“It’s not unusual for any of us to have a bad day. It happens to everyone, whether you’re a baseball player or a computer programmer. The difference is that our bad days are broadcast on national television.”
My dad seemed somewhat appeased by the explanation and the table was silent as we all ate. I wondered if either of my parents were going to say anything else, but as soon as they finished eating, Mom cleared the table and the two of them said goodnight.
I grabbed another quick shower, allowing the high-pressure jets to pound into the tight muscles in my back before sliding into bed to read. I found myself rereading the same passages over and over because my mind was still trying to process everything that had happened since last night at this time, so I closed the book and turned off the light.
Sitting in the darkness wasn’t much better, especially when I reached for the pillow on the other side of the bed and caught a whiff of Sean’s cologne. My stomach fluttered and I scolded myself for allowing something so girly to turn me on. Seriously, guys weren’t supposed to get hard from smelling another man on their sheets, were they?
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, only to have my cell phone start blowing up what seemed like minutes later. I had three missed calls and a text message from Jason Klein.
Jason: Any chance you’re up and want to come help with this situation we seem to have?
That sounded ominous. I clicked the link, which was to a video of Sean in the middle of the dance floor, shaking his ass and trying to get others to join him. The quality of the video wasn’t great, but Sean was clearly wasted. He looked sinfully fuckable in his tight jeans as his hips swayed seductively with the music. I rolled over and saw that it was after three in the morning.
Me: Did you get him to his room yet?
The hotel bar closed at two, so hopefully that meant Sean was passed out on his bed. Tomorrow, I’d be sure to order the greasiest, nastiest breakfast possible to pay him back for waking me up.
Jason: Nope. We wound up in Kevin Green’s suite. Seriously, he needs to go so the rest of us can sleep. I don’t want to leave the two of them alone because they’re like oil and water. Add alcohol and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Me: Make sure his phone is close and I’ll call in a few.
Three and a half hours of sleep was going to make for another shitty day. At best, I’d be able to convince Sean to go to bed and then I’d get about four more hours, which still wasn’t enough.
The first time I tried calling Sean, it rang four times before his voicemail picked up, so I hung up and dialed again. “Hey, you,” Sean slurred when he answered the phone. “I thought you were going to get some sleep?”
“I was, until a certain someone decided to shake his groove thang out on the dance floor,” I responded, trying to hide my amusement.
Yes, I was still pissed, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t funny to see Sean drunk enough to dance. He was usually the responsible one whenever the guys went out.
“Aww, baby, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Wait, how did you know about that? Are you in the hotel? Oh, my God, please tell me you’re not in the room waiting for me. I’ll head back right now.”
I didn’t respond right away, figuring it would work to get him out of the suite and into his own room. Sean quickly said his goodbyes and I heard a door slam behind him. I pulled the phone away from my ear when it signaled a new text.
Jason: I don’t know what you said to him, but it worked. Thanks. I owe you a drink the next time you’re in Milwaukee.
Another door closed and I knew Sean had made it to his room. “Wait, where are you?” he asked, obviously confused.
“I’m at home in bed, Sean,” I told him gruffly. “And I would be sleeping, but apparently Klein figures I’m your keeper and he texted me because you were the life of the party tonight.”
“That’s not fair,” he whined. “I left the party because I thought you were here waiting for me.”
“I know.” I chuckled, wondering if he’d remember any of this in the morning. “And now that you’re back in your room, you need to take some Tylenol, chug a bottle of water and get some sleep. Do you have any Gatorade in the room?”
“No, but you could bring me some and then we could go to sleep together,” he slurred. “If you bring a change of clothes with you, we could sneak you out before anyone wakes up.” If he thought me sneaking into his hotel room on the team floor in the middle of the night was a good idea, he should’ve quit drinking long ago.
“Not happening. What I will do is bring some with me when we come to pick you up in the morning.” I silently cursed when I realized my alarm was going to go off in less than four hours.
“If you come and get me now, we could go back to your place and sleep until your mom makes breakfast,” he suggested. “She’s a good woman. Always making sure we’re fed.”
“I’m not getting dressed and driving down there to pick you up right now,” I informed him. He grumbled into the phone and I could almost picture him pouting.
“Baby,” he groaned, elongating the word by about four extra syllables. “I wanna see you tonight. Your bed is way better than this one.”
“I understand that, but you’re drunk and we both need some sleep. I’m going to say goodnight, you’re going to say it back, and then I’ll call to make sure you’re up by eight. Got it?” I wondered how it happened that I was the responsible one for a change.
“No, but I don’t think I have a choice, do I?”
“Nope,” I agreed with him. “Now, are you laying down?”
