Passion

Chapter 6

It was very neat  office. Amanda was surprised at how functional each piece of furniture was, with only necessary decorations. The walls were beige, the carpet a swirling mixture of blues and creams. The sofa and two chairs were upholstered in a ruff nubby fabric of deep blue, and the wooden end tables were light oak. It was a comfortable room, without any indication of Brian's personal style, which she'd assumed to be rather flamboyant.

The office door opened and Brian stepped out accompanied by the secretary who had first greeted Amanda.  His smile was warm, a natural smile that Amanda knew he bestowed on almost every female he encountered. Beyond him she could see into his office, and noticed his desk strewn with papers and files. Suddenly she realized how disruptive, and presumptuous her visit was but she also knew if she hadn't come today she wouldn't of come at all. Britney had told her he'd been asking about the harem girl from the party. He wanted to know who she was.

Amanda hoped he would eventually give up and forget about that night....but then, she also knew how badly it would hurt her if he was able to do just that.

Lately she felt confused.

"I am sorry I kept you waiting, Amanda, I didn't realize it was you. I am not familiar with the name Hansen."

Of course he wouldn't be. Amanda took his hand. very briefly. "I hope I am not interrupting, I can see you are busy. I just wanted to stop by and tell you I would like to accept your offer of assistance for our new sports program." She rushing through her words, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She had spent three days stewing over what to do and finally decided that her personal embarrassment had to take a back seat to the kids problems. She was the only one who knew she had a reason to be embarrassed, and since no one Else had agreed to help, Brian was her only option.

"We hope to start next week, so I wanted to drop off the material I have put together. You might want to look it over before meeting the children."

Brian accepted the papers she gave him, then motioned her to his office. "Come on in and have a seat."

"I don't want to take up much of your time." And she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.

He lifted one shoulder in an exaggerated shrug. "I needed a break anyway."

Amanda followed him into his office and sat on the edge of a straight back narrow leather chair. Brian went behind his desk seating himself with all the officious attitude of any good lawyer.

After skimming through the papers she had given him, he looked at her again. " You are very thorough."

She blushed and she hated herself for it. "It is just a basic over view of the children who will begin in the program. I thought it would help if you knew what kind of problem each child was having and what their backgrounds were like.

Brian nodded, then gave her another of his intent probing stares. " How many children will we be starting with?"

 Amanda cleared her throat and looked away. She let her eyes roam around the office while she spoke, pretending to be interested in his book shelve. " The list I gave you has nine kids. Of course that number can change daily. And the children will be released from their obligation whenever they show an improved attitude toward school. But no child will ever be forced to quit the team."

"Will we get to compete against other teams?"

Amanda didn't know the answer right away. Brian's genuine interest amazed and confused her. She had half expected him to give only a show of concern. But he was studying the list all signs of the womanizer  gone while he pursued her notes. She was looking at the the top of his head, at how thick and dark his hair was, how it curled the tiniest bit. He glanced up and caught her staring. At his hair for crying out loud.

He ran his fingers through it. "What;s the matter? Have i sprung a grey hair?"

Amanda folded her her arms defensively. "No, I....no. I was just thinking."

Brian laid down the file, once again giving her his full attention. "About what?"

"About...whether or not we would be playing other schools, of course." She said quickly. The taking a deep breath she continued. " I don't believe so, at least not at first.If after a time the team shapes up that would be entirely your decision how far to carry it." Amanda forced herself to stare at him directly, though she felt a faint blush on her cheeks.

Brian smiled at her again, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands across his stomach. " You have the most unusual eyes. Very intense. Especially now, while we were talking about the children. I don't believe I have ever seen that exact shade of hazel."

She stiffened. "Thank you, but I don't think the color of my eyes has anything to do with this program.":

"It was an observation."

He was still leaning back in his chair his posture relaxed, his gaze lazy., and Amanda realized he was deliberately provoking her. She decided not to oblige him. She came to her feet, still holding his gaze, and stared down at him.

"Personal observations aside, do you have any thing you would like to discuss.?"

Amanda watched as he struggled to stifle his amusement. He stood behind his desk, his dark eyes warm and smiling. Then, leisurely he began looking her over. She tolerated his perusal, trying to keep her expression blank even while her pulse raced and her palms grew damp. She was well aware what she looked like. Her suit was deep, dark green almost brown, and it was cut into straight lines effectively hiding any signs of her figure.

" You are tall for a woman."

What an ass comment. But true. Amanda's head was just about even with his nose, and she was wearing flats. She glanced down at her shoes when he did. They were ugly round toed and extremely comfortable.

She his her sudden discomfort. " If you don't have any questions I will be on my way. I wouldn;t want to keep you from anything...important." She turned and headed for the door without another word.

Brian came around his desk and stepped in front of her,blocking her exit. He wasn't grinning now, but she could still see his humor in his eyes, " Forgive me Amanda. I didn't mean to be rude." Before she could reply he lifted the folder in his hand. " Can I keep this?"

She watched him warily. His apology sounded genuine, but she still felt he was laughing at her. She gritted her teeth, wishing she could rid her mind of the intimate thoughts concerning Brian Mead. She hadn't thought of a man that way in a very long time.

She was determined to stop that Right now. She didn't return his smile. " Of course I have my own copy."

Brian gave her an amused mischievous grin, almost as if he read her mind. " Excellent. When do we start?"

"How soon can you start? I will send home the notices to the parents as soon as you give me a schedule that suits you."

"Tell you what. Let me check things over and i will get back to you tomorrow. What time do you leave the school"?

Amanda hesitated. "Around four."

" I will come by then. Maybe we can go some where and work out a schedule that will suit us both." He indicated his cluttered desk. "Unfortunately I don't have the time right now to take care of it."

"I..." Amanda mentally scurried for excuses. She did not want to go anywhere with Brian Mead. The man had a chaotic effect of her senses. He had only to smile at her and memories came rushing back, so intense and so powerful that her stomach clenched and her nerve endings rioted. She hoped her thoughts of him would fade with time, she hoped she could eventually forget him completely.

It wouldn't happen today. Though she hated to admit it, even to herself he rattled her as few people could. But she refused to be a coward about the situation. The best way to deal with the problem is head on she reminded herself. Summoning a bland smile she nodded. "That would be fine Brian. Thank you."

VOOOOTTTTEEE,,,COOOMMMEEENNNT!! let me know if you like or if I should stop.. please.