Chapter 7

Michael was standing in front of the DMD Offices, it was fall and Gainesville was cooling down.

Having just finished the biggest sales pitch of his life the adrenaline was still pumping through his system. Fishing out a cigarette he lit it and took a long pull, finally starting to get his nerves under control. Walking around the side of the building he thought about the project he and Steve had been working to get for the last six months.

The Equinox Center would be a multi-use commercial/residential building overlooking the intercoastal waterway just outside downtown Jacksonville.

At 350,000 sqft it was a major project that had some of the biggest architecture firms in the country submitting proposals to do the design/build. The process had been long, with untold hours and a good amount of expense involved, but it was now down to just two firms, DMD and PFVS out of Atlanta.

Michael thought the meeting had gone very well. He hoped that his passion for the unique site and integration of so many dissimilar uses into a cohesive, overriding spatial plan had not come off as desperate or ass kissing.

Steve came out of the office, walking the clients to their cars.

"Thank you again for the opportunity, we are looking forward to working with you," he said to the head of the development group.

As the car pulled away Steve ran to the side of the building, sure that is where he would find Michael.

"We got it," he said with a goofy lopsided grin on his face.

Michael pulled his best friend into a warm embrace.

"This is huge, it will really put us on the map in the Southeast," Michael said pulling away from his friend and taking another long pull off his cigarette.

They sat quietly for a few moments both contemplating the amount of work to come over the next three years, pleased that their passion and vision was being noticed and that their future prospects seemed bright.

When they had started out six years ago both of them had dreams of being rock star architects, jet setting around the planet pushing the cutting edge of design, building in remote and exotic locations.

As is so often the case, reality was a bit different from the dream, but both men were proud of what they had done with TRX after buying it from Terrance's widow.

They had paid Eloise double what the company was worth; they felt they owed it to Terrance after all he had done for them.

Pushing himself away from the fender of Michael's Porsche Speedster Steve said "gotta run, I want to tell Marsha in person."

Smiling to himself Michael wished his friend a good evening and watched him sprint to his truck and take off for home.

Home, Michael mused, not so much a place as a feeling; a feeling elicited by those you spend your life with.

DMD was his home and this left Michael feeling that a huge part of his life was missing.

Flicking the cigarette away Michael strolled off towards the park hoping that the cool fall air on this sunny afternoon would help to blow away the feelings of lack in his personal life.

Walking down the tree-lined path he paused and turned for no good reason and that is when he saw her for the first time.

She was wearing a white silk dress, 'kind of an odd choice for fall, ' he thought.

It moved against her body like a cloud, accentuating her hips, then shifting, pulling tight over her breast showing her breeze hardened nipple and then her belly, flat and firm.

'I must be dreaming, ' he thought as he turned to follow her.

She is in a hurry, moving fast probably to get out of the cold; her long graceful strides show a power and precision that is alluring and frightening at the same time.

She sprints across the street and disappears into an office building, the last image of her, windblown hair, calf flexed in extension, arm outstretched to push the door before her, is burned into Michael's mind like an after image from a strobe light.

Finding a bench with a view of the door he waits, 'whomever she is I have to know her name, ' he thinks, while pulling his leather jacket around him to stave off the increasing cold.

An hour and four cigarettes later Michael stands, 'she's coming, ' he thinks.

Focusing on the door he waits, the anticipation and tension building.

And then she is there, pushing out through the door she looks pleased, there is a smile on her face as she fishes through her purse, pulling out her phone she looks up and down the street as she dials a number.

Glancing across the street she sees him, more appropriately she is affected by his presence. As their eyes meet, the phone falls from her hand shattering at her feet, an ominous portent reflecting the fundamental change her life has just taken.

She is lost in his eyes, the instant she met his gaze his face lit up like the sun, it felt as if she had been shocked, standing motionless she watches as he crosses the street, his features coming into better focus but her gaze never leaving his eyes.

Walking across the street it was pure luck that Michael was not hit by a car.

Not looking anywhere but in her eyes he was drawn closer too her.

The street seemed endless as the distance shrank and his tension increased, closer and closer to those dulcet depths until he was standing before her.

They stood for only a moment before shifting their gaze but it was a moment they would re-live a million times; it always replayed every time their eyes met during their brief but passionate time together.

Reaching out his hand he says "I'm Michael, Michael Dane."

Looking down at his strong rugged hand her attitude shifts. Taking his hand in both of hers she looks back up into his eyes, smiling she lifts up on her toes and kisses him gently on the cheek.

"Yes Michael, I know who you are, please let go and be happy." The world fades to black as Michael falls to the ground.

"He just collapsed, move in, possible sniper, protocol five." Cal said as he began moving across the quad towards the downed man.

Six more of Ian's operatives moved out of their spots towards Michael as well.

Cal was about fifty feet from his mark when he saw Valerie Smyth come running out of the administration building.

"Hold," he whispered as he watched Valerie sprint over to Michael.

"Reset and keep a watch, six report in to base," Cal finished as he slowly moved back to his place among the people strolling through the quad.

Valerie went to her knees next to Michael's limp form, taking his head in her hands she gently started to talk to him.

"Michael, Michael wake up, its ok, your ok, please wake up your going to be fine," she heard him groan as her fingers played through his hair. 'Oh thank god' she thought never breaking her contact with him as he began to stir.

'Feels like home, ' he thought.

As his focus began to return it all came crashing back to him, the vision of Sasha; Valerie; oh my god, she is here, I can feel her, her hands in my hair, her knees at my side, everywhere she touches lights up, just like ... no not again, enough of this, its time to move on.

Slowly opening his eyes his internal struggle at last won, Sasha was at peace as was he.

"Valerie, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," Michael said as he got shakily to his feet.

Stumbling she was there taking his arm over her shoulder, steadying him, more contact, 'her hip against mine, her breast pushing softly into my side, oh god I just want to take her right here, ' he thought.

'So strong, so much muscle, ' she thought as her body pressed close to his as she steadied him; for the first time taking in his scent, musky with a hint of cloves, it was almost too overwhelming this assault on her senses.

She took deep breaths; steadying herself hoping he would not fall, as there was no way she could hope to lift him again.

'Enough of this', Michael thinks to himself.

'This is why I am here, she will be with me always, ' a pain slides across his heart as he thinks this last, what he had always thought of Sasha.

Shaking his head he modifies his thought, 'she will be with me as long as she can.'

"I'm sorry Valerie, not a great first impression of your visiting professor I'm afraid, I must be a bit more jet lagged than I thought," Michael said straightening himself and pulling away from her.

Distance, disconnection it is something rarely noticed, but Valerie noticed it immediately.

As Michael pulled away from her, straightening as he spoke the parts of her body that were seconds ago in contact with his felt ... wrong, cold as if they were not feeling fully unless connected to Michael.

'Oh god, he doesn't feel it, if he did he never would have pulled away from me, he is making polite conversation when all I want is for him to hold me and never let go, ' she thought as she looked up into his eyes.

She was amazing, now that he had some perspective he realized his feelings for her were subtly different than those he had for Sasha.