how enormous it was compared to his as he walked through the corridors, finding Alessandra setting up the outdoor table, and he quickly saw that she was wearing her rival's clothes. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, quickly getting her attention after putting the last plate, turning towards him with a smile as they pulled each other in a tight embrace.

The Ferrari driver couldn't help the smile on his face as he saw how happy his best friend looked as she settled down on one of the lounge chairs across the table after giving Charles a glass of wine. She let out a soft sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder, both glancing out at the sun setting into the waters.

"What's Toto making?" Charles asked, letting his head rest on hers.

"Tagliata," she answered, "he makes a really good one."

"Really?" Charles asked, turning his head and looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, "I always had the impression that people cooked for him!"

"He likes to cook when he can," she grinned, "and he's not bad at it, if I'm honest."

"I'll take your word for it then," he chuckled, "oh the guys were asking for you, cause you had not talked to them for the whole day!"

"I left my phone in my room," she replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly, "what did you tell them?"

"Oh that you were having a phone detox and just wanted to enjoy life at sea for a bit," he answered, "which was kind of true, you were just detoxing in another way!" Alessandra rolled her eyes at his amusement, earning him a playful slap on his chest, which he laughed loudly at, getting back at her as he playfully nudged her side with his elbow.

The Ferrari duo looked up when they heard Toto join them on the deck, holding a large plate with cooked meat and another plate with mashed potatoes, the smell making their stomachs rumble, which they chuckled at as they made their way to the table. Toto sat down next to Alessandra, whilst Charles sat down across from them, quickly filling their plates, and refilling their wine glasses.

"So," Toto started as they ate, "Alessandra told me you're going to be fully booked in your yacht after tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Charles nodded as he took another bite of his food, "My girlfriend, Arthur, Lewis, Mick, my trainer, friend and photographer are flying to Sardegna tomorrow morning, and they're all staying on my boat. You might want to park your yacht away from ours, it tends to get chaotic when we're all together!"

"Noted," Toto replied, letting out a chuckle, "does it tend to always be chaotic like this?"

"Most of the time yeah, especially when my group of friends from home decide to head for a short holiday together," Charles grinned, "but I wouldn't change it for anything, if I'm honest. It's a different type of chaos from the one we go through every race weekend, so it's kind of a balance."

"Yeah, understandable," the Austrian nodded, "my balance tends to be surrounded by my team on race weekends, and try to have some alone time, or a very small group of people around me away from track. It's why I only allowed George and Carmen to stay with me when they arrive."

"Oh George and Carmen are coming too?" Charles asked, "good to know, I'll tell the others and maybe plan something with them!"

"Yeah I was thinking that actually," Alessandra nodded in agreement, "George's always good fun when he hangs out with us, and Carmen's an absolute sweetheart!"

"And where's my invite?" Toto asked, turning to Alessandra with a raised eyebrow, which she let out a lighthearted laugh at.

"You can join us too," she answered, followed by a playful groan, "we wouldn't want you to feel left out, now do we?" Toto rolled his eyes at her comment, but still smiled at her as she gave him a wide grin, whilst Charles chuckled at their playful banter.

"The Summer ball's coming up soon," Charles started, "are you attending, Toto?"

"I am," the Mercedes team principal nodded, "and since you brought up the topic, out of curiosity, are you guys staying at the hotel? Or are you guys making the trip back and fourth to Monaco?"

"We actually booked one of their Villas," Charles answered, "we decided to make it a weekend trip, rather stay close instead of doing the drive back home at god knows what hour."

"Yeah, thought so," Toto mumbled, nodding his head slightly, "I hadn't really decided yet, but I think I might opt on doing a night or two there, it's a beautiful hotel. Stefano chose a good pick once more!"

"And the facilities seem amazing!" Charles beamed as he sipped on his wine, "our villa comes with some private facilities, but Ale and I were planning on hitting the clay courts whilst we're there."

"I didn't really take a look at the place's facilities, but good to know," Toto said, glancing at Alessandra with a small smirk, "you can finally play a game against me, like you said you wanted for a while."

"Have you trained enough to play a game against me?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow at him, "cause if not, I'd rather I give you some kind of tennis lesson instead!"

"Fair enough," Toto chuckled, shaking his head slightly, "I'll let you know where I'm at in tennis when we get there." Alessandra smiled, nodding her head at him in agreement, looking forward to see how he can handle the clay courts.

When everyone finished eating, and the Ferrari duo were quick to accept Toto's offer for dessert, the Austrian quickly cleared the table and disappeared in the lower deck, coming back up just as fast with some ice-cream, and the three moved on the loungers at the end of the deck. Charles sat on the edge of one, whilst the team principals set side by side across from the driver, as the sun started disappearing within the sea behind them.

Alessandra let out a gentle sigh as she rested her head on Toto's shoulder, taking him by surprise slightly as he looked down at her. Charles watched the way Toto smiled at his boss, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side as the two munched on the ice-cream.

The three then caught each other up on what they've been up during the summer break before and after seeing each other at Luna's baptism, which then lead to a conversation about the team principals' god daughter, and they showed each other pictures they received from Federica and Matteo, cooing over how much she's grown in a span of few days.

The sky has darkened, the ice-cream has been eaten, and the talks were entertaining. Then Charles glanced down at his phone when a notification came through, and his eyes widened when he realised how late it got. The team principals saw the look on his face, and Toto also checked his phone, with Alessandra looking over his shoulder, and they saw that it was well over 9pm.

"I did not realise how late it got," Toto said, followed by a chuckle.

"It really did," Charles nodded, giving the two a smile as he stretched his body a bit before standing up, "I'm going to head back to the yacht, cause the guys start arriving in the morning."

"I'm right behind you," Toto's heart dropped slightly in disappointment as he heard Alessandra and watched her stand up. She turned around, smiling softly at Toto as he also stood up.

"Thanks for dinner," Charles grinned as the two men shook hands, "maybe we'll see you around on the island!"

"Wouldn't put it past me at this point," Toto chuckled, "and yeah, thanks for joining us!" Charles gave Alessandra a smile before he made his way down and back to his yacht.

Alessandra turned back to look at Toto, the smile on her face widening as he wrapped his arms around around her waist, pulling her closer to him as she placed her hands on his chest, slowly moving them up to his shoulders.

"I had fun today," she said, tilting her head slightly, "didn't think I'd bump into you during this trip, but for some reason I should have expected it."

"Coincidences keep on chasing us it seems," he replied, feeling himself get lost in her blue eyes as he saw the reflection of the moon glistening in them, "but I'm glad they keep on happening." Alessandra nodded in agreement as he gently caressed the side of her face before he leaned his head towards hers.

They shared one last kiss for the night, and they can feel the passion they had for each other rush through their veins as their lips move together in sync, holding each other tight. The setting was absolutely perfect for a couple in love, with the moonlight shining over them, lighting up the dark sea surrounding them, and the stars glistening. But it was two team principals who had the biggest attraction towards each other, and they were not scared to express it to each other, they were only scared of the feelings creeping through their cracks as they shared moments like these.

They rested their foreheads against each other when they pulled away, their noses gently nudging each other as their lips curled up in small smiles towards each other.

"Well," Alessandra's voice was soft as she spoke, "I'm going to call it a night."

"Yeah, me too," he replied, "buonanotte, Ferrari."

"Buonanotte, Wolff," A giggle escaped her lips when he stole one last kiss before she pulled away. "I'll return the clothes when we're both back in Monaco."

"Keep them," he grinned, "I like how they look on you." Like was putting it mildly for Toto, he absolutely adored the way his hoodie hung on her, and he could honestly say that it was probably one of his favourite sights of her.

Alessandra nodded, turning around and made her way down, jumping back on Charles's yacht. She glanced up as she walked further on the yacht, finding Toto leaning on the railings, smiling down at her. She smiled back, giving him a wave before she went down the lower deck. She entered her room, and jumped in the shower, but got back in Toto's clothes as she got under the sheets, the warmth of his sweater with his scent on it engulfing her as she fell in a deep sleep, wishing that Toto's arms were wrapped around her once more.

The Ferrari duo woke up the next morning to texts from the group making their way to Sardegna that they caught their flight and were on their way to the island. Alessandra changed out of Toto's clothes and hid them in her luggage, not wanting Lewis to catch them and possibly recognise the hoodie if he had seen Toto in it, whilst Charles started making his way to the marina.

It was still relatively early when Charles docked his yacht in the marina, barely anyone in sight, so the two took the opportunity to go do some grocery shopping to have food enough for everyone for the next few days. Only a couple of fans spotted the two, and they made their time for the fans, happy that it wasn't a big group that bombarded them, but they knew that people will find out that they're in Sardegna, and more people will probably come to the marina to try and meet them. They were happy that it wasn't happening so early in the morning.

On their way back to the marina, Alessandra discreetly eyed the yachts docked, seeing if Toto already docked too, but she didn't see it, and she was left slightly disappointed. But she shook it away, as she was excited to be reunited with the whole group of friends she adores, ready to spend the next few days with them and the chaotic energy that accumulates them when they're together.

As Alessandra decided to take it upon herself to prepare food for the group to enjoy when they arrive, and made a big batch of orange juice and Bellinis, Charles had announced to her that Alexandra texted him that they've landed and they're on their way to the marina. The Monegasque helped his boss bring everything to the table on the upper deck, commenting on how she prepared like she's feeding an army, which she reminded him that she practically was considering the group that's coming.

"I swear they might need to come in some sort of bus," Alessandra chuckled as she set the table up, "cause they probably sat on top of each other to fit in a van."

"The fact that from everyone coming, only Mick and Laila are not staying with us," Charles commented, "we're still going to be an immense group, and I'm just glad I'm not the one stuck bunking with Andrea, Joris, Antoine and my brother."

"Me too," she laughed, "I wonder if Lewis is used to the chaos he's going to endure the next few days!"

"I think he started getting used to it since he joined us on night outs after races," Charles answered, "but this is a whole vacation, so this will be really interesting!"

Alessandra nodded in agreement as she finished with the table, grabbing a glass of Bellini and sat down on the plush seat at the end of the deck, enjoying the last few minutes of peace and quiet.

"WE FUCKING MADE IT!" Alessandra rolled her eyes as she bid goodbye to the serenity she had the past couple of days when she heard the youngest Leclerc's voice boom through the yacht. She got off her seat, making her way towards the side of the yacht facing the dock, spotting the group of people that are going to reside on the yacht walking towards it. 

"And why the hell are you trying to wake up the whole neighbourhood?" Alessandra asked, giving her reserve driver a stern look as she raised an eyebrow at him, "if no one knew that we were here, now they know!" 

"Sorry Ale," Arthur quickly said with a sheepish smile, "we're just really excited!" Alessandra's serious features disappeared when her lips broke into a wide smile, giving the rest a wave as they made their way up. 

She met them on the stern, exchanging hugs with Charles's group first before they disappeared down the lower deck to get into their rooms. Mick was next to tackle her friend in a hug, telling her that his parents send her their love and are looking forward to see her soon. Laila then gave her a hug before the two put their luggage in storage and made their way to the upper deck. 

"Morning Lewis," Alessandra grinned as the two exchanged a hug, "how was the trip here with everyone?" 

"More chaotic than I'm used to," the 7-time world champion chuckled as the two also made their way up to the deck, "but it's nice to hang out with them away from the track, they're a really nice bunch!" 

"They're the best," Alessandra nodded in agreement as they walked into the room the team principal and the champion were sharing for the next couple of days, "is the bed good for you? We can switch if you want!" 

"No, it's alright," Lewis replied, giving his boss a gentle smile as he started taking his clothes out of his luggage, "I'm actually really looking forward to our sleepover! I feel like it's going to be a blast getting ready, you know, since we're the best dressed out of everyone!"

"You are so right about that!" Alessandra beamed, a wide smile on her face which Lewis reciprocated, "now, you unpack, I've prepared lots of snacks for us to enjoy, but we might need to be quick or we might not find anything left for us!" The British driver let out a loud laugh, nodding his head as Alessandra stepped towards him to help hang up his clothes.

As the day passed, the rest of the group arrived, and after everyone settled in their spots in the marina, they made their way out to dinner at a small quiet restaurant by the sea, which they had to rent out because they were such a big group. The first night together was filled with endless laughter, lots of wine, and catching each other up on their time apart in their separate destinations on sea.

"Are we not going to mention that Alessandra and Toto were at the same place at the same time again?" The Ferrari team principal let out a loud groan as Mick told everyone about their encounter, which he only knew from Charles, and took everyone by surprise as the rest of the table looked at Alessandra with wide eyes, "and they were in the middle of the fucking sea!"

"Are you actually serious?" Pierre asked, jaw dropped at her.

"You do know that Charles was also there, right?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow at them, "it wasn't just me who was in the same place as all of our rival."

"Yeah but the coincidences keep on chasing the two of you," Daniel scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Charles is an innocent bystander in this!"

"Is he staying in Sardegna too?" Joris asked, looking at her in curiosity and amusement.

"He is," Charles replied before Alessandra had the chance to open her mouth, "if I remember correctly, he's docking in the marina tonight. George and Carmen are joining him as well!"

"Oh well, I can bet everything that I have that we're seeing Toto tomorrow night," Alessandra looked at her other driver with wide eyes, as he looked smugly at her, "Toto's really good friends with Flavio, Ale, and I know he went to the club last year. So I wouldn't put it past me that he'll go there again."

"Yeah but he might not go tomorrow night," she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest as she twirled her wine glass, "we don't know how long he's staying now do we?"

"Oh well," Pierre shrugged, a mischiveous grin on his face as he looked at the others, "how much are we betting, boys?" Alessandra let out another groan, and the rest of the ladies rolled their eyes at their partners as the drivers, including Andrea, Joris and Anthoine, discussed the numbers.

Their second day in Sardegna started of slowly, with some of the drivers and Alessandra grouping up to go for a run to the cliffs. It took longer than expected to get to the cliffs as Max and Daniel were distracting and jokingly tripped each other, which ended up distracting the others, but still had a good laugh over it as they reached the top.

They spent the rest of the day on their separate yachts, apart from the girls who all decided to go on Max's yacht and tan whilst enjoying a nice gossip session without being in ear's reach of the guys, and discussed their strategy for when they were getting ready for the summer ball together. Alessandra was so used to being surrounded by just the guys for the most part, that she still almost felt foreign being just with the girls, but she enjoyed the time she spent with them, remembering that she needed a group of girls by her side, and she was glad that they never treated her differently because of her title in Formula 1, but respected and adored her so much over how much she cared for their boyfriends.

The evening rolled in, everyone was back on their yachts getting ready for their night at the former Formula 1 boss' club. And just like Alessandra and lewis suspected the day before, they were having an absolute blast getting ready together. Lewis's speaker was blasting tunes, the two danced around as they showed each other potential outfits for the evening.

"Ale, I cannot believe you're still undeceive about the red dress," Lewis said, shaking his head slightly as he watched his boss eye the three silk dresses laid on her bed, "it's a no brainer, it's perfect for this evening?"

"But won't you think it will be too much?" She asked as she looked up at Lewis, watching him lay down the outfit they both quickly agreed to, "it's summer, and this place is a bit formal. I don't want someone to see me and think that I'm overdoing it with the red."

"Alessandra, you are the epitome of red, you are THE Alessandra Enzo Ferrari," he said softly, but sternly at the same time, "you are the only person who could make red work at any time of the year, in any place, because you are red, you were born with it, and you pull it off in ways that people in fashion would be scared shitless to try," Alessandra laughed at his description, "plus, it would pop out so well with the tan you have. I'd throw the other options out at sea to make sure you wouldn't wear them tonight!"

"Alright, alright!" She laughed as she grabbed the blue and green dress, putting them back in the wardrobe, "red dress it is!"

After finally deciding on their outfits, Lewis, being the gentleman he was, got ready in the connected bathroom to give his boss and friend privacy as she changed from the shirt dress she put on after showering, in the red silk dress, falling right under her knees, but had a slit on her left leg, giving it more exposure. The neckline was slightly deep, showing a bit of cleavage, but still looked classy. But what she loved most about the dress was the backless detail, the cool silk material starting from her lower back, her tattoos on full display when her hair, which had settled beautifully from being in the sea, moved to the side.

Lewis joined her back in the room after she told him she was dressed, the two grinning widely at each other at how amazing they looked, (come up with lewis's outfit). He was quick to throw complenents at her, which she thanked him for and reciprocated, deciding to set up their phones to commemorate, as Lewis called them, the future of Ferrari style as they posed together. The two couldn't stop laughing, both sharing with each other how it still feels insane that they can share moments like these and have their bond grow so much in the past few months. Neither of them have expected that they'd be in the same team, their friendship only coming from the paddock and the couple events they bump into each other at, but now, they spend so much time together, sharing their goals and ambitions, discussing their similar hobbies and passions, and have created an even more special friendship which they knew they'd last a lifetime, even after Lewis stops racing.

"GUYS!" Charles shouted from the otherside of the door as he banged on it, "APART FROM THE FACT THAT WE'RE OFFENDED THAT YOU LEFT US OUT OF THE PARTY YOU TWO ARE HAVING IN THERE, WE NEED TO GET GOING, OUR RIDE IS HERE!"

Alessandra chuckled, grabbing her bag and took one last look in the mirror before opening the door, finding her Monegasque driver behind the door, eyes wide in excitement as he looked at his boss and teammate, looking insanely stylish. "Oh you guys look insane!"

"We know," Lewis grinned as he playfully acted cocky, "Ale looks unreal!"

"She does!" Charles grinned widely, "heads are gonna get turned for sure!" Alessandra rolled her eyes when she saw the look Charles had, knowing that he was referring to Toto if he showed up at the club.

"Didn't you say we need to go?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow, "you can continue the yapping with Max, let's move!" The two Ferrari drivers chuckled at her persistance, making their way out of the lower deck, and onto the marina dock, where everyone was ready and waiting for the Ferrari trio.

The girls were quick to exchange compliments as they walked towards the black van that was waiting for them, along with the large group of fans standing behind the barricades, all shouting their favourite driver's name, and Alessandra's too. Everyone gave them a wave before disappearing inside the van, and the group was quickly getting excited to drink and have fun as they headed to their destination.

Alessandra held onto Lewis's arm as they all made their way up inside the club, getting greeted with music blasting and people mingling as the host took them to their table, which was sat under the main stage. Everyone settled down and wasted no time to order drinks before even attempting to take a glance at the menus.

"Is it true that there's gonna be an artist performing the classics from the 80s tonight?" Alexandra asked.

"I hope so," Alessandra beamed, "I love that era of music! You guys might need to hold me from dancing on the table!"

"If I didn't know you Ale, I'd say you were serious," Charles playfully scoffed, "but I'd pay millions to see that!"

"Well, you're keeping you're money," she chuckled, "but if they start playing my favourite songs, best believe I'm dancing my ass off!"

"We're right behind you there," Rebecca grinned, "I genuinely might become an embarrassment if they sing Abba, that's my weak point!"

"We'll embarrass ourselves together," Laila replied, "no one can resist the Abba magic!"

The drinks started filling the table, and the group saluted to their friendship off track, and an amazing holiday together after filling the glasses with champagne. They finally looked through the menu and discussed the delicious-looking options available, and quickly ordered, along with another couple rounds of drinks.

Alessandra was in a deep conversation with Lewis, Max and Charles about bikes, telling the Dutch about the thrill of being on them since he wasn't one to drive them like the Ferrari trio, when they heard loud snickering coming from the other end of the table. They turned their heads, finding Daniel, Pierre and Mick, covering their faces, which turned red as they tried to muffle their laughs.

"What the hell is going on there?" Lewis chuckled, quirking an eyebrow at them.

"Ale, you know we're always on your side when the guys are being idiots," Kika started, "but, unfortunately, some of them are leaving richer tonight." Alessandra was confused at what Kika was referring to, and when she slowly turned her head towards the direction they were discreetly pointing at, she understood, and her heart understood too as it started beating faster in her chest.

His tall presence was easily spotted and known as he walked through the club, dressed in a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, contrasting with the white pants that made him look even taller than he already was. His dominant aura was something that wouldn't go unnoticed as he made his way to the table where Flavio was standing by, with George and Carmen behind him. His hair was pushed back, getting a bit messy as he ran a hand through it, but he still looked hot, and the wide smile on his face as he greeted his friend almost made Alessandra swoon in her chair as she tried to keep an unfazed front.

"Alright boys," Max said as he leaned back in his chair, a smug smirk on his face as he sipped on his gin tonic, "those who need to pay up, may do so now." Alessandra rolled her eyes as she heard the guys that betted that Toto wouldn't be at the club let out a loud groan as they got out of their phones, whilst the rest looked triumph as they received the notification of the transaction.

"I need you to stop involving me in your bets," Alessandra scoffed as she sipped on her usual choice of cocktail, "or at least let me have some interests in it since I'm making you richer, apparently." The guys were quick to agree, which made Alessandra laugh, telling them that she was just joking as she stood up from the table, earning confused looks from everyone, "I'm going to say hi to Flavio, and thank him for inviting us, in case we don't get the chance later."

At the table with the Mercedes clan and the former Benetton and Renault team principal, the chats were loud over the music playing as they caught up on life on track and summer break. Carmen was chatting with Flavio's former partner Elisabetta Gregoraci, whilst the two bosses and driver chatted on the other side of the table.

"This place is really incredible Flavio," George commented, "gutted I missed the opening two summers ago, and never had the chance to come last year!"

"We're happy to have you here now," the Italian businessman grinned, "you know I had to drag Toto to the opening? He didn't want to come because he didn't want to be a social wolf and just stay at home. But then he ended up being the life of the party, and again last year!"

"Alright, no need to bring up past moments," Toto chuckled, shaking his head slightly, "I made it in the end, didn't I?" Flavio laughed, nodding his head in agreement as the British driver looked around.

"Oh look!" George exclaimed, "I see some of the other drivers here too!" Toto's heart started beating faster in his chest, knowing very well at who his driver was referring to as he glanced at the table. It was the group Alessandra and Charles told him about, all drinking and laughing a few tables away, and he quickly scanned them, trying to see if he could spot the woman he missed in his arms after the day before, but to his disappointment, he didn't see her. George stood up from the table, which earned him a look from his boss, "I'm going to go say hi." Toto was almost about to do the same, but he stayed where he was when he didn't see Alessandra, thinking that maybe she didn't join the group, so he just nodded at George before leaving the table, running another hand through his hair as he turned towards Flavio.

The two men were too deep into their discussion that they didn't realise that someone had joined them at the table, greeting Carmen and Elisabetta with hugs and exchanged complements. She promised them a quick catch up as Carmen told her that her boyfriend went to say to the others, before she walked towards Flavio.

"You've really got a great thing going on here!" Toto froze in his spot when her familiar Italian accent spoke next to him, a shiver running down his spine in anticipation. He glanced up, breathe hitching in his throat when his eyes fell on her, looking at her in awe when he saw her in the red dress, her long curly hair flowing behind her, blue eyes big and bright as she smiled down at Flavio whilst greeting him with a hand on his shoulders. Every time he thought he he's never seen her more beautiful, he gets surprised every time, because there she was, never having seen anything more beautiful than her at that moment.

"Oh, Ale!" Flavio exclaimed as he stood up, pulling the Ferrari team principal in a hug, "I'm so happy you've made it! I'm so sorry I haven't gotten round to come and say hi to you and the others yet!"

"Don't worry, I decided to come and thank you for inviting all of us myself in case we didn't have time to chat later," she smiled as the two exchanged kisses on the cheeks, before pulling away, "plus, I can only imagine how hard it is to try and pull away from a conversation with this one." As Flavio laughed, nodding his head in agreement, Alessandra glanced down at Toto, a smug smile on her face masking the warmth rushing through her veins as their eyes locked, "hi, Torger."

"Hello Alessandra," he said as he stood up, watching as she took a step towards him, placing her free hand on his arm as the two also exchanged friendly kisses on the cheeks before he lowered his voice in a hushed whisper, "I would say I didn't think that I'd bump into you again, but I would be lying."

"Well, some of the guys were sure that we would," she whispered back, trying to ignore the way her skin tingled after he placed his hand on her lower back, right on her exposed skin, "they even betted on it. We made them richer."

"Looks like they got it right this time," he said before they pulled away. She caught the knowing look he was giving her, reminding her about a similar moment that happened the year before, earning him a chuckle from her. "George went to say hi to them."

"I know, Carmen told me," she replied, "you guys should all come to our table for a drink later on, call it a quick reunion before we all go back to being rivals in a few weeks."

Toto nodded at her invitation, watching as she sipped on her drink, recognising what it was by the colour. Her favourite drink whenever she was out, or anywhere near a bar, her first choice was always the pornstar martini, and last year, he joked about her choice of drink, but now he wondered why she liked it so much. He was intrigued to know what it tasted like to make it her first option.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard her say that she was going to chat with the ladies before she heads back to her table, watching her as she gave a hug to Flavio once more before she turned to him, taking one last sip of her cocktail.

"See you around, Torger," he could hear the taunting in her voice, reminding her of the invitation from earlier, "enjoy your evening." Toto stood up, placing his hand on her waist as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek goodbye, but the lingering of his lips on her skin told Alessandra that he wanted more, and she did too. But she wasn't going to show it, she wanted to make him grovel for her tonight, at least for a while. So she took a step back, giving him a smile before turning around, giving him a view of her exposed back as she flipped her hair on her shoulder whilst she went back to Carmen and Elisabetta.

Toto's eyes couldn't leave her as he watched her leave the table, giving George a hug when she met him halfway to her table, and settle back with her friends as their food started arriving. He let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding, finishing off his whiskey before placing the glass on the table, leaning back in his chair as George took his seat back at the table, and the women sat next to their partners.

"Alessandra's become quite a feisty one, hasn't she?" Elisabetta grinned as she sipped her chamapgne, "I love it on her!"

"She's always been feisty, ever since she set foot in the Ferrari garage," Flavio replied, "she's confident and determined, two of the most important qualities when being a team principal, and she's truly impressed me at that."

"She's honestly one of a kind," Carmen said, a soft smile making its way on her face, "she's not afraid to show her confidence, that she knows her stuff, but she's such a kind and humble person, on track and off."

"She's fun to be around," George grinned, "but on track, I have to endure a pissed off Toto after she's given him a hard time!" The table erupted in laughter at the Briton's joke, whilst Toto rolled his eyes at him, but still joined in the laughter, as he thought about how right they were about Alessandra, but how there's so much more to her, more that only he knows about.

The night was passing, and the two groups affiliated to Formula 1 sat at their tables were enjoying their night as they ate and drank with their company. The drinks never stopped, and the filters were getting loosened, the laughs were becoming louder, and the gestures were becoming sloppier. But this was the beauty of Summer break, being able to be carefree for a while, taking a deserved break from the sport that took so much time and energy from them, being able to hang around the people they call rivals almost every weekend, but as very good friends. It was the type of healthy balance they needed, to be able to keep on going with their lives and jobs as they were, and create memories that they would look back and laugh about when they've all retired.

And as for the team principals, they took any chance they get to steal glances of each other, even if they were almost on each side of the room. They exchanged flirtatious winks, smug smirks, and even sneaking in a text here and there, which made Alessandra realise that he wanted to see her away from the crowds and the loud music, but she didn't want to give in at his request, and Toto got that when she gave him innocent smiles, or a text saying that she's enjoying her friends' company.

The dessert plates have been long cleared, only the new round of cocktails and sealed bottle of champagne left, which Daniel wasted no time to crack open. The stage was being set as the singer was preparing to entertain the large crowd, and everyone was excited to see what classics he had up his sleeve.

"Look who's finally joined us!" Lewis announced, getting everyone's attention before seeing George and Carmen making their way to their table, with Flavio, Elisabetta and Toto behind them.

"We couldn't miss on the invite," George grinned as they started pulling a chair and join the table. Alessandra rolled her eyes slightly when she watched Toto's lips turn into a smug smile as he pulled a chair next to her. "Should we get another round?"

"Why not?" Toto asked, shrugging his shoulders, the smirk still on his face as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, "but I think it should be on one of the guys who I heard became richer because of Ale and I, it's only fair." Alessandra couldn't help the chuckles leaving her lips as the guys looked at her with with wide eyes in horror, the ladies were snickering, and George looked confused.

"You told on us!?" Max screeched.

"I mean he was also the reason you lot won the bet," she shrugged, giving him an innocent smile, "and I agree with him, it's only fair." They let out a groan in defeat, which made the two team principals laugh as they watched them discuss who's getting the next round, ultimately deciding that it was going to be Max.

The next round of drinks arrived, and once more, Toto saw the bright pink liquid in Alessandra's glass, watching as she poured the shot of prosecco in before she took a sip whilst he drank his whiskey, once again trying to wonder how hers tasted, the curiosity getting the best of him.

"Hey Flavio," Alessandra started, getting the other Italian's attention, "any chance you've got a bit of a quiet place where I can smoke a cigarette?"

"Oh yeah, you can head up to the rooftop," Flavio smiled, "it's closed for everyone, so you'll have all the privacy you want. I'll send a message to the bouncer so he'll know about you."

"Thanks Flavio," Alessandra grinned as she stood up, throwing her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her drink.

"You know what, I'll join you," the Ferrari team principal whipped her head towards him, giving him a look laced with sheer confusion, suddenly scared that someone will get a whiff of their secret, "Flavio gave me a cigar which I've been meaning to try out."

"Since when do you smoke cigars?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow as she watched the Austrian stand up.

"Rare occasions," he shrugged, twirling his whisky glass slightly, "shall we?"

"Alright then," she answered, then turned around to look at her table, ignoring the smug smiles from Charles and Mick, and the amused look from the rest, "we'll be back in a bit."

The two team principals walked through the club, Toto right behind Alessandra, placing his hand on the small of her back whenever they walked through a more crowded park, the touch sending a rush of warmth through her, but she didn't react, just kept walking. The bouncers quickly moved to the side when he saw the two of approaching, making their way upstairs.

Alessandra smiled slightly when she saw the beautiful view of the marina from the empty roof top, making her way to the other side of the area, leaning against the banister as she took out a packet of cigarettes from her bag. She placed one between her lips and lit it up, closing her eyes as she felt the nicotine hit the back of her throat before she exhaled, opening her eyes and turned to Toto, who was a couple of steps away from her.

"And where's this cigar that Flavio gave you?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow to show that she didn't believe his cigar story.

"Right here," he replied, a smirk on his face as he pulled it out from the pocket in his pants. He chuckled when he watched her eyes widening slightly, clearly surprised, as he twirled it between his fingers. "Can I borrow your lighter?"

Alessandra was left speechless, and turned on, as she watched him put the cigar between his lips, only able to nod her head in response as she took a step closer to hand it to him. She never thought he smoked anything in his life, not even a cigar, but here she was, watching him as he brought the lighter close to his face, the small flame still managing to lighten his prominent facial features as he lit it, seeing the smoke he exhaled cascade over his face before he took it out and held it between his fingers once more

"I apologise for ever doubting you," she chuckled as she took another drag of her cigarette, "never thought you were one to smoke, even a cigar."

"You're not the only one that surprises people Alessandra," he smirked, taking a step closer, the gap between them becoming smaller, "speaking of surprises, you left your bikini on my yacht yesterday."

"Oh shit, did I?" She asked with wide eyes, which Toto smiled softly too, finding her reaction adorable, "did George or Carmen see it? Oh God, I hope not!"

"Don't worry, I've got it hidden safe for you," he replied, taking another step towards her, "but, that means you'll have to come and get it from my home when we're back in Monaco."

"Oh?" She mused, quirking an eyebrow, "and why's that?"

"I mean, I can't just give it to you in front of everyone, now can I?" He shot back, a smug smirk making its way on his lips.

"Is that the only reason why you want me to come over to yours in Monaco?" She coyed, taking a step closer to him, "shame, I thought you were going to invite me over for some wine."

"I didn't want to disclose the whole plan," he said, taking another drag of his cigar, "ruined the element of spontaneity now." She chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she took the last drag of her cigarette before putting the butt in the ashtray.

"My bad," she grinned, lifting her glass to take a sip of her cocktail.

"I've been wondering," he started, "you're always drinking a pornstar martini whenever you're out, why do you like it so much?" Alessandra glanced at him in amusement and surprised, butterflies starting to flutter in her chest as she thought how interested he was in her choice of drink.

"I just love the sweetness of the passion fruit with that hint of bitter in the alcohol," she shrugged, "it blends well and I love the way it goes down."

"So your preference is sweet drinks?" Alessandra nodded her head in response as she took another sip, "can I have a taste?"

"Uh, okay," she chuckled, nodding her head.

She stretched her arm slightly towards him, expecting him to take the glass from her hand. However, she let out a squeal, being taken by surprise when she felt his lips on hers, her free hand grabbing onto his upper arm, feeling his bicep strong under her palm as she melted into the kiss. Toto tasted the sweetness in the mix with her cigarette, which for some reason, it was something he didn't mind, even though the taste of cigarettes repelled him. But Electric shocks rushed through every inch of them, heat washing over their skin, but they quickly remembered that they were out in public, so they pulled away. Toto couldn't help the chuckle leaving his lips when his eyes were met with her blue ones open wide.

"Are you insane!?" She hissed, slapping his chest with the back of her hand, "We are in public, you idiot, what if someone decided to come up here and saw us?!"

"It was a calculated decision," he smirked, finishing off the cigar, "I'm rarely wrong when it comes to my calculated decisions."

"Good," she grinned, patting his chest, "don't want you slacking." Toto rolled his eyes as he watched her walk past him, chuckling as he followed her back down in the club.

Alessandra's smile widened significantly when she heard one of her favourite songs being played, spotting her table up on their feet dancing as the performer had already taken the stage and started his set. When the team principals reached the table, Alessandra barely managed to put her bag on her chair before the girls grabbed her hands and pulled her in their dance group, quickly getting into the rhythm of Kim Wilde's You Keep Me Hanging On.

Toto wasn't shy from moving with the beat either with Flavio and some of the guys who decided to stand up and move a bit, but his eyes were fixated on Alessandra, who was radiating brightly under the disco lights, her eyes glowing, hair moving side to side with every movement of her head as she twirled around with the drivers' girlfriends. He was in awe of her, never seen anyone light up a room as bright as she did, and he felt like the luckiest man in the room to witness it.

Alessandra was enjoying her time dancing with the girls, matching each other's energy as the bumped their hips, gave each other twirls and held each other. But every once in a while she would glance behind Alexandra and Kika, and her smile would soften when she watched Toto move his hips, raising his arms and waving them around to the beat of the song, a wide grin on his face as he mouthed the lyrics. She never saw him dance alone, and she could watch him have fun like that for ages, and whenever their eyes met, she felt her heart swoon when she knew that his smile then became for her.

A few more songs played, and the girls sat down for a rest after the 5th one, ordering another drink and laughed about their dance moves. The energy has shifted, becoming even more carefree as some of them were quite tipsy, some of the guys were on the brink of getting wasted, but it was all smiles and laughters. The two team principals were sat closely, Toto's knee touching Alessandra's bare leg under the table, but not close enough that would raise any question or suspision to the naked eye. They weren't drunk, but they could feel the buzz of the alcohol slowly getting to them, just not enough to fully make them lose their focus as they sat so close, even though the crave for each other was slowly creeping through them.

Alessandra's head shot up when she recognised the next song that was playing, and from the wide eyes and big grin Toto caught on her face, he knew that it was another favourite of hers. The girls squealed when they recognised it, pulling their boyfriends' up on their feet and were quick to dance together.

"How about we give these suckers a show?" A chill ran through Alessandra when she felt Toto's breathe hit her neck after leaning closer to her to whisper. She slowly turned her head, noses almost touching at how close they were. She smiled, nodding her head as he offered her his hand. She took it, letting him gently pull her up on her feet, letting out a squeal in delight when he surprised her by twirling around before pulling her towards him. Her free hand held onto his shoulder, his fell on the small of her back, and the two just smiled at each other widely as West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys was sung.

Charles, who had Alexandra in his arms, glanced at his best friend, and he couldn't help the wide grin that made its way on his face when he saw how happy she looked dancing with her rival, and that Toto looked down at her the exact same way. He then glanced at Mick, who he found looking at the two bosses before he glanced at Charles, the two exchanging a discreet but knowing grins, both happy for their friend, and they could tell how content she was whenever she was around him like this, even though she wouldn't admit it.

Charles and Mick both shared the same thought, and what they didn't know was that the other drivers all had the same thought when they caught a quick glimpse of the rivals: they were more than ready to see the two being together, and were willing to go to the ends of the world to protect them, especially Alessandra, if things went south from the outside if they did get together, because of their jobs and responsibilities. They just wanted them to stop being stubborn and stop resisting each other.

The two team principals were in their own worlds as they danced, the laughter just bouncing off each other as Toto spun her around a couple more times, pulling her as close to him as close as he could, whilst trying to ignore his body screaming just to kiss her every few moments. But he knew it was becoming harder to ignore.

"Have you gone to the cliffs?" Toto asked when he leaned his head down towards her ear, letting him become engulfed with her scent, which almost made his head spin faster than the alcohol.

"I have," she chuckled, "went on a morning run with the guys up there, it's quite stunning."

"But have you ever been there at night?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Not at night time, no," she replied, intrigued by what's being planned in that mind of his.

"Come with me then," Alessandra looked up at him with eyes widening slightly, surprised by his invitation, "we'll get out of here and enjoy the rest of the night up at the cliffs."

"We can't leave now," she said, "the party's not over yet!"

"I'm not saying now," he chuckled, "but maybe in a bit. It's already well over, one in the morning, you know?"

"Okay fine," Toto's eyes widened slightly as she agreed, giving him a wide grin, "I'll come with you to the cliffs." Toto smiled back at her, giving her one more spin before the song ended, and the whole group erupted in claps towards the artist.

"You guys are an absolute treat when all of you are together away from the track," Flavio grinned at them, "how about we take a group picture together to commemorate the night, before Elisabetta and I take off?"

Everyone agreed as the club owner motioned for one of the photographers to come towards them as the group huddled up. Charles came to the right side of Alessandra, the two quickly wrapping their arms around each other's shoulders as she glanced to her left, finding Toto next to her with as he put his arm over his driver's shoulder. He threw a quick wink at her as he snaked his arm around her waist, his hand firm on her hip as he tugged her slightly towards him, as they all smiled widely for the photo.

The guys all took turns to thank Flavio for the invitation to his club as Alessandra hugged Elisabetta, promising to keep in touch and meet up in coffee whenever they were both in Monaco or in Milan.

"Thank you so much for the invite," Alessandra said when Flavio stopped in front of her and pulled her in a hug, "and hopefully I'll see you around a paddock soon!"

"Thank you for coming, and I haven't decided which race, but you'll see me soon," Flavio grinned when they pulled away, but kept hold of her by the shoulders, "send my regards to your dad, yeah?" Alessandra nodded, returning the smile as she moved to the side, letting Toto aexchange a hug with his friend, both promising to meet up in Monaco for coffee before the Italian boss and his former partner left.

Everyone sat back down, letting out a sigh as they heard the performer announce his last song for the night, and Daniel ordered another round for the already wasted drivers. Alessandra rolled her eyes at their cheering for more drinks, but still smiled at them, enjoying seeing them have an amazing time together.

Toto's invitation from earlier played in Alessandra's mind, and she tried to ignore it as she sipped on her cocktail whilst she chatted with her friends. She wanted to stay and hang out with them, but every part of her was yearning to head to the hills with Toto. She felt guilty that she's willing to leave them for their rival, but she knew that she had the rest of the holiday with them, and that she could hang out with them whenever she wanted. With Toto, she had to be really descreet, and immensely secretive, and they never really know when their schedules align, making it harder for them to meet up.

So she finally decided to listen to her mind, not wanting to miss an opportunity where it is just the two of them, and she turned to Toto, giving him a knowing look, which he quickly got, giving her a smirk as he finished his whiskey and put the glass on the table.

"Ladies, gentlemen, it's been an absolute pleasure tonight," Toto said as he stood up, getting everyone's attention, "but I'm calling it a night, so I'm heading back to the boat."

Alessandra gave Toto a confused look, not understanding why he was going to his yacht and thought that maybe she's grovelled over the idea too long and he's now changed his mind. She put on a smile on her face as he walked round the table to say goodbye, as George told him he'll see him in the morning.

Alessandra stood up when he stopped by her seat, both leaning forward to exchange cheek kisses as goodbye.

"Wait 10 minutes and then leave," he whispered against her ear as he held her by the arms, "I'll meet you at the end of the street." Alessandra nodded discreetly as she felt a cool chill run down her spine in excitement. "I'll see you around, or in Zandvoort."

"See you then," she smirked, giving him a wink, which made his cheeks heat up slightly as he chuckled, nodding his head before turning around and started making his way out.

Alessandra sat back down, slowly finishing off her cocktail and got back into the conversation as she felt like the 10 minutes were going by agonisingly slowly. She knew that she had to tell Charles about her whereabouts, knowing that he wouldn't believe her excuse for her departure minutes after Toto left. So she tapped her shoulder, getting his attention, motioning to move closer to her, which he quickly obliged to.

"I'm meeting Toto in a bit, we're heading up to the cliffs," Alessandra rolled her eyes at the amused smirk he gave her, "don't say a word, and cover for me if anyone asks, yeah? And tell Mick if you need to."

"Okay," he chuckled, nodding his head at her, "anything you want to tell me about you two on the rooftop?"

"Nope," she grinned, "I just drank and smoked a cigarette with company, that's all!"

"Sure," he scoffed, rolling his eyes at her, which made her chuckle.

A few minutes later, she glanced down at her phone, fighting the smile tugging on her lips when she saw that the 10 minutes have passed. She grabbed her bag, throwing it on her shoulders as she stood up, quickly getting everyone's attention as they all showed her a slight confused look.

"I'm going to head out, go for a bit of a walk, I was told the area's nicer at night when no one's around," she announced, "tonight's been an absolute blast, and hopefully we can all do it again soon!" Everyone said their goodbyes to Alessandra as she did what Toto did, and walked round the table, pulling everyone in a hug, and telling Lewis not to wait up on her if they arrive before she does.

"Well, I'll see most of you tomorrow," she said when she finished hugging Joris, before glancing at George and Carmen, "and I'll see you two soon!" The group shouted a goodbye, which made her chuckle before she walked out of the club.

A cool chill hit her skin as she walked down the road, no sign of life in sight as she wondered where Toto was, whilst she hissed slightly when she felt her heels sting the soles of her feet, ready to swap them for her sneakers. She kept walking, and was getting slightly annoyed when she still hadn't spotted him, grabbing her phone to send him a message, when she found him leaning against the wall of a building right when she turned a corner, arms crossed over his chest as he looked at her with a smile.

"I heard you coming all the way here," he said as he stepped closer, "those heels of yours make noise."

"And I had thought you actually went back to your yacht," she replied, quirking an eyebrow as she leaned against the wall.

"As if I'd stand you up like that," he scoffed, rolling his eyes which made her chuckle, "ready to go?"

"Yeah," she nodded as she opened her bags, "I just need to do something quick." Toto was towering her as she took out her sneakers and dropped them to the floor, and he offered her his arm, which she quickly grabbed as she swapped her shoes, letting out a loud moan of relief when her feet were in her sneakers as she put the heels in the bags. "Thanks for that."

"No problem," he grinned, "let's go." Alessandra felt butterflies erupting in her stomach when he grabbed her hand in his, intertwining their fingers as he gently pulled her down the road. She smiled to herself as she walked closely to Toto, enjoying the calmness that engulfed her as she leaned her head on his shoulder, which he turned his head to look at, smiling as he saw her getting comfortable before placing a kiss in her hair.

The two made it an adventure as they headed to their destination, running through the streets of Sadregna with only the semi-dim street lights paving their way. They felt so carefree as they raced each other once in a while, but Toto's favourite moment was when he watched her run towards him from a few meters behind him halfway up the hill, grabbing onto his shoulders as she jumped on his back.

He felt how she rested her head on his shoulder as he held her securely by her thighs, his hands hiding under the material of her dress, taking the time to draw meaningless patterns on her leg as he decided to carry her up to the top. He had a good idea how long she stayed with heels on, and saw how happy she was to get out of them, glancing down at her legs, which were wrapped around his torso. He had heat rushing through him like a title wave whenever Alessandra snuck a kiss on his neck once in a while.

Alessandra lifted her head up when she felt Toto slow down, a small smile making its way on her lips when she saw how high they were, and how beautiful the marina looked lit up. She slowly got back down on the ground, walking towards the stone wall, leaning her body slightly forward as a cool breeze blew gently past her face.

Toto stood a few feet away from her, hands tucked in the pockets of his pants as he admired his rival. She looked like something out of a fairytale as the wind blew her hair gently over her back, the moon above them making the material of her dress shine. He absorbed the moment, memorising every detail in front of him before making his way towards her.

Alessandra leaned her head back when she felt Toto's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer in his chest as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hands on top of his. He rested his chin on her head, the two listening to the leaves bristle in the air. They could see the yachts they were residing on, and they pointed it out, realising that they weren't docked so far from each other. The two were in a state of pure bliss in each other's arms, feeling a sense of safeness that's becoming more and more familiar every time they're so close of each other, away from the track, away from the chaos of their jobs and the lives they live, when it's just the two of them.

"You were right," Alessandra started, "being up here so late at night is totally different than first thing in the morning."

"I tend to explore when everyone's asleep," he said, which earned him a laugh from the Italian team principal, "but I guess you already know that."

"I do," she said, turning her head slightly to look up at him, giving him a grin, "and coincidentally, it's been Italian cities you like to explore so late. Are you some sort of Italian vampire in another life?"

"Maybe I am," Toto replied, shrugging his shoulders as he gave her a silly smile, "but I don't tend to think about what I could be in another life, cause I love the one I'm living in right now. I have everything I need."

Alessandra looked away when she felt her cheeks heat up, thinking if there was an underlying message in his words. She wondered if she was part of everything that he needed, but she pushed the thought away, knowing that there's no emotional attachment between the two, their sole purpose together is to offer the physical aspects they need, whether it was sex, or even using physical touch as their language, like they were at that moment. Although, her mind was trying to bug her that there was more, but she ignored it.

Toto grabbed her hips, slowly turned her around to face him, bringing one of his free hands towards her face, gently grabbing her chin and got her to look up at him. He quickly felt himself getting lost in her soft blue eyes, her hands making their way around his torso as his thumb softly caressed her bottom lip. The magnet between them was in full force as it pulled them closer to each other, Alessandra's hands disappearing under his shirt, her skin hot on his back as she got on her toes, meeting Toto halfway as he leaned his head towards hers as his lips fell on hers.

They both felt like time has stopped as their lips moved together in the perfect rhythm, fuelled by the passion running through their veins as their hold on each other tightened and pulled each other closer. Their bodies erupted in heat, feeling the electricity shoot through every nerve that connected the two, each kiss they share feeling better than the last. And if they could, they'd keep the time frozen, and stay in this moment for as long as they could.

They pulled away, soft smiles on their tingling lips as their foreheads rested against each other, chests hitting each other's as they rose and felt to catch their breathes. The two sat down on the edge of the wall, Toto's arms around her waist once more, pulling her in him as she rested her head on his shoulder, and sat in blissful silence.

Around two hours later, filled with small chats and stolen kisses, the two decided to make their way back to the marina. Her hand was intertwined with his, head on his shoulder as the two talked about when they'll be back in Monaco so she could come over to his apartment to collect her bikini, and stay for wine.

"There's around three weeks left of Summer break," Toto started, glancing down at her, "got anything planned? Apart from the ball in two weeks?"

"I'm spending a couple of days in Geneva with Mick to see his family," she answered, looking up at him, "but I'll mostly be training at the factory, and if anything comes up in between, I guess I have that. What about you?"

"I'm travelling to Austria a couple of days after returning to Monaco, spend some more time with the children before I also go train for Zandvoort," he chuckled, "but like you said, if anything comes up, I might go for that too."

"Summer break's always flown past us, hasn't it," she said as they entered the marina, "you want to do so many things, enjoy time with loved ones, but at the same time we have to make sure our teams are still in top shape."

"It's the beauty of knowing how to balance the professional and the personal," Toto said, stopping in his steps, fulling turning towards Alessandra as he placed his hands on her hips, "we're lucky that we excel in that balance, you more than anyone."

"We do, don't we?" She grinned as she glanced around, spotting Charles's yacht, before looking back at her rival, "well, I'm heading inside."

"Me too," he replied, giving her a gentle smile as he cupped the side of her face, caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb as she leaned her head in his palm, "I had fun tonight."

"Me too," she mumbled, letting her eyes lock with his, "good night Torger."

"Good night Alessandra," he whispered as he leaned in, capturing her lips with his in a short, but sweet kiss, "I'll see you in Monaco." She nodded, stealing one more kiss before she turned around and walked towards the yacht. Toto stood where he was as he watched her get on the boat, turning around to give him a wave, which she returned before she disappeared in the lower deck. And Toto had a stupid grin on his face as he made his way back to his.

Alessandra held her sneakers in her hand as she tiptoed through the deck, quietly opening her room, finding Lewis sound asleep as she set her stuff before grabbing her shirt and shorts and changed into them in the bathroom. She then made her way back out of the room, walking towards the kitchen to grab a bottled water, thinking how she managed to successfully sneak back on the yacht without anyone knowing.

However, that wasn't the case when she almost jumped out of her skin when she found Charles in the kitchen by the open fridge, looking at her with a smug smile as he took out three bottled waters. Alessandra rolled her eyes, taking one of them from his hands and unscrewed the cap.

"Do you know what time it is, Ms. Ferrari?" He asked, amusement laced in his voice as she took a gulp of her cold drink.

"Oh shut up," she scoffed, "what are you doing up?"

"Alexandra and I woke up thirsty, so I told her I'd grab us some water," he answered, "and thank god I did, or she would have caught you sneaking in." Alessandra rolled her eyes at him once more, shaking her head as she took another sip, "did you have fun with him?"

"It was nice," she replied, trying to fight the giddiness that crept through her as she didn't want to make it seem like a big deal, "the view was really beautiful from the cliffs at night. You should take Alexandra there whilst we're around!"

"I'll take you up on it," he chuckled, stepping towards her, "now, go get some rest, we've got a whole day planned tomorrow!" Alessandra nodded, patting his shoulder as the two left the kitchen, and made their way to their rooms.

After wishing each other a good night, and shared a quick hug, Alessandra slowly got back into her and Lewis's room, putting her bottle on the small bedside table before crawling under the sheets. She let the sleepiness accumulate her, as butterflies rumbled in her stomach when she thought back about ending her night in Toto's arms, engulfed in his closeness as they shared kisses that made her whole body on fire, wondering if everything's not how she thought, and that maybe, just maybe, it meant more.

ººº

Okay, so I didn't expect for this chapter to be this long, but you guys deserve it after not uploading one for so long! And unfortunately, you guys know the drill, for now the updates are insanely irregular, cause I really, really need to focus on school. 

But the good news is that, the next chapter has been in the works for quite some time now, and it might be significantly shorter than this one, but I promise you it's a fun one, and I don't think you're going to expect the plot in chapter 47. Maybe it will also come soon, but unfortunately, no promises. 

I cannot wait to get be able to devote more time to the story, cause the plots I have lined up are really exciting, and I just cannot wait to write them. 

Once again, thank you so, so much for your support on this story, and for sticking around. I hope you guys plan on sticking around for long, cause it is, far, far, immensely far from over!

~Love, C