The Race Director's Daughter (Sebastian Vettel)

9. The Afterparty (2)

Leah looked around the crowded club, her eyes searching for Tamara or Jenna.  They'd left her guarding their drinks while they went to the toilet but now twenty minutes had passed and they still hadn't returned. 

She hadn't quite reached the panic stage yet but she wasn't far off of it.  What if someone tried to talk to her? What if she had a meltdown here, a very public meltdown? 

She slid along the bench seat into the corner, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. 

She was on the verge of texting one of the others to see where they'd got to when she saw Jenna coming back towards the table with a big smile on her face. 

She picked hers and Tamara's drinks up. "Come on, up you get.  We're moving!"

"Moving where?" Leah spluttered. 

"Oh, we're just joining some others that we bumped into.  Come on."  Leah reluctantly stood up, pulling her dress down as far as she could.  She didn't really want to sit at a table full of strangers but she didn't want to be left alone here.  At least she'd have Jenna and Tamara there. 

She followed Jenna across the room.  Her heart nearly stopped when she saw who the "others" were.  Tamara was perched on the lap of none other than Daniel Ricciardo. Her eyes widened as she saw Charles Leclerc and George Russell also sat there. There was another man too but she couldn't see him properly as he had a shadow over his face.

As they reached the table Jenna slid onto the last empty seat.

Leah stood there not knowing what to do. Then the man she hadn't recognised stood up, offering her his seat. It was then that she realised who he was. Sebastian Vettel. Her heart started racing. Up close he was absolutely gorgeous. She'd always thought he was good looking, but in the flesh....well, he was definitely the sexiest man she'd ever seen.

His hair was longer than it usually was, and it suited him. Leah smiled at him, and sat down, her eyes shifting downwards to look at her hands. She saw Seb pick his beer up out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey Ummm, looking good!" she heard Daniel shout at her. She couldn't help herself, she gave a small laugh. There was something endearing about the Australian.

She looked to her left as she saw movement. Charles Leclerc had stood up and Seb had quickly nabbed his seat, which was next to her.

She tried her best not to look at him. She didn't want him to think she was eyeing him up, although that's exactly what she was doing. How could she not look at him? He was beautiful.

A couple of times she could have sworn he was looking at her with those beautiful blue eyes of his. She looked to her right to speak to Jenna but the redhead was engrossed in a conversation with Tamara about something.

"So how did you enjoy your first race weekend?" Seb asked. She turned to look at him, feeling all flustered as she saw how close he was. Of course he'd moved closer so she could hear him. There was nothing more to it than that.  

"It was good," she stammered eventually.  "I guess it just takes time to get used to it all."

"Yeah, it can be a rollercoaster sometimes. We haven't been formerly introduced by the way.  I'm Sebastian, or Seb if you prefer." He smiled at her with that cheeky smile she'd seen so many times in press conferences and post race interviews.

"I'm Leah, not Ummm as Daniel would have you believe."   Seb smiled.

"Welcome Leah." She smiled back at him.

"By the way, can I just say you look amazing. I love your dress."

She froze. Surely he wasn't coming on to her? Please no. She wasn't ready for this. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head, looking down at her knees. She didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to make him believe he had a chance. He was probably only being polite anyway. Why would Sebastian Vettel be interested in her?