Page 73 of Tipping Point
He’s thinking about sex and now, so am I.
Across from the kitchen is the open plan dining area, and the doors have been thrown wide to let the cool night air in. Beyond it is a small, terraced garden surrounded by raised flowerbeds. The sweet smell of fresh herbs drifts through the open doors.
I need to get away. I head for the safety of the crew, and we spend another ten minutes walking through the house, planning the shots, and a delightful couple of minutes in Finn’s bedroom, where a massive bed is made up in fine linen, another wall of glass doors thrown wide, and a huge bathroom with a walk-in shower and a claw-footed tub.
It’s gorgeous.
“This is nothing like the other homes we’ve filmed,” Casey remarks.
“I know.” I sigh. His bedroom walls are plain whitewash, and it throws the terracotta floor tiles into stark relief. Hand-woven carpets on the floor add rich natural colours, and his bedside table spills over with books.
She looks at me incredulously.
“It’s so small?” She shakes her head at me.
“It’s perfect.”
Jay gives me a sad smile and pats me on the shoulder when we make our way out. We brief Finn quickly and while he’s not being talkative, he isn’t being rude either.
It’s pretty clear he wants it to be as painless and as quick as possible.
Just like me.
We do the scenes of the house first because I am trying to avoid talking to him and I do all the interviews. When he finally sits down on the large couch in front of the fire, it’s pretty late. We’re all tired.
I pull up the questions I had prepared on my phone and clear my throat.
“What inspired your passion for racing?”
He starts by stating my question and then answering it, as per my instructions before we started. That way we get a natural style where it looks like the drivers are willing to share intimate details of their life freely and it draws in the potential audience by making them feel part of a personal conversation.
“My passion for racing was inspired by my father. He used to take me racing as a kid. Back then, Stanley Everton was my hero. His driving style influenced me heavily when I finally broke through to Grande Prima.”
His voice is low, soft, personal. The flames from the fire are mirrored in his glossy dark hair.
“How do you spend your time when you’re not racing?”
He’s keeping his black eyes on me like we’re the only two people in the world.
“I work out. I read.”
“Please, can you rephrase-”
“Right.” He clears his throat, gives it a second or two and tries again.
“I spend my time off the track working out and reading books.”
The crew behind me is dead quiet.
“How do you prepare mentally and physically before a race?”
“I don’t prepare for races. There is very little you can control apart from your car. I focus on that.”
It’s a lie he licks away with the tip of his tongue.
There is a heavy pause where we both know he’s lying, and we both know the other one knows.
“What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career?”