“The guys filled me in on it. Which puts me in a bind. You see Tyler, on one hand I should suspend you, regardless of your contract. You may have been brought in to be our new franchise quarterback, but there are limits. On the other hand, you're right, Pollard shouldn't have said what he did, and here in Canada, we take that sort of thing seriously. Sexual harassment is not accepted on the Fighters, from anyone. So here's what I'm going to do. For violations of team rules, you're being fined five thousand dollars, to be taken out of your next game check. Now that may not sound like a lot, but that's a third of your game check for tomorrow."
I nod, accepting. That's fair, and while I could use the money, it's not crippling. "Fine. And Pollard?"
"He's getting a thousand dollar fine and he'll be out of tomorrow's game while that nose sets. Hopefully he'll be back to contact by the time we start the regular season. But Tyler, you pull another stunt like this, and you're going to see the bench for a while, if not just outright released. This is the pros, not college. Even if you might think we Canadians are bush league, we're still pros. Time to grow the fuck up — now get out of my office."
I nod and leave, going down to the locker room and changing clothes. Most of the guys are gone already, and those that are still there don't look at me too much while I pull on my jeans and t-shirt. I'm dressed simply today, just a white t-shirt with a small Western logo on the right sleeve. Grabbing my backpack, I head out to the parking lot, where I find April leaning against the hood of my car, her arms crossed. I take one look at her face, and sigh, unlocking my car and putting my bag inside. "I take it you heard?"
"Uh, yeah," April replies, a little sarcastically. "I actually saw it, in case you forget that I've been watching practices."
"He deserved it," I say with a shrug, closing my door.
April nods, then shakes her head. "You don't think I knew about that little bet among the players? Don't tell me that you didn't have similar stuff going on with your former teammates."
It's my turn to blush, and I called out, "You're right. We called it Bingo."
April comes closer. "I figured as much. You know, I keep telling myself to protect myself, but I can't help it, and now today. So I guess I need to be blunt. Am I a Canadian Cuddle bug for you? Some Nanookie of the North?"
"No!" I hiss, trying not to slap the roof of my car. Canadian Cuddle bug? Christ, have I just been blind to this all this time? "I . . . shit."
"Tell me the truth. I think I deserve that much," April says, her voice trembling with concern.
I take a deep breath, then nod. “Yes, two weeks ago, before our date, yeah, I thought about it. But since our first day together, I can't get you out of my mind. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I promise you this . . . you're no one-night-stand. I don't know what it can be . . . but I want to find out. Together."
April steps closer, and runs her fingers through my hair. She smiles softly, and stands up on her tiptoes, kissing me tenderly. "I want to find out too. You defended my honor, and you’re going to kick ass tomorrow. Now go get some sleep, and I'll still bring your laundry by tomorrow."
"You don't have to do that," I chuckle, and April surprises me by shaking her head. "What?"
"I do have to. First, you need something better for breakfast than cereal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Secondly, I never gave you the address for the laundry, and you can't get your stuff otherwise. Unless you want the team to see those pink underpants you've got."
I laugh, thinking of the pair of stretch boxer briefs she's talking about, a joke gift from a coach who did a summer seminar with a university in Japan. "Hey, those look damn sexy on me! You behave, and I might let you see them."
"Yes, sir. I can be a very well behaved girl," April purrs, then stops, surprised. "Did I just say that?"
"You did, and it's great to see that side of you," I say, leaning down and kissing her again. "Remember, we've got a date on Sunday too."
"See you tomorrow, Tyler."
Chapter 10
April
My heart is racing in my chest as I get home, thinking about what Tyler told me just a half hour ago. I sensed so many things, but I couldn't be sure, never sure if what he was saying was the truth or just a bunch of lies to get back in my pants.
But in the parking lot, the look in his eyes, the honesty in his voice . . . besides, I knew what Lance Pollard told him. Thankfully, a couple of the guys were willing to share with me, and I found out the truth of what Lance said. Not that I'm surprised, Lance Pollard's always been a cocky asshole, and tried to hit on me soon after I joined the team. I didn't reject him too strongly then, but never said yes, so he dropped it when he found a girl who would say yes.
So when Tyler says that he wants to see where this can go, I let my heart loose a little bit more, and drive to the laundry, grabbing his now clean clothes, which are folded and repacked carefully in a bag for him.
I'm just getting off the elevator when my phone rings, and I see it's from Dad. "Hey Daddy!" I answer excitedly. It's been a few days, and he’s been struggling with being strong enough to answer the phone, the chemo's been hell on him. "How're you?"