Passion and Power

Chapter 18

"Oh. Fuck!" Kazuha, Minji, and Hanni stared at each other in shock, all three frozen and at a complete loss for words.

"Coach, I..." Hanni finally blurted something out, and stammered for a few moments before Kazuha finally managed to pull herself together and slam the door. Hanni turned to Minji with wide eyes.

"Oh my god, I..." Hanni's eyes were wide with panic.

"Hanni, it's going to be OK."

"What if Coach...benches me for the game?! Or doesn't start me..." Hanni gasped. "I could never forgive myself...I'm such an idiot, I just wanted..."

"Hanni. I promise. It's going to be OK." Minji said with complete calm and determination. She wanted to do whatever she could to keep Hanni from panicking.

"Minji, she wouldn't let me start just because I was late to practice! Somehow this seems like...another level."

"Are you telling me she's established a team policy around...this situation?"

"Well, not that I'm aware of..." Hanni said.

"Something tells me...that it isn't in her best interest to...punish you. ..why would she bench her star player? Or risk upsetting her top sponsor?"

"Maybe not. I don't know. Maybe she needs to prove a point?"

"As long as she doesn't say anything to the team...no one would be the wiser." Minji looked at Hanni closely. "Do you trust me, Hanni?"

"Trust you? Well...yes. Of course I do."

"Then just...relax. I want you to stay in here. Get some rest. Concentrate on the game. Know that everything is under control."

"I..." Hanni stammered.

"Let's just...lay low. For the rest of the trip, OK?"

"What do you mean?" Hanni asked.

"Let's just...cool it until we get back home, OK?"

"OK. Sure. I know you're right. After getting completely busted by Coach...we have to be more careful."

"It's not like I'm your boss, Hanni. But if we start openly dating...people are going to have questions. Questions about why KCorp sponsored your team at such a high level. It just...doesn't look good. I'm not saying we have to be a secret, but the longer we can push out the public 'coming out' the better."

"I totally get it, Minji. You don't want people to question your motives for bringing KCorp in as a sponsor for the Spirit. We don't want them to think you did it for me...that we were together and that's why you did it."

"It would look really bad to the Board, not to mention diminish the public relations bonanza this has been for us. Maybe after the championship..."

"So, if we win the championship the Board will be so thrilled with the publicity that, maybe they won't be so worried about it if our dating does become public?" Hanni asked.

"Precisely."

"OK, I'll keep it on the down-low." Hanni said with a small smile.

"Hanni. If there would be some...repercussions...with your coach because of what just happened here...would that make you rethink your decision for us to date?"

"What?!" Hanni said in shock. "Minji...of course not."

"I know you're worried about how a relationship could impact your career..."

"No. Minji, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not having doubts about my decision. I'm just nervous about how Coach will react, and cursing myself for not having better control of my...desires. I just...had been thinking about you so much. Being in this tiny space with you...surrounded by your smell. Then hearing you groan...feeling your cock. All my reasoning went out the window. All I wanted was you..." Hanni said, taking a deep breath. "But that's OK. I know that I have to do better...Stay in control. That doesn't mean I've changed my mind about...us."