The Gamble: A Novel (19 page)

The two of us slide out of my car and I quickly grab a blanket from the trunk. She gives me a suspicious look but holds any further questions to herself. I sling it over my shoulder and extend my hand for her to take.

A short walk later we're strolling upon food trucks parked on a blocked off street next to a giant park. There are people sitting on their own blankets, lying on them, and dancing beside them.

Intently, I watch as her jaw drops giving me the reaction I was hoping for. “You brought me to Booze and Blues...”

I wink.

“I haven't been here in years...”

Lifting a finger, I command, “And....listen.”

She clamps her mouth shut and listens to the band playing. Once she recognizes them her brown eyes brighten. “That's Buddy Blue playing!”

“Yup. They were playing on the radio the first Friday we worked together. You bitched me out for having no idea who they were and then proceeded to play them for weeks until I could see how much they kicked ass.”

“They do kick ass,” Alexxa insists and moves her body in front of mine.

You wouldn't believe how many students fell in love with blues music as much as I did that year. It's pretty funny to hear a group of seven year olds humming along while they do their homework.

“I can't believe you remember that.”

“Well I do. Just like I know Blues is hands down your favorite style of music.” As soon as she expands her grin, I playfully say, “You're making me breakfast in the morning.”

She happily declares, “Worth it.”

“Let's find a good spot.” I get ready to tug her along but stop almost instantly. With a toss of my head I greet, “Kellar.”

You don't have to drool. Trust me. I've seen enough chicks do it. You don't have to join them. What? Jealous? Nah. You know my track record. No need to give a fuck about some blue eyed kid who looks like he belongs on a CW sitcom.

“Larson.” He extends his hand for a fist bump. “You just get here?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah.”

“Had to shower after that game, right?”

“Fuck yeah,” he sighs. “It was worth it though.”

“Yeah. You've got some fucking talent, bro. Pro level.”

“You too. You play in college?”

I shake my head. “Fucked up my leg in high school.”

Which is how I mention that shit most of the time, not the way I let it slip to Alexxa. Other than my ma' and the chicks I was fucking back then, no one really knows how injured or weak I was. I like to keep it that way. Doesn't affect my ability to tear shit up now, so why bother mentioning it?

“What about you?”

“Nah.” He adjusts his arm around the female beside him. “Played in high school, but never had the urge to keep playing that hard. Had offers though.”

The kid is a few years younger than me. He's still in the prime days of college. Still has a chance to change his mind. Doubt he will. From the look in his eyes he's closed the door. I'd know. I used to get the same one when people suggested I get back into sports professionally even it was just somewhere on a B team. I've been over those urges for years. All it took was seeing how quickly people are to fucking forget about you after calling you family only a week before to put a real perspective on the false sense of security sports builds. Eh. Still love to play though. Just with minor ties instead of heavy ones.

“Well this is better than a pissing contest,” Alexxa speaks up from beside me. “But how about you tell me who the hell he is so me, and what I'm assuming is his girlfriend, can stop gawking like deer in headlights.”

His girlfriend giggles and I tilt my head towards Alexxa. “This mouthy thing with a great ass, is my girlfriend, Alexxa. Alexxa meet Dean Kellar. He started playing on my team during Saturday basketball games earlier this month. He's got a killer hook shot.”

She drops my hand and extends it to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He shakes. “This, beautiful work of art is my girl. Megan.”

She's cute. Nothin' to worry my star player about though. You've seen Alexxa. What the hell else can compare?

The women shake and Alexxa asks, “Does he always introduce you that way?”

“Typically,” Megan giggles. “Does he?”

“Typically,” she repeats with an eye roll.

“You ladies can't possibly be mad at us for telling the truth,” Kellar states and slides his free hand in his pocket. “That would be like double jeopardy bullshit.”

“That's...that's not what that means.” Megan sighs with a shake of her head. “Your uncle is a lawyer. How do you not know you're using that wrong?”

“Keep up that tone and I'll use you wrong.” He waggles his eyebrows at her.

I cock a smirk, which is when Alexxa nudges me in the side. “Now I see why you're friends.”

Innocently I snap, “What? I didn't say anything.”

“You were thinking it.”

Kellar chuckles and fist bumps me again.

Fine. I was.

“We're gonna grab a spot. Want us to save a space close by?” Alexxa offers.

“That would be awesome,” Megan exclaims. “We were gonna get something from the fries food truck. Want us to bring you anything back?”

“I'll take the ones with sirache sauce,” Alexxa says as I take out my wallet.

Kellar immediately stops me. “I got it, man.”

My hand lingers on my back pocket. “You sure? I can get my girl's food.”

“Yeah, I gotchu. Y'all just grab us seats.”

I nod and we split different directions. Alexxa and I wander around until we find a spot wide enough to fit the four of us. As soon as I've got the blanket spread wide enough, I tug her to sit between my legs. Like there's no other place she belongs, she braces her back against my chest, head falling comfortably to the side.  

There's applause, which is when Alexxa coos, “Thank you for this.”

I drop a soft kiss onto the side of her neck. “You're welcome, baby.”

Not too bad for my first time. Ha. Even my first time wasn't bad for my first time. Don't give me that look. You know you were wondering...

**

A little before midnight, the two of us are stumbling into my bedroom, exhausted from the live concert.

Alexxa begins to kick off her shoes. “I really liked hanging out with them.”

“Yeah. They were pretty chill.”

“We should do it again.”

“One step at a time.” I rip off my shirt and toss it on the floor. “Let's get the hang of regular dates before adding double to it.”

Alexxa giggles, wiggles out of her shorts, and prepares to slip out of her thong.

Only thing worse than having a girlfriend you can't fucking bone is having one you can't bone who constantly sleeps beside you naked. Pretty sure even fucking Ghandi would've been driven insane by now.

Knowing my attention is on her, she drags out the process of shedding the tiny clothing.

Hate her. Fucking hate her.

In slow motion, like I'm stuck in some sort of fantasy sequence in a teenage crap film fest, she pulls off her top, exposing her pushed up tits in a lacy black bra. Alexxa unfastens it and drops it playfully.

My cock bangs against my jeans in protest to her lascivious behavior.

Slowly, she lowers her body onto my bed and cat crawls across it, stringing along my attention and my will power.

Put it on record. The second she gives me the green light to fuck her, we're not doing anything else for at least three fucking days.

Alexxa wets her lips with a hunger in her eyes.

Make that four days. Four fucking days straight. The human body can go without food that long, right?

She beckons me over by a finger.

I'm willing to risk it.

In a couple strides, I'm standing in front of her, watching her hands graze the skin right above my jeans.

“What you did tonight for me was...special,” Alexxa starts, unbuckling my belt. “And I wanna do something special for you.”

Disbelief over what I'm about to say bumps around my brain. “I didn't do it so you would wanna blow me.”

“Well you did and now I do,” she hums. Her eyes look up mischievously at me. “Are you really trying to talk me out of a blow job?”

Not exactly talk her out of it so much as cover my own ass for a later argument on feeling pressured to put my cock in her mouth because I did something thoughtful.

I offer my hands in surrender. “Just making sure you know I don't expect anything in return for taking you out on a date.”

She twists her lips into a smile, unbuttons, unzips, and yanks my jeans down, along with my boxers. “Which just fucking turns me on more.”

Is being thoughtful an aphrodisiac? Dating is an interesting sport...

Her fingers curl around my stiff cock. “But I do wanna warn you before I start...”

My jaw clamps shut to prevent a moan from escaping.

“I....haven't exactly had a lot of practice.” When our eyes lock she continues, “Like...none. This'll be my first time, so if I do it wrong, just....fucking bear with me, okay?”

The thought of my dick being the first one to ever fall between her pair of perfect lips makes it throb. Hard.

Fuck me...why is that so fucking hot?

In an attempt to lighten the mood, I warn, “Just don't bite.”

Alexxa gives me a stern look and begins to stroke slowly. My eyes threaten to close the same way they always do when her hand begins its magic, except this time I strain them to stay open. To watch for the moment I've imagined more times than I can count. Without any more warning, she leans forward, mouth open, and lightly licks the slit on my cock.

My knees instantly buckle. “Fuck...”

Her nervous expression stays yet she proceeds forward, tongue tasting the pre-cum as if it's drops of sugar and she needs the rush. A groan rumbles in my chest at the same time she swallows me like some sort of sexual, magic trick. In one swift motion my dick has disappeared from sight and is trapped in the hot confines of her tight mouth. She begins a slow bob, using her tongue to torture my cock into an immediate submission.

A carnal growl seeps out, “Si...”

Unable to control my hand, I wind my fingers through her hair, and grip the back of her head tightly. Alexxa effortlessly executes the perfect suck to stroke ratio while one of her hands pulls at my balls in a way she knows will get the desired results. Within a matter of minutes, I'm biting down harshly on my bottom lip to prevent from coming too soon.

What the fuck is wrong with my cock? Getting head isn't fucking new for me.

She increases her speed and suction before slowing down to roll her tongue from tip to balls as if trying to flag all the hot spots that make me wobble. Alexxa begins to bob again, quickly discovering her gag reflexes.

The clenching tempts me to come again. I tug on the back of her head to prevent her from repeating the action. On a deep grumble I declare, “Don't try to take me so deep.”