Chapter 10 #2
She called Tania off the ball and spun around for the second touch, lofting a rainbow behind her for Tania to hit.
But Tania didn’t hit it, even though she had plenty of room for a good approach.
Instead, she bumped it over, trying to put it deep, but it wasn’t quite deep enough.
The other side got to it and sent a perfect pass to the setter, which led to a perfect set, and a golden opportunity for their best hitter.
Fuck, Jess thought as she jumped, the fatigue in her thighs creeping into her awareness.
The hitter, showing no signs of fatigue, smoked the ball sharp crosscourt. Neither Jess nor Tania had any chance. That left them down 13–14. Match point for their opponent.
“Shit.” Tania was slow to get to her feet, brushing off the sand.
Jess gave her a low five. “Just need a pass here. We can do this. One at a time.”
They waited for the serve, hands on their knees, squinting into the sharp-angled afternoon sun.
Jess passed the serve without too much trouble, got a solid set from Tania, and hit it hard down the line.
The defender struggled to control the dig and it went soaring high out the far side of the court.
The other woman chased it down and brought it back with a wild one-armed swing, somehow, in a perfect arc right into position for the hitter.
The woman jumped and cranked it. Jess blocked her, but the ball rebounded back nicely to the hitter, who popped it up for her partner.
Her partner swung before Jess could jump again.
Tania made a desperate dive for the ball but couldn’t get to it.
They lost.
Jess rested her hands on her knees, winded.
Tania sat up and sighed.
The crowd showered them with fervent applause for their effort. Jess tried to ignore the two celebrating on the other side. She helped Tania up and patted her back. “Good job, T. You played great.”
They shook hands—“Great match,” the other two enthused, which made Jess more annoyed—signed the score sheet, and went to collect their stuff.
Chrissy was waiting to drop her bag on the bench. “You guys played so good!” She squeezed Jess’s arm. “So close!”
“Thanks,” Tania said flatly.
“Chrissy’s right,” Jess said once they got back to the locker room. “We did play great.”
“I know. Just sucks.” Tania pulled the tape off her shoulder and rolled it into a ball. She tossed it into the trash can. “I’m gonna skip our workout tomorrow, I think.”
“Yeah? You okay?” Jess made sure not to stare at Tania’s shoulder.
“Mm-hmm, I just feel like I need some extra rest. Take it easy tomorrow. George and I might go for a drive, find a quiet beach somewhere for a picnic.…”
“All right, rest up. Sounds like a nice day.”
Tania nodded. They headed for the showers in silence.
When Jess came out of the shower, Tania was combing her hair in the mirror.
“You know, I think I’m going to soak in the hot tub for a bit,” Jess said, digging through her locker for a clean swimsuit.
“’Kay,” Tania replied without taking her eyes off her reflection.
“Are we still on for dinner at Diana’s on Tuesday?” Jess asked, pulling on a one-piece underneath her towel.
“For sure.” Tania finally found Jess’s eyes in the mirror. “We’ll pick you up. I’ll text you.”
“Okay. Have fun tomorrow.” They hugged, then Jess headed down the hall for the hot tub. Happily, she discovered it was empty. She hung up her towel, turned on the jets, and sank into the steaming water.
The first five seconds in a hot tub were one of life’s greatest pleasures, topped only by a really good orgasm, and maybe the first sip of a peanut butter frozen mocha.
Jess liked hot tubs that were too hot, but in the best way, the pinpricks of heat reaching down into her core, her nervous system jumping to attention and screaming I’m alive. She shivered and sank into a seat.
When the initial wave of bliss faded, Jess tipped her head back on the edge of the tub and replayed the match in her head, fingers drifting idly through the water.
Normally after a match she beat herself up about missed plays and botched opportunities but …
this time she was pretty happy with her game.
Focused, smart, sticking to the plan.… She did wish she hadn’t felt so tired at the end.
… Maybe it was time to revisit her workout routine.
But the fact of the matter was they had played great against a great team.
Maybe it was something to build off of.…
“Thanks for the banana bread.”
Jess jolted up from her daze.
Of course. Of all people to interrupt her quiet hot tub time, it had to be Vivienne.
Vivienne in a small, strapless bikini in coral pink that glowed against her tan skin. She leaned in the doorway, hair up in a messy bun, but the kind Instagram models had, not the limp, sad kind that Jess always ended up with when she attempted the hairstyle.
“It’s no problem. A bet’s a bet.”
Vivienne pushed herself off the doorframe and glided over to the tub. “Really hoped you’d take those fuckers down today.”
Jess cleared her throat. “Me, too.”
Vivienne slid into the water, goose bumps raising along her arms. “You guys played great, though.” She leaned back in the seat across from Jess and closed her eyes.
“Not great enough,” Jess mumbled, unsure why her instinct was to disagree. Vivienne’s bikini didn’t cover much. The way she was sitting, with her top just below the water level, gave the illusion she was naked. Jess tried not to stare at the swell of her breasts.
Vivienne cracked an eye open and gave Jess a look. “I thought we talked about this. How you play is more important than winning and losing.”
Frustration tightened Jess’s chest. It drove her fucking crazy the way Vivienne talked down to her, but there was no point in rehashing this same discussion …
especially since Vivienne was probably right.
Jess shrugged and settled back in her seat again, closing her eyes.
She could still see Vivienne’s breasts, though, the water swirling and bubbling around her wet, glistening—
“I saw Fleming yesterday.”
Jess snapped her eyes open and kept them on Vivienne’s face. “I heard.”
Vivienne’s eyes were still shut. “He’s so sweet.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze flicked lower, just for a split second. She couldn’t help it. “What kind of dogs do you like?”
“Oh, wieners, pugs, papillons … The smaller the better.”
“Small is good,” Jess said, trying not to look at Vivienne’s breasts again.
“Where’s his name from?”
Jess wrenched her eyes up and shrugged, even though Vivienne couldn’t see her. Explaining Fleming’s name was never worth it. “Nowhere. I just liked it.”
“Hmmm.” A low hum of contentment. Vivienne rocked her head from side to side, long neck stretching. The water surged up her collarbones, leaving a wet trail.
Jess was suddenly too hot. She lifted herself up onto the edge to cool down for a minute.
Vivienne looked up. “Oh, I finally worked it out with Veronica’s assistant. Can you do lunch three weeks from today?”
From this angle, her breasts were even more apparent, floating there on the surface.…
An image flashed in her mind—her hands touching, caressing …
“Yeah,” Jess gasped, pulling herself the rest of the way out of the tub, the cooler air raising the hairs on her arms. “Sure. That works.”
“Perfect.” Vivienne studied Jess, dripping on the edge of the tub. “Are you all done?”
Jess’s face burned. “Yup. All done.”
“See you later,” Vivienne said dreamily, closing her eyes again and resting her arms on the sides of the tub.
Jess mumbled something similar, grabbed her towel, and scurried back to the locker room.
What the fuck was that about? Stop it, Jess scolded herself, trying to shake the image from her mind.
She went for a cold shower.