I cried out again as he rocked me hard, back and forth like shaking a bottle of champagne on the podium. And just like that, he exploded inside me with a roar. He kept thrusting, but with no rhythm, just sharp, short jabs. Great vocal sobs came from his chest and my pleasure wilted. I pulled away from him, sliding offhis cock, and spun around, grabbing hold of him as he sagged against the back of the sofa.
“Aleks?” I held him against my chest as he shook. “It’s all going to be all right.”
“No,” he said, shaking, sobbing and clutching me tightly. “It’s all over.”
“No it isn’t. Hey.” I gave him a sharp shake and lowered myself to his eye level, making him look at me. “Listen to me, Aleks.”
His wet eyes focused on me at last and he stopped crying, his body stilled.
“Aleks,” I said, more gently. “I’m right here and I’m going to help you get through this. It is not all over. You and me, we’re just beginning and I’m not going anywhere. But your career isn’t over either. You have so many more championships ahead of you, so many podiums. And I’ll be there, cheering you on. Maybe sometimes asking you hard questions in the media pen.” I smirked.
He let out a gruff laugh, nodded and dropped his forehead back onto my chest.
“Thank you.” He pulled back again with a look of concern on his tear-soaked face. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I wasn’t thinking. I was too rough.”
“I actually really enjoyed it. Didn’t you feel how hard I came?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t myself.”
“No you weren’t. You lost control. But we all need to do that sometimes. And if one of the ways you get through this is to stay controlled on camera and lose it inside me, then I’m here for it all.”
He shook his head and loosened his grip on me. “No. I won’t treat you like that.”
“Okay.” I sat down, draped my arm across his shoulders and waited for his breathing to settle. There was a tiny bit of me, the bit still high from my orgasms, that was disappointed. But our sex life was amazing without that level of brute force. I knew that really.
“What do I do, Elena? Tell me how to control this narrative. They still think I knew something.”
I drew a breath. The opportunity had presented itself and I had my answer ready, but I felt a little stab of guilt about the element of self-preservation involved.
“Well, you won’t like this, but you could give an interview.”
His eyes opened again and he peered at me sideways.
“Not with me, that’s too on the nose. On camera, let people see a little bit more of what I get to see. Open up, just about the scandal, nothing personal. Tell your side of it on the record.”
He scowled at me.
“One line answers in a press conference don’t give you the opportunity to get your story across. And I know how tight a rein your handlers keep you on in those sessions. You need to be in control without appearing constrained.”
“It’s like you’re talking another language.”
I laughed. “Sorry. But I do really think it’s a good idea. I could even set something up with my friend Caroline. Maybe this weekend, get on top of it before you race.”
“I suppose. That does sound like good advice. But I don’t know if I can do it. I know I don’t come off well on camera. It’s not what I’m here to do. I just want to race the car.”
“I know. I get it. I’d do the interview myself and just publish it in print. But I think appearing on camera will be better for you, even if it’s challenging.” Oh God, I was lying. This was not what I wanted our relationship to be like. Doing the interview with me, like this, relaxed, open, trusting, was by far the best option for him.
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I’d need to prepare for it.”
I nodded, swallowing around the pain in my throat. He wanted to control the story. So did I. I couldn’t count on Caroline being fair, or empathetic. I couldn’t trust her to coax good answers from him without butchering him. If we got ahead of Caroline, it wouldn’t be about control. It would be about truth — and dignity. Aleks deserved better than to be ambushed. And I refused to let someone else weaponise our story. Not when we had the chance to tell it right.
“What if we did it ourselves, just us? On camera, to give you a chance to emote. But I’d give you space to answer, I’d let you tell your story. You know you can trust me to be fair. I have been so far, haven’t I?”
If I got ahead of Caroline, I’d be back in control. If we announced our relationship before she did, she’d have nothing.
Aleks slipped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer.
“I am much more comfortable with just us.”
