Chapter 6: Quite a Pair
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Bright lights, reflectors and electrical cords crisscrossed the living room of Dee Carlen, where the soon-to-be first-time interview between new skating partners Aleksei Rocmanov and Jordan Jamison would take place. Dee's tastes ran toward the simple and comfortable, shades of off-white with splashes of color via pillows, flowers and pictures made the room comfortable yet fashionable. Yet with all the electronic paraphernalia scattered about, it was a wonder any of the home's decor showed at all.
The front door remained open, as more equipment was moved into place and storage cases were hauled outside to the porch. Aleksei and Coach Whittaker arrived early (at Whittaker's insistence), and skirted the wires and tripods. Aleksei finally gave up the attempt to maneuver through all the cords and wires and simply leaned against one wall out of the way as he nonchalantly watched the cameramen set up their equipment.
"He's here," Jordan whispered to Dee from where she peeked around the closed door that led into the kitchen. Through the wooden shades of the door, she could watch Aleksei unobserved by any and all.
"I know," Dee answered, filling a tray with coffee, cups, cream and sugar.
"They're not supposed to be here for another hour," Jordan mumbled nervously.
"They're early," Dee explained simply, grabbing a handful of spoons and placing them on the tray.
"Aleksei's never early," Jordan argued, casting another quick glance at the handsome man leaning against their living room wall.
"Well he is today. Jordan, if you're so anxious to meet him, quit peeking through the door like some voyeur and go say hello."
"This is anxiety, not anxiousness, you're witnessing," Jordan hissed, pressing a delicate hand to her pounding heart.
"Doesn't look like that to me, but what do I know," Dee countered, hoisting the tray and making her way toward the door Jordan was blocking. "Excuse me, miss, but move aside."
Jordan automatically pushed the door open. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the pile of cables on the floor and stumbled forward, clutching at air and catching hold of a reflector tripod that immediately collapsed and caused a domino-effect to the other four reflectors stationed in a neat semi-circle around the sofa set up for the interview. When the dust settled and all was quiet, Jordan looked over her scene of destruction and then glanced at Aleksei who continued to lean casually against the wall, a sardonic brow lifted in amusement, his dark eyes gleaming brightly as he struggled to keep the smile from his lips.
With all the chivalry of days past, standing on his good leg, he swept a grand bow and stated: "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my new partner, the 'Ice Queen'!"
Jordan's eyes widened in horror, but never left Aleksei's. With a brilliant smile, she flipped her middle finger at him, silently mouthed a clear fuck you and picked herself up out of the nest of tangled cables beneath her, and regally left the room.
The entire camera crew stood stock still, mouths hanging open in astonishment.
"Anyone for coffee?" Dee casually offered, looking for any takers.
"Is it loaded?" someone asked on a laugh, the moment of tension dissipating like mist touched by the sun.
Dee sighed and shook her head. "No, but give me two minutes. I've a full bottle of whiskey and I think we may all need a little fortification to get through this interview."
The coffee tray was set on the table and Dee disappeared into the kitchen and returned, as promised with a new bottle of whiskey and several shot glasses. "I decided why ruin perfectly good whiskey with coffee," She stated and poured out several shots of the fine liquor and passed out the drinks to eleven crewmen, Frank Whittaker and finally to Aleksei, who still leaned casually against the wall. "You might need this to dull the pain of what's to come," Dee encouraged, holding the glass to Aleksei. Quickly she tossed back her own drink, breathing slowly as the warmth of the liquor filled her chest and settled comfortably into her stomach.
Aleksei followed suit, tossing the drink back, his eyes never leaving Dee's and handed her back the glass. Dee smiled at his show of macho. "You've made an enemy," She stated simply.
"You?" Aleksei asked, his voice deep and warm from the after effects of the whiskey.
"No. You'll come to wish it were me - but no. It will take a lot to get Jordan to forgive you for your..." Dee searched for the right word, "arrogance."
Whittaker choked on the chuckle he tried to hide, smiling at the disgruntled look Aleksei tossed at him.
"You owe her an apology," Dee stated.
"Bull!" Aleksei countered.
"You humiliated her in front of everyone."
"She told me to 'fuck off'."
"Aleksei . . . " Whittaker warned softly.
"So now we have two stubborn children, each refusing to admit they were wrong. Where does that leave us? I was under the impression that you were the mature one in this pair. Perhaps I was wrong," Dee ended, poking Aleksei in the chest with one finger to emphasize her point.
"Well, I hope we can come to some sort of truce, because if I'm not mistaken, the head honchos have just pulled up and our little interview is about to get underway," Whittaker stated, pushing the sheer drapes aside and looking out the windows.
"Well?" Dee asked bluntly, tilting her head back to look up into Aleksei's face as he pushed away from the wall and stood his full height of six foot two inches tall.
Casting a quick glance at his coach, he returned his gaze to the expectant eyes level with his chest. "Where do I sit?"
Dee and Whittaker both released their breaths and Dee pointed to the love seat in front of the newly set-up reflectors and lights.
Aleksei limped cautiously over the cables and sank into the comfortable love seat, gratefully accepting a hassock a considerate cameraman offered to rest his cast leg upon.
"Will she show?" Whittaker asked Dee quietly as they watched a pretty girl apply powder and make-up to Aleksei's already handsome face.
Dee smiled knowingly, inwardly cringing at what might transpire now that the first volley had been fired. "Without a doubt. I'm more concerned with the amount of blood Aleksei will lose this time. He won't get away with just a scratch like he did in Canada," Dee stated matter-of-factly.
"You knew about that?" Whittaker asked in amazement.
Dee laughed at Whittaker's expression. "Everyone knew about it!"
Whittaker's expression told her otherwise.
"Take heart, Frank, I'll keep you advised of every single, mundane, detail that concerns this pair."
"If they don't kill each other today in front of the entire viewing world."
"You don't need to worry about that today. There's a curiosity they have about each other that needs answering before any real damage occurs. Something's pulling them toward each other and I personally think they're both protesting just a little too much for any real dislike to be there. It's all part of the testing process - pushing each other just to see how far they can before the other pushes back."
"I hope you're right," Whittaker agreed.
Dee smiled and moved forward to greet the numerous reporters entering her small home, graciously offering unloaded coffee to them and making everyone comfortable as they made final preparations for the interview.
Aleksei sat comfortably on the love seat, the last touches of powder having been applied and waited for his 'new partner' to reappear.
Introductions were made and everything was ready to begin - with the exception of Aleksei's still missing partner. The same make-up girl that had flirted all the while she powdered Aleksei's nose, called down from the top of the stairs announcing Jordan was on her way.
Everyone looked up expectantly and suddenly Jordan was greeted with an audible gasp of surprise. The young woman standing at the top of the stairs looked nothing like the little girl who had earlier caused such an uproar. Her legs were encased in sheer black stockings ending in impossibly high heels seemed to make her legs go on forever. The short black mini-skirt barely covered her shapely little bottom and the black chiffon blouse emphasized more than distracted from the lacy camisole which displayed more cleavage than Aleksei could have guessed at. Her shades-of-copper hair was piled loosely on the top of her head with a gold and black barrette, wispy tendrils escaped to lay softly against her slightly flushed cheeks. Light make-up enhanced her green eyes, now shining dangerously bright, flashing in challenge even as her full lips curved into a sultry smile of welcome for Aleksei, much as a spider probably welcomed a fly. With a casualness she didn't feel, she slowly made her way down the staircase, her eyes never leaving Aleksei's face and smiled to herself when she saw him sweep his tongue over suddenly dry lips.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she accepted a crewman's helping hand to escort her to the love seat. Glancing uncertainly at the small amount of room Aleksei had left for her, she carefully seated herself on the low arm. Aleksei watched in amusement, having given great thought as to how much room to leave her. He had to give her credit for having courage. He'd figured she would have just squished into the remaining corner and disappeared. But surprisingly, she'd just seated herself like a queen on her throne on the arm of the love seat; her long legs crossed elegantly; innocently seductive. Jordan Jamison had certainly earned the title of 'Ice Queen'.
The interview began easily enough.
"Aleksei, what made you decide to leave singles competition?" a reporter inquired.
"The decision was made based on a number of things; primarily though, on my ability to physically maintain the high level rigors of singles competition. At this point, the doctors are uncertain if there will be any limitations I may experience in regard to my jumps, they just aren't certain how my leg will hold up. In pairs, I'll be the strength behind Jordan. It will be my job to present Jordan to the world. If I do my job right, the audience will barely notice me."
Murmurs about the impossibility of Aleksei ever being invisible were whispered, notes were scribbled down rapidly.
"Jordan, are you concerned with the difference in your sizes. Didn't you have difficulty with that point with Bob Hanks? And, unless looks are deceiving, Aleksei's larger than Hanks was."
Jordan looked at Aleksei and smiled warily. "As you all know, my ex-partner had a tendency to misjudge his power and I spent more time than I would have chosen checking out the boards on an up-close and personal basis. I can only hope that experience won't be repeated."
"How do you know it won't?"
"Until we actually skate together and become accustomed to the feel of each other, I won't know. However, I have every confidence in Aleksei and look forward to going back to sheer tights for competitions."
Aleksei's eyes clouded briefly at the cryptic statement, reminding himself to ask her about the comment later, but his attention was pulled back to the interview on the next question.
And so it went on for the next hour, question after question, cautious answers from Jordan, generic answers from Aleksei. Finally the interview was over, until one of the reporters asked for a picture of them together. Their first official photograph as a pair.
Aleksei watched as Jordan nervously tried to escape the request. Despite her womanly appearance, she was still just a sixteen year old all dressed up, even if she did look twenty-two. Knowing how reporters could be, he cautiously lowered his cast leg to the ground and stood, reached for her hand and effortlessly pulled her to her feet and against his chest. Even with her hair fluffed and piled high, and the ridiculously high heels, the top of her head didn't reach his shoulder.
Camera's clicked, and whirred, flashes of light from the reflectors causing streaks of white to blur Jordan's vision and make her dizzy. Feeling herself start to tilt, she reached for Aleksei to steady herself and found herself suddenly swept into his arms and cradled gently. Jordan shook her head slightly, trying to clear the bright spots that still flashed before her eyes and turned her head toward Aleksei's softly voiced "close your eyes and count to ten slowly."
Obediently she complied and when she re-opened them, the spots were gone and Aleksei was watching her expectantly.
"Better?"
Silently she nodded yes.
"Good," He answered, smiling easily, then returned his attention to the reporters before them.
"How's she feel?" The question came somewhere from the left of the group of reporters.
Aleksei bounced her slightly, testing her weight and smiled at the group before them. "Hopefully, her skates will add enough weight to her that I can tell when I'm holding her," he teased, releasing her legs and gently placing her back on her feet.
"How about you Jordan, any comments about your new partner?"
Jordan tried to calm her racing heart, tried to ignore the heat that threatened to melt her legs beneath her as she leaned casually against Aleksei. "I can only hope we don't have to skate in any arenas with low ceilings. I have the feeling I'm going to be seeing some spectacular views of the audience during our lifts and throws."
"Better than the boards, though, right?" a reporter asked.
Jordan looked up at Aleksei, their eyes catching and holding, hers pleading softly for safety and his acknowledging her unspoken question.
"Jordan's days of crashing into the boards are over. You all are going to have to find another pair for those pictures," Aleksei promised, his voice deep and sure.
Jordan smiled in appreciation and prayed he could keep his promise.
"If there are no further questions, we have a cake to celebrate the new pairing of Jamison and Rocmanov and we'd be thrilled to have you join us in wishing them well," Dee offered, moving cautiously around the camera equipment spread around her living room, into the kitchen.
Everyone expressed their agreement and began gathering up equipment and electrical cords to make moving around the small room safer and easier. In short order, most of the cords were neatly wrapped and piled near the front door.
"Whittaker, give me a hand would you?" Dee called from the kitchen.
"I've got it," Jordan offered, rising a bit unsteadily to her feet, still not completely comfortable in the heels.
Whittaker nodded his thanks and sat on the arm of the couch she just vacated. Whittaker and Aleksei watched as she walked around the couch and into the kitchen.
"Girl's got a great set of legs," Whittaker stated in appreciation.
"Her ass isn't bad either," Aleksei added.
"Remember, Aleksei, she's sixteen. We don't need that kind of trouble."
"I said she had a nice ass, I didn't say I was going to jump it," Aleksei scowled at his coach, his voice full of disgust.
"Just so long as we understand each other," Whittaker re-emphasized.
"Whittaker, what would I want with a sixteen year old? My leg may be in a cast but that doesn't mean I have to go begging scraps if I want a woman."
"Jordan isn't 'scraps' and at this moment, she doesn't look sixteen. I just want you to remember this is a business arrangement and it's in both your interests to keep in that way."
"I thought there was intimacy involved in pair skating?"
"There is, but it's more a blending of skating styles, personality compatibility, and the physical capability to skate together. Occasionally you get lucky, and reach a point where you're hearts, souls and minds meet and then you're unstoppable! It doesn't mean your goal should be necessarily getting into each other's knickers, not that it doesn't happen with a lot of skaters. But in this case, that particular thought better not even cross your mind. That's one scenario I don't even want to contemplate, if you get my drift? You've got a lot to learn, and a short time to learn it, son. I'd suggest you do your thinking with your brain!"
"And I suppose Jordan's going to do the teaching," Aleksei scoffed, remembering both sides of Jordan, the kid in the baggy sweats and the vixen in black. For some reason, he felt safer with the kid in sweats.
"Jordan's been a pair all her competitive life. She can teach you a lot if you let her."
"It doesn't seem right somehow that a kid can teach me about intimacy. I've been intimate with plenty of women."
"There's a difference between being intimate with a woman and having intimacy, Aleksei. And I think that kid is going to show you the difference," Whittaker decided, nodding his head in affirmation as he watched the subject of their discussion come through the kitchen door with a tray full of cake.
Aleksei watched his new partner push her way through the door, bottom first, stepping to the side and letting the door close behind her. Carefully she held a tray full of slices of celebratory cake. She looked at him tentatively, a small smile gracing her soft lips. His expression was dark, a scowl causing his eyes to narrow and the corners of his mouth to pull down slightly. Her smile slid away to be replaced by teeth that worried her full lower lip. Still, she remained motionless, until Dee pushed unknowingly through the door and shoved Jordan, and the tray of cake abruptly forward. With a shriek, the tray flew forward as Jordan tried to catch her balance on her overly high heels, failed miserably, and fell toward Aleksei.
People dodged flying cake slices, knocking over the few remaining light reflectors and assorted suitcases of equipment. Aleksei, at the mercy of his broken leg, could only wait for the dust to settle. As he watched, Jordan sailed toward him, tripping over one of the reporters who had had the misfortune of stumbling over his video camera, and now lay shielding it from destruction, Jordan hurtled past him and directly into Aleksei's lap.
Aleksei grunted as Jordan landed across his lap, one elbow dangerously close to his groin. Jordan's breath caught at the hard impact, and she dropped her forehead to the cushion as she regained her breath. The sudden realization that she was laying across Aleksei's lap had her face turning three shades of red and she slowly slid from his lap until her knees rested on the carpet, then finally cast a glance up at Aleksei.
"Is this your typical landing or are you just having a bad day?" he asked, his tone serious, but his eyes sparkled devilishly.
"I've had better," Jordan stated softly.
"Landings or days?"
"Both," Jordan answered, the hint of smile gracing her soft mouth.
"Glad to hear it," Aleksei answered, one eyebrow raising sardonically. "So, where's my piece of cake?"
Jordan shook the remaining cobwebs from her mind and glanced about her, her eyes widening as she viewed the scattered pieces of cake all about her. With a final look at Aleksei's arrogant smile, she plucked a piece of cake from where it landed on the ottoman beside Aleksei's cast leg, held it in her opened palm and sweetly stated. "Here's your cake!" and smeared the sticky cake over his face. Cameras clicked and flashed as pictures of Jordan Jamison on her knees before Aleksei Rocmanov smearing chocolate cake over his face joyfully was captured forever on film.
Aleksei's deep growl caused Jordan to push to her feet and take a quick step out of his reach. Bravely she stood three feet away from him, hands on her hips, chin raised defiantly, her eyes flashing fire and glared at Aleksei, silently daring him to say something.
"Fire and Ice," Frank whispered to Dee, shaking his head in worry as he thought about the road ahead of them. It didn't promise to be an easy one.
"Finding gold has never been an easy journey," Dee stated confidently. "When was the last time you saw a miner not covered in mud?"
"Trouble is, my dear, we won't be wallowing in mud. It's starting to look like blood is going to be our chosen cover."
"Just in the beginning," Dee stated with finality, smiling at the look of surprise Whittaker threw her. "They're establishing boundaries. They'll come to an understanding."
"Boundaries, huh?" Whittaker's look was one of pure skepticism.
"Give them a week," Dee offered.
"He's off the ice for at least six," Whittaker reminded her.
"He's off skates for six weeks! He'll be on the ice with Jordan, in a chair if necessary. But he will be on the ice. He needs to learn the way she moves. He can start to learn that by watching her. In six weeks there shouldn't be anything he doesn't know about her," Dee finished, moving forward to further separate the new 'partners' and thank the media for their patience and expertise.
Whittaker stood back and watched as Dee whispered something to Jordan and urged her toward the kitchen. Jordan cast a final haughty look at Aleksei, who now sat casually wiping the cake from his face and onto a plate someone had handed him. Under Dee's instructions, suddenly everyone had a job to do and couldn't do it fast enough.
It was only seconds later that a sopping wet dishtowel flew threw the air with unerring accuracy and hit Aleksei smack in the middle of his chest. Ice cold water from the towel splattered everywhere and Aleksei let out a battle cry of surprise that had everyone turning toward him in fright, then stepping back when he slowly got to his feet. With deadly intent, he limped the short distance to the kitchen door in which Jordan stood defiantly, drying her hands with another dishtowel.
Everyone in the room held their breath as they watched Aleksei come to stand directly before Jordan, towering over her by a good foot, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. Jordan unflinchingly held her ground, despite having to tilt her head back to see his face.
Silently they studied each other; deep green eyes meeting flashing black, their chests rising and falling as Aleksei fought the urge to wring her neck and Jordan fought the urge to run for her life. Jordan's tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips, the motion immediately drawing Aleksei's attention to her full, soft lips. Slowly he leaned toward her, his eyes returning to hers and holding them captive. Closer and closer he came, causing her breath to catch and hold. Towering over her, he took the forgotten dripping wet towel he held and wrapped it around her neck, the ends trailing over her chest and dripping wet trails into the 'v' between her breasts. The abruptness of his movement and the sudden coldness of the wet towel caught her by surprise and she gasped at the sensation, despite his heated words as they caressed her upturned face.
"Don't think you can win at this game, little girl. You're out of your league," he hissed, his voice deadly.
"You're wrong, Aleksei. You're in my league now. And you can't win without me. Like it or not, if we want to go to the Olympics, we're stuck with each other," Jordan countered. Pushing the wet towel off her shoulders, she ignored the thud it made as it fell to the floor behind her, sprinkling the backs of her legs with cold drops of water.
"I didn't ask to be your partner," Aleksei argued.
"Ditto," Jordan agreed.
"I don't even like you."
"Tell me something I don't already know."
"I won't bow to your 'Ice Queen' status. You're no better than I am and I won't be a baby sitter," Aleksei stated.
"And I won't let you bully me. I know more what we're doing that you'll ever know but I'm willing to share that information if you can quit being such an ogre. This is a business partnership and nothing more. If you can agree to that, you've got a partner. If you can't - get your ass out of my house!" Jordan stated firmly, her voice steely, despite it's softness.
Aleksei watched her, admiring her courage and tenacity and stepped back, giving her room to breathe easier. As everyone watched the pair, Aleksei offered his hand to her. "Looks like you've got yourself a partner."
Jordan accepted his hand, her fingers wrapping around his and shook hands in agreement. She was surprised at how soft and warm his large hand was, she would have thought it would be cold at least from the wet towel he'd held, but his palm felt hot. The current of warmth that passed between them as they touched was not lost to either of them and Jordan quickly took a step back.
"Remember, our partnership isn't cast in stone yet. You may still be out on your ass if you can't keep up," Jordan reminded Aleksei.
"I've got stamina to spare," Aleksei countered, smiling arrogantly at Jordan's flustered frown at his double entendre and then wondering if he'd wasted the effort and she hadn't understood his small attempt at a joke.
"I'm only interested in your stamina on the ice. What you do off the ice is your business, but you'd better have your legs under you when they're supposed to be," Jordan stated without humor.
Obviously Jordan had understood Aleksei's comment, and found little humor in it. Whittaker smiled at her statement and turned to Dee, whispering, "Girl's got balls, I'll give her that!"
Dee smiled at the statement and nodded in agreement. "Now, let's see if Aleksei's got balls to match!" and proceeded to clean up the disaster area that was her living room.
"Damn, this is gonna be fun!" Whittaker exclaimed, clapping his hands in anticipation and following Dee's example, began helping her clean up.
Text Copyright © 2000 by Constance E. Moynihan
