Sparks - Daniel Ricciardo

Forty

                 📍3rd July 2022 - London, UK

It was race day in Silverstone. 

Due to Max's hangover during qualifying, Daniel surely out-qualified his teammate; which was more of a birthday present in itself. 

One that he made a mental note about to thank Max at a later point.

"How you feeling?" Michael asked as he emerged into Daniel's drivers room to find him mid squat, blasting music through his overhead earphones.

Daniel removed one ear and lifted his eyebrow to suggest to Michael that he did not hear his previous statement, hoping that his personal trainer would kindly repeat himself. "You good?"

"Yeah, I've got this." Daniel said with confidence lacing every word on his tongue. "P2 is a great place to start."

"Let's see if you can pass Sainz first." Michael chuckled as he set down his backpack and water bottle onto the table. 

Daniel shook his head as he stood back up straight and extended his back whilst gripping onto his hips.

"Let's be honest, the Ferrari will probably set on fire before getting past the first corner." Daniel chuckled as he began to stretch out his arms in sideways directions. 

"Or the team will fuck their strategy up." Michael mocked which caused Daniel's laugh to boom as he took a seat before rummaging through his bag. "I heard about your birthday disaster."

"Don't remind me." Daniel rolled his eyes before he sat down opposite Michael, taking a sip from his drink bottle. 

"Have you spoken to him?" Michael queried.

"Blake?" Daniel raised his head. "Nah."

"How's Amber?" Michael asked without hesitation. "She couldn't have taken Blake's comments all to well."

"She was alright. Of course, he upset her, but she managed to let it go over her head." Daniel explained as he leaned back in his seat, before being met his Michael's glazed smirk. "What?" Daniel said as he looked over Michael's new expression. 

"Well, I got a call from my landlord on the way over here, reporting of a noise complaint." Michael suggested whilst he watched Daniel's olive skin slowly turn redder in colour. "Would this suspected complaint have anything to do with you? I'm sure that this was a good distraction for Amber, considering that Blake was such a dick to her."

Daniel swallowed the lump which was slowly drying his throat as he grew more embarrassed to admit to his friend that he had slept with Amber again, let alone made so much noise to receive a complaint from his landlord.

"I have no idea what you're on about." Daniel brushed off the situation as stood back up to his feet. "Now, help me stretch, I have a ridiculous knot in my back-"

"Been using your back muscles too much, Riccy?" Michael teased as he also stood to his feet. 

"Cut it out." Daniel warned as he pointed his finger towards Michael. "No sex talk whilst Amber's around."

"She isn't here!" Michael laughed as he slumped his chest.

"She's close by, shut your mouth." Daniel said as he pretended to zip his mouth shut, locking it tightly and throwing away the imaginary key. 

"Such a baby." Michael complained as he watched from behind as the door clicked open to reveal Amber holding three month old Luca. "Talking about babies, hello cutie."

"He wanted to see his daddy." Amber smiled as she rocked him slightly in her arms. "That, and Francesca is loosing her mind with how much he's crying at the moment."

"Honestly, he won't be quiet!" Francesca came in like a whirring storm. "You're honestly a baby whisperer, keep him."

Amber moved closer to Daniel so he could take view of the infant in her arms.

"You know you can only call me daddy, right?" Daniel teased behind Amber, lulling his words slowly so she could be the only one to hear.

Although his words travelled further than anticipated. 

"Daniel!" Francesca screamed with a smirk laying across her face. "Not in front of the baby!"

"Seriously, Ric?" Michael laughed. "You just told me off for making jokes."

"It's my sex life, I can make jokes." Daniel informed. 

"Daniel, shut up." Amber said as she hid her face away from the others as they continued to laugh.

"Right, hand over my son." Michael laughed as he accepted Luca out of Amber's arms, holding him firmly towards his chest as his cries started to escape his mouth for a brief moment. 

"Come on, Mike." Francesca said as she hung her bag over her left shoulder. "Let's get Luca here fed and changed."

Once the distractions were out of the way, Daniel placed his hands across Amber's wide hips and pulled her in closer, pecking his soft lips against the crook of her neck and fiddling with the material of her dress between his nimble fingers. 

As Amber's hands laced through the back of Daniel's hair and down towards the supple skin sat across his neck, she hummed in comfort whilst deeply taking a breath. 

"You feeling okay?" Amber whispered as Daniel disconnected from her neck, placing his eye-line directly for her view. 

"Never felt better." He smiled with his wide grin. "I have my good luck charm."

"I wouldn't call myself that." Amber giggled. "It feels weird to be back."

"It feels weird having you back." He agreed. "In the nicest way possible."

"Did you miss me?" Amber teased as he hung from his shoulders and tilted her head back flirtatiously. 

Daniel pulled her in closer once more and made sure his lips were almost grazing her ear before exclaiming.

"Baby, you have no idea." His deep Australian accent travelled throughout her body, sending electric signals down her spine. 

Giggling like a child, she playfully pushed his embrace away as she took a step backwards. 

"Feeling confident?" Amber asked as she tried to move the conversation away from the sexual depths it was surely going to take if she hadn't pushed her feelings aside.

But, deep down, she wanted to do nothing more than jump his bones.

"I am." Daniel answered back with confidence as he nodded intently. "I'm on good form, the car feels fantastic and Max is starting further a field, so it gives me a little advantage."

"Maybe you should ensure that Max gets drunk before qualifying every weekend. That way, you'd always beat him."

"He'd find a way to cope." Daniel smiled. "Max will always find a way around difficulties. I've got to give the kid some credit, he's fucking good."

Just as Amber was about to come out with some quick witted comment, Michael knocked on the door and peered his head around from the wooden platform. 

"Thank god." He let out a sigh and relief and moved his body in full view from around the door. "You've both still got your clothes on."

"Michael!" Amber exclaimed with a laugh lacing her voice. "You've been gone for five minutes. Do you honestly think it takes us five minutes?"

"No, I know Daniel can go for hours." Michael laughed. "But I also know he has the sex drive of a thirteen year old boy. Wouldn't take him long for him to have his kit off."

"Cheers Mike." Daniel laughed as he picked his water canister up from the side table. 

"Oh right, I forgot to mention." Michael stated as he waited for Daniel to follow him out of the room. "I got a call from my landlord this morning, reports of a noise complaint in the building or something, coming from my place. You two wouldn't happen to know about that now, would you?"

Michael's smile beamed as he happily teased the couple in front of him, watching as Amber's cheeks flowed hotter in colour as Daniel stood with his mouth open ajar.