“Why don’t you come with us?” she asked.
“Martin never mentioned it to me,” I said. “I think he wants to go alone. Anyway, I’m going to stay with Sasha for a little bit.”
I hadn’t officially made plans for the summer. I could stay at Sasha’s all summer if I wanted. We even talked about getting our own apartment together. My parents were allowing me to come home, but after our fight, I didn’t know if I could stay there for long without losing my mind.
There was also the option of spending time with Martin, but we wouldn’t know where he was going for a few more days.
I wanted to go to the draft with Martin to support him, but also because it sounded amazing. They were staying in a fancy hotel, getting all dressed up to be on television, and going to after parties.
They were going to be amongst the best football players in the country and would be treated like royalty. Secretly, I also wanted to be there to deter any hot girls that might want to latch on to my boyfriend.
The guys returned with the drinks. Reg was also carrying a tray full of shots.
“Let’s celebrate. We made it through four years of college. We all managed to graduate without flunking out, having a kid, or dying of alcohol poisoning. I call that a win,” Reg said.
“To our futures,” Gia toasted as we held our shot glasses together.
We all drank, sputtering at the after taste.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Reg said. “I just asked for a shot of their cheapest liquor.”
“Will Alexa be picking up the tab again?” Gia asked.
“Those days are over,” I laughed. “We can all split the bill tonight.”
They groaned, their days of free booze were over. That was, until football groupies picked up the bill.
The guys talked about how they thought the draft would go. Reg was sure they would both go in the first three rounds. I really hoped so. Reg was applying for scouting jobs with just about every team.
He had interviews with a few in the next couple of weeks. I know that Martin hoped that he would be able to see Reg and Sam often, either by playing each other’s team, or by being part of the same team.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Martin said to me. “I have an extra ticket for the draft. Will you come with me? I think we can still get you a plane ticket.”
I beamed. “I would love to.”
I had been to tons of charity balls and fancy galas over the years, but I had never partied with professional athletes and celebrities like this. I was incredibly excited.
“Is it okay if I stayed with you the following week?” I asked Sasha.
“Fine with me, I’ll be around all summer,” she replied.
“What are your summer plans, Gia?” Martin asked.
“Well, I’ll probably spend a few weeks with my family and a few weeks with Sam’s. Once we decide where we’re moving, I’ll look for a job and we’ll buy a house. My degree is in Finance, so I can find work pretty easily.”
“When’s the wedding?” I joked. Sam clenched his jaw and Gia just laughed.
Sam quickly pulled Gia out to the dance floor and Martin nudged me in the ribs.
“Sam’s proposing tonight. Gia can’t know.”
I squealed. I wasn’t great at keeping secrets, especially exciting ones. “When’s he going to do it?”
“He’s going to take Gia home early and ask her at his dorm. Reg helped him set up candles and flowers and all of that stuff earlier today,” Martin said. “Very romantic.”
Things were working out for everyone. Just four years ago, we were all scared freshman who didn’t know anything. Now we knew where we were going in life. Well, everyone except for me.
I wasn’t too worried though. My savings account provided me with a cushion to fall back on. I wanted to make sure I made the right decision with my career. The others didn’t have the option of not working right away.
We took turns ordering rounds of drinks. We kept skipping over Reg because he always ordered the nastiest shots. Just like Martin said they would, Gia and Sam left early.
I gave Gia a big hug. “Let’s grab lunch tomorrow before we leave.” I had to release her before I got too emotional and spoiled the surprise.
We continued to order drinks and make various toasts. We toasted to Gia and Sam, to each of us, and to random strangers in the bar. We had been wound pretty tight from stress over our last finals so we finally let loose.
“Show me some of your famous dance moves,” Martin said.
I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out to the dance floor. I was shaking my hips to the beat and Martin was standing a few steps back, watching.
I backed up into him, and he held on to my hips and we grinded together to the music. Drinks kept appearing in our hands and I lost track of how many I had.
“Is this number five?” I asked Martin.
He shrugged. “I don’t think we have to worry about limits tonight,” he said. “Just don’t throw up.”
“Deal,” I started to slur. I didn’t care. I was totally comfortable with Martin. I wasn’t afraid to embarrass myself.
The group chugged one last drink at final call and we stumbled our way back to Martin and Reg’s for one last drink together.
Martin pulled out a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator. We cheered as he popped the cork. We each had a few glasses as we brought up memories from our times together.
“That reminds me,” Sasha exclaimed. “Alexa, Martin, there’s a present for you in Martin’s room.” We all walked in to his nearly empty room.
“I don’t see anything,” I giggled.
“It’s under the sheets,” Reg said.
Martin and I pulled back the covers and looked at each other, quizzically. There was nothing there.
The door slammed shut and we heard the jangling of a lock. They had locked us in again.
This was our gift. We had one last night together at college. We had no reason to leave each other.
“This brings back fond memories,” Martin said. In rare form, he was pretty drunk. “Remember how mad you were at me?”
“Only because I thought you had sex with me while I was basically unconscious.”
“I bet you feel pretty silly now that you ever thought I would do something like that.”
“You had to earn my trust,” I said.
“Did I ever tell you how nervous I was the first time we slept together?”
“You were nervous?” I said, amused.
“Absolutely. I wanted everything to be perfect.”
“And it was,” I noted. “Usually the first time can be really awkward, but you did well.”
“So did you,” he said.
“We just make a good fit,” I said.
“Would you let me fit it in you right now?” he cackled.
“That’s the line you want to use on me?”
“Did it work?”
“Yeah,” I said. “But I would have wanted to have sex with you anyway.”
He flicked off the lights and we both ran to the bed. We wildly tore each other’s clothes off in a drunken frenzy.
“I hope I’m not too drunk for this,” he said.
I felt below his waist. “Nah, I think you’re good.”
We made love for the last time as college students. It was sloppy, but passionate. By this point, we knew each other’s bodies well. I knew that breathing in his ear drove him wild and he knew that touching my breasts got me going.
When we were finished—which was fairly soon after we started—we laid back on the bed. He had his arms stretched out wide and I nestled into his chest.
We just laid in silence, enjoying each other’s company. I listened to his breath and felt the rise and fall of his chest. It was soothing to me.
“Sam and Gia better have us in their wedding party,” Martin said, out of nowhere.
“Can you imagine how much fun that would be?” I said.
“I
bet that Gia will pop out a kid not long after the wedding,” he added.
“I can see that. Can you imagine having a kid at this age? I wouldn’t have any idea what to do.”
“Me neither,” he said. “I’ve always wanted kids, though.”
“Me, too,” I agreed. “One day.”
We were starting to sober up and I was parched. I filled up a glass of water in Martin’s bathroom sink. He found a slightly stale bag of chips and we had a little bedtime snack.
We continued to lay in the dark, talking about anything that came to mind. I could do this forever, I thought. I hope I get that option.
Martin
“Let’s play the question game,” I suggested. I liked being able to ask her anything, without her being able to avoid the subject.
“Sure,” she said. “You start.”
“How many kids do you want?” I asked.
“Maybe like four or five. What about you?”
“I think two is enough,” I said.
“I like kids,” she said. “I always wanted brothers and sisters to play with.”
I agreed. “Your turn,” I said.
“What’s your biggest fear?” she asked.
I thought for a second. “Probably something bad happening to my mom. Or spiders. I really hate spiders. You?”
“Being buried alive,” she answered immediately.
I laughed. “That’s such an irrational fear.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be afraid of it happening.”
“I promise,” I said. “When you are presumed dead, I will double check before you can be buried.”
“Thank you,” she said, giving me a peck on the cheek.
“What do you want to do for a job?” I asked. I knew she was stressed about her future, so I didn’t ask many questions but I was curious.
“I want to be a teacher. And I’d like to be a cheer coach, too.”
“I know that, but are you planning on applying for jobs right away?”
She hesitated. “To be honest, I want to know where you’re going first. I don’t really have ties to any one place in particular, and I can be a teacher anywhere. If I can choose where I want to live, I want to choose wherever you are. Is that okay?”
That was more than okay. I had been wondering how to bring up this topic with her. I knew she was fiercely independent and didn’t want to insult her by asking her to follow me around. I just couldn’t bear the thought of her not being close to me.
A life with me wouldn’t always be easy. If I couldn’t get on a team this year, I wouldn’t have much money coming in. I didn’t think the two of us could get by on a teacher’s salary. Especially since Alexa had a lifestyle that required more cash.
“I would love for you to come with me. Nothing would make me happier. I just want to make sure you know what you’re in for. There could be a lot of money, or there could be no money at all. I might not be around a lot. Is that something you can handle?”
“That’s not a problem,” she said. “You’re the most important thing to me. I want to make this relationship work.”
“What if you don’t get a job right away?” I asked. “If I go pro, you can travel to my games. You could try out for the cheer team.”
“That would be fun,” she said.
The thought of Alexa being on the sideline while I played pro games was better than I ever imagined in my future fantasy. Eventually, she would get tired of going to all of the games and want to start a career. Then what? Marriage? Kids? I was so lost in my daydream that I didn’t even hear her question.
“Martin, did you hear me? I wanted to know what your least favorite foods are. If we’re going to live together, I need to know what I shouldn’t buy from the grocery store.”
I could see her smile in the moonlight coming through the window blinds.
“I hate bananas. I love just about everything else. We’re going to be doing a lot of grocery shopping. When I lived at home, my mom went three times a week.”
“Oh, great,” she laughed. “What did I get myself into?”
“What would your dream house look like?” I asked when it was my turn. “I need to know in case I get a million dollar contract.”
“It doesn’t have to be too big, but I want a nice backyard,” she said. “I want to be able to plant flowers and fruits and vegetables. I also want lemon trees everywhere. There has to be plenty of open space for a soccer and football field. Maybe a concrete slab for playing basketball or tennis. Oh, and a fence so we can get a few dogs.”
“Is that all?” I chuckled. “What kind of dogs?”
“I like Corgis. They have cute little legs.”
“I like Golden retrievers,” I interjected. “We can get one of each.”
“Perfect,” she said.
Things were happening so quickly, but I wasn’t even scared. I used to shudder at the prospect of marriage or starting a family. Now, I could see myself doing so in the next few years.
For now, I just wanted to have fun with Alexa. We could travel to places I’ve never been before and explore new things. I could teach her everything there was to know about the sports she never got to play, and she could teach me all about the places and cultures she experienced in her youth.
“Do you feel like you’ll be missing out on the professional athlete lifestyle now that you have a girlfriend?” she asked.
“What lifestyle?”
“You know,” she said. “You always hear crazy stories about athletes that party hard and have sex with a models and actresses. I bet you could have that if I wasn’t hanging around.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “That typically happens to the players that either didn’t have anything growing up, or had too much and were never told no. I witnessed first hand what happened to my dad. He couldn’t control his partying and spending habits. I promise you that that lifestyle is the last thing I want. I just want to be normal.”
“But if you could be famous,” she said, “There might be some perks involved. Don’t tell me you don’t want to get into the hottest parties and mingle with celebrities.”
“Only if you’re by my side,” I said. “You’ll be able to navigate that world much better than I ever could.”
“My turn,” I said. “Where’s the last place you would want to move?”
“Florida,” she said instantly. “I love the beach, but the humidity does terrible things to my hair. I would look like a fluff ball all the time.”
“Same,” I laughed. “I’m not so concerned about my hair, but I hate the heat. That’s another reason why I want to go back to Colorado.”
We giggled. We disagreed about a lot of stuff, so I really loved it when we were on the same page.
“Just so you know,” I said. “I’m projected to go to New York or Washington. It’s not a sure thing, but if a pro team picks me up, it’ll most likely be either of those states.”
She grinned. “I can work with that.”
We heard a commotion from across the hall. It sounded like someone fell off the bed. We burst out laughing.
“Do you think Sasha and Reg will last?” I asked.
“I hope so,” she said. “They’re a lot of fun together.”
“Can you imagine what their kids would be like? They would be absolutely wild.”
“They would be impossible to control,” Alexa added.
“I think Reg is going to make his decision on where he’s going based on where Sasha is. Originally, he was going to follow Sam or I, but he’s totally hooked on her.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “He’s always followed her around like a puppy.”
We were quiet again, trying to think of a question we’ve never asked each other.
“What do you think Sebastian’s doing right now?” I wondered aloud.
“Oh, Sebastian,” she sighed. “I hope I haven’t caused him to go into hiding. There’s got to be a girl out there that’s out of options and needs to
marry rich. Maybe my mom should just marry him since she’s so in love with him.”
“Then your dad and my mom could get together,” I said. “He could supply the money, and she could be completely normal!”
“Yeah, but then we’d be siblings. I don’t think I’m okay with that,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Okay, fine,” I said. “I’ve heard of weirder things.”
“Me, too,” she said. “You would be shocked at all of the inbreeding that happens in my world.”
“Seriously? I thought that was just for hillbillies.”
“Nope,” she said. “When marrying for money and connections is a requirement, there are only so many options. I know families where multiple siblings in one family marry siblings from another family. And weird affairs that result in secret love-children happen all the time. It can be hard to connect a family tree.”
“Aren’t you excited to get away from all that?”
“Incredibly. But I think it’s always going to be a part of me. I don’t think I can just pretend that I didn’t grow up with money. I was without my parents’ credit card for just a couple months and I didn’t think I was going to survive.”
“You don’t have any tangled bloodlines, right?” I asked.
“I don’t believe so. My dad was an outsider.”
“Did your grandma treat him like your mom treated me?”
“No, but he had money by the time they met. Maybe I should have introduced you after you get your multimillion dollar contract and starting position.”
“That reminds me,” I said. “I have a present for you.”
“You didn’t have to spend any money on me,” she protested. “I didn’t get you anything. Now I feel bad.”
“It’s nothing,” I said. “But I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I want to give this to you.”
I reached under the bed for the box, but I couldn’t find it. I crawled out of bed and searched on my hands and knees. Finally, I found the tiny box and extended it out to her.
She gasped, wide eyed. I could see tears beginning to form, but she had a slight smile. It took me a moment to realize what she thought it was.
“Oh, God, no,” I stuttered. “I’m not proposing. We’ve been together for less than six months. It’s my championship ring. I want you to have it.”
Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 27