Post by teri on May 18, 2006 12:49:45 GMT -5
Sorry to have taken so long to post, life got in the way of writing for awhile. I should have additional chapters for you shortly. Hope you enjoy!.
Business or Pleasure – Chapter 4
Katrina climbed into bed and Minx jumped up and curled into a ball behind her knees. Katrina thought she would be tossing and turning all night but she was so tired that after a few minutes she drifted off to a fitful sleep. Her mind rooted in the past, she dreamt of the first time she saw Apolo on the ice.
It was early morning and Katrina and Jeff were standing along the front wall leading out to the ice. The skaters were broken into groups; some doing laps others waiting their turn. Katrina scanned the group on the ice but didn’t see Apolo. As she gazed around the arena she spotted him. He had just thrown back his hair and was in the process of tying a bandanna around his head. He was smiling and laughing with the guy next to him.
The groups took turns skating easy laps around the track. Katrina was surprised at the speed and smoothness of the skating. “How do they keep from falling when they lean through those turns,” she thought.
The coach called the skaters together and talked with them. When he finished, a small group lined up on the ice and the rest skated off. Apolo lined up, looked over at Katrina flashing a smile and put on his helmet. As the skaters took their starting positions Katrina’s interest intensified.
Apolo burst off the line at the start and took the lead easily. He skated low to the ice and had a powerful stride. Katrina felt her nerves tingle watching him lean into the turns. The race was over quickly and Apolo finished first after leading from start to finish. The other skaters were bent at the waist, breathing hard, but Apolo was just lazily circling the ice.
After the first group cleared the ice, the second group lined up. As they made their start, Jeff tapped Katrina on the shoulder, “I’ve seen enough for now, I need to make some calls about some of the other clients. How about we meet after lunch? We have an appointment to meet with the coaches and watch some footage at 2:00.” “Okay, I’ll stick around and watch the rest of the practice,” Katrina said. Just as she turned back to the ice, a couple of skaters coming out of a turn bumped into each other, crashed to the ice and went flying into the boards.
The head coach yelled, “Everyone take a break. We’ll meet in the weight room in half an hour.” Trainers and coaches rushed out to take care of the downed skaters and the rest milled around until they saw their teammates up and moving around.
Apolo skated over the Katrina. “So, he said taking off his helmet, what do you think of short track?”
“It’s more exciting than I thought. Truthfully when I read about it, I pictured it much more like speed skating where you skated in lanes. Are the actually races anything like the race you skated in practice?”
“No, the actual races are a lot more intense. The skaters from the other countries are really good and there is a lot more strategy involved like when to make your break, when to pass.”
“Are their many accidents like that crash in the second race?”
“Not too often. The rules don’t allow for too much contact. There’s no pushing or anything like that but sometimes a skater just loses their edge or something else happens.” “Hey, I have to get back to training, how about we have lunch together with the team and we can tell you more about short track,” Apolo said with a shy grin.
“Sure, I’ll be hanging around for the rest of practice this morning.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you in the cafeteria after practice,” Apolo said as he started to skate away. He turned away toward the other end of the track, a big smile breaking out on his face. The guys were going to be jealous as hell that he was having lunch with such a beautiful girl even if it was only business.
Katrina watched the rest of the practice. She tried to concentrate on everything going on around her but her gaze kept wandering back to Apolo as he worked out. He had an intensity about him the others didn’t seem to have. Katrina was mesmerized watching as he put his body through a rigorous workout. “Oh well,” Katrina thought. “No one said I can’t enjoy myself while I work.”
Business or Pleasure – Chapter 4
Katrina climbed into bed and Minx jumped up and curled into a ball behind her knees. Katrina thought she would be tossing and turning all night but she was so tired that after a few minutes she drifted off to a fitful sleep. Her mind rooted in the past, she dreamt of the first time she saw Apolo on the ice.
It was early morning and Katrina and Jeff were standing along the front wall leading out to the ice. The skaters were broken into groups; some doing laps others waiting their turn. Katrina scanned the group on the ice but didn’t see Apolo. As she gazed around the arena she spotted him. He had just thrown back his hair and was in the process of tying a bandanna around his head. He was smiling and laughing with the guy next to him.
The groups took turns skating easy laps around the track. Katrina was surprised at the speed and smoothness of the skating. “How do they keep from falling when they lean through those turns,” she thought.
The coach called the skaters together and talked with them. When he finished, a small group lined up on the ice and the rest skated off. Apolo lined up, looked over at Katrina flashing a smile and put on his helmet. As the skaters took their starting positions Katrina’s interest intensified.
Apolo burst off the line at the start and took the lead easily. He skated low to the ice and had a powerful stride. Katrina felt her nerves tingle watching him lean into the turns. The race was over quickly and Apolo finished first after leading from start to finish. The other skaters were bent at the waist, breathing hard, but Apolo was just lazily circling the ice.
After the first group cleared the ice, the second group lined up. As they made their start, Jeff tapped Katrina on the shoulder, “I’ve seen enough for now, I need to make some calls about some of the other clients. How about we meet after lunch? We have an appointment to meet with the coaches and watch some footage at 2:00.” “Okay, I’ll stick around and watch the rest of the practice,” Katrina said. Just as she turned back to the ice, a couple of skaters coming out of a turn bumped into each other, crashed to the ice and went flying into the boards.
The head coach yelled, “Everyone take a break. We’ll meet in the weight room in half an hour.” Trainers and coaches rushed out to take care of the downed skaters and the rest milled around until they saw their teammates up and moving around.
Apolo skated over the Katrina. “So, he said taking off his helmet, what do you think of short track?”
“It’s more exciting than I thought. Truthfully when I read about it, I pictured it much more like speed skating where you skated in lanes. Are the actually races anything like the race you skated in practice?”
“No, the actual races are a lot more intense. The skaters from the other countries are really good and there is a lot more strategy involved like when to make your break, when to pass.”
“Are their many accidents like that crash in the second race?”
“Not too often. The rules don’t allow for too much contact. There’s no pushing or anything like that but sometimes a skater just loses their edge or something else happens.” “Hey, I have to get back to training, how about we have lunch together with the team and we can tell you more about short track,” Apolo said with a shy grin.
“Sure, I’ll be hanging around for the rest of practice this morning.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you in the cafeteria after practice,” Apolo said as he started to skate away. He turned away toward the other end of the track, a big smile breaking out on his face. The guys were going to be jealous as hell that he was having lunch with such a beautiful girl even if it was only business.
Katrina watched the rest of the practice. She tried to concentrate on everything going on around her but her gaze kept wandering back to Apolo as he worked out. He had an intensity about him the others didn’t seem to have. Katrina was mesmerized watching as he put his body through a rigorous workout. “Oh well,” Katrina thought. “No one said I can’t enjoy myself while I work.”
