It started as a game. Actually, it started as an assignment, but he turned it into a game.
Theo had almost grumbled when his uncle had called him into his office.
When Theo first started working for his uncle, he had planned on starting at the ground floor and working his way to the top. Starting at the ground floor in an advertising business is easy; there is always a lot of grunt work. Working his way up had taken a lot of effort, but after six years, he was starting to make a name for himself with their customers.
Any time his uncle called him into his office, none of that mattered. Whenever his uncle called him into his office, it was always to assign some low level task. Theo might grumble, but he knew better than to refuse.
Theo had to wonder about the assignment he had been given. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed it was more of a reward than a chore.
The task was simple. His uncle was trying to hire a new young designer away from one of his competitors. His uncle had learned that the designer wasn't happy living where she was. He had tried to bribe her into visiting their city by offering to pay for her visit and a tour guide. The young woman had accepted the tour, but refused a guide.
Theo's task was to shadow the woman as she toured the city. At all costs, he was to ensure that nothing bad happened to her. Also, if possible, he was to steer her toward the highlights of the city.
She made the first half of his job easy, and enjoyable as well.
It was a beautiful winter's day. It was cold enough that the snow wasn't melting, but warm enough that the sunshine felt good. The woman left her hotel on foot, and Theo was able to easily follow as she toured the main square, a museum, and an art gallery.
It was just before lunchtime that he saw a way to fulfill his second directive.
She had picked up one of the tourist maps of the city. They were available everywhere, and they did a pretty good job of highlighting the major attractions. He saw her circle her choices for her next destination on her map. As they walked through the bustling crowds of a shopping district, he was easily able to exchange her map for one that he had marked up.
She had frowned when she had consulted her map and she saw the changes. He was pretty sure that she hadn't noticed him, and she didn't pick him out of the crowd as she looked around. She studied the map again, and then followed it to the marked destination.
One of Theo's friends owned the small restaurant that he had directed her to. It wasn't yet on any maps, but it had the best food around. The young woman had thoroughly enjoyed her repast and the friendly service.
While she was eating, Theo had carefully added his markings to her original map, and then added some new ones. He slipped the waitress some money, and then watched as she managed to exchange the maps without getting caught.
Theo loved the surprised smile that the restored map brought to the young woman's face. He also liked how quickly she found the new markings he had made. He wanted to stay and watch her some more, but he knew he would have to hurry to the next destination to set up the next swap.
The next destination was a small shop that made hand-blown art glass. Theo's mother loved to visit the place, and she always wondered why it never made it on the maps. Theo had a feeling that the young woman would like the place, but he hadn't considered how to exchange the maps when she got there.
The man that was working at the shop gave Theo a suspicious look. He refused to take money, but he took the map and agreed to consider exchanging with the woman. All Theo could hope was that the man would be as reticent with the woman.
Theo was able to exit the shop well ahead of the young woman's arrival, and he found a place to sit in the park nearby. He was pretty sure he would be able to see if the shopkeeper made the exchange. All he had to do was wait.
He saw her enter the shop. He saw the shopkeeper pull out the map, and he saw her surprised look as she scanned the area around the shop. The two spoke, and the shopkeeper gave her the second map without taking the first one back. Theo started scheming how to get another map and plant it where the woman would find it.
The young woman said something nice to the shopkeeper, and suddenly he was all smiles. He escorted her around the shop, pointing out various trinkets. She must have asked to see the rest of the glassworks, and the shopkeeper escorted her into the back workroom. Theo had been on that tour several times, and he knew he had at least a half hour to wait. He considered going to get another map and moving on to the next destination, but he had given her two options, and he didn't want to guess incorrectly.
Theo had been waiting in the park for almost a half hour when someone stopped behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He had mostly been ignoring the other people in the park. It was a beautiful day, and there were mothers with children playing, and shoppers stopping to sit and take a break. He had heard the footsteps coming up behind him, but he had not paid attention to them.
He turned quickly, and came face to face with the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen. In four hours of following her, he had never gotten a good look at her face until that moment, and he was smitten. The smile on her face belied the words that she spoke.
"The shopkeeper says I should call the police," she informed him. "I'd like to give them an accurate report, so why don't you tell me who you are, and tell me exactly how long you've been stalking me."
Theo swallowed hard. "My name is Theo, and my uncle is hoping to hire you. He asked me to make sure you didn't get in trouble. It was my idea to direct you to some of the better places that aren't on the map."
Her smile hardened without detracting from her beauty. "I am Angelique," she stated. "I told your uncle that I did not want a paid guide, that I'd prefer to discover the city on my own."
"If you promise to stick to the map," Theo said, "then I will let you be, and still report to my uncle that your tour was trouble free. Please enjoy the rest of your day."
"Not so quick," she insisted. "Where are you sending me next?" she asked as she pulled out both maps. She barely looked at the map as she pointed out the new destination he had marked. Theo wondered why she asked, when she already knew the answer.
"Skating on the river," he answered. "There are rental tents at both the north and south, and they are both about the same distance from here. You can rent at one end and drop the skates at the other, if you wish."
"Are you a good skater?" she asked nicely.
"I am good enough," he answered with a humble shrug.
"Then you must come with me," she insisted. "It has been a while since I have skated, and I will need an arm to hold so I don't fall and hurt myself."
"I would be delighted," he smiled.
Theo was more than delighted. He was happy that she hadn't followed through on her threat, and he was exceedingly pleased to be openly escorting such a beautiful young woman. He couldn't wait to see what the afternoon would bring.
In less than two minutes on the ice, he knew that she had lied to him. She had held his arm for the first few tentative steps, but in moments, she had matched his rhythm to glide along smoothly beside him with her arm resting on his. She had smiled up at him when he shifted to take her right hand in his right hand to free up his left arm to drape over her shoulders. She had even leaned into him as they enjoyed themselves.
They had started at the north end, and it took them nearly a half hour to get to the south end at the leisurely pace they had set. He had pointed out some famous businesses and buildings along the way.
"So where shall I tell the police you kidnapped me to next?" she teased as they approached the area where they could drop off the skates.
"I may be the worst abductor ever," he teased back. "Perhaps I am letting your beauty distract me from planning ahead. The proper place to steal away to next would be the cocoa stand at the Institute of Technology. Sadly, that's located at the north end."
"Are you too tired to make it back?" she teased.
Even as she spoke, she turned around to skate backwards in front of him. She put her hands on his chest and leaned into him as she used her skates to brake. She dug in at the last moment, and used his momentum to push off, propelling him backwards. He had no choice but to trust her as she pushed him back the way they had come.
"Do you need me to push for a while?" she added to her tease.
"I doubt a novice skater such as you could manage to go that far," he said with a laugh.
With a quick glance backwards, he accelerated to smoothly skate away from her pushing arms. She laughed and cut sideways to find a clear path to speed up and pass him. He was able to continue skating backwards and stay ahead of her for a moment or two, but as she drew ahead, he had to do a high speed turn to face forward and catch up to her.
He worked to match her stride as he came up behind her. Even with the shorter stride, he was able to push harder, and he was able to catch her hips with his hands and pull their bodies together. She laughed as she caught his hands with her own. And then she squealed with delight as he started pushing harder.
"That's too fast," she cried joyfully as he pushed her along.
She stopped skating and brought her skates in to run parallel as he pushed. That allowed him to lengthen his strides, and he pushed even faster. Her grip on his hands at her hips tightened.
"Oh, slow down," she cried out with a nervous laugh.
For a few more strides, he maintained their speed, and then he eased off. Before too long, they had slowed to their original slow pace, with him pushing. They were both breathing hard.
Suddenly, she spun around again, and she let him push her along backwards. Her hands caught his shoulders, and she gave him a huge smile. Without interrupting his stride, she perfectly timed a quick lunge in to plant a kiss on his lips. He barely registered the warmth of her lips, and then they were gone.
"That was fun," she laughed.
"Yeah, it was," he agreed with a smile as big as hers. They held each other's eyes as they slid smoothly along the ice.
It was far too soon that they arrived back at the north end. After they turned in their skates, she slid in under his arm as she waited for him to lead the way.
He took her across the street and they entered a building. He led her straight to the elevators, and they took it up to the observation deck on the roof. He playfully tried to sneak a kiss in the elevator, and she playfully blocked him. She teased that he might earn one if the cocoa was good.
She forgot all about the cocoa as they walked out onto the roof of the building. They were only eight floors up, but the views included the downtown parks and a long stretch of the river. She ran to the edge with her map while he stopped to buy the cocoa. She smiled at him when he stopped to drink in her beauty as she stood at the edge and compared her view with the map.
Without even waiting to taste the drink, she gave him a kiss that warmed him more than the chocolate ever would.