He was excited about lunch. Not because he would be going to Chez du Monde, but because it would be a "Coaches Lunch". You see he would be having lunch with Shannon. She was the coach of his daughter's soccer team. And he held the illustrious title of assistant coach. It was an innocent lunch. Why was he so excited?.......
It had been early fall. His precious five year old daughter would be playing on her first soccer team. He could barely contain his excitement. He had played all his life which had climaxed in collegiate play. His brother had played semi-pro. And his father had played on the Brazilian Junior National Team. But he was panicked when he found out that one of the mom's had resigned to coach the team when no one else with experience had volunteered.
Shannon, a recent transplant from Maine, freely admitted she had never coached nor did she understand the game! It panicked him into offering his services as assistant coach despite having a booming surgical practice which would make his ability to make all practices and games almost impossible.
He remembered the first practice vividly. He was incredibly nervous. He was excited to be coaching, but wasn't sure how to handle a group of young girls. He also wasn't sure how the "coach" would react to his taking over the practice. When he met her, he really didn't register her. He was focused on the girls and molding them into the team. She seemed genuinely grateful for his assistance and truly they worked well together.
No it wasnât until later that he noticed her auburn hair and her smiling eyes. She wasnât gorgeous in a glamorous sense. She was very down to earth and had a natural beauty about her. Not unlike the âgirl next door charmâ of Sandra Bullock whom she favored.
No, it wasnât until later in the season with her jumping up and down cheering on the âButterfliesâ that he caught a glimpse of that enticing angle made by the buttock meeting the back of the thigh. He was mesmerized by the revelation that her jogging shorts made every time she left the earth. Her smooth rounded cheek and her muscular thigh were a joy to behold. He was mortified when she glanced back at him and caught him gawking but she only gave a rye smile and turned back to the game, still jumping.
But not all admiration was one way. To make practices sometimes he left directly from work, often only to return to work after the game was over. On one such occasion he showed up at half time. He was arrayed in a sophisticated linen slacks and shirt which draped across his chest. He noticed how her hand alighted on his biceps which showed through his shirt, at first gingerly and then more brazen. How during conversation she playfully touched his chest and how her hand gingerly traced the furrow between his pecs and didnât leave until the first cleft between his rectus abdominus muscles had been subtly explored.
However, this was all very innocent. Nothing tawdry or salacious, just two friends enjoying each otherâs company. And they truly did enjoy each otherâs company. They would talk non-stop before, during and after the game. And even when their significant others were present they still spent the entire time togetherâŚ. side by side. Under the guise of discussing the plan for up coming practices he would call her and they would talk for over an hour each time. It got to the point that he would call her cell phone from his work and his secretary would look funny when she put through a call from âShannonâ. âThe girls have to be preparedâ he would only admit to himself, never admitting even in his head that he may have had ulterior motives for the calls.
As the season came to a close, a party had been planned to honor the coaches of the successful âButterifiesâ, but of course Medicine is a fickle mistress and he missed both get togethers. It was actually she that suggested that they go to lunch. Of course again, he was stuck in emergency surgery and missed their lunch date. He later called her on her cell and begged for forgiveness and explained that he had taken an extra call because his family was out of town and that he would make it up to her.
She playfully acted wounded and pitiful and wondered out loud what would become of her as she was distraught with loneliness as her husband and daughter had flown to Maine to visit her in-laws. He quickly offered to take her out to dinner to make up for his transgressions and when she queried how he was going to keep their dinner appointment when he couldnât make their lunch appointment, he assured her that he would âmake it happenâ. He immediately called in a favor from his partner and arranged for coverage for that evening.
That evening he anxiously awaited her at âRiver Oneâ , an upscale restaurant and bar which was the haunt of many of the young professionals and the beautiful people. It was trendy and sexy with a cigar bar, billiard tables and a 4 star eatery inside. When she arrived he was taken aback. He had never seen her like this. She was wearing a simple yet elegant black dress which seemed to shimmer with every step. It accented her ample bosoms and firm derriere.
Yet she was the same Shannon he had flirted with at the games. The same smiling eyes, full lips and infectious laugh. Coyly, she paused and said âWell?â as she correctly surmised that the dress had the desired effect.