by Shawn Keys
Matteo’s face drooped a little. Despite being a heftier man, most of that was old muscle that he hadn’t kept in fighting shape. He had a little extra padding but not enough for fat rolls around his neck or his cheeks. His strong jaw still stood out and it was easy to see why women might find him handsome for a bruiser. Emotions came easily to him, often wearing his heart on his sleeve. “Irène isn’t going to be happy.”
“She’s a hundred times better off than she was with that asshat, Greg. You’ve brought her a long way,” Daniel meant every word. With Cadence and MK hanging out with Irène so often, the two coaches becoming friends hadn’t been much of a choice. Besides, Daniel liked Matteo. He was a practical sort of guy who didn’t suffer any bullshit or offer it. He tended to care a little too much for those he was trying to help, but Daniel figured he was guilty of the same thing.
“Not looking to have my ego stroked,” Matteo answered gruffly. “I mean, thanks and all. Know you wouldn’t just say that. But I’d say most of what Irène’s managed to do has come through her moxy. Not sure I’ve taught her a single damned thing. She’s just too stubborn to quit.”
“Stubborn, huh?” Daniel laughed, taking it for truth but finding it hard to combine ‘stubborn’ with the spirited, almost flighty young woman he’d come to know.
“You have no idea.” Matteo chuckled. “In a good way, I guess. Doesn’t know when to quit and wouldn’t even if she did.”
“There’s a long time to go, yet. Time to work with her.”
“Quit messing around, Daniel. Let’s talk straight for a second. I know my limits. It takes real knowledge of the sport to teach an athlete. Knowledge I don’t have. I can cook up a work-out program and see that she sticks to it. But the technical stuff is beyond me. I can hook her up with a scholarship or get a chance to show off her skills at some charitable or publicity competition. I can make a few connections for her. But she’s training herself. I’m just a name on a paper so she can declare that she has a coach. The commission likes to see that.”
Daniel could see where this was going. “Look, Matteo –”
“– Before you get all noble, hear me out! I’m asking for a favor here. If you trained her, I know she’d be twice as good in a month. You know it and I know it. Not to mention, you heard what Eugene said. Having her on your list would put you over the line. Three athletes. You’d be on the country’s official rollcall for state-sanctioned coaches.”
“I swore I wouldn’t do this for the cash, Matteo.”
“Not asking you to. It isn’t like her grandparents can afford to pay you that much, anyway. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about what that would do for your reputation around here. When you’re standing by Cadence there at the Olympics, what do you want those stupid announcers to be saying? Huh? And don’t tell me you don’t care. It would take the burden off Cadence.”
Daniel scowled at him. “Wow. Playing the hard sell, aren’t you?”
Matteo shrugged. “Only giving it to you straight. Well? Want those announcers to be saying Portesara wished you weren’t there? Or the guy who fought his way back, scrubbed his rep clean and is now on the country’s payroll? I know which one will keep the media hounds off your athletes’ backs.”
“About done?” Daniel said, ending that with a soft laugh to take the sting his words might carry. He’s not wrong. Thought about most of that myself. Just didn’t think he’d go there.
“Yeah, I’m done. Look, Daniel. I’m worried about Irène. Worried I’m letting her down.”
“You gave it to me straight. Let me return the favor.” He pursed his lips, picking his words with care. He wanted to be honest, but he didn’t see any reason to be a jerk about it. “I could train Irène. I watched her jump today. There’s a lot I could do to help her improve. Not only that, but I’d say a little friendly competition between she and Cadence would benefit them both.”
“Alright. So, what’s the problem?”
“Not saying there’s a problem. I’m just trying to give you my honest read. Cadence is… special. It’s more than her attitude. She’s got the right build. The right height. Bone structure. Flexibility. Some of those things a person can work to maximize, but some are simply genetic gifts. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. Other countries aren’t going to know what hit them.” Daniel might have been overstating things a little… but he didn’t want to believe any less. He honestly thought she had a shot.
“Hope she does,” Matteo said without a hint of anything but well wishes.
“Irène isn’t going to compete on that same level. She’s good. Maybe even really good.” He sighed. “I’m not a psychic or anything, Matteo. I could be flat-out wrong. But it’s my honest judgment, Irène isn’t going to catch up. Maybe not even to Julie or Carla. There’s no way Irène is going to the Olympics when she can’t get on the podium at Nationals.”
Matteo grumbled, “You said it yourself, you could be wrong.”
“And I’d be the first to congratulate her if she stuffed my opinion down my throat,” Daniel answered with a gruff laugh. “But you needed to hear that. Anyone who sells you a guarantee is probably lying. I’ll do everything I can, but if I was able to work miracles, I wouldn’t have ended up here.”
“Hmph,” was Matteo’s answer. He slanted his eyes over to Daniel, looking him up and down. “Maybe not a miracle worker. How about superman? Just have to convince you to take off those Clark Kent glasses.”
“I don’t wear glasses, metaphorical or otherwise.” Daniel met his eyes with serious weight. “I’m not going to treat this as a favor. I don’t owe you anything. If you really think this is the right thing for Irène, then I’ll talk to Cadence and make sure she’s cool with it. I doubt she’ll mind. Exactly the opposite. I’ll teach her what I can and give her the best shot at reaching her dreams. But that’s all I can offer.”
“Damn, Daniel. You make it sound like you’re handing her the dregs at the bottom of the keg. She’s going to be thrilled.”
“Ok. Keep it under your hat for now, alright? You ask Irène if she’s good with this, and I’ll talk to Cadence. If we ask them together, their friendship might make them agree to this when they would rather not. Float the idea without promising anything. If they are both excited by it, we’ll make it happen.”
“Will do, my friend. Trust me, this is going to make her day.”
By then, they were close enough to see the trio of women chatting excitedly near the pole-vaulting crash pad.
Before they could say anything, Cadence asked, “Important announcement?”
Matteo seemed to suspect the conversation would quickly lead into a spot that would force the conversation they had decided to have in private. He interjected before Daniel could answer. “I’ll let you talk strategy with your team. Irène, we need to go over what Venier announced. Why don’t we go collect your grandparents? I’m sure they’re dying to congratulate you. We can head out to dinner and chat then.”
Irène might have objected, but Matteo’s suggestion to let Daniel and the other two ‘talk strategy’ reminded her that business and friendship didn’t always mix. Her smile remained as she gave her two friends a warm hug. “Enjoy the presentations! You both deserve it! We’ll meet up later to celebrate, OK?’
MK nodded enthusiastically. “I know the perfect spot to go dancing! We’ll call you later!”
Daniel waited until Irène and her coach were out of earshot, then let out a deep sigh. “The news wasn’t anything that we didn’t already know. The commission was only making sure we hadn’t forgotten.” He passed on the key points, underscoring the same cautions and offering the same options Eugene had covered. “Like I said, no surprises.”
Cadence showed a little worry. “Except they really want people to take on multiple events. That’s not good news.”
“If I was seriously concerned, I’d be up front with you about it. But you are already above Olympic qualifying standards. There are only… umm, I think it’s seven oth
er athletes in the whole field that are hitting those marks in their own events.” He nodded toward MK, “Your times are good too,” giving her credit for being one of them. “Cadence, if we can get you consistently over 4.4 and reaching for 4.6 by World’s, the commission will have to take you along.”
“I’m not stopping there!” Cadence fired back with a playfully feisty growl.
“Like I said, I think you’ll be fine. Stay zeroed in on your training, alright?”
“Done,” Cadence nodded.
MK spoke up, “Little gloomier for me. I’m not on top. They’ll take Dior.”
“Not necessarily. I’m not going to blow sunshine up your ass or anything,” Daniel offered. “But Eugene left the door open. Silver medalists who are also serious competitors nipping at the heels of the gold medalist will have a chance. Besides, we’re going to work at getting off the block faster. You’re going to catch her.”
“And if not?” she challenged softly.
Daniel didn’t balk from giving her honest options. She had to know. “Couple options. First: don’t give yourself that out. If all your eggs are in one basket, you’ll try damned hard not to drop it. Focus all your energy on kicking Dior’s ass.”
Allowing herself a small smirk, MK asked, “Or?”
“Second choice: do what the other challengers might do. You’re a runner and a hurdler. You might be able to be a decent challenger in the sprint events. They want publicity, and everyone watches the 100-meter sprints. Everyone wants to know who the fastest woman and man in the world are. Even showing up in one of the heats would get your face on the TV. There are also the 400-meter hurdles if you want to stretch into a longer race. Takes a little more endurance, but you’ve got the legs.” He shrugged. “Those are the easiest events to use as options, but we have others.”
MK took a long breath, her mind already churning over the two choices. “I’ll have to give all that some thought.”
He nodded. “We have time. Don’t rush into it. Some of the skills cross over. Training for some of those might even help your key event. But you need to be sure.”
MK answered with a thoughtful nod.
Daniel bumped her hip with his own, jostling her out of those thoughts. He chuckled, “What’d I say about dark brooding? Not today! Today was a victory for both of you. We need to treat it like that. Dancing comes later. For now, you need to go stand on a couple podiums and let them hang a medal around your neck.”
MK gave him a fierce look. “Next time, it’s going to be gold.”
Cadence chuckled, then added her own. “Next time I’m going to hit the Portesaran record. 4.4 meters. Nothing to it.”
Laughing along with them, they headed off to find the presentation area, expecting the call for the medal ceremonies to come soon. Daniel quashed the fears that lingered inside. The worry of taking on a new student. The highly competitive field that might end up squeezing them out if they weren’t careful. The need to advance their training regimes so they could take the next leaps forward.
That was tomorrow.
Today, it was time to celebrate.
Chapter 2
Daniel strode along the edge of the pool, keeping pace with MK as she swam. She reached out and tapped the tiles of the end and looked ready to pop up and rest. He called out, “Don’t stop! Five more laps!”
MK looked a little betrayed. “I thought you said we’re only doing five laps today!”
“I said five laps of an Olympic pool! That’s twice as long as this one. Which means you need to do 10 here,” he clarified.
“That wasn’t the deal!” she quibbled as she arrowed back out and into the water, getting into her rhythm again.
Daniel watched her form and decided it was decent enough that he didn’t have to suggest any changes. She wasn’t a swimmer; this was all about the whole-body workout and breath control. Not to mention it being a survival skill. In his mind, people ignored swimming at their peril.
From her lounging chaise nearby, Evelyn noted, “You know, I was here when you gave her directions. You weren’t specific about the length.”
Daniel hid his smirk at the teasing comment. It wasn’t an accident that Evelyn had waited until MK was far enough away that she wouldn’t be able to hear her teasing comment.
Daniel didn’t coach by lording over Cadence and MK. When Irène showed up for her first day of training with them on Monday, he wouldn’t take that route with her, either. He preferred to present himself as an expert who knew what it took to get to the highest level of international competition, letting the women’s own conviction provide the reason to listen to his advice and direction. It was a subtle difference, but an important one.
Evelyn knew that. They had spoken about it on a few idle nights when conversation drifted to the theory behind the things they did for a living. He had learned about her business practices and the morality she believed in while conducting herself in that professional world. She had inquired about his style in return.
But even though she wasn’t worried about bruising the ego of ‘the boss’, she wouldn’t undercut his teaching methods. Especially not in front of MK or Irène, or even with Cadence… who joined Evelyn in teasing him in private often enough. She knew they preferred to keep the training dedicated to their improvement. Evelyn didn’t distract from that… at least, not often.
Within the minute he had while MK was flipping over at the far end, Daniel gave himself the luxury of admiring his lover where she was stretched out on her long deck chair.
Conscious of her sometimes-fragile skin, Evelyn didn’t tan without careful precautions. Having decided to take the day off from the office, she hadn’t taken a vacation from her self-care routines. In fact, she had taken particular delight in slathering on suntan lotion.
Her delight wasn’t only from the pleasing, coconut smell of the lotion. She was quite aware of how Daniel would sneak glances as often as he could as her hands spread the lotion over the entirety of her body, then rubbed it in until it was nothing but a glowing sheen on her skin. He recalled her innocent smile as she refused his help, reminding him that MK needed his utmost attention and that she wouldn’t dream of distracting him.
Now, with her skin still shining, Evelyn basked in the sun while reading her latest cozy mystery novel. Her full breasts were technically confined in the cups of her black bikini top, though he swore he saw the strings connecting them straining to keep her beautiful mounds from spilling out. Her suit’s matching bottom wasn’t quite a thong, but it slipped up and over her buttocks whenever she stretched her solid, shapely legs, thus revealing more than was intended by its creators. A white, wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses kept her eyes in shade so she could read her book.
They also hid her eyes so Daniel couldn’t tell when her focus drifted to him. He wasn’t preening or anything, but he knew she appreciated his decathlon build, purposefully cultivated to excel at a wide range of physical motion. For a while, he had felt himself losing his edge, but he had returned into decent shape over the last year. He had made it part of his teaching style to share in Cadence’s workouts, and that hadn’t changed when MK had joined them. After his brush with Gregoire and Cadence’s family, he had returned to boxing with some regularity. He liked knowing that he could defend himself. Those activities kept his muscles hard and his posture proud and straight.
Evelyn approved. She made that obvious in their shared bed most nights. It also meant her eyes lingered on him frequently. Daniel didn’t mind that at all, but those sunglasses meant that couldn’t guess when she was paying him attention, and thus when she might toss out one of her teases.
Having quite forgotten what she had said as he fixated on her sundrenched figure, Daniel realized he was –
“– You’re staring,” came Cadence’s mischievous voice. She strode in from the inner house, shifting back and forth between the two of them. “Though… I would be, too.” She didn’t bother specifying at who, clearly meaning to compliment both of them.
/> Daniel glanced over at her, meaning to toss back his own light-hearted comeback. What he saw stopped him before the first word could fully form.
He found Cadence lovely in almost any given moment. Whether she was grunting her way through mountain climbers while pouring sweat out onto the deck, lounging about on a sleepy morning watching the early news, or casually walking around the carnival boardwalk with her friends. He was charmed by her and she knew it. It went beyond the merely physical, but he couldn’t deny she was a gorgeous woman.
She didn’t often spend a lot of time putting on make-up. She was blessed with smooth skin and coloring that served her well. With her focus on sports as a youth and without the influence of her mother to teach her, she had armed herself with only basic cosmetic skills and invested as little time as possible in practicing the art.
Daniel wouldn’t try and change her for any reason. But Cadence was returning from a photoshoot she had agreed to do for Kangaruin. The professionals who had prepped her for modeling clearly knew their business. They had highlighted Cadence’s essence, applying their make-up magic to emphasize all her finest features. No… he would never want to change her, but as a special treat, the gorgeous, almost air-brushed perfection to her was enough to set his heart pumping.
She wasn’t wearing anything overtly provocative. It was an athletic commercial, and so she was geared up in a white golf shirt that was purposefully a little too tight, a flirty skirt and track shoes. All of it was marked with the Kangaroo-logo of her sponsor. None of it was off the rack. Each piece was clearly tailored to highlight her lean, flexible body as both a symbol of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication… and then, of course, influenced by the age-old marketing truth that sex sells.
“I’m staring again,” Daniel admitted, not doing anything to hide his appreciation. “I mean… wow, Cadence.”
“You like?” She posed flirtatiously a few different ways, then laughed. “Don’t get used to it. It took… oh, I don’t know, like two hours to get me looking like this. Can you imagine doing that all the time?”