Worth the Weight

by Eileen Palma

  “Are you sure you and Matt can afford all this?” asked Irina. “This is a big jump from last year.”

  “The scholarship fund is made up of a percentage of our profits. We did better last year, so the percentage is bigger. I set it up that way day one.”

  “I think a second scholarship is a great idea. We should have a press conference with you and Matt.”

  “I don’t know. The scholarship isn’t about all of that. Besides, Matt would be the one to do the press conference. He’s really the face of the company. I’m perfectly happy keeping a low profile these days.”

  “Maybe if you put yourself in the spotlight more, you wouldn’t still be single.” Irina shook her finger at him.

  “Speaking of which, I need a favor.”

  “You name it kid.”

  “I need to borrow one of the ballet studios for an hour or two. Can you arrange that?”

  “When?” asked Irina.

  “Whatever time Kate Richards finishes filming today. Can you tell me when that is and then set up a room for us?”

  “Why, so you can booby-trap her?” Irina raised her thin, penciled eyebrows. “I know you’re probably still pissed about that business on Smart Talk, but don’t drag me into it.”

  “I owe her dinner.”

  “What? Are you dating Kate Richards?” shrieked Irina, breaking her usual unflappable composure.

  “Quiet, Irina. I owe her dinner. Let’s just keep it at that.” Jack turned around to make sure he had shut the office door behind him when he came in.

  “How the hell did you get her to agree to have dinner with the CEO of her most hated company?” asked Irina, her Russian accent getting thicker in her state of shock.

  “Easy. She doesn’t know what I do for a living and I’m trying to keep it that way just a little longer. Till she gets to know me better.”

  “Oh, Jack. There is no way this is going to end well.”

  “Can you get me the room anyway?”

  “Turn up the radio and dance around the living room. Shoot some hoops or take a walk around the neighborhood. The best workout buddy for your kid might just be you.”

  Kate Richards, The Breakfast Nook

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kate was surprised to find Irina waiting for her on a bench in the coaches’ locker room after filming.

  “How are you, Irina?”

  “I would be better if my best boys’ team coach wasn’t leaving us because some movie producer thinks he’s going to be the next Harrison Ford.”

  “Craig, right? Lauren told me.”

  “Speaking of Lauren, you guys are filming in Studio B next Monday. Can you take a look at it to make sure the lighting will work?” Kate felt like a giant in all of her five foot three glory when Irina stood up.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  “Check it out now, so we’ll have time to move things around if the space doesn’t work.” Irina headed out of the locker room without even looking to see if Kate was following.

  Kate hurried to catch up. They wound their way down the noisy corridor past the throng of little girls wearing starched tutus over pale pink leotards.

  Irina pushed her thick industrial key into the door and opened it. “This studio doesn’t have windows to keep the dance moms at bay. Look around and email me if it doesn’t work.”

  Irina was halfway down the hall when she called back, “By the way, the door locks automatically.”

  Kate walked into the dark room and felt against the wall till her fingers rubbed up against a plastic light switch and the room filled with bright fluorescent light and the low grade humming that always accompanied it.

  Surprisingly, the small dance space smelled like Christmas dinner at her sister’s house. The center of the dance floor was covered by a red and white checkered tablecloth and plastic take out containers.

  Kate approached the food and slowly lifted the lid off the biggest container to reveal a whole roast chicken sliced and covered in translucent circles of lemon. She leaned over the container, and wondered if anyone would notice a missing drumstick. Kate froze with her hand poised over the chicken when the side door to the ballet studio opened.

  Jack walked in carrying a chilled bottle of white wine and two glasses. His hair was gelled into submission except for a lone curl poking its way from the pack.

  “Jack?” Kate breathed in the knowledge that this was all for her.

  “Dinner from Cookshop. Since we didn’t make it there the other night.” Jack put the wine and glasses on the tablecloth. He pulled a lighter from his back pocket and lit the two thick candle pillars that sat a safe distance from the feast. Then, he turned off the overhead light, so the room was lit only by the candlelight that danced and reflected off the mirror’s reflection.

  “No one has done anything like this for me.” Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. “Ever.”

  “Then you haven’t been hanging out with the right people.” Jack’s charcoal gray cashmere sweater turned his eyes the color of slick gray stones from the bottom of a lake.

  Jack reached for Kate’s hands and gently pulled her down to the ground. Kate didn’t know what it was about Jack that made her want to let him take the lead. Kate was disappointed when he let go of her hands to serve the food.

  He scooped a large spoonful of mashed potatoes onto a plastic plate, followed by a bunch of crisp asparagus stalks and several slices of juicy chicken. He put the plate on the tablecloth in front of Kate’s folded legs.

  “How’d you pull this off? Irina has a tight hold on these practice spaces.”

  Jack shrugged his shoulders and filled up a plate for himself. “I helped her set up the team website. She owed me one.”

  “You must’ve done a pretty good job. You don’t even want to know how much Irina charges an hour for these rooms.” Kate’s body rippled in an involuntary shiver from the overly air conditioned room.

  “Here.” Jack stood up and pulled off his sweater. His undershirt untucked from his jeans and clung to his sweater and exposed his doughy midsection that fell over the waistband of his boxers. Jack pulled the sweater over his head and sheepishly tucked his tee shirt back in. The solar system floated over the stark black shirt in vibrant primary colors. The bright yellow words BACK IN MY DAY WE HAD NINE PLANETS hovered above Mars.

  “You might want to rethink that. I’m pretty sweaty.” Kate shook her head and held her hand up in protest.

  “I don’t mind.”

  Jack kneeled down and bunched up the sweater in his hands. He pulled it over Kate’s head. The shirt was warm with Jack’s heat and as the cashmere moved across Kate’s nose she could smell his evergreen soap.

  As Kate pushed her hands through the sleeves, Jack dipped his hand into the sweater collar and freed Kate’s curls. His warm hands wrapped in her hair made Kate think of their night together. He locked eyes with Kate and she suddenly felt short of breath.

  Just when Kate though Jack was going to move in for a kiss, he pulled his gaze away and pointed to the plate that was loaded with enough food for two people. “Eat up, before it gets cold.”

  “This smells absolutely amazing.” With the warm sweater keeping the air conditioning at bay, and the smell of lemon and herbs filling the air, Kate felt all at once like she was home. Not that she had grown up in a warm home that smelled of lovely cooking, but it was the kind of home she had always wanted.

  “There were so many people crowded around the ballet windows, I thought Madonna was back with her kids again.” Jack filled Kate’s wine glass and handed it to her. “You have quite the following.”

  Kate laughed. “All those parents were there to watch their kids, not me.” She took a bite of chicken and realized just how hungry she was.

  “I saw a few guys out there who did not look like dads.” Jack scooped a bit of mashed potatoes with a piece of chicken and ate it with a look of pure delight.

  Kate lau
ghed. “Thanks for the surprise picnic. I was starving from all that Zumba.”

  “Try the mashed potatoes. Fuck the calories. These are the best mashed potatoes on the West Side.” Jack brought a spoonful of potatoes to Kate’s lips.

  He kept the spoon there until she parted her lips, and scooped the smooth potatoes off with her mouth. There was something incredibly sexy about a man who wanted to feed her.

  “You’re right. They’re amazing!”

  “How’s your article coming?” Jack smiled when Kate went in for another spoonful.

  “It’s been nerve wracking. I mean I’m used to writing deadlines from the cookbooks. But this is different—it’s the Sunday New York Today.” Kate took a sip of the chilled wine to wash down the warm food.

  “Your cookbook already made their bestseller list. They should be honored to have you as a guest writer.”

  “How did you know that?” Jack didn’t seem to run with the KidFit regulars and it wasn’t like his niece had any reason to watch the show.

  “A handy thing I like to call Google.” Jack put an extra spoonful of mashed potatoes on Kate’s plate despite her groans.

  “You did not Google me!”

  “No, but Lauren did. I heard all about the anticipation over the sequel to Mini-Munchies. It sounds like people are going to line up at Barnes & Nobles at midnight like they did with that last boy wizard book.”

  “Did Google also say that it took me three years to write the first book and my publishers gave me six months to write the second one?”

  Jack whistled. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

  “Sure is.” Kate tilted back her glass for a long sip of the smooth wine. Her stomach warmed from the food. “Thanks for surprising me. You couldn’t have picked a better day to blow me away like this.”

  “Sticking around the other night was the coolest thing anyone’s done for me.” Jack put down his wine glass and smiled at Kate till that dimple popped up on his left cheek and his eyes crinkled in the corners.

  “Who knew take out from a burger joint and a Glee marathon would turn into the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

  “I think the real fun started after the Glee marathon.”

  Jack reached over and took hold of one of Kate’s dangling waves. He swept his hand from the top of her hair down to the bottom so gently; she could barely feel his touch. Kate didn’t breath till his hand came out from the curtain of hair and he opened his palm to reveal a silver foil star in it. “Where did this come from?”

  “Filming. Tweenage girls are all about the shiny factor.”

  Jack reached for Kate’s hand and put the star in it, resting his hand on top of hers. His thumb pressed into her palm and she could feel their pulses beating together.

  Jack leaned forward so he was close enough for Kate to see the auburn grains of five o’clock shadow waiting to sprout on his cheeks. He brought his mouth to hers. Kate kissed him back, and he tasted like comfort food.

  The worries about her cookbook revisions melted away. In this moment, all that mattered was kissing Jack.

  “Fuck. I can’t keep my hands off you.” Jack slid the sweater off Kate and threw it across the room, narrowly missing one of the candles.

  “Someone might walk in on us.”

  “Good thing the door’s locked.” Jack sent goose bumps up her skin as he pulled her workout shirt and sports bra off.

  Jack’s mouth was back on Kate’s and she was suddenly desperate to feel his warm skin against hers. Kate slid her hands up Jack’s sides, ripped his shirt off, and threw it on the floor with hers. Kate ran her hands all over his chest and back, wanting to feel every part of him that was always hidden.

  The mirrored walls multiplied their candlelit reflections so that Kate could see Jack from every angle as he trailed kisses down her neck. She watched as he moved his mouth lower and tugged her nipple with his teeth.

  Jack reached his hand inside her workout pants and pushed aside her thong. He stroked her button tip with his thumb till she felt a warmth rush through her whole body. He pushed his other two fingers inside her and glided them in and out, while his thumb kept stroking her most sensitive part. Kate got wetter with each thrust of his fingers.

  Kate undid Jack’s belt buckle, desperate to have him inside her. She pulled his jeans off and slid her hands under his boxers, happy to see he was ready for her.

  Jack gently pushed Kate down to the floor. She lay on her back while she waited for him to pull her leggings down an inch at a time. He started at the top of the pants then froze at her hipbones while Kate writhed on the floor. She had never wanted anyone this badly before.

  By the time Jack got her pants down to her knees, she was clenching the tablecloth and gritting her teeth to keep from crying out. He took his time pulling the leggings off one foot, then the other, bringing the thong off with them.

  Jack pressed his hands into the floor as he lowered himself over Kate. He found her mouth again as he pressed just the tip of himself against her. She arched her back and clenched the tablecloth as she waited for him to push himself completely in her.

  Then the door handle started to turn. It was like something out of a horror movie, happening in slow motion, while they both froze.

  “Jack? Are you in there?” called a voice while the locked door handle moved back and forth.

  “Matt Reynolds brought my mom funny movies and buttered rolls from the deli when she was going through chemo. He taught my sister how to ride a two-wheel bike. You can’t buy loyalty like that.”

  Jack Moskowitz, Northeastern Entrepreneur Summit

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Shit!” Jack jumped up.

  “Who is that?” Kate whispered while she used her hands to cover her most naked parts.

  “Hold on! I’ll be right out!” Jack pulled his jeans on and grabbed his tee-shirt. He pulled his shirt and slipped his sneakers on at the same time.

  Kate crawled on the floor till she had grabbed every piece of clothing that Jack had thrown all over the room. “The one time I try something Fifty Shades-ish,” she muttered under her breath.

  Jack leaned down and kissed Kate, quick and light on the lips. “I’ll be right back.”

  Matt’s hair stood up in rain-darkened spikes and his damp shirt clung to him, illuminating the faintest hint of a burgeoning beer belly which Jack had never noticed before. He held his skateboard under the crook of his arm so that the muddy wheels left a dark mark under his armpit.

  Jack grabbed Matt’s arm and steered him through the corridor to the hollow spot where the Coke machine used to be, so they would be away from the dance studio.

  “What’re you doing here?” hissed Jack.

  “It was the only way I could nail your ass down.”

  “I said I would meet you first thing tomorrow,” said Jack. “I’m in the middle of something right now.”

  “Because you’re dealing with Irina, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Then, how come Irina’s in her office while you’re hanging out in a ballet studio with the fem-bot? What the fuck’s going on, Jack?” Matt, who was normally a close talker, tended to push the boundary even more when he was angry.

  “Keep your voice down. We’re just having dinner.” Jack took a step back and wound up crammed against the wall.

  “Are you really going to stand there with your crazy sex hair, reeking of pussy, and tell me you were just having dinner?”

  “You’re the one who told me to get to know her in the first place, so don’t give me shit about this.” Jack smoothed down the top of his hair.

  “Seriously? I can’t believe you were just banging our archenemy in a dance studio! What the fuck?!”

  “Keep your voice down.”

  “And why did you feed me some bullshit line about meeting with Irina?”

  “It’s a long story. I can’t get into it here—too many people.”

  Matt
dropped his skateboard by his feet and cradled both hands on top of his wet head.

  “What’s really going on?” Jack knew this was about more than just him and Kate. It was clear Matt had been in meltdown mode long before he stumbled upon them in the dance studio.

  “Anne’s pregnant.” Matt’s eyes darted back and forth from Jack to his own clenched fists and back to Jack again.

  “Shit, I didn’t think she was dating anyone else yet.” It had been bad enough when Matt had come home from a day at the skate park to find most of his apartment boxed up with a two-line Dear John letter sitting on top of the empty dog crate. Anne having a baby with someone else was sure to finish the poor guy off.

  “It’s mine.”

  “Are you shitting me?”

  “We had killer breakup sex the day we signed the divorce papers.”

  “Let me get rid of Kate. I’ll meet you at your apartment in ten.”

  Jack watched as Matt sloshed down the hall. He took a deep breath and smoothed his hair back.

  When Jack got back to the room, Kate was tossing their emptied take out containers into the large garbage can by the ballet barre. She had all of her clothes back on and her hair pulled up in that bunch of curls that made Jack just want to rip her clothes right back off again.

  “Everything okay?” Kate leaned down and blew out the candles.

  “This time I really did double book myself.”

  “You planned another romantic picnic for Studio C?”

  “I have one of those can’t miss—my future hangs in the balance kind of business meetings.” The lie slipped clean and smooth off Jack’s lips and he realized that lying was becoming second nature to him these days.

  “Web site designing, romantic dinners, business meetings, what else do you do at Chelsea Piers?”

  “I scheduled it before I found out about David. With everything going on I just…”

  “It’s okay, Jack. I get it.”

  Kate grabbed one side of the tablecloth and motioned for Jack to grab the other side. Her hands touched his as they both reached to grab the halved cloth. She held her hands against his as they folded the cloth together.