Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
~MAC~
Danny warned me that the article would be out today. He told me last night when we were talking on the phone. I haven’t gotten to see him much because he’s been busy looking over angles to cover for the paper, but he promised he would make it to our game against the Bay FC tonight.
I’ve been itching to see him. We’ve been surviving on text messages and phone calls.
I did see him at The Backwoods the other night, but we were around our friends, so we couldn’t really talk.
The article being finished makes it hard for him to come over and talk to me.
Had I really thought about this, I would have pretended like we’d struck up some friendship because of the article.
But I didn’t play it that way.
I acted like I hated hanging out with him. Like there were so many other things I’d like to be doing other than talking to him. Now it’s bitten me in the ass. He did, however, run out to his car and get the article so that I can read an advanced copy of it.
I didn’t.
I wanted to read it when it was in the paper with all the amazing pictures Nick took. I wanted to see it as a finished piece, and I trusted him. And I’m glad I did.
I woke up early this morning and went to the local convenience store and picked up a copy of the Tampa Bay Times so that I could read it with my morning coffee.
After a stop at Starbucks, I was back at my apartment opening the article on my balcony.
The energy of reading this now is so much different than when I first read the words Danny wrote.
I’m excited to read it. I know he’s a good writer.
I’ve read the few things that he’s put in the paper since being introduced to him that night in the press room.
With butterflies dancing around in my stomach, I open up the Times and immediately go for the sports section.
I’m on the front cover. There’s a picture of me dribbling to the goal.
Nick got a shot of my profile, a look of determination on my face as I’m heading for the goal. I smile at the headline he chose.
The Bay’s New Striker Packs a Punch
In the article, Danny talks about how hard I work, how much I train.
He even adds in a little bit about the rebounder currently sitting in my backyard.
It’s a great article. There are portions that mention the team and the coaches.
It’s a glowing review of the team and how hard we work.
He states that we just might be what the Bay has been missing.
Tears are streaming down my face when I complete it.
It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever read about myself, and the fact that he wrote it makes it that much sweeter.
I’m going to have to remember to get this framed.
This is something I want to hold on to. I even decide that I’m going to pick up more copies so that I can send them to my family.
They should see this. Might change their mind about coming to watch me the next time I’m playing near them.
I hear a knocking at my door. I hurry to open it. For a split second, I think it’s going to be Danny, but it’s Cassie, Amelia, and Hendrix.
I beam at them, seeing that they’re holding newspapers too.
“This is awesome!” Hendrix says as she rushes into the apartment. “I couldn’t believe after what he originally wrote that this is what you got out of him. How did you do it?”
I don’t miss the way Cassie’s eyes are full of concern as Hendrix gushes about it.
“I don’t know. We spent a lot of time together, and he asked me a million questions. He spent time with the coaching staff, and he’s been hanging around August for a while now,” I explain, hoping it works.
My phone rings in the distance, saving me. I go to retrieve it with all of them hot on my heels. Before I can get to it and answer, they all see who’s calling.
“Why is Danny calling you?” Amelia asks. “I thought you were done talking to him.”
“He’s probably just calling about the article so that he can make sure I’m okay with everything.” I turn my back to them and answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful girl. Did you enjoy your front-page sports debut?” he croons into the phone.
I want to melt right there. But then I remember that I’m not alone. I would love nothing more than to gush right now about how wonderful of a writer he is. How he captured my love for the game in just one article. And how I would love to send this to any coach that ever doubted me.
“Yeah, it’s great. Thank you for the article. I really like it.” I hope he can hear in my voice that I’m not alone.
“Oh, okay. Well good. I’m glad you liked it.” He sounds off.
“The girls came to talk to me about the article too. They’re here and they like it too.”
“Ah, okay, gotcha. Sorry, I didn’t get that. Makes sense now. I wish I was there with you. Because if I was, we would celebrate by me eating your pussy and then with cock rides if you would be down for that. I know it’s a game day and all. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
I feel a flush cover my body from head to toe. I’m glad I’m not facing them right now, because they would see it written all over my face.
“Yeah, that would be great. I’m glad you’ll be at the game tonight. It’s going to be a good one,” I say lamely into the phone.
“Oh, you really can’t talk right now. This could be so much fun,” he teases me. “There are so many dirty things I could say to you, and you can’t say anything.”
“Let’s not do that,” I tell him. I try to say it low, but I’m betting they can hear me.
“I wish I could put my hands all over your body. I miss you. It’s been so long since we’ve been alone. Can we fix that after tonight’s game?”
I bite my lip to keep from moaning at his words. “Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”
He just laughs. “Oh, you are so welcome, baby. I’ll see you tonight, and I hope your pussy is aching right now just as hard as my cock is thinking of you.”
“Have a good day,” I stammer out before promptly hanging up the phone.
“What did he want?” Amelia asks.
“Just to let me know if I needed any more articles to send to anyone to let him know. And that he’d be at the game tonight. He has a bro date or something with August.” I shrug and try to play it off as nothing.
I don’t miss Cassie’s wink in my direction before she changes the subject. “Since we’re all up, let’s go get some breakfast or something.”
We all agree and head out the door shortly after to the diner Danny took me to for what was supposed to be an interview that never happened.
After a fun day with my girls, I’m at the stadium preparing for our seven pm face-off with the Bay FC.
During warmups, I can feel him watching me.
I look up and there he is in August’s box.
Danny waves at me and I forget myself, waving back with a big smile.
I’ve missed him. I wish I could tell him that right now, but I can’t.
No one is supposed to know. I make a mental note to talk to him about how we can make our relationship public or if it will ever be safe for me to see him in the stands or at the rail and give him a kiss or pull him into my arms. All of the things the other girls on the team get to do when their boyfriend or girlfriend has come to see them.
The game goes great. The Blaze are passing and moving together as a team.
Maria sends a nice through ball up to me, but I can’t get there in time.
Thankfully, Kelsey is there. She comes running out of nowhere and gets a foot on it.
She sends it flying into the goal, and the keeper can’t get to it. We score!
Everyone runs over and piles onto Kelsey.
I’m so happy for her; she put in a beautiful goal.
We line up quickly and hope to do it again.
Unfortunately, it’s the Bay who strikes next.
We’re now tied. And despite our best efforts, we can’t seem to put one in the net.
I have a lot of shots, but the keeper is good, and I can’t get one past her.
Kelsey and Maria try to get in on the scoring and can’t make it happen either.
Neither does Cassie, but not for lack of trying.
The silver lining is that the defense has the Bay locked down, and they’re not getting any balls beyond Amelia and her defense.
A tie isn’t great, but it’s better than a loss. We all file off the field when the final whistle blows, waiting to shake hands with the other team. My heart sinks. I was hoping for a win, same as my teammates and the players from the Bay. But we just couldn’t get it done tonight. Maybe next time.
Looking up, I see Danny is standing by the railing.
“You did good, Mac,” he calls to me.
I beam up at him. “Thank you.”
I want to say so much more, and I hope he can hear that in my voice. He just winks at me. I so badly want to run over to him and throw my arms around his neck, but I can’t.
I can’t even touch him when I see him later at The Backwoods, even though it’s killing me not to. My hands itch to reach out to him as I’m sitting at a high-top table with my girls. We’re celebrating that we didn’t lose, or at least that’s what Amelia keeps telling us.
“We played hard out there, and we played together as a team,” she states. “We deserve to have some sort of celebration for that. All victories are worth celebrating.”
“I’m thinking you should be the captain with that speech,” I tease her as we all clink our martini glasses together.
“You don’t have to do it alone,” Amelia reminds me.
I smile at her warmly. You wouldn’t know that I didn’t meet these girls very long ago. They’ve become some of the best friends I’ve ever had.
The music gets louder, and we look around to see there are some bachelorettes standing on what could be an open dance floor, dancing to a Rihanna song.
“We should dance!” Hendrix squeals.
I laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“Let’s do it!” Cassie cries out.
I know she must be drunk, because I can count on one hand the number of times in the four years we were at college that I saw her dance. But apparently, we’re doing it. The girls drag me to the dance floor.
My hips sway to the beat, and I get the feeling that someone is watching me. I look over to see Danny staring at me with hungry eyes. I wink at him and motion for him to join me. Danny rubs the back of his neck, his eyes pleading with me to stop. But I’m drunk and I don’t stop.
Instead, I walk over to him and August at the bar. Grabbing him by the hand, I tell him, “Come on, baby, let’s dance. I want to dance with you.”
“Dude,” August says.
I think he says something else, but I don’t really hear him. I’m too focused on Danny.
“I want to dance with you, and then I want to take you home and do all those dirty things you said to me on the phone earlier.” My lips might be by his ear, but I can tell that others have heard us. I don’t care. I’m done hiding this. The article is out, and that should be enough.
Danny lets me pull him off the barstool, and I take him to the dance floor.
I hear a whoop and holler from Hendrix as we begin to grind together.
There’s more cheering, and I’m not sure who it’s coming from.
All I’m thinking about is how good it feels to be in Danny’s arms and grinding on him while Rihanna sings about whips and chains.
Danny’s lips come down on my neck, and he bites just the littlest bit. It’s enough to make me moan.
“Let’s get out of here,” I breathe out.
“You realize you might have just outed us,” he tells me.
“Fuck it. I don’t care anymore. It might be insane, but I’m your baby. I don’t care who knows.”
He looks at me and nods. What more can he really say? In my drunken haze, I’ve managed to stop being so careful and have shown the team and August that the reporter they hired to interview me has been screwing me.
“We should go,” he replies.
Danny takes me by the hand and leads me from the bar. I don’t miss the confused looks on my teammates faces, but I don’t bother to stop to explain it to them. I just let him take me away.
Once we’re back at my place, Danny strips me out of my leggings and team shirt.
“The fact that you don’t wear underwear is the biggest turn-on and most convenient thing in the world. Now, lie on the bed and spread them wide for me because I believe I promised you a ride on my face.”
I do as I’m told as quickly as I can. Spreading myself wide for him, I take my hand and run it up my folds, which are growing slick.
“Oh, baby, don’t you do that,” he growls out. “It’s my job to get you wet. If you want to play when I’m done, you may. But that pussy is mine right now.”
I just giggle and keep doing what I’m doing. I take a finger and dip it into my folds, dropping my head back to moan. “That feels so good. I wonder what feels better, my finger or your tongue.”
Danny removes his shirt and pants, kneeling down at the foot of the bed. “You’re about to find out.” He winks and yanks my legs forward, and I let out a yip.
I wasn’t prepared for that, nor was I prepared for how he attacks my pussy with his lips. He licks and nips at my folds, and I buck off the bed as he adds three fingers into me without warning, stretching me.
“Holy shit, that feels so fucking amazing,” I grit out.
Danny doesn’t answer me; he just keeps swirling his tongue around my folds and clit. I’m climbing higher and higher. He sucks my clit, and that’s all it takes to take me over the edge. I feel like I’m flying as I come hard on his tongue.
Once I come back down, I look up to see Danny sitting on heels watching me.
“How was that? Are you ready for that cock ride now?” he asks me.
I giggle. “Fuck yes, baby.”
We spend the rest of the night enjoying each other and making up for the fact that we haven’t seen each other all week.
There’s no mention about what happened in the bar or how I outed us.
I’m pretty sure we’re both about to fall from grace.
I just hope our feelings for each other are enough to cushion the fall.