Out of Bounds(24)

“Were you now?”

“I was,” I say, as I settle into my couch. “She’s gorgeous and whip smart, and she shows up at places I don’t expect her.”

“Like the beach, and the movies, and the pier?”

“Exactly. She’s everywhere.”

“Have you ever considered she might be stalking you?” Dani asks in a serious tone that makes me laugh.

“I’ll take that kind of stalking. Maybe she’ll stalk me all the way over to my bed, and strip naked for me,” I say, knowing full well she won’t, but loving the image.

“That sounds like my kind of stalking too.” She sighs, and it’s a happy sound. “How was your day?”

And then suddenly, we’re not talking about sex, or flirting, or how the other person looks. I tell her about practice, and the deal Jason is looking into with Qwench, and how I think it can position me well for the future if it pans out.

“Ohhhhh.” Her voice is heavy.

I sit up straight.

“What is it, Dani?”

She makes a clicking sound. “Here’s the thing. They came to us about supplying at the stadium. And since I handle all the vendor contracts, I spent a lot of time looking into doing a deal with Qwench. This isn’t terribly well known, but I found some information that the company was being investigated for tax fraud.”

“Shit. You did?” I ask, blowing out a long stream of air.

“Yes, so just be careful. If Jason wants to know anything more, tell him to contact me. But it’s best to tread carefully.”

“Hell yeah. I’ll definitely let him know since he’s looking into it right now.” Reaching for a pen on my coffee table and a scrap of paper, I write myself a note to mention all of this to Jason. “And thanks for the tip.”

“Tell me about this guy,” Dani says, her tone warm and curious. I like that she wants to know about my best bud. “Especially since my sister is keen on him.”

“And he’s keen on her too.” I launch into the details, how we grew up together, what his friendship means to me, how I rely on him for everything. “We used to bike to school together starting way back in third grade. Our parents worked their asses off and neither one of us had much, and sports were everything to us. We were those kids you see around the neighborhood, shooting hoops and riding bikes. We biked to practice together, to the basketball courts in the off season, to the community pool in the summer. We just got up and did it.”

“Because you loved it. Because it was your heart. You couldn’t not do it,” Dani says, just getting it. Getting us.

“Exactly. And even though we played football together in high school, Jason knew then that I was more likely to go pro. I don’t mean that to be cocky, but he was the one who said it. It was crazy, but he could tell. He believed in me, and kind of looked out for me back in the day.”

“How so?”

“Helped me weigh the different offers from college teams. Went over them one by one to really figure out the best fit. He’s always done that for me. Makes sure I’m considering everything. Just looks out for me like a brother.”

“He’s your horseman,” she says warmly.

“Yeah. He is. But I only have one. Don’t need four like LeBron,” I say, since the basketball player is famous for relying on his four best friends from childhood to help with his business decisions. “What about you and your sister? You’re close, right?”

“Very close. She’s one of the reasons I work so hard. I love my job, but I’m also taking care of her,” she says, and then I learn she’s putting her sister through nursing school. “I was very focused my first few years out of law school, working late nights and getting ahead, but it was time well spent since I could pay off all my school loans. Now, I’m in a position to help her so she can just concentrate on school now, and then on being a nurse practitioner when she graduates.”

“Damn. That’s impressive,” I say with a whistle.

“She’s worth it. And hey, I’ll have someone to take care of me in my old age.”

“Ha. It’s good that family can do that,” I say, then glance at the clock. Nine p.m. I need to be awake in nine hours for a run.

“I should let you get your sleep,” she says, as if reading my mind.

“Wait. You can’t go without me telling you how gorgeous you looked tonight.”

“By all means. Tell me.”

I scrub a hand across my chin as I remember how she looked. My cock stirs at the memory. “As soon as I saw you I was thinking about unzipping that dress you wore and having my way with your body.”

There’s a pause on the phone, a rustling of sheets. “You were thinking about me naked at the Skee-Ball machine?”

I laugh. “Can’t help myself. I see you and I think about you naked. I hope you don’t object to the way I undress you mentally.”

“I hope you don’t object that I do the same thing.”

“You pictured me in my birthday suit?” I ask and my dick now gives a full and proper hello when she says, “I sure did.”

I sink deeper into the couch, my hand drifting down my chest. “How did I look?”

“Drew, you have a beautiful body. I’d like to see it naked. Isn’t that clear?”