My Formula 1 System

Luca stood at the doorway. The first place his gaze drifted to was the master bed, because that was where he suspected any surprise gift of this manner must be waiting. He grimaced when he realized his suspicion was right.

Amidst the disarray of the succulent peach pillows on the bed, Luca noticed a faint curve that was different from that of the pillows. The curve was smoother, silkier, and unquestionably the outline of a young woman's back, even though Luca wanted to doubt it.

When Luca entered, the figure was giggling softly. The only reasonable explanation for how she might not have noticed his entrance was that she was absorbed in her phone. The supple frame Luca could see rose and fell with every giggle, and within three seconds, he immediately recognized who this was. Funny, he even discerned her identity through the familiar slope of her lower back quicker than from the sound of her laughter.

'What the heck? What's she doing here?'

'Is this the gift?'

Isabella had travelled to Monaco this morning. She had said a temporary goodbye to many important things—work and school included—before hopping on a plane to another country. By the time Luca was leaving for his outing, she was just landing at Monte Carlo's infamous airport, and not a word had been spoken between them about this unexpected travel.

Isabella's success in pulling this off was all because of Manuela. The two had been in regular contact from the moment Isabella revealed her intentions. Manuela promised to keep the visit a secret from Luca. She had no other choice, because Isabella wasn't even smiling and made it clear that it was a harmless order from her client's spouse.

Upon her arrival, Manuela told her the hotel where they'd booked, and Isabella happily found her way there. By the time she arrived, evening was setting in, and it had already been two hours since she'd made herself at home.

The same Isabella had her earpiece tucked into her ears and her eyes locked on her phone. She was so absorbed in whatever content was on the screen that she didn't register the slight change in the room's atmosphere. A faint prickle of awareness crawled up her spine, and instinctively she turned her head to the door.

Luca didn't know how long he had even stood there, but he felt it was worth every second after witnessing her jolt into the air. Isabella yelped before springing to her feet.

Luca's frame was a bit faded by the darkness on that side of the room, so she wasn't even a hundred percent sure if it was him. But she knew she had to trust her instincts, and the show had to continue.

Luca watched the young lady spin, obviously declaring that she was this gift all along.

Unfortunately for Isabella, he wasn't that impressed.

But unfortunately for Isabella, he wasn't that impressed.

Luca flicked on the doorway's light switch before walking in. As he moved, Isabella's disappointment deepened because she felt no return of the fervor she had shown. An uncomfortable silence was held between the two, but the burn in Isabella's eyes as she watched Luca was extremely loud.

Luca removed his watch and other accessories at a table, breaking the silence by asking her about her travel and offering polite courtesies. Isabella folded her arms and murmured short replies before going quiet all of a sudden, leaving more polite questions hanging.

When he glanced her way, she muttered that she had at least expected a smile and a hug after all the effort she'd put in. Luca's gaze stayed on her as he recalled what this effort was: a flight from London to Monte Carlo, and then this sensual scene?

Isabella was dressed in a sheer slip dress that was somewhere between homewear and lingerie. The gauzy fabric was almost transparent, tracing the silhouette of her figure and clearly outlining her bra and underwear. There was really nothing to hide in this kind of dress, especially with the hem stopping scandalously at her lap.

Luca sighed, a bit disappointed at himself for not even getting aroused.

"Isabella, I've seen quite a lot of surprises these past months."

He said this before moving to the walk-in closet to undress and wash his face thoroughly. The brush of his presence past Isabella made her sentiment spike fragility. Shame tangled with anger as she gritted her teeth, watching him.

While in the closet, Luca asked if she had eaten something, but she stayed silent. He dismissed her nonresponse by simply saying he would order something immediately.

After washing up and changing, Luca got dressed in a black t-shirt and long, relaxed jeans, and made a call for food. For that order, he had called Manuela. He didn't even ask where she had been because he knew Isabella might have told her to leave the suite. After all, the adult play that was supposed to happen tonight could be loud sometimes.

Manuela responded dutifully, saying she'd get it as quickly as possible. When Luca stepped out of the closet, he informed Isabella that Manuela would be arriving any moment now with food, accompanied by a room service attendant.

Exactly as timed, there came a knock on the private room door, and Manuela's voice filtered through, announcing that the food had arrived. Before he could step away from the suit arrangement he was busy adjusting, Isabella had already crossed the room and opened the door herself.

A room service attendant stood in the lounge of the suite with Manuela close behind her. A regal-looking food cart was ready to be rolled in, filled with polished silver lids and trays.

"Good evening."

"Evening."

Isabella replied to the attendant's warm greeting before stepping aside for the cart to be rolled in. Her tone was pleasant enough, but when her gaze shifted to Manuela, who was about to enter to help, her smile cooled.

"You can wait back a bit, Manuela. We'll be fine for now."

Manuela hesitated, then simply nodded. Only the attendant rolled the cart in while she watched from the doorpost.

Luca couldn't say he hadn't noticed the exchange, but he chose not to address it just yet. Instead, he thanked the attendant as she arranged the dishes neatly on the table. When she finished, he tipped her generously, earning a grateful smile in return.

He offered his thanks again to both the attendant and Manuela before walking over to close the door himself, believing it was a courteous act that could soften the earlier tension. Then he turned back toward the room to face Isabella, whom he had no doubt knew exactly what she had done.

"What was that all about?"

He asked her calmly as he took a pair of brown ethical sneakers from the rack and began slipping them on. Isabella folded her arms once again, feigning ignorance.

"What did I do?"

"You just bitched Manuela. Was there any need for that?"

Luca finished tightening his laces and looked up at her. Isabella tilted her head but didn't change her airy tone.

"Manuela wasn't needed in here to serve the food. The attendant could handle it alone. Honestly, I don't even see what job she has to do in your private room."

Luca stood up and studied his girlfriend for a moment, wondering where this kind of behavior was coming from. Furthermore, he could see exactly where this was going and where her mind had wandered. The mental bandwidth to address it was something he didn't have right now, so he ignored her and headed for the door.

As expected, Isabella asked where he was going, but he didn't reply. She watched him step out and close the door, his footsteps fading away.

Playing pool or snooker was a new hobby Luca had started to enjoy. It was Vance who had introduced him to the games of billiards, and this made him wonder if Vance was even downstairs at the pool tables.

Last night, there had been a lot of wealthy men there who could play, and some who just came to watch and drink beer, cracking dad jokes. Luca hoped they were there tonight too—by far an easier and more pleasant company than the mood he'd left behind upstairs.