by Lainey Davis
Matty frowns at me, but continues, “Our first idea is to get Ty connected with the community back here in Pittsburgh. It’s been awhile since he’s been home and we’re always looking for new opportunities for outreach. An obvious idea is to get him involved with youth sports.”
My brother shakes his finger. “No. Sorry, Matty, but I have to disagree with you there. I don’t think it’s wise to put Ty in front of a bunch of kids until we know for sure he can keep his nose clean. Ty, no offense, but your reputation precedes you.”
“None taken, dickwad. What’s your next idea?”
Tim smiles and points two index fingers at Juniper. “Juniper is an athlete. I’ve been thinking about your image ever since I interviewed her. Juniper, what you said about amateur athletes using paid time off to compete, really negotiating to build a life around your sport...that really stuck with me.”
Matty looks interested in this line of thought. “What sort of athlete are you then, Juniper?”
She blushes. “I’m a rower.” Fuck yeah, you are, I think, remembering her firm arms and chest. Those thighs...Jesus. “But I’m new here, so I don’t really--”
Tim cuts her off. “I did some research. There are a lot of amateur adult sports organizations in our city, ranging from deck hockey to Gaelic football. But I liked what I saw about the rowers.” Tim and Matty bow their head over a folder Tim extracts from his briefcase, talking about adaptive rowing for people with disabilities and sponsoring teams so the inner city high schools can afford to participate in rowing.
Matty strokes his chin and claps Tim on the back. “This is why I love partnering with you, man. This shit is great.” Juniper just sits with her mouth hanging open. Matty continues. “We’ll get Ty on board as a sponsor of the team to the tune of--Juniper, what does it cost for oars or life jackets or whatever?”
“Team boats cost tens of thousands of dollars,” she says, and my face falls a little thinking of how much it’s going to cost me to polish my reputation. “I think it could be appropriate if Ty were to finance some of the indoor training facility upgrades, though.”
“Indoor! Perfect. He can keep showing up to events year-round. I love it. Ty, we’re going to reach out to the coach and have you shadow a few practices, wave a flag at the start of a race, or whatever the hell you call it. Juniper, is it a race? Is there a flag?”
She opens her mouth to speak, but Matty cuts her off again. “When’s the next team practice?”
Juniper looks like she’s seriously regretting ever moving to this city, but her next words wipe the smile off my face pretty quickly. “The women’s team practices tomorrow at 6am.”
My brother and my agent share a long laugh about this and tell me to get my ass to the dock at 5:45. Matty stands and claps Tim on the back again. “Tim, have Juniper finish up the language regarding Ty’s playoff bonus and get a courier to bring that contract to my office later. Ty, baby, good to have you on board.” He practically waltzes out of the conference room, but sticks his head back in and points at me. “5:45, dude. Seriously, do not fuck this up.”
Eight
JUNIPER
"So you fucked your client?" Lisa laughs at me when I call and tell her about my arrival in Steel City.
"It's not funny, Lisa! I could lose my job. I have to tell my boss I can't take on this client. Ugh! But then I have to tell him why…"
"Could you say you just don't like the big guy?"
I sigh. "I don't think I can do that. I can't be burning through jobs because of men. Asshole men. I'm off men, Lisa. No more men for me."
She laughs again. "From what you described, I'd say it was worthwhile. Did you say you were limping afterward?"
I roll my eyes and we hang up. She texts me that she thinks everything will work out, but I'm not so certain.
I don’t sleep well. When my alarm sounds at 5:30, I groan and consider not getting out of bed. But then I remember that my rowing practice, formerly my sanctuary, my holy place, is now pretty much an extension of my work. I have to meet Ty Stag on the docks and introduce him to the team. *I* have barely even met the fucking team, I mutter as I heat up my oatmeal and slip into my workout clothes.
I brush my teeth, grab my bag, and walk the half mile trail along the river to the boathouse. I’m not sure whether I’m furious or relieved to see Ty leaning against the wall. He looks like a movie star, with his tousled hair and slate grey eyes. He fills out his designer jeans, I’ll give him that. I can't help but stare at his forearms and the bulging muscles beneath his t-shirt cuffs. I've always had a thing for forearms. But I can't think things like that. Not about my client. Why does he have to be so damn good looking?
He spots me and grins. “Juniper Jones, nice to see you again.” He looks at his watch. “Think we have time for a quickie before your coach gets here?” Then the bastard winks at me.
“Listen, Stag, you are never to discuss that night again. You are my client. Do you want me to lose my job?? It’s bad enough you’ve invaded my personal space and affected my training. I wish I didn’t have to ask you not to jeopardize my career as well.”
He throws up his hands. “Easy there, tiger. I can behave. I promise. Look, I’m new here, too.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “I mean, I grew up here, but I’ve been gone since high school. It’s not like I have a ton of friends outside my brothers and my teammates.”
“These are my teammates, Stag,” I hiss at him. Understanding dawns on him, then, and to his credit he does stop clowning around. My coach, Derrick, emerges from the clubhouse and heads down the stairs with a few of the rowers behind him.
“Juniper Jones! Welcome, welcome, welcome, my new meat wagon.” I hate that nickname for the center pair of rowers in an 8-seat boat. I’m tall and solid, and I always get placed in the middle of the boat where they need my strength.
But I’m not about to make a stink about it. I want my coach to like me!
“Guilty as charged, I guess.” I shake his hand, and smile at the other rowers I met at breakfast the other day. I can see them all ogling Ty, and I remember that he’s a big celebrity. Tina is shifting around uncomfortably and I can tell she wants to hug him or make out with him. Or both. I'm glad she refrains. Pittsburghers love their sports stars. Even these amateur athletes are fawning over Ty as Derrick makes small talk and everyone gets ready to get on the water. Derrick turns to Ty and explains how practice will go--we will inspect the boat, set it in the water, warm up, and then he’s going to send us on a long row to the confluence of the city’s 3 rivers.
Derrick and Ty will follow along in a motor boat with a megaphone, barking out instructions in Derrick’s case, and hopefully Ty won’t be a distraction or get in the way. Not that Derrick or anyone else resents his presence here. Oh no, everyone is pretty ecstatic to have a source of funding and a little publicity for our program...and a hot guy to stare at, I guess.
Derrick explains that Matty gave him a call and planned out a whole promotional strategy. “Any new commercials and stuff for the Fury that feature Ty will show him at our facilities, talking with our athletes, stuff like that! Plus we get a set of season tickets for next year.” Derrick winks at me and says, “It was a lucky day for our team when Juniper Jones landed a job in Pittsburgh!”
I flush, really wishing I’d had a chance to prove myself to them before feeling like I bought my way on the team with my work connections. Derrick snaps into game mode then and tells us to head into the boat house. Ty watches, seemingly fascinated, as we carry the boat to the water. "Dude," he says to Derrick. "Shouldn't we help them carry that thing?"
Derrick just laughs as we ease the boat gently into the water and slide in the oars. Ty has no idea how strong we are, apparently. Derrick clues him in on some of the rowing commands and even lets Ty yell into the megaphone as we warm up. I can't help but look at him in the boat, muscled arms crossed. Firm jaw, piercing stare.
But then we set our pace, heading toward the fountain at Point Park, and all other thoughts sli
p away. It’s just me and the oars, feeling the pull of the water. I match my pace to the other women and together we dig deep and set the boat flying.
Nine
TY
From where I’m sitting in the motorboat with Derrick, I’m impressed that these women work so hard for their sport and don’t get paid for it. They’re doing a lot of the same things we do at hockey practice, just for the hell of it. At six in the fucking morning.
My coffee is long gone, but I don’t need caffeine to feel the thrill of watching Juniper row. I can’t take my eyes off her, loving the determination on her beautiful face as much as the movement of her long muscles. “Why’d you call Juniper a meat wagon?” I ask Derrick, hoping he’s not going to say something about her ass that will cause me to punch him in the face.
“What do you notice about her,” he asks, not turning his eyes from the boat.
“I mean, that’s a pretty loaded question,” I shout back, not sure I like where he’s going with this. I feel really possessive about this girl, now that I think about it. I know I shouldn’t be, and that makes me want her even more. Especially now that I’ve had a taste.
Derrick rolls his eyes, though. “Juniper is tall and strong as hell,” he says. “I stuck her in the 5th seat because she’s got a long stroke. She’s the biggest and most powerful woman in that boat.”
“Didn’t you just meet her, like, this week?” I wonder how he can tell all of this.
He doesn’t answer, but the longer I watch, even I can tell what he means. We’re about a mile from the confluence, and they’re moving at a pretty good clip. Some of the other women are sweating, breathing hard. Their faces look strained. It’s got to be one hell of a workout. We must be miles from where they started, and they’re in this tiny boat.
I let my eyes settle on Juniper. I see the defined muscles in her thighs as she slides her seat back and the long muscles of her arms as she pulls the oars. I think back to how good she felt pressed against me, how I wondered what she did to get her body to look and feel that way. As I watch her move so gracefully, I feel myself getting hard and I want very much to do something about that. With her.
I move past thinking with my dick for a minute to really look at her as an athlete. Derrick calls for the team to pick up the pace--the tiny girl in the front of the boat they call the coxswain is really screaming at them now--and everyone else is struggling. I can tell they’re hurting. Then I look at Juniper’s face and I notice something. This is easy for her. She’s holding back, I realize.
The boat reaches the tip of the Point and Derrick yells, “Hold water!” Immediately, the women raise their oars and rest, their chests heaving. Juniper is breathing easy, like this was barely strenuous.
“Hey, Derrick,” I say. “My attorney doesn’t quite look winded yet. What happens if Juniper really takes it to the max?”
He smiles at me, and I can tell he’s glad I saw what he saw. “Ty, my new friend, I am really excited to find out.”
He blows a whistle and they turn the boat around, crossing the river in front of the barges and booze cruise boats getting lined up for the baseball game later. Since the team is fighting the current, he takes it easy on them with the pace, but even still, I can tell everyone is spent when they finally climb out on the dock. They all high five each other and head for the showers, asking Juniper if she’s got time for breakfast.
She shakes her head and gestures toward me. “I’ve got to get to work and finish a contract for this guy so he can play in the game this weekend.” I ask the team to remind me of all their names and promise to remember them when I come out again Thursday. I would have a whole host of new phone numbers by now if I weren’t trying to keep my nose clean, but I realize I don’t want any of this random tail anyway. I want what I can’t have. I watch her walk up the path, longing to squeeze her ass again.
Ten
JUNIPER
Wednesday morning, I make time for the worst part of my move. I have to go to the DMV and change my driver's license. Tina tipped me off that the downtown DMV is the worst one, so even though it's further from work, I go to the office in East Liberty. It's in the basement of a gorgeous old building with a glass dome, which I'm busy staring at when someone taps me on the shoulder.
"Do you mind moving? You're blocking the stairs." A shaggy head moves to block my view, and I groan. Of course it's Ty stag.
"What the hell are you doing here??" Ouch. My tone is harsher than I intended, but I'm rattled to see him out in public. "Are you following me?"
He shrugs. "I'm here same as you, babe. Gotta get my PA license. In case you forgot, I've been living in Canadia, the hinterland, driving a bobsled and all that." I wish I weren't staring at his dimple when he smiles after joking around.
"Look, Ty, you cannot call me babe. Ever." He shrugs. I sigh and huff down the stairs to get in line. Of course there's a line. I can smell him when he stands a bit too close to me. He's got a hint of cologne today, something like pine with a citrus scent behind it. So subtle. Maybe it's aftershave. I try not to be obvious as I sniff him behind me. What am I doing??
"So hey," he says. I turn sideways, keeping my eye on the line of people, half looking at Ty. “I just wanted to...is thank you the right phrase for this? Anyway, I am really glad I got to see all that at the docks and on the river. I learned a lot.”
I have no idea what he means, and I furrow my brow. He keeps talking. “Rowing seems really fucking intense. Can I ask you something? I noticed you weren’t even tired from that training, and the rest of them were talking about how their legs feel like jelly.”
"Okay…"
“It reminded me of the other night. You know, in the bathroom?”
"Oh my god. No. Ty, just no. We are not discussing that." I turn around. Can this line move any slower? He reaches for my arm. I hate my traitorous body for feeling a spark from his touch. “Juniper, wait.” I sigh and turn to look at him again. He runs his hand through his hair like he's not really sure where he's going with this. “I just...why do you hold back?”
“What did you say to me?”
“I said why do you hold back? During sex, while you’re rowing...you had more in your tank..."
I can’t move. I’m shaking with emotions I can’t quite identify, but I need to make sure I heard him correctly. "Are you seriously talking about my sexual performance in relation to my rowing?"
"I mean, I know you were pissed off that night and it took awhile to get you to let loose while we were fucking, but I was just wondering what it takes to really open you up on the water...”
I don’t even think about what happens next. I shove him as hard as I can, pressing both hands flat against his chest. Since he wasn't expecting the onslaught, he goes flying backwards, catching his head against the railing, nearly falling down the stairs. Once he regains his feet, he crumples, bent in half at the waist, moaning. “Jesus Christ, Juniper! What the fuck was that for?”
Shit. A security guard approaches. Fuck.
"Sir, is everything all right?"
Ty is doubled over, breathing heavy. He stands up and his nose is bleeding. "I'm fine. It's fine. I just tripped over my shoelace."
The security guard reaches for his radio. "We've got a situation here, Brad."
"Sir, really, I'm his lawyer. This is fine."
He raises an eyebrow at me. "You're going to have to come with me, ma'am."
Another security guard comes running up. Apparently this is Brad, and, now that Ty has wiped the blood off his face with his t-shirt, Brad evidently recognizes him. "Holy shit! This is Ty Stag! Yo, Ty Stag just got hit by some chick!"
The color drains from my face as I remember the morality clause in Ty's contract. He glares at me as a crowd begins to form. But then I see him enter PR mode, and I can tell he's been in this world for a long time.
"Brad, is it? Hey man, you wanna take a selfie with me?" Brad is beside himself, putting an arm around Ty, not caring about the blood staining his shirt. I rumma
ge in my purse to see if I can find some tissues or something, but before I can hand anything to Ty, a woman wearing a hockey sweater comes out from the reception desk, shaking one of those ice packs from a first aid kit. Of course, the Pittsburgh DMV staff are all hockey fans.
Soon, he's signing autographs and joking with the staff about whether he looks more authentic for his driver's license with a swollen, red face. "What do you think, gals," he asks the room. "Should I pull out my fake teeth for the picture?" He waits a beat. "That's a joke. These are all real, ladies." They're eating it up. Even the DMV employees are smiling. I decide to slink away, out into the parking lot.
I don’t slow down until I’m inside my apartment. I slam and lock the door behind me and turn the hot water all the way up in the shower. While I stand there letting it scald my skin, scrubbing Ty's blood from my arm, I feel myself about to cry. I shake my head, choking back my tears. I’m furious. I'm angry at Zack and angry to have moved here, and above it all, I'm angry at Ty Stag and I’m not even totally sure I know why.
If I’m honest, he’s right about the rowing. I’m not tired after team training and that wasn’t the hardest I’ve ever worked out, but what kind of showboat shows up and lets everyone know she’s in better shape? I hear my dad again, talking to me about never settling. This isn’t the same thing as settling for Zack. But god, Ty was right about the bathroom. I wasn’t so much holding back as...shit. I had no idea sex could even be like that. The feelings he pulled from my body! I’ve never felt anything even close. I remember how he looked into my eyes, how his big hands felt on my body, but I can’t go there right now.
I have to go to work...and he’s my client.
Besides, neither Ty nor my dad ever had to know what it feels like to be different and stand out.
It’s one thing being a tall woman. I can deal with that, and I don’t even slouch like some of the other tall women I know who try to mask their height. Hell no. I wear heels and proudly. But otherwise? Where I grew up...if you stood out you got hurt. Rowing in a team gave me safety, support. Any time I’ve stood out, alone, that’s when you get noticed.