Going for Gold

by Ivy Smoak

  "So now that we're not on our secret..." Alina started, but Tim put his finger across her lips to shush her. She swatted his hand away. "Sorry, I just wanted to find out your real names."

  Tim stepped back and smoothed his ridiculous maroon dinner jacket. "This is Alex, and I'm Tim." He locked eyes with Kristen and gave a flourished bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again, m'lady."

  "I figured bringing him would give us good entertainment for the evening," I whispered to Alina as Kristen introduced herself to Tim.

  He, of course, kissed the back of her hand.

  Alina stifled a laugh and whispered, "Is he always like this? I think Kristen has a crush on him."

  "Unfortunately, yes. He is."

  "Is he gay?" she asked.

  I laughed. "Officially? No. Unofficially..."

  Alex cleared his throat. Alina and I quit whispering and looked up. He was standing awkwardly by himself while Tim taught Kristen how to do a proper curtsey and Alina and I whispered to each other. It was obvious that he held the unenviable position of being the fifth wheel. I would have tried to get Kristen and Alina to bring a third volleyball girl, but I wouldn't wish Alex on anyone.

  "Sorry," I said.

  "So where are we going?" asked Alina.

  "Some steak place. Hopefully it'll be good. Tim said it had pretty good reviews on trip advisor."

  "Perfect," said Alina. "I've been craving some meat."

  "Yeah, Alina loves meat in her mouth," said Kristen.

  Alina started to turn red. "Oh my God. I didn't mean it like that. I meant steak meat, not penis meat. Not that I don't like penises, it's just I'm really hungry for steak. And I should stop talking now."

  Kristen cut in. "Sorry, Alina's having a little trouble thinking straight. Our coach has banned us from sex for the past four weeks. Did your coach give you guys a sex ban too?"

  I tried not to show my excitement. I knew Alina had a boyfriend, but with things being "complicated" between them and Alina being horny as hell, things could get interesting later in the week.

  Tim laughed. "Yeah. We aren't even allowed to masturbate. It's been kind of funny, actually. It's like boner-city in the showers after practice. A little hot water and boom, boner time." He turned to Alina. "You probably know all about that though after you wandered into the men's locker room the other day."

  Alina caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly. She didn't need to speak to communicate a very clear, "What the fuck is wrong with Tim?"

  I shrugged. I had no explanation for the odd shit Tim said. Does he really check everyone out in the shower? I made a mental note to stay away from Tim in the locker room.

  "Shouldn't we get going so we aren't late to dinner?" asked Alex.

  "Good idea," I said.

  As we walked through the gate, I glanced over at the guy that Tim had accused of being creepy. The dude stared at me for a second and then flicked his cigarette and ground it into the sidewalk with the heal of his scuffed Timberland boots. There was a pile of about three dozen other cigarette butts in the same spot. Does this guy do anything other than stand here and smoke? He pulled out his phone, typed out a text, and walked away.

  "Alright, our Uber should be here any minute," said Tim.

  Just as he finished his sentence, a black car with an Uber sticker in the window pulled up.

  Chapter 13

  Monday

  Alina

  "Wow, that was quick," I said.

  "It really was," agreed Bryce. "He must have known you couldn't wait much longer to get some meat in your mouth."

  Oh my God. Why did I ever say that? I couldn't think straight with him standing so close in that damn fitted suit. The way it hugged his arms... I hit his arm playfully. "Just get in the car."

  Bryce opened up the door.

  "Is there enough room?" I asked. There were five of us and only three seats in the back of the car, so the answer was no.

  "Sure there is," said Kristen. "We can just sit on their laps."

  "Works for me," said Bryce.

  Tim got in first, followed by Kristen. She sat on his lap way more seductively than was appropriate.

  "What about seatbelts?" I asked.

  Kristen gave me a death stare. "I'm sure Bryce will be happy to put his arms around you."

  I glanced sideways at Bryce to try to catch his reaction, but he was already climbing in after Alex. There really wasn't any room to sit besides on Bryce lap. I slowly got in, trying not to expose myself in my tiny dress, and sat on Bryce's lap. He put his hands on my hips and the smell of his cologne filled my nose. God, he smelled so good. His right hand left for a second to close the door, but then immediately gravitated back to my hip.

  I swallowed hard. I was sure I wouldn't have felt what I was feeling if there hadn't been a sex ban. There's no way his touch would send shivers down my spine. There was no way I'd be noticing how big and strong his hands were. I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head and stared out the side window.

  "Where to?" asked the driver in a thick accent.

  "Carne Deliciosa," said Tim.

  The driver nodded and pulled into the street. I lurched forward slightly, which caused Bryce's fingers to dig into my hips. It didn't matter what I tried to tell myself. I liked the feeling of his hands on me and I liked the feeling of his fingertips digging into my hips even better.

  His grip eased up on me, but every time we hit a bump or came to a stop, his fingers would dig into my hips again. My body stiffened when he started to trace small circles with his thumb along my lower back. I wasn't sure if he was doing it absentmindedly or on purpose, but it was making my heart race. I put my hand on the armrest on the door to steady myself. If I wasn't careful, I'd melt into that touch.

  "Alina?" Kristen said.

  "What?" I turned away from the window.

  She was staring at me like she had been trying to get my attention for awhile. "Do you have any guesses?"

  I cleared my throat. "Um...what are we guessing?"

  Alex laughed. "She's been trying to guess what sport the three of us are here for. Basketball, cycling, fencing...nope, nope, and nope."

  "Oh." I turned around to see Bryce's reaction to those guesses.

  He was staring at me so intently with his blue eyes that it made me gulp.

  I immediately turned back around and stared at the headrest in front of my face. It seemed like he was doing that with his hands on purpose. Maybe he was trying to see how I reacted to his touch, and I was certainly reacting to it. "Do you guys play tennis?"

  "I already told Kristen that we don't play with balls," Tim said.

  "Right." I coughed awkwardly. "Soccer? I mean, not soccer. There's balls in that. I mean one ball."

  Bryce laughed behind me. His laugh was electric. It was like I could feel it radiating through me. His right hand had slipped down when he laughed and now his thumb was dangerously close to my ass.

  "You two have one more guess," Alex said. "Make it a good one."

  "What happens if we get it wrong?" Kristen asked.

  Alex shrugged. "What do you guys think we should make them do?"

  "So many options," Tim said.

  Bryce's hands were making it hard to concentrate, but I didn't want to lose any more bets. I was still worried Kristen was going to force me to have sex in public. There was no way I'd have another punishment hanging over my head. As if the last couple days weren't punishment enough for awhile. I thought about how fast Bryce had run during Operation Red Rip. All the athletes in the ITA were in incredibly good shape. But they weren't all that fast. "Track," I said, before they could even come up with a punishment.

  "Bingo," Tim said.

  Kristen almost looked disappointed that she wouldn't owe Tim anything. She was totally crushing on him.

  The car came to a stop outside of the restaurant and Bryce's fingertips dug into my hips one last time. "Thanks for being my seatbelt," I said and lightly touched his hand. I immediately removed my hand from h
is, opened up the car door, and stepped down onto the curb.

  Bryce smiled as he climbed out of the car. "No problem."

  "He liked you being on top of him," Alex said and slapped Bryce on the back.

  Oh my God.

  "So, Alina, you and Kristen both play volleyball, right?"

  I turned my attention to Alex as we walked toward the restaurant. "Yes."

  "So why are you so much shorter than Kristen?"

  I laughed. "I play in the back row so I don't need to be tall."

  "Interesting."

  A hand on my lower back almost made me jump. I looked up at Bryce smiling at me. He removed his hand as he opened the door for everyone. I had my doubts about what Bryce wanted before tonight. But it was becoming pretty clear and I wasn't sure if I was ready. I knew that I was a mess right now. When I looked into his eyes, though, I wasn't thinking about what I had just lost. I wanted to hold onto that feeling.

  Even if this wasn't a date, I was going to enjoy myself tonight. I wasn't going to think about Chris. At all. Because he damn sure wasn't thinking about me.

  Tim said something to the hostess and we followed her.

  I felt Bryce's hand fall to my lower back again, guiding me toward our table. I was almost disappointed when we reached our table, a crescent shaped booth in the corner of the restaurant, because Bryce's hand dropped from my back.

  Alex scooted into the booth first. "Girls," he said and tapped the booth on both sides of him.

  Kristen laughed and scooted in on one side of him. As long as Bryce was planning on sitting next to me, I didn't care who was on the other side of me. I slid in beside Alex.

  Bryce sat down beside me and put his arm behind me on the booth, without touching me. "Alright, let's play a game while we wait for the waiter," he suggested.

  "What game?" I asked.

  "It's called ask a friend. We go around the table and take turns asking anyone at the table any question we want, but instead of them answering, someone else at the table has to answer for them. Alina, do you want to start?"

  "Sure. What's Bryce's favorite food?"

  "Really? That's a super lame question," said Alex. "But if you must know, his favorite food is a nice juicy rib-eye."

  "Oh. Well what kind of question should I have asked?"

  "Let me give you an example. What's Alina's number?"

  "Why is that question any better?" I asked. "Half the people here already have my number."

  "No. I meant how many people have you had sex with?"

  "Oh..." My face started to blush.

  "One," said Kristen. "Her boyfriend. Er...her ex boyfriend. Or whatever they are."

  "Okay, next question," I said quickly. "Kristen, I think it's your turn." I could feel Bryce staring at me.

  Kristen tapped her finger against her mouth while she thought of a question. "What's Tim's biggest fantasy?"

  "Based on our conversation earlier, I think he wants to be someone's prison bitch," said Bryce.

  Alex laughed and Tim looked slightly annoyed. From the brief time I had known Tim, I thought that Bryce's guess might not be far off.

  "Nope, try again," said Tim.

  "Well if he was normal he would just want to have a threesome," suggested Alex.

  "With two guys or two girls?" asked Tim.

  "Two girls I hope," said Alex.

  Tim shrugged. "Oh, I've done that before."

  "What?!" yelled Alex. "How did you not tell me about that?"

  "I dunno. What's the big deal about having a threesome with two girls?"

  "Wait, are you being serious?" I asked. "I thought it was like every guy's fantasy to have a threesome."

  "It was okay I guess. It was just kind of tiring and I felt like I didn't really get to fully satisfy either girl. I'd much rather just focus on pleasing one woman at a time. If anything, a threesome makes more sense if it's two guys and a girl."

  "A devil's threesome?" asked Bryce. "Is that your fantasy?"

  Tim thought about it for a second. "It's not my fantasy, but it makes way more sense than two girls and one guy."

  Bryce laughed. "How does it make more sense?"

  "Simple anatomy, really. Do I need to draw you a picture?"

  "No you don't..." started Bryce, but it was too late. Tim had already flipped over the menu and started drawing naked figures.

  "Look," said Tim, holding up a drawing of two stick figures having sex while a third watched. "Guys only have one penis, so they can please one girl at a time. That leads to one girl feeling left out." He drew a frowny face on the third wheel to make his point. Then he drew a picture with a girl sandwiched between two smiling men. "Girls, on the other hand, have three holes, so they could easily please two men at once. Not to mention that girls take a lot longer to please than men do, so it makes sense for multiple men to work together to give a beautiful woman the attention she deserves."

  "I think his logic is sound," said Kristen.

  Tim smiled at her.

  I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, realizing that I was starting to get damp between my legs. God, what is wrong with me? This sex ban is turning me into a freak.

  Our waitress appeared and pulled out a notebook. "Are you all ready to order?"

  "Yes, I think so," said Tim. "Ladies?"

  Kristen ordered a stupid salad, but I had to go for Bryce's favorite. A big juicy rib-eye. I couldn't resist. We were at a steakhouse after all.

  "Nice choice," Bryce said. "I'll have the same." He put his menu down and then leaned in a little closer to me. "Couldn't pass up the opportunity for meat in your mouth?"

  I laughed awkwardly. The restaurant suddenly seemed stifling.

  Before I knew it, our wine glasses were being filled. Kristen took a sip of hers. She always could hold her alcohol better than I could. There was no way I was drinking before tomorrow's game, though. And the longer I sat here with Bryce so close in proximity, the more parched I got.

  "Okay, my turn," Tim said when the waitress walked away with our order. He rubbed his hands together. "On a scale of one to ten, how attracted is Alina to Bryce?"

  Bryce seemed to stiffen. "Dude. Ask a different..."

  "An eleven," Kristen said and winked at me.

  Holy shit. I could feel my cheeks turning red.

  "Bryce thinks Alina is an eleven too," Tim said. "Stop looking at me like that. It's true."

  Bryce cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that my friends are the worst."

  I was embarrassed that Kristen told the whole table I was attracted to Bryce. But I wasn't upset with his friends for getting him to confess that he was attracted to me. This was definitely a date. I avoided Bryce's gaze and fidgeted with my hands under the table.

  "The worst?" Tim asked. "You know that you're in love with me."

  "I don't know how many times we have to tell you this," Alex said. "There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. Bryce and I love you like a brother. But we aren't in love with you, man."

  Tim shrugged. "I really don't understand the difference."

  "Do we need to draw you a picture?" Bryce asked and started laughing.

  His laughter was infectious. Soon I was laughing and couldn't stop. I thought that our friends announcing that we were attracted to each other would take the night on an awkward turn. But who was I kidding? I thought Bryce was hot. And sweet. And funny. It was nice to know that he was attracted to me too. I was still laughing when I looked up at him.

  There was that twinkle in his blue eyes again. It took my breath away. And I knew I was in trouble, because I didn't ever want to look away from those eyes.

  "Can I steal you for a second?" Bryce asked.

  Kristen gave me two thumbs up, not subtly at all.

  "Um, yeah, sure." I slid out of the booth after him. "I was hoping to get some water from the bar."

  "I noticed that you weren't drinking any wine." His hand fell onto my lower back again. Those really big, manly han
ds. Stop it.

  "We have a game tomorrow. I really shouldn't be drinking."

  He nodded. "My race is on Wednesday. I'm going to skip the wine too." His hand left my back and he waved down the bartender. He ordered two waters and leaned against the bar. "Where are you from?"

  That wasn't what I was expecting him to ask me. "Wilmington, Delaware. You?"

  "Pasadena most recently. I've moved a lot. Did you go to school in Delaware?"

  "I went to the University of New Castle for the last three years. I just graduated."

  "What about for freshman year?"

  I felt that familiar lump forming in my throat. I tried to swallow it down. "NYCU."

  "Why'd you transfer?"

  Our waters had arrived, but Bryce made no movement to head back to our table. He was staring at me intently, waiting for me to respond.

  "You don't have to..."

  "No. It's fine. It was so long ago." I smiled, pretending it was nothing. "It was silly, really. There was this girl who played the same position as me. She wasn't happy that a freshman was competing for the same spot as her on the team. And she didn't take it well. She hazed me. At least, that's how she put it."

  Bryce lowered his eyebrows slightly. "How would you put it?"

  "She bullied me until I broke and ran home. I don't know. Like I said, it was silly." I laughed awkwardly.

  "It's not silly."

  Something in my chest tightened. Chris had always told me it was stupid and that I should get over it. That it shouldn't bother me anymore. But he didn't understand. He didn't know what it felt like to be humiliated every day for months. To dread leaving your dorm room each morning. To always be on edge. Bryce wasn't looking at me like he thought I was ridiculous. He was looking at me like he understood. "And how would you know what it's like to be bullied? Bullies don't pick on guys that look like you."

  "I didn't always look like this. I was a scrawny little kid."

  "I can't picture you as scrawny or little."

  He shrugged. "Let's just say that I run because I had something to run from."

  He wasn't just handsome, sweet, and funny. He was real. And honest. I barely knew him, but I trusted him more than I had ever trusted Chris. I wanted to know what he was running from. Actually, I wanted to know everything about him. But before I could ask, he had another question.