Rowan shook his head. “I don’t think she’s actually trying, although I’m up for it. We’ve talked about waiting for another few years until she’s ready to stop playing. But I can’t exactly say to her ‘I think we’re having too much sex’, can I? What if this is how it’s been with her other boyfriends and it’s me? I mean, would you guys complain?” His Geordie accent thickened.
“How often are you talking?” Ryan took a bottle of water from the fridge. “Per day.”
“Three or four times. She woke me up this morning getting on my dick, then in the changing rooms here — close your ears, Coach. That’s twice before seven-thirty. Yesterday, there was before we picked Toby up from school and before we went to sleep, so that’s four times in twenty-four hours. I think my balls are going to run dry.”
He actually looked pained.
Ryan laughed. “I never thought I’d be listening to you moaning about having to put out.”
Rowan shook his head. “I need to speak to her, don’t I?”
“Take her out for a meal. Drop Toby off at ours tomorrow night and book somewhere she really likes. Get dressed up and have flowers ready for her before you go out. Then seduce her.” Ryan put his hands behind his head and tilted back on the chair.
Anyone else would fall over backwards now, but not Ryan. It was like the sun shone on him constantly.
It was a good thing he was a really great bloke, because otherwise we’d all hate him.
“Doesn’t that defeat the object of trying to give my dick a break?” Rowan frowned.
Ryan shook his head. “When’s the last time you instigated sex?”
“I don’t get a chance, because Dee practically lives on my dick.” Rowan groaned. “I really shouldn’t be fucking complaining.”
“Before you bring it up, you need to make the first move. Make sure she knows you’re still really interested.” Ryan finished the water. “Otter was phoning me loads last week, just for stupid things, and I worked out it was because I hadn’t been texting her what I had for breakfast.”
Otter was currently filming something somewhere that wasn’t in Manchester. Next week, the two of them were off on holiday. A pinch of me was jealous of Ryan and Rowan and Nate because they had these relationships that seemed to ground them, give them a sense of being more than simply a footballer. Maybe I was at the age where I needed to think about what it would mean to have a relationship.
I automatically thought of Jerrica.
Then I shut that door in my head, because it couldn’t go anywhere. Those thoughts were only going to end up being as frustrating as fuck.
“So she could be thishorny, ” Rowan cringed at the word, “because I’ve not been making it clear I want her?”
“Have you been making it clear?” Ryan stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. “I might start charging for this advice.”
Rowan looked like he was going to choke. “I wouldn’t change careers yet, ROC. I think I have, but maybe not as much as she’s used to. Okay. Meal. Flowers. Hotel room?”
Ryan nodded. “If you can. Then at some point just find out why she’s so in the mood all the time. But make sure she doesn’t think it’s a problem. You could say that you’re worried you’re not man enough for her.”
“I’m not saying that.” Rowan folded his arms. “No, man. I’m plenty man enough for her. I just need a day off, or even half a day off, so parts of my dick can grow the skin back.”
“Lube.” Nate patted his shoulder. “Highly recommend it.” He looked at me. “Especially if it’s your hand you’re seducing.”
I shook my head, saying nothing. The fact that last night I’d jerked off while thinking about Nate’s sister was enough to seal my lips shut completely on the topic.
“Are we all off to Kitty’s, then?”
There was a collective yes, and we all managed to scrape ourselves off the floor or various chairs and to the showers.
CHAPTER6
Jerrica
We settledon Saturday for an afternoon tea, inviting Genny, Neva and Dee, along with Ryan’s girlfriend, Otter, which was a bit unnerving given she was a really well-known actress. A few of the other players from the women’s team came too, as well as Leila Downey, whose day job was as a sports journalist, but she knew how to leave that at the door so she did hang out with Amber and Genny sometimes. I kind of felt that Leila was lonely. She was in a male-dominated environment, and the amount of focus on her looks and how she dressed compared to her talent was ridiculous. She’d told me once that it was cutthroat, and she couldn’t really trust many people. She also spent a hell of a lot of time on the road, so her friends from school and college had grown up and they didn’t have much in common.
I was glad Amber had thought to invite her, especially when she turned up with a mountain of macaroons and a bottle of Aperol.
Neva fussed around Amber, who didn’t usually like being fussed over. I watched from the kitchen, through the open bi-fold doors as Neva insisted that Amber didn’t lift a finger.
