She groaned and pushed a finger against his chest. "Don't try to provoke me. You want to know to make fun of me. I am not giving in to a decieving son of a bitch."
"Do you even have friends?"
"I don't need friends, they make me weak and vulnerable...
But he pressed it to the limit, he was shorter than half a second behind Lewis when they finished.
He got driver of the day.
When he hopped off the car, he didn't think of his almost win or his driver of the day award. He thought of Alyona. Her smile, her breath of smoke and whiskey, the almost smile she threw his way sometimes, the way she dominated every room she walked into.
The things he wouldn't get that night. He hadn't won. Her terms were tightly specific. It was all or nothing. At least he got to ask her and live to tell.
Pity, it was a nice race. Even Lewis jumped off the car and hugged him tightly, congratulating him and telling him of the great race they had.
Max came third and didn't miss a moment to pat his shoulder and smirk. That shit Ricciardo had told Max that Alyona had accepted their date.
"You know," Max said once they were out of the podium and out of cameras' range. "Daniel is a great matchmaker. He's made a point to stick you two together."
"Ricciardo can't keep his mouth shut."
"Oh, come on. He wouldn't exactly keep that a secret from me." Max laughed. "Might I suggest something though, for your date?"
"Aren't you too young to be giving me dating advice?"
Max rolled his eyes. "Don't do the usual with her."
"Usual?"
He shrugged. "Fancy dinner, fancy dress up. Get her somewhere more raw and authentic."
"Like what?"
Max rolled his eyes. "Don't you have no imagination? This is Hungary."
"So?"
"Gypsy culture. Try the food, take a walk, talk about... I dunno, music? The stars? Do something different."
"I don't believe I'm taking dating advice from a twenty year old."
"Twenty-one."
♚ ♚ ♚
Seb searched for her again, he didn't find her. Not in his room or anywhere else. It was like she had vanished.
He hadn't met the terms anyway, it was logical she would have left. Seb had taken a quick shower and had changed, grabbed his stuff and left to go to his car.
It wasn't what he expected.
Alyona was leaning against her car which suspiciously was parked beside his.
And she was smoking, one hand trembling as she tried to hide it away from sight beneath the one she used to hold her cigarette to her lips.
Seb smiled. She hadn't left him. She was waiting. But there was something wrong with her. Very wrong. She trembled and shivered and it certainly wasn't from the weather.
He knew instantly what it was. Her father. Only he could strike so much terror in her.
He approached her, opened his car and threw his stuff in the trunk. He went to stand before her, smiling warmly.
"Hey," she said and hid her hand better away from him.
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