Antti hovered silently in the doorway observing and admiring Chloe as she sat at the breakfast bar in the large, modern kitchen of Seb's Swiss home. The large house felt empty without Seb there and she looked quite lonely sitting there on her own. He cocked his head to one side as he watched her studying something on her phone, he recognised her blue laptop on the counter as she looked from her phone to the laptop's screen. She looked agitated and then worried, he stepped back out of her view just as she looked up, he didn't want her thinking he was some sort of creep, watching her like he was. He was glad he'd been able to spend some time alone with her after Seb had asked him to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was ok. He was pleased that his driver had put a little and faith and trust back in him, he only wanted to take care of Chloe as much as Seb did.
~*~
Outside the sun was shining brightly, reflecting on the lake to make it shimmer and sparkle. The landscape and the lawn looked a lush green and the mountains in the distance just had a small amount of snow on the highest peaks, it was a breathtaking view from the kitchen window and should be making her happy but right now she felt miserable. Chloe looked at the new media messages she'd been sent, until today she'd heard nothing from the number that had sent her the photo of Seb and Britta and she had dismissed it as Stephen trying to stir up shit. Now she had a video of her walking naked while miming to Feel It by The Tamperer and a photo of her astride someone while having sex with them. It wasn't just the person she was with at that time being found out that worried her; it was the fact that these things had been stored on her own personal laptop and nowhere else. It seemed as though her laptop could have somehow been remotely hacked and the thought made her feel sick. She rubbed her tired sore eyes and then her forehead as her headache began to worsen. Seb had now been away for nine days and she hadn't heard from him since Thursday when he called to say Leonie was in hospital. Thankfully it was nothing more than dehydration from the bug she'd caught and she was to be sent home the next day. Hannah had, in Seb's words, been an emotional wreck and he had been left to take care of their daughters on his own. Chloe had tried to call him and text him but he'd not answered or replied, right now she felt cast aside and angry. She had thrown herself into her work even more over the last four days, becoming a slave to her inbox, replying to every single email and taking every call no matter what the hour was when it rang. After what had happened in Canada her workload had increased and she had welcomed the distraction. Right now she needed Seb just as much as Hannah and their daughters did. Her phone pinged with another message, her stomach flipped, it was that number again, another photo. She opened the attachment to be faced with a photo that she'd not seen before although she immediately knew when and where it was taken, it was the German GP in 2010 and the image was a little grainy, zoomed in and taken through the window of the Mercedes motorhome. She'd been caught kissing Michael. There was a text at the bottom; 'It would be such a shame for you if your dirty secrets went public. I'll be in touch.' She slammed her phone down and rubbed her forehead, the lack of sleep and food over the last week was taking it's toll and the added stress of these messages was making her head begin to throb. She knew now was the time to involve Seb but she didn't want to worry him, not unless she absolutely had to. He knew she'd kissed Michael but he wouldn't have seen the photo or anything else she'd been sent. She just had to wait now and see what Stephen sent her next, she was still sure it was him, who else could it possibly be? Picking her phone up she opened her email app and quickly typed an email to Sabine Kehm, maybe if she could speak to Michael he could help her? If this got out it would affect him too.
~*~
Antti entered the kitchen after watching her some more, he took in her slim form still dressed in yesterday's clothes, a black pair of sweatpants with a white vest, and her disheveled unbrushed hair. She looked exhausted with shadows under her eyes yet she still looked beautiful to him, she didn't look up or even seem to notice his presence as she put her phone down and rubbed her temples. He leant back against one of the counters, she was clearly stressed and suffering with a headache. The blue laptop in front of her reminded him of the video and photo he had copied to his phone and how hot she'd looked in her black underwear the night she'd come into his room. She closed the laptop and rested her head on her arms, he heard her let out a shaky sigh, was she upset? He hated to see her upset, she would never be upset if she belonged to him, he'd do everything within his power to make her happy.
~*~
Chloe looked up as a glass of water and two paracetamol appeared in front of her. "Thank you." She murmured as Antti took a seat next to her, she'd been so consumed with everything that was going around in her head that she hadn't even realised that Antti was here. "Yet again you're looking after me."
"You know I'll always take care of you when Seb's not around." He said, looking down at the counter top as he realised that his words could mean something else. "Did you even go to bed last night?" He asked, although he knew the answer from her appearance.
"No. I dozed off on the sofa." She replied. "Have you heard from Seb?"
"No, sorry." He watched her swallow the tablets with some water. "You don't need to worry about him being with her, he won't sleep with her, he won't do anything stupid to risk losing you."
"It's not him I'm worried about." She picked up her phone and began turning it over and over in her hands.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked.
"No, I can't." She shook her head.
"I promise it won't go any further if you do, not if you don't want it to." He leant his elbows on the counter and looked at her, they sat in silence for a moment, only the hum of the refrigerator could be heard.
"I think I'm going to be blackmailed." She said knowing that it sounded ridiculous. "I think this has been remotely hacked and accessed." She added, tapping her laptop.
"Wow, you sure?" He raised his brows in surprise.
"A number I don't know is sending me copies of things that are only stored on here, and I think they're going to be used to blackmail me in some way."
"I've never seen you use it, how can it be accessed if you don't use it?" He asked.
"It's almost always left on and I do use it sometimes. It's been hacked Antti, I'm telling you." She blinked back tears.
"Want me to take a look at it for you?" He pointed to the laptop. "I could check your virus protection and stuff?"
"No!" She said quickly. "Sorry....I mean no, that won't be necessary, it's too late now, but thanks for offering."
"Ah, the photos they've had are very personal, yeah?" He asked, her reaction telling him there was things on there she wouldn't want him to see, except that he had seen them and they'd filled his dreams ever since.
"Why do you think I'm so worried?! I've been so stupid! I should have deleted them or moved them on to another device." She shook her aching head. "Those memories, those private moments, I feel as though my home has been broken into, I feel violated."
"Have you told Seb?" He knew that Seb should really know about this, sure that he would be able to stop this before it got any further. "If you've been hacked then it's a pretty serious thing."
"No, and he mustn't know. Not until he absolutely has to, I don't want him worrying about this."
"He won't find out from me, I promise you." Antti slipped an arm around her, ignoring Seb's order of not to touch her, it was hurting him to see her upset.
"I'm just waiting to see what he sends me next, I don't know what else to do." She sniffed.
"You know who is sending you the messages? You said you don't know the number."
"It's obvious Antti, it's Stephen, there's noone else it could be." She turned into him and slipped off of her stool to let him hold her. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her rest her head on his shoulder, he wished that there was some way he could help her. Nuzzling his nose lightly in her hair he inhaled the scent of her shampoo before placing a single kiss there. He smiled to himself as he felt her holding him, this felt good, it felt right. If Seb didn't want to be here then he was more then happy to step in.
~*~
It was Thursday morning and Seb had arrived at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France on his motorcycle. As he scanned his pass at the paddock gates he felt excited to see Chloe, he'd missed her and he knew he'd have some explaining to do. He hoped she would let him make things up to her after his eleven day absence. With Hannah, Mia and Leonie now back home in the house he'd bought for them he felt that staying longer had been worth it, Hannah finally seemed to be coping with her grief and was now taking care of their daughters once again with the help of her mother who had returned from holiday. As he entered the Ferrari hospitality unit he spotted Chloe sat in the corner, immersed in her work. He was shocked at how tired and stressed she looked, she'd obviously had a lot to deal with after the last race, maybe he should have returned her calls after all. "Hey liebe." He sat down next to her. "How's my beautiful girl? I can't tell you how good it feels to see you."
"Maybe if you'd bothered to return my calls or texts you might have been able to." She replied without looking away from the screen. Inside her body was already betraying the anger she was feeling towards him, as her heart beat a little faster upon hearing his voice and she felt relief mix with immediate desire for him.
"I can explain." He said, this was not the reunion he'd been expecting. "Come into the changing room with me." He stood and held out his hand. She stubbornly ignored it and gathered up the laptop and her mobile before following him into his changing room.
"I'm all ears." She drawled sarcastically as he shut the door. Taking in his appearance she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach, wearing his Ferrari t-shirt and a dark blue pair of shorts with his Ray-Bans on top of his head he looked gorgeous and as though he'd just been on a holiday, not in Heppenheim looking after his young family.
"Please Chloe, don't be like this." He put his rucksack and his black helmet down.
"Like what?" She asked, if he had expected her to welcome him back with open arms after a couple of days away had turned into eleven days then he was mistaken. "You want to talk, so talk."
"I'm sorry, I know I should have at least text you but with things as they were.....not only was I nursing my youngest daughter back to health, I was having to practically nurse her mother too. I barely had a minute to myself, the girls never left my side and Hannah...."
"Was just Hannah." Chloe cut in.
"She was grieving Chloe, she was really close to Anna. She was a mess, I couldn't leave her and then when Leonie got worse....I've never felt anything like it when I had to drive her to hospital. I was so scared, she was awake but just not responding to me, it was a fucking nightmare. I've never seen her so poorly." He stepped closer. "I didn't sleep with Hannah if that's what you were thinking." He added.
"I know you you didn't, trust me, you shagging her was the last thing on my mind." She replied. "Seb, it would have taken you seconds to send me a text, I've heard nothing from you for a week."
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's not been easy for me staying there, they needed me." He stepped closer. "I spent every night sleeping on the floor of Leonie's room, I didn't want to wake her with any noise or light from my phone."
"Did you not think that I might need you?!" She jabbed her finger to her chest as her emotions got the better of her. "I know your family needed you, but I did too!"
"Has something happened?" He asked, stepping closer to her.
"Forget it, it doesnt matter if something did or if it didn't." She muttered. "I needed you, and you wasn't there."
"At least tell me why you needed me." He shot back, exasperated.
"I take it that everyone is ok now?" She asked.
"Don't change the subject, but yes Leonie is fine now and Hannah is getting there, everyone is back home now and Hannah's mother is there." He placed his hands on her waist to pull her closer, he was desperate to touch her and kiss her. "Something happened while I was away, didn't it?"
"It's fine, it's been dealt with." She replied.
"Was it Antti?" He asked.
"No, he was good boy and behaved himself." She rolled her eyes it was typical of him to blame Antti.
"Then tell me." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I've missed you so badly." The small contact with her skin felt comforting yet made him want more as he began to crave her kisses.
"I need to run through today's schedule with you." She pulled away and he groaned, he was obviously not forgiven yet.
"Chloe." He watched as she picked up her phone and pulled up the schedule for today.
"You're in the fan zone first thing this morning, I've got a pile of cards here for you to sign." She began, pointing to a pile of cards on the table.
"Liebe, please." He stepped closer to her again.
"You've got a spell in the media pen straight after your track walk before lunch and the meetings this afternoon. You've got the result of the stewards hearing due around that time so be prepared to be questioned about it." She continued.
"Chloe, come on, please don't be like this." He implored.
"Your Q and A with the press is currently scheduled for three this afternoon but obviously that can be changed depending on how long your meetings go on for." She continued again while swiping the screen, she then gasped as Seb plucked the device from her hands. "Seb, what are you doing?" He said nothing as he placed her phone on the table and slipped his arms around her waist. "I'm working Seb, can't you see that?" Again, he said nothing as he pulled her against him and pressed his forehead to hers. Feeling her relax in his arms, he nuzzled his nose to hers while taking in the vibrancy of her green eyes up close and breathing in her familiar scent. His mind started to fill with everything about her and any other thoughts simply vanished. He could feel the strong pull of desire as he pressed his body against her and could feel his body automatically begin to respond and ache for her touch. He brushed his lips over hers, fairly sure now that she wouldn't push him away, and wordlessly asked for her kiss which she responded to by chasing his lips with her own and letting out a faint moan as their lips touched. It was soft, light kiss as if they were kissing each other for the very first time and they did it over and over, each time making it longer and deeper until things grew more heated and she groaned into his mouth letting his tongue begin to dance with hers. His hands began to explore her body, familiarising himself with her once again while she did the same, slipping her hands under his Ferrari t-shirt and taking in the smooth skin of his back before moving to his front to let her fingers trail over the firm planes of his torso and chest. He let out a moan and began to grind himself against her, wanting her to feel how hard she making him. He'd missed her so much and just wanted to be inside her, to be able to reconnect with her, that was until her phone pinged and she froze in his arms.
"Ignore it." He murmured against her skin as he started to brush his lips over the sensitive areas on her neck.
"I can't." She pressed her hands against him and pulled away from him, he groaned in frustration.
"Seriously Chloe, just leave it for now." He watched as she picked her phone up, she looked anxious as she unlocked the screen and opened the messages app. "Everything ok?"
"Yeah." Relief flashed across her face, the message was simply from Silvia, asking where they were. She let out an audible sigh of relief. "We're late, we need to go." She smiled.
"I can't go yet, not like this." He pointed to the bulge in his shorts. "You were genuinely worried about that text at first, weren't you?"
"What? Nah, not at all." She replied, as usual nothing got past her boyfriend, it seemed that he could read her like a book.
"Did something happen while I've been away from you?" He asked again, noticing once more how tired and stressed she looked.
"Yeah, I had shit loads to deal with after Canada and I had my period and felt like crap for two days." She answered quickly.
"And that's all?" He wasn't entirely buying her response.
"That's enough, don't you think?" She picked the pile of cards up from the table.
"Yeah, you're right." He put his sunglasses on, ready to head out. "I know I've increased your workload over the past couple of weeks, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise for things that are beyond your control." She matched him by putting her sunglasses on too, mainly to hide her tired eyes. "Come on, we should head out." She headed for the door.
"Chloe?" He caught hold of her hand to stop her, making her turn to face him. "I'm sorry, I know I should have called you back and that I've been away from you for too long and I'm sorry I haven't been here for you when you needed me, I love you schätzchen."
"Ich liebe dich." She smiled and raised his hand to her lips, he rewarded her with a relieved smile, it seemed as though he'd been forgiven.
~*~
"Two hundred thousand euro, as we agreed." Stephen slid an envelope full of money across the desk of the office he was using at the circuit.
"Thanks."
"Great job so far, you still have the remaining one to send?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Good, wait for my instruction on that." He looked at the person in front of his desk, sensing their unease. "I think we should leave things for a while, I'm sure we've done enough for the time being. Now she plays the waiting game."