“And do you see yourself as their puppet?” My voice was softer, off camera.
A moment, a frown, a nod. “I suppose I do. It’s not a feeling I’m used to. I’ve built a career, a life, on being in control. Surrendering control is new to me. I don’t like it.”
I smiled. He really did a good job.
I left the circuit and joined Aleks in his suite just as the sun was setting. He scooped me into his arms.
“How did practice go?”
“Smoothly, considering.”
“Any trouble with your team about… anything?”
He shook his head and leaned down to capture my mouth with his. He walked me backwards to the bed, peeling off my clothes along the way. I was as eager to undress him, and could not stop grinning like a fool.
We dropped onto the bed and spent all evening worshipping each other’s bodies.
F1 Pulse Broadcast: Bahrain Qualifying Day
MARTY: Well, well, well. If anyone thought Aleksandr Volkov was going to roll over after two weeks of chaos, they were very much mistaken.
TARA: Not only did he show up — he showed up swinging. A commanding pole position here in Bahrain, and if that doesn’t send a message, I don’t know what does.
MARTY: Qualifying was electric. Fastest through every sector, clean, clinical. Classic Volkov — with something extra.
TARA: You can see it in his driving. He’s always been fast, but today? It felt like he was proving a point. Like he had something to say and said it with every turn of the wheel.
MARTY: He’s under the biggest microscope of his career, and he responds by going fastest of anyone this weekend. That’s what champions do.
TARA: And yet—he doesn’t seem… brittle. You know what I mean?
MARTY: He seems lighter. Looser. Not relaxed, exactly — this is still Volkov — but more grounded. Like he’s found solid footing again.
TARA: There’s been a lot of talk about that interview yesterday. I won’t get into the gossip, but—
MARTY: No need to. The performance on track does the talking.
TARA: And it’s saying loud and clear: Don’t count him out.
MARTY: Buckle up, folks. Tomorrow’s race just got even more interesting.
Aleksandr Volkov – Saturday Night
I woke to flickering blue light and the murmur of a voice. My voice. Then Elena’s. I rolled over in the huge bed and my arm landed on Elena’s feet. I looked up to find her sitting up, her knees crooked and her phone propped on them.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice heavy with sleep.
“Watching our interview again,” she said with a grin.
“Again?” I pulled myself up to sitting beside her and rested my head against the top of hers. “How many times have you watched it?”
“Dunno. Lost count.”
“You should be asleep.”
“Couldn’t. I’m horny as fuck but you need to sleep. Race day tomorrow.”
“You’ve never let that stop you before.”
