“Liar face!” Violet shouts. “You are the color of a tomato. How was the sex? I hear you were doing it in the bathroom last night.”
“We didn’t have sex in a bathroom!” I wish I could sink to the bottom of the pool right now. I’m not big on talking about this kind of stuff with anyone but Sunny, let alone people I don’t know all that well. I’m a private person. Except when I’m locked in a bathroom with Randy, apparently.
“I’m not judging. I had sex in a locker room, and all of Alex’s teammates heard my come moans. Everyone needs a little love now and again. Sometimes it’s nice to get laid for the sake of getting laid. Besides, that Benji guy you were with before seems like a real dick. Randy’s a perfect rebound bone: he’s hot, well built, and can probably screw like a stallion.”
Just then, Daisy comes outside in her hot pink bathing suit with huge flowers on it, putting an end to the conversation.
But maybe Violet’s right. I’ve been looking at this all wrong. As long as I’m smart about it, using Randy as a rebound is exactly what me and my boobs need to forget about Benji for good.
Chapter 5
Running in Circles
RANDY
A week after the exhibition game, I’m sitting in a lounge chair close to the pool on Lance’s patio back in Chicago. It’s been unseasonably warm, but today is likely the last time it’s going to be this hot before fall takes me back to jeans and long sleeves. So I’m enjoying the sunshine. Or at least trying to.
Lance invited a bunch of people over. Inevitably, that means bunnies. He’s been better about it lately, but he’s still Lance, so there’s always at least half a dozen hanging around, waiting for someone to throw them a carrot—and by carrot I mean dick.
There’s a girl lying on the chair beside me, yammering away about who-fucking-cares what. She won’t stop talking. The problem isn’t her constant flow of words, which is irritating, but tolerable because I can tune it out. The real issue is that I’ve slept with her before, and based on the way she keeps edging her lounge chair closer to mine, she has it in her mind it’s going to happen again.
I’m not feeling it. Or her. Sure, we got naked, but I didn’t call her or respond to any comments on my social media afterward, so the message should be clear. It was what it was, and now it’s over. Unfortunately, she’s not getting the hint.
I text Miller to see what he’s up to. He’s been steering clear of Lance’s when the bunnies are around. That means he stays for workouts and then he bails unless we’re having Xbox wars. Which isn’t very often. Lance usually gets antsy after a couple hours and calls in the reinforcements.
Miller messages back almost right away to tell me he’s at Waters’ Chicago place. That’s still weird to me that not long ago those guys were busy breaking each other’s noses to defend their sisters’ honor. They’ve worked it out since then, but this hanging out stuff is a new development.
With Miller occupied, it looks like I have two options: stay and let the bunny annoy me, or go home and lounge in my own backyard, minus the pool to cool off in. I have a sprinkler if it’s a real problem. Option two holds more appeal than option one, so I excuse myself to the bathroom. Once inside, I grab my duffle and keys from the rack in the kitchen and head for the front door.
“Hey, man, where you goin’?” Lance asks, tucking himself back into his shorts as he steps out of the main floor bathroom. A random bunny appears behind him, adjusting her bikini top. Her eyes are glassy and her cheeks flushed. She looks well taken care of.
“I got a headache. I’m gonna roll out.”
“There’s lots of cures for headaches here.” Lance pats the girl’s ass as she passes him. She jumps and giggles, then turns to wait. He lifts his chin in the direction of the pool. “I’ll be out in a minute.” He waits until she’s gone. “Everything all right with you?”
“Yeah. Fine. I’m cashed today. It’s been a busy week with getting back into training.”
There’s a brief hesitation on Lance’s part, like he’s not sure whether he believes me. Then he slaps me on the shoulder. “I get it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“For sure.” He goes back to the pool and his company.
My truck is parked beside a Fiat. I hit the unlock button and start the engine. Then I hear a voice.
“Randy! Can I get a ride home?” It’s the girl from the pool.
She’s still in her bikini, but she’s got a massive purse, or bag, or whatever it’s called hanging off her arm. Her legs are like sticks, and her boobs are half hanging out of her top. Her getting into my truck isn’t a great idea.
“I, uh, I’m about to run some errands.” It’s a lame excuse, and she isn’t deterred.
“My apartment is, like, five minutes from here. You don’t mind, do you? My friends are staying, and I kinda wanna go.”
I scratch the back of my neck. “I’m running late already.”