Counterpoints (Counterpoints #1) Read online

  “It’s Rita. She’s leaving I think” Christopher lead her downstairs and standing near the front door was an old woman with a sweet smile on her lips.

  “Ah Isabella, this is Rita. Woman of my life” he put an arm around Rita and grinned. Isabella smiled back at the woman and couldn’t help but laugh when Rita said:

  “Don’t let this one fool you. Woman of my life…where is my pay rise?” she made a funny face and the wrinkles around her eyes magically appeared. The woman patted Christopher’s back. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, there is always a first” she said implying to the fact that Christopher had never introduced her anyone.

  After Isabella told her how flattered she was to have met her - and relieved that Rita wasn’t a top model or one of Christopher’s exes – Rita wished Christopher a safe journey and went away.

  “It’s so late, where is she going?” Isabella checked her watch. It was almost midnight.

  “There’s a car waiting for her. The driver will take her home, no worries” he closed the front door and welcomed her to join him near the fire place.

  They sat on the beige couch and talked a little about their hobbies. Meanwhile Christopher’s hand had been going up and down her legs, making it very hard for Isabella to think.

  “Who took those?” she asked, pointing at the pictures on the fireplace. They were baby shots of Christopher. There was one of him at the beach, he must have been three or four. In a larger one, there was Christopher with his father and in the other Christopher with both his parents.

  His father was a very handsome man and his mother looked like a film star, long hair brushed to the side and wearing one of those very trendy and elegant jumpsuits from the seventies, that accentuated her fit body.

  “May I?” she asked, meaning if she could go and get a look at them up close. He nodded and stood up to get the pictures for her.

  “Thanks” she said and studied the captions “See this is perfection”

  “These old, stained pictures?” he laughed a little.

  “Yes. This is film, the weird colors, the authenticity of the pictures. Now it’s all digital, you get to see the picture before you print it. I preferred film, you had the chance to take the picture and that was that. They are real”

  He looked at her closely, as she studied the pictures again and again.

  He looked at every tiny little freckle on her cheeks and then at her soft skin. Her smell was intoxicating, he felt like he just couldn’t get enough of it.

  They looked at each other then and their lips brushed gently, both wanting more. Christopher held her cheek with one hand and placed the other on her side.

  Isabella felt shivers all over her body. She was on a couch, with Christopher, in his house. She felt her body respond to every little move he made.

  “Maybe, I should call a cab for you, to take you to the hotel” he said looking into her eyes. “I am trying, very hard, to behave” he said these last words taking small pauses in between. He closed his eyes and kissed her softly on the lips again.

  Isabella opened her eyes slowly, feeling confused and unsure of what to say next. She let Christopher take her hand and guide her around the house, towards the front door, as if she was lifeless.

  Do I want to leave?

  It certainly felt like the safest decision to take, but was it the right one?

  So many things were going through her mind, but she couldn’t focus on a single one. Isabella searched for Christopher’s eyes, as he gently handed her the red coat.

  They stopped, neither one of them was moving, nor talking. They stood there, in front of Christopher’s front door, unable to say to each other what was going on in their heads. Isabella moved closer and looked at him again, as if trying to decide what to say, or how to say what she was thinking. What was she thinking? All her doubts about this man had washed away. He was still the famous, talented race driver that had a reputation for sleeping with models but she had never met that side of him.

  All she could see and had come to know, was a man who took his life seriously and his relations cautiously. Maybe she had just fallen for it, she wanted to believe the lie that he was good for her, that it would work between them.

  There and then she decided she didn’t care. All she wanted in that precise moment, was to be his, to keep feeling what she had been feeling when she was sitting next to him on that couch only moments before, when he had kissed her.

  Trepidation and fulfilment. Passion and longing.

  For once, Isabella’s mind was blank. All she could see or think of was Christopher.

  As if on cue, Isabella let go of her purse just as Christopher dropped her coat and they closed the distance, kissing again passionately, his hands holding her so tight against his body.

  Brushing her lips against his she whispered, never leaving his eyes “I don’t want to go” and he looked at her, his eyes ecstatic.

  He took her face into his hands then and Isabella could see the longing in his eyes. He wanted her, so badly.

  He kissed her, his hand through her hair and giving in to the passion he felt for her. Christopher searched her eyes once more and a moment later, without saying anything else, he lifted her up- Isabella quickly wrapped her legs around his hips- and took her upstairs.

  He was so strong, Isabella thought.

  Christopher had imagined so many times what it would be like to touch her without worrying about the consequences.

  This time Isabella had made it clear, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And she looked so beautiful, her long hair down on her shoulders and that tense expression on her face, which accentuated that lovely dimple on her cheek.

  It was the face of someone who knew something important was about to happen: she was excited, anxious, she was scared, afraid to suffer, to let go and give herself completely to someone. Really give herself to someone, because she knew that with a person like Christopher it was all or nothing.

  But also, she knew deep down Christopher would not hurt her, not on purpose anyway. He touched her like she was the most fragile, delicate thing in the world and Isabella discovered it was so easy to get lost in his arms.

  Christopher took off her clothes gently, taking in her beautiful body, and so did she with his.

  They were standing, near the bed, kissing and staring at each other, with ache and desire in their eyes. It felt like they had both wanted to be together for so long. From the first time I set eyes on you, Christopher thought.

  He touched her shoulder and bent down to kiss her neck and then her shoulder blade, his hands in her hair the whole time. Isabella moaned and gripped his back. The touch of his big hands on her hair and on her cheeks made her lose control.

  She held tight and traced patterns on his back, pushing her body closer to his, as he kissed her breasts.

  They kissed again, passionately and with an urge to explore each other.

  Christopher lifted her up suddenly and laid her down on the bed. His touch had made her moan just then and when she looked into his eyes, she saw how much he wanted her.

  Christopher looked at every little detail of her body, as he removed all her clothes and kissed her soft, warm skin.

  He felt his heart throb and the feeling sent shock waves down his back. Never had he felt this way making love to a woman. There was a connection between them that went beyond the physical attraction. It was intimacy, he thought. He had never truly been intimate with anyone, he never really cared to be. It was insane, they had known each other for two months-

  Hours went by so fast, Isabella realized it was almost dawn. She couldn’t tell for how long they had explored each other, for how long their bodies had been together, but when the sun was about to rise, they were still entwined, Christopher stroking her hair while she rested on his chest.

  “I have to go” she told him, her eyes closing.

  “Shhh, sleep” he said, his eyes already closed and he bent down to kiss her soft, red lips.

  “I can
’t” Isabella said but didn’t make any effort to get up and dress. She was too sleepy to bother. Yes, she had to meet Hillary around ten a.m. and maybe the owner of the flat in Bayswater, but she told herself the lie that every sleepy person tells to herself.

  I’ll close my eyes for just a few minutes.

  “Sleep with me” he insisted.

  “Too late for requests, I already have” she smiled, keeping her eyes closed and she felt like she couldn’t resist any longer.

  Isabella wanted to give in and just fall asleep. And so she did, seconds after she heard Christopher mumble something into her ear that sounded like “I want you here”, but maybe she had dreamt it.

  Chapter 22

  It was all a dream. Isabella opened her eyes the minute the idea crossed her mind. Her head was on a soft, white pillow in a room with yellow walls and wooden windows. It was definitely Christopher’s bedroom. But where was he?

  She sat up, a little dazed, a little confused and realized it had really happened. They had slept together and she had spent the night at his place. She covered her face, as she started blushing.

  When her face reappeared behind her hands, she was all smiles.

  What an incredible night. Isabella still couldn’t believe it. She touched her right cheek, remembering how good it had been to feel his hands cup her face, while they were having sex, how their skin had melted into one, their fingers entwined. She suddenly remembered she had been on top at some point and Christopher had sat up and kissed her breast and held her tight against him, welcoming her every move.

  Isabella covered her face again. She felt so good. It had felt amazing to be with him. Isabella pushed her hair out of her face and looked around again. Where was Christopher?

  Her eyes caught sight of something on his pillow. It was a note. From Christopher.

  “I went for a run, I’ll be back soon. Cancel all your meetings. Don’t you dare get out of bed. I want that gorgeous bottom right where it is now” she grinned and couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. As she read the word bottom again, she remembered his hands tracing her back, her hips and then clasping her behind.

  Isabella covered her face with the note. Even though they were living in a hi-tech era, Isabella thought it was incredibly exciting how Christopher kept leaving her notes everywhere. It was so old fashioned of him. It was so much more fun than text messages. And sexier, for some reason.

  He went for a run, she thought and then panic hit her all at once. What TIME is it???

  She scanned the room for a clock and to her horror it was nine thirty. SHIT!

  In two minutes, Isabella had washed up, brushed her teeth with her finger and gotten her clothes back on. Her hair looked a mess so she brushed it with the little comb she kept in her bag and braided it to the side.

  Where were her shoes? She looked around, under the bed, near the door and then it came back to her: she had taken them off near the front door, when she had arrived, hours before the... the thing.

  Isabella gave one more look at the room and then dashed downstairs and grabbed her stuff. Shoes, front door, YES! And she was out of the house in no time.

  She ran down the street, reaching the main road in the blink of an eye, her feet still a little sore from the blisters of her new shoes.

  “Taxi!” she screamed and held her hand up. Luckily for her, that wasn’t Oxford Circus and she jumped into a cab immediately. While in the car, she took out her phone and saw that Hillary had been calling her. The screen said three missed calls. SHIT!

  “Hello, Hillary?”

  “Hey, sleepy head. Are you up?” Hillary sounded all smiles, not upset as Isabella thought she would be.

  “Yeah, sorry I… overslept” she hoped her boss didn’t notice her unsteady voice. She hated lies and was crap at telling them.

  “It’s ok, darling. I was just calling to tell you I’ll be half an hour late, so take your time. I’ll see you down at the hall so we can discuss our schedule”

  They hung up and Isabella started to breathe again. How lucky was she? She couldn’t believe it. She rested her back on the car seat and decided it was best to text Christopher, since she had had no time to answer his note.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your note. Shall I send my pigeon with a letter?” she giggled a little to herself, thinking of him laughing, while reading her message.

  Isabella thought of the irresistible, amused look he would have on his face.

  She thought of how Christopher was so energetic, so modern and hi-tech- about his lifestyle and passion for cars- but then was so old-school sometimes. Who dances to slow music, nowadays? Who uses pen and paper in a smartphone era? Nobody had ever left her love notes. A part from Silvio, a boy in her elementary school class, who had put a note in her lunchbox, asking her if she wanted to be his girlfriend. But that didn’t count, did it?

  “I wish I could have stayed, but Hillary was already looking for me. It was an incredible night, Christopher. Thank you” Isabella thought it was best to just leave it like that, not say anything else, not share her feelings.

  After all, they had just spent one night together and that could have been it. She wasn’t sure of anything and didn’t want to ruin this beautiful moment for her.

  Maybe it wasn’t going to mean anything, maybe it was going to mean something for her and Christopher. Whatever laid ahead, she promised herself she would always remember this moment fondly. Period. No expectations, no hopes, she thought but Isabella knew herself too well to believe her own lie.

  She was only five minutes away from her hotel, when she heard her phone beep. Christopher.

  “Imagine my face when I went up and didn’t see you, nor your gorgeous bottom. You could have at least left it there for me to play with” she smiled and bit her lip, as a flame rose in her stomach. Her mind went back to how his hands moved all over her body, how he had whispered in her ear and how he had moaned and gripped her tight, when Isabella had kissed his neck.

  “I like to watch you sleep”

  Her eyes went wide. He what? Oh God, I must have looked terrible. She imagined herself sleeping with her mouth half open. Another beep.

  “I want you”

  Isabella closed her eyes, as the burning feeling spread all over her body again. Christopher had set the score, he had made the move. He wanted to see her again.

  She rolled her eyes to herself, while thinking she had never felt that way before.

  No matter how lame it sounded, it was true. Christopher was so intense, passionate and although it scared Isabella – especially the way he didn’t think things twice- at the same time, he was so intriguing.

  The texting and the flirting went on for most of the morning, as Isabelle and Hillary took a break from work, as they made calls and went to the airport that night.

  “What’s up?” Hillary asked later in the car, giving her a look from top to bottom.

  “Nothing, why?” she heard the lie and it sounded ridiculous coming from her mouth. She sounded guilty as hell. Maybe it would help if you stopped smiling like an idiot. But Isabella just couldn’t stop. She’d never been happier.

  Hillary smiled and didn’t ask more. They talked about work, what to expect for this upcoming week and race weekend until they arrived, took their bags and entered the terminal.

  Waiting for them were Simon, Fred, John, a few people Isabella didn’t recall, Noah travelling alone today – no girlfriend in sight- and right next to him was Christopher, who just couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  A week went by so quickly, Isabella didn’t even realize it was Monday again. Another week of sponsor events, signing sessions, interviews, photo shoots and finally another race.

  She was now waiting at the airport for a flight connection, heading to Dubai without even going back home to London.

  That’s right, London was now officially her home, as she had decided to put her deposit down on the studio apartment she had seen before leaving for China.

  Anyway, de
spite the lack of sleep, the whole week had been satisfying on a professional level. Both Noah and Christopher had been very busy promoting their team and participating to various shows. Isabella had had no idea how big First Category racing was becoming in China. It was odd to her, as the country didn’t actually have a history of car racing.

  Still, the population seemed very interested in the sport and also many fans travelled to China from all over Asia to watch the race.

  The atmosphere was incredible. It wasn’t so hard to understand how such fame could get to your head so quickly. Hearing Christopher’s name being shouted from thousands of people, when he went on the podium that week, made her think how proud he must have felt. How strong and powerful he must feel every time.

  Isabella had been so proud of him.

  Even though he hadn’t won the race, he had still made it to second place, on a track where so far he had never managed to make it up to the podium.

  Isabella could tell from his face, during the national anthems, that he was happy, no matter what, even if a pilot from Chiellini had won the race.

  Noah, on the other hand, had had a technical problem and he had to retire after thirty-five laps. Back in the box, Noah had looked frustrated and upset and, even though he had been a little rude and moody all week, Isabella had felt sorry for him.

  He had started the race up front, after a fantastic qualifying performance on Saturday, and he had truly believed he would have won the race.

  It wasn’t until Christopher met him in the box, until he put an arm around him and talked him out of his crappy mood, that Noah managed to get it together and meet the journalists waiting for him outside.

  Hillary had been all over the place, organizing to the very minute every interview with the press for both drivers. Isabella wished she could have done more to help, but she had been busy with the photographers and the blog posts.

  This had also been the first week without Mr. Jenkins’ redrafting Isabella’s every word. He was still the first person to read them- as Isabella had submitted every detail to him, moments after posting it online- but still she hadn’t heard a single word back from him. As predicted, he had ignored Isabella completely and had decided to communicate with Hillary directly. Instead of dealing with a rookie!