by Krista Lakes
“Take yours off, too,” she ordered, and Ollie immediately did what she asked.
He stepped down from the table and slipped off his pants, releasing his shaft. Now naked, Oliver resumed his position over Elsie. He held her legs up, draping her knees over his shoulders. The head of his cock hovered just outside of her opening.
“Do it,” she whispered. “Take me, Oliver. Take me.”
Oliver clenched his jaw and slowly bucked his hips forward, pressing toward her. Elsie moaned, as his crown touched her entrance.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. His blue eyes met hers and his pupils dilated. His fingers tightened against her skin.
She reached forward, grabbing Oliver's hips. She looked him in the eyes and whispered, “Yes.”
“The weather outside remains dangerous, so stay inside your homes,” Ollie informed her.
Elsie sat straight up and looked at him. “What?”
“Lows today will be around five degrees with a high of only twenty-seven,” he replied smoothly, looking her directly in they eyes as his fingers caressed her skin. “Tomorrow is looking slightly more sunny, with highs in the thirties. This is Iowa radio at six in the morning.”
Elsie blinked hard, not understanding what in the world was going on. When she opened them again, Ollie was gone. She slowly sat up, expecting to see the workout equipment surrounding her and the massage table underneath her. But she wasn't downstairs in the clinic. She was still in her bed.
What the hell? She thought, looking around her room. Beside her the alarm on her radio continued to describe the top news stories of the day. She hit the off button with a little more force than was necessary.
Elsie threw the covers off of her. She was breathing hard and a layer of sweat covered her skin. Her body tingled and it felt like she'd just had an orgasm.
“It was a dream?” she said out loud. “Oh my God.”
She glanced out of her bedroom window to see that the storm was still raging outside. The house was silent besides the wind. There was no rumbling of an engine or a knocking on the door. Oliver hadn't shown up to the clinic in the middle of the night in a snow storm. She should have known that it was just a dream.
It had been one of those dreams that was so intricate in detail that it felt more like a memory than a figment of her imagination. She could still taste his kiss and smell his cologne. She could still feel the sensation of him pressed against her and her fingertips still tickled from touching his beard stubble. It had seemed so real. A part of her wished that she could fall back asleep so they could finish what they'd started.
This is going too far, she thought, as she went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. I can't allow myself to think of Oliver this way. It's a level of unprofessional that I didn't think I was capable of. I'm having dreams of him now? This is insane. I'm insane.
After a few minutes of pacing around, and even taking a second to go downstairs to make sure that she actually had been dreaming, she finally crawled back in bed. But as she tried to force herself back to sleep, the image of Oliver's naked body stayed at the forefront of her mind. It tempted her, making her want to peel her panties off and touch herself. But she refused. She couldn't let that happen. She had to ignore these feelings before they got the best of her.
“What am I going to do?” she asked the empty room. She knew the answer. She was going to ignore these feelings completely. She was going to stay professional and not give into her body's urges. She would just pretend that Ollie was married. And gay. And diseased. And actually a swamp monster in disguise.
She took a deep breath in and out knowing that it wasn't going to be easy. She pushed a lock of sweat-soaked hair off her temple and remembered just how good the dream had been.
It was going to be a rough couple of weeks
Chapter 12
Ollie
Several weeks later
Mid-May
Spring had finally come. There was still snow on the ground surrounding the cabin, but it was beginning to melt. Water poured out of the gutters, splashing into mud puddles below. Oliver opened the front door, squinting against the bright sunlight that reflected against the remaining snow. He drew in a long breath, letting the crisp and clean air fill his lungs.
The long winter appeared to be over, which had him feeling a bit blue, despite the nice weather. It had been almost twelve weeks since his arrival and soon, he'd be going back home. In fact, he guessed that he only had a few more sessions with Elsie before Coach sent for him. Then it would be time to pack up his bags and head back to California to resume his normal life.
Oliver leaned against the door jam as he gazed across the plains. When he'd first arrived there, he hated it. This little podunk town in the middle of nowhere was the opposite of what he was used to. It was isolated country that offered little to no entertainment. But after three full months, he'd actually begun to really enjoy the quiet and the solitude. It had grown on him and he understood the appeal now and how people could live like that.
I might actually miss this place, he thought with a chuckle.
In his heart, though, he knew that it wasn't really the farmhouse or the surroundings that he was going to miss. It was Elsie. His time with her was almost up. One more physical training session and she'd be able to sign him off to continue recovery on his own.
With a sigh, he turned around and walked back into the cabin, letting the door close behind him. His step was pretty much normal now. The hobbling that he'd once become accustomed to was now nothing more than a bad memory. He was able to walk perfectly and only experienced a tinge of pain if he stayed standing for too long. It was truly a miracle, at least Ollie thought so. And he owed it all to Elsie. Her infinite patience, focus and expertise had given him a distinct advantage in his recovery that he wouldn't have had otherwise.
“I owe her a lot.” Ollie whispered to himself, as he strolled into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.
He wasn't sure how he'd ever repay her. He'd been sending messages to the team manager, asking if there was a PT opening for the team. Oliver really wanted to get Elsie a job. She was made for sports medicine and her talents were being wasted here. The manager continued to say that there might be an opening, but they wouldn't know for sure until the beginning of the next season, or at least pre-season training.
Realistically, it was a long shot that something like that would pan out, but Ollie kept his fingers crossed. If Elsie had a job working for his team, not only would she make three times as much money, but he'd also get to see her every day.
Once the coffee had brewed, Ollie filled his mug and then walked across the house. He stepped into the makeshift gym, which he'd unofficially named “The Torture Chamber.” After three months of relentless training, the new equipment was now very broken in. The mats on the floor were worn and the padding on the machines were indented. It was the sign of a lot of hard work.
I guess I'll need to figure out what to do with all of this stuff, he thought. There's no way I'm packing all of it up and taking it back to California.
He'd hardly finished the thought before someone came knocking on his door. His eyes lit up out of reaction. The only person who ever came to his place was Elsie. He thought it could be her, until he glanced at his watch. It was only nine in the morning and his final session wasn't until later that afternoon. Oliver spun around and went to the front of the house. From the living room window, he saw a car in the driveway that he didn't recognize.
That's odd, he thought.
He pulled the door open and did a double take when he saw who was standing there.
“Nikki?” he said, taking a step back.
She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and smiled wide. “Hi, Ollie.”
Nikki was wearing her business suit, which meant she had likely flown in on first class. She looked amazing, all curves and sultry lines. She looked incredibly sexy, just the way Nikki wanted.
“What ar
e you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to see you,” she replied, as though the answer should have been obvious. She pushed her hand playfully against his chest. “I told you a few weeks ago that I had bought tickets.”
Oh, my God, he thought. I didn't think she was actually serious.
“Nikki, I'm going to be going home soon,” he said, backing away from her touch. “Why would you fly all the way out here if you knew that I was coming back?”
“I just couldn't wait to see you.” Nikki walked up and gave Oliver a hug. He held his hands at his side, though, refusing to embrace her.
After a moment, she released him and then walked into the living room. She looked around, poking her head into each room. Oliver closed the front door, shaking his head. “Nikki, what are you doing?”
She slid back into the living room, shrugging innocently. “Just taking a look to see how you've been living for the past couple of months. Is it really this small? I don't know how you tolerated it all this time.”
“Is that really what you were looking for?” Oliver asked, as he walked toward the couch and sat down.
“I might have also been checking to see if your personal trainer was here,” she admitted, fiddling with a blond curl.
“No, she's not here, Nikki. Because I'm not having a session right now.”
“That's good.” She sat next to him on the couch, leaning her head onto his shoulder. “Speaking of your trainer, though, how is your recovery coming along?”
“I'm feeling great,” Oliver said, slowly scooting away from Nikki. It didn't do any good, though. She clung onto him like a magnet.
“Yeah?” she asked. “You're ready for spring training?”
“More or less,” he said. “I've got a session with Elsie today and she'll be able to tell me then whether or not I can start training right away.”
“You're starting right away regardless,” Nikki informed him. “It's not up to her any more.”
“What are you talking about, Nikki?” Oliver frowned.
“Coach wants you back,” she said, flipping her hair behind her. “He wants you back right now.”
“I can't go back right now,” Oliver said. His eyes narrowed. “And besides, is it Coach who wants me back or is it you?”
Nikki sat up and faced him. Her blue eyes were illuminated by the sunshine that poured into the living room. Ollie thought she looked pretty, but the way she was acting made her completely unattractive.
“Ollie, baby,” she said, bringing her hand to the side of his face. “I want you home, of course. I wasn't joking when I said I missed you. But Coach says he wants you back in California, too. He said you need to begin training. Your team needs you.”
“I'll come home when I'm ready. Coach can talk to me himself,” Oliver told her. He moved his face away from her touch.
“Why don't we leave right now? We can escape this place,” Nikki said. “I have tickets for both of us. We need to leave here within the hour to catch our flight.”
Ollie shook his head. “Are you joking?”
“No,” she replied with a frown. She pouted. “I bought return tickets because I knew you'd want to come back with me and leave this hellhole. I even reserved the suite at that hotel you like, just so you could get back to feeling like yourself.”
“First off, it's not a hellhole,” he said, through gritted teeth. “And second, I can't leave yet. I've got another session. You can't expect me to just uproot myself because you got antsy to have me back home. I'm not going.”
Nikki's jaw dropped as she stood up from the couch. “Please God, don't tell me that you actually like it here. Have you become one of these hillbillies?”
Her tone made Oliver cringe. He looked up, meeting her gaze. “Don't call them that.”
“What? Hillbillies?” she placed her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side.
“I'm serious, Nikki,” he said. “Don't insult a place that you know nothing about.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Ollie. You didn't want to come here at first because you felt the same way.”
“Yeah, but I learned that it's actually not so bad,” he said. “In fact, people here are more friendly than anybody I know in California. It's nice, actually.”
“I hope you enjoyed it,” Nikki said, taking a few steps toward Oliver's bedroom. “Because you're leaving now.”
“Nikki, I'm not a child so don't try to treat me like one.” Oliver got up and followed her down the hallway. “I'll leave when I want to leave. Besides, if Coach really wanted me back, he could call me himself. I doubt it's as urgent as you're letting on.”
“Look, you're right.” She bit her lip and smiled coyly at him. “Coach doesn't want you back today. He wants you back next week. I just wanted you to come home, because it's not the same without you there.”
Oliver sighed, as he let down his guard a bit. “I had a feeling you were stretching the truth.”
“I just miss you.” Nikki stepped close to him and placed her hands onto his chest.
“Look, if Coach wants me back next week, then I'll be back next week,” Oliver said. “But I'm not going home with you today. Sorry, but there's no way.”
“There no way?” she asked, flirtatiously. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Are you sure about that?”
Nikki gently bit her bottom lip and stood up on her tiptoes. She leaned in, bringing her face toward Oliver's to attempt a kiss. Right as their lips grazed, though, Ollie turned away.
“Nikki, stop,” he said, taking a step back. “What are you doing? We're not together any more.”
“What's one kiss?” she asked, her voice seductive.
“We can't keep going over this,” he told her firmly. “I'm not having this conversation again.”
She pouted out her lower lip and pushed past him. Oliver watched as she walked into the living room. This was how she would normally make him feel bad, but it wasn't working. The guilt trip and the silent treatment that would inevitably ensue were not threatening to him anymore. He just plain didn't care. He wasn't going to get lured into Nikki's manipulations, because there was another woman who was on his mind. Elsie was the one who had his heart. This fact alone took away all power from Nikki's attempts at making him feel bad.
Oliver walked out to the living room and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “You're welcome to wait here for an hour until you need to leave for the airport, but that's all I can offer.”
She snarled at him, but didn't budge from the couch. “I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends,” Ollie said. “But that's all. Nothing else. Look, Nikki, I care about you and I always will. But not in the same way as you're hoping for. Our relationship is strictly professional now. I realize that it might hurt to hear that, but we both know that it has to be that way. We tried this once and it didn't work. It blew up right in our faces. What's the point of going through all of that again?”
Nikki's face crumpled and she held her arms tight against her body while refusing to look at him. “I guess you're right.”
They were silent for a moment. Ollie felt bad for having to draw a clear line with Nikki, but it seemed like that was the only way to get through to her.
“Sorry, Nikki,” he said. “I hope you understand.”
She sighed and stood up from the couch.
“I do,” she replied. A fake smile filled her face. “I guess I'll head back to the airport. I'll tell Coach that you'll be there next week.”
Ollie was suddenly hesitant of Nikki's willingness to comply. Something was up with her and he could sense it. He knew her well enough.
“Are you sure you're okay with things?” Oliver asked, keeping his distance.
“Yes, I said I was,” Nikki replied. She didn't stop as she approached Oliver and pulled him in for a hug. This time, he hugged her back. She smelled like hairspray and fancy perfume.
“Alright, well I'm glad you understand. There aren't any hard fee
lings.” He pulled back from the hug. “I just can't have a personal relationship with you again. Business only.”
She pulled away and faked a smile, clearly trying to keep from crying. “I just really care about you. I've been worrying about you, living out here in the sticks.”
Oliver chuckled. “I'm totally fine. Safe and sound.”
“Good.” Nikki sighed, obviously stalling. “I wish you were coming back with me, but I guess I'll see you next week.”
“Yep, I'll be there,” he said, going to the front door and holding it open. “Tell Coach he can count on it.”
“He'll be happy to hear that.” Nikki slowly walked out the front door. She paused before making it to the steps of the deck. Then she glanced over her shoulder. “You sure you won't come with me? The hotel is ready for us.”
“Bye, Nikki,” Oliver replied, motioning to her car.
She pouted. “Take care of yourself, Ollie.”
“Bye, Nikki,” he said, closing the door.
Oliver listened as she started her car and backed down the driveway. The strongest feeling of relief swept over him now that she had gone.
It's funny, he thought. It wasn't all that long ago when I never wanted that girl to leave. Today, her leaving was the only thing I could think about.
As the sound of her car faded into the distance, Oliver let out a sigh. Nikki had flown all the way out there to try to rekindle things with him. But she'd failed miserably. Her visit had only really made him realize just how much he liked Elsie. She was the one for him, but with only seven days left in Iowa, he feared that he wouldn't get the chance to express that to her.
Chapter 13
Elsie
“Okay, Oliver, I want you to walk across the room. When you get to the wall, run back toward me.”