Play Me, Coach

by Sylvia Fox

  Chapter Eight

  Holly and I sat in the breakfast nook, pushing scrambled eggs and toast around on our plates. It was a late breakfast, as we’d both slept in.

  We stayed up late the night before talking over the twist our relationship had taken. To be more precise, the way the relationship between her dad and I had evolved, and what her role would be in the new paradigm.

  Things got heated at times, we yelled at each other and our shoulders wound up wet with each other’s tears. By the middle of the night, we’d come to something resembling an understanding; she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me being involved with her dad, but she had to concede that he was happy, which made her happy.

  The whole thing had been such a whirlwind, that I wasn’t certain it was real, but I knew that my heart had never been more full. And I’d certainly never had the deep, aching soreness in my core that Eric’s cock had put there with his relentless hunger for my body. To wrench more and more orgasms from me, even when I felt totally spent and empty.

  A stumbling block neither one of us could successfully maneuver over or around was what the future held for Coach Eric Sutton. He had a long-term contract at Moultrie, and he’d rebuffed overtures from major college programs all over the country to remain at the school. He’d built a consistent winner. His tenure at Moultrie figured to end with the arena being named after him.

  When it came out that he was romantically involved with a student half his age? All that could disappear overnight. It was just the kind of scandal that could make him poison, not only at Moultrie but in the entirety of the college game. Sure, there were outlaw programs where winning trumped everything, but the blue blood royalty of college hoops would steer well clear of a cradle-robbing coach.

  Was it fair for me to erase all of Eric’s dreams? To make the lifestyle to which Holly had grown accustomed potentially disappear? I knew how I felt about Eric, and he’d shared the same with me, but the white elephant in the room was his job. I could always withdraw from school, but neither of us wanted that, and it would surely come up that I’d been a Moultrie student, and, right or wrong, Eric’s squeaky-clean image would surely be tarnished.

  He was gone to campus for the morning, and we were left to plan the rest of our fleeting holiday break.

  “I was thinking we could go down to the Gulf for the weekend,” Holly offered, between sips of orange juice.

  “The Gulf? Of Mexico?”

  “Yep. We have a house down there. We usually go a few times a year. Dad rents it out sometimes, but the family that was supposed to have it for New Year’s cancelled, so it’s going to be empty. They have a game on the Saturday after New Year’s, and it’s going to be the national game of the week on one of the networks, so he’s going to be back into ‘super Coach’ mode anyway.”

  I hated the thought of being away from Eric, but if whatever we were becoming was going to work, I had to come to terms with the fact that he had obligations that went beyond a typical 9-to-5 job.

  “What’s the house like?” I asked.

  “It’s on the beach. I mean, you walk out the back door and past the pool and out a gate and your feet are in the sand. It’s not Miami, I mean it’s not like that at all, and it isn’t super-hot this time of year, but it’s nice. And it’s the beach, right? It’s on an island called St. George. It’s really laid back and quiet. The nearest town is called Apalachicola.”

  “Like in the Tim McGraw song?” I asked.

  “Exactly the one,” Holly replied. “It’s kind of straight down from Tallahassee, where Florida State University is. We’d drive down and spend a couple days, doing nothing and eating seafood. We might even manage a tan. The house has a jacuzzi and this amazing deck that overlooks the water. What do you say?”

  “I say… sold. Let’s do it!” I decided that being away from Eric for a few days might give me a little perspective. And give my sore pussy and nipples some time to heal. I couldn’t have imagined what a steady diet of intense sex with a lover as demanding as Eric would do to me. Besides, of course, put me in a perpetual good mood.

  Just then, we heard the garage door open and the gentle purr of Eric’s vintage Mustang pulling in.

  Moments later, he strolled inside, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter and pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge.

  He looked so fucking hot. He’d gotten a shave and he was wearing slacks and a light green button down shirt. He could have stepped off of the pages of GQ. Curiously, he also looked like he was ready to burst.

  “So. I have some news.”

  He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, looking at the ceiling for a moment.

  “And this is good news, believe it or not. Shocking, yes, but good. I promise. Hear me out.”

  Holly and I looked at each other and shrugged. Neither of us had a clue.

  Eric pulled up a barstool and sat at the end of the table.

  “Effective immediately, and I mean I will be on a private jet this afternoon, I am the new head coach of the Orlando Magic. As in, the NBA. They don’t have a game for the next two days. I have practice tonight.”

  Holly and I shared an open-mouthed stare before turning our attention back to Eric.

  “Dad. What. The. Fuck?” Holly’s expression was one of disbelief. “You’re killing me with all these insane revelations. I’m never going to Chicago again.”

  “Let me explain,” Eric insisted. “They had the number one pick in the NBA Draft last year. But he’s been out with an injury. They’ll have a top five pick in the next draft. They have two guys who played for me at Moultrie, Trey and Kawaun.”

  Holly nodded, she knew those names, although I didn’t. Hell, I didn’t even know what the Orlando Magic were until he mentioned they were an NBA team.

  “The pieces are in place. The talent is there. But the current coaching staff just isn’t getting it done, and ownership just fired the entire staff, which is basically unheard of in the middle of the season. I had just last night asked my agent, Warren, to keep his eyes and ears open for opportunities in the NBA, and it fell into our lap. I’ll sign a five-year contract, guaranteed no matter what. But I know, I just know, I can make the Magic a winner again.”

  “I thought you wanted to retire at Moultrie, Dad,” Holly interjected.

  “That was the plan. It truly was. I love it here. But, let’s face it. If I’m going to be serious about Emily, and I am, then coaching in college just isn’t going to work. It can’t. So, I have a choice to make. Leave college basketball or leave Emily. This is my decision. I didn’t expect anything to happen until after the season, but this opportunity presented itself, and it just felt right. Nothing has been announced yet. The only people I’ve told are my A.D., Mark, and Brad, my associate head coach. He’s going to take over the team. We’re ranked sixth in the nation. I love being able to give him this opportunity.”

  “Wow…” Holly muttered, staring out the window. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  I did. At least I knew what I wanted to say. I wanted to offer my congratulations and jump into his arms. Kiss his face. Tell him how proud I was. But I had to act reserved. I wasn’t entirely comfortable being overly physical with Eric so soon in front of Holly. So, I just extended my hand across the table. He took it and squeezed it. He looked at me expectantly.

  “All I know about the NBA is LeBron,” I said. “And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t play for the Magic, right?”

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s the enemy. He plays for the Cavaliers. Cleveland.”

  “Well, the whole thing sounds exciting, and I know you’ll be great at it,” I offered.

  Holly scooted to the end of the bench and gave her dad a big hug. “I love you, Dad. If this is what you want and you feel called to do, then I’m with you no matter what. But I’m not leaving Moultrie, and neither is my girl Emily. Hmm. Actually, you know what? Not having you here might not be so awful after all,” she teased.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” he countered. “
I’ll still have eyes and ears everywhere on campus. Believe that!”

  “And NBA money means the limits on all my credit cards get increased, right?” Holly asked.

  “We’ll see,” Eric laughed. “I just wanted to tell you two in person. Now, I need to go back to campus and meet with the team, which is going to be bloody awful.”

  I loved the way Eric sprinkled in untraditional things like “bloody” into his vernacular. He’d played professionally in England after college and coached there after a knee injury ended his playing career. “Bloody” and “bollocks” came out of his mouth with regularity.

  It was just as sexy as you might imagine.

  He rose and gave Holly a proper hug before turning his attention to me. “You may want to avert your eyes, Holly,” he joked. Before wrapping his arms around me.

  “Barf!” she deadpanned, then quickly walked out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll be in my room. Please don’t impregnate her while I’m gone.”

  He kissed me full on the mouth, making me tingle in all the places he’d made sore. I wanted him desperately. He slipped a hand down inside the back of my yoga pants and gave my ass a squeeze. Hopefully a portent of things to come later.

  And like that, he was gone.

  Holly and I went to the theater room and turned on one of the 24-hour sports channels, waiting for the news to break. It didn’t take long. The story had been leaked to the media in Orlando, and the basketball world turned upside down, with wild rumors circulating regarding Eric’s reasons for leaving Moultrie, who he’d hire to complete his coaching staff, and what Moultrie would do. I didn’t know the basketball side of things, but somehow none of the pundits mentioned Eric Sutton having an almost illegally young love interest on campus as being one of the motivating forces behind his decision.

  “This is crazy. Dad must be super serious about you,” Holly said softly.

  “Holly, I’m sorry. Please don’t stop being my friend,” I cried. “In so many ways I need your friendship more than I need his love. But I desperately need both.”

  She reached her hand across and put it in mine. She had tears in her eyes.

  “Em, somewhere in the back of my mind I guess I knew this day would come. I mean, he’s been alone for fifteen years. I just never could have expected things to take the turn they’ve taken. But he loves you. He’s happy. And that’s all that matters. Don’t expect me to ever call you Mom for real, but you’ll always be my sis, and unless you break my Dad’s heart, I’ll always love you. Okay? It’s good. Honestly. I promise.”

  We embraced, even as the screen filled with a picture of a long, empty table decorated with Moultrie colors and filled with microphones. Eric must have been meeting with his team prior to coming out for a press conference.

  “How far is St. George from Orlando?” I asked.

  “No idea,” Holly answered. “But you better believe we’re going to be at his first game. We have to go shopping!” Holly bounced off the sectional and I followed. Sitting courtside at an NBA game did seem like a call for some additions to our wardrobes.

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue One

  Eric’s new team had surged briefly upon his arrival, winning five of his first six games, but it didn’t last, and although the team played hard for their new coach, they simply didn’t have enough good players to win consistently. They’d pick 3rd in the upcoming NBA Draft, meaning a talent infusion, and the injury that robbed their best newcomer of his entire rookie season had healed perfectly. Things were looking up for the Magic.

  Moultrie, in the capable hands of Eric’s top assistant, Brad Belter, reached the NCAA Final Four and came within an overtime buzzer beater of the national championship game. They’d go into the following season ranked in the top ten in the nation.

  Holly had started dating a member of the basketball team, strictly off-limits when her dad had been the coach. Aidan was from Minneapolis, 6’7 with shaggy blonde hair. He was expected to play one more season at Moultrie before moving on to the NBA. He treated her like a princess, just as she deserved. I’d never seen her so happy.

  Me? By the time the NBA regular season ended in mid-April, I was beyond “starting to show.” I was full-blown pregnant. For Easter days after the season was over, Eric flew my parents to Tallahassee, and from there we planned to travel down to the beach house on St. George Island.

  They’d driven to Portland when the Magic were there to play a game, and my dad and Eric hit it off over a steak dinner.

  My mom didn’t love the fact that I was pregnant outside of wedlock, but after meeting Eric, she gushed about him.

  He got my folks floor seats to the game and put them up in the best hotel in town, and they were suitably impressed. He also went on at length about how much he loved me and that he hoped and planned to “make an honest woman” out of me very soon.

  Holly drove me down to meet my parents at the airport and the four of us drove in her Range Rover to the island. Aidan and his parents and little brother, high schooler Alex, also visited for the holiday.

  Eric was there waiting for us, and we ended the first evening toasting marshmallows at the fire pit in the backyard.

  The house was full and festive.

  Eric rose before the sun the following morning and snuck out to the beach. When we woke up, my mother and Aidan’s mom worked together to make a spread of French toast, bacon, sausage, and eggs.

  As we sat down to eat, Eric announced what he’d been up to.

  “An Easter egg hunt. For Aidan, Alex, Holly, and Emily.”

  The parents laughed and the four of us rolled our eyes, but we begrudgingly agreed to participate. All I really wanted was for Eric to go down on me all day. Pregnancy had made me fucking horny.

  But it wasn’t to be. Easter eggs usually meant chocolate, which sounded almost as good.

  Our stretch of beach was deserted, and the four of us laughed and scrambled through the sand, filling baskets with eggs hidden in the sea oats and half-buried in the sand, snatching them up before the tide swept them away. It turned out to be the most fun I’d had with my clothes on that I’d had in a long, long time. The smiles never seemed to fade from anyone’s faces. We all waded in the surf, with Aidan and Holly somehow winding up completely drenched, falling into the water in each other’s arms.

  As we lugged our baskets back to the house, it appeared that Aidan had won the contest to find the most eggs, but Eric had an announcement.

  “I think you found all the eggs, or at least as many as you’re going to find. But there’s one that wasn’t found. The golden egg. The only one that really matters. No hints, but it’s still out here.”

  We’d been everywhere. I couldn’t imagine we’d missed a golden egg. But the eager quartet of egg hunters returned to the sea oats, which seemed to be the most likely hiding place.

  Holly and Aidan were soaking wet and after a few minutes begged off the search in favor of changing to dry clothes. I, likewise, looked forward to sitting on one of the rocking chairs on the deck.

  When we got back we informed Eric that we were quitting the search.

  Eric twisted his face into mock confusion before looking like a light bulb had just illuminated itself over his head. “I just remembered, I forgot to hide the golden egg! I have it right here!”

  He wore a blue Orlando Magic hoodie with a big pocket in front, and he produced a gold egg that looked like something an ostrich might lay. I was closest, so I snatched it from his hand and held it up, triumphantly. I turned to show off my trophy, and everyone applauded.

  I turned back and twisted it open, and as I did, Eric dropped to one knee. I was puzzled until I got the egg open and found the box inside.

  Eric took it from my trembling hands and opened it, revealing a diamond that looked to me to be the size of a marble set on a gold band. It sparkled wildly in the sunshine.

  Tears spilled down my cheeks.

  “Emily, will you make me the luckiest man in the wor
ld? Will you marry me?”

  Everyone had quietly gathered around me. My dad’s hand was on my shoulder on one side, and on the other Holly stood, crying, with Aidan’s long arms wrapped around her neck from behind. Alex, like a typical high school boy, looked like he wanted to puke.

  I smiled so big it hurt, and I dropped to my knees, weeping. Eric and I embraced around my pregnant belly, and I repeated the word “yes” approximately 4,000 times.

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue Two

  Aidan’s final Moultrie team won the national championship, and he turned pro the following season. After his second NBA season, he and Holly were married.

  He plays for the Lakers, which means they only play the Magic twice per season. Unless and until both teams make the NBA Finals that is.

  The Magic made the second round of the playoffs this past season, and Eric was named NBA Coach of the Year.

  Holly and Aidan’s first baby is named Eric, after her dad. Shaggy blonde hair, just like Holly’s.

  To avoid confusion, Blake, our oldest, refers to baby Eric as his “cousin.” Blake is four now, and he can dribble a basketball with both hands.

  Katherine and Isabelle, (or Kitty and Belle, as everyone calls them) just turned two. They’re our twins. Everybody says they look just like me. I think they’ll turn out beautiful despite the resemblance.

  I look back on my decision to go so far away for school, how scary it was getting on that plane when I left for college, the first time, incidentally, that I’d ever flown. When they closed the doors, I nearly had a panic attack and wanted to run back into the airport and find my mom and dad before they left. To enroll at the local community college and never leave home.