The Athlete

by Elin Peer

  Solomon was touching his face where I’d hit him while walking to the other bike. “You still have a good punch.”

  “And you still have a jaw of fucking iron.” My comment made him chuckle.

  “But what happened to the part about working past your disagreement and forgiving each other?”

  I turned on the machine I was on. It was silent but a green light indicated it was ready to go. “What about it?”

  “Well, aren’t you going to be friends again?”

  I laughed. “Jonah, shut up and get on the bike.”

  The councilman looked disappointed when he swung his leg over and sat behind me, but what he didn’t see was the amused glance between Solomon and me. It was the closest we’d ever come to smiling at each other for the last seven years.

  CHAPTER 24

  Sperm Spoilers

  Emanuela

  We left the Northlands on Monday afternoon after giving lots of promises that we would return again soon.

  Willow kept thanking Hunter for coming, and I saw him and Solomon shake hands before we left.

  Pearl let Jonah know she was available if he ever needed her support or friendship and although he reacted with calmness when she said it, he was overflowing with joy once we were in the hybrid.

  “Can you believe that Pearl says we’re friends now?”

  “Yes, we all heard it.” Hunter laughed. “Jonah, my friend, you look like you don’t need my drone to get home. You’re just about flying on your own right now.”

  Jonah had a goofy grin on his face.

  I loved seeing my brother so happy and laughed with him. “I also heard Mila tell you to stay in touch. Seemed like you two grew close in no time.”

  “I love Mila. She’s so funny and a little bossy.”

  Hunter’s eyebrows rose up. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?”

  “Yes. Mila.”

  “Yeah, but the Mila I know is sweet and not bossy at all.”

  Jonah shrugged. “Then maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

  “I’ve known Mila for ten years. She’s a pushover.”

  Jonah scoffed. “She’s no more a pushover than Pearl and I are. Just because we don’t scream or threaten people doesn’t mean we don’t get our way. If you saw the way she handles her dogs and her siblings, then you’d known she’s a strong leader.”

  “Huh. Maybe being around Magni and Laura has rubbed off on her.” I grinned. “Either way, you sound like you’re a little smitten with her.”

  Jonah never answered because right then he looked out the window and pointed. “I see the border.”

  A deep groan sounded from Hunter. “Sadly, so do I. We’ll have to turn on the regulator for the rest of the way.” Hunter appeared to be in physical pain when he pushed the speed regulator. “It should be against the law to force a fine machine like this to go slow.”

  Hunter was kind enough to drop me off before he took Jonah home, but it also meant that I was asleep before he returned to my apartment, which sucked because we had planned to try out the bag of protection that Shelly had given us.

  We could have made up for it on Tuesday morning if we hadn’t overslept.

  On a positive note, practice went well, as our usual irritation with each other had been replaced by a flirtatious energy. Hunter no longer had any issue getting close to me, and he seemed more at ease with the other women as well. I figured it was because after everything that happened between us, he was no longer afraid of falling in love with one of them.

  “Let’s gather for our reflection circle.” Coach Amy was waving her hands and signaling for us to sit down on the grass at the end of practice. “Silas, that was some impressive sprinting – no wonder you look exhausted. Get some water and catch your breath.”

  Coach Amy had once been a great soccer player herself, but now she was overweight and getting down to sit on the grass took a bit of work. “Who wants to start today?”

  Sander raised his hand. “I can start.”

  “All right, go ahead.”

  “On a scale from one to ten, I’m probably around eight today.”

  Sounds of sympathy arose from the group, and Amy’s face fell into a grimace of concern. “I’m sorry to hear that. What is weighing you down?”

  “I’ve just been sad all day because of Sara’s cat. I know that Charlie was sick but his dying just reminded me of my own loss two years ago.”

  Angel, who sat next to Sander, leaned in and gave him a sideway hug. “It’s okay. Maybe Charlie is playing with your cats now.”

  Hunter was on the opposite side of the circle from me. He was observing everyone’s expressions of sympathy and grief, but he didn’t look like he was impacted by the situation himself. When two other teammates volunteered their own stories of losing a pet, Hunter discreetly shook his head, looked down, and started plucking at the grass like he was bored.

  Hunter was the last person to speak. Changing his position to squatting, he gave the impression that he couldn’t wait to get this reflection circle over with. “On a scale from one to ten, I’m ten.”

  “That is wonderful, Hunter. Care to share with the rest of us why that is?”

  He drew in a deep inhalation. “I went home this weekend for my sister’s wedding. There were cold beers, lots of meat, and the best company.” As he said the last word his eyes shifted to meet mine.

  “Excellent. Anything else you’d like to share?”

  “Nope!”

  “All right, then that’s it for today.” Amy resembled a tortoise when she tried to get up, so I walked over to help her.

  “Thank you, dear. I’m not as flexible as I used to be. But don’t worry, in a few weeks, I’m donating fifteen kilos of my fat to the local hospital.”

  “That’s nice of you.”

  “Normally, I only donate my blood, but last year, I donated a chunk of my hair and this year I’m helping to fatten up those who need it.” She slammed her belly. “I only wish I could give away more than fifteen kilos.” She laughed and walked towards the administrative offices.

  As the rest of the team left for the locker room, Hunter stopped me. “I want to shower with you.”

  I knew what he meant, but teased him. “You want to shower with the team?”

  “No. I want us to shower at home.” He leaned in. “I want to lock the door and have sex with you all night in as many positions as possible.”

  Butterflies took flight between my ribs and I broke into a wide smile. “And here I thought you would be tired after practice.”

  He gave me a playful scoffing expression. “I will always have energy for sex.”

  “Yeah, yeah, now you’re just bragging.”

  Hunter’s eyes lowered to my lips and I was sure he was going to kiss me but we were interrupted by Donna shouting from the door leading to the offices. “Hunter. Emanuela. May I talk to you for a second, please?”

  With Hunter having his back to her, Donna didn’t see how he rolled his eyes.

  “Come on.” I patted his shoulder and jogged to her.

  “I’m glad to see that you are back from the Northlands. I thought we could just have a quick talk.”

  We followed her into her office and took the same seats that we had been in before.

  Donna sat down on the edge of her desk, leaning on her left thigh while her right foot touched the floor. “I just spoke to Coach Amy. You impressed her at practice today. According to her, there were no arguments between you two and Hunter seemed more at ease around the women. Well done, both of you.”

  “Thanks.” Hunter planted both his hands on the armrests and lifted in his seat. “Can we go now?”

  “In a second, Hunter.” Donna turned her attention on me. “Emanuela, what do you think made the difference?”

  I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “We had a nice weekend together.”

  “Yes, I heard that you went to a wedding in the Northlands.” Her eyes shifted back to Hunter. “It
sounds exciting. Not a lot of Motlanders would get to experience something like that.”

  “I know – Jonah and I are grateful that Hunter shared the experience with us. It was so much fun to meet all the people we have read about.”

  “I can only imagine.” Donna gave a hollow laugh. “Maybe I could have an invitation the next time you go home.”

  Hunter tightened his grip around the armrests and leaned back in his seat. “If you’re curious about the Northlands, all you have to do is sign up for the matchmaking program.”

  Donna picked at an invisible spot on her pants. “I would say there’s a big difference between a visit and a lifetime commitment.”

  I sensed the tension between them so I made an attempt to ease the awkwardness. “That’s true. But for what it’s worth, the Northlands are absolutely beautiful, and the people are so kind.” I stopped myself. “Well, maybe kind isn’t the right word. They swear a lot and are crude by nature, but the Motlanders who lived there are all very sweet. At least I thought Pearl, Mila, Raven, Christina, and Kya were absolutely wonderful and they all live there.” I was rambling, but being in Donna’s office made me nervous. She had no shame when it came to asking intimate questions and I wasn’t ready for her to know about how close Hunter and I had become.

  “Good to know.” Donna shifted her position. She was still sitting on her desk but both her feet were on the floor now. “If you keep this up, you could be back to having separate apartments by the end of the week.”

  I more sensed than saw the tension from Hunter.

  “It’s fine. It turns out that Hunter is a lot of fun and I’m enjoying getting to know his…” I paused and glanced at him before I looked back at her, “ehh…culture.”

  “I’m in no hurry to move out either.” Hunter’s tone of voice was flat.

  “Now you have me curious. Has your relationship evolved to more than just friendship?”

  This was exactly what I had feared. Everything had happened so fast and I was still trying to make sense of it all. “We…ehh…”

  I could feel Hunter’s eyes on me. “We are not…” How did I explain that we weren’t really sure what we were? Or at least I wasn’t.

  “You’re not what?”

  In a smooth motion, Hunter stood up. “What Emanuela is too polite to tell you is that we are not obligated to tell you anything.”

  “I’m just trying to understand the nature of your relationship.”

  Hunter walked over and opened the door, signaling for me to get up too. “Emanuela and I will let you know what the nature of our relationship is when we feel that it’s any of your concern.”

  There was something deeply satisfying about the look on her face as we left her office.

  Hunter put a hand on the small of my back as we hurried down the corridor. “I hate nosy people.”

  “She’s just trying to do her job.”

  “Meddling in our business is not her job.”

  “Maybe she’s just a little jealous because you rejected her.”

  “I don’t care.” Hunter stopped and took my hand while looking deep into my eyes. “I’m not interested in her. The only woman that I’m interested in is you.”

  His words released a strong physical reaction in me, making a delicious tingle run from the top of my neck and down my belly only to spread out as warmth between my thighs. I didn’t even think before I cupped his face and kissed him hard.

  We were in the corridor of the management offices. This was hardly the place to kiss him if I didn’t want anyone to know about our affair, but acute lust made my brain switch off.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered into my mouth and pushed me back through a door. From the instant change in temperature I knew we were in the stairway leading down to the pool.

  “You’re so fucking sexy, I can’t think around you.” Hunter’s eyes were glowing as he pressed me up against the wall, kissing me hard and demandingly. With our hearts racing and our hands roaming over each other’s bodies, we were so eager that our teeth banged against each other. “You feel that?”

  “What? This?” My hand grabbed on the outside of his shorts for his erection.

  “This is what it feels like to be horny, babe.” Hunter’s hand moved up under my t-shirt and sports bra. “Let me hear you say it.”

  “That I’m horny for you?”

  “Uh-huh…” He bit my lip, holding it between his teeth and looking at me. “How many other men have made you feel this way?”

  “None.”

  “Doesn’t that tell you something?”

  My hands were in his hair, my legs lifted to hook around his hips, and with one arm Hunter lifted me up and ground himself against me. “Would you be willing to have sex without protection?”

  Yes, my body screamed, but I was smarter than that and from somewhere deep inside me a voice of reason came through: “That’s not a good idea.”

  “I know, babe, but I’m fucking desperate to have you. How about anal?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “But if you are afraid of getting pregnant, it could work.”

  “From what I’ve heard anal requires preparation or it will hurt too much. Let’s do as you suggested. Let’s go back to the apartment, lock the door, and make love all night.”

  “Make love?” Hunter caressed my face. “Did you say make love?”

  I stopped kissing him and he let my feet slide to the floor. “Do you prefer the term ‘have sex’?”

  “No. I like it when you use the word love around me.”

  “Hunter.”

  He took a step back. “I know. No promises.” His underlying tone of disappointment made me fist my hand in his shirt.

  “I’ll promise you this, I have no plans for the rest of the day, except for being with you.”

  With a small smile, Hunter brushed a lock of my hair from my face. “I messed up your hair – it’s all over the place.”

  Pulling out my hairband, I finger brushed my hair, and arranged it in a new ponytail before we exited the stairway. To anyone passing us we would look like two normal colleagues, but the energy that ran between us was one of anticipation and desire.

  As soon as we got back home, I locked the door and Hunter went for the bag of contraceptives.

  “Okay, let’s see what Shelly wanted us to try out.” He emptied everything out on the table.

  There were five individual see-through bags with a description on each. He picked up one and turned it around.

  I joined him and picked up another bag. “They are different.”

  “Yeah. This one is called the Sperm-Spoiler.”

  “Because it spoils the sperm?” I gave a nod. “That’s a good name.”

  “But how does it work?” Hunter began reading the instructions on the bag. “Inject one milliliter in each testicle a minimum of ten minutes before intercourse.”

  “Inject? Like, with a needle?” I looked on as Hunter pulled out a small syringe and paled.

  “That’s not fucking happening. What was Shelly thinking?”

  “I don’t know, but it sounds painful.” I made a face while turning the bag that I was holding to read the instructions. “Sperm killing foam to be applied before intercourse. Also works as lubrication. Warning: The taste needs improvement and the effectiveness of the product has only been tested in a laboratory.”

  “So basically, there’s no guarantee that it works?” Hunter picked up a third bag. “What do we have here? I think it’s pills. Yeah, it’s pills but it says to be taken daily for at least a week before it’s safe.”

  “Let’s hope one of the last options is better.” I pulled out a sealed package with phrase on it, Sperm Collectors.

  “Here, let me,” Hunter offered when I had trouble opening the box. A weird ring fell out that I picked up. “What is this?”

  “I don’t know.”

  My fingers played with the material and rolled out the thing to a long weird shape. “This looks a bit like a pa
le balloon.”

  Hunter took it from me and sniffed it. “What do the instructions say?”

  Picking up the bag, I read aloud. “By covering the penis with the wrapping, it will collect all sperm. Warning, can rip, and should only be used once.”

  “I think I’ve seen something like this in old porn movies.” Hunter stuck his finger inside the balloon. “But how would I get it on?” He tried to expand the ring. “Does it get bigger? There’s no way I’ll be able to get my cock through this ring. It’s way too tight.”

  “It says to roll it on, but how? Maybe she used some kind of old recipe to make it. Could be that men had small penises before the war.”

  “Yeah, but Shelly has Marco to measure against. Didn’t he say that she asks him to test her inventions?”

  “Maybe Marco isn’t very big down there.”

  Hunter scratched his neck. “Could be, but I don’t recall him being small from the times I’ve seen him naked.”

  “You’ve seen Marco naked?”

  “Sure. Sometimes all us boys would go skinny-dipping in the lake by the school and he and Archer would join. It was fun.”

  “Do you want to try it on or not?” I looked down at the sperm collector.

  “What’s the last option?” Hunter lifted his chin in a nod to the last bag, which turned out to be a gel. I held it up and read the instructions aloud.

  “This gel is an improvement on the spray currently on the market. Not only does it taste better, but it also heats up on your skin when you breathe on it.”

  “Huh. Kinky. Is it safe?”

  I turned the gel in the air. “I think so.”

  Hunter took it from me. “All right. I guess we have a winner then.”

  “Do you want to eat before we shower?”

  “I was planning to eat you.” Hunter made me squeal when he pretended to eat my shoulder but even through my loud laughter, we heard my wristband go off.

  Cole’s picture popped up, but I was too busy to talk to my brother. “It’s okay, I’ll return his call later.”

  On Cole’s third call in a row, Hunter and I exchanged a glance. “He’s pretty eager. Maybe you need to answer.”