“You have no idea,” Sara fans herself with her hand as she tells me what happened on her date with Red. “He’s a machine.”
“Yeah, I kinda got that from watching him play football.”
She grins and slaps me on the shoulder. “Trust me. You have NO idea.”
I want to tell her that I’m pretty sure that I have some idea. I mean, Red is big but so are Kyle and Kameron and I took them both on last night. Sara is obviously pretty cool about enjoying her sexuality but I bet she’d be shocked.
“His cock is…” she holds her hands out wide. As wide as I would if I was kissing and telling about the twins.
“I was wondering why you’re walking like a cowboy.”
“It was worth it…believe me it was worth it.”
“So are you going to see him again or was this just one night of passion?”
“He’s already messaged me this morning. Says he wants me to come over to his place later.”
“Netflix and chill?”
Sara chuckles. “That would be a good response. He’s fun, you know. He’s got a really good sense of humor and he seems like a really happy person.”
“Well, you two sound like a match made in heaven.”
“Except for our size difference. You know, he picked me up with one arm yesterday, like I was a toddler not a fully grown woman.” She leans in closer. “And when we were fucking, he just manhandled me into the positions he wanted…it was so fucking horny.”
I get a flash of Kameron rolling me over and pulling me onto my knees. I know exactly what Sara is talking about. That thrill of brute strength.
“So, what is going to happen to the football team now, with Jameson out of play?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. I guess they’ll bring someone off the bench to cover him. The boys were grumbling about it in the car today. They have some important games coming up and no one does it like Jameson.”
“I’ll chat to Red about it later. Pick his brain.”
With my complete lack of football knowledge, I have no idea how that could benefit me, but I thank Sara anyway.
We round the corner of the main arts building and my four healthy stepbrothers are standing in a huddle. Jessie is the first to spot me.
“There she is,” he says and three other faces turn.
“Maisie, coach wants to see you.”
“What?”
“Coach. The coach of the football team. He asked us if you could go find him.”
“Why?” There is certainly no chance that I’m being recruited for the cheerleading team. Too big-boned and definitely not athletic enough. Ugh. Maybe he wants me to wear the mascot costume for the next game. How mortifying would that be?
I search my stepbrothers’ faces but I don’t see any hint of amusement. In fact, they look confused about it all too, but I know how good they are at pranking me.
“Who knows. Just…do you have time to go now?”
I glance at my watch. I have around fifty minutes until my next class. I was going to grab a quick coffee with Sara, and two girls I’ve been talking too in class, Hannah and Millie.
“Do I have to?”
“It could be something important. About Jameson,” Kyle says.
“Why would he want to talk to me about Jameson when he has you four to relay messages through?”
Four sets of shoulders shrug. I really am not getting much sense out of them.
“I guess I’ll have to then.” I turn to Sara. “Sorry…about missing our coffee.”
She waves her hand. “It’s all good. I’ll go meet the girls and tell them you’ve been caught up.”
“We’ll come with you,” Joshua says, and I don’t miss a little raise of his eyebrows at the prospect of hanging out with Sara. I’m relieved that she has Red to keep her out of trouble or I’m pretty sure I’d find her sitting on Joshua’s knee when I was done with coach.
It takes me five minutes to cross campus and another five to find the coach in his office at the end of a warren of corridors.
I knock tentatively. “Hi, Coach. I’m Maisie, Jameson’s stepsister. You wanted to see me?”
Coach looks up over his glasses, which are perched on the end of his nose.
“Ah, Maisie. Come in. Sit down.”
He waves his hand and indicates one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk.
I wait while he bundles a stack of papers that are resting haphazardly around his desk. “Paperwork is the worst part of the job.” He leans back in his chair to survey me. I wonder what’s going on in that tactical brain of his. “You must be wondering why I wanted to see you.”
I nod. “If it’s anything to do with the mascot, I’m going to have to pass.”
Coach chuckles. “Mascot duty is sorted. Don’t worry about that. No, it’s about Jameson.”
“What about him?”
“This injury of his. I know what it’s going to do to him over the next few weeks. He’s going to be filled with doubts. Worried it won’t heal right and he’ll never be able to play again. Worried the team will do okay without him and he’ll end up benched on his return. He’s going to be running through what happened over and over and it’s going to change the way he plays. He’ll take fewer risks and will be a worse player for it. And that mom of his. I know she means well, but she’s going to smother that boy to death.”
I laugh quietly, amazed at how much Coach has been able to grasp our family situation and Jameson in particular. “It sounds like you know Jameson well.”
Coach nods. “It’s not only that. I did the same thing back in college. I know how it feels. What he needs is someone there who won’t baby him. Someone who can challenge him and keep him upbeat.”
I frown. Is he asking me for a suggestion? Because I know hardly anyone on campus. Just a few people from my classes and my stepbrothers. Some big hulking dudes who play football with them too. Surely Coach has a better idea of who might work in this situation.
“I’m afraid I don’t know who to suggest.”
He shakes his head looking amused. “I’m asking you.”
“Me?” Coach doesn’t know me from Adam. I can’t imagine why he’d think I’d be a good fit for this job.
“You. I saw how you were with him on the field and in the hospital. You’re sharing the same house too so you can keep his mom at arm’s length.”
My eyes practically bug out at the idea of keeping Janice away from Jameson, her precious boy. “I take it you’ve met Janice.”
Coach nods and laughs. “She’s pretty special, that’s for sure.”
“And I’m supposed to keep her away from Jameson how exactly?”
“How about suggesting that your dad books a surprise getaway for them both? Somewhere exotic that she won’t be able to resist. Even if it’s just a week, it’ll help Jameson regroup and get his head to where it needs to be. And with your cheering-up skills…”
“I think you’re vastly overestimating my abilities here.”
Coach shakes his head. “You seem like a girl with a good head on her shoulders. Will you just do your best? Oh, and keep me up to date with what’s going on at home. I know how your stepbrothers work. They’re thicker than thieves and will cover for each other. Your eyes and ears are the only ones I can trust, and I need Jameson back if we’re going to have a chance of winning this year.”
Ah, so now I see why he’s picked me. It’s not because I have a good head on my shoulders. He doesn’t know me enough to make any assumptions about what I can do. He wants a spy to keep feeding him information about his star player. Anything else will be considered a bonus.
“I guess I can try,” I say. “But don’t hold your breath. We’re dealing with a lot of pig-headed people here.”
Coach smiles and leans forward, a card in his hand. “These are my contact details. I really appreciate this, Maisie. If it wasn’t so important, I wouldn’t ask.” I take the card and slide it into my jacket pocket. I’ve never been asked to be a spy before and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I say my goodbyes and head back in the direction of the coffee house. Sara and the girls are sitting out front with the football team. Coach’s card and the implications of reporting back on my family weighs heavy and I realize that I haven’t thought of a reason for Coach’s summons.
“There she is,” Jessie says as I come into view.
Kyle stands and makes his way to me before I get to the table. It’s clear that he doesn’t want everyone listening to his questions.
“What did he want?”
My mind skitters over what I should say, then I remember something I saw on a show. If you’re going to lie about something, make sure there are elements of truth in what you say. It makes it more convincing. “He wanted to know how Jameson is.”
“We told him this morning,” Kyle says, looking confused.
“Well, he wanted to hear it from someone outside of the team.”
“He doesn’t trust us to tell him the truth?”
I shrug. “He didn’t say that. Just that he thought I might have a woman’s perspective on things.”
“Well, what did you tell him?”
I raise my eyebrows. “I didn’t tell him about getting an eyeful of Jameson’s cock when I delivered breakfast, that’s for sure. Although maybe he’d be reassured to know that that part of Jameson is working just fine.”
Kyle splutters with laughter. “Joshua told us that you’d probably get an eyeful.”
“Nice of you to leave me to the wolves.”
“An eyeful of erect cock never hurt anyone.”
I shake my head. “That should be printed on t-shirts, it’s so beautiful.”
“Maisie,” Sara calls from behind Kyle. “I got you a coffee. We’ve gotta go, girl.”
I see her jumping off Red’s knee, taking hold of his face between her palms and kissing him. A chorus of oohs and whoops goes up and Sara pulls back and takes a bow. “As much as I love audiences, you guys need to get some sex lives of your own.” She grabs her bag and my coffee cup and sashays toward me. Red shakes his head as though Sara’s a marvel of nature. She is, in a way.
I spend the rest of the afternoon in class, then make my way back to the lot to meet the boys. They are all shower fresh after training and the smell of so much clean man is too much for one girl to deal with without messing up her panties. Seriously. I came hard enough to see stars last night, multiple times, and I’m still a horny mess.
When we get home, I go straight to my dad’s office, with Coach’s suggestion on my mind. I knock on the heavy wood door, my heart already picking up speed. I’m not good at being anything other than truthful. I have to wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans.
“Come in.” Dad is sitting at his desk with his laptop open. He turns and smiles when he sees it’s me. “It’s been a long time since you came into my office.”
“It has.” I hover awkwardly in the doorway remembering how in awe I was of this space. Huge bookcases filled with books of all kinds and ages. My dad has a special interest in economics, a subject he wanted me to study too. He also loves crime novels, much to Janice’s dismay. I think she’d rather he watched unending amounts of TV.
“I don’t bite,” Dad says, waving to the sofa in the corner where I understand he’s wanting me to sit. “What brings you this way?”
“I just…I’m worried about Janice.”
Dad’s eyebrows raise in shock. “You are? Well that’s very thoughtful of you, Maisie. I know that things haven’t always been great between the two of you so I’m proud that you’ve put that all behind you.”
“It’s just…well I saw how upset she was yesterday and how stressed she seemed about Jameson. I just don’t know how well she’s going to do worrying about him over the next few weeks.”
Dad nods, looking thoughtful. “You’re right,” he says. “It’s going to be really hard on her.”
I rub my hands over my knees, frantically thinking about how to phrase the next part. I really need him to think that this is his idea rather than mine. It will definitely be more effective that way.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m here to help out with anything, and that I’ll be alright if you think that Janice might benefit from a respite, you know, a week in the sun to take her mind off Jameson’s injury.”
“Thank you,” Dad says, “You’ve settled back in really well. Much better than I thought you would.”
I shrug. “I’m pretty self-sufficient. Mom made sure that I can cook and do all the other things that I need to be able to do to survive. The boys have been loving my pancakes.”
“Really?” Dad says, surprised.
“So, the house would be in safe hands if Janice needs that break.”
I stand, knowing that I’ve planted a half-grown tree rather than a seed here already and need to get out before he suspects me of trying to get rid of them.
“Thanks, honey,” he says.
“I’m gonna go check on Jameson and see if there’s anything he needs.”
Dad nods. “I doubt he’ll have any unmet needs. Janice has been floating around that room like a fly around dog mess.”
“She must be worn out.” I shake my head sadly.
“Yes,” Dad says, looking thoughtful.
I can’t be certain, but I think he’s taken the bait, hook line and sinker.
