Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 62: A Day At The Office

Author's note: Just a reminder that this story is marked mature. If you are not here for mature content, skip this chapter and any pivotal plot points will be summarised in the following chapter so you won't miss out.

"Hallo darling, come in quickly now, out of the rain."

Tully smiled as Britta pushed the reception door open at the Red Bull Racing factory and beckoned her in. Seb followed close behind, his chin tucked under against the rain.

"I always forget just how miserable the weather is here." he muttered, dusting the raindrops off his jacket as he stepped inside.

"How's the hotel?" Britta asked.

"Good. Perfect." He said, perking up immediately.

"It seems very excessive." Tully smirked, raising a brow.

"Yes, well... show-offs will be show-offs" Britta scolded, shooting Seb a sideways glance.

"I can't be recklessly frivolous once in a while?"

"Oh no, you can, I wasn't complaining." Tully grinned, "I'm wondering what will be in the gift bag at checkout. An Aston Martin? Perhaps a McLaren? A chalet in the alps?"

"Do not give him ideas," Britta said exasperatedly.

Seb laughed, "Whoops, too late."

"Ah! Seb!"

The three of them looked up at the sound of a man calling from across the room. Tully recognised him as the Reb Bull Racing team boss, Christian something...

She watched on as he and Seb greeted each other warmly while Britta and herself hung back. As they waited, Tully's eyes landed on the enormous wall of trophies behind the reception desk, her mouth falling open slightly.

"There's many, many more. They just don't all fit," Britta boasted as she nudged the Finn.

"It really will fall and kill someone," Tully muttered, feeling pride swell in her chest as she realised just how many of them were adorned with Seb's name. It was hard to find any that weren't. That boy was nothing if not raw talent trapped in a human body. She glanced back across to him as he talked, letting her eyes travel from his mop of boy-next-door blonde hair, down his lean torso and slim waist, to his fitted grey jeans and navy blue Adidas sneakers. She was interrupted from her thoughts as Christian turned towards them.

"Ah, Britta!" Christian cried, turning his attention to the two blondes behind Seb, "And Tully. Good God, it's such a relief to see you again."

"Thank you," she nodded, glancing between him and Seb in case there was anything she needed to know. She had become strangely used to people's prompts about faces and memories. Who she was supposed to know, who she didn't, who she should avoid...

Seb's expression seemed content and he didn't seem to be trying to communicate anything, so she simply smiled and nodded as Christian took her hands and squeezed them warmly. He seemed impeccably friendly.

"So, I think we have a few things to discuss," Christian said, turning back to Seb, "Are any of you hungry? I'll have some tea brought out."

"Fucking starving, actually," Seb replied, shooting Britta a smug look as she mouthed her disapproval.

"Of course you are," Christian chortled, "Alright. Follow me, follow me."

—-

During the meeting with Christian, they sat in a lavish conference room, somewhere deep in the Red Bull hive. Tully tried to listen closely during the entire meeting, soaking in as much new knowledge as she could of Seb's contract arrangements and his plans for next year. But she mostly couldn't help being extraordinarily distracted by his hand as it rested in her lap, his thumb stroking her inner thigh absentmindedly as he discussed what came next for him and Red Bull. It seemed so casual on his part, like he thought nothing of it and just did it automatically out of muscle memory. But to her, seeing Seb so comfortably show her this kind of intimate affection, right in front of his boss... it meant more.