“Agreed,” she said as she leaned in to steal a quick kiss as her mother returned from the bathroom.
“Is there anything we need to do that I can help you with?” Lauren offered.
Calleigh and David simultaneously shook their heads then looked at each other, silently acknowledging their synchronization.
“I don’t think so, Lauren. I think everything’s under control. After I take the turkey out, it needs to sit for awhile before I can carve it. I’ll throw the rolls in the oven then and finish the potatoes. Until then, just relax. Visit with your daughter while I go do a few minor things,” he said as he rolled up off the couch and headed towards the kitchen.
Her mother smiled at her.
She smiled back.
“He seems very nice, Calleigh,” her mother offered.
“He is really nice. Very nice, in fact. I enjoy hanging out with him.”
“Hanging out? Whatever happened to simply dating?” her mother asked.
She laughed. “Sorry. We’re dating. Dating includes hanging out. I enjoy hanging out with him, so I enjoy dating him. What’s Gerald up to today? You know, you could have brought him.”
“Gerald is in Kansas visiting his oldest daughter’s family. She has two young toddlers, so it’s easier for him to travel to see them than vice versa.”
“How many kids does he have again?
“Three. Two girls and one son. They’re all scattered, but Gerald says that’s how you know you’ve done your job as a parent – when your kids are happy and successful away from the nest.”
“Where are his other two?”
“His other daughter is somewhere in Massachusetts, some small town whose name I always forget. And then his son lives in Miami. Interestingly enough, his other daughter, not the one in Kansas, is a successful architect. Her husband actually stays home and takes care of their kids.”
“Good for them.”
“I think it took Gerald a little while to get used to, but he says that if his child is happy, he’s happy even if it’s not the traditional family he would have expected.”
“Do you miss him?” Calleigh asked.
“No. He’s enjoying his daughter, and I’m enjoying mine.”
“I’m really happy you could come over, Mother,” Calleigh said.
“Me too.”
“So, what’s on the rest of your agenda for the weekend after today?” she asked.
“Well,” Lauren said fingering the amber necklace at her throat, “I think tomorrow I might try and hit a few of those Black Friday sales. Macy’s and Nordstrom have some really great things on sale.”
“You’re going to brave those crowds? My mother? The day after Thanksgiving? For real?”
Lauren laughed. “Yes, I am. It might be good to get an early start. Or what will qualify as an early start for me. I don’t really think the crowds will be that bad, particularly downtown where parking can be such a nightmare. Most folks will be out in Clackamas or Lloyd Center, but downtown should be fine. What are your plans? Are you spending the weekend with David?”
“Sort of. David actually is planning on working this weekend, but I’m not sure if he’s planning on working from here or if he’s going in. I think we’ll go see a movie tomorrow or tomorrow night, and then I’ll probably pull all the Christmas decorations out of storage and start decorating the loft.
“Speaking of Christmas, what do you want, Mother?”
“I’ve already received it, Calleigh,” Lauren said softly.
Chapter 15
December roared in with all the subtlety of a linebacker on third and long. David’s office on the second floor of the team’s facilities sprawled a gorgeous view of downtown Portland on one side with Mt. Hood on the other. The rain hadn’t abated since Thanksgiving, with each day dropping additional inches. Snow capped the mountain, no doubt pleasing all the skiers, snowboarders, and anyone lucky enough to play hooky during the week. A group that most definitely didn’t include him.
As he reviewed the recent injury report, he realized the Tide’s situation was direr than he’d previously thought for all three components of the team: offense, defense, and special teams. Two wide-outs were looking at a minimum of two to three weeks out due to hamstring and quad injuries.
The situation with their starting quarterback wasn’t much better. Johansen, while physically present for every game, was mentally vacant. Like a church parking lot on the day after Christmas. DiPalma threw out the suggestion of benching their starting quarterback in favor of the back-up. Johansen’s performance this coming week would determine whether that idea played itself out or not.
The outlook for defense wasn’t much better. Their veteran left defensive end was out for the season due to an ACL tear. A rookie started in his place and demonstrated some true talent. Unfortunately, that same rookie had cost the team fifty yards in penalties over the last few weeks. On the right side of the defense, it appeared that their prior MVP, Michael Santiago, the right defensive end, had broken his leg in the last game, thus ending his season prematurely. Special teams hadn’t escaped injuries, either. Two of the return specialists were injured, although they were still slated to play. Their injuries affected their speed and ability to make cuts, which meant it was even more important for the offense to realize first downs and move the ball down the field to the end zone.
The team was beat up physically and mentally as the final push showed itself. These last four weeks were critical if they wanted to ensure the post-season was a reality and not yet another missed opportunity. If they won each game, they would make it. But a couple of potential losses combined with how the other teams truly fared controlled the Tide’s destiny. Successful teams always attributed their success to hard work and flawless execution. The reality was that successful teams relied on sound management, hard work, flawless execution, and a little bit of luck. Luck that other teams lost. Luck that caused certain interceptions to be dropped by the opposing team in the fourth quarter. Luck where the referees spotted the ball on third down. Luck when sixth round draft picks transformed themselves into all-stars.
Tenacity, perseverance and hard work earned Super Bowl championships. Despite the Tide exhibiting all those traits, luck hadn’t been on the team’s side, and consequently, everyone was on edge. External and internal pressure coiled around the Tide’s offices like a box spring. Numerous publications picked the Tide as the likely NFC champion during the pre-season. Plus, their payroll teased the salary cap. In theory, you got what you paid for. Their payroll
should
guarantee a spot in the playoffs, but that wasn’t the case. At least, not yet. It was unlikely given the fact that their two starting defensive ends were out. Offense won games, but defense won championships. Without two starting defenders, they’d be lucky to make to it to the playoffs and out of the Wild Card game.
He was a pragmatist and knew they should win at least two of their remaining games. Pulling out all four was pretty much like asking a quarterback to not throw any interceptions all season long. An impossible request and an entirely unreasonable expectation. All in all, the season was bumping along, not entirely as expected, but the Tide remained in the hunt.
Despite the disappointing average of the season, a lightness permeated his disposition leaving him buoyant. Happy, even, most days despite the mess of shit that was the constant carousel of his professional life. What a difference a year makes. Last year, he’d steadfastly ignored every single one of Calliegh’s subtle and not-so-subtle advances and come-ons, telling himself that staying far, far away was the best thing for both of them.
What a short-sighted idiot he’d been. She embraced his lifestyle, reading up on it as much as possible. Her pretty cheeks had burned fire-engine red when she disclosed that her internet search for BDSM yielded numerous pages of “adult websites.” What a funny conversation that had been in his kitchen.
“So, did you look at any of those sites?’ he’d asked, genuinely curious. Porn had never done much for him and he really did read issues of
Playboy
for the articles. But if she enjoyed porn, he could fully incorporate it into their sex life. Whatever she wanted, he was up for.
She coughed and tucked her hair behind her ears twice before responding.
“Maybe.”
He’d smiled at her. “Good for you. You see anything you like or that interests you?”
“I may have bookmarked a site for us to check out later. It doesn’t have any, ugh, action shots so to speak, but it had a ton of … accoutrements that I was curious about.”
His wallet was three hundred dollars lighter approximately twenty minutes later.
He couldn’t wait for their order to arrive.
“David? I need to talk to you,” Laura Cain, the Tide’s head of public relations barged into his office and seated herself across his desk.
“Yes,” he said, waiting for her to begin. He’d recruited her and every day she proved her value to him. A master at public discourse and manipulation, she helped the Tide effectively dodge the bullets that for other teams would have doomed their players and the teams themselves due to her tireless work ethic extinguishing fires around the clock.
“Johansen isn’t working with me. At all. His lawyer won’t return my phone calls. And I’m inundated every day from numerous outlets with requests for statements and interviews.”
“What do you think I can do for you?” he asked.
“I was wondering if you or one of the coaches could talk to him.”
“About what? His divorce? Sorry, Laura, but right now, it’s all he can do to remain focused on every game. DiPalma’s considering benching him based on the last few performances. Now is not the time to pester him about interviews to discuss his personal life. I’m surprised you would even ask it of me, truthfully,” he said, disappointed in her lapse in judgment. This was entirely unlike her. Laura demonstrated laser-like focus on her job, executing all of her duties masterfully with very little involvement from him, if any. She managed the public relations department and made it look easy.
Laura pursed her lips before responding. “David, I don’t ask you for very much and I have never asked you to run interference for me. Ever. With anyone. I wouldn’t have come to you if there was any other avenue to get Johansen to the table, so to speak. Johansen’s cooperation with the press at this juncture in his career is imperative for this team. I wouldn’t bug you or demand that he do anything about it unless I was absolutely, positively certain it was necessary. So, please, talk to him and order him, if you have to, to talk to me,” she implored.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” he groused, crossing his arms over the back of his head, chewing on her request.
“Look, if it’s too much of a distraction for him to personally be involved, then tell him all he needs to do is direct his lawyer to work with me. That’s all I need. Just one person involved on his side who’s willing to go over statements with me, approve some press releases, etc. It’s taken me longer to arrive at this point than it will to put the press together.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
§ § §
That night, David let himself into his house, weariness settling in and collapsing his bones as he crossed the threshold and found Calleigh dressing up his couch, a glass of red wine in her hand.
“Hey,” he said, dropping his keys on the short table beside the door designed specifically for that purpose, contentment wrapping around his heart like a soft cocoon.
She was so fucking pretty and she didn’t even realize it.
“Hey yourself,” she responded before taking a sip of her wine. She looked at him as though seeing him pleased her as much as her presence gratified him. Could this be his future? Was this what future weeknights looked like? Calleigh curled up on his couch, waiting for him to make it home after a long, shitty day?
Permanent relationships didn’t occupy a whole lot of his cerebral vortex. His subs served their purpose, some longer than others, but he’d never found the perfect mix of sexual enjoyment, exploration and personal compatibility. He’d had four serious, long-term monogamous relationships in the last ten years and all of them had eventually run their courses. He wasn’t big on the idea of children. Never considered himself finding a woman he could contemplate such a commitment with. Shoot, he had no idea if Calleigh even wanted children. Or if she’d want them with him.
Settling in next to her, he grabbed her foot and started to massage it through the thick sock.
“I think our positions should be reversed since I left work about four hours ago and you’re just getting home at,” she said, checking her watch, “approximately eight fifteen.”
“Touching you relaxes me,” he said, realizing he meant it as the words glided off his tongue. As a sexual dominant, he craved the power and control during the sex act. But sitting on his couch with her next to him, he reveled in the simple pleasure of touching her without it leading to anything else.
She transferred her wine glass to her other hand and began massaging his neck. He rolled it and his shoulders along with her ministrations in order to allow her better access. Turns out, he enjoyed her touch as much as she enjoyed his.
“You’re tense tonight,” she said, abandoning her wine altogether in order to put both hands to work on his neck and shoulders. Angling herself over his back, she dug her thumbs in the top of his shoulders, rolling out the tension as her fingers worked the cords in his neck.
Bliss. Pure bliss.
“God, that feels good,” he said, relaxing his head and letting it fall forward while she kneaded his knots.
“I have an idea,” she said.
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you go back to your bedroom, strip down, and lay on your stomach on the bed. I’ll pour you a glass of wine, and I’ll massage the rest of your back. If your neck and shoulders are any indication, you are in need of some
serious
work.”
“You eat yet?” he asked.
“I snacked while waiting for you. For dinner, I thought we could order pizza.”
At that, he opened one eye and aimed it at her.
“Pizza?”
“Yeah. You like pizza, right? I’m kind of craving it tonight, and I found several local joints over on this side that deliver. If you know what you want, I can call our order in right now,” she offered.