Dex: We’re all hanging out tonight. Are you coming?
Iread the text over and over again. I want to go but I’m too busy thinking about what we talked about last night.
August: Shouldn’t I give her some space?
I watch as the bubbles pop up and disappear. Finally, a text comes in.
Dex: No, come with us. It’ll be fun. You’ll see.
I shake my head and laugh. Sure, it will. If he only knew that every time we hung out as a group, before I touched her, how I had to restrain myself from grabbing her ponytail and pulling her head back so that she was staring up at me. How I wanted to tell her how much I loved her smart little mouth. That I longed to kiss her roughly and then take her into the bathroom. Make her hold onto the sink while I pounded in and out of her from behind.
“Yeah, hanging out with everyone tonight sounds like a great idea,” I say to my empty office. Especially since I can’t touch her, which means no taking her into the bathroom and teaching her a lesson about her smart mouth.
August: Fine. I’ll come and hang out. Just try not to leave me stuck beside Ash again, please.
I receive a laughing face from Dex.
Dex: What, don’t you like the brother?
I shake my head.
August: You know I don’t.
Dex: Come, on, dude, remember you’re playing the long game.
I nod. He’s right, I am here playing the long game. Thankfully, I have enough work in this office to keep me busy because there’s so much to figure out with playoffs coming and the NWSL draft happening in few months. I have to help the coaches get all the film they need to secure the new recruits. And, of course, there are the deals that we have with our sponsors. I may not secure them, but I do have to bless them. And sometimes, if the fish is big enough, it’s my job to go to the mat and make sure that we get the deal. This season, I do have some pretty big fish that I am looking after. I want national sponsors for these girls because hell, they deserve it. I’ve never been so thankful for a quiet office.
Today, there was no practice. The only people who were at the Blaze are the front office staff, Jase and Nate Watts. I sawtheir cars in the parking lot when I went out to get some air and grab lunch. I would guess they are strategizing and trying to figure out how to win the next game. Thankfully, that next game does not take place for another week. We have some time to regroup. Hit the ground running and make sure we take the next one.
Finally, seven o’clock rolls around. I flex my shoulders and stand. It’s time to get to the bar. I head into my private bathroom and change into a pair of jeans that I keep here just in case. I pull over a black fitted T-shirt and Nike sneakers. I stop and stare at myself in the mirror before exiting the bathroom and sighing. My eyes look tired and there’s a knot in my stomach, knowing that I’m going to see her soon. It’s funny, I’ve never been this way over a woman before, but I guess it’s because I’ve never loved someone the way I do her. She’s one of a kind. I just hope that playing the long game like Dex suggested pays off in the end.
I reach the bar and pull open the door. The music, the smell of alcohol and the chatter fill my senses. The bar is buzzing like it always is. The low lights make it the kind of place where no one pays attention to what’s happening around them unless something breaks. Hendrix and the group have claimed one of the larger booths that is off to the side. There are drinks scattered around already and some food. They must have been there longer than I thought. I glance at my watch. I was pretty sure that I wasn’t that late.
I slide into the booth and take a seat beside Dex. Thankfully, Danny is across from me, but Ash is still closer than I would like him to be. Right next to Danny.
“Look who finally wandered in,” Ash says, his voice flat enough to cut grass.
I give him a lazy grin. “Miss me?” Danny kicks me under the table, but I don’t give a shit. If the smug bastard is here to play, then so am I.
“Please, can we not start tonight?” Hendrix asks, rolling her eyes.
“Are you hungry?” Danny asks me. “We have ordered a bunch of appetizers for now. But we can order dinner if you want. I think I’m going to get a burger.”
I nod. “Apps are fine with me.”
I look around at the pitchers of beer and see that I would have to ask Ash to pass it to me, and that’s not something that I would like to do at this time.
“You need Scotch, man, or are you wanting a beer tonight?” Dex asks me. Thank fuck for him, he noticed the problem and handled it without me having to ask.
“Thanks, man, I’ll take a beer, if there’s enough left.”
“Of course, man,” Dex says, reaching for the pitcher of beer and pouring me one.
“Oh, you’re not going to order us all a new round and put it on your tab?” Ash asks me.
I just ignore his jab and take a long sip of the beer that Dex handed me. I think I am going to need it tonight. I look over and see that Hendrix is talking to her brother quietly.
“Can we not start tonight?” Hendrix asks, rolling her eyes and looking from Ash to me.
