The Captain's Wife

“You’re definitely lost.” The receptionist didn’t even look up when she said this. She sat idle, chewing gum while filling her nails. Amara blinked twice. “Excuse me?” The receptionist scoffed, “This floor is restricted.” Now she looked up, scanning Amara slowly with eyes filled with disdain. Her gaze lingered on Amara’s simple blazer, her worn out handbag and dusty shoes. The receptionist clicked her tongue. Definitely not designer or sponsor’s daughter. “I’m a placement student," Amara replied, placing the letter she carried on the desk. “Medical department to be precise.” There was a pause. The receptionist read the header. VALEMONT FOOTBALL CLUB - ELITE SPORTS PLACEMENT. “Oh," her eyebrows lifted. She typed something slowly, clicking her nails against the desk, then pressed a button. “Dr. Meyer? Your student is here.” Student? Not intern or Miss Kade but student. The words sat heavy. Amara clenched her fists behind her back and dug her fingers into her palm. Just then, the double doors down the hall slammed open. There was an urgency in the eyes of the tall, balding man that rushed out. He approached Amara with irritation evidently written on his face. “You’re late," he snapped. “I was told to wait.” “Follow me.” He disregarded the response and turned away. Amara walked fast to keep up with the balding man’s pace. The deeper she went, the more the hallways changed. Glossy corporate walls had been replaced with padded walls, doors with codes and cameras in every corner. Dr. Meyer stopped suddenly outside one of the metallic doors. He turned to Amara. “There are rules here that must never be broken.” “Yes sir.” “You must observe but never interfere.” “I understand sir.” “And most importantly, you must never touch the captain.” Amara frowned. “Then how am I supposed to do my….” A crash exploded from behind the door. A man shouted. Then a deeper voice yelled. “Get! Out!” Dr. Meyer’s jaws tightened visibly. He hurriedly punched in some codes and threw the door open. The room was in disarray. A metal tray lay overturned on the ground, contents spilling everywhere. A trainer stumbled backwards. The fear in his eyes were evident. And the reason for all this stood in the center of the room. Kairo Voss. He was shirtless, sweating from every pore on his skin. His muscles were coiled tight and his jaws clenched. One hand was fisted in front of the trainer's face. He didn’t look like the celebrity Amara saw and worshiped from the screens. He looked like violence reincarnated. “It .. it .. it was an accident," the trainer stammered. “Never. Ever. Touch me again.” Kairo enunciated each word clearly. The trainer tried to pull away. Terrible mistake. Kairo threw him into the cabinet hard enough to break the glass. Amara felt the shock of it in her chest. Her jaw hadn’t closed since she stepped into this room. Dr. Meyer stepped forward. “Captain. That’s enough.” Kairo didn’t react. His breathing was all wrong. He hadn’t moved from his position and his eyes were distant. Like as if he wasn’t in the room at all. Suddenly, his gaze snapped up at Amara. And held. He assessed her slowly like she had just stepped into his territory. Dr. Meyer tried to take advantage of Kairo’s distracted state and moved in to grab his shoulder. The instant his hands made contact, Kairo flinched violently. His elbows jerked back, instinctively connecting with Dr. Meyer’s face. Every atom in the room froze. Nothing breathed, nothing moved. Amara understood something in that split second. This wasn’t ego or temper. It was a body that didn’t tolerate touch. It was a body whose only response to physical contact was flight or fight mode. A body marred by trauma of some sort. Dr. Meyer steadied himself, cupping his bruised face. He tried again, slower this time. “Kairo. Sit.” Kairo’s hands clenched into fists. His breathing turned shallow, like a man about to detonate. And before her brain processed the decision, Amara stepped forward. “Miss Kade..” Dr. Meyer scowled at her. It was too late. Amara was already in Kairo’s line of sight. “Captain," she said, steady. His eyes snapped at hers. They were unstable and Amara saw all of it. She lifted her hands slowly, giving him time to react. When he didn’t, she closed the distance. She placed two fingers against his wrist and held. The air changed drastically. Amara felt every muscle in his body go rigid. Everyone braced for the impact. Three seconds passed. Four seconds passed. Five. Still nothing. His gaze dropped to her hands on his, then back to her face. Something flickered in his eyes. He raised his own hand. Amara could feel her heartbeat thundering. He hovered for a while. He brushed his skin against hers as carefully as he could be, almost afraid that she might disappear. Finally, his shoulders relaxed. His jaws unclenched. The two men watching couldn’t close their jaws. Amara lifted her fingers and took several steps back. “Do that again," he said quietly. It was a command, not a request. Dr. Meyer snapped out of shock and cleared his throat. “Captain, she’s a student.” Kairo’s eyes didn’t leave Amara for a second. “I don’t care. She stays.” He didn’t yell, but his voice alone carried an authority that didn’t need volume or drama. Amara’s throat tightened. She tried hard to swallow but couldn’t. The room didn’t move, no one said a word. That was what unsettled her the most, not the command but the silence that followed after it. Dr. Meyer hesitated for a second then stepped back. This was when she really understood the dynamics that took place here. Kairo didn’t need to ask for permission in this building. He owned it. The trainer avoided Kairo’s gaze and the doctor adjusted his coat awkwardly. Then, the tension in the room shifted towards Amara. Kairo took two slow steps towards Amara. Like a predator deciding whether to pounce or claim. He closed up the distance between them in no time. He was so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. Close enough that she could see the faint scar near his collarbone. “Miss Kade," he said, breathing controlled. Her name sounded different when he said it. “You don’t flinch.” It wasn’t a compliment but an observation. His hands lifted again. This time he didn’t touch her. Like he was testing his own restraint. “From now on, you report to my sessions.” He took a deep breath of Amara’s scent and continued, “only you.” Dr. Meyer shifted uncomfortably. “Captain, this isn’t allo…” “If she leaves, I walk.” Kairo didn’t even look at the doctor. The words hung heavy like smoke in the room. The captain walking simply meant no sponsors, matches lost and millions at risk. Dr. Meyer exhaled. “Fine.” That one word made the ground shift beneath Amara. Kairo returned his gaze to Amara. “You wanted to work at the biggest club in Europe, didn’t you?” he asked quietly. Amara couldn’t respond. Her pulse thudded in her eyes. He stepped an inch closer and leaned in. “Be careful what you ask for Missy," he said quietly. Then he turned away like the decision had already been made. As he got closer to the door, he added without looking back. “Tomorrow, 8am. Don’t be late.” The door shut behind him. Dr. Meyer cleared his throat. “Today’s session is over.” Amara didn’t move an inch. She stared at the closed doors. Eight a.m? She had come here for opportunities. She hadn’t realized she’d signed herself into something else entirely. And Kairo Voss never gave orders twice.