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~ Tales of Romance ~
Whispered Promises
Chapter 4
"Don't do this to me," Dani growled dangerously, her green eyes flashing with fire as she banged her fist in frustration against the vending machine and gazed longingly at the picture of hot chocolate on the front of the machine. In frustration she listened as it whirred and chugged and ground it gears, but refused to dispense her paid for drink. "Today is not the day to fool with me, you miserable piece of junk. Unless you feel like finding out what it's like to be the size of a toaster, I'd suggest you give me my damn drink!" she threatened fiercely. Giving the machine a solid kick for good measure, she found herself smiling in pleased surprise as a cup suddenly dropped into place and her hot chocolate began to pour into it. At least it looked like hot chocolate.
"Didn't your mama teach you it's not polite to threaten inanimate objects, especially early in the morning?" a deep, male voice asked quietly behind her, his tone filled with humor, his accent hinting he'd spent some time in the south.
"I don't ever recall the subject coming up," Dani began haughtily and tossed a nonchalant glance over her shoulder, only to find herself faced with a set of broad shoulders that filled her view and made her look up to find the source of the deep voice. Her snappy retort was forgotten as she looked into the deepest blue-gray eyes she'd ever seen, sparkling with humor and looking down at her indulgently. The beautiful eyes were more than enough to hold her in mesmerized silence, the fact they were simply another facet to the totally gorgeous, completely masculine face looming over her, had her searching her scatter mind for word. "I really need hot chocolate this morning," she finally managed to mumble, her cheeks growing rosier under the man's calm gaze.
"So I gathered from your conversation with 'miserable piece of junk'," he replied, his smile widening as he watched her eyes roll in mortification when she realized he had witnessed her tantrum. There really wasn't anything else could she label it? "I would have handed over the hot chocolate too," he offered nonchalantly, showing a set of gorgeous white teeth and a dimple in his left cheek.
Dani prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her. At least she'd be out of her misery. But the God's weren't listening and she was faced with having to make reasonable explanations to this stranger as to why she was threatening a vending machine over a cup of hot chocolate. The more she thought about it, the more she wished Hunter were here so she could wring his neck; this was entirely his fault! If she'd had a decent nights sleep, instead of spending it awake and worrying about Hunter and their relationship - if they even had one - she wouldn't be standing here now, tongue-tied, in front of this gorgeous guy, trying to make explanations that sound reasonable for an unreasonable, ridiculous situation.
Dani opened her mouth to speak a couple of different times, tried to think of brilliant explanations for her behavior, and each time snapped it closed again as each explanation sounded ridiculous even to herself. Finally, in exasperation she simply shrugged her shoulders, shook her head dismally and walked away without a word, dragging her skating bag behind her, her cup of hot chocolate completely forgotten.
Half a dozen noisy men pushed their way through the doors out of the ice rink as Dani was trying to go through them, the rivalry of their recently ended game still intact, as taunts were tossed back and forth between the players. As they passed by her, their large, cumbersome bags, filled with hockey equipment, jostled her and in her present state of mind, she didn't even think before her temper took control of her mouth and she found herself speaking what had only a second before been a silent thought. "Is it too much to ask for you Neanderthals to be a bit more careful? I've got enough bruises without you adding to them!" She growled, her eyes darkening to a deep green in her frustration, and anger.
The group of young men fell silent, surprised by the verbal attack and glanced at each other, before turning to face Dani.
Nine sets of eyes widened in pleasure as they looked at her. In her anger, her green eyes flashed with fire and the flush in her cheeks contrasted sharply with her alabaster skin. Straight, white teeth chewed her lower lip as she struggled to control her flaring temper. Small tendrils of hair that had escaped her French braid, curled enticingly against her temples, blowing in the cool air that rushed off the ice and out the open doors. Her black warm-up suit only hinted at the figure beneath, but the partially unzipped jacket offered a glimpse of the upper curves of her full breasts as she breathed heavily in her agitation. "You should be more careful with your equipment!" she stated firmly, casting each man a censorious.
"I keep telling them the same thing," the deep voice drawled, coming forward with a cup in his hand, and holding it out to her as he stopped in front of her. "You forgot your hot chocolate," the voice offered casually, a smile appearing when she finally reached out and took the cup from his hand. Her fingers brushed his as she took the cup, and her eyes quickly lifted to his as she felt little jolts of electricity pass between them, and wondered if he'd felt them as well. The brief, disconcerted look in his eyes said he had.
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"Here, Tanner, you can schlep your own bag," one of the other men said, tossing the large, heavy bag toward the man before her as if it were no heavier than a loaf of bread. Without even grunting, he caught the bag by the strap and slung it over his shoulder.
Dani felt her eyes go wide in disbelief as it dawned on her he was with the hockey players! The dirge of the earth, as far as figure skaters were concerned. Then again, hockey players didn't have much of anything good to say about figure skaters. The two sports were miles apart, oil and water, fire and ice, north and south. The only thing they had in common was the ice and even that was different. Figure skaters wanted the ice soft, hockey players wanted it hard. Hockey was played by real men, and male figure skaters, well, as far as hockey skaters were concerned, there was a reason figure skaters didn't play hockey.
"Tell me you're not with them," Dani demanded lightly, casting a derisive glance toward the group of men, and barely managing to keep from rolling her eyes in disbelief.
Those wide shoulders shrugged casually and that deep voice that made her knees a bit weak answered simply. "Sorry, darlin'. As much as I'd like to make your morning a better one, I'm afraid I have to claim this motley looking group of hockey players."
A few of the players complained about the derogatory remark, but only half-heartedly, as they were used to be called much worse things by some of the teams they'd played.
Dani shook her head in dismay; then a thought came to her. "You're their coach, right?" She asked hopefully.
"Matt, a coach? That's a hoot!" one of the other players taunted, ignoring the dark look he received.
"I thought your name was Tanner," Dani asked, confusion causing a slight crease between her brows.
"It's Matthew - Matt - Tanner," he stated, his thumb reaching up to gently erase the frown that marred her beautiful face. "It's too early for you to be scowling, darlin'. Go drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold and relax," he suggested quietly, his deep voice sending warm waves through her blood.
Behind him, all those eyes watched in stunned silence. This was a side of Matt they'd never seen. Typically, with women, his intentions were clear: he found what he wanted, he got what he wanted, and then he was out of there. No fuss, no muss. Thank you very much! He wasn't unkind; he just wasn't overly kind. And never, but never, had they ever seen him treat a woman as if she were made of porcelain. Then again, this little peanut before them looked exactly like a tiny doll that needed to be handled with white, silk gloves.
Dani found herself mesmerized by the gentle look in Matt's blue-gray eyes as his thumb brushed softly against her forehead, erasing her frown, and leaving her tingling at his gentle touch. She suddenly felt weightless, incapable of putting two thoughts together and she felt herself falling beneath the spell his eyes cast and she closed her eyes to try to still her swirling brain.
Matt had never seen anyone so beautiful. With her eyes closed, and her frown gone, he imagined she looked as Snow White would have asleep in her crystal casket. Soft tendrils of dark auburn hair teased her temples and rosy cheeks, her long, dark lashes hid the mysteries of her green eyes, her mouth was slightly parted, her full lips the color of deep pink roses, moist and beckoning. She was so small, petite seemed even the wrong word to describe her stature, and yet he knew how powerful she really was and a smile curved the corners of her lips as he remembered her attack on the vending machine.
"Matt, we've got to roll," one of the players reminded him, repositioning the heavy bag on his shoulder.
The words seemed to revive Dani, and with a self-conscious gesture, her fingers whispered across the spot where Matt had touched her and with nothing more than a small smile, turned and headed through the doors into the ice rink.
"What was that all about?" another of the players questioned Matt.
"What do you mean?" Matt answered, confused himself by the encounter with - hell - he didn't even know her name.
All the players then started razzing Matt about his mysterious woman and as they passed through the lobby, their questions were answered. There, on the front page of the newspaper in the news rack, was a color picture of Danielle Rocmanov, and her family, from the evening before. Annual Rocmanov AIDS Gala Reaches for Gold, the headline declared.
"Holy shit, Matt. You were talking to America's golden princess and you didn't even know it!" one player joked, searching through his pockets for change to buy the newspaper, finally finding it and slipping it into the machine and retrieving a copy.
As a group, they made their way out to the parking lot, stowing their gear in the back of a white van, before piling inside. As Matt started the engine, and drove off, all ears were focused on the person who read the article from the paper describing the success of the Gala from the evening before and announcing the skating exhibition to be held later that evening.
* * * * *
The limo driver maneuvered the long vehicle containing the rest of the Rocmanov's, Dee and Whittaker into the parking lot, casting a nod toward the large white van, bearing the Olympic Rings emblem, that had just pulled out of the parking lot. "There goes our Olympic hockey team," the driver said, nodding toward the white van.
"I wonder how badly the hockey players screwed up the ice this morning?" Whittaker complained, casting a derisive glance toward the white van as it drove out of sight.
"They have as much right to be on the ice as we do," Jordan countered calmly, one eyebrow lifting at Whittaker's snort of disagreement.
"That's a matter of opinion," Whittaker growled back.
"Don't be a snob, Frank. We're all on the same team, remember? We're all skating for America and whether you like it or not, both sports require the use of ice. Get over it!" Dee countered. "Let's just hope Dani, didn't run into them."
"Or they run over Dani," Sergei countered with a chuckle.
"Sergei&ldots;" Chloe chastised.
"Dani can hold her own, even with hockey players."
"I know, I was just concerned for the hockey players!" Dee explained, her comment eliciting laughter.
"Considering both she and Hunter were gone when we got up, I don't think their little reunion went very well," Chloe offered.
"According to a message Hunter left me, from his cellular phone, early this morning, he had an appointment he wasn't able to change, but he intends to be back in time for the exhibition this evening," Aleksei stated encouragingly.
"I'm not holding my breath!" Whittaker growled; ignoring the scowl Dee sent his way. "What?" Whittaker questioned, his hands raised in supplication.
"Try to think positively. Dani's been disappointed enough in the last twenty-four hours, let's not wish anymore hurt on to her," Chloe suggested.
"What about Hunter? It seems to me, he was in more pain last night, than Dani was!" Sergei stated sarcastically.
"That was physical pain, not emotional, and it's not Dani's fault Hunter felt the need to get shit-faced, fall off the toilet and split his head open. You can't blame that on Dani!" Chloe defended her friend.
"If she hadn't been wearing that dress, that showed more than it hid, Hunter wouldn't have gotten pissed off and felt the need to lose himself in a six-pack," Sergei argued back.
"Since when did Hunter gain the right to dictate what Dani wears? He has no more right to tell Dani what to wear or how to act or whom to see than you have to tell me. Besides, Dani looked gorgeous and anyone who says otherwise can talk to me!" Chloe fired hotly.
Sergei looked at his father, his eyes widening in surprise when he caught his father's look that clearly said, 'you dug your own hole, you might as well climb in it and let her bury you'.
A quick glance toward his mother showed him he wouldn't get any more help from her. "Chloe's right, Dani looked wonderful, and despite what you might think otherwise, she was covered up more than a lot of women at the Gala. Hunter's decision to act the way he did was his own, nobody poured those beers down him," Jordan stated matter-of-factly.
"You suggested he go upstairs, and get himself together" Sergei reminded her.
"I suggested he take a moment to collect himself, call room service, get something to eat, and relax; I never suggested he finish off a six-pack in an hour," Jordan clarified. "I was expecting to see him back in the ballroom, not laying on the bathroom floor bleeding all over everything."
"What do you expect from a barracuda? They're a bunch of light weights!" Whittaker added his two cents worth into the fray. "Every time the boy's around Dani, he winds up hurting himself," he stated with disgust.
"That's not a fair statement. Dani was no where near him when he cracked his head open last night," Chloe countered.
"Her dress is the reason he cracked his head open last night," Sergei countered.
"Her boobs are the reason he cracked his head open last night!" Whittaker tossed into the fray.
"Frank!" Dee gasped in disbelief, elbowing him in the ribs and ignoring his dramatic groan of pain.
"What? He hasn't seen her in months, finally deigns to grace us with his presence and because Dani's body has changed and she put on a bit of padding, that looks damn fine on her, if you ask me, he freaks because she suddenly doesn't look like a little girl anymore? Give me a frickin' break. She's a woman grown, with ideas of her own, and if she wants to strut around in frickin' pasties and a thong, it's okay with me! As long as her skating isn't affected, I don't give a flying fig what she does, or doesn't wear!" Whittaker fumed, his tirade shocking everyone into silence.
Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, no one being heard, as the noise level escalated within the confines of the limousine. It took the limo driver three times of politely clearing his throat before he was able to make himself heard over the din in the back seat and announced their arrival. Amid a continuing debate on what had transpired over the last few hours, he assisted them from the vehicle. With instructions to be back in three hours, the group made their way toward the ice house, their arms filled with their skating gear, and the debate raging on.
Sighing in relief at the blissful absence of noise, the limo driver slipped back into the vehicle, tuned in some classical music, and checked in with his dispatcher to advise her he was clear for the next three hours.
In contract, the Rocmanov's agenda was set: practice for a few hours, grab a light lunch, go over practice tapes and refine program changes, if necessary, before catching a short nap, if time allowed, and gear up for the exhibition tonight.
Just another normal day in the Rocmanov household!
* * * *
Everything that you are, everything that you'll be, touches the current of love, so deep within me. Every sigh in the night, every tear that you cry, seduces me&ldots; Chloe's brow furrowed she heard the music playing when she left the locker room and headed for the ice. "This could be bad," Chloe mumbled to herself, hoping it was another skater's music that was playing or simply warm up music that was on, but sighing when she spotted Dani alone on the ice, her expression saying she was miles away.
All that I am, all that I'll be, means nothing at all, if you can't be with me. Your most innocent kiss, or your sweetest caress, seduces me&ldots; Chloe watched as Dani flew silently over the ice, her soul taken over by the music, her body language clearly telling the story the song imparted. I don't care about tomorrow, I've given up on yesterday, here and now is all that matters, Right here with you is where I'll stay&ldots; Dani flowed from one movement into another, never tiring, never slowing, every emotion clear for all to see. Her feet moved effortlessly in an intricate pattern that should have had her tripping herself up and yet, she made not a sound as she traveled across the ice. Everything in this world, every voice in the night, every little thing of beauty comes shining through in your eyes. And all that you do, becomes a part of me too, 'cause all you do, seduces me&ldots; Dani's lay-back spin defied gravity as she bent so far backward, Chloe expected her to fall over. Then, as Dani's arms lifted into the air and she continued to spin in a perfectly balanced circle, Chloe gasped in astonishment, her heart in her throat, her breath held as she watched the soulful performance before her. Every sigh in the night, every tear that you cry, all that you do, seduces me&ldots;
As Dani finished her program, in an amazing spiral that seemed to travel for miles over the gleaming surface, Chloe found herself shaking her head in disbelief at the beautiful program she had just witnessed on the ice. "When did you put that program together?" Chloe called across the ice.
Dani startled at Chloe's question, and she found herself feeling self-conscious when she realized she'd been watched. A new, and uncomfortable, sensation, Dani felt confused that she should feel such an emotion when she'd couldn't remember ever being shy in front of an audience in her entire life. She lived to skate, and skating drew audiences, it was a simple fact. If you skated, people watched, that's just how it was.
"It's not a program, I was just fooling around," Dani stated in embarrassment, skating to the wall that separated the two women and accepting a sip of the soda that Chloe offered her.
"Well, it looked like a program to me. It was amazing, Dani. You should skate it tonight at the exhibition," Chloe suggested, accepting the drink Dani handed back to her.
Dani rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't Whittaker just love that! After all the time he and Dee have spent putting together my new Olympic long program, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me blowing off this chance to see how it plays before an audience," Dani challenged.
"You've skated it the new program before, the audience loves it. What's the big deal if you go for something a little different at an exhibition?" Chloe persisted.
"You know this will be the first skate since we made the latest changes; he wants to see how it plays. Besides, I told you, I was just skating to a piece of music, there's no real program to speak of."
"Dani, if you could have seen what I just saw, you wouldn't be dragging your heels. What I just witnessed had so much emotion and power it had me holding my breath. Look at this," Chloe stated, holding out her hands, "I'm still shaking with excitement!"
"I don't know&ldots;"
"I'm telling you Dani, this music brings something out in you I've never seen before. Your heart cries out to this music and everything you feel is out there to be seen." Chloe stated.
"I don't know if I want my feelings out there for all to see," Dani stated quietly, fighting the tears that suddenly seemed too close to the surface. "This piece of music is personal for me; I don't know if I'm ready to share it with the world. At least not yet."
Chloe looked at her friend, could feel the pain emanating from her soul and brushed a stray curl off her sweat-dampened cheek. "Your dad said Hunter's going to come back for the exhibition tonight," Chloe offered quietly.
"We'll see," Dani countered in a small voice tinged with sadness.
Both girls jumped in surprise as Whittaker's booming voice echoed through the tall rafters. "Why the hell don't I see anyone out there on the ice? I thought we had an exhibition to skate tonight? And for the record, if I'm out here freezing off my cajones, I don't intend to be doing it alone!"
"He's such a sweet talker," Chloe murmured, rolling her eyes and sharing a warm smile with her friend.
"Yeah, he certainly knows the way to a girls heart," Dani countered, reaching for Chloe's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze of appreciation. "Did anyone ever tell you you're the best friend in all the world?"
"Only the world? I must be slipping. The last time you said that, I was the best friend in all the universe!" Chloe teased.
Dani laughed, in spite of herself. "You're obviously spending too much time around my brother, comments he would make are slipping out of your mouth."
"Heaven forbid!" Chloe gasped in feigned outrage.
"I agree, one Sergei is more than enough in this world!" Dani agreed.
Laughingly, they concurred, and made their way to their coach, who continued to complain about the laziness of his skaters.
Some things never changed; Whittaker's grouchiness was one thing that could be counted on!*
Copyright © 2001-2002 C.E. Moynihan
*All Rights Reserved