Chapter 11
A few weeks later
“Thank you for making it to my tournament today.” Marcus cooed in my ear as he held me in his arms. He pressed my back against the wall as we waited for the first round to end. He and his team would be in the second round, so they had more time to mingle and set up before their time began.
It was so interesting to see him in his element. I’d seen clips and things, but I’d never gotten around to showing up for him until today. I didn’t want our relationship to be one-sided. I wanted to be his support just the same as he was for me.
“It’s the least I can do. I wish I could attend more, but my schedule is so hectic. Definitely know during the off-season, I’m pulling up to every tournament.”
The smile on his face was too adorable. He looked proud and humble at the same time. “It’s appreciated, baby. Don’t think I ain’t noticed your outfit, either.”
I looked down at the black shirt with his logo on the back. On the front, it read Gamer’s girlfriend . To complete the look, I had on a pair of biker shorts and air force ones. The cross-body bag was the splash of color to the otherwise dark attire.
“Round two is about to begin,” the coordinator announced into the room. She walked away with a grin on her face.
“You’ve got this, baby. Show these mothafuckas who you are.”
“I got you, gangsta.” His smirk lit up his brown eyes. I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. “That one is for good luck. When you win, I’ve got a nice date night planned for you.”
“Yeah? What if I don’t win?”
“Well, that’s not happening, so don’t even put that energy out into the world. You got this. Go give them other dudes hell.” I pecked his lips and watched him move his equipment to the front stage. He and his team set up, and the game began.
The energy was high the entire forty minutes they played.
It was such a fast-paced experience that the other two rounds seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.
Marcus’s team had made it to the finals against another team, who was good as hell, and had advanced with a ten-point lead or more each round.
Everyone sat on the edge of their seats as the final clock wound down.
Four minutes separated either team from three quarters of a million dollars.
This was insane for esports. Well, to me it was insane.
There were some active athletes on rosters who weren’t even making half a million as professional players. It was a sad truth.
“This is so intense,” I commented as I watched the screen with wide eyes.
“Girl, this shit gets crazy. People do not play about their games, for real. There’s so much money on the line… Not to mention this is Marcus’s first time playing a trio tournament. His portion of the prize will be huge.”
If my math was correct, that would mean a $250,000 deposit for each player. This was one of the biggest tournaments in the world, hosted right here in our hometown. It was so beautiful to see the growth in a city I’d spent my whole life in.
“I’ve got my takeover,” one of Marcus’s teammates stated.
“Run a screen and get the dub,” Marcus replied.
Every few moments when I’d break my gaze from the screen, I’d peruse Marcus in his element.
He was so attractive. He hunched his shoulders slightly as he held his controller in his hands.
His fingers moved swiftly with each call out he and his team made.
When an intense moment happened, he’d lick his lips and tuck his bottom lip between his teeth.
When he was proud of a play, he’d stretch those beautiful lips out into a wide smirk and lean back in his gaming chair.
The crowd loved every moment. I enjoyed every moment. Marcus had always been front and center at my games to the ones that he could make it to. I wanted to return the favor and show him just how much I supported his career and hobbies.
The final buzzer sounded, and the score was tied.
There would be a three-minute overtime round.
Marcus rolled his shoulders and took a gulp of water.
He and his two teammates talked briefly about a game plan.
He gave them confidence to get the win. The clock started, and the whole venue was silent.
Nobody wanted to make a noise to distract the teams from the task at hand.
It was score for score on both teams. It was so intense I found myself holding my breath every time Marcus got the ball on the game.
“Bucket!” Marcus yelled as he shot a three-pointer. They got on defense immediately and forced the other team to follow up with two.
“That’s how you keep the lead. Make them get two points and don’t miss those easy threes,” Najah explained as she nodded her head with approval of their tactics.
“I agree. We’ve done the same shit in a real game. This is pretty cool to see. I’m so damn stressed.” My voice was low.
“Me too.”
The clock continued to tick. They were down to the last forty seconds.
This could be roughly two possessions if they ran the clock properly.
Marcus’s team was only up by three. They had to play their part to keep the other team away from the goal, or they could force their worst shooter onto the free-throw line.
“Green!” The other team banked a three-pointer to tie the game.
Marcus brought the ball into play and dribbled down the court.
Ten seconds.
Nine seconds.
“Don’t rush. We’ve got plenty of time,” Marcus mumbled to his team. His words were magnified because of the microphone his headset was connected to.
Eight seconds.
Seven seconds.
Six seconds.
Marcus passed the ball to the blue-haired player. The blue-haired player fake pumped and bullet passed to the guy at the top of the arch. That guy passed it to Marcus who cut through the paint and dunked the ball.
The clock ran out.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our new winners!” The announcer shouted out Marcus’s team’s name as they jumped up from their seats and celebrated their victory.
“That’s how you end the season! Congratulations, gentlemen.” The host ushered them all to the front of the stage where they took several pictures holding a large check.
I was over the moon at the pure joy on Marcus’s face as he draped his arms over the shoulders of his teammates. I pulled out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the moment as well. We were all ecstatic to see Marcus keep his title.
I couldn’t wait to celebrate him later.
“You’re taking me to a concert?” he asked as we pulled up to the venue and gave our car to the valet.
“It’s something like that. I know we’re both R&B lovers, so I wanted to take us to a lounge that has live music and a DJ who plays all the hits.”
Marcus smiled as he interlocked our fingers. “I love that. Your date idea was thoughtful and special. I’m excited.”
“Good. I plan on getting you drunk too. We’ve got a front row section with unlimited bottle service. I want this to be grown and sexy, so I asked them to bring out their best quality wine and tequila.”
“Wine and tequila? You’re trying to get pregnant.”
“Oh no, baby, but we can definitely put in some practice time.”
Marcus chuckled and led me down the path to our table.
The lights were dim. There were LED candles in a glass as centerpieces.
There was a food menu and a drink menu and the option to get a hookah brought to the table.
I wasn’t a fan of hookahs, so I declined the service.
We got our first round of drinks in as the hosts explained how the night would go.
There would be an R&B DJ battle, live performances, and a karaoke segment at the end.
“If we make it to the end of the show, I would love to get up there and perform a duet with you,” I suggested.
“I’m on whatever time you on. What do you mean make it to the end of the show, though?”
“If they get to playing Janet, Eric Benet, or Tyrese… I’m going to need to get you back to the house expeditiously.”
Marcus snorted. “Say no more.”
The stage lights lit up as the first DJ came out and introduced himself. He got right to business. His first song of choice was the groove bedroom mix of “If I Ever Fall In Love.”
“This is an interesting opening song,” I commented.
“I agree, but the transition into Lauryn Hill’s ‘Ex-Factor’ was unexpected. That shit was smooth as hell.”
We both bobbed our heads to the music. We took two more shots of the tequila. I would switch to wine only for the rest of the night since I was the driver, and Marcus was my passenger prince.
The second DJ had played all the family reunion classics.
There was some Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, and The O’Jays. I might have been young, but my parents made sure I had a diverse taste in music. The second DJ ended his set with “Outstanding” by the Gap Band.
The third DJ played all the grown and sexy songs. He started with Usher’s “Can U Handle It?” and transitioned into “Say Yes” by Floetry. His set list included songs by Beyoncé, Ciara, T-Pain, and Jamie Foxx. This set was the one babies could be made to.
I was feeling the alcohol, as most of the patrons were.
We were all singing and vibing to every song they played.
A couple of people had stood up and started dancing with their partners.
I looked over at Marcus, who had his eyes closed and was in a world of his own.
My baby was feeling that liquor. I held his hand and reached out to sing to him.
“Baby boy, you stay on my mind. Fulfill my fantasies.” I ground my hips in the seat as I did my choreography to the Beyoncé song.
Marcus tucked his bottom lip between his teeth and eyed me hungrily. I stood up and swayed my hips from side to side in front of him. He stood up and dipped his head down to whisper in my ear.
“I’m ready to put you through a mattress. If you don’t get me out of here, I’m gonna have to put on a show for all these people in here.”
I laughed and placed my hands on his chest. “Marcus, please.”
“Nah, baby. You got three minutes.” He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close to him. I could feel his growing erection pressed against my front.
“Oh dear. Let me get you out of here right now.”
“Smart idea.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets to adjust his thick ass dick.
“Let me pay our tab, and we can go.”
“Here.” He reached for his card, but I shook my head to stop him.
“No. I asked you out, so I’m paying. If you don’t let me spoil you, I promise I’m going to send you the money back on Zelle or something.”
He chuckled. “Alright, baby. I got you. I’ll let you spoil me tonight.”
“Perfect.”
I walked over to the waitress who had been serving us. “Hey. Can I pay my tab?”
She smiled. “Yes, of course. What table are you at?”
“The reservation under Starr. We were in the front.”
She nodded. “Right. I’ll pull up your tab, and you can pay right here.”
She tapped a few buttons on the touch screen device in her hand.
She held it out for me, and I used my phone to Apple Pay.
She printed out a receipt, but I told her to toss it.
She received a forty-five-dollar tip. I always tried to be generous to those who served me because these companies were vultures and paid servers less than minimum wage and had the audacity to make some of them split their tips at the end of the shift.
I retrieved my man, and we headed out the venue. Marcus walked behind me and tried to kiss me on my neck as we walked toward the valet. I couldn’t help but giggle and accept his naughty advances.
“Here you go, ma’am. I just wanted to say… I’m a huge fan?—”
“Nah, bro. Save the groupie shit for the next time you run into her. We got shit to do.”
The valet guy stuttered over his words. “Y-yes, sir. I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. Enjoy the rest of your night. I’ll give you a tip through the app.”
“Thank you.”
Marcus helped me into the driver’s seat before he walked around the front of the car and got in. I waited until he was buckled in before I peeled out of the parking lot and headed back to my place.
We hadn’t had time to find a place of our own yet, but we both had things at each other’s house and just went to whosever place was closer to wherever we were at the time. Here, mine was closer to the venue.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he questioned. He’d leaned his seat back and tossed his arm over his eyes. The bright city lights of Cade’s Cove were too much for his intoxicated ass.
“I did. Did you?”
He nodded. “Hell yeah. It was a nice vibe the whole time we were there. I hope you’re not upset that I wanted to leave so soon.”
“Of course not. The tickets weren’t expensive. Plus, this was a part of the foreplay. Good drinks, good music, and a little public display of affection.”
“Your little freak nasty ass. You were plotting on me?”
“Absolutely. You don’t understand how fine you look, playing your games. The way your lips moved while you were concentrating on a specific play… Mmm, yeah. I need that.”
“You better be ready for all the sex I’m gon’ give you.”
“I can’t wait.”
I was doing ninety in a sixty-mile-per-hour zone.
The streets were empty, so I had the perfect opportunity to speed my way home.
The gate damn near didn’t open fast enough for me when we made it back.
Hell, the journey from the car to the front door seemed to pass in a blur.
As soon as the door closed, Marcus was on me like white on rice.