solo / carlos sainz

twenty-one

"And please don't forget, she's only allowed a story in English after she's had one in Spanish." Carlos is practically dragging me out of the hotel room as I try to triple check I've told Amira everything she needs to know about Elsie's nighttime routine. "I know it's not easy, but at least try to get the pronunciation correct."

Amira laughs, her arm getting pulled by Elsie, who's realised her Auntie Ami is staying the night and is absolutely ecstatic. "Mar, I've got it. Go, enjoy your night, we'll still be here when you get back."

"Vamos, cariño, ya llegamos tarde." Carlos gets me out the door, taking my hand in his as we walk through the hall to the elevator.

It feels a little nostalgic, getting all dressed up in a mini dress and heels and going to a party with a handsome man...except this time, I'm definitely going to remember who the man is.

The elevator's decently crowded when it opens up to let us in, forcing the two of us to shuffle into the back and stand close together. Carlos grabs me by the waist, pulling me back into him as another few people step into the elevator.

His hands slide entirely around me, holding me as close as possible. It's an exercise in restraint to not turn around and face him, especially as he drops his head to bring his mouth level with my ear.

"¿Crees que alguno de ellos se da cuenta de que está compartiendo ascensor con la mujer más guapa del mundo?" His whisper is barely audible over the noise of the machinery bringing us down to the lobby and yet...

I press myself back, staring up at the rapidly descending floor numbers as we come closer and closer to our destination. "Cuidado, campeón," I warn as a new person enters the elevator and looks us up and down once.

"Forza Ferrari," the man states as he turns to face the door.

Carlos gives my waist a squeeze, "Forza Ferrari."

We're able to exit the elevator after Carlos takes a quick selfie with the man, the two of us walking hand in hand to where a hired car has been waiting for the last few minutes. Fans have gathered around, pressing up against the barriers constructed by the hotel in an attempt to get a moment with the winner of the British Grand Prix.

I remove my hand from his as he drifts close to the fans to our right, letting him have his moment with them as I move to the fans on the left. "Do any of you have things you'd like signed?" In an instant, hats and flags and posters are shoved into my arms, making me laugh.

Carlos and I meet in the middle, him signing everything before moving further down the line to more fans. I return the signed items to their rightful owners, repeating this little dance three more times, each round bringing us closer and closer to the car.

"Mara! Mara, could I get a selfie please?" At the calling of my name, I turn to find a young girl holding her phone out for me, decked out in Ferrari gear and smiling ear to ear. "Mara! Hi!"

"Cariño, ayúdame, por fa," Carlos pivots at the sound of my voice, moving away from the fans to take the girl's phone and take a photo of us together. He then flips the camera to take a photo with the fan before handing it back. "Have a nice night!"

We wave to the fans, Carlos ushering me into the car with a hand on my lower back and his body blocking any paparazzi's view up my very short dress.

When I reach for him as soon as the door's shut, he holds out a hand, pointing to the flashing cameras documenting our departure. "They can see through the tint if they use flash," he warns.

Though he's not exactly stopping me, not as his hand slides onto my bare thigh, pulling it over his lap. "Carlos..." he slides his hand up my leg, fingers pressing little marks into my skin as he nears the hem of my dress. "Carlos."

He pauses, waiting, frozen. The car makes a hard left turn, forcing me almost entirely on top of him...and he doesn't move.

A look at his face tells me everything I need to know. His pupils are blown wide, the faintest ring of brown visible in his irises. My own eyes dart down to his lips, where they've parted ever so slightly, strained breaths warming my face as I lean close.

With a slow shift, I bracket his lap with my legs and run my hands up his chest. "I did some maths today, during your race..."

"Hm?"

My hands continue to trail upwards to run them through his hair, nails ever so slightly digging into his scalp. "Yeah. I was wondering how long it's been... and I don't know about you but for me....it's been one thousand, nine-hundred, and thirty-four days."

I pivot my hips ever so slightly, applying the perfect amount of pressure to elicit a moan from the man beneath me. "That's a long time." He's breathing harder now than he was after the race, his entire body heaving with every inhale.

The amount of restraint he's got is almost monk-like. Honestly, it should be studied.

"It is...and it got me thinking...well, I'd really like to reset that count to zero tonight."

Carlos grins. God, he's got the most perfect smile. "I think I can help with that." He still doesn't move, though he does begin to glance out the window, likely trying to figure out how far we are from the after party we're heading to.

"You definitely can," I'm enjoying this way too much... "But not right now."

"What?" His face doesn't entirely fall, but he definitely looks just a bit put out.

The car begins to slow beneath us, my timing impeccable. I lean close, pressing my chest into his and angling my hips to slowly grind into his lap. My movements make Carlos finally snap, grabbing my thighs and holding me there as I get even closer.

I can feel the driver put the car in park, his door opening to go around to ours. Now or never.

"When you fuck me tonight, I want it to be worth the wait...think you're up for the challenge, guapo?"

The chauffeur's at the door now, I see him coming toward the door and I quickly slide off Carlos's lap and back into my seat. When the door's opened, Carlos is still gaping at me, pure shock painted across his face. "Voy a arruinarte."

He steps out of the car, offering a hand out to me as I climb out myself. "I certainly hope so."