Chapter 63
Sixty-Three
The sun was high, glaring off the clay courts.
Delilah gripped her racket tighter, sweat beading at her temples as she chased down the next ball from the machine.
Cassie stood near the net, clipboard in hand, watching her every move.
And Delilah was on it. Thwack, thwack, thwack.
Despite a lack of sleep, she was feeling it today, meeting every ball confidently.
It wasn’t that she was trying to impress Delilah today. She felt it was more that things simply looked different today. Suddenly, hitting a ball didn’t seem so hard. When you’d managed to seduce Cassie Thorne, everything else was cake.
And yet, Petra’s shadow lingered, darker than before. Delilah had gone from fear to disgust at a dizzying speed. Now that she knew Petra had taken advantage of Cassie when she was barely an adult, she wanted nothing more than to brain her with a racket.
But Cassie didn’t need her protection; she’d made that clear. Delilah had to respect how she wanted to handle that vile woman.
‘Good,’ Cassie’s voice cut through the heat, calm and measured. ‘But don’t drop your elbow on the backhand. Keep it sharp.’
Delilah nodded. ‘Turn up the speed,’ she said.
Cassie smiled and approached the machine, twisting a dial.
‘Ready?’ Cassie called.
Delilah nodded. The balls came fast, and she met them with full force, sending them back across the net with satisfying smacks.
‘Better,’ Cassie said, voice low. ‘Your footwork’s improving. You’re getting sharper.’
Delilah’s cheeks flushed. ‘Thanks, Coach.’
Cassie nodded, and some understanding passed between them. Yes, right now, I’m Coach. And I’m going to do my job.
Delilah was grateful for her teaching. She really was learning and growing in confidence.
And when the day was done, and the racket put aside, Delilah was going to rip Cassie’s clothes off.