Defeating the Odds

by Kacey Hamford

  I am getting agitated as the computer rings and rings but Ford doesn’t answer. I know he’s been working on his cardio a lot, so maybe he had got up and gone for an early swim. After a couple more seconds, I give up and hit the end call button. I am disappointed as hell that I didn’t get to talk to him, or perhaps it’s the fact that he obviously isn’t as bothered about talking to me as I am him.

  My head snaps up when I hear a banging on my door. I scramble out of bed and answer, not caring that I am only wearing boxer shorts.

  “You’ve got a visitor,” Will announces. I don’t miss the way his eyes scan over my body, and I can’t stop the cocky smile that I feel covering my face. I cough to get his attention, and his eyes snap to mine.

  “Who is it?”

  “Someone you want to see. Get dressed.” He turns on his heel and jogs down the stairs.

  Who would be here that I really wanted to see? Shit, is it Ford? Is that why he hadn’t answered this morning? Surely not. They wouldn’t just let him come and visit me, would they? I’m not even sure how far away from me he lives.

  I throw some shorts and a t-shirt on, slip my feet into my trainers and hurry into the bathroom to quickly clean my teeth and splash some water over my face. If I am meeting him for the first time, then I don’t want morning breath. I can’t wait to get my lips on him.

  Once I am satisfied that I look half decent, I grab my key card, saunter over to my door and head downstairs. Will is standing by the entrance to the communal area.

  “In there.” He points.

  I take a deep breath and look up as I enter the room.

  “Damon.” She squeals as she comes running at me. I catch her just before she bowls us both over.

  “Shit, Sam. What are you doing here? What’s happened? Did you relapse?”

  “No, silly.” She smacks her hand against my chest as I lower her to her feet. “I came to see you. I missed you.”

  “Yeah?” I smile. “I missed you too. You look great.” She twirls around, causing her knee-length dress to fan out. Although at first I had been disappointed it wasn’t Ford that had come to see me, she has made my day better already.

  “Come with me.” She grabs her bag off the sofa and heads for the patio doors. I jog to catch up with her.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, catching her up and slinging my arm over her shoulders.

  “To talk.” She nods towards the end of the pool. We always came here to talk. We liked to dip our legs in the pool. It was relaxing.

  Once we are in position, she begins digging around in her bag. She glances around us and back towards the house, before producing a travel mug.

  “Here.” She pushes it towards me and I raise my eyebrows at her in question. “Take a sip.”

  “What’s in it?” I question, wondering what shit she is trying to feed me.

  “Just take a sip.” I do as she requests and my body melts as the first hit of coffee hits my tongue.

  “Fuck, this is amazing,” I groan.

  “I wasn’t sure how you took it, so I added a little milk and sugar.”

  “It’s great. I missed this so much. How did you get it in here?”

  “They didn’t search my bag. I was sure I was going to get busted.” She giggles.

  As I drink my coffee, she swings her legs around in the water, deep in thought. I know that look. Something is bothering her.

  “Spill it,” I demand.

  “What?” she questions as her eyes meet mine.

  “What’s going on, Sam?”

  “I did it. I fired mum as my coach.” She is smiling at me, nervously.

  “That’s great, well don-” She cuts me off.

  “She threw me out of the house.”

  “What? When? Why?”

  “Last week. She said that if I couldn’t show my family loyalty, then I wasn’t welcome there.” She shrugs her shoulders.

  “Where have you been staying?” I drain the last of the coffee and place the empty cup beside me.

  “I stayed with a friend until I found a hostel to stay in.”

  “A hostel? Why are you staying in a hostel? Don’t you have any money for a hotel or B&B?”

  “Mum froze all my bank accounts.”

  “She’s not allowed to do that without your say so.”

  “Before I came in here, she made me sign a release form to say she had access to my accounts.”

  “Did you call Callum?” I ask. She shakes her head. “I was sure you two would hook up straight away.” I chuckle.

  “I do really like him, Damon. But my life is a mess. I was sure things would be better once I left here, but it’s all gone to shit.” She sniffles as she wipes a tear away from her cheek.

  “Go and stay at my place. I’ll call Callum and have him meet you there. He can let you in and give you some money.”

  “No, I can’t let you do that.” She shakes her head, causing her brown hair to fly about in the slight breeze.

  “Sweetheart, I have more money than I will ever need in this lifetime. My apartment is just sitting there, unused. It probably needs a bit of airing out. I have a guest bedroom you can use. I’ll even let you fuck my brother there.” I wink at her.

  “Damon!” She gasps and pushes me with all her might. It doesn’t move me at all.

  “So, you’ll go there?” She nods and smiles at me. “I’ll call coach, too, and see if he can hook you up with a new trainer. We need to get you ready for the next Olympics. In the meantime, use the gym and train.”

  “Why would you do all of this for me?” She scrunches her nose up.

  “Because you’re my best friend and I love you.” I throw my arm back around her. She angles her body to mine and wraps her tiny arms around my waist.

  “I love you too. Who knew that I’d find you in here. By the way, I’m going to be really nosey and snoop through all of your stuff.”

  “Fine by me. Just re-stock my condoms for me, will ya?”

  “Of course.” She giggles. “Extra small?”

  “Extra-large,” I state.

  “Whatever.” She rolls her eyes. “Thanks, Damon. I really appreciate it.”

  “You’ll get back on your feet. Get Callum to contact my lawyer, too, and see what he can do about getting your money back from your mum.” She nods. “You ok?”

  “Yeah. I just never expected her to disown me like this. We talked about this a lot in family therapy. About how her being my coach wasn’t the best thing for me.”

  “She’ll come around. Until then, you’re a part of the Vardy family.” I pull her closer and kiss her on the side of her head. “Come on, let’s go and make some phone calls.”

  Sam spent all day with me. It was just like old times. We worked out together, ate lunch and dinner together, and just sat and talked about everything.

  Callum came and picked her up just as it was starting to get dark. His eyes had shone as soon as he’d seen her. I knew exactly how he felt. I was eager to get to bed and talk to Ford. I hated that we hadn’t spoken at all today.

  I strip out of my clothes and leave them in a pile at the side of the bed. I climb into my double bed and place the laptop beside me as I lay on my side, with my hand propping my head up. I click on the video chat button and, within seconds, Ford’s gorgeous face is filling my screen.

  I am fucking wrecked. I have been pushing myself harder these past few days. Thoughts of Damon have been filling my head. Things he says to me. The way he smiles at me during our video chats. I never thought I would find someone I could connect with on a deeper level in here – hell, anywhere. But I can feel it with Damon.

  When I got back from my swim this morning, I’d seen the missed video chat request from him, and I’d been gutted to miss him. I’d woken up hot, sweaty and hard as fuck. My dreams had been filled with Damon. Him fucking me and me fucking him. We didn’t seem to mind either. I haven’t always enjoyed being topped, but for some reason I feel the need to be topped by him. To have his big, hard body slam
ming into mine. I can only imagine how he shags and how big his dick is. If his body size is anything to go by, then I am in for a very hard shag when we finally meet face-to-face.

  The thought hits me like a truck. Will Damon want to meet face-to-face? Will this growing connection continue to grow once we finally meet? Fuck me, I sound like a teenage girl crushing on a pop star.

  I have a quick shower before drying my body off and slipping into a pair of boxer briefs. The beeping sound that comes from my laptop tells me that Damon is calling. I smile and walk over to the desk, where I pick up my laptop. I click the start button and there he is, in all his fucking sexiest glory.

  Damon-fucking-Vardy.

  I smile into the camera while still standing up.

  “Hey, man. Sorry I missed your call this morning. I woke up at stupid o’clock from a dream and needed to get rid of some pent-up frustration. You okay?” I stand still and take in the vision that is before me. Damon is laying on his bed, his bare chest looking back at me. God, the things that chest does to me. The want and need to feel it flat against my back as he pounds into me.

  “I’m not going to lie, I hated not talking to you first thing this morning.”

  “Shit, sorry. My head’s been wreaking havoc with me. Thoughts I need to sort through and understand. This is all new to me. Not the having sex with men part but getting to know one on a personal level. I don’t know how to do this, Damon. Fuck, I am still locked in the bloody closet.” I carefully climb into bed and rest the laptop on my knees as wait for his reply. I know that Damon is out, and from what I can tell, no one gives a fuck that he is gay. So why am I finding it so hard to be open about my sexuality?

  “We’ve been talking every morning and evening for the last week. Why couldn’t you just talk to me? Why shut me out? I can help you accept who you are.”

  I take a deep breath and explain, “I know that you are here for me, Damon, but you have had years to deal with being openly gay. I haven’t. I am trying here. I don’t mean to shut you out, but every time I talk to you, all I can think about is sex. I’m not gonna lie, Damon, and say that I haven’t thought about it, because I have. I also know that you have said in the past that you couldn’t go back into hiding who you are, and I would never expect you to do that. I need to deal with this and be honest with myself.” I try to calm my racing heart while explaining things to the man that has been running around my dreams for the past week or so. A smirk crosses Damon’s face before he speaks again.

  “I’m intrigued by these dreams you’re having, but it sounds to me like you’re just looking for another fuck buddy. I need to get going. I’ve got a meditation class early in the morning. Call me if you wanna talk. See ya.”

  “No, Damon, don’t go. Please. I have done the fuck buddy thing, but that was all private. I don’t want that.” I suck air into my lungs. “I don’t want to hide you.” I close my eyes and pray that he doesn’t shut me out this time. The thought of Damon not speaking to me hurts my stomach, makes it knot up. But by the look on his face, he doesn’t seem convinced.

  “Okay, then do me one favour? Tell your coach about being gay. One person at a time, that’s all it takes.”

  “Fuck.” I pull myself upright in the bed. “I will put in a request that he comes and visits me. I need you with me, if I do this, Damon. Fuck me, I need you.” I close my eyes and scrub my hands over my face. I do need him if I am going to take this monumental step in my life. Damon is smiling at me, but I can also see he understands the seriousness of what he is asking me.

  “It makes me fucking happy to hear you say you need me. I’m here for you, every step. If I’m pushing too much, just tell me. But I can feel what we’ve got, and I know it’s going to be amazing. I’ve not even kissed you yet and feel like we’re meant to be together. Who knew coming to rehab would be this great?”

  “Thank fuck. I meant it, Damon: I do need you. And I hear you, babe.” The endearment just slips out, but from Damon’s face, I can tell that he likes it. “I can feel it too. Shit, we sound like a couple of school girls. But fuck it, I can’t wait to feel you against me.” My heart beats like crazy in my chest, but I mean every word I am saying to this man.

  “The first time we meet will be fucking explosive. I can feel it.” Damon smirks at me again, and it sends my cock twitching in my boxers.

  “I’m going to leave you with those thoughts. Talk in the morning. Goodnight, Ford.”

  “Dirty fucking thoughts. I will be here. Night, Damon.” We end the call and I drop the laptop to my side and lay down.

  Holy fucking shit on a stick, I just said those things to Damon. Firsts steps and all. I can do this. I can. I fucking will. I am going to have to if I want things to progress with Damon.

  I lean slightly to my side and click on the search bar and type in Damon’s name. The images that pop are beyond sexy and intense.

  My cock twitches again at the sight of Damon looking all sweaty after a fight. His bulging muscles glisten in the photos.

  I run my hand down my chest, feeling the bumps of my abs beneath my fingertips. I slide my hand under the band of my boxer briefs and pull out my steel rod. All nine inches of it. Elliott used to say I was the biggest that he had ever had, and that it felt good when I’d slide deep inside him. I wonder if Damon will let me slide deep into his arse. My body shudders at the thought. I click on one of the images, making it almost fill the screen.

  I grip my cock and give it a squeeze. I know I won’t last long. My balls are already drawing up nice and tight against my body. I spit on my hand and pump up and down. A loud groan leaves my mouth. I moan Damon’s name.

  “Oh fuck, Damon. Make me feel good, baby.” I pump faster and squeeze harder. I come in seconds, my cum spilling all over my stomach. I smile and close my eyes, the pictures of Damon on his back for me still running through my mind. Leaning over the side of the bed, I pick up a dirty top and clean myself off before settling back and welcoming sexy, dirty dreams of a man I can’t fucking wait to meet.

  It’s six in the morning and I’m up and dressed ready for my meditation class. It’s the first one I’m trying and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

  I click on the video chat button on the laptop as I desperately want to talk to Ford before my day starts.

  After waiting for a couple of minutes, he finally answers, looking sleepy and sexy as fuck.

  “Good morning, sexy.” I wink at him.

  “Morning, babe.”

  “Sorry I woke you. I’ve got a bloody meditation class in ten minutes. It’s gonna suck.” I scrape my hair on top of my head and into a bun, then run my hand over my stubbly face.

  “Don’t be sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep with the laptop on my bed next to me. But then again, I was looking at images of you.”

  It looks like a slight blush has crept up his body, and I fucking love that.

  “I’ve been tempted to google you too. But I’m just going to wait for the real thing. What are your plans for the day?”

  “The images do you no justice, let’s just say that. I can’t wait for the real deal to be standing in front of me. I have to put in a visitor request to my coach. And I’m going to have a chat with Cleo. She has been off lately. What about you - after mediation?”

  “I think it’s time to talk to my mum and dad properly. I’ve got another counselling session today. I dreamt of Olivia last night. We were at our favourite place: the pizzeria near to where we lived. We would always pig out on loads of food. It was never good for my training, but it was our thing. You know?” My chest tightens as I talk about my sunshine, but it was what I needed to do to heal.

  “I hear you. Pizza is bad for for us but tastes so damn good, like many other things. Hey, if you ever want to talk about Olivia, I am here for you. Always.”

  “Shit, is that the time? I’m going to be late and Will is going to bust my balls. Speak to you later?”

  “And we can’t have another man bust your balls, now can we? Chat la
ter, man.”

  I give him a little wave before I close the lid of the laptop. I head out of my room with my key card in hand and a smile covering my face.

  There is a commotion in the hallway as I step off the bottom step of the stairs. Will and three other men are holding a man down on the floor.

  “What’s going on?” I ask Charlie as he rounds the corner. He had arrived just a week after me, but he was the calmest person I knew. It was hard to believe he was in here for anger management.

  “New dude. Doesn’t want to be here. He kicked off as soon as he came through the door.” The guy was struggling underneath them. He had a bulking frame and bulging muscles.

  “Here comes the doc.” Charlie nods behind me. Dr. Shilcott is hurrying towards them with a syringe in his hand.

  “They gonna sedate him?” I ask.

  “Yeah, looks like it. Do you think that means our meditation class is cancelled?” He looks hopeful.

  “No idea. Let’s make our way there and see.” Charlie is an older guy. He looks to be in his forties. He has bright blonde, almost white hair and deep blue, almost navy eyes. A wedding ring sits on his finger and he has a tattoo on his forearm of a woman’s name. ‘Dahlia’.

  We arrive at the meditation room and it’s all locked up with a sign on the door saying class has been cancelled.

  “Thank god.” I sigh in relief. “A workout it is. Wanna join me?” I ask Charlie.

  “Sure, what are you planning on doing?”

  “I’ve got a gym here.” I nod my head in the direction of the gym and he follows me in.

  I’m about to start some work on the speedball when Will enters.