Chapter 66: Chapter 66

I strategize on how to present the news of Scott and me living in the same duplex to Michael. Trying not to overthink it I grab my phone and call Mrs. Abigail. I don’t go into detail but I ask her if I can see Michael sometime this afternoon when he is free. She gives me an appointment with him for two o’clock. My eyes are glued to the clock, slowly I watch it tick away, minutes feel like hours. Ten minutes before I’m expected in his office, I reapply a coat of lipstick and re-spray my already bulletproof hair. God, I hate my hair. The natural curls drive me crazy and I don’t have the patience to use a straightening iron on it everyday.

Two minutes to go and I’m pressing the elevator button to go up. When I get there, Mrs. Abigail isn’t at her desk. I tap on his door and wait. I hear a faint, “Come in,” and proceed to open the door. His back was turned to me.

“Hi Michael,” I greet walking to a chair.

He turns in his chair to me, “Good afternoon Isabella, I asked Mrs. Abigail to schedule this meeting with you and she said you beat me to it. What would you like to discuss?”

“It’s not important, what did you want to meet about?” I sigh inwardly with relief that I have a few minutes to spare before I’m going to have to force myself to tell him my new living arrangements.

“Well,” he pauses stroking his intentional six o’clock shadow. He looks crazy sexy in his navy Hugo Boss suit that fits him perfectly with just the right amount of stubble adorning his face. He breaks the mould getting hotter with age, becoming more manly and sophisticated. His voice startles me back to reality, “I hope you don’t get upset with me, but I took the liberty of booking you a flight to Owerri. I made a list of things you’ll need to do while you’re there. Would you like me to go over it with you?”

I’m stuck on liberties. Yes, this man, now god of a man can take liberties on me anytime. I want to take my own liberties and be at his mercy, it’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone.

“Please,” I almost chant and then I look at his list, “this list is what you want me to do?” I’m rather shocked at the length of it.

“Yes, it might seem long, but you’d be surprised how much you can get accomplished in a day. It’s not too late to book someone to go with you, if you feel its necessary.”

“You?” I ask hopefully.

“No, my father needs me here,” he says begrudgingly. “Then who?”

“Well, let’s take a look at the list first before we decide.”

“Sure.”

Owerri List

Arrange Global videotaping for each athlete and coach as they arrive at the camp.

Arrange transportation for Athlete’s and Coaches from airport. (A schedule will be provided for you before you leave.)

Arrange a Meet and Greet party.

Plan the televising of the party with Global ensuring most interactions are captured on tape.

Gift bags for Coaches and Athletes neatly placed in rooms. Strict living rules for the Village.

Assign rooms to athletes keeping in mind close competitors should live proximal to one another ensuring drama.

Hidden camera’s in all rooms, arena, work out rooms, eating area’s. Diet planning according to individual athletic needs.

Arrange training schedules. Meet with people who run the arena and book flood times around those schedules.

Makeover episode creating dramatic changes in a top salon. (These episodes tend to get high ratings.)

Book a final live audience televised episode after the competitions where we hand out our rewards and have a question and answer period.

Have the two people voted off the show come back for the last episode Announce another season, re-inviting all the athletes back, including the ones previously voted off.

I’m speechless, suddenly I know why I’m getting paid the big bucks! I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. He waits patiently for a reaction that I’m not so forthcoming with, “What did you want to meet with me about?” He redirects the topic of conversation while I decide.

“Tammy unknowingly arranged for Scott to live in the same complex as me. I found out after it was too late to do anything about it and I didn’t want you to hear it from somebody else.”

Michael shrugs indifferently, “It’s something I’m going to have to live with.

You’ll be living in the same Village together anyway.”

I can’t tell what blows me away more, his more than mature reaction to my news or the list of to-do’s coming my way. Maybe the chemistry I think Michael and I share is more one sided then I realize. How will I accomplish this all on my own? I am way in over my head!

“You won’t be working with me at the camp,” I panic.

“No, I’m in charge of running all the skating events including media across Nigeria while you’re gone.”

“Oh,” I say not masking my disappointment. “I was under the impression that I would be working closely with you, even in Owerri. I can’t do this by myself. I don’t want to.”

“You aren’t expected to.”

“With whom will I work? I don’t know anyone more than to say hi or bye to them at the NSA with the exception of you.”

“That isn’t true.” Michael says calmly. “Let’s go out for dinner and talk. I’ll pick you up from the lobby fifteen minutes after quitting time.”

“Sure,” I say getting up hastily and seeing myself out of his office. I feel like quitting just due to the feeling of being completely overwhelmed.

He is waiting for me in a silver gull-winged Mercedes sports car. Its beauty is breathtaking. He unlocks my door and it shoots up into the air. He had Ricardo Sports Seats with a racing harness that acts as a seatbelt. He takes his time strapping me in, making sure everything is secure before closing my wing. I welcome his touch and his scent which is finding its way to my side of the car and I can’t help my bodies natural reaction to him. I’ve been attracted to ever since I hurt myself as a single competitive skater which was years ago. My breathing gets shallow and I try hard to suck my gut in without appearing obvious. I can only hope that he still holds a candle for me the way I do for him. My fear about Owerri vanishes as my libido goes into sudden overdrive. I wanted him all over me.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve gone out,” I said lightly. He looks over at me, “Too long, you pick the restaurant.”

I look at him and for a second and I think I can squeeze the old Michael out of him, and at the same time find the right ambiance, “Chez Anderson! Let’s kick our feet up and order in.”

“Seriously?” he asks incredulously. “I offer to take you to any restaurant of your choice and you chose takeout at my apartment?”

“Yes, takeout at your apartment sounds perfect to me. No waiters interrupting our conversation, no pre-tense, just you, me, and the food.”

There is a large opening in the road and Michael takes advantage of it to change directions while flooring the accelerator. I get knocked back in my seat and my adrenaline is pumping, but I’m not scared. I trust him. He damn near drives almost all the way back to NSA when he slows down at a beautiful high-rise, “This is convenient, why do you even bother having a car?” I questioned.

“I love driving and having the freedom to take off whenever I want,” he admits.

He stops at the front doors and we dis-embark from the gull wings before he hands his key to the valet. I feel this weird vibe like we are being watched but chalked it up to paranoia and I don’t mention anything to him. We enter the elaborate lobby furnished exquisitely with an eclectic style. Anyone who sees Michael nods salutations to him as we head for the elevator.

“You appear to be well respected,” I observe.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” he asks indignantly.

“I didn’t mean,” I start defending my comment.

“Isa, relax, I’m yanking your chain. What do you want, Chinese, Thai, Italian?”

“Surprise me,” I suggest.

The elevator arrives and he presses P. I should have guessed it. Daddy must be generous to him too. We stop at the penthouse and when the lift doors open I find myself in an elegant contemporary setting predominantly black leather everything with mahogany wood everything. His kitchens and bathrooms spare no expense, he shrugs when he sees my expression, “I got it this way.”

I flash back to the old man carrying the rodent carcass in my new apartment and start laughing.

“What are you laughing about?” he asks.

“It’s embarrassing but yesterday I got my new apartment and it came with a dead mouse.”

“I want to see your place,” he says protectively. “Do you need more money?”

“Jesus no! You are not seeing my place and I definitely don’t want anymore money.”

“Why won’t you let me see your place?” he asks.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say praying he will change the subject already.

Michael starts taking off his jacket, “Spill, or I’ll go see it for myself tomorrow after I look up your address in HR.”

“I don’t have furniture yet.” “Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you sleep on?” “Coach lent me a sleeping bag.”

“Seriously? Do you have a Television?” “YouTube on my cell, but I mostly enjoy reading.” “Chinese?”

“Sure.”

“Drink?”

“Sure, wine if you have any.” “Red or White?”

“White.”

He leaves me for a minute and I continue exploring. There is something cold about his place, no pictures or small decorative pieces. This is a cave dwelling at best lacking any sign of a woman’s touch. He taps me on the shoulder while I’m gazing into the next building. If I squinted hard enough, I think I see two shadowed figures doing what I would killed to be doing with Michael right now. At least someone is getting lucky.

“What are you looking at,” he asks while handing me my wine.

“You see the next building? If you look at the second highest floor third window in, I think I can make out a couple doing it.”

“Ah, I see them.” I can feel him standing right behind me looking over my shoulder. I knew I shouldn’t move, but I do. I turn around and I now I’m facing him, if he wants a chance to kiss me here it is, our eyes lock and I wait for a split second and he does nothing but step back from me and turn to the couch. I’m shattered with disappointment jumping to the immediate conclusion that he isn’t attracted to me anymore. I put all the signs up, I suggested his place, turn to him like I did. He didn’t respond to any of it.

He takes a seat on his plush leather chesterfield and motions for me to sit next to him. He grabs his converter and starts messing around with it while I take the seat he offers. My pride is in my boots at this point. He selects something he recorded rather than a television show and put his arm around the back of my headrest as the top male Nigerian figure skater comes onto his 90-inch LED screen.

Here I hope the evening will turn to more, but he is all about his job. I don’t get why Jeremy told me he still likes me, when obviously he doesn’t. I need to stop putting myself out there for Michael and move on, the way he did.

“I recorded last years programs from media films we had saved at NSA. I was going to show you them at the office, but this saves me a step,” he says happily.

We watched his long program and the three other men invited to the camp before the doorman calls up to Michael on the PA, “Your takeout is here sir.”

“Thanks, send him up,”

Michael lays out our feast on the table in front of us and we enjoy our food while watching the rest of the skaters invited to our camp. The video ends and our stomachs are full when Michael said, “I have one more video to show you.”

I had no idea what it can be because I know for sure we’ve seen everyone, “Oh? What is it?”

“It’s something I think you will enjoy,” he says mysteriously. Instead of him resting his arm on my headrest, he places it directly on my shoulders. I’m in his arms and it feels good. I knew I shouldn’t be reading too much into it but this isn’t how bosses sit with their employees, it has to be something else. He turns on a video with his free hand.

I find myself staring at me and Scott, our Olympic program. Flabbergasted. My eyes glue to his set. For four minutes and thirty-eight seconds I watch myself skate with Scott who I thought was the love of my life while in the arms of Michael my first love. It’s surreal. I never watched myself on television since my father died. I didn’t realize it would evoke such an emotional response from me. The loss of my father feels like it just happened and the natural high I got with Scott when skating with him remembered. I’m angry at Michael for not preparing me for this. He obviously didn’t expect these emotionally intense reactions.