by Holden, Abby
"Hey Megan, your crew looks like heart attack city."
"Gee Bob, yours doesn't look much better. Is Tippy having a stroke or what?" Megan asked pointing at the oldest guy on the court. His face was red and he was huffing like an old, worn out bellow.
Bob chuckled. "Probably."
"Why aren't you playing?" Megan asked him as she applauded her crew getting another point.
"Bad back." He placed a hand on his lower back with a smile. "You?"
"Didn't want to get the guys too worked up." She winked at Bob. They both laughed. Megan glanced at her crew then at Bob, a plan springing into her head. Oh yeah. This will work. Pay back time, Jake. "Besides, my crew doesn't need the help. They're just playing around."
"Oh yeah?"
Megan nodded.
"Damn, that requires you to put money on the table."
She smiled. "Name it."
"Five hundred."
"Done." They shook hands. "And I might even pay for the hospitalization for your guys."
Bob laughed. "I'm still gonna win, Megan."
"I'm not even worried."
At that moment, both teams called a time out to get drinks and rest. Megan walked over to her crew as they gathered around one of the picnic tables. Everyone was breathing hard and sweating, again.
"Okay guys," Megan began as she walked up. "Here's the deal. You win, you get an extremely easy work week. You lose, and I take it out by working you extra hard."
Cowboy groaned loudly. Everyone else looked stunned. With a grunt, Cowboy sat up. "Who the hell did you bet with? Bob?"
Megan smiled.
"Shit, Girl. Would you fuckin' stop that! You'll kill us yet." Cowboy tossed an empty soda can at her.
Megan caught it with a grin.
"What's the bet, Chief?" Jake asked.
"Five bills."
Cowboy cursed as he lay back down on the table.
"Suck it up, old boy," Megan said nudging him. "This is for the honor of the crew."
"Bullshit, Meg. This is, you can't stand to lose." Cowboy said with a disgusted look. "Iffan you want this so bad, you play."
Megan shook her head. "This isn't co-ed."
Cowboy cursed under his breath again. "Just a fun game. It was just a fun fuckin' game."
Jake chuckled. "I've got a counter offer, Chief."
Megan narrowed her eyes, looking at him.
"If we win for you, you have to play one of us in one-on-one. We choose who you play."
There was no immediate answer from Megan.
Cowboy smiled. "Oh Lordie, I love this. Yeah. Come on, Darlin'. Put your ass where your money is." He sat up.
Her eyes flicked to Cowboy and back to Jake. They narrowed again.
"Or not," Jake said.
"Damn."
The whole crew burst out laughing. They knew that Jake had her. She was extremely competitive and Jake had pushed one of her buttons.
"Well?" Jake asked, the picture of innocence.
"Just win the damn game." She stalked away from the table with a smile on her face. Perfect. Everything is going according to plan. She slightly chuckled. Revenge is best served on a basketball court, on my terms.
Her crew behind her laughed.
And the game continued. Both sides were playing harder than ever. Bob sat down next to Megan, again with a smile on his face. "Wanna up the bet?"
"Come on! Watch the base line!" she yelled at her guys, and then she turned to Bob. "I'm always up for taking money from you. What's the new bet?"
He chuckled. "My team is two points ahead. Let's say for every difference in points, we tack on another five hundred."
Megan considered. "So you're saying that if my team wins, twenty to nineteen, you'll pay me a grand. But if they win twenty to eighteen, you'll pay me fifteen hundred? I kind of like that." She smiled.
Bob assented to the new bet. "But my team's gonna win."
"Ha." Megan stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth to get her crew's attention. "Hey guys…" They were just switching sides again, her crew going on the offensive. "I just increased the bet. Stop playing with these jerks and beat the snot out of them by as many points as possible." She sat back down to the dirty looks of her crew. Megan laughed.
Bob chuckled and pointed at his team too.
The other crew chief and executives, plus most of those courtside began placing bets. Anything like this spread like wildfire around the base, and soon the entire compound was cheering on one of the teams.
Megan applauded, but was no longer yelling at her guys. There were plenty of people doing that for her. She just watched and contemplated. She knew that they would pick either Tiny or Jake to play her. Everyone knew she could whip up on the others, particularly Cowboy. Tiny was a challenge because if he pushed his weight around, she'd be at a huge disadvantage. But she knew they'd pick Jake. She knew that he had challenged her to the contest knowing that they'd pick him too. She smiled even bigger at that. Yes, this would be great.
Bob started sweating when the score tied at seventeen. Each time his crew went on the offensive, Megan's crew became a blockade. Nothing got in the hoop. But when her crew got the ball, they passed and worked it until they made a basket. So slowly the count ticked in Megan's favor. Eighteen, seventeen. Nineteen, seventeen. Finally twenty, seventeen.
She smiled sweetly at Bob. "That's two thousand dollars, Bob, my man."
"What the hell did you give those guys? Uppers?"
She shook her head.
"They're animals," Bob said as he paid off a couple smaller bets from the money in his pocket. "I'll get you a check tomorrow. Okay?"
"Sure."
Bob chuckled. "What are they doing now?" He pointed at her crew.
They were huddled together under the basket, drinking and having a serious discussion. All nine guys were in on the conversation.
Megan followed Bob's glance then smiled at him. "Deciding who gets to play me in one-on-one."
"No shit? That was the reason they played so hard, so they could throw a loss in your face?" Bob asked. "Damn, I wish you'd have told me that. I'd never have agreed to the extra bet." He noticed her stand up. "When?"
"Right now." She glanced back at them. "I need to change into my tennis shoes and shorts. Tell them I'll be right back."
Bob nodded and began making bets with more people about the outcome of the next game.
***
Megan exited the barracks to find that the entire base was still hanging out at the basketball court waiting. Her smile widened as she stepped from the door. Almost all heads turned her way.
She nonchalantly walked toward the court with a towel over her shoulder. Her running shoes were laced tight and her long basketball shorts were on. Normally, she didn't own shorts while in country. A woman showing her bare legs was against the law. However, since the Iraqi basketball game, where they trounced the military teams, she now carried a pair mostly to remind herself of her own feminism.
As she reached the court, the crowd parted. Her eyes panned the area and she saw her crew sitting together at the picnic table still talking. She stopped as the crowd quieted. With a smile, and with all of the guys from her crew looking at her, she asked, "Which of you suckers got stuck playing me?"
Cowboy laughed so hard he fell off the table.
Jake stood, his eyes panning her body. He smiled back broadly. "Me."
Megan nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this now? I mean, you just played a hard game. I'd hate to take advantage of you."
The crowd jeered and cheered. Jake narrowed his eyes. Megan smiled even broader. She knew there was no way he was backing down.
"Bring it on, Lady."
"Oh, one thing Cupcake," Megan said, walking past Jake. "Here, hold my towel, Kelly." She tossed him her towel as she turned to Jake. "There's something else you need to learn about me. When I'm playing basketball, I'm no lady." With a wink, she walked over to the ball lying on the court. She picked it up and bounced it a couple
of times.
The crowd snickered and the betting resumed.
Cowboy grabbed a water bottle and walked onto the court. He chuckled as he handed it to her. "Here, drink up. Ya'all need to stay hydrated."
Megan took the bottle and chugged. Then she handed it back with a smile.
"Smooth, Darlin'. You definitely smoothed your way into this one," he whispered. With a wink, he left, shaking his head at Jake who was just heading out onto the court. "Jake, a word of warning… She's fast."
Jake didn't answer but his smile broadened. "I guess you're not my Chief for the next twenty minutes or so, uh Megan?"
"No way, Jake. It's one-on-one. That means looking out for number one. And I'm best at that."
Jake's smile grew.
"Rules," Megan said.
Jake nodded at her and took a drink from his water bottle.
"Half court rules apply. Every possession has to be cleared past the line." She pointed at the half court line.
Jake nodded.
"Where do you want the two point line to be?"
Jake looked at the court then at Megan. "Line across the top of the key."
Megan nodded. "Loser outs?"
"Fine."
"Fouls?"
Jake shrugged.
"Either can call?"
"Sounds good to me." Jake took another drink. "What are we playing to, and how do we score it?"
"Every basket is one point. Anything beyond the key is a two-er. Do you want to do seven, fifteen, or twenty-one?"
Jake narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe we'd better do a game to seven. After all, you just played…"
"Fifteen."
Megan chuckled softly. "I think seven will be plenty. And win has to be by two. Okay?"
"Whatever."
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Who gets first out?"
"Ladies first."
"I told you I'm no lady, but…" She winked. "Okay." She bounced the ball to the clear line then put it on the ground.
The court cleared fast.
Megan stretched her shoulders then looked at her co-pilot. "What's the odds, Kelly?"
Cowboy snorted in laughter. "Even."
"Good. Take some bets for me. I'll cover anything." She smiled even bigger at Cowboy who was converged upon. She watched him while she grabbed her ankle and pulled her right leg behind her, stretching the front of her thigh, and then did the same with the other foot.
Jake tossed his water bottle to Gunner, walked up to her, wiped his brow with his hand and waited.
Megan squatted down, stretched one way and then the other. She did a couple of twists and jumped up and down a couple of times. Finally, she smiled at Jake who was merely watching. "Kelly?"
"Yeah?"
"Last call."
Cowboy covered bets left and right.
"Done?" she asked.
"Done, Darlin'."
"Give me some incentive." She smiled even broader at Jake.
"Let's see." Cowboy quickly added in his head. "What you won from Bob won't even scratch the surface of the bets, Darlin'."
Megan chuckled. "Incentive," she said softly to Jake. Jake chuckled. She held out her hand. "Good luck."
Jake hesitated but shook her hand. "Yeah, good luck."
Megan picked up the basketball. "Play ball." She tossed the ball hard at Jake who caught it in his gut with a woof of expelled air. She stood beyond the clear line.
Jake narrowed his eyes but gave her a slight bow. Gently he tossed the ball at her, putting the ball into play. He backed up several steps.
Megan bounced the ball once as she stepped onto the court. She stopped, jumped and fired at the hoop.
Swoosh.
"That's two." She smiled at Jake.
"Damn," he said softly, his eyes narrowing.
Megan turned, catching the ball one of the guys tossed. When she turned back, Jake still looked stunned. She made a motion for him to take it out. "Loser's out."
"Damn," he said with a smile.
Megan chuckled. When he was ready, she tossed him the ball, then bent slightly, resting on the balls of her feet. With a bounce she waited, eyes on his blue eyes.
Jake came at her full force. She blocked his advance and he rolled left. She moved to block. Now with his back to her, he tried working one way then the other, slowly advancing, pushing his way down court. Megan stuck with him like syrup on pancakes. With a hand on his back, she felt his muscles moving under his shirt. She rubbed gently, lightly massaging. She could feel his reaction―the muscle twitching ever so slightly. A reach in with her hand brushed his stomach, her hand lingering just a little longer than necessary. Finally, she pushed him into the corner, and he made his move along the base line, muscled past her with a hard push and laid the ball in the basket.
"That's one."
She smiled. "You've got a good base line move. Won't happen again."
Cowboy started laughing. "Hey Meg, I've got more suckers."
"Take'em," Megan said, bouncing the ball as she headed back down court. She tossed the ball to Jake and waited for the pass in.
He smiled, tossed her the ball but this time didn't move back. Now he got in the ready position.
She moved onto the court, bouncing the ball with her right hand, eyes and head up. She did a stutter step to the right and just a slight head bob in that direction. Jake made a hesitating move in the indicated direction. Megan pounced to the left, swept by Jake and laid one up as he followed her to the edge.
Megan took a deep breath. "Three, one."
"Good fake. Won't happen again."
A smile crept onto her face. She was again handed the ball by one of the guys. This time she waited for Jake at the end of the court.
A stage whisper came from the Cartwright crew table. Cowboy's voice. "She's fast."
Megan chuckled.
"Under exaggerated your contribution in Iraq? Distracted them, huh?" Jake asked standing at the clear line, very amused.
Megan shrugged. "Ready?"
"Bring in on, Lady."
Megan passed him the ball. This time he made a fast beeline for the basket. Megan hugged him hard keeping him from having a straight line like he wanted. They bumped bodies. Her hands were everywhere: his back, his shoulders, a light massage on his butt. He rammed her hard in the gut with his elbow, then with his other hand, looped the ball in.
Jake turned with an expectant but devious look on his face. Megan rubbed her stomach. She relaxed her eyes, knowing that he had jabbed her on purpose. She smiled. So this is how he wants to play. The crowd was groaning and yelling for her to call the foul. She ignored them and let Jake bring the ball down the court this time. "Three, two."
Jake nodded back and passed the ball to her. She came at him just as hard. Then she turned and put her back to him, pushing him down the court. He put his hand on her lower back but his eyes were on her head. She moved right, then left, then right. Jake stayed with her. One hand defending high, the other, on her back, ready to defend low. His hands gently brushed her body giving a warm embrace with sparks, looking as though to keep her in check. She began another hard drive, then in a fast move, spun on him. His fingertips traced her back and side. In the blink of an eye, she was past him and laid in another basket.
As she walked past him, breathing a little harder too, he said low so only she could hear, "Damn."
"Damn back at you," she whispered. With a quick glance around, she saw that no one was interpreting the real touching going on between them. Megan turned a smile on him and spoke in a normal tone, "Four, two."
She tossed him the ball, and he drove for the base line again. This time she blocked his drive to the basket, and he had to come up court to get any free space. With another hard shove, he pushed her, then leaned into her. His hard body came into contact with the full length of the front of her body. She gave just a little rub. He rubbed back as he looped the ball into the basket.
"Four, three," he intone
d trying to catch his breath.
"Hmm," Megan said once more rubbing where he had pushed her hard.
He tossed the ball to her, and she came like hell on wheels at him. Within seconds, she had him pushed to the base line. His hands were everywhere. Touching. Massaging. Groping. This time she elbowed him, swept under his arm and under the basket. She did a jump and put one in the opposite side.
"Five, three," she said as she passed him. "And watch the hands." The tone in her voice sounded hard, but the sparkle in her eye belied her words.
Jake smiled. "Nice elbow, Lady."
"You started it."
Jake laughed and tossed her the ball to pass back to him. "Let's do it."
Megan smiled with a wink and tossed him the ball.
He drove again. This time Megan kept her hands on him, in his face and all over his body. This time she gave his butt a quick cup and grope. As he turned around to face her, she brushed his crotch area. His eyes met hers as he again muscled his way to the bottom of the basket then leaned on her with a rub and bump, and made another point, height and muscle giving him the advantage. He seemed to know that too.
"Five, four," he said out of breath.
"Yeah." She was out of breath too.
"Time out!" Cowboy yelled from the sidelines. He carried Megan's water to her, as Gunner walked Jake's to him. The two combatants stood staring at each other while they drank, eyes locked. After wiping away sweat with the towels, play resumed.
This time when Megan pressed, Jake let her gain ground quickly. She faked a move, but as she passed him, he twirled the other way, stuck his hand out and stuffed the ball. She recovered it and once again backed into him. His hands were again all over, touching her lower back, brushing the side of her body and with a very quick move swatted her butt gently. One hand slid slightly down her outer thigh rounding to the inside. She faked a move toward the basket. He moved with her, but she took a quick step out and pulled up to a jump shot. He snagged the ball down out of the air.
With a cocky grin he spoke, "Still five, four. My out."
Megan narrowed her eyes. "Could've been goal tending."
"So call it."
Megan smiled, tossing the ball hard at him out of the clear line. "Play."
