Chapter 13 #2
It had been Marti’s suggestion that they share the details of tryouts at the club to get the kids thinking and Marti had gone ahead and shared the info with the DJ.
She told the crowd that clinics started Monday afternoon in Higdon and that if anyone had questions between now and then, Coach Judd would be available to answer them.
He noticed some of the kids had phones out and he knew for sure his moves would be plastered on social media before long, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.
People were going to find out what he was doing soon enough and then he’d start getting calls and messages.
His agent agreed to field as much as he could as long as they had weekly check-ins and that Joe answered his calls within twenty-four hours.
His phone buzzed and he thought maybe his grace period was up.
My players are posting pictures of you doing flips on Instagram.
Joe smiled at Leslie’s text. His small world was now miniscule.
Yeah? How’d they look?
You have to ask? How much longer are you staying?
Why? You gonna come dance with me?
Tempting, but I was actually wondering if you were ready to sneak off campus.
Joe’s breath left his chest as if he’d been hit and he staggered back. Could this be it? Was he finally going to—
“Is that who I think it is?”
Joe pulled his phone into his chest.
“Caught you. I’m going to say bye to Terrell and then I think I should leave him to his friends without parental supervision. Mind taking me?”
“No problem. Let’s go.”
She grinned at him and clicked her tongue against her teeth.
“Uh huh, don’t mean to rush you.”
Joe was already heading toward the door. He waved to the three B-boys and made a stop at their table.
“You guys should come to clinics. I’d love to work with you.”
They laughed. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t think I’d look good in a skirt,” the leader said.
Joe flicked his chin up. “What’s your name?”
“Ivan. Ivan Trinh.”
Joe held out his hands and looked down at himself. “You see me in a skirt? Cheerleading is a whole lot more than pom-poms and pigtails. Come to clinics Monday and Tuesday. Tryouts are Wednesday. I think I can change your mind.”
The boys looked at each other, their eyebrows raised. One of the others nodded at Joe.
“We’ll check it out.”
Joe waved and then trotted up the stairs, only then starting to feel the warmth leaving his muscles followed by a tightness that he’d regret later.
He dropped Marti off at home and put up with her teasing before pulling his phone back out.
Where am I going?
Leslie answered with an address, which Joe promptly plugged into the Bronco’s navigation system, making sure to add it to his “favorites.” Thank goodness for navigation; from the map, it appeared that he’d never find Leslie’s place in the dark.
It took him about fifteen minutes to get there and he was sure some creatures of the night would spring out of the cornfields and attack at any time.
He missed two turns and had to backtrack before driving through a tree tunnel.
His insides were doing pirouettes as he finally pulled up in front of a massive two-story-plus brick house with pillars in the front.
The driveway curved around and Joe saw Les’s truck, an old Bronco, a Jeep, and the Crown Vic.
Les stepped out from behind his truck as Joe put his car in park and he screamed.
“Jesus, you scared me! Haven’t you seen Children of the Corn ? You can’t do that!”
Joe started to climb down from the Bronco and Les stepped in front of him.
“No, stay. You look good in this car.” Leslie stepped forward and with the Bronco’s height, they were eye level. Les snaked his hands around Joe’s ass and pulled him forward, caressing Joe’s thighs that had split to accommodate Les’s hips. He reached up to touch Joe’s hair and Joe pulled back.
“I’m all sweaty.”
“I don’t care. I want to kiss you.”
Joe reached for Les without hesitation and pulled him in for a fiery kiss that had him wrapping his legs around Les’s torso.
Les’s arms were so massive as he held Joe to him.
It was almost too much. Joe had a moment of panic, but then he realized this was Leslie and he had nothing to fear.
Leslie would let go immediately if Joe hesitated.
“Hey, where’d you go?”
Joe stiffened a little. How did he tell Leslie, the sweetest man he’d ever known, that this was new for him, this kind of intimacy? That he hadn’t always been touched as lovingly as Les always touched him. How did he explain the flare-up of his fight or flight reflex?
“Nothing…aren’t you worried about someone seeing?” he reached up and turned off the map light.
“Who? My brothers? Please. The worst that could happen is the two of them singing the sitting in a tree song while they make kissing noises at us. They’re children—you realize that, don’t you?”
Joe laughed and rested his head on Leslie’s shoulder. “They’re fun though, right? ”
“Fun, yeah. Like jock itch maybe. Athlete’s Foot.”
Joe pinched his side and Les grunted.
“Fine, they’re fun, but I don’t want to think about my brothers right now.” Les pressed a kiss to Joe’s neck and Joe shivered. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Hmmm, I’m having fun right now,” Joe said and he chuckled, running his fingers through Les’s hair. Yep, just like sunshine . He inhaled and moaned. “But yes, dancing was fun.”
“I love watching you dance,” Leslie said, pulling back with a smile. “I could watch you for hours.”
“I could kiss you for hours.” Joe tugged on Les’s hair and captured his lips, loving this height advantage.
He let his hands wander over Les’s T-shirt clad torso, amazed by the length of his biceps, his massive deltoids, the divots in his back where his lats inserted into his scapulae.
His enormous hands nearly spanned Joe’s waist, and when they cupped his generous ass, Leslie groaned.
“God, Joe.”
“I know, right?”
Leslie pulled away from the kiss and laughed, resting his head on Joe’s shoulder.
“I can’t believe we’re making out in a car,” Leslie said, shaking his head. “I promised I’d wait—”
“Wait for what? You know, I don’t want to wait anymore. Life isn’t going to wait for us forever. Besides, we have a lot of time to make up for. Seems silly to keep putting it off.”