He tugged me tight and said, “Oh yeah, we are, and I’m not sharing you with anyone.”
I gulped down the lump lodged in my throat and snuggled a little closer into Blane’s embrace, committing the feeling to memory before I went home to get ready to meet Sarina and the gang.
Every single encounter with the ladies further jeopardized Blane’s career, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from seeing them.
Or him.
Blane
“Turn it up,” I yelled to Ashton after a grueling practice on Thursday.
Coach had us going hard at the hoop in preparation for the upcoming game, and we were all taking our time in the locker room. I’d come out of the ice bath when I heard her.
“Hi there, Hafton. Catie P. here, back on the air at 96.9. Have you missed me?”
A grumble came over the air, and then a bang.
“Haftees, it’s Sonny B. I had to grab the mic for a hot second. There was no not allowing this little missy back. Plus, that other dude was junk, and of course, Catie begged. Give my girl Cute Catie a big hello, and tell her to turn up the heat.”
With a towel wrapped around my waist, I sank onto the bench and listened as if it were a post-game interview.
“Thanks for allowing me to have the mic back, Sebastian, but this is my show so you may exit the booth, mister.”
Zing. Good girl.
“So, let’s see,” she said. “I took a little break and missed you all. Not Sonny, but don’t tell him that. Today, I’m going to play some music and, of course, take some calls. Not dating advice, though. How about this . . . Have you ever felt pressured by a professor to do what they wanted? Write what they wanted? Call me. Don’t use your name, just fill us in. While we wait, here’s a new one by the Dirty Souls. Remember how good they were at the music fest?”
Mo slapped my back with a towel. “Aw, shit, that girl likes to poke the bear.”
“Christ, Steele, when you decided to snatch one,” Alex teased, “you picked one that’s a handful. The bitch is ready to take on the whole school.”
“Fuck off, White, and don’t use bitch when you’re talking about women,” I shot back, but agreed she was going to get into some shit.
He gave me the finger and walked toward the steam room.
I dressed quickly while the song played and plopped down on the couch for the rest of the show. Holy shit, were there a lot of discontented people.
“Hi, Catie. Thanks for having this discussion. By the way, are you getting back on Twitter?”
Cate laughed into the mic. “Go on.”
“So, my professor asked me to redo a paper, taking a different stance, one that was more in line with their thinking. It was a big part of the final grade, so I did it.”
“Did they now?” Cate asked, and the caller went into all kinds of detail without revealing names, but it was pretty obvious. It sounded like she was some type of business major, and the prof didn’t agree with her business plan.
Finally, Cate said, “Listen, all you have are your convictions, darling, so I say stick by what you wrote and see the head of your department. But don’t tell them I sent you.”
“Thank you, Catie. I feel better with that off my chest.”
Then she played some more crap alternative music and took a few more calls before signing off.
I stood in a hurry and thought if I hoofed it, I could meet her by the station. After grabbing my bag and coat, I headed for the exit. Of course, Coach stopped me outside the office, wanting to check in on how I was feeling. I tried to make it quick, but it was no use. Conley was on a tear.
We needed to beat the crap out of Pitt, he said, “. . . make them never want to come back.” Rumor was he wanted a job there and they turned him down. I guessed it was true.
I kept nodding and agreeing all through his speech, but by the time he shut his trap, I was pretty sure I’d missed Cate.
Just in case, I drove to the studio and double-parked in the lot. Sonny was sitting in his cubicle when I rounded the back of the studio.
He looked up and slammed his laptop closed. “Steele? What do you need?”
“I was looking for Cate. How you doing, man?”
“I’m good. In fact, I was looking for her too. She came and asked for her gig back, and I let her have it right away. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“What the fuck, man? Don’t be a prick,” I yelled at him as I ran back toward the exit.
I faintly heard him yell, “Me? A prick?”
“Yeah, you,” I tossed back.
I jumped in my truck and headed toward her apartment. When I found Cate waiting by the bus stop, I pulled over to the curb.
Rolling down the window, I called, “Hop in!”
She jumped into the truck, her hair tucked into a beret and a coffee in her hand.
“Hey, you were good,” I told her as I checked over my shoulder. “How come you didn’t text me and let me know you were going on?”
“I had to make sure I didn’t bomb.”
“You were great,” I said, pulling out into traffic.
“You going home?”
“Yeah. I’m done for the day.”
“Wanna grab lunch?”