by Lucy Snow
“Yeah, good first game from him.”
“I didn’t do it, Coach, and I’ll be there for the next two games. You gotta believe me.”
Coach Armstrong sighed. “Asher, I don’t know if you did it, and I don’t care. All I know is what the league tells me. I play the guys I got, and I played McKee over you this time because I needed to know that McKee would be able to stand the pressure if you couldn’t go in the last two games.” He stepped past me, toward the locker room. “It’s nothing personal, just football.”
“Football is personal to me, Coach!” I shouted after him, not caring who heard.
“That was your first mistake,” I heard him say just loud enough to hear, and then he was gone into the tunnel.
Back in the locker room every one yelled and hollered, thrilled that we were going to the conference championship. I was just as happy, but this time it was a hollow victory, since I hadn’t gotten to play as much or make as much of a difference. I went to McKee’s locker and gave him props on a game well played, then back to mine.
Everyone moved a little faster during away games, wanting to get their post game routine done so we could get back on the bus to the hotel and back to our beds quick. Tomorrow we’d fly home to New England, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the familiar cold and snow. Pittsburgh was no favorite city of mine.
Drake and Lance were sitting next to each other, jabbering about the game and ‘deepening that bond’ or whatever the fuck reporters called it when they marveled at the connection they seemed to share on the field.
I talked with them for a little while, shooting the shit, but it was awkward since I didn’t have nearly as much to share with them as they had - they had played the entire game, and I had mostly played when it was well in hand and the Patriots were definitely going to win.
I got ready in silence and walked outside, ready to get back onto the bus.
“Hud?” I heard Mack’s voice behind me and I turned around. She was there wearing all her Patriots gear - looking at her like that no one would ever have guessed she was a high powered team executive. She even had the Patriots logo sticker on her cheek.
Her outfit wasn’t shapely or anything, and definitely veered to the baggy rather figure-hugging side, but damn if she didn’t look sexy as hell in all that blue, silver, and red. I wanted to take her somewhere private and undress her, but as I looked around, there was no way we wouldn’t get noticed.
“Hey, Mack,” I called out to her. “What’s up? Good game, yeah?”
“Great game!” she flashed that winning smile at me as she waved her Patriots flag in front of her. “I wish you’d gotten to play more.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Come here for a sec?”
I wondered if Mack had the same idea - maybe she had found a place where we could be alone and get in a little lovin’ before the bus ride back to the hotel, but it was clear as I stepped toward her that Mack wanted to talk.
“What’s up?” I said, once we were out of earshot of everyone else, around a corner near one of the vending machines.
“I just wanted to tell you that this thing with the PED test isn’t over yet, we’re not dropping it and letting the league just walk all over us.”
“Thanks, Mack, that means a lot to me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I spoke to my father earlier today and he made some calls, including to the commissioner. It’s not taken care of yet, but we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
I almost choked up at the mention of Mack’s father, and I got angry that a man like him had to be bothered trying to help me out of a jam. “I’ll make it up to him, Mack, I swear…”
Mack pressed her hands against my chest, and I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering her hands on my chest while she rode my cock a few nights earlier. “Don’t mention it, Hud, he was happy to do it. I think it got his mind off other stuff.”
I opened my eyes and looked down at her. “I can’t thank you enough, Mack.”
She laughed. “Just get back on the field and help us win a trophy, and all of this will have been worth it.”
“I want nothing more in the world,” I said, before I realized something else. “Except…”
Mack looked at me quizzically.
I took the chance that no one was watching and I leaned in, kissing her. “Except that.”
Mack blushed furiously, and I could almost see a tear forming at her left eye. “Hud,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “we can’t, not here.”
“I know, but I’m just letting you know I’m thinking about it.”
“I’ve thought of little else since…”
“Me neither.”
We straightened up together, like we were both suddenly aware of where we were.
“There’s one more thing,” Mack said as she reached up and adjusted the collar on my jacket.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve hired a private investigator to look into the PED thing. Just in case. Someone who used to work with my father, who knows some people in the league office. I want to make sure everything is running above board.”
“I gotcha.”
“We’ll figure this out, Hud, don’t you worry about that.”
I smiled. “With Detective Mayfield on the case? How could I worry?”
Mack saluted, then she bit her lip, paused for a second, and pulled me in for a kiss. “I couldn’t help it,” she breathed as we let go. “I miss your touch.”
“Hold that thought, babe,” I whispered back as we straightened out. “I gotta get on the bus.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you back in Foxboro.”
It was hard to leave Mack’s side.
CHAPTER 17 - MACKENZIE
When we flew back to New England the next day, everyone rushed to the office for a full day of work while the players took their post-game day off. It was kinda nice having fewer people around the complex, even if that meant I didn’t get to see Hud walking through the halls so I could ogle his body and daydream about him pulling me into an emergency kissing meeting.
Still, there was so much to do that Monday just flew by, and before I knew what was happening it was time for me to go home and get a good night’s sleep. I drove home and immediately got into more comfy clothes, laying out my outfit for the next morning in advance so I could get a few minutes more sleep.
Next up was pouring myself a very much needed glass of wine from the bottle I had in the fridge. Settling back on the couch, I closed my eyes and took small sips, relaxing for the first time in days, letting the rush of winning our divisional round game wash over and through me.
It was a nice feeling, I wasn’t gonna lie, but almost immediately my thoughts turned back to Hudson Asher, and this time, not just about his body. I didn’t know what I was going to do about him, either personally or professionally. Unfortunately, given our working situation, they were kinda the same thing these days.
The investigator we had hired hadn’t come up with anything yet, nor had he signaled that anything was awry with either the test, how it was administered, or how the league was interpreting it. That was not a good sign for Hud’s chances of rescuing his reputation and playing in the last two games of the year.
Our championship game this year was against the Denver Broncos, who had acquired a once-great quarterback on the tail end of his career a couple years back. The Broncos had succeeded mostly on the power of their defense, but at the same time, the old QB could still pull a good game out of somewhere if he really needed to, and during the playoffs, everyone needed to.
That meant that our defense had to be on point the entire game, and that meant we needed our field general Hudson Asher on the field whenever possible. And knowing Coach Armstrong, that wasn’t going to happen as long as Hud wasn’t completely exonerated by the league.
Labs don’t often come back with false positives these days, not with how frequently the league tests for PEDs. And the league doesn’t announce investigations unless they know
what’s going on and have enough evidence to suspend someone. Something was a little fishy here, and I hoped we could get to the bottom of it quickly.
I didn’t know what we’d do without Hud on the field for the next two games. He was a defensive juggernaught the likes of which the team had never seen, and not only was his play important, but how he led the defense, making sure everyone was at their assignment and ready to go. You couldn’t replace that with some guy who was starting his second career game, not at this level. There were two games left, and it only got tougher.
I was into my second glass of wine, still wallowing about what to do about Hud and the Broncos game coming up that weekend when I got a knock on the door. I stood up, setting my glass down and walking toward it, wondering who it could be.
I looked through the peephole and all I saw was chest. I only knew one man that big. I opened the door, looking up. “Hud?” I asked. “What’re you doing here?”
“Hey, Mack, I was just in the neighborhood,” Hud started, before he forced out a chuckle. “Nah, that’s not true. I wanted to see you.”
He looked like a lost dog, sad and alone with no one to turn to. I looked down. “Come in, Hud, come in,” I said, throwing the door open wide. Hud nodded and came in, and I closed it behind him, softly thrilled to have him back at my place so soon. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Hud looked around the room as he took off his jacket, and he must have seen my wine glass on the table because he just said, “I’ll have what you’re having,” before he sat down on the couch right next to where I had been a minute earlier.
I went to the kitchen and poured him a glass and took it to him. Hud took a long sip as I sat down next to him and picked up my own glass. “So,” I said, trying to sound as naughty as possible, since it was the wine talking. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
Hud looked around. “I couldn’t sleep. This fucking PED thing is driving me nuts, Mack. I can’t be around that facility and not know what my status is.” He looked so helpless and I couldn’t help but reach out to him, taking his hand in mine. “Did the investigator come back with anything yet?” He asked, a taste of hope in his voice.
“Nope,” I said, shaking my head, and not telling him that the investigator had intimated that there was fire to this smoke. “He’s still looking but hasn’t found anything yet. I’ll let you know.”
Hud nodded, then stood up all of a sudden, pacing around the room like a caged tiger. I didn’t know what to say, so I just watched him and sipped my wine. “It’s all bullshit, Mack!”
“I know, Hud,” I replied back.
Hud came back and sat down on the couch again, and this time he took my hand in his and squeezed it. “Mack…” Hud whispered.
“Yeah?” I didn’t get anything else out, because Hud was kissing me and that definitely was more important to me than any words I might have come up with in that moment.
I folded into his kiss, setting our glasses down then climbing into his lap to get a better angle on him. Hud’s kisses became more and more insistent as we kept on, and the way I sat in his lap made it clear that as I turned into him and wrapped my arms around his neck, he was getting harder and harder, and after a minute or so all I could think about was getting out of these clothes and getting his cock into me.
Hud apparently had the same idea, because when we finally separated after minutes of kissing, he moved his head toward the exits, his eyes still locked on mine. “The bedroom?”
He nodded, and kissed me again.
I nodded back to the left. “It’s over there.”
In one motion, Hud stood up off the couch, scooping me up and taking me with him. I squealed in delight - I’d never been with a man who was so strong before; Hud could throw me around like a toy if he wanted, and I very much wanted him to do so whenever he liked.
But this time, for some reason, I didn’t want him to carry me to bed, not like last time. “Let me down, Hud,” I whispered.
He lowered me immediately, my feet hitting the cool hardwood floor softly, an unspoken question in his eyes.
For a second before I spoke I enjoyed once again seeing the difference in our size. If I looked straight at him, my eyes were in line with the bottom of Hud’s chest. He towered above me. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yes, everything’s fine, Hud.” I balanced on one foot, pressing one hand into his chest as he leaned in for a kiss. “For some reason it feels weird for you to carry me to my own bedroom.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I dunno.” I took him by the hand and led him around the coffee table and toward the bedroom. “Let’s go.”
Hud just shook his head and smiled. “You’re so strange, Mack…”
I grinned back at him over my shoulder. “You love it and you know it.”
“Love is such a strong word for it, but give me some time,” Hud said, and I quickly turned back to face forward so he couldn’t see me blush as hard as I knew I was already.
Love? Why had I said that? What better way to spook a guy out too early than by bringing that up? Come on, Mackenzie, you know better than that, you’re not a fucking teenager. Get a grip, girl!
Regardless, Hud didn’t seem too scared yet. At least he hadn’t run from the condo, screaming out into the night, never to be heard from again. So at least I had that going for me.
As if to reassure me, Hud squeezed my hand, and I gratefully squeezed back. I don’t know how this man managed to hear my thoughts like that - maybe he just knew the right thing to say?
This was all new to me.
We moved through the condo, the lights off, till we got to my bedroom. I led Hud inside, walking with confidence because I was certainly no stranger to muddling around here in the dark. Hud moved a little more slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the lower light. Finally, I stopped in front of the bed and turned around. The windows let in slivers of pale moonlight that gave the sparse furniture sharp relief and cast shadows that etched themselves on the floor.
I smiled at Hud, looking down, and he looked around, taking it all in. “So this is your bedroom, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said, a little shy for no reason at all. It wasn’t the first time I had had a boy in my bedroom, but for some reason it was different with Hud. He was more than a boy; he was a man.
“I like it,” he said.
I chuckled. “Even in the dark?”
Hud stepped toward me, and I threw my arms around his neck, jumping up and feeling his arms cover me up from underneath. “Even in the dark,” he whispered to me. “Besides, I don’t really care about the room itself, it’s the girl who lives in it that matters.”
As cheesy as it sounded, that nearly brought tears to my eyes, and I had to look down so I could wipe them away before they got too big. Hud just looked at me impassively, like what he said was the most natural thing in the world and that he was surprised that I had any reaction at all.
I couldn’t help it, I punched him in the shoulder, lightly. “Why do you say things like that?” I whispered, still scared the tears were coming.
“Huh?”
“Things so nice,” I said, whimpering. “I don’t understand how it could have taken me so long to meet someone like you, Hud.”
He pulled me in closer, and I smelled his particular Hudson smell, a scent I was quickly getting to love. “There, there, Mack,” he soothed me, breathing into my hair and rustling it about. “Don’t worry about the time.”