Lou was staring at Crash and AJ intently. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, his face splitting into a grin. “I know you guys. You play arena football for the California Condors, don’t you?”
Brad cleared his throat. “Lou, we try to respect people’s privacy here. We don’t mention names or professions.”
“Yeah?” Lou took the cigar out of his mouth. “Why’s that?”
Crash came to the rescue with a laugh. “It’s okay, Brad. Don’t worry about it. We get that all the time. I’m Crash. You’re a fan of the team? Would you like an autograph?”
“Crash. Yeah, that’s right. Yeah, I’d love an autograph. For my nephew, of course. Didn’t I hear a story about why you’re called Crash?”
Crash laughed. “Funny thing. It was my first season of playing for the Condors. So there I was, blasting down the field, and there’s these three huge linemen there, blocking my way to the end zone. They were so big you would have thought they were buildings. So I zig, and I zag, and I punch right through them to score the winning touchdown. The announcer is so excited by my moves that he compares the hit to a crash between a semi and a Yugo. I was the semi, obviously. I’ve been Crash ever since.”
AJ put a hand on Sami’s shoulder and leaned toward her, whispering. “See what I have to put up with? This is what my life is like every day.”
Sami smiled at him, although she took a half step away. “I see what you mean. The only similarity that had to the story I heard was the fact that there was a crash.”
AJ glanced down as if watching to see how far away she was going to move. Sami felt the urge to apologize for the slight confusion she saw in his eyes. She wasn’t completely sure why she’d taken that step. It wasn’t like AJ had threatened her or anything. This room was just making her nervous, for some reason. She glanced around. She was alone with four men in a room filled with implements of torture. Brad was the only one who felt even remotely safe to her, and he was the one who actually owned the place. Nothing was making sense.
To cover her discomfort, she asked, “So you’re a famous football player?”
AJ looked a little abashed. “Naw. Well, maybe a little. We play arena football for a semi-pro team. I guess we’re not supposed to talk about it, though, which might just kill Crash. You might have noticed that he likes to be the center of attention. Always has.”
Sami found herself laughing, despite her nervousness. “No, really? So how long have you two been together?”
“Oh, we’re just roommates,” AJ said hastily. “We’re not into that.”
“Be careful how you say that, or from what I hear you’ll be joining Crash in the doghouse.”
“No kidding.” He glanced around guiltily. Crash and Lou had wandered off, chatting about football. Brad followed them, looking harassed and worried. Crash’s loud laugh filled the space. “He’s been tagging along and pestering me since freshman year in high school. Then we both went to ASU. I can’t seem to shake him. So I guess it’s been about nine years now.”
“What do you think your chances are this year? Think Johnny’s arm is going to hold out for the season?” Lou asked loudly as he chewed on his cigar and glanced around the room. It didn’t look to Sami like he was actually inspecting anything. Maybe the guys being here was a good thing.
“Of course. It’s going to be a great season,” Crash boomed. “They’ve got AJ and me, don’t they? What more could they want?”
Sami looked at AJ. “Right. You can’t shake him.”
AJ smiled. “Okay. So if you dig past the annoying exterior—dig very, very deep—he’s a good guy.”
Brad seemed to give up then and wandered over to AJ and Sami. Sami felt both relieved and disappointed.
“I don’t know this guy very well,” Brad told them in a stage whisper, glancing over his shoulder at Crash and Lou. “But he really kind of seems like an asshole.” He watched the two in their football discussion as they turned and headed back to the group.
“So you’re into all this perverted stuff, too?” Lou gestured around the room, his face a mixture of amusement and disdain as he pointed to chains hanging from the ceiling. “What do they use those for?”
“Fuck if I know.” Crash shot Brad an apologetic look. “I guess we’re going to find out, though, right?”
Brad seemed to be steeling himself. He took a step forward, gesturing toward the door. “Well, we won’t keep you three anymore. Lou, shall we get on with this?”
“Yeah. You’ve got some problems here we need to talk about, Brad.” Lou’s voice was cheerful, as if Brad was going to be elated with his assessment. “It was great meeting you guys.” He stuffed the paper Crash had autographed into his pocket and followed Brad out without glancing at Sami. They could hear him talking about fire hazards and sprinkler systems as they went.
“I don’t think I like him,” Sami said as the door closed.
“I certainly hope not,” Crash quipped. “If that was your type, I wouldn’t have a chance.”
Sami turned a surprised look on him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw AJ’s eyes widen, too. Then he shrugged and turned away.
She was suddenly intensely aware of an uncontrollable need to get away from these two gorgeous giants before she did something she would regret. She didn’t think she was going to be able to handle the things they were all going to be doing anyway, and if they started flirting with her, it would be unbearable. She just couldn’t get involved with anyone yet. Surely they had cheerleader girlfriends somewhere, didn’t they? Why hadn’t they brought them? Oh, yeah. Crash had mentioned that AJ had just been dumped, or something. That was it, then. They were out slumming to take his mind off the supermodel or whatever it had been.
Tears stung her eyes unexpectedly. She wasn’t going to be used again. Spinning around, she ran for the door, trying to get out of the barn as quickly as she could.
* * * *
“It’s so nice that you could come over for dinner, Carly.” Allie was hugging a tall, thin, blonde woman when Crash and AJ came into the dining room at seven. Crash could only see the back of this new woman, and he ran an appreciative eye up and down, noting the long, flowing blonde hair, the jeans that were cut off to short-short length, a bright-pink tank top, and legs that just wouldn’t quit. Sami was standing next to her, one hand reaching out tentatively as if the blonde woman was some kind of security blanket for her.
They hadn’t seen Sami since she’d rushed from the barn that afternoon. AJ had chewed his ass royally, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what he’d done to make her so upset. He flirted with women all the time, and he had always assumed they’d liked it. They hardly ever ran screaming for the hills. It was a shame. She was so cute, with her curvy, feminine little body, that fiery red hair, and her bright-blue eyes. She was the perfect type for him. Thank goodness AJ was hung up on somebody else. Even if it was that bitch Tammy, at least they weren’t likely to be competing over the adorable little Sami. Now if he could just figure out why she seemed so terrified of him…
“Hi, guys. I’d like you to meet Carly Elliott. Carly, this is AJ and Crash.” Allie smiled all around as the blonde turned and regarded them seriously. She was beautiful, Crash thought. Maybe she would take AJ’s mind off Tammy. He knew that normally AJ went for the same type that he did—Sami’s type, to be exact—but Tammy was tall and thin, like this woman. Maybe his taste was changing. At least this would be a huge improvement. Carly looked like she had ten times the personality that Tammy had. Not that it would take much, the cold bitch.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Crash.” He shook Carly’s hand, smiling at her while trying to keep an eye on Sami. He wanted to be next to her at dinner if at all possible. Maybe he could apologize for whatever he’d said that had scared her so badly.
“Sit anywhere you like,” Allie said. “I’ll start bringing in the food. Usually we don’t eat with the guests, but we’ve decided that we will during the boot camp so we’re available for questions and disc
ussions.”
Sami seemed to be eyeing the guys warily, waiting until Carly sat down before she planted herself firmly between her friend and the head of the table. Crash looked there. No doubt that was Karl or Brad or Allie’s spot, and it would be rude of him to take it. He went to the other side and sat across from her instead. Now she wouldn’t be able to avoid him.
Carly looked over at Crash. “So, Crash, huh? That’s an odd name.”
AJ and Sami both opened their mouths as if objecting, but Crash smiled and ignored them. “Don’t you just know it. Craziest story you’ve ever heard. So there we were at summer football camp a few years ago.”
He paused to take a sip of water and shoot a glance at AJ, who was sitting at the other end of the table quietly banging his head on a place mat.
Shrugging at his friend’s strange behavior, Crash went on. “Now understand, Arizona in the summer can be kind of warm. Add on top of that our coach had gone on some crazy nutritional kick, and you can imagine the chaos. One day my blood sugar dropped below my shoe size from his obvious attempt to starve us all to death. I just crashed out, right in the middle of the field. Paramedics were called, and I could have died. It was shameful the way they fed us. Anyway, football players can be a cruel lot, and I’ve been Crash ever since.”
Suddenly AJ spoke in a choked voice. “Dude, enough already. You’re killing me here.”
Before Crash could answer, Allie and her guys brought out large bowls of pasta salad and homemade rolls. Crash looked closely at it, but he couldn’t detect any strange vegetables. It looked like normal pasta with normal Alfredo sauce and—was that shrimp in it? Maybe chicken? Both?
He took a small helping of salad and added lots of dressing. He could handle salad. Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery—he picked at it, looking closer. Some small white chunks that he couldn’t identify. Some small greenish chunks that he also couldn’t identify. He speared one with his fork and sniffed at it, then noticed that Allie was looking. He pasted a smile on his face and popped whatever it was in his mouth.
It wasn’t terrible. Kind of spicy. Maybe if he added more salad dressing he could ignore the unidentified vegetable matter. At least nothing seemed to be slimy. He grabbed a couple of rolls and ate them while he waited for the pasta to come around.
“So, Carly, how goes the renovation?” Karl asked as he settled between Crash and Sami and reached for the salad.
Carly rolled her eyes dramatically. “That new guy who works for the town is such an asshole. I can’t believe how picky he is!”
“You mean Lou?” Brad nodded knowingly from his place next to Allie at the other end. “He was here today, with a long list of stuff that he claims we need to do, too. Really unpleasant guy. If Lou Costello and Michael Corleone had a love child, it’d be him.”
Carly laughed. “I know exactly what you mean. Every time I think I’ve got all the fees paid, he comes up with a new one.”
“Fees?” Brad frowned. “Didn’t you already take care of those?”
“I thought so. But they just don’t seem to end. I swear last week they charged me a fee to process the fees I paid the week before.”
Crash craned his neck to see where the pasta had gotten stuck. It seemed to be in front of Brad, who was still asking Carly about the goofy little inspector guy. He tried to get AJ’s attention, since he was across the table and had a shot at being able to reach the bowl.
AJ was talking to Allie, though, and not paying attention to the fact that Crash was reduced to eating alien salad. The last piece he’d tentatively put in his mouth had tasted sweet. Sweet! Salads weren’t supposed to be sweet. The rolls were good, but they had disappeared.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but can you pass the pasta?” Sami asked suddenly. Crash could have kissed her. He wanted to say, “I knew there was something I liked about you!” But, considering how she’d reacted to a little flirting this afternoon, he kept quiet and waited until she, Carly, and Karl had taken their share of the dish before nearly emptying the rest onto his plate.
He began to eat voraciously, deliberately ignoring the pieces that he strongly suspected were also vegetables—what was with Allie and her obsession with the damn things? Still, he couldn’t deny that it was very tasty. The cream sauce was rich and thick and cheesy, and it turned out there was both chicken and shrimp in it. Heaven.
“So did you think about what name you want to go by for the workshop?” Allie asked Sami suddenly.
Sami flushed a little. “I have been thinking about it. I don’t know that I want to go by a name that implies I’m some kind of—”
“Brat?” Carly supplied. “I think that’s a great idea. I should have thought to warn you about that before, but I didn’t make the connection. I know! Let’s call her Buffy.”
Everyone stared at her for a moment. Sami had gone completely red now and looked as if she might crawl under the table. “Come on, Carly,” she mumbled. “That was a long time ago.”
“Only a couple of years,” Carly argued. She turned to Allie to explain. “We always called her Buffy in school. She was normally quiet and laid back until she saw something that she considered unfair. Then she’d go on a kick-ass tirade until whatever it was had been fixed. She was unstoppable. A frigging force of nature, I tell you. Plus she was always working out. I think she could bench-press over two hundred pounds. Couldn’t you?”
She turned back to Sami, who was staring at her plate, a knife clutched tightly in her hand. She seemed to be debating whether to stab Carly in the throat or the heart.
“Buffy it is,” Allie said cheerfully. Crash wasn’t sure whether she hadn’t noticed the horrified look on Sami’s face or if she was trying to smooth over the situation. “That’s a great name.”
“Really, I don’t—” Sami began, but Carly interrupted.
“It’s perfect. Something’s happened to the Buffy I knew and loved in the last few years, and we need to get her back. Now, where did those wonderful rolls get to? Allie, you’ve got to teach me the secret to your bread. They’d be great for the café!”
Chapter 4
Breakfast was over, and the three of them were on their own. The two other couples who were sharing boot camp with them had shown up just as they were finishing the oddly fibrous pancakes, spinach quiche, and bacon Allie had served.
Sami had enjoyed the meal, but she got a bigger kick out of watching Crash’s face as he braced himself to eat Allie’s cooking. First he would look with eager anticipation as the food was put in front of him. Then he would inspect it with the air of someone who suspected potential poisoning, although he was very careful not to let Allie catch him in the act of picking it apart with his fork. His face, as he tried a mouthful of each dish, went through a range of emotions, looking uneasy, then stoic, then thoughtful, then relieved. So far there hadn’t been anything he hadn’t finished, and he was always enthusiastically complimentary afterward. It would have been cute if he didn’t make her stomach flood with nervous butterflies every time he glanced in her direction.
She was convinced that he and AJ were out slumming. She desperately wished there had been a couple more single females there for them to concentrate on. When Carly had come to dinner, she’d been so relieved. Carly would attract their attention. They’d forget all about Sami.
But they hadn’t. They’d been polite to Carly, but several times during the evening Crash had tried to start a conversation with her. At one point he’d seemed to be starting to apologize for scaring her that afternoon. She didn’t want to talk about that, especially with him. It wasn’t his business why she’d been bothered by being in the barn alone with them. But they’d also done nothing to justify being rude. She’d tried to be friendly over breakfast. It seemed to make Crash feel better, for some reason. He’d made jokes incessantly, teasing AJ about everything under the sun. AJ had patiently allowed it, giving Sami occasional apologetic smiles.
The two other couples arrived within about ten minutes of each other, and All
ie jumped up to do their paperwork. Then she brought them into the dining room and everybody was introduced around.
The first couple seemed to be around forty. The husband, Roy, was friendly but quiet. His wife Lucy was much more energetic. She gave hugs all around, declaring herself a huge fan of the Condors and so excited to meet them all. She wore a loose, flowing dress printed with flowers in rainbow colors, and her hair hung in curling waves down to her waist. While they were listening to Lucy’s chatter, the other couple came in. They introduced themselves as Greg and Susan, and they were almost diametrically opposed to the first couple. Susan was dressed in conservative beige shorts and a polo shirt. She had short brown hair and wide eyes that darted back and forth as if she was expecting to be attacked. Greg was the loud, genial type who completely overshadowed his wife.
“Thanks so much for sending us that information,” he told Allie. “Susie and I can’t wait to get started. We’ve been reading a lot, and I’m sure it’s going to be a really interesting week.”
“I’m sure you’ll find it informative,” Allie agreed. “Now, guys, I’m going to get Roy and Lucy and Greg and Susan settled in their rooms. Then we’ll go over the same orientation that you did yesterday. You’re welcome to stay for it, of course, but if you’d rather have some free time, you’re welcome to. Why don’t we plan on getting started after lunch?”
“That sounds great,” Crash said, jumping to his feet. “We’ll get this cleared up for you.”
“Oh, thanks.” Allie herded her new guests toward the staircase. “I’ll make more coffee when I come down, in case you’d like some.”
Sami took a load of dishes into the kitchen and put them in the sink. The guys followed her, and AJ began running water while Crash opened the refrigerator and peered inside.
“Are you still hungry?” Sami asked him, unable to stop herself.
“No, not really,” he said, pulling out a jar and studying it. “I just want to see if she’s got any regular food or if it’s all part of some alien vegetable experiment.”
Double Dom Fantasies Page 4
