On The Rebound

by Alexandra Warren

  “It’s a test,” he stated plainly, smirking as he went on to say, “Since you consider yourself the ultimate professional and whatnot.”

  We’d had plenty of conversations over the last few weeks about me being especially good at what I did for a living, so it wasn’t a surprise that he’d found a new way to challenge me. But I was still confused about what exactly he was asking me to do, frowning as I inquired, “So I’m supposed to just discreetly start masturbating mid-interview to prove I’m a pro at my job? Is that what you’re telling me?”

  Chuckling, he picked up his phone and explained, “No, you just gotta position it, and then I’ma control the vibrations from this app... to test you.”

  Admittedly, I was intrigued once he started showing me all the ends and outs of how the app and the vibrator worked together. But the thought of him having that much control over the situation still had me a bit nervous as I amusedly sighed, “Kage, this is crazy.”

  “What? You scared you can’t handle it?” he challenged, prematurely pleased with himself as I warned, “Quit. Cause you know I’m competitive.”

  “So compete, Bleu,” he pressed, steady trying to convince me when he grabbed my wrist and insisted, “I won’t do nothin’ too wild, I promise. I just wanna see how well my baby can handle a lil’ pressure.”

  Gnawing at my lip, I gripped the hot pink silicone in my palm and decided, “Fine. But that means you gotta sit in the room with me so you know for sure that you’re not wildin’. And if I give you the look, you better turn this shit down.”

  “I got you, baby,” he assured me with an excited smirk as we headed back to where my little studio was set-up. And after taking a quick second to properly insert it using the sample of water-based lubricant they’d suggested, I was actually surprised at the fact that I could barely even feel it under my dress.

  At least, I couldn’t feel it when the vibrations weren’t on. But once Kage got to messing around on that app, I realized this was going to be a lot harder than I thought as I clicked around on my computer until my eyes suddenly started rolling to the back of my head with a moaned, “Ohhhh shittt.”

  “My fault. Just testing out the settings,” Kage chuckled from the corner of the room as he changed the pattern to something a lot less powerful. And even though the subtle vibrations were still enough to have me sitting up extra straight, it felt like something I could handle as I waited for the video call to connect before giving an excited, “Hey Ava! Hey Miles!”

  Since none of this was live, we had plenty of time for sidebar conversations, Miles cheesing into the camera as he said, “I know this ain’t about me. I just wanted to say what’s up real quick.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now back up,” Ava groaned, pushing him out of view and making the both of us laugh as I told her, “Okay, so before we get started. Is there anything you don’t wanna talk about?”

  Leaning closer to the screen, she requested, “If we could stay away from the whole Love & Basketball thing with me and Miles, that’d be great.”

  In the background, I heard Miles yell, “You used to wear that movie out back in college!”

  “And now I’ve seen the light,” she responded over her shoulder, the two of them going back and forth after Miles replied, “I tried to tell you!”

  But honestly, I could barely even focus since Kage had taken the moment to remind me what I was up against, increasing the intensity of the vibrations in a way that had me biting my lip until Ava turned back to the screen to say, “Anyway. I can talk about Miles, but he’s not the only thing I do beyond the bench. Does that make sense?”

  “It most certainly does,” I told her in some voice that hardly even sounded like me, forcing me to clear my throat so that I could press record and give an official start to our interview.

  “Ava Daniels, thank you so much for joining me for this week’s virtual edition of B.T.B. Sunday. Obviously, I wish I could be down in my hometown having this chat with you face-to-face over some southern delicacies, but unprecedented times call for new measures.”

  “I’m just happy to be talking to someone other than Miles for a change,” she replied with a grin that told me she’d taken that shot at her man on purpose.

  “Let’s get right to it then,” I responded with a grin of my own just as I was hit with a powerful vibration that made me squirm, once again forcing me to clear my throat so that I could ask, “Before we talk about all the wonderful things you have going on outside of the game, we must first address the elephant in the room since we’ve just recently learned that, like the NBA season, the WNBA season has also been postponed due to COVID-19. What’d you think when you first got the news?”

  “Honestly, I was sort of expecting it, so it didn’t really surprise me. I mean, with everything going on, it seemed like the… Bleu, are you okay?”

  It wasn’t until she’d asked that I realized just how low my eyelids had fallen, the steady pattern playing out in my panties making me sensitive all over as I responded, “Mmhm, I’m fine. Keep going.”

  I was talking to Ava when I said that. But Kage accepted the invitation as well, forcing me to shoot him a subtle warning glare that only made him smirk as Ava restarted, “With everything going on, it was pretty much inevitable that the WNBA would also be impacted. But I’m hopeful that the league will be able to find a way for us to still have the opportunity to play at some point this year.”

  With Ava’s response came a change in the vibrational pattern; though I felt like I was finally starting to get the hang of balancing the pleasure and the professional as I commented, “Now there have been some rumors about a possible NBA bubble where the teams would be isolated in a single location or two and play with no fans present to lessen the chances of spreading the virus. Would you be open to seeing something like that for the W as well?”

  “Oh, absolutely. I mean, of course I’d love to be able to play in front of our fans down here in Atlanta. But if there’s any way for us to be able to get out there and compete safely this season, then I’m game.”

  “Speaking of competing safely, you and Miles have been giving us quite a show on Instagram Live with your ultra-competitive games of H-O-R-S-E. How else have you been… oh God.”

  Once that blurted from my mouth, I rushed to cover my lips with my hand, my face immediately growing hot with embarrassment and arousal as Ava once again asked, “Bleu, are you sure you’re okay?”

  Out of my peripheral, I could see Kage sitting in the corner struggling to hold in his amusement. But he also had one hand in his shorts, letting me know I wasn’t the only person being affected by all his teasing as I told Ava, “I am… so sorry. I must’ve eaten something that doesn’t agree with my stomach. Can we try this again in about ten minutes?”

  With a wave of her hand, she responded, “Of course, girl. Handle your business. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you so much,” I replied graciously, making sure both the call and the recording were ended before I hopped up from my seat and told Kage, “You better make this quick.”

  I was already busy removing my panties and the toy so that I could replace it with something veiny and real as Kage made quick work of yanking down his shorts and boxers, immediately pulling me down onto his dick where he realized, “Damn. That shit got you so wet.”

  “And since you wanted to play so much, it almost got me off in front of company too,” I told him as I wrapped my arms around his neck and started to ride, Kage matching my rhythm with upward strokes as he responded, “Nah, that’s for me to do.”

  “So finish what you started then,” I moaned right into his ear, my bottom lip immediately tucked between my teeth as Kage gave it to me hard and rough exactly how I liked it. And with all the extra sensitivity still lingering in my body from his kinky ass interview foreplay, it was nothing for me to cum hard, creaming all over Kage’s dick just as he warned me about his nut that shot out a literal few seconds after I’d climbed out of his lap.

>   Stroking himself empty, his chest was still heaving as he groaned, “See what you did.”

  Really, I should’ve been telling him the same thing since I was the one who’d had to press pause on my interview because of everything he was doing. But the satisfaction currently situated between my thighs made it all worth it, especially once I saw the adorably arrogant smirk on Kage’s lips when he mocked, “Now go finish what you started.”

  Eighteen

  Bleu had all but kicked me out of my own damn condo the second she found out the Trojans facilities were back open.

  She claimed it was because she knew how badly I’d been itching to get back into the gym, not because she was tired of me. But I knew all the petty arguments we’d been getting in to lately meant that wasn’t entirely true; especially since our latest disagreement over me not putting leftovers away in new containers and instead putting them in the fridge in the pot they were cooked in had led to her needing to take Poochie on a late-night walk cause she was apparently that fed up with my bullshit.

  Yeah, all that honeymoon stage energy had come and gone.

  Not that we were completely off each other. I mean, we still had our fun and never went to bed mad or anything like that. But after spending two straight months in each other’s faces, it made sense that we’d need a break that lasted longer than one of Bleu’s food runs; my time away at the gym doing us both some good since not only was it giving Bleu the space she obviously needed, but it also gave me a chance to start getting my feet back under me now that talks of an “NBA Bubble” were getting more serious.

  Basketball was an instinctive game for me. So as far as the basics went, I hadn’t completely lost my touch. But being out on an actual court was a helluva lot different than doing ankle-strengthening and mobility exercises in my living room. Though it wasn’t like we could scrimmage or anything like that since there were still a bunch of safety measures in place to ensure we wouldn’t fuck around and get each other sick.

  To be real, that was the only reason I was even open to coming to the gym in the first place since I knew there were heavy restrictions on how many people could be in the facility at once - one player, four coaches - along with protocol around us bringing our own basketball to use and already being dressed in our workout clothes since locker room usage was a no-go. We also had to do a temperature check and wear masks the entire time while the coaches also wore gloves and were required to stay twelve feet away from us, that distance the hardest thing to be mindful of since it wasn’t like any of us were carrying around a damn measuring stick.

  Still, it was good to be able to get some shots up, good to be able to do some dribbling work and footwork drills. And honestly, it was good to see some other faces in-person even though they were all masked up, Dre’s presence in particular making it easy for me to joke, “Damn, nigga. Yo’ ass couldn’t wait to be a deadbeat dad.”

  Shaking his head, I could tell he was frowning by the way his eyebrows bunched together when he responded, “Bro, shut up. My baby is just fine.”

  “You mean, our baby?” I teased. “You might’ve signed the birth certificate, but we both know who J.J.’s real dad is. And why y’all call him J.J. anyway?”

  “Jordan Jr., foo,” he answered like it was obvious, only making me frown right with him when I asked, “Who’s Jordan?”

  “Nigga, that’s my first name!”

  “Aww shit,” I responded with a laugh, Dre once again shaking his head as I asked, “How was I supposed to know? We’ve always called you Dre.”

  “DeAndre is my middle name,” he explained, his fun fact making me nod as a means of programming the new info before I said, “So the baby’s name is Jordan Kage Steele Jr. I guess that’s coo.”

  The little shrug I gave only made Dre chuckle as he concluded, “You so fuckin’ childish, bruh. And for the record, I ain’t no deadbeat. Selena just wanted a little break from me being all up under her since the pandemic hit.”

  Even though that shit was relatable as hell, it was way too easy for me to tease Dre about his situation instead of facing my own when I joked, “Bro, do you know how annoying you gotta be for somebody to have a one-month-old child and need a break from you instead of the baby? That’s crazy.”

  This time, Dre didn’t laugh, his stale half-face making me quick to add, “But nah, I get it. Bleu lowkey on the same shit.”

  Giving me the frowned-up eyebrows, he repeated, “Bleu? Like Bleu Taylor?”

  “How many Bleu’s you know?” I asked rhetorically, huffing a humorless laugh into my mask as I dribbled the ball back and forth while sharing, “She’s actually been down here with me since March.”

  He wasn’t as surprised to hear that as I thought he would be, nodding like something finally clicked for him when he responded, “I knew somethin’ was up with y’all when she showed up to the hospital that day you got injured. But I ain’t know y’all was like that.”

  “Yeah, man. Shit’s been amazing too. At least, up until recently. Now it’s like every little thing I do is a problem,” I admitted before adding, “Unless it involves my dick. I don’t miss there.”

  Even with all of our little spats lately, the sex always stayed on point, that part keeping me hopeful as Dre advised, “Don’t take it personal, man. I’m sure she’s just sick of this COVID shit the same way we all are.” But the second I started to believe him, he said, “Actually... I take that back. She probably really is sick of your ass. Honestly, I don’t even know how she lasted this long.”

  With that, he started to laugh until I reminded him, “I already told you why she’s been able to last.”

  Still, not even my dick jokes were enough to keep him from teasing, “Don’t be surprised when you get back to your crib, and that bitch is empty like on that episode of Fresh Prince when Will was standing by himself in the middle of the living room.”

  “Aye, man. That’s not funny,” I whined, that reaction only making Dre laugh even harder as he asked, “Aw, so you can have all the jokes in the world about my son, but you can’t take one about your lil’ situation with Bleu?”

  Maybe if that was all it was, I’d be in the mood for his humor. But the truth was, “It ain’t just some lil’ situation, man.”

  “What? You in love now or somethin’?” he asked amusedly, my lack of reaction making him realize, “Oh shit. You really are in love.”

  Rolling my eyes, I groaned, “Yeah, man. Is it really that hard to believe? I mean, you know Bleu. She’s easily the most lovable person on the planet; petty arguments included.”

  “Oh, you on some flaws and all shit too?” Dre asked, already chuckling about it as he nodded and concluded, “Yeah, your ass is definitely in love.”

  “I don’t even know why I’m talkin’ to you about this,” I mumbled as I finally tossed up another shot, not all that surprised when it didn’t get anywhere close to hitting the rim. And even though Dre was clowning me somethin’ serious, he still grabbed the “rebound”, securing the ball under his arm as he said, “I’m happy for you, bruh. Bleu’s a good look.”

  “The best kind,” I sighed. “I guess I’m just starting to wonder if maybe she’s been pickin’ all these little fights with me lately cause she doesn’t feel the same way.”

  “Kage, that’s a grown ass woman you’re talkin’ about. If she wasn’t feelin’ you for real, you’d know,” Dre assured me. Though knocking that off the list of possibilities only left me more confused as he asked, “You don’t think it could be somethin’ else?”

  “Like what? Her period?” I asked, shaking my head as I told him, “Nah, I’ve already learned how to deal with that.”

  “Nah, man,” he responded with a chuckle. “I mean, you probably really have just been gettin’ on her nerves. But like, these times also haven’t been easy on anybody, so I can’t imagine Bleu being immune.”

  With his suggestion, something clicked as I shared, “You might be onto somethin’ with that, cause she has been talking a lot lately
about how much she misses her family and the city. Talking about how disappointed she is about not being able to do it big for her thirtieth birthday next month, and how annoyed she is that she still hasn’t been able to film any episodes of her show.”

  There were a few more things I could’ve added to the list. But Dre interrupted my thoughts when he asked, “So she’s been dealing with all those feelings on top of you doing little stupid shit?”

  “Bruh, we talkin’ about leftovers though,” I whined. “How I handle a pot of spaghetti shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

  “Maybe not to you. But part of being in a real relationship is learning that it’s not always about how you feel. Shit, sometimes, it’s not even about you at all. But if it is about you, and you love her like you say you do, then you need to quit bullshittin’, nigga.”

  To be real, I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around not using Tupperware as bullshittin’ in a relationship. But I also knew better than to completely ignore the entirety of Dre’s advice, recognizing that there very well could be more to the story than what I’d been selfishly choosing to see. And that was the note I left the gym with as I made the quickest stop I could at the grocery store to pick up some flowers before finally making my way back to the crib that smelled good as hell when I walked in.

  Once I found Bleu standing at the stove whipping us up something to eat, I knew why, the smile she shot me when she saw the flowers in my hand making me believe that all was well as she amusedly asked, “You actually stopped at the store? All by yourself?”

  “For that smile, I’d do anything,” I told her on some cake shit, Bleu giggling as I removed my mask, washed my hands, delivered her flowers and then sealed it all with a kiss.

  “Yeah, we must’ve just needed a break,” I decided as Bleu asked, “How was your workout?”