Chapter 60: Chapter 60
We heard Jeremy drawing near, Michael holds his finger up warning him not to interrupt us, determined to finish the kiss. He places his lips deliberately close to my ear and I can feel the heat from his breath as he whispers to me, “This is by no means finished.” I can’t resist the temptation of looking down, to see if he is as aroused as I am. The four of us sit at the dinner table with dishes filled with food, drinks poured, and Lara ready to pounce out of her seat with a weary expression on her face. You can tell she’s just waiting for Franky to cry.
As cook of this fairly decent meal, I have to put my foot down, “She can wait for you to eat. There’s nothing that’s going to happen to her if she lies in her crib for a few minutes and cries.” I order.
“I’ll go to her if she cries,” Jeremy offers.
“You will not, you’re going to sit here and eat too.”
They devour their food attempting to be subtle, but it’s obvious they can’t relax and enjoy a meal without worrying about Franky. Watching them is scaring me off children of my own. Once they finish, they excuse themselves from the table leaving me alone with Michael.
Michael reaches over for the wine bottle, “More wine?”
“Please.” I answer. He fills my glass to the rim which instinctively puts me on high alert.
“My father wants me to spearhead a new project for the NSA, and I want to run it by you. Let’s go to the living room and I’ll tell you more about it.”
“Okay,” I say, making sure not to spill my wine as I get up from the table. “Does Jeremy know about it?”
“No, nobody does,” he admits.
He follows me into the living room and I sit on the couch we were so rudely interrupted before.
“Dad’s concerned that Figure Skating is becoming a dying sport in Nigeria. He says its up to the NSA to ensure we generate public interest. He’s given me two weeks to come up with a proposal that will be presented to broadcasting stations in Nigeria and Cameroon. If we succeed with this project, dad will step down and I will take his place.”
“We? Who do you mean by we and what did you have in mind? Can you tell me?”
“I think with the Olympics soon approaching, you and I can put together a training camp for hopefuls. I can’t think of anyone more fitted to the role of running a figure skating television show than you. I will give you full autonomy, of course. You will run ideas by me for input but you won’t be ‘reporting’ to me. We will work as a team, ultimately under extreme circumstances as outlined in the contract I’m going to provide you, I can veto any decisions I’m not in agreement with, of course.”
“You want me to work with you?”
“What’s stopping you?” He says obviously referring to Scott. “You will make shit loads of money and I might become President, it’s a win-win situation.”
“What about my skating?”
“You’ll have full access to an arena, I want it to take place in Owerri.” “Why Owerri and not Lagos?”
“The ’88 Olympics were there. They have the facilities to support what we need.”
“What about Coach Tammy, what will happen to him? He’s been training me.”
“You can hire him to coach the hopefuls, and yourself of course.” “What about the shows I was planning on skating in?”
“You’ll be producing one instead. I can assure you, you will be generously compensated.”
Oh my! This is the opportunity of a lifetime, “I’ll need some time to think about it. How long do I have to give you an answer by?”
“Is a week long enough?” “Sure, that will be great.”
“If you choose to do it, our first order of business will be to draw up a proposal the networks won’t be able to refuse.” Michael gets up from the couch, “I better go now, there’s a lot of work to be done. I also want you to know something before I leave.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I didn’t offer this to you to get in your bed, it’s because you’re amazing, and one of the few people I think that can pull it off.”
“Thanks Michael, I will give it serious consideration.”
I walk him to the door. He calls out good-bye to Jeremy and Lara before saying it to me and then turning to leave.