Connections (F1 story)

Chapter Nine: Too many

I arrived a bit later than the majority of the team and took my seat on the lefthand side towards the end of the long banquet table, along with the rest of the communications team.

I'd chosen to wear black skinny jeans and a low cut green top, finished off with my new heels. I didn't know whether I'd be able to make it back to the hotel with my feet in one piece, but I wasn't particularly thinking about that at the time.

I began to study the menu when the two drivers, along with Christian, Rocky and Simon Rennie, seated themselves at the head of the table, just the alternate seat away from me Daniel was sat. Now the pressure was on to not drop anything down my front.

The chair to my left still remained empty but then Sam came along and filled it, sitting next to Daniel.

I was pleased he had taken it so I didn't have to endure awkward small talk with one of the senior strategists who had yet to appear. And unfortunately, as lovely as Britta was, she wasn't going to be present as she had come down with migraine, and subsequently she stayed back at the hotel.

The mood at the table was of mixed emotions- our side of the garage were celebrating whereas Sebastian's side were even more so tired and knew they faced a difficult few days ahead of them.

"You look excellent, really excellent." Sam leaned across and whispered in my ear, he then placed his arm round my shoulder.

Sebastian caught this.

"Those two love birds." He seemed rather proud of his statement despite the weekend he'd had. I'd spent two meals with him and already his cheeky personality was coming through.

I laughed it off but Sebastian's sentence had caught Daniel's attention. He stopped his conversation with Simon to look over. Immediately my cheeks had begun to turn red.

I coughed and cleared my throat.

"I don't think so, Jones here is a pain in the back side." I urged my brain not to have a flashback to Thursday night. In the hotel room. When we would have- what was taking so long?!

"Yeah, Saskia- total nightmare." Sam added.

"Whatever." Sebastian retorted, sniggered and, returned to study his menu.

The waiter came round and took our orders as I looked out across the river, this restaurant was far swankier than any place I'd been as of yet. As beautiful as it was, little old me from North London felt out of place.

"More wine, Saskia?" Daniel reached right across Sam with the bottle.

"Ah yeah, sure." It was going to have to be a night off from my diet.

The meal was the best thing I'd eaten in a long while and some of that may have been down to the fact that I'd been on fruit and vegetables for nearly a month.

Group by group people starting breaking away from the table to begin their night of partying. The technicians went off as did Seb's engineers and some of the pit crew- soon enough Christian was left to pay what I imagined to be an enormous bill.

In the end it was myself, Sam, Callum, Olly, Paul and Daniel himself, plus fifteen or so engineers and what not, that I was yet to be introduced too. Sebastian and Christian headed back to get an early night. They were flying back early hours.

---

"I can't drink anymore!" I slurred as Callum handed me yet another shot glass filled with god knows what. Unlike him I wasn't used to this, and I was the only girl in our group.

"Go on!" he egged me on.

"Fine." I tilted my head back and poured the sour liquid into my mouth and swallowed. It burnt my throat to start off with but as I consumed more and more the feeling became numb.