Page 26 of Serve
“Won’t be more than three hours. Overtraining during a tournament is a big no-no.” He turned Chip to face him, then pressed his lips against his. After a minute, Chip placed his hands on Tyler’s chest and pushed him away.
“If you don’t get out now, you’re never getting out.” He grabbed Tyler’s hand and placed it on his growing erection. Tyler laughed and gently squeezed.
“Leave that alone. I’ll be taking care of it for you when I return.”
“How are things at command central, Dixie?” Tyler said into the phone. He was being driven to the tennis courts by the hotel’s driver.
“My prayer group is coming over for an orgy tomorrow, will that be okay?” She said nonchalantly.
Tyler laughed. “No problem, just be sure to clean up after them. Your nephew is figuring out how boring life is camping out in hotel rooms.” He said.
“The one and only time I went on tour with you was my last time. Poor baby, it’s lonely on the road.” She sighed.
“I’m going to have to hang up in a second. Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?” Tyler grabbed the bag with his tennis rackets and gear as they pulled into the parking lot of the club.
“Yeah, I remember. Want me to set it up?” She said.
“Yes, and if you could get it a couple of days earlier than we discussed, that would be great.”
“Damn, I wish I was thirty years younger and had…” Tyler heard her mumble as she hung up. He shook his head and laughed, then headed for the practice courts.
“Out!” The linesman behind him called as Tim’s serve went wide. He’d been serving up aces throughout the match, and Tyler’s return game was off. He looked up to the player’s box where Emm and Chip were seated. Chip’s tan was deeper from the Mediterranean sun, accentuated by the white polo shirt he wore.
“Out!” Tim double faulted, and Tyler shook his head. He’d got lucky that time. He had to pay more attention to this match if he didn’t want to lose it in straight sets.
He glanced down at his shoes, stained a dirty orange by the clay court. Actually, his whole body had red dirt clinging to it from the three different dives he’d taken to retrieve junk balls hit by Tim. He hadn’t been so physically involved in a match in years. Players might hate playing Timothy, because of his eccentric tactics, but Tyler found it rejuvenating. If only he wouldn’t be bounced out of the tournament by losing to him, he could enjoy it more. So far he was up a break in the second set, having lost the first. If he didn’t manage to win this second set, he’d be sent packing from the tournament. He dug in his heels and won the next three games
When he was serving for the second set he looked up to his player box and noticed something unusual. Three rows behind Emm and Chip sat Scott Turner. He had no reason for being there. His player wasn’t in the tournament.
“What the fuck?” He said aloud. The umpire gave him a reproachful look. He shook his head, then double faulted on his serve. Missing your serve twice in a row meant losing the point, and Timothy was officially back in the set. If he wanted to win the match, he’d have to put Scott out of his mind. An impossible task, he soon discovered. Minutes later he congratulated Timothy at the net, gathered his things, and headed for the locker room.
Five hours later, he finally let himself into the hotel room and fell back on the bed exhausted.
Chip was seated in a corner, his face in shadow. He stood, crossed the room, and sat next to Tyler. He placed a hand on his chest, then lay down next to him.
“You okay? I was worried.” Chip murmured.
“I’m fine. It’s part of getting older. I have to spend more time recovering from matches, especially tough ones. I took an ice bath, got a massage, then I had to speak to the press.”
“Why the hell do you have to do that? I mean, you lost. Who the hell would want to give a press conference after that?” Chip asked, incredulous.
“It’s in the rulebook. If I don’t participate in a Q&A with the press, I have to pay a hefty fine. I have no choice.” He sighed, kissed Chip’s forehead and sat up. “Did you do anything fun today?”
“I lay out by the pool, but otherwise nothing. I don’t know anyone, so, you know, I just hung out here watching TV. Most of it’s in French though, so I couldn’t understand it. What’s it like taking an ice bath? Are you really in a tub full of ice?”
“It’s very, very cold, but after about five minutes it feels good. If I didn’t take it, I’d barely be able to walk right now.”
Tyler’s phone rang. He dug through his bag until he found it.
“Hey, Emm. What’s up?” He said, then a smile spread across his face.
“You might as well. I think we’re going to hit the road in a few minutes. No use sticking around here. Oh, did you find out anything about Scott?” He said.
Chip’s eyes grew wide. Tyler smiled and mussed his hair, still listening to Emm on the phone.
“Enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.” He disconnected the call, then turned and faced Chip.
“Is she going somewhere? I thought we were going to the next tournament after this?” He asked.
