By the end of practice, I’d already thought about how many different ways I was going to take this girl. In the whirlpool, on the massage tables, on every fucking inch of the locker room. I wanted to make her sweat and moan my name until she couldn’t take it anymore.
And the fact that I shouldn’t do it only made me want it that much more.
As practice wore down, the team headed into the shade. The coaches gave us their notes, we got some water, and then we headed in for our cool down.
Taylor met me at the door to the exercise room. She smiled, clearly nervous, but she was trying to hide it well.
I leaned toward her. “So you’re the girl that’s going to work me all season.”
“That’s right,” she said, either oblivious to my comment or choosing to ignore it. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Mister Rack.”
I laughed. “Shit. Call me Owen. We’re what—the same age?”
“Yeah,” she admitted, “we are.”
“Just call me Owen then.”
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
I followed her into the exercise room. She had mats already rolled out, and she gestured toward them.
“If you can get on your back.”
“You move fast.”
She shrugged. “We only have ten minutes before you have to go watch film.”
I grinned at her. “Not what I meant.” I got down on my back.
“Okay, left leg up.” I lifted my leg and she grabbed it, gently pushing it back.
I felt pain at first, but I masked it. Slowly, the pain ebbed into a gentle, warm throbbing as she stretched my leg out. She did a complicated set of motions with my leg and knee, shaking it and stretching it.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“I’ve had worse.”
“I’m sure you have, but I need to know.”
“It’s fine.”
“Okay.” She stretched it some more. “Tell me if you feel anything too uncomfortable.”
“What happened to Lucy?” I asked her.
“Had her baby.”
“Oh, right. I forgot she was pregnant.”
“How could you forget?”
“Easy. I was too busy staring at her beautiful ass.”
She made a face. “Very nice.”
“Don’t be jealous. Yours is much nicer.”
“I wasn’t jealous. Trust me.”
“I don’t know. I saw how you were watching me out there.”
She gently put my leg down and took the other one, beginning the same routine.
“Professional curiosity,” she said.
“Maybe. Or you were wondering if I was going to get you just as sweaty later on.”
“Doubtful.” She did a motion, and I felt a sharp pain run along my thigh. She stopped what she was doing. “Pain?”
“A little.”
“Okay.” She restarted, gentle but firm.
God, I was fucking hard for her. Just from her touching my legs and talking, I wanted to throw her down on the mat and taste her dripping little pussy. She was pretending like she didn’t know it, but we both could tell what was happening here.
“Do you give every player this much attention?” I asked her. “Or is it only the special ones?”
“You’re my only assignment.”
“Really?” I laughed. “So I have you all to myself.”
“That’s right, I guess.”
“You’re lucky. You don’t have to share.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“You want me all to yourself, and now you get me.” I grinned at her. “If you want, we can lock those doors and you can work me the way I really want you to.”
She did a sharp motion, and I felt a little stab of pain. She smiled sweetly.
“Did that hurt?”
I laughed, grinning at her. “Not at all.”
“Good.”
I couldn’t believe she did that. She’d hurt me because I was being an ass, and she hadn’t seemed to think twice about it.
I fucking loved it.
Most girls in her position would be fawning over me, trying to flirt, trying to get on my good side, but she was no-bullshit, and I liked it. She was trying to be professional, even if her hands were lingering longer than they needed to.
She finished my other leg and then stood up. “Okay,” she said. “Quick strength exercise and then we’re done.”
“You finish quick.”
“Only when I want it to be over.”
I smirked at her. “We both know you want more.”
She ignored me and handed me a medicine ball. Then she proceeded to show me a strengthening exercise for the muscles around my knee. I did ten reps of that for each knee while she watched and critiqued my form.
Finally, I finished up. I was sweating again, surprisingly tired for such a simple task. I put the ball down and leaned up against the wall.
“It’ll get easier,” she said. “Soon you’ll be able to take a tackle without worrying whether your knee will blow out or not.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was never worried.”
“You should be.”
“Why? I’ve taken some pretty fucking hard tackles in my time.”
“Maybe, but you’ve been lucky. Every player should worry about his body.”
“You’re right. But now I have you to worry about my body for me.”
She smiled. “That’s right. And we’re done for the day.” She turned and headed for the door.
“Wait,” I said.
Reluctantly, she turned. “Yeah?”
“Come here.”
She walked over to me slowly. “What?”
“Do you have a phone?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have it?”
She hesitated and then fished it out and handed it to me. I typed my number into it and handed it back.
“Text me anytime,” I said, “preferably late at night.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“We’ll see.”
She gave me a look and then turned and left.
I stood there for a second, smiling to myself.
I had to admit, I was interested in her. She hadn’t immediately fallen all over me, which I liked. She wasn’t playing any games. Not to mention she was absolutely fucking gorgeous, and I could tell she wanted me even if she was pretending like she didn’t.
That was perfect, though. It just so happened that I liked the chase.
I liked to earn whatever I took.
3
Taylor
“You’re seriously working with Owen Rack?”
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me. “Seriously.”
“I used to watch him play.”
“Who hasn’t? The guy was a superstar.”
“And seriously hot.”
I laughed. “He’s not that hot.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“He’s a dick, Jessie.”
“So what? I’d let him be as mean to me as he wants, so long as he’s nice when I want him to be.”
I sighed. Jessie was my best friend from college, and I missed the hell out of her. When we graduated, she moved back home to Chicago while I stayed in Philadelphia. I went from living with her in a crappy little apartment outside University City to living alone in a crappy little apartment in South Philly.
She was one of the funniest people I knew, and she was so much more outgoing than I was. If anyone knew how to deal with a guy like Owen, it was her.
I’d called her as soon as I’d gotten home and told her exactly what had happened. I told her about Owen flirting with me, and about him giving me his number. He was so forward that it had really surprised me.
I wanted to say that I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t. The guy was clearly a jerk, but I had to admit that he was hot as hell. I wanted him to slide his hands along my skin and do exactly what he had promised he’d do.
But that was stupid. He was my biggest assignment. Working with him could make my career.
“I can’t. You know that.”
“Why? Are you afraid?”
“No. We work together.”
“So what?”
“So, if I screw this up, I can totally destroy my career.”
She sighed. “Okay, yeah. I get that.”
“Even if I wanted to do something, which I’m not saying I do, I just couldn’t. He’s too important.”
“Still, I don’t see why you can’t just get a little taste. A man like him probably isn’t looking to get you pregnant, anyway.”
“That could be worse.”
“I don’t know. It might be fine.”
“What if it makes things awkward?” I shook my head. “I can’t, Jessie.”
“Suit yourself. I’m jealous either way. Your job is amazing.”
“It’s stressful. This guy’s health reflects directly on me. I can’t believe they assigned him to me.”
“Must be really hurting for money.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad.”
“You’re not. But you said it yourself: You’re an apprentice.”
“The director said he probably wasn’t going to be starting anyway.”
“So all the more reason to go for it.”
“Jessie, I can’t.”
“Your loss.”
“He just wants to sleep with me anyway.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“We don’t even know each other.”
“Get to know him!” She laughed. “Look, I get your hesitation, but if I had a guy like that coming after me, I’d at least consider it.”