“You need them to get through the fear every day.”
I smile as I look out the window at the city lights flashing by. “You will love it. Think of it as one big adrenaline-fueled holiday.”
“Adrenaline… ah-huh! Did I begin my initiation tonight?”
“Huh?”
“When you left the court and ran into the crowd. I never moved so fast to keep up with you.”
While I didn’t think it through, I don’t regret it. To see Charlotte’s face light up was worth getting my ass chewed by the coach. “It wasn’t planned.”
“I figured that.”
“When I saw her face on the screen, I wasn’t going to let her sit there ridden with embarrassment.”
“I understand, but a fan could have attacked you. Hurt you.”
I look at Ewan and grin. “It’s why I have you.”
27
CHARLOTTE
It’s my birthday,and for the last few years, I kept it low-key as the team usually demanded my attention. As luck has it, Brandon is at a late training and then a team meeting, so being a Friday night, I asked my besties over.
Cassie cracks open a bottle of champagne, but I wave my hand over a glass. “No thanks.”
My friends stare at me as though I have two heads.
Cassie’s eyes widen. “But it’s your birthday, and we came to celebrate with you,” she says incredulously.
“Where is my friend, and what have you done with her?” Violet teases.
“Funny. I’m in a happier place and… I don’t feel the need to drink.” For years, I was using booze to dull my senses, too afraid to feel pain.
Bella stares at me for a moment. “So this is why I need a good fuck. It’s transforming.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but…” I grin and hold up my glass of water, “… cheers to a good fuck.”
“Stop it.” Cassie moans. “I’m jealous because it’s always better if you have feelings for the other person. While I love a good fuck, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be when they’re using you as a gym session. Some nights, I’ve been manipulated into positions I never thought possible, and while I came, I kept thinking, hurry up already. With his hot breath on my back, his panting is like the dying yards of a sprint only it felt like a marathon.” She grimaces as though remembering exactly that. “There was this one guy, I thought, great, now let’s get some sleep, then he flipped me on my back, sat on the bed, and pulled me over his spread legs. I thought, right, this will be interesting. He won’t get the momentum, but he bumped around on the mattress like we were on a bouncy castle.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh God, I just had a visual. Did you,errr… come?”
“Not a chance. I thought I was going to bounce right off the bed, and if I landed on my hands, the fucker would have banged me in a handstand.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about him?”
“There are plenty like him. I felt nothing. While some men are great, others make you feel like a piece of fitness equipment.”
“Some days, I’d like to be a piece of equipment,” Bella muses.
“If you had feelings for him, maybe. But these guys just talk about themselves. Look in the mirror at their muscles while they’re fucking me.”
“Oh, I don’t have mirrors,” Violet says quickly. “Benjamin would definitely admire himself, and I want all the attention on me. Then again, it could be very erotic.”
Cassie sighs. “The worst is doggie. Their breathing gets ragged, watching themselves fuck like a horse.”
“Well, if they have a horse’s dick…” Violet grins.
