Swim Coach: A Novel

by Sam E. Kraemer

  "Sorry about that. So, we've got…" I trailed off as I began looking through the books. They were all finance books, and when I looked up at the girl who had them, she smiled.

  "Are you Colton?" My name was on my shirt, but I'd remembered Mandy saying the girl had asked for me personally. I was so tired of the bookstore, and I was looking forward to a change of pace for the summer at my new job.

  "I am. We'll only buy back these. The others aren't going to be used next year, unfortunately. The total is $110," I announced after I perused the books in her stack.

  "That's fucking ridiculous. I wouldn't stand for that. You can likely sell them back to Amazon and get more money," I heard a familiar voice behind her. I looked up to see Andre standing there in his suit and blue tie with a bright smile on his face.

  "Are these actually your books?" I asked the girl.

  She blushed and looked down, shaking her head they weren't. "No, sir. He gave me ten bucks to stand here in this line," she confessed.

  "Dammit, Danielle. You should never try to go into covert operations. I never get a break. You were supposed to try to barter. I mean, I gave you ten bucks, and who's to say that crackpot I had for macroeconomics isn't going to change his mind and use this text again. Why, if he does? This textbook will be a fu…freakin’ gold mine. I made a lot of helpful notes in the margins," Andre protested, holding up the old text book.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled. "Sorry, sir, but some of these haven't been used for several years. I'd have guessed you were keeping them as reference books," I reminded him.

  We'd had a minor scrimmage about the number of old texts he’d never even tried to sell back. It seemed he'd taken my complaining to heart and packed them all up, but it was too late for a lot of them to be of any use.

  "It was worth a try. I'm cleaning out my bookshelves because I'm planning for a roommate. I needed to free up space for his things, and well, he pointed out I was hoarding books so I decided to try to get something out of them. What am I supposed to do with the ones you won't buy back, you miser?" he teased. The girl, Danielle, looked completely stricken at our argument.

  "Well, there's always the resource library. Sometimes, they have a need for an old text in their reference section. Oh, but they won't look at it as a charitable donation, so there's no use to try to charm them for a tax slip," I teased.

  Andre smirked and it made me chuckle. "Damn. Fine, you skin flint. I'll take what you offered. Can I leave these other books here and you'll see they get to the proper place?" He was sporting that sexy grin that got him laid all the time and seeing it made my heart beat faster.

  I scanned the books and when I was finished, I placed the keepers in the box to be tagged and shelved and the giveaways went into the bin to be taken to the resource center. "Here you are, sir. If you'll just sign the receipt?" I offered him a pen, and he winked at me.

  He took the pen and signed the slip. He turned to Danielle and leaned down to her as if he was going to whisper, but he didn’t. "He's pretty cute, isn't he?"

  She giggled and blushed. "Yeah, he is."

  "Do you think I should ask him for a date?"

  "Well, do you think he'd be interested in dating a guy?" She was getting a little bolder, which made me laugh because I could tell the poor girl was quite the shy one. She was also quite cute…as girls went.

  He turned to me. "My new friend, Danielle seems to think you might not be interested in dating me. Is she right?" he asked cockily as I handed him his cash.

  I dramatically looked him up and down, enjoying our banter. "Well, I don't know. Turn around and lift the jacket," I ordered.

  Andre did exactly as I asked, shimmying his ass a little before he turned to her and whispered loudly, "That should help, right?"

  She giggled. "You told me you're gay, but what if he's not?"

  "Oh damn! I hadn't thought of that. Do you think I could turn him to the dark side?"

  I laughed at that. "Yeah, what makes you think you could turn me to the dark side?"

  He looked at her and smiled. "Apparently, he's of the belief it's a choice. I kinda get a gay vibe from him, what do you think, Danielle?"

  She looked at me, and I winked, bringing another giggle from her. "I think if you ask him out, you'll get your answer," she offered.

  He turned to me. "Well, uh, what's your name?"

  "Colton." I pointed to the name on my shirt and rolled my eyes at him.

  "Okay, Colton. My new friend, Danielle has decided if I ask you out, you might say yes, but I'm going to go one better. How about you move in with me…permanently? You were going to stay for the summer and then move into Alder at the beginning of the fall semester, but I can't have the love of my life staying in that godforsaken place."

  He turned to the girl who was surprised. "He's the love of my life, you know." Then he turned back to me. "I can't have the love of my life living in that crappy dorm. Lance is gone, and it's just little old me next semester. Move in with me and promise you'll never leave."

  She gasped. "You guys know each other!"

  Andre turned to her and smiled. "We're going to spend the rest of our lives together. Thank you for setting this up, by the way. I like to keep him on his toes. Keeps things spicy, if you know what I mean." He actually winked at her.

  He turned to me. "So, Colton, move in?"

  "Well, I have a few demands of my own before I agree," I stated. Danielle wasn't leaving, but I didn't care. I had things to say as well.

  "Okay, negotiations are open," Andre stated confidently. God, he was so fucking cocky…and sexy.

  "Tonight, you make love to me." I glanced behind him seeing a lot of different reactions, but Danielle's giggle and clapping were what was foremost in my mind.

  "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she gushed.

  Andre, however, was in stunned silence. "You stew on that and, please move aside so I can check out some of these people before they begin a coup. I'll call you later." I looked at the next customer behind him, seeing a cute boy with a history book.

  "So, you want to sell this back?" I asked. Andre was still standing there in silence, with Danielle looking between us.

  The boy was looking at us as well, and when I looked up, a lot of people were looking at us. "So, you want to sell the book back then?" I asked the guy in front of me again.

  "Yeah, but I want to hear what the hot guy says first. If he won't do it, I will."

  Danielle laughed as she poked Andre in the chest. "Wake up, dude. Your boyfriend just issued you an ultimatum, and there's some cute guy waiting in the wings. You better…"

  "Yes, love, yes. I'll be home. I love you," he told me as he hopped the counter and grabbed me, kissing me like I was going to disappear. The applause from the audience was quite surprising. I had high hopes for our future if Andre Dupree was there to make it so happy.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Ghost Free

  As I walked out of the stairwell at Hansee to grab my clothes for Andre's graduation, I heard a lot of noise coming from the end of the hallway near my dorm room. There were people drinking and hanging out, but there were boxes stacked in the hallway outside my room and the door was open.

  "Dude, if Colton's used to riding this, Dupree's gonna be a huge disappointment." It was Lance, and I couldn't imagine what the fuck he was talking about.

  "You’re a dickhead. That's mine. Get out of my boxes, Lance," I heard Nick yell as I stopped in front of the door seeing my dorm room in utter chaos. Lance was holding up a huge vibrator, flicking it off and on while Nick was trying to grab it from him. That caught my attention for a moment until I noticed all my shit was spread out on the bed, on the floor, and on Nick's bed.

  I'd started packing, but I wasn't in a rush because I'd been waiting to hear about Alder Hall in the fall. Hansee wasn't officially closed until Wednesday, so I was going to bleed out the time before I had to haul my shit back to Unionville. If I got into Alder, I could put everyt
hing in storage until the fall semester. If I didn't, I'd have to find other accommodations…well, not any longer. All of that was before four hours ago when Andre asked me to move in with him...permanently.

  "What the fuck is going on? Juan, get out of my underwear drawer," I announced, seeing Juan turn from my dresser where he was holding up a pair of boxers my momma had given me for Christmas. They were black boxer briefs, and I liked them a lot. However, it was strange to see some other guy aside from Andre fondling my dainties.

  "Nice drawers, Colton. Well, we're almost done," Juan responded as he took the whole drawer and dumped it into an empty box. So much for organized packing.

  "What the fuck are y'all doin'?" I asked. Hell, Nick was no better than the other two, pulling my clothes out of the closet and covering the hangers with trash bags.

  Finally, Lance stopped cleaning out my desk and turned to me. "Dupree is paying each of us a hundred bucks to pack your shit and haul it to the apartment. He already has your stuff for graduation and dinner tomorrow night. He's waiting for you. We'll pack this shit in my Wagoneer and drop it off before Juan and I head to his place to pack up him and Lula. Now, get out of here so we can continue to go through your shit in private. I believe your ride is waiting out front."

  I shook my head. I walked into the room and hugged Nick. "You'll be okay here tonight by yourself?"

  Just then, Brad came waltzing into the room with Chip hanging off him. Bryana was behind them, holding an open bottle of wine…no glass. "Hey, Colt. You staying for the patty…party?" Bryana slurred and giggled.

  Oh, good Lord. "Where's Amanda?" I asked her. Bryana was already shitfaced and it was only eight o'clock in the evening.

  "She's at Dan's. Brad and Chip promised they'd hang out with me because I can't seem to meet anyone. I guess I'll see you on Sunday when Dad and Chelle come pick us up, brother dear?"

  I laughed. She was as surprised as me to find out our parents were keeping company. We were actually happy about it, and we were looking forward to spending the next two weeks with them before I came back to Seattle for my job. Bryana was going to be working at the hardware store in Unionville. I hoped she got herself under control over the summer and grew up a little because she was trying to live up to a party girl reputation, and I knew from conversations with Mom that my friend’s GPA was suffering because of it.

  Herb Wynn wasn’t happy and a stern ‘talking to’ was waiting for Bryana at home. He was threatening to make her take a semester off and attend a community college near Unionville if she didn't get her shit together, but I knew she didn't want to leave UW. I hoped they could work something out over the summer, but I didn't have time to deal with that shit at the moment. I had a hot man waiting for me just a few miles away.

  "See ya!" I hurried down the hall and took the stairs back down. I saw a girl sitting on a moped when I came out, two helmets in her hands. She looked familiar. Shit! It's the girl from this afternoon. What's her name? Daria? Dana? Danielle? Yes, that's it.

  "Hi, Danielle. What's up?" I asked as I looked around for a car.

  She pushed a helmet into my chest and hopped onto the moped, starting it. I stood there and looked at her like she was looney. "Get on, Colton. Andre's paying me to rent my moped over the summer, so I need to teach you how to drive it. It's very easy." Is she crazy?

  "Uh, hell no. Why would I get on that thing with you?" She had to be touched in the head.

  She giggled. "I think you have a very handsome man waiting for you?"

  Oh, yeah! Without any further hesitance on my part, I hopped on the back, strapped on the helmet, and held on for dear life. She showed me how to drive the scooter and then pulled over about halfway to Andre’s apartment there, putting me behind the handlebars. It wasn't exactly a smooth ride, but by the time we got to Blakely Village, I knew how to ride it enough so as not to kill myself.

  We pulled up in front of Andre's apartment building, and I parked the scooter next to his car. Another car started and pulled up behind us as we hopped off. I quickly turned around to see who was waiting for her. There was a really good-looking guy behind the wheel and he was smiling at Danielle.

  She giggled and handed me the helmet she'd been wearing. She leaned in, pulling the keys from the ignition and handing them to me. "That's Chad. I met him in line at the bookstore today. We're going to a party and he's giving me a ride to Tacoma tomorrow.

  "Take care of Betsy, Colton. I'll see you in August," she announced. She rubbed the handlebars of the scooter as if it was an old friend before she danced off and got into the Honda with Chad. He waved and drove off, leaving me stunned for a moment.

  When I looked up at the building in front of me, I remembered why I was there and I hurried inside, running up the stairs to Andre's apartment. I knocked on the door and when he opened it still wearing his suit pants and dress shirt, he looked all kinds of sexy.

  "Welcome home, sweetheart." He pulled me inside, taking the helmets and placing them on the bench by the door. As we went through the living room, he kicked some boxes out of the way, cursing.

  "I can't wait for Lancelot to get his shit out of here. Anyway, how was the rest of your afternoon?" He pushed open the bedroom door, and I was shocked. It was like something out of a cheesy rom-com.

  There was a vase of flowers on the bedside table, right next to a box of condoms and a bottle of lube, both of which were new, the romantic bastard. There was a bottle of champagne in a bowl of ice with two short glasses on the dresser. There were lit candles, which made the room glow, and there were blackout curtains on the windows. They were new, but I had bitched about the other curtains he had which let in too much light, way too early in the morning.

  I was a little stunned, to tell the truth. I turned to look at him as he stood opening the champagne. "Babe, this is all great, but if I wasn't clear enough, I'm a sure thing. You're gonna get laid tonight." I was half joking, and when he cocked an eyebrow at me, I could see he was dead serious. I dropped my laptop and book bag on the chair in the corner and walked over to where he stood at the dresser, pouring us each a glass.

  "Forgive the primitive vessel, but this was the best I could come up with on short notice. I forgot to get champagne glasses when I was at the store, but before our next celebration, I'll rectify it. Anyway, let's toast," he stated as he handed a glass to me.

  I held up my glass and waited. He seemed to have something to say, and I was going to let him. He looked around and chuckled humorlessly. I immediately felt guilty for dismissing the scene he'd set.

  "I know this all seems silly, but I wanted to do everything I could to make this as romantic as possible because I believe in my heart we owe each other a little romance. I want you to remember this as something pleasurable and positive. I want this to be as far away from…" he trailed off. He didn't need to finish the sentence, I knew what he meant.

  I took his hand and led him to the bed, thankful to see there weren't rose petals strewn about. I looked into his eyes and smiled. "Dre, Natalie told me something very important before she took off. 'That which is ungiven is taken but not lost.' Until I choose to give myself to someone, I'm still a virgin. Just because they took something against my will? It doesn't mean it's not still mine. So, me choosing to give myself to you, this is my first time. I have a choice this time, and I choose you." I leaned forward and brushed my lips over his, tenderly.

  I pulled away and looked into his eyes, seeing a slow smile. "You're a romantic guy, Colton Wixsom. So, here's to our new path, together. Tonight's my last night as an undergrad, and tonight's the first night of you living with me. It's also the first night I'll make love to the most wonderful man in the world. Here’s to us!"

  I clinked my glass with his and took a sip. When I swallowed, I knew we needed to lighten the mood. "You'll let me know when he's going to show so I can clear out, right? He'll likely get jealous if he finds all of this here." I smirked at him as I ran my hand up and down my body. Andre started laughing, which was exac
tly what I wanted.

  "You're a sexy smart-ass. Come on, let's take this cocktail party into the bathroom to have a soak. No wonder Heidi demanded this room. That tub is pretty damn great."

  I followed him to the private bathroom and we undressed each other. There were lit candles in the room as well, and the tub was full of bubbles. Andre hurried back to the bedroom and grabbed the bottle of champagne, bringing it into the bathroom and settling it on the floor before we climbed into a nice warm bath.

  We were facing each other, and he had a sexy smile on his handsome face. He refilled our glasses and put the bottle on the floor next to the tub. "So, Mom and Dad got here earlier today, and Annalee and René are coming in sometime overnight.

  “Anna told me she's got a few sketches for you to look at regarding your tattoo while they're here. It's a place to start, right?" he asked.

  Both, Jean-Luc and Andre, had spoken to her about the tattoo I wanted, and Andre had given her measurements of how big it needed to be. I'd told him about Natalie's suggestion of angel wings, my face glowing the whole time, and he'd given his sister a few ideas to see what she'd come up with. He said she was excited at the challenge, and promised she'd bring something with her.

  "Sure, babe. So, you need to explain a few things to me," I prompted, remembering the people in my room packing my shit and then the scooter I apparently had at my disposal over the summer.

  "Can I take a pass on that stuff tonight? I'm trying to seduce my boyfriend, and those trivial things will only get in the way of the astounding pleasure I'm about to bring to the table," he teased, straight-faced.

  I laughed. "You're settin' the bar pretty high there, hot rod."

  "Well, I've always been an overachiever, Colton. My GPA speaks for itself," he boasted. Fucker had a 4.5, so he wasn't actually talking out of his ass.

  "Oh, you're an academic all right. I'm curious if you can put that knowledge to practical use."