“What’s this?” Polly asked.
Elise looked up and gulped. She and Amanda quickly exchanged looks.
“Spices!” they squealed in unison.
“May I?” Polly asked, picking up the wooden mara box.
“Sure,” Amanda said with a strained voice. Elise and Amanda both watched Polly open the old box and take a look at the accurately stashed spices.
“Colorful.”
“Yes,” Elise laughed awkwardly. She jumped up, waving the MP3 player. “Done.”
Before Polly had time to take out one of the little plastic bags and discover the hard fact behind the hot and sweet spices, Elise grabbed the box away and quickly slipped the MP3 player into Polly’s hand instead.
“Thank you for the music. I’m sure Amanda will like it as well,” she said with a grin. “Shall we call you after dinner and you come over to watch the movie?”
Polly agreed. She gave them her phone number, said good-bye and Elise closed the door behind her with a big sigh.
“We really need to be more careful with the dildo.”
“Mara,” Amanda insisted. But she was already stuffing the wood box deep inside one of her bags. “No need for Gabriella to ask the same questions.”
***
“I think it’s a good time to aim for the bigger tournaments,” Gabriella told Freddie. The coach nodded slowly.
“Well, the beginning of the year has been a bit of a bumpy ride, but your current ranking will set you up well to tackle the Top 15,” he said. “Now that your game is coming together again I see no reason that it shouldn’t work.”
Gabriella put her feet up on Freddie’s hotel room couch and smiled. Her revival had begun in the smaller tournaments in Monterrey and Acapulco. She had arrived from Dubai with new enthusiasm, a much bigger punch to her strokes and a big grin on her face. Her coach had wondered how one skiing day in Dubai could cause a 180 degree turn in his player, but eventually attributed her good mood to the fun they had in Mexico – which included a night out on the town in Monterrey, a big Mardi Gras party and finally, a tournament win in Acapulco. She had played magnificently in the last three matches, implementing Freddie’s advice and executing her game plan from the first ball played until the last.
“I’m glad we are working together,” Gabriella said, even though she knew it wasn’t Freddie’s coaching alone that had lifted her game in the last two weeks. Neither had it been the fun she had with the other players, running around in Mexican costumes. She knew that the reason she had turned things around and that confidence was flowing through her veins again, was accredited to a certain Czech player.
In hindsight, nothing could have been more daring than kiss Sasha in the elevator. Who knew what the Czech would do after Luella had broken her nose in Istanbul? It could have been entirely possible that Sasha might have started screaming, as she clearly believed it was Lulu with her in the elevator. Gabriella still grinned at the thought. It was such a ludicrous idea that she had spent the night with the most-desired girl in the WTA because said girl believed her to have been Luella Galloway, the straightest girl in the WTA.
Sasha thought she knew Lulu’s little secret, as she had called it when they had faced each other in the Wimbledon locker room. As Sasha had a little secret of her own, she understood the need for collusion. When Gabriella had forbidden her to call her or talk to her, Gabriella had of course thought of the possibility that Sasha might contact Lulu by accident. But the Czech had nodded immediately. She wouldn’t put everything she had worked for at risk.
This was the best situation Gabriella could have hoped for – a lover on the side who ignited her energy and revitalized her game. After her good runs in Mexico and Columbia, Gabriella felt more confident about making an even bigger step forward in the rankings, the Top 15 only being a stopover. Thinking about the little note she had written down before the season started, she felt certain again that she could crack the Top 10.
There was another reason Gabriella wanted to play the larger tournaments. Lulu would play them. And if Lulu was playing, Gabriella could meet up with Sasha.
***
Polly opened the door and had to laugh. Bernadette was waving with a Tennis Nurse novel. The older player sighed.
“I’m hooked.”
“You were fast!” Polly exclaimed. “How could you read that in two days.”
“I only read the interesting parts,” Bernadette said and slipped inside Polly’s hotel room. “Can I borrow a new one?”
Polly wondered which parts of the story might have been more interesting than the others. Was Bernadette only reading the love scenes? Polly grinned. There were quite a few in every Tennis Nurse novel.
Bernadette stepped towards Polly’s nightstand and picked up one of the old novels Polly had gotten from Morgana.
“I thought I’d take you out for dinner and we talk about the tactics for our first match,” Bernadette suggested.
Polly hesitated. “I will be watching a movie tonight. With Amanda and Elise.”
She saw her doubles partner frown.
“Sorry,” Polly said.
“Well, we’ll both be sorry if we lose in the first round. But that’s your decision.”
“How about discussing it over breakfast tomorrow morning?” Polly suggested quickly.
Bernadette nodded. “Alright.”
She picked up another novel and began flipping through it.
“So, how was the week at home? How is your mother?”
Polly smiled, relieved that Bernadette didn’t seem miffed. “Much better again.”
She had spent a whole week in Canada visiting her family, and her mother had been feeling well enough for them to go for a few walks through the park.
“She is still waiting for a new heart, right?”
“Yes,” Polly answered. Of course, her mother was waiting. They were all waiting. Just because her mother had been released from the hospital again didn’t mean she had been cured. Polly let her shoulders hang down.
“Is she on a waiting list?” Bernadette asked.
“Yes,” Polly said.
“It can take forever before a matching heart is found.” Bernadette said while looking through Morgana’s Tennis Nurse novels. “First, somebody has to die, which is not very pleasant. Then it must be someone healthy, and last but not least, it must be someone willing to donate an organ. Most people would consider donating a kidney or their liver when dead. But the heart?”
“It’s not easy to find someone,” Polly admitted. She had sunk down on the bed. All her excitement had vanished and a familiar fear was creeping up her spine.
“Honestly, I don’t think I could donate my heart,” Bernadette said while skimming through one of the old Tennis Nurse novels.
“But you wouldn’t need it anymore if you were dead,” Polly said quietly.
Bernadette looked up.
“But it’s mine,” she retorted. “It’s not the same if it beats in someone else’s chest. A heart belongs to someone. You can’t give it away. You mustn’t.”
A long silence followed the tirade. Long enough for Polly to feel her eyes filling with tears.
“Well, that’s just my opinion,” Bernadette added with a shrug. “I hope for your mother’s sake that someone has a different opinion on the matter. Someone who’s heart is a match for your mom. Someone who dies soon. Right?”
Polly managed to nod while tears began streaming down her face. Sometimes she observed women and even men in restaurants or on the tournament sites and judging from their looks she wondered if they could be a matching donor for her mother. She even imagined what would be the best way for them to die, so the heart wasn’t damaged. Whenever she caught herself having these thoughts she felt horrible. She didn’t want anybody to die. But it was the only hope for her mother.
“I’m just so scared,” she sobbed.
“I know, I know.” Bernadette placed the novel on the nightstand and sat next to her. But when her doubles partne
r put her arm around her, Polly felt a sudden uneasiness. How could Bernadette be so harsh in one moment and then compassionate in the next?
Polly got up and went to the bathroom to wipe her nose with some toilet tissue. Through the closed door she heard the telephone ring. After three rings Bernadette answered it.
***
Amanda hung up the phone and shrugged at Elise who had just entered the room.
“I can’t reach Gabriella. She’s not in her room.”
Amanda had tried before they had gone to dinner and after they got back to the hotel too, but to no avail.
“Polly’s not coming either,” Elise remarked. “Bernadette said she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Bernadette?” Amanda raised an eyebrow. “They’ve become really good friends, Polly and her.”
“You think they are a couple?” Elise wondered.
“No. It’s just – .” Amanda got up and began to change into her pyjamas. “Bernadette can be a bit overbearing. But it’s probably good that Polly has someone who takes care of her.”
“Yes, probably.” Elise slipped under the bed sheets and opened her laptop. “What movie have you picked?”
Amanda grinned. “Since we are in the desert I thought of the perfect movie.” She pulled out a DVD from one of her bags and handed it to Elise. The cover showed two women wearing old-fashioned clothes and standing in front of a vintage car.
“Desert Hearts?” Elise had never heard of it. “It looks very old.”
“It’s not that old! It’s from 1984 or so.”
“That is the Stone Age. It is very old!”
“Two years older than I am,” Amanda reminded Elise while putting on a pair of shorts. “So you think I’m very old.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “I always forget you were born in the eighties.”
“Best decade ever,” Amanda said smugly. “Good music, too.”
“Oh, cheap shot,” Elise growled. “I don’t listen to bad music. Polly gave me some new songs, by the way. You might like them. The Jetlips. It’s with guitars.”
Amanda pulled her shirt over her head. “The Jet Lips?”
“Yes. Do you know them?”
Instead of giving an answer, Amanda got into perfect air guitar stance, swung her arms and started singing.
Speed machine
Speed machine
I’m in love with my sp-e-e-e-e-e-d machine
Amanda ended her punk rock performance with a little jump, hammering the last chord on the air guitar and falling to her knees.
“Speed Machine,” she explained while getting up and dusting off her knees. “A favorite.”
“Shocking,” Elise grinned and took her hands off her ears. “Can we watch that very old movie now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Amanda saluted, then jumped into bed. “The movie features good music, too.”
“From the eighties?”
“Nope. Fifties.”
“Fifties?” Elise couldn’t believe it. “That’s the Dinosaur Age!”
***
What a perfect way to end the day, Gabriella thought.
Nibbling her way up Sasha’s latissimus she was still amazed by how easily she was getting laid these days. Just a message delivered by the hotel boy or a short text, and Sasha was ready, knocking at her door.
Below the right shoulder, a muscle twitched slightly when Gabriella let her fingers run over Sasha’s spine. She only touched the tiny hairs that stood up on the Czech’s back, and with every inch she moved up Sasha sighed quietly. Had she been too rough in Dubai? Thinking back, Gabriella felt a bit guilty. Sasha had seemed so tame and frightened in the elevator. She clearly had been surprised, even shocked by the twin’s approach, and the encounter later in Sasha’s hotel room probably didn't help to put Sasha at ease. It had been filled with Gabriella’s frustration over her losses in the previous tournaments and the urge to reward herself for a demoralizing day in the Emirate’s capital.
Today she wanted to make up for it. The Czech had closed her eyes, and when Gabriella bit her gently on her side, she let out a soft squeal.
“Open your mouth,” Gabriella whispered to Sasha when she reached her ear again, and the Czech dutifully did so. Quickly, the Galloway twin unwrapped a candy and breaking a little piece from it, she slipped it between Sasha’s lips.
“Remember this?” Gabriella asked.
Sasha smiled with closed eyes and nodded. Gabriella smiled, too. She had gotten a whole pack of coconut candy from the vending machine. She had also bought peanut butter cupcakes and now popped one into her mouth. When she leaned over to kiss Sasha, the Czech responded with her whole body, turned around and embraced Gabriella with her legs and arms. Once again, the taste of peanut butter and coconut spread over their tongues and Gabriella thought back to their late-night meeting in the hotel hallway in Cincinnati.
“Did you miss me?” Gabriella whispered.
Sasha moaned in confirmation.
"Did you miss the taste of us?"
Again, Sasha moaned. Yes, she remembered the night in Cincy, too. Had she been thinking about Gabriella all winter? Had she been dreaming about another kiss? Gabriella grabbed Sasha around the waist and pulled her closer. The Czech’s willingness was clearly proof for her desire, Gabriella thought, while their bodies settled into a slow rocking rhythm. But not for long. Sasha had begun to move her hips against Gabriella’s hand and she was picking up pace. She was breathing heavily.
“Perhaps we should give you a little rest,” Gabriella suggested, lifting her hand.
“No,” Sasha protested, moving her hips closer to Gabriella. ”Keep on going!”
“Are you sure?” Gabriella teased. “You seem out of breath.”
“No,” Sasha whispered again. “Fuck me. Please, fuck me.”
Oh, well. What could a girl do when asked so politely, Gabriella thought with a little chuckle, then shoved another candy into her mouth and went back to work.
This really was a perfect way to end the day.
***
Another ten minutes, Sasha thought. It was ten to twelve. It wasn’t that late. She could stay a little longer and then go back to her own room. She twirled her finger in Lulu’s curls. The girl was sound asleep with her head on Sasha’s shoulder. No, she couldn’t get up now without waking Lulu.
Was that an owl outside the window? Sasha listened closely but the night had gone dead silent again. Only Lulu’s steady breath was audible in the darkness of the room.
She really didn’t get a lot of sex, Sasha thought. The last person had been Anastasia. It was almost laughable. Adored and desired by millions, but at the end of the day she lay in bed alone – until now. Since that night in Dubai, Lulu had called her almost every day, summoning Sasha to a different hotel room every night.
She wondered why Luella was bothering with booking extra rooms for their trysts and why Sasha was never allowed to visit Lulu’s room. But she didn’t want to inquire. The twin wasn’t talkative at all and most often she was already waiting in bed, quick to undress Sasha as soon as she arrived. Not that Sasha was objecting. It was refreshing to have someone as young and possibly inexperienced as Lulu, who was still brisk and demanding. Not even the fling with Anastasia had been as gratifying as the nights with Luella.
A quick look at her cell phone told Sasha that it was midnight. She should get going, the Czech thought with a sigh. She had a match tomorrow and was scheduled on the practice courts at ten in the morning. She tried to free her arm from under Lulu’s neck but the Galloway twin was snuggling too close to Sasha. Carefully, she propped herself onto her other elbow and tried again. Luella was moving.
“Are you leaving?” the Galloway asked sleepily into the darkness. The dark waves of hair moved through Sasha’s fingers when she lifted her head.
“No,” Sasha whispered, to her own surprise. “I just wanted to get some water.”
Luella moved to the side and Sasha pulled her arm out from under her. Then she went to the mini bar and too
k out a bottle of water, feeling Luella’s eyes on her naked back. She didn’t mind. It felt good. Walking back to the bed, she noticed that Lulu really wasn’t shy about looking her body over.
Lying down on the warm sheets and wanting to find the same position again, she stretched her arm out for Luella to lay down on it, but the Galloway twin didn’t put her head back.
“Were you awake all that time?” Lulu asked.
Sasha nodded.
“Didn’t we make you sleepy enough?” The cockiness in Lulu’s voice aroused Sasha.
“No,” she replied.
“Oh dear,” Lulu teased with a hushed voice. “My bad.”
She leaned over slowly hovering with her lips over Sasha’s.
Too far, Sasha thought. Lulu was too far away. She grabbed Lulu’s head, flung her legs around Lulu’s hips and pulled her close, fully aware of what the consequences would be.
There was no way she would get her eight hours of sleep tonight.
FISHY BUSINESS
Miami, United States
Nervously, Sasha looked at the TV that was hanging on the wall of the locker room. The screen showed Luella stepping to the baseline and getting ready to serve. Sasha clenched her fists. Silently, she prayed for the Galloway twin to get a good first serve in. Lulu really needed a good first serve.
But what she saw was nothing but discouraging. After a lame first serve Lulu was soon on the back foot, losing the rally with a wide forehand. Sasha let her head sink down. Were the secret meetings with Sasha confusing Lulu? Or exhausting her? Whenever they had slept together, Lulu seemed to have had a lot of stamina. But it looked like she couldn’t carry the good form she had shown in bed over to the court. Perhaps she should talk to Lulu. Lulu was so young and probably a very shy person hiding behind a facade of loud bluntness and attention-seeking. In fact, she rarely spoke about herself when they met up.
Love Game - Season 2012 Page 12
