On The Rebound

by Alexandra Warren

  Honestly, I was holding my breath, every possession critical as the teams traded buckets back and forth. But with Milwaukee already in the lead, the Trojans were going to have to get some stops on defense, Coach Kirkwood’s strategies doing nothing to contain the reigning league MVP who was obviously on a mission to redeem himself after being defeated in last year’s matchup.

  Once Kage fouled out with a minute left, I knew it was a wrap; especially since the call was less about him being aggressive and more about him being lazy which only told me one thing.

  He was really hurting.

  Of course, he was tough about heading to the bench and even stayed on his feet to cheer his team on. But once again, it was obvious to me that something wasn’t right; though I had to tuck that into the back of my mind once the game was over, and I was sent to the court to interview the leading scorer of the opposing team.

  With three quick questions about his personal success tonight, the team’s comeback run in the third quarter, and any adjustments they planned on making for the next game, I was able to send him on his way. And then it was back to the makeshift presser area that was a lot smaller than what any of us were normally used to, equipped with a camera and background set-up that allowed for reporters to ask questions from another location and then for the ones on-site like me to stand in.

  The success of the vlog series had me pulling double duty as I had my camera girl Natalie capture footage of me engaging with a variety of people behind the scenes, then of me throwing out questions to whichever players were sent to represent their team. And I wasn’t at all surprised that Zeb and Niko had been the ones tasked with the duty for the Trojans, the veterans each giving standard answers about what had gone wrong tonight and what they planned to do differently next game before somberly getting up to leave.

  Since Zeb was the second of the two, I stopped him with a hand to the arm so that I could ask, “Hey. Is Kage okay?”

  “Yeah, I think he’s just getting some treatment on his ankle or somethin’. He should be out in a minute.”

  It was standard for Kage to get treatment after games, so that part didn’t worry me as much as the limp he eventually emerged from the locker room with, an immediate frown on my masked-up face when I approached him to ask, “How bad is it?”

  “Hello to you too, gorgeous,” he answered lightly, in a much better mood than I’d thought he would be when he pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and answered, “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

  It sounded good. But once Kage pulled up his mask, and we both started walking in the same direction towards the exit, it was easy for me to mention, “Your limp says otherwise.”

  Stopping dead in his tracks, Kage turned to me and quietly asked, “What you want me to do, Bleu? Sit out next game and let these niggas go up 2-0 on us? That’s not happenin’.”

  “I’m not saying that,” I replied. “I just…”

  Before I could even express my concerns about him possibly making his injury ten times worse than what it was the first time, Kage insisted, “I’m fine, baby. Now quit all that worrying, aight?”

  Since I didn’t want to plant any additional doubt in his mind, I let it go for the moment, responding with a nod that Kage appreciated as we resumed our walk and he asked, “Now what we doin’ tomorrow?”

  Even though I was extra excited about us finally being able to spend some real time together, I only shrugged when I answered, “Your campus. Your date to plan.”

  “Hol’ up,” he said, stopping again to ask, “Is this our first real date?”

  With a giggle, I responded, “Kage, I was literally living with you for months. How is it even poss… oh my God. I think you might actually be right. No, wait. The whole rage room thing was kinda…”

  Shaking his head, he interrupted, “Nah, you already said that wasn’t a date. And when the world was still open, you wasn’t tryna be seen out in public wit’ a nigga quite yet, so…”

  “It’s our first date,” I realized, that fact somehow making me more excited even when I teased, “You better make it good.”

  “I got you, baby,” Kage assured me. “Just make sure you wear something comfortable that’s also easy to remove.”

  “I can do that,” I responded with a smirk he couldn’t see as he pressed another lingering kiss to my forehead before we parted ways. And even though I was very much looking forward to whatever he came up with for tomorrow, it was the game happening on the following day that stayed at the forefront of my mind as I watched him limp to his team’s bus.

  Kage had planned an amazing first date.

  After he was done with his morning of practice and watching film and I was done with my morning of filming other people’s practices, we’d started the afternoon with a nice lunch ordered in from one of the better restaurants that had direct Bubble access, Seana’s Caribbean & Soul Food.

  Even though the food offerings had gotten better over time, there was nothing readily available that compared to the fried pork chops, liquid gold macaroni & cheese, and candied yams that Kage and I somehow ended up sharing when his Caribbean jerk pasta wasn’t enough. But I didn’t mind since it was way more food than I needed to be eating by myself, already making plans for a morning jog to burn off some of the calories as we finished up then headed to another part of campus that offered fishing and boating.

  As someone who loved being out on the water, I was in heaven as I sat on Kage’s lap while we cruised the lake and lagoon in one of the mid-sized vessels. But I couldn’t help tensing up a bit when we got further away from the property and Kage admitted in my ear, “It’s as bad as it looked, Bleu.”

  Without him even needing to say, I already knew he was talking about his ankle. But truthfully, I didn’t know how to react, not wanting to freak out while also being incredibly concerned since a serious injury had the potential to deter his entire career. And it was still so early, only his second season, meaning his dreams of being a force in the league - a future All-Star - could all go away based on this one decision.

  It was so much to consider. But I appreciated his honesty, turning around to face him when I asked, “What’s your gut telling you?”

  “This is probably gonna sound bad, but…” he paused, glancing out at the water for a second before he shared, “After that last game, I kinda feel like this ain’t the right season to be puttin’ that type of energy towards. Like, I wanna go all the way, of course. But I’m also not a thousand percent confident that we even have all the right pieces to make it happen this year.”

  “So you wanna shut it down?”

  “Sometimes,” he answered. “Then other times it’s like, “Nigga, you really just gonna quit on your team like that?”. So I guess I’m torn.”

  “Which is a very valid emotion to feel,” I responded. “I mean, of course you don’t wanna let your team down. But you also have to preserve yourself in some ways if you expect to last in this league. It’s complicated.”

  “Very,” he agreed, the both of us going quiet in thought before I asked him, “What’s the training staff saying?”

  “Basically, if I wanna play, they can give me everything I need to be able to do so.”

  “Sounds about right,” I grumbled, knowing how they often operated in the short-term interest of the organization instead of the long-term interest of the player. But regardless of what they said, it was still up to Kage what actually happened, a neutral grin on my face when I told him, “Guess it’s just up to you to decide what you wanna do, babe.”

  After a heavy sigh, he bit into his bottom lip, changing the energy between us once he looked me in the eye and suggested, “Right now, all I wanna do is forget about all that shit and be inside you.”

  “Then you better get to driving back to the dock,” I told him with a smirk that Kage was quick to cover with a kiss before he asked, “Why? You can’t be quiet out here?”

  While the thought of making the boat our playground was a bit intriguing, that idea only l
asted a second as I told Kage, “First of all, we don’t know what kinda surveillance Disney has going on out here, and that is exactly the kinda scandal we need to be avoiding. And secondly, I haven’t gotten any dick in months. A quickie on a boat makes me feel like I’d be settling.”

  “No such thing as settling when it comes to me and mine,” he responded, the erection now growing against my ass only confirming his claims as he continued, “But I guess you right, though. Cause I definitely need that pussy in my mouth ASAP.”

  “So take us home then, Captain,” I purred, stealing a kiss and then laughing against Kage’s lips when his silly ass slammed on the gas like these boats even went that fast. But eventually, we did make it back to the dock and into the hotel his team was staying in, giving quick nods to all the familiar faces we saw on the way to his room that was more like a suite.

  “Oh, this is way nicer than what they have us staying in,” I told him, grinning at how obvious it was that Kage had attempted to clean up for my visit as he agreed, “Yeah, it’s not too bad. Got a nice lil’ view and shit.”

  His view of the campus was nice. But I couldn’t help myself as I easily slipped out of the dress I was wearing, leaving just my bra and panties on when I challenged, “I think I might have a better one.”

  “Oh damn,” he groaned, licking his lips as he approached me to ask, “You comin’ like that?”

  “Comfortable and easy to get out of just like you requested,” I reminded him with a smirk, throwing my arms around his neck so that I could pull his face down to mine for a kiss that he made easier once he lifted me from the ground. And even though I was concerned about his ankle as he carried me into the bedroom, I was quickly lost in the feel of his lips against my skin once he laid me down and started kissing me from my neck to my navel, taking his dear sweet time to get to what was impatiently waiting to be touched.

  The slower he went, the more I considered smashing his face in it like a birthday cake. But the tease only made it that much better once he finally removed my panties, bringing his face back to my center and giving a long swipe against my swollen clit with his tongue that immediately had me arching away from the bed.

  “Damn, I missed this pussy,” he groaned, making that point very clear as he greedily licked and kissed it to reacquaint himself. Then he flipped me onto my stomach so that he could do the same thing from behind, bouncing back and forth between both pleasure zones as I moaned into the pillows in an effort to contain the noise.

  There was hardly any use once his dick got involved though, the feel of it entering me from the back already making my stomach coil as he stretched me out for the first time in way too long. And after a few slow strokes to ease the tension, he gripped into my waist and picked up the pace, the headboard being secured to the wall doing us both a favor since it surely would’ve been alerting his neighboring teammate if it wasn’t.

  Honestly, I was sure that was still the case since it was impossible for me not to sing Kage’s praises as he repeatedly hit my spot. And when he pulled out to eat my pussy from the back again, those praises only got louder, my eyes watering with tears of pleasure by the time Kage flipped me again so that he could sex me missionary style.

  He was kissing me hard and fucking me harder, pulling his face back so that he could look me in the eye when he slowed his strokes to say, “I love you so fuckin’ much.” But before I could even respond, he was already lifting my lower limbs so that my feet were pointed towards the headboard, the new position driving me completely insane as I came hard with Kage still holding my legs as he moved back down below to clean me up with his mouth.

  The sensitivity called for a wave of aftershocks as I squirmed against his tongue, only for his dick to be back inside of me a few short moments later. And with the additional moisture from my orgasm, it didn’t take much for Kage to get his too, pulling out to nut on my stomach as I just laid there watching and grinning.

  Breathlessly, I admitted, “No lie. If that would’ve been responsible for a Bubble baby, I couldn’t have even been mad.”

  “Should’ve told me that before we got started cause I definitely wouldn’t have pulled out,” Kage insisted with a grin as he moved to the nearby bathroom to grab me a warm towel. Though when he came back, I was quick to tell him, “Nah, Poochie is more than enough for now.”

  “I miss her,” he sighed. “Matter of fact, lemme call Ms. J right now to see what she’s up to.”

  Dropping the towel off with me, Kage moved towards the living room to grab his phone like we both weren’t still naked, prompting me to hop up from the bed and grab my clothes as I told him, “Babe, wait. At least let me get back dressed first.”

  With a shrug, Kage found a random pair of basketball shorts to throw on before he settled in on the couch and made the FaceTime call that brought an immediate smile to his face when he said, “Ms. J, what’s good?”

  “Hey, hun. Tough loss last night, huh?”

  “Yeah, we’ll get ‘em back tomorrow though,” Kage insisted, the mention of tomorrow’s game making my eyebrow pique curiously as he went on to ask, “Where’s Poochie?”

  “She’s right here acting like she’s too bougie for some leftover rib bones,” Ms. Jeanine groaned before using a slightly nicer voice to urge, “Say Hi to your daddy.”

  “Aww, look at her,” Kage crooned, waiting until my dress was completely back on before he flipped the camera my way to say, “Poochie, look who it is. It’s your mama.”

  Obviously, Poochie didn’t have a real response to that. But the mention was still enough for Ms. Jeanine to ask, “You got Miss. Bleu over there with you?”

  Moving to see the screen, my eyes went wide as I asked, “Oh my God, when did she get so big?”

  “When she started eating off of Ms. J’s plate,” Kage insisted, making Ms. Jeanine move the camera back her way so that she could roll her eyes at him.

  But once she saw me now sitting with him, she offered a smile as she gave me her usual drawn-out, “Heyyy, Miss. Bleu.”

  “Hey, Ms. Jeanine. How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m good. Hanging in there until my Joe Joe gets back tomorrow,” she responded. “How are you holdin’ up? You know I am lovin’ that show you’ve been putting out on the YouTube.”

  “Thank you, Ms. J. It’s been fun,” I told her, grinning hard at the compliment as she gave a wave of her hand to say, “Girl, you know I love everything you do.”

  With that, Kage shot a little smile my way that almost immediately fell from his lips once Ms. Jeanine said, “But back to you, Kage. What the hell was that last foul about yesterday? You know your team needs you way too much for you to be doin’ that nonsense.”

  Nodding, Kage agreed, “Yeah, I know. It won’t happen again.”

  “I know it won’t,” Ms. Jeanine insisted before asking, “Now how many you got for me tomorrow?”

  Once again, the mention of tomorrow’s game had my eyebrow piqued curiously. But I stayed quiet, surprised when Kage very casually answered, “Uhhh… I should be able to give you at least twenty-two.”

  “Make it twenty-five, and I’ll feed your dog her regular food,” Ms. Jeanine challenged, making me giggle as Kage frowned and groaned, “What kinda…”

  The serious look Ms. Jeanine responded with made him redirect his statement as he shook his head and said, “Aight, aight. I got you, Ms. J. Tell Coach Joe I said I’ll call him tomorrow after the game.”

  “Alright, baby. You two take care. Love y’all.”

  “We love you too,” Kage replied for the both of us before ending the call. But once he set his phone to the side, I couldn’t wait to turn his way and ask, “So now you’re playing tomorrow?”

  With a heavy sigh, Kage sat back against the couch to create some distance between us as he responded, “Bleu, don’t say it like that. I already told you I was torn.”

  “I’m not saying it like anything. I was just asking,” I clarified, resting a gentle hand on his thigh when I very calmly asked
, “Are you sure this is what you wanna do?”

  He took a moment to think about it. But I could see it in his eyes when something must’ve clicked for him as he sat back up to answer, “On principle, it’s only right that I at least try to finish what I started.”

  Now that his decision was already made, I knew it was my place to accept that and support him in it. And while I could appreciate him sticking to his principles, I could only pray that that consistency wouldn’t come back to haunt him later.

  Twenty-Two

  Winning game two gave me confidence.

  Confidence in my squad.

  Confidence in my ankle.

  Confidence in my decision to continue playing even though it was taking a helluva lot of treatment to make it all happen…

  To be real, it was kind of wild learning all the different ways the training staff had been able to help me manage my pain. But I appreciated their efforts, along with the efforts of my teammates who were playing their asses off to the point that I didn’t even have to go as hard as I’d anticipated.

  At least, that held true for game two, game three sending me to the bench early for different reasons since losing in a blowout meant all the starters were sitting by the middle of the fourth quarter. And even though that shit was beyond frustrating, that extra rest followed by intense treatments over the following day and a half gave me the ability to come into game four relatively fresh, ready to take on the Milwaukee squad who was proving to be just as tough this year as they were last year when we took them to game seven.

  Back then, we were the underdogs meaning it was completely unexpected for us to even be competitive in the series, let alone win it. But this year, the battle was anticipated, the fact that the other remaining teams had players showing up to watch us live only giving proof to just how intense everyone expected the rest of the series to be.