His warm breath at my ear pulls me out of my head once again as we climb up the steps behind her. “I think the fates have also enlisted Kara in pushing us toward each other.”
My skin pebbles as his lips inadvertently graze my overly sensitive flesh. The scent of his cologne wrapping around me once again causes my eyelids to flutter with delight. It should be a crime for someone to smell this good all the time. He opens the door for me, again another thing for me to get used to if I’m going to be around him this week.
We enter the building and I suddenly flash back to my school years. It’s a large hallway, filled with many doors all leading to what I assume are classrooms. But it doesn’t have that edge like a regular school would. Music and laughter fill the halls, something I never experienced when I attended in my younger years, or at least that I never stopped to pay attention to. My mind was always focused more on surviving the torment I endured day after day at the hands of my peers.
I move away from Andrew, my fingertips dragging along his forearm as I walk over to one of the doors to my left. Looking through the window I see a group of little children circled around a young woman who is reading a book to them. They sit quietly with their chins propped up against their tiny fists as she animatedly tells the story from the pages, each of them sporting bright smiles and laughing eyes.
Andrew moves behind me, his hand gently resting upon my hip. He leans into me, his mouth once again near my ear.
“This is what we’ve dubbed the story room. All of these books have been donated by multiple families and libraries from around London. Most of the children you see here are around four or five years old. Their parents either are struggling to find a job or have multiple jobs but cannot afford standard daycare. That’s what we do here. We are a place for children to go who don’t have much of a home life and we give them a place to feel welcome.”
His whispered words cause my breath to catch in my throat as I continue looking into the room. Hundreds of books line the shelves that circle the room. Multicolored bean bag chairs occupy the corners and small tables with chairs are set up in the middle of the floor. The children are sitting on top of a large plush area rug off to the side, a few of them curled up with blankets and pillows looking ready to take a nap.
My heart aches as I watch them enjoy their story, wishing that circumstances could have been different for me when I was growing up. I would have loved coming to a place like this, even if it were just to escape my life for a little while.
The heartfelt smile crossing my face and the regret over my lost youth has a small tear threatening to fall from my eyes. I quickly blink it away, not wanting to cause a scene or give Andrew any reason to look into my thoughts.
He’s still pressed against my back, his fingers flexing gently upon my hip as I turn to face him. Reaching down, I tentatively lace my fingers with his, removing it from my hip. His eyes sparkle with the lights as I look up at him.
“This is amazing what your Foundation does for these kids. I know all any child wants most in life is to feel welcome and safe.” I pause, suddenly fascinated with my boots so he doesn’t see the pain behind my statement.
His free hand reaches up and softly drags the knuckles of his hand down my cheek. It’s a loving gesture that also shows the compassion I’m not quite ready to accept from him yet. My chin lifts slightly, allowing me to see his brows furrow as he contemplates the meaning behind my off the cuff comment. He shakes his head then leads us down the rest of the hallway toward an office at the end.
As we walk down the hall, he explains some of the programs that they offer here. There’s a tutoring program in place for all subjects and grade levels, working in conjunction with the public schools. There’s an arts program with varying classes between music and painting to sketching and choir, allowing the kids to explore their creative sides. They also house a large gymnasium where the kids can come and burn off some energy while trying out different indoor sports. It allows them to hone their skills for organized teams at their regular school or just a safe place to hang out with other children like them.
We enter the office area, only to be greeted by the smiling faces of Charles, Priscilla, and Kara. Andrew tightens his grip on my hand as I try to pull it away from his, not wanting the others to see. Charles looks us over, his eyes landing on our joined hands as a smile crosses his face.
“Ah, there you both are. So glad you could make it Tessa,” he says with a wink to me. My cheeks flush as I notice Priscilla’s eyes also locked on our joined hands.
“Yes, so glad to see you again Tessa. Kara was just telling us about her morning.”
Kara’s hand moves to lightly cover her mouth in an attempt to stifle a forced cough. I can hear that she’s on the verge of laughter as she clears her throat once more.
“Yes, I was in desperate need of a massage after flying over here. Thank goodness the hotel has an excellent selection of spa services available.”
I narrow my eyes at my best friend. My lips are at war over whether to scowl or smile at her blatant lie to me this morning.
“I thought you said you had an urgent conference call?”
“Did I say that? No, I meant an urgent massage. Whoopsie,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders.
The room erupts in laughter at the ridiculousness of Kara’s statement and brush off. If she’s trying to make it obvious that she wanted Andrew and me to be alone this morning she’s definitely succeeding. Even still, I can’t help but laugh with everyone else, especially when Andrew’s thumb gently strokes the back of my hand. How upset can I truly get at her matchmaking ways? I really should be thanking her for allowing me to spend as much time with Andrew as I can while I’m here without the eyes of everyone else around us.
“Shall we begin with a tour of the grounds? I think you both will be quite pleased with what we do here at this Center,” Priscilla states.
We spend the next few hours moving from hallway to hallway, classroom to classroom. We’re introduced to several children in passing and even are invited to partake in one of the projects in the art room. Of course, we respectfully decline, using the premise of a lack of time.
Andrew’s hand never once leaves mine throughout the tour. My heart beats wildly, wondering what Charles and Priscilla must think of their COO holding hands with a potential business associate. A wave of fear spreads through me as I dwell on that a little longer than I should. What would happen to us when the contracts are signed? Is there a no fraternization policy that would prohibit us from being together?
My fear is short-lived as we enter the gymnasium. There is a handful of teenage boys playing basketball toward one side. A small group of little girls are playing with hula hoops in the middle and over on the far right is a mix of boys and girls playing volleyball. My mood lightens considerably as I watch and listen to the laughter that echoes through the gym.
A basketball rolls toward me and I reach down to pick it up. A taller than average teenage boy jogs up to me, sweat dripping from his brow and slightly out of breath.
“Pardon me Miss but could I please get the ball back? We only need one more point and then we win,” he smiles at me.
Inspiration strikes me as I hold the ball out to him. After our conversation this morning, I feel the need to step out of my comfort zone and try doing things that I may not normally do, per Kara’s instructions before we left the States.
“Here you go. But I call the winner.”
He stands there almost in a daze before he blinks back to life. “You play basketball?”
“I’ve played a little, but it’s been a few years.”
He looks down at my feet and starts laughing. He doesn’t look to be more than fifteen or sixteen.
“But you don’t have any trainers.”
I look down at my knee-high boots and laugh. “I’ll improvise, don’t worry about that. But if you’re not up for the challenge . . .” I say, leaving the sentence hanging in the air between us. He stands a little taller and takes the ball from my outstretched hands.
“Play a game with you? I’ll make sure we win.”
He runs back to his friends and tells them the offer. All at once they turn their heads toward me, each beaming brightly. Andrew laughs while looking down at me.
“Are you sure you want to do that? You’ll kill yourself with those boots on.”
“Oh don’t worry. I’ll manage,” I say.
I bend down and start unzipping my boots, gently bracing myself on Andrew’s arm as I slide them off my feet. He stares at me with heat in his eyes, giving me an appreciative grin while he follows the movements of my hands. I look up and notice that the group of boys have stopped playing too, carefully watching me as I strip out of my oppressive boots. I stand upright, placing my hands on my hips as I look in their direction.
“No one is going to win if no one plays, boys,” I mock scold them. They unfreeze themselves and resume their game. I can hear the other three laughing behind us as I turn slightly toward them. They appear to be lost in conversation, occasionally glancing at Andrew and me.
I bend down again to remove my stockings, thinking that it would probably be in my best interest to play barefoot, especially since I know how coordinated I am. I risk a glance up at Andrew through my lashes, throwing him what I hope is a seductive smile. Once again, I see the heat in his eyes as they lock onto my hands, sliding underneath the nylon being drawn down my legs. My breathing accelerates and my stomach clenches as I hear a faint groan coming from him. My lower lip disappears between my teeth as I notice his breath catching when we lock eyes.
He gives me another appreciative grin, his lips curling into the smile that I have come to adore since I first met him. He opens his mouth, looking as if he wants to say something, but nothing comes out. Instead, all I hear is a loud thud due to the basketball hitting him in the side of his head. He stumbles a little and then looks over at the offenders after regaining his composure. They sheepishly murmur an apology to Andrew as he bends down and tosses the ball back to them with a laugh.
“I think you’re going to have an unfair advantage over them, Tessa.” He looks over his shoulder as the boys take several shots at the basket. It doesn’t go unnoticed that they also look over at our direction often while they’re playing. “It also appears that you may have a few admirers.”
I boldly place my hand on his firm chest as I straighten upright. “Jealous?” I ask.
My eyes fall upon his throat as I watch him swallow hard at my comment. The joyful commotion coming from the boys behind us fades to a dull roar as the sexual tension flowing between me and Andrew occupies my senses. I blink hard, hoping it’s enough to pull me away from him. He runs the pad of his thumb down my cheek as his eyes search mine. I need to put some distance between us, not wanting to draw any attention our way.
I step back and begin walking toward the boys, the winning team cheering loudly for their victory.
“Who’s ready?” I ask.
Three of them walk toward Andrew, leaving me surrounded by five sweaty and panting boys. Apparently everyone else in the gym has caught on as a small circle forms around the six of us. Andrew winks at me and I take it as a silent gesture of encouragement. Whether it was or not, I have no idea but at this rate I could use all the help I can get. I wasn’t prepared to do this in front of an audience.
“So who am I partners with?” Each of them raises their hands and I laugh.
“Well, you all cannot be my partners. How about you two are partners with me to make it an even three on three,” I say, pointing to two of them. They eagerly spring to my side as the other three retreats to huddle around each other, more than likely devising their game plan.
I shake each of their hands as I introduce myself.
“Peter,” says the one that I made the wager with.
“James,” the other boy says.
“Nice you meet you both. Are you ready to play?”
“Yes!” they both exclaim at the same time. We join the other three in the center of the court, getting into our positions as I push up the sleeves of my sweater dress, ready to start the game.
After about twenty minutes, it’s tied with a score of eight each. My hair is clinging to my head with a thin sheen of sweat. The boys are not holding back whatsoever, giving me a good run for my money. My feet ache slightly, but the smiles plastered on their faces keep me going. So does the one that Andrew keeps throwing my way, even though he’s actively engaged in conversations with the other kids near him. I try to regain my focus as we resume action, quickly stealing the ball away from one of the boys. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he did it on purpose so I’d have to brush up against him. I run back to the line and pass the ball to James, who effortlessly sinks it into the basket. Peter runs up to us as we give each other high fives.
“One more then that’s game,” I somehow manage to say in a panting breath as I’m completely exhausted by the physical activity. Nothing makes you feel old more than playing basketball with a bunch of teenagers, especially when all the exercise that you do consists of walking from your couch to your bed during the week. If what Kara says is true about the hotel having spa services available I may need to look into that.
The other team takes a shot, but the ball sails over the rim, landing in Peter’s waiting arms. He dribbles back to the line and quickly passes it to me. I drive the net, planting my feet before taking the shot. The ball bounces off the rim one, twice and then slowly sinks in. Peter and James come running up to me, wrapping their arms around me tightly in a celebratory hug.
“We won Tessa! That was so brill,” Peter says.
I laugh because I have no idea what he just said. “I hope that means good.”
Peter nods his head and smiles. I try to pull back from them, but they just wrap their arms tighter around me. I give an awkward pat on their arms with the limited mobility that I have.
“You both did an excellent job. Do you play for the team at school?” I ask as they finally release me.