First Encounter

Chapter 1

Do you ever have one of those days and just can’t get anything to work? Well, today is one of those days for Amber Parks. She is rushing to get to her class and has run into every red light possible, has had a broken heal to her work pumps, which she needed to run back into the house, to go find another pair of shoes, her last supply of contacts disappeared when she was trying to put them on this morning while getting ready, and she cannot find them anywhere, she ended up spilling her cup of hot coffee on her blouse and had to change that along with burning her neck enough to irritate her for the rest of the day, and now she is getting chewed out by a parent for her 16 year-old-son, Henry, who can’t seemed to keep out of trouble and pass her class.

“I understand, Ms. Rodgers, however, Henry must do the work, be present to his classes, and if he won’t do the work, how is he ever going to pass her Business Class. It is an elective, and he chose her class. This class is not mandatory. Therefore, maybe he should investigate something he may like to take for next semester and put a little more effort into it. You know he is an excellent artist, and he is doing very well in those classes.”

Nope, that didn’t go over well. And yet, there was nothing she could do to ease this parents’ mood. Henry was just not into the school period. In fact, he wasn’t passing most of his classes, per the other teachers she discussed with at lunch and in meetings. Henry is not made for a structured classroom; he is more of a freer spirt that would do better in a one-on-one classroom setting or even possibly an online class he could take at his own pace. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen for him, well because his parents just don’t understand the needs he has, which are different than their other children. This is true with so many children and parents seen too many times through her years of teaching.

She makes it to her class, and her kids are already there, except for Henry, of course. She sighs and sets her brief case down on the desk. “Hello, class, and how are we doing today?” 25 plus kids all greet her and find their seats. They were good kids, and they were looking to learn as much as they could in her class to be able to either get a job in an office or help their families out with their own business. She helps them with the basics, including typing, 10-key, computer websites like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and payroll to get them started with their 1st year class. She had 4 years that would progress a kid to college degree credit even. This class was a mix of freshman and sophomores just checking it out and seeing if this was what they wanted.

“Okay, we have a guess speaker coming in today, and his name is Mr. Pizzaro, who happened to be CEO to CAN Industries downtown. Please let him speak, and then you may ask questions after the presentation. Take notes on the presentation itself, please. How does he present? How does he address you? What does he present? Why is it important on what he uses for his presentation, etc.? I will be using his presentation on the test next week along with the pop quizzes we have been doing this last month.” Amber looks over to see a dark shape in the door window. “Class Mr. Pizzaro looks to be here now. Please be on your best behavior.”

Once Amber opens the door, a dark, tall man enters. Now she has never met Mr. Pizzaro and he was referred to her by another teacher. She needed a standout speaker and Mr. Pizzaro was recommended as being the top-notch businessman who would wow her kids. The other teacher called, made an appointment, and here he was. She felt her mouth drop when she noticed him. He was not just dark and tall, but he was a dark skinned, black man who stood 6’ 3”, with the blackest eyes she had ever seen. He was deviously good-looking, and when he flashed his crooked smile at her, she felt her thighs tighten and felt damp all over. He literally took her breath away. That was no easy task either. She had to admit he was one fine looking man, and he beat any of the men she has come across in town. He reached out his hand and shook hers. He, too, noticed Amber, too.

“Hello Ms. Parks, I am Dominic Salvatore Pizzaro, and I am your guest speaker today. I have my assistance to bring in my presentation, and I just need a moment to set up. Would you and your class we okay with this?”

“Yes…., yes, by all means. This is my class, Business 101, and we are eager to hear what you may have for us today. “

Dominic has his team set up charts, graphs, pictures of buildings, landscape, products, and a large projector with a PowerPoint ready to go in just minutes. He smiles a large grin when he notices how it flustered Ms. Parks, and he noticed she was attracted to him. He saw it in her dilated eyes, the sent change in her hormones, and her breathing coming on strong. The teenage girls in the room were feeling a bit flustered as well. Then his smile slipped away. Thinking to himself: No, they are just drawn in by his own pheromones and cursed abilities to make anyone affected by him. Oh, how he longed for someone to really see him and feel for him. No, never mind, what was he thinking. No one can love a monster like himself.

Amber took a deep breath and adjusted her glasses on her face, which hid her intelligent green eyes. Thinking to herself: Amber, get a grip, don’t go down that road. 1st hot, sexy man walks in your room, and you go meltdown. Never again. You learned your lesson, and thank you, no! Amber was in a long relationship for 10 years and was married when she found out her ex-husband was not being truthful with her and was fooling around with his co-worker. He got her pregnant and left Amber for her. He had changed right after she had just lost their child during childbirth. She vowed not to go down that road again. He was very handsome, was in law, and worked to be a full fledge lawyer. He didn’t care for her teaching high school and felt she should have been in business for herself; not teaching it. She didn’t realize how long she stood there thinking about that, but she stood tall and introduced Mr. Pizzaro, and excused herself. In fact, she was so 180 degrees from the way she reacted to Dominic when he first presented that he even noticed the change, and it shocked him.

“Ms. Park, are you staying for the presentation?”

“Excuse me, no!” she walked out and down to the teachers’ lounge.

Dominic found that odd and never in his whole life had he come across anyone that reacted like that. Wow, that is the first time I have seen a human change her demeanor so fast and so controlled in his presence. Yes, she was human. What was her deal? She wanted this for her class, and she won’t be here. Her class looks just as shocked. “Well, everyone, does anyone know what the CAN Industries does?”

Amber was having some coffee in the Teacher Lounge and sitting quietly. I will get the notes from my teacher aide. I don’t need to be in there. He probably didn’t notice, and it doesn’t matter. I need to get a grip, dang. I feel better in here. I haven’t felt like that ever. What if the kids noticed? OMG, that was crazy. I am not a teenager, and I am not falling for that charm. Nope, I'm not going to. I will go back in about 10 minutes anyway. That will give him enough time to discuss on his own with the children, and they can put all their focus on him.

She returns to class while he is in mid presentation. The kids are listening intently. She sits in the back of the room and just listens in. He has a magnificent voice. He is a great speaker. At the end of the presentation, she sees the eager class jumps in with questions and observations. Wow, they were really interested. Well, this was a great idea. She notices he keeps glancing her way; however, she never directly looks into his eyes. She finds it easier that way.