Page 132 of Necessary Roughness
“It’s not for you,” he replied. “It’s for me. I spent the last four years thinking of school as secondary to football. It would be nice to come back here and focus only on my degree. Doingsomething I actuallyenjoy, rather than whatever degree is easiest.”
Roman clapped him on the back. “I’d be glad to have you back for my senior year. Better than getting stuck with some random freshman on the team.”
“Well, here’s the thing,” Knox said. “Most of the practice squad work is in the summer. Then twice a week during the NFL season. Not saying youhaveto, but you could do both. Get your master’s degree while being on the practice squad. Tampa’s close enough for you to commute.”
Logan looked around like he’d just been told he’d won the lottery. “Wellshit, Knox. If you want to keep throwing footballs to me, you can just say so!”
“Is that a yes?” Knox asked.
Logan lunged forward and hugged his best friend tightly. “Only if you promise not to gloat about howyou’rea starter andI’mjust a practice guy.”
“Hell no,” Knox replied. “I plan on reminding you of that fact twice a day for the rest of my life.”
“Damnit,” Logan said. “You called my bluff. Hell yes, I’m in.”
We all jumped as another bottle of champagne was opened. “More bubbles for Logan!” Darlene announced, and we all celebrated for a second time. Logan went around hugging and high-fiving everyone. He was even more enthusiastic than Knox.
After hugging me, he quietly asked, “Will you still love me if I’m not a famous NFL player?”
I stroked his cheek. “I’d still love you if you were the janitor at the football stadium. Are you sure you want to come back to school?”
“I’ve been thinking about it since the combine,” he admitted. “And yeah. That’s what my gut is telling me.”
“You’ve got a smart gut.” I poked him in the belly.
Logan glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice further. “You’d better not love Knox more than me just because he’s about to become a big shot.”
I brushed my lips against his. “I’ll love you both the same.”
“Even though his dick is bigger?” he whispered.
I leaned forward so I could whisper directly into his ear. “He’s only a little bigger than you. And you’re better at going down on me.”
His face lit up even more than when he’d learned he had a job with the Buccaneers. “Hey, Knox!” he shouted. “Knox! Guess what Sloane just told me!”
I shared a look with Roman as Logan ran off to find Knox deeper in the house.
*
After the party, Knox took us out to a fancy restaurant—me, Logan, Roman, Robert, and Darlene. It was a fancy restaurant, and we didn’t have a reservation, so we were almost turned away. But then one of the servers recognized Knox and told the hostess, “That’s the new quarterback for the Buccaneers!” and a private room in the back was opened just for us.
“I could get used to this kind of treatment,” Knox said.
“Look at you. Already letting it go to your head.”
He grinned at me. “If I can’t let it go to my headtoday, after being drafted into the National Football League, when can I?”
“Good point.”
Robert picked out a few nice bottles of wine for the table before we ordered our meals. When it was Logan’s turn, he grinned wickedly at me and then told the server, “I’ll take the smoked pork shank, the pan-roasted salmon, the grilled duck breast, the steak frites, and… what was the special you mentioned? The butcher’s cut ribeye? Yeah, I’ll take that too.”
He handed her his menu and took a sip of wine while we all stared at him. “What?” he asked.
“You can’t eat all of that,” Knox said.
“Nope!” Logan winked at me. “But I can taste a little of each one, then take the leftovers home. Don’t cheap out on me now, Knox. I was your friend long before you came into money.”
Knox leaned across the table and pointed at him. “You know what? Tonight, I don’t care. Go crazy, buddy.”
