Crash

Devil's Deal

In general, the Thursday of the Monaco race week was pretty smooth. It was a long day of press, but Penelope didn't mind that so much. She knew the streets around here pretty well now, which meant she knew all the good places to hide when she needed a little space. Plus, seeing how excited Charles was to be racing at home made up for whatever reservations she might be feeling. This was his weekend, and she was going to do her absolute best to make sure he enjoyed it. 

As Penelope was walking back towards the paddock having spent a few hours walking the track with Charles and his team, she sensed someone come cycling up behind her.  "Salut," Pierre said with a grin, slowing so that he fell into place beside her. "Charles abandoned you?"

"He's in the press room filming with Netflix," Penelope explained, successfully managing to flick his hat off his head as she giggled with glee. "Careful on the bicycle, please. I don't want to get runover."

"Give me my hat back, and I promise I'll make sure to avoid you."

Penelope popped the hat back on his head, still smiling. "There, we have a deal, see? So, how are you feeling about the race?"

"It's Monaco," Pierre told her, "everyone loves Monaco. I'm excited."

"Think you can win?"

Pierre shrugged, but there was a certain air of confidence about him that made Penelope smile. Pierre was among Charles's best friends on the grid, and he was her friend now too. They both wanted him to do well. "Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see, hm?"

"Just stay behind Charles," Penelope joked, earning herself an eye roll. "And I'll be happy."

"I'm not promising anything. But, I'm really glad to see you today. You feeling better?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm good. Charles said you checked in, so thanks."

"Of course. He was worried about you. What happened, anyway?"

"Too much work, not enough sleep."

"Ah. I see. But better now, definitely?"

"Yes, yes. You sound like my boyfriend, always worrying. Speaking of, you want to grab dinner with us after he finishes? Charles misses you, but don't tell him I said that."

"Sounds like fun. Can I bring Yuki? He gets lonely otherwise."

"Sure," Penelope grinned, coming to a stop outside the Ferrari hospitality. "See you later?"

"See you later, Penelope."

*********************

That evening turned out to be a lot of fun. Penelope liked Charles's friends, and it was nice to see them spending some time together. The next day however, it was back to business as usual. Maybe they were all friends off the track, but on it? That was a whole different ball park. 

Fortunately for Charles, Friday went well for him. The car was fast in both practice sessions, and when Penelope ran into Mattia in the Ferrari paddock, he was nothing but smiles. It had been a while since she'd seen Mattia, but that didn't mean he'd stopped asking for things. Week after week, Penelope's manager Britney would receive requests for press opportunities, promotional videos, shoots with sponsors, all from Ferrari. They wanted her and Charles to be the poster children for the team, a perfect marketing scheme. Together, combining Penelope's fame in the acting world and her recent success in skating with Charles's loyal Ferrari following, there weren't many brand who would turn down the opportunity to work with them. Mattia knew that, and he was doing his upmost best to take advantage. 

The problem was, Penelope was too suspicious. She didn't like the feeling of being used. Ferrari had always been kind to her, right since the beginning when she'd first met Charles, but she knew there were strategic reasons behind it. Treat her well, keep Charles happy, get better results. There was a lot of PR involved in racing, and she didn't want to get tangled up in it. Her relationship with her boyfriend was her priority, and she had full intention to keep it that way.