by Carlos Dash
Coach Reed puts his hands up like he’s getting robbed at gunpoint. “Alright. Alright. Relax. Bye, Dorian. I hope we didn’t traumatize you too much tonight.”
“Not at all. It was a delightful evening. Thank you for the wonderful food, Mrs. Reed. It’s been so long since I had someone make a home-cooked meal for me.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” Emily’s mother says cheerfully. “Come over whenever you want. My own daughter doesn’t appreciate my cooking, so it’s nice to hear that my husband hasn’t just been flattering me all these years by saying it’s delicious.”
Emily starts grumbling something to herself. I can’t quite hear her, but I have my guesses about what was said. Nothing pleasant, that’s for sure.
“I might just take you up on that, ma’am,” I reply. I then turn my attention onto Mrs. Reed’s sister. “Goodnight. It was nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” the woman says, eye-fucking me without any shame.
I can’t get out of that house quickly enough.
The Coach escorts me to the door, claps me on the back, and then I’m free once again.
That’s when my instincts call out to me. They want me to turn around.
I turn my head to look back at the door. Coach Reed is still standing there, but now Emily is right behind him. She has her arms crossed over her chest. There’s apprehension on her features.
She doesn’t say anything.
But I can’t help myself.
“Emily,” I call out to her. She looks right at me. She has no idea what I’m going to do or say next. With a smile on my face, I simply say the words, “See you on Monday. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Her father doesn’t think anything of that remark. But she knows. She knows exactly what’s going on in my head.
Without another word, I face forward and begin to walk towards my car. I don’t look back again.
Never a dull moment when Emily is around.
Chapter 4
It’s Monday morning. The preseason is now officially over. In a few days we have our first official game with me as the new owner. It’s a primetime game. Thursday Night Football.
I find myself thoroughly unable to follow my normal schedule. That’s why I’m there outside the training facility forty-five minutes earlier than usual. I go through the main security gate and park in my spot. The only person on the ground floor that early in the morning is the main facility guard, a large man who loos like he’s part rhino. The guy says he never played football, but he looks like he would have made a hell of an offensive lineman. He’s sitting behind his massive desk and reading a book. He hears the sound of my shoes against the floor and looks up.
“Mr. Alexander, what are you doing here so early?”
I offer the man a small smile and say, “I wish I knew, Vince.”
He looks baffled, but not as baffled as I feel.
What am I doing here so early? Good question. Very good question.
My desire to see Emily must have gotten the better of me, causing me to feel restless. That restlessness, in turn, propelled me to wake up earlier, get ready faster, and arrive there far before I needed to.
I head up to my office, nodding at people here and there who stop what they’re doing to greet me. The place isn’t too crowded right now, but that’s going to change over the next hour. Once I reach my destination, I shut the door behind me and sigh to myself.
What is this tingly energy shooting through me right now? It’s so bizarre. I can’t recall ever experiencing something like this. It’s almost supernatural.
Am I really getting this way because of Emily? Could one person cause this to happen?
Incredible.
And it sure as hell isn’t because of the first regular season game. I’m looking forward to it. Just the tiniest bit of nerves. Nothing that would cause me much worry.
I walk over to my chair and attempt to sit down, but my restlessness wins out. I start to pace around the office. Losing track of time, I keep going until my legs are tired, at which point I still refuse to sit down in the chair. Instead, I lean against the desk and observe my surroundings. It’s a room I’ve been inside of so many times before, yet it now feels so alien to me.
Man, my mind is getting warped.
Can you believe I’m actually getting nervous at the thought of seeing Emily again? It’s mostly excitement and mischief. But yes, there’s nervousness there too.
I never thought I’d see the day when any woman could cause me to be this way. And it’s definitely never happened before. That much I know.
I walk over to the window and look down at the practice field. I must have been walking around for a while. Plenty of people have now filed in. Practice looks like it’s about to start. I hungrily scan the field for any sign of Emily. She must have come in with her father.
There are so many bodies around that I’m having trouble… ah, there we go. There she is.
My heart does a little flip inside my chest. Not literally, of course. But that’s what it feels like. Just the sight of her gets my engine running. She’s not wearing anything extraordinary. Just a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. For all intents and purposes, she looks just like an ordinary training facility assistant.
But I know better than that.
I know those lips and those brown eyes. I know that smile and that aura of youthful energy.
I’ve got to see her. I can’t just stand up here gawking like the phantom of the opera.
Time to go down.
Chapter 5
I reach the practice field and do my best to appear as impassive as ever. The last thing I want is for Emily to see how excited I am about her being there. Reporters quickly start to approach me, but I sidestep them without a thought. I don’t have time for their crap.
“Morning,” Coach Reed says when I’m a few yards away from him.
“Good Morning,” I reply a split second later. I’m not even looking at him. My eyes are trained on his daughter. Before last Friday, I thought I would never see her again. Then everything changed. And it all happened right when I had gotten over.
Strange how the universe works sometime.
She has her hair tied back in a ponytail, and she’s not wearing any makeup at all.
And you know what, it doesn’t make any difference. She still looks as pretty as ever.
“And good morning to you, as well.” I say that to Emily. My tone is casual. Nothing suspicious. Nothing that would cause her father to wonder about our relationship.
Emily matches me step for step. “Good morning, Mr. Alexander.”
“Call me Dorian.”
She purses her lips and puts her hands into her pockets. “Okay. Good morning, Dorian.”
I like hearing her call me that. Whereas her saying “Mr. Alexander” just makes it all too formal.
Before I can say anything else, Coach Reed calls for practice to begin. The players, who were stretching to get loose, immediately straighten up and get to work.
Those idiot pundits don’t know what they’re talking about. They said Jonathan Reed might be too nice to be a head coach at the pro level. Nice guy or not, he knows how to command the respect of the players.
Not someone whose bad side you would ever want to get on.
But isn’t that exactly what I’m doing? I’m risking getting on his bad side. Emily’s mere presence opens up that threat. If he ever finds out that I banged his only daughter… the consequences wouldn’t be pleasant. The fact that I’m his boss wouldn’t excuse my actions. And while I have no doubt I could subdue him if he got violent, I don’t want it to come to that. He’s one of the few people in the world I actually like on a genuine level. Most others I just tolerate.
I put the worrying thoughts out of my mind and focus on the field in front of me. Practice has started. The offense and defense are now engaged in a seven on seven scrimmage drill. As if on cue, the quarterback throws an interception on his very first pass attempt. Normally, I wou
ld react to that by struggling to hide my feelings of disgust. But right now I couldn’t care less. The only thought on my mind is getting Emily alone. I don’t know what I’ll say to her, but that doesn’t deter me at all.
It has to be done.
We have to talk about what happened between us, and what’s going to happen now that she’s working for me.
I know it’s not a permanent thing. She’ll go back to her life as a college student once her break from school is over, but the present situation cannot be ignored.
I’m sure that I’ll get her alone eventually. She’s here to be my assistant after all. The question is how long I’ll have to wait.
Chapter 6
After practice is over, Coach Reed gathers the team around him and gives a speech. He talks about the first game of the regular season and warns us not to take it lightly just because it’s only week one.
I glance over at Emily, who’s standing several yards away, looking mildly bored. Not much of a football fan.
After the coach dismisses the team, everyone heads for the entrance back into the main body of the facility. Everyone except me, Emily, and her father.
I stay down on one knee as I watch Coach Reed go up to his daughter and drape an arm over her shoulder. He jokes about something, but he’s the only one who laughs. Emily just forces a small smile on her face.
I know that feeling so well, Emily.
The guy does make some very corny jokes. And he isn't even embarrassed about how no one else finds them to be funny. He’s all too happy to just laugh at the jokes himself.
But he’s a kindhearted human being. I can scope out phonies very easily, and Jonathan Reed isn’t one. This isn’t a gimmick of his. He’s actually an “Oh shucks” sort of person. Even I can’t help but like him.
So should I feel guilty that I slept with his daughter? I didn’t know who she was at the time, but that excuse isn’t going to work this time around. I now know whose daughter she is. Yet I’m still trying to get with her. I orchestrated this whole thing about her being my assistant with that goal in mind
So where is the shame I should be feeling?
It just isn’t there. I’m too happy about seeing the man’s daughter again to care what he thinks about the subject.
But of course, I don’t want him to find out about me and Emily.
Despite his jovial personality, I don’t know how he might react if he ever gets word of the truth.
Sigh. What am I doing?
This is such a bad idea.
Seattle was supposed to be a fresh start for me. I can’t afford to do this. The head coach’s daughter is off-limits. That’s a rule that everyone on every team knows about.
But I can’t just stop either. I have to understand this strange connection I’ve formed with her. A connection I’ve never had with anyone else other than my late mother. And that was obviously different. She was my parent. The person who carried me inside of her womb for nine months. You’re obligated to have a bond with your mother.
This thing with Emily, however, is unlike anything else I’ve ever gone through. She and I are under no obligation to have anything between us. And maybe she doesn’t feel for me what I’m feeling for her, but I have to keep going. I just have to.
I’m in a sports car that’s going two hundred miles an hour on a narrow mountain side with no guardrails. I could crash and die a horrible death. Or I could make it to my destination.
Both options are equally possible.
Chapter 7
After Coach Reed moves away to head inside, I quickly get up and close the distance between myself and Emily. She was starting to follow after her father, but now she sees me hurrying towards her.
“Hey,” I say flatly. Why can’t I think of anything more clever to say? I’m usually so much sharper than this.
“Hey,” Emily replies. “That was quite a show.”
“Oh, were you watching?”
I know. I know. Don’t roll your eyes too hard. I had to respond that way. I can’t let her know that I was hoping the practice would impress her. That would give her all the power in this… whatever we have between us. Can’t call it a relationship. That wouldn’t be accurate.
“Yeah. I saw the whole thing. How’s that guy that the thrower was hurtling the ball to? He looked like his hands were hurting afterwards.”
“That was the Quarterbacks’ coach. And he’s fine.”
“Right,” she says, nodding slightly. “And what exactly is a quarterback?”
“The thrower. The official name for his position is quarterback.”
Emily just shrugs. No embarrassment whatsoever. “I don’t follow sports.”
“Your dad is a football coach for a major NFL franchise. How can you not even know the name of the most important position?”
“Relax. It’s just a game.”
“Just a game? This game is why your father has millions of dollars.”
She still looks completely indifferent. “And most important position? Come on.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say in mock outrage. Emily turns around and begins to walk into the building. I follow after her, talking to her back. “Quarterback is the most important position on the field. I’m not joking. Everyone says that. All the experts. Seriously.”
I love it. I’m smiling as I argue with her all the way back inside.
Rather than getting angry, I’m feeling this amazing buzz in my stomach as we exchange banter.
I’ve really never been like this with anyone. Not even close.
It’s like we aren’t just people who slept together. Almost as if we’re… friends.
We’re so lost in conversation that we don’t even realize what’s going on around us. I absentmindedly follow a route familiar to me, but I’m too busy talking to Emily to pay more attention than that. It isn’t until I see Emily look away from me and face forward that I come back to my senses.
Why does she have a panicked look in her eyes?
I turn my own head to see what has her so bothered.
Ah. Yup. That’ll do it.
We’re at the entrance to the locker room. Several of my players are frozen to the spot, staring back at Emily.
Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
Wrong.
The problem isn’t that she’s in the locker room. Women are allowed in the locker room. But here’s the catch: those women are always reporters. They have a valid reason for being in there. It’s not a peepshow for them. They’re there to do their jobs.
Emily is supposed to be my personal assistant. She has no reason to be in there. Especially considering the fact that many of the guys are currently in the process of changing clothes or coming out of the showers.
Peepshow.
Chapter 8
I turn to see Emily’s cheeks turning red in embarrassment. She apologizes to the guys with her eyes cast downwards at the floor. She then quickly ushers out of the locker room the same way she came in.
She’s completely mortified.
“Well, that was awkward,” I say to no one in particular. I can’t blame her for reacting that way. It was funny, but understandable. I mean come on, some of these guys are completely naked.
“Would you guys put on some pants already,” I say to the room at large.
“Who was that?” That comes from the starting running back, James Dempsey. He still looks a bit stunned. The others are starting to laugh among themselves at what just happened.
“Her name is Emily,” I say. I think that might be the first time I’ve spoken to him.
“She was pretty cute,” the guy adds in. Several of the others who accidentally gave Emily an eyeful chime in with their agreement.
I feel my blood pressure start to spike. My scalp always feels a little itchy when that happens. It’s a sign that I’m dangerously close to losing my temper.
Jealousy? Is that what this is?
Me Jealous? Have I really devolved to that level?
I’m not the sort of guy who gets jealous. I’m the sort of guy who laughs at men who get jealous.
“She’s Coach Reed’s daughter,” I quickly say, putting as much emphasis on that as I can.
The reaction is predictable. The guys look completely taken aback. They had no idea. Coach Reed didn’t mention it because he probably didn’t want to single her out.
“Seriously?” one of the backup wideouts says.
“Seriously,” I say, looking him right in the eyes. The combination of the new information he’s getting, along with the steely glare I’m shooting him, force the man to turn away and return to getting dressed.
I think the point is coming across to everyone there. Emily Reed is off limits. Untouchable.
At least to them.
I’ve already touched her plenty of times.
But not enough.
I need more of her.
I need her in my life.
I leave the locker room and start looking for Emily around the building. I guess that she’s in her father’s office, so I head up there.
Bingo. Well, not quite. She isn’t in her father’s office, but she’s in the hallway outside, leaning against a wall and texting away on her phone. She looks up as she sees me approaching.
“Oh, it’s just you. Thank God it’s not one of the players.”
I chuckle. “You saw everything, huh?”
“Oh yeah. I saw Alvin, and I saw the Chipmunks.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Alvin and the Chipmunks. That’s cute.” I stop right next to her, and lean against the wall. Our shoulders are almost touching. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll get over it. They’re professional athletes. They’re not as shy as you think.” She nods at me and returns to finishing her text. I playfully tap her on the shoulder. And you know what, I’m actually nervous doing it. It’s like I’m afraid she’ll react negatively to the contact.
Man, it’s like I’ve been neutered. She has my balls in a jar.