“Are you coming back to bed?” She asks, running a finger across her lip and biting the tip.
I open my mouth to tell her I’ll be right there and to wake her friends, but a large palm claps my shoulder.
“No he’s not, sweetheart. Go ahead and find your clothes and be on your way. And you,” he says, tightening his grip on me, “better hurry. Only eighteen minutes and then we’re leaving with or without clothes.”
He smacks my back, the sting spreading over myskin, and begins pulling open and slamming shut cabinet doors and drawers. I’m sure it’s all part of his plan to “punish Nic”, and the last thing I’m about to do is argue with the beast.
I walk towards the cute blonde and take her hand in mine, leading her back up the stairs.
“Last night was a blast…beautiful,” I tell her, not wanting to try and guess at a name that could be something as simple as Mary or as ridiculous as Calliope. “My maid will be here to clean things up, so just be sure to let her know when you ladies leave. She’ll see to it that everything is locked up.”
She nods, big brown eyes with black smudges underneath staring up at me. “Okay. Can I call you later?”
Her fingernails scrap my chest as they dance across it. “You know, uh…how about I call you. Season is about to start and I’m going to be pretty busy.”
The sultry look in her eyes narrows and she drops her hand. “You mean you won’t be calling because you had your fun for the night, and now you’re tossing me to the curb like last night’s trash.”
“No. Not like last night’s trash. Like a decadent meal eaten and digested. But done, in any case. And not just you alone. You and your friends,” I say, pointing my chin at the other women who still lay comatose in deep sleep.
I see it coming and even though I brace for impact, the slap across the face still hurts like a motherfucker. Especially with the hangover that racks my body.
She spins on her heels and stomps around the room, waking the other ladies. She smacks one on the butt and screeches at the other, jolting them all from their slumber. I take advantage of her hastiness and slip into my bathroom.
A quick brush of my teeth, some water on my facelike Bash suggested, and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt get put on in a rush. I’m ready to go with three minutes to spare and cautiously step out into an empty bedroom. When I emerge downstairs, Bash holds two travel mugs of coffee with a shrewd smirk on his face.
“Your guests are gone, and they left you a parting gift.” He tips his head towards the large glass windows that look out into my backyard.
Dickheadis written across them in bright red lipstick. Well…at least it’s not a permanent marker.
“Let’s get this over with,” I tell Bash and take a coffee from him.
As I sit in the passenger seat of his truck, all I can think of is what type of punishment I will receive, and how Nick and Nik will laugh their asses off when I tell them.
Flashbacks of being in high school, sitting in Principal Horowitz’s office with my two best friends beside me feel like more than just a memory as I sit here on the opposite side of a large desk from my coach who is staring me down with daggers in his eyes. This is reality and Coach Wagner –Wags, as we lovingly call him– isn’t just a high school principal upset with our childish antics. This man holds my professional football career in his hand.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Loving? You realize that you posted your bare ass all over social media. Not to mention the young ladies that were in various stages of…pleasing you.” Wags’ face is red and he looks like a tea kettle ready to blow.
“They were posted on my story so they disappear after twenty four hours. I doubt anyone even saw it or realized it was me,” I explain, but I think my attempt to calm him only angers him more.
“You hadI am the Love Manwritten on your goddamn stomach!”
I wince, my eyes squeezing shut and shoulders raising up to protect my hearing from the decibel that is louder than the jackhammer that was drilling into my brain this morning.
“I know. My agent has already scrubbed the pictures from my account, and is working on a statement to apologize for my rash behavior. I’ll explain that this was out of character and I was under the influence of alcohol, lowering my inhibitions and ability to think clearly.”
“Like the entire world doesn’t already know about all of the other shit you pulled? The naked cliff jumping. Naked foam party, complete with ‘helicopter’ contest where you were the only contestant. Speeding down I-10, blaring the songLove Manat max volume with a shock of bleach blonde hair, bobbing in and out of the camera view from your lap. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that was. See where I’m going with this? And why the fuck are you always naked, Loving? Do you not earn enough to buy some goddamn clothes?”
Coach rattles off the list of my offenses that I’ve racked up since being drafted by the Houston Drillers.
“I mean. When you’re blessed, why should–” A hand lands on the back of my head with a hard slap.
I look over my shoulder at Bash, my warden, and I send a glare his way that would normally send chills through a man’s body. Not Bash. He just laughs at my attempt to intimidate him.
“This is your last free weekend before preseason starts. I don’t want you to say anything, do anything, or post anything. Just sit on your fucking couch and watch game film. You can’t get into trouble if you don’t move. I need a few days to think of what to do.”
“What to do? I don’t understand,” I stutter, my words sounding like I’m learning English for the first time.
“About you. My star rookie wide receiver is a pain in my ass, and I need to figure out if he’s worth the headaches. Plus, I need to speak to Monty about this. He’s going to be pissed about all of the money he sunk into his new problem.”
