Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
Dee caught the look Aleksei and Jordan shared, and added her own questioning glance when Jordan looked her way. Jordan’s answer was the same as her husband’s, a quick shrug.
“Anymore bread?” Whittaker asked, looking at the empty basket that had held the breadsticks.
“You’ve had three already!” Dee reminded him.
“I can count! I’d like another one,” Whittaker countered, casting a pleading eye toward the breadstick that sat on Chloe’s plate.
“It’s yours, I’m not going to eat it. Really,” Chloe offered, holding up her plate and watching as Whittaker snatched it away.
“Don’t take her food, she needs her strength. Sergei’s stamina is exhausting!” Dani stated off-handedly.
“What?” Dee and Jordan exclaimed in unison, both looking toward Sergei. The very fact that Dani used the word
stamina
had both of their eyebrows lifting in question. It wasn’t so much the word itself, but the way she insinuated it had nothing to do with skating that had Jordan suddenly concerned.
Sergei recognized the look in his mother’s eyes and suddenly found something interesting to look at on his dinner plate.
“Mom, you haven’t seen that tape yet! As much as I hate to admit it, Sergei’s performance was amazing, his stamina never lagged a bit, which means, Chloe needs to keep her energy level on par with his. Having people steal her food,” and she cast a pointed look at Whit-taker, “ is going to leave her exhausted, and flat on her back. What good will she be to Sergei then?” she asked flippantly, casting a sidelong glance, filled with devilment, at her brother.
“Tonight, you die,” Sergei silently mouthed the words to his sister. Her laughter told him she wasn’t overly concerned.
Chloe wished she could slip unnoticed under the table.
Hunter was glad no one was looking at him.
Suddenly Dee was filled with concern. “Chloe I want you eating properly, no skipping meals or making due with just a power drink and a granola bar. Okay?”
“Okay,” she answered in a small voice, unsure what else to say.
“And you,” she turned her attention on Whittaker, “I catch you taking food from Chloe again and I’ll find an orthodontist who will wire your mouth shut!”
“What? She said I could have it!” Whittaker argued, shaking his head back and forth, uncertain how he had suddenly become a bad guy accused of starving a child. “All I wanted was a friggin’ breadstick!”
“Well enjoy it, and consider it dessert.” Dee concluded.
“What?” Whittaker bellowed.
“We’re working. I want Jordan and Aleksei to take an objective look at this tape and tell us what they see.”
“And they can’t do that and eat a piece of pie at the same time?” Whittaker growled.
“They can, you can’t! When food’s in the room, your attention span disappears and with only a few weeks until the competition, I want your mind where’s it supposed to be–on the ice!”
“This is why I don’t like working with the witch; all she thinks about is work!” Whittaker bellowed, sending Dee a fiery look. “Suppose we have dessert and then work?” he suggested hopefully.
“Nice try,” Dee countered with a smile, shaking her head negatively.
“Don’t worry, Frank. I’ll bring you back something,” Chloe offered, sliding from the chair Sergei held for her, and smiling as his hand squeezed hers softly.
Whittaker smiled at her saucily. “See? Now there’s a girl who knows how to keep a man happy!” he stated heartily.
“If only you knew,” Dani mumbled just low enough to be heard by Hunter, but not clearly by anyone else.
“What did you say Dani?” Aleksei asked, missing her mumbled comment.
Hunter’s warning look caught her by surprise. “I said, how true,” she stammered, sticking her tongue out at Hunter’s back when he turned away from her.
“So, where are you all going to find this dessert I’m not allowed to have?” Whittaker hedged, looking from Chloe to Sergei to Dani to Hunter.
“Don’t look at me, I’m just the driver,” Hunter stated with a shrug, pulling his keys from his pocket.
“Oh, I call
shotgun
!” Dani called excitedly, “I’ll be more than happy to tell you where to go, Hunter!” she concluded saucily, heading for the door that led from the kitchen into the garage.
“You’re
not
eating in my car,” Hunter called firmly, following her.
“Don’t be such an old fart. It’s just a car,” she called over her shoulder, knowing the words would incite him.
Sergei smiled; glad to have his sister’s attention momentarily focused on tormenting someone else. “Can I bring anything home for anyone?”
“Yes!” Whittaker bellowed.
“No!” Dee countered.
“No, we’re fine, despite Whittaker believing otherwise. I’m sure we can find something sweet for him to eat before he turns to dust and blows away,” Jordan answered with a laugh, kissing her son on the cheek and sending him on his way.
“Chloe?” Whittaker called, his look a pathetic plea.
“I won’t forget,” she replied, sending him a dazzling smile.
“Now there’s a good girl!” he stated again, poking Dee’s arm and nodding toward Chloe as she waited for Sergei, his look clearly stating she could learn a thing or two about being nice to him.
Sergei reached her side, and smiled down into her upturned face, remembering how soft her lips felt and wanting to lose himself in the warmth of her kiss. “If only you knew,” he whispered softly, his dark eyes full of sensual promises.
“What’d you say?” Whittaker called across the room.
“I said, that’s true!” Sergei stated with a wicked smile, offering Chloe a bold wink and leading her toward the garage where Hunter’s Mercedes waited.
“I think I need to get my ears checked,” Whittaker said, poking his stubby finger in one ear, wiggling it around and then trying it with the other ear.
“Why is that?” Aleksei asked, casting an amused glance at his friend.
“Because I could have sworn Sergei said something other than what he said he said,” Whittaker stated in confusion, replaying their conversation in his mind.
“You mean, you heard something other than what Sergei said he said,” Aleksei countered.
“That’s what I just said,” Whittaker grumbled.
“So what exactly did Sergei say?”
Whittaker re-ran the conversation through his mind. “I said, Chloe’s a good girl, and I could have sworn Sergei said ‘if only you knew”, but I wasn’t sure if that was right so I asked him to repeat himself and he said, ‘that’s true’. Why would he say one thing one time, and another thing the next? It doesn’t make any sense, if you ask me,” Whittaker complained, shrugging in bewilderment before he rejoined Jordan and Dee, begging Jordan for a cookie, a brownie, or anything that contained real sugar and wasn’t considered
fat free
.
Aleksei cast a glance at the door that led to the garage, listened as the electric garage door slid closed and pondered Whittaker’s comment. Dani had certainly enjoyed tormenting her brother tonight, even more than usual, and there had been some unusual looks that had passed between them all. And even his ears had perked up at Dani’s comment about her brother’s stamina and the fact there suddenly seemed to be an overabundance of choking spells going on, had him wondering at the innuendoes that had flown over the dinner table.
Jordan’s voice calling him, had him casting a final curious look toward the garage door and making a mental note to keep a closer eye on the goings on between the four young people.
Joining the others in the family room, Aleksei slid into the seat next to Jordan as Whittaker slipped the videotape into the player, pressed the remote and the images of Sergei and Chloe flared to life on the large screen.
The four watched the program in astounded silence.
A little over four minutes later, they all watched Sergei and Chloe slide into their closing poses.
Aleksei ran his hands through his hair, casting a sidelong glance at his wife, who sat flushed and silent. “Is it hot in here or is it just me?” he asked huskily.
Jordan could only close her eyes and fan herself with a magazine she’d snatched off the coffee table. “My baby…” she sighed, not wanting to believe the young man on the screen who displayed such raw sexual power was her beloved son. She felt like a voyeur; as if she’d almost witnessed him making love to Chloe, the sexual tension was so raw and overwhelming. Casting a glance at Aleksei, she didn’t know exactly how to put into words what she felt.
Aleksei didn’t have that problem. “Christ, I feel like I need a cigarette!” he stated in a deep voice. “I definitely need a drink!” he added, getting to his feet and heading for the bar in the corner, pouring a glass of brandy and swallowing a sip of the potent liqueur, and focusing on the fiery path it traced through his chest.
Whittaker and Dee exchanged glances; silently communicating as they had so many years ago when they’d brought Jordan and Aleksei together and lead them on to win their gold medal. Whittaker’s
thumbs up
motion had Dee smiling and nodding in agreement. They were definitely on to something–something that was looking more and more like Olympic Gold.
H
unter’s Mercedes cruised smoothly through deepening shadows as dusk fell, leaving the sky a swirled palette of orange, pink and purple. Night approached quietly, unlike the heated debate that went on inside the luxury car as ideas of where to go for dessert were offered, argued over and cast aside. Cries for
Bakers Square, 31 Flavors, Dairy Queen
and
Mrs. Field’s Cookies
echoed within the luxurious confines of the Mercedes, each suggestion cast aside by one person or another.
“Tell you what, we’ll swing by Dairy Queen, grab an ice cream cone and then decide where to go for a real dessert!” Dani suggested, twisting in her seat and looking to Chloe for agreement.
“You’re not eating in my car!” Hunter stated firmly, casting Dani a glance that said he couldn’t believe she’d even suggested such a ridiculous idea.
“Afraid I might drip on your lovely interior? I’ve got news for you, I don’t drip!” Dani fired back, lifting her chin defiantly.
“That’s what everyone says just before they spill something,” Hunter argued.
“Even if something does get spilled, what’s the big deal? It’s just a car. Wipe it up and get a life!” Dani said in disgust. Men were such– well, men–when it came to their stupid cars. If they could find a way to get them in their beds, they’d probably sleep with the damn things!
Sergei and Hunter both groaned in disbelief.
“Dani, do you know what’s under the hood of this vehicle?” Sergei asked, his tone filled with reverence.
“Ah. Let me guess. An engine?” Dani offered saucily.
Chloe barely stifled her laugh, and earned a dark look from Sergei. Undaunted, she blew him an air kiss.
“Dani, Dani, Dani, you don’t fully appreciate what this baby’s made of,” Sergei scolded lightly.
“I’m telling you, Sergei, if you start rattling off about RPM’s, engine size, and vehicular statistics, Hunter’s going to be dealing with something a whole lot worse than spilled ice cream!” Dani warned, rolling her eyes.
“You even think of being sick and I’m kicking you out of my car!” Hunter growled; his look filled with concern–for his car.
“Hunter, you might as well have a point value sign stapled to your butt, you’re such an easy target. I can assure you, my days of puking in cars and spilling ice cream cones are long since over,” Dani stated airily.
Hunter didn’t know whether to believe her or not, so for the next ten minutes, he kept casting curious glances her way to see how she was faring. It wasn’t unheard of for adults to have bouts of carsickness; he just didn’t want her having one in his car.
Dani suddenly shrieking, “Stop!” had Hunter’s heart pounding madly, his foot stomping on the brakes; and the Mercedes sliding to a clean stop.
In the back seat, Sergei and Chloe held their breaths.
“Look–
Colony Kitchen
!” Dani stated calmly, pointing toward the restaurant. “Everyone should be able to find a dessert to their liking there. Right?” she asked, nodding her head up and down, in essence, making the decision for everyone.
“Dani,” Hunter growled in warning, his breath catching in his chest.
“I’ll hold her–you strangle her,” Sergei darkly offered from the back seat, shaking his head at his sister’s outrageous behavior. As loud as her scream had been, you would have thought a semi-truck was barreling down on them.
“What? I didn’t want us to miss the place,” Dani asked in exasperation, her hands lifting in supplication.
“You could have directed our attention to the restaurant in a less dramatic manner,” Hunter countered. “You scared the hell out of the rest of us!”
“Well, la-dee-da. I’ll try to remember how fragile your old heart is and act accordingly. I wouldn’t want to have to give you CPR, or something, because you collapsed in fright over the dessert counter!” Dani fired heatedly.
“I’m not worried about dessert killing me, you on the other hand may very well do just that!” Hunter shot back, turning into the parking lot, finding a spot near the front door, and navigating the large vehicle smoothly into the spot.
“You’re going to park here? Wouldn’t you rather park somewhere else, like the very back of the lot and sideways?” Dani suggested. “I’d hate to see someone leave a mark on your baby,” she cooed in false concern, her green eyes wide and innocent looking.
Hunter looked at her darkly, and despite himself, smiled as she lifted her chin in defiance. He had to give her credit; she didn’t back down even when he glared and raged at her. “I’m getting dessert. You can sit in here and guard the car,” he stated simply, opening the door and climbing out.
“In your dreams, bub!” Dani yelled, opening her own door and getting herself out of the vehicle.
Sergei helped Chloe out of the car, holding her hand as he assisted her and pulled her gently to her feet, they shared a soft kiss before he slid his arm around her waist and they headed for the front door of the restaurant.
“It’s good to know gallantry isn’t totally dead!” Dani fired at Hunter, who led the group toward the entrance, and left Dani bringing up the rear, complaining about heartless men.
“I don’t waste my time being gallant on people who don’t appreciate it,” he growled, holding the door open for Sergei and Chloe, and allowing them to pass before stepping in front of Dani and blocking her path; leaving her no choice but to stop or run into him.
Crossing her arms across her chest, and lifting her breasts in a way that momentarily stunned Hunter, she heaved a sigh of exasperation and looked up into his eyes. “What?” she snapped.
“I want you to endeavor to behave in a manner acceptable to the general public. That means no nasty remarks, no sly innuendoes, no off-color jokes and if I hear the word ‘barracuda’ come out of your mouth even once, I can guarantee you, you will not like the repercussions,” Hunter stated quietly.
“That’s an awful lot for me to remember,” Dani shook her head back and forth, felt her fury building at the man’s audacity and did her best to control her growing fury. “But I’ll try–I’ll really try,” she agreed flatly, her deep green eyes blazing with fire.
Hunter looked at her skeptically, the vibration he felt radiating from her vastly different from her cooperative words. Her lovely mouth might be agreeing to his suggestions, but her body language told him she was looking for the right time to make his life a living hell–again!
With a final cautious look, he stepped aside and held the door for her, placing his hand at the base of her spine and ushering her forward, joining Chloe and Sergei where they stood waiting, with the hostess, ready to be seated.
“Booth or table?” the hostess inquired.
“Table,” Dani called out.
“Booth,” Hunter, Sergei and Chloe all countered.
“Booth it is,” the hostess acknowledged, and led them through the room into a quiet corner in the back of the restaurant, placing the menus on the table. “Mindy will be your waitress. In the meantime, Can I get you all some water?”
“Yes, thank you.” Chloe spoke for all of them, sliding into the booth and scooting over to make room for Sergei as he followed her in and settled against the stuffed, vinyl bench seat.
Casting a questioning look at Dani, Hunter waved her in to the booth first, waiting patiently as she cast a mutinous look his way and slowly slid across the seat, squishing as far into the corner away from him, as she could manage.
Chloe caught Dani’s grim expression and furious look and chewed her lower lip; when Dani had that particular look in her eye, it didn’t bode well for anyone within a fifty-mile radius. Maybe it was time for a diversionary tactic. “So, does anyone know what they want?” Chloe asked brightly, scanning the myriad of desserts that filled the menu.
Light conversation flowed between the Sergei, Hunter and Chloe as they looked over their choices; Dani’s menu lay ignored on the table.
“Don’t tell me you’ve decided not to have dessert after the trouble you caused getting us here,” Hunter growled softly, casting her a sidelong look, his dark cognac-colored eyes watching her closely.
“I don’t need a menu, I’m getting what I always get when I come here,” she answered flatly, a cold smile that didn’t reach her eyes lifting the corners of her mouth only slightly.
Sergei groaned. “Thank God I don’t have to lift you over my head!”
Chloe laughed as Dani flipped her brother the finger and gave him a dirty look. “Watch it Rocmanov, I was thinking of having the same thing and you
do
have to lift me over your head!” she warned, sharing a smile with Dani.
“Why don’t the two of you share one instead?” Sergei encouraged, closing his menu and placing it on the table.
“One what?” Hunter asked, confused by the conversation and feeling left out since he had absolutely no idea what the three of them were discussing.
“It’s called a
Kitchen Sink
,” Sergei explained. “It’s basically a huge sundae with just about everything you could imagine included in it and it’s served it what looks like, a small stainless steel kitchen sink, complete with handles and a spigot.”
Hunter’s eyebrows lifted in interest. “When you say huge, exactly what does that imply?”
“From my point of view, the four of us could share one and not come away from the table feeling deprived. Dani doesn’t share the same opinion and typically eats one all by herself,” Sergei laughed, ignoring the dirty look Dani sent his way.
Hunter cast a look at Dani’s slim form, and couldn’t believe that it could be a huge as Sergei implied. “Sounds interesting. I think I’ll try one.”
“You’ll be sorry,” Dani sing-songed under her breath, smiling as Chloe caught her comment and laughed out loud.
“So, what can I get for you all?” their waitress, Mindy, asked, holding her order pad and awaiting their response.
Sergei and Chloe had decided to share a hot fudge brownie sundae, and both Hunter and Dani each ordered the infamous
Kitchen Sink
. When their food arrived five minutes later, Hunter was groaning in disbelief at the truly gigantic dessert that was placed before him. As Sergei had stated, a small stainless steel sink, complete with handles and a spigot, sat before him. Loaded with six huge scoops of ice cream, covered in hot fudge, strawberry sauce, pineapple sauce, caramel and golden butterscotch, a tall mountain of whipped cream covered it all and was topped off with nuts, chocolate chips, and maraschino cherries. Hunter could only stare at the monstrosity in disbelief.
Dani had no such qualms, and dug her spoon into the cold, sticky creation, sighing in bliss as hot fudge and rich vanilla ice cream melted in her mouth.
Hunter watched her attacking her dessert and shook his head again in disbelief. “You can eat one of these all by yourself?”
Dani’s shoulders lifted in an unconcerned shrug. “It’s only ice cream,” she offered, spooning another mouthful of the sinful dessert between her full lips, her motion drawing Hunter’s gaze hotly to her mouth.
“It’s an awful damn lot of ice cream!” he countered, finally picking up his spoon, unsure where to begin on the monstrosity.
Dani watched him, as he sat there in indecision, trying to pick the best spot to begin. With a low growl, she pulled the spoon from his hand, stuck it into the middle of his dessert and pulled out a spoonful of chocolate ice cream covered in caramel, whipped cream and nuts. “For heavens sake, Hunter, get on with it,” she scolded, lifting the spoon to his mouth and sliding it between his lips.
A low, satisfied growl rumbled deep in his throat as the dessert melted over his tongue and ran down his throat, his senses exploding at the sublime taste and Dani’s smiling green eyes as they watched him expectantly.
“Well?” Dani asked.
“It’s tolerable,” Hunter answered, smiling at her shocked expression to his answer and grabbed the spoon from her long fingers and dug in for another bite.
“Tolerable, my ass,” Dani growled quietly, sending him a dark look that would have had anyone else looking for ways to appease her, but had Hunter simply returning the look and adding a devastating smile, that had her heart suddenly skipping a beat. The man was insufferable!
Sergei and Chloe sat quietly, sharing the dessert between them, feeding each other bites of the rich food and watching the entertainment that was going on across the table from them. With curious looks, they watched the rivalry that flared between Dani and Hunter and wondered at it. Obviously, both had strong personalities that demanded top billing and yet, as Sergei and Chloe watched their interaction, there were actually times when one bowed to the other, infrequently for sure, but there none the less.
Dani finished her dessert only shortly after Sergei and Chloe had finished their shared dessert and cast longing glances at Hunter’s dessert, resting before him, only half finished.
“Don’t you even think of it!” Sergei growled across the table at his sister, noticing where her eyes kept drifting.
“It seems a terrible waste. There are children starving all over the world. Is it really right to let such wonderful food simply be thrown out?” Dani asked.