Chapter 75: Chapter 75
The next two days are spent in the arena watching the athletes. The coaches stand rink side studying their skaters, offering no instruction. The invigorating feeling of competition is in the air, and it is evident the skaters aren’t as friendly with each other since the announcement. Practices continue around the clock until it's time for the skate-off. Universal camera operators are all set up and ready to start filming. Each woman will do her four-minute program. They wear their colorful competition dresses full of rhinestones and glitter. They don’t interact with each other, they are zoned into competition mode.
The male skaters sit at the edge of the ice watching the females compete. Their behavior toward one another doesn’t change much compared to the women’s. The women are cattier with each other. When the Zamboni takes to the ice the men disappear to get ready for their competition. They started stretching and practicing in the hallways while the ice is being flooded. The females sit in a group to watch the men as they take off their skates. They are all chatty and best friends like nothing happened. The judges resume their note-taking. After all the skaters perform the judges go to the boardroom to deliberate.
Discussions are televised. It is in the boardroom they come to their final decisions. The skaters are to wait in their rooms until we call them back and inform them of our decisions. Decisions are about to start when my phone rings from inside my purse. It’s Michael. I cover the receiver and tell everyone in the room I have to take the call. I step out of the boardroom.
“Hi, Isabella, I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.”
I feel a sense of being rushed knowing that everyone is waiting for me to film, “Sorry Michael, but you sort of did, they’re waiting for me to discuss who should leave the camp, we’re filming.”
“Good, hold off until I get there. I want a say in who stays and who goes.”
“I thought you gave me full autonomy over decisions regarding the show?”
“To a degree,” he snaps. “I can’t risk you sending the wrong person from camp home, and that person winning the Olympics. We will look like fools.”
“So you don’t trust me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You want me to go back into that boardroom and humiliate myself by telling them that you’ve revoked my decision-making autonomy because you’re calling into question my judgment?”
“Correct but word it in a way so that they’ll understand,” he teases.
“It’s not funny, Michael,” I say defensively. “I’m an Olympic champion with years of skating under my belt. Have you even stepped foot ice?”
“I agree with you, nothing about this situation is funny. If you and your peers make one mistake by upsetting the viewers, I guarantee you we’ll lose millions in advertising revenue, which can cost us our second season. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.” He hangs up not allowing me to get another word in.
I walked back into the boardroom with all eyes on me. “I just got off the phone with Michael, president of the Association. He’s flying in tomorrow morning to review the tapes and assist us with our picks, so we’re to hold off for now.
Coach Tammy, will you inform the skaters? We’ll reconvene at 11:00 a.m.”
Tammy smiles in my direction and assures me, “Not a problem,” while he gives me a knowing glance that something is wrong. I leave the boardroom immediately and walk briskly to my room, I’m fuming. I splash cold water over my face with no effect. This is my field of expertise, not his! I’m so mad I can scream. I hear a knock at the door and open it. It’s Scott.
“What happened?” he asks. “This is going to slow everything down!” “I know, believe me, I’m really upset with him.”
“Why does he want to be here so badly?”
“He doesn’t trust us to make the right decision. He says if we let someone go and they come back to win the Olympics we’ll lose millions in revenue.”
“And he knows more about skating than we do,” Scott says sarcastically.
“Apparently,” I answer.
Scott switches off the light, making the room pitch black. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m upping my game,” he whispers. “The cameras!”
“The lights are off, he won’t be able to see us, Shh”
He has to have stepped closer because I can feel the heat from his body. His hands caress my face, and when he finds my lips, his hands stop probing. He whispers, “I need you, Isabella.” His lips barely touched mine. He feeds me slow, soft kisses. The hand that found my lips is now resting on my chin as he guides me into one kiss after another.
“Ditch Michael for me,” Scott pleads. His tongue slips into my mouth and lingers there. Not one kiss is hurried. The feeling I receive from Scott is intense. I’m lost in his slow and natural seduction. I caress the back and top of his shaved head as his kisses intensify. His muscles make his entire body feel rock hard, yet his skin is warm and soft. He pulls away from my lips and says, "Hearing you choose him, beg for him still haunts me.” His voice starts quivering. “I’m drawn to you, regardless that you’re with him. Everything in me says to walk away, but I can’t, and quite frankly I don’t want to.”
“Watching the competition tonight reminds me of all the wonderful moments we shared Scott. I still miss them.”
“So do I,” he admits. His kisses intensify and my face starts feeling wet from his.
My breasts press against his chest. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. It might do more harm than good.”
“I want to make love to you,” Scott confesses. “Let's live in the moment, please.”
“Do it,” I beg with urgency.
He backs me onto the bed and holds my hands down as he mounts me. He deliberately slides into me very slowly, savoring every second of it. I can hear him groaning as he goes deeper inside of me, “This is where I belong.” Our bodies work slowly and steadily passing a threshold that makes me weep with emotion. It is the most forbidden yet beautiful experience I’ve ever had.
We fall asleep in each other’s arms. When I wake up Scott is gone. I am unaware of what time it is because my room was so dark. I start thinking that maybe last night was just a dream. I feel like I’ve been sleeping for a long time. I hear the click first and then the light comes beaming into my room. I see Michael's silhouette in the doorway. He closes the door behind him and the room goes black again. I frantically slide my hand across the bed ensuring Scott isn’t still beside me. The other half of the bed is empty. A wave of relief floods me. Scott must have known enough to leave early before Michael arrived.
He turns the light on and it takes a second or two for my eyes to adjust. I’m naked in bed. He’s dressed in a suit; his facial expression is glacial. I remember my anger from the previous night and start reaching for my clothes.
"You slept naked,” Michael states rather than questions. “I did,” I answer. “Let me get dressed, then we’ll talk.” “Don’t bother. Did you sleep with Scott?” he asks.
“No, what makes you think that? Don’t you trust me?” I sound lame.
“After I got off the phone with you, I checked the cameras. I saw you kiss him in the hallway. Now tell me the truth because I can always check the cameras," he’s enraged, “did you sleep with him?”
“You don’t need to answer,” he seethes. “Your hesitation speaks volumes. The cameras in your and Scott’s rooms have first-photon imager capabilities. In case you don’t know, that means they capture images in the dark.”
“I did,” I admit spitefully. I had no idea that they could film us in the dark too. “You try controlling me, and you made me look like an idiot in front of my colleagues. How dare you put special cameras in my room, when I’m not a competitor? Maybe you pushed me so far hoping I would resort to this. It might hike up the ratings. Wild horses wouldn’t have kept me away from Scott last night. As far as I’m concerned you asked for it!”
“You whore!” he rages. He raises the palm of his hand and smashes it into the side of my face. The blow is so hard it causes me to stumble backward. My hand goes instantly to the spot he hit, my fear of him heightens. He closes the distance between us, “You want to act like a whore, then I’ll treat you like one. I’m sure his juices are fresh inside of you, well I’m going to fuck his smell off of you! I’m sure you cut your hair to attract Scott because when I suggest it, it’s inconceivable. I waited for you, making sure you were ready for us. I gave you everything: my heart, a job worthy of your reputation, a wonderful lifestyle, and this are how you repay me. I ask you to become my wife! Nobody else compares to you. I trusted you to come here and spend a year with him, even making exceptions for him so he can take his dying mother to therapy. Your behavior is that of an adolescent schoolgirl. You should be thankful, and gracious, instead, you are deceitful and a cunt!”
Michael shoves me onto the bed and orders me to please him. Scared of getting hit again, he opens his pants and fills my mouth with himself as he grabs my hair. I pray for it to be over, tears are streaming down my face as he’s pulling fistfuls of my hair. I concentrate all my efforts on not gagging or vomiting hoping he will calm down soon.
“Do you still have the taste of Scott in your mouth?” he questions. “How do I taste, any good?” His anger is immeasurable. He leaves me to go to the bathroom and grabs a facecloth that he uses to gag me. I’m tempted to break free and run but fear he will catch me and get angrier. I don’t know what to do next. With the hand towel in my mouth, he proceeds to take my dignity with each loveless thrust. I struggle to get away thrashing my legs around but he overpowers me. Michael grows stronger and more confident the more I writhe. My legs throw off his balance and he punches me hard, hitting my eye. The blunt pain is overwhelming and I try to free my hands to cover my face but I’m unsuccessful.
One hand is free for a second while Michael pummels me but I am unable to get him off. I scream out but it only sounds like a soft moan. My face is red with heat, sweat, and tears flowing down my cheeks until they meet the towel in my mouth. I start choking until his violation ends. He fills my hollow cavity and then looks into my eyes. “You got what you deserved.”