Page 45 of In the Safety's Zone
Terri’s ass needed to back it up before she and I had a problem. I could hear the bitterness and the aggravation at Aphrodite not immediately complying and having the nerve to want to relax for a second.
Phro turned to Terri who I knew was her coach and narrowed her eyes. I just got done playing and I’m here for the next three days on vacation. All of that can wait until I’m done. I haven’t had a real day off in a few months so I’m taking one now.”
Terri’s ass wasn’t about to be denied and it was clear she didn’t mind showing her ass in front of me or the masseuse who was paying up her table. I put my duffle bag on the chair so I could assist her but she waved me off. That left me standing slightly behind Phro and I was ready for everybody to get out of here so we could relax.
“It means exactly what I said. No business for three days. I’ll reach out to you and let you know where I’ll be practicing. I’m not sure when I’ll be back home.”
Terri looked at me and I knew she was calling me all kinds of dirty niggers in her head. Aphrodite was her cash cow and not being able to control every aspect of her seemed to have her eye twitching.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“But not before those three days like I said.” Aphrodite’s words were final and her tone held more bite than I was used to. My shit was rocking up watching her boss up on one of the people I was sure took advantage of her kindness.
With a nod, Terri motioned to the masseuse and they walked out of the room together.
When the door was shut Aphrodite exhaled and turned to me again. Her face looked apologetic and I knew she was embarrassed.
“Sorry about that.”
“Which part? If you’re trying to apologize for what is going on with you and your trainer, I think you went too damn easy on her.” Ain’t no way your coach should be talking to you like they were the boss of you. Not in this kind of sport. In football, shit got greasy but to think she was going to work Aphrodite to death when she could easily be replaced was crazy to be. And then to go demanding shit like Phro was a lil ass kid rubbed me the wrong way.
“You have to understand, she’s not used to me having a life outside of work so this is new for her.” Aphrodite pulled her hair to one side and put her hair in a braid.
“New is one thing but respect should be the bare minimum no matter what is going on.”
“She, like so many other people, still sees me as a kid. They think they can tell me what to do instead of consulting me and it does get annoying a lot of the time. Before it was easier to handle it because I had no reason not to. Now I do, so they’ll need to adjust.”
“You think it’ll be that simple?”
“If they want to get paid, yeah.”
“You have to understand that a lot of people can’t help but keep you in a box especially if you’ve allowed yourself to stay there. You just telling them something that goes against what they think you should do isn’t going to be easy.”
“Nothing I’ve accomplished has been easy but you are more than worth it. So if it’s a battle then I’ll handle it.”
“We’ll handle it. But now that you’ve got your muscles beat up, can I get a proper hello?”
She bit her lip bashfully before she nodded her head and walked toward me. I met her halfway wrapping my arms around her and lifting her up. With her arms around my neck, the weight of her felt perfect against my frame. We stood there silently just basking in each other’s presence, before I reluctantly put her down. That hug was exactly what I needed. I felt like my soul took a large exhale and my tension melted away.
“I know you handled business on the court today so you feel like going anywhere?” She looked as effected as I was by that hug and I put my hands on my belt buckle so I could resist the urge to put them on her.
“We don’t have to but did you have plans?”
“Of course I did. I’m flying to see you and you think I’m just going to wing that shit? Any man is going to plan a date. You planned ours when we were in New York, I made tentative plans for Miami.”
She tried not to look excited but I could tell my words made her feel special. I’d mapped out a few places we could go and had flowers delivered to her this morning before she left for her match. Aphrodite wasn’t the type of woman I wanted to half-step with so she needed to know what it was with me before we got in even deeper.
“You don’t even live here.”
I waved my phone at her mockingly. “We got the internet in Texas, Phro.”
She covered her face with her hands as she laughed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t help but walk to her and pull her hands from her face. Her cheeks were flushed, those tilted brown eyes had a sheen of joy over them. Damn, this girl was perfect.
“No, you’re thinking small again. Like I’m going to play you like everyone else. I’m not. You’re a priority and I’m more than happy to show you how important you are to me. Besides, this is just dinner, baby. It’s small when you think about it.”
“Not to me. Somebody planning a whole date and coming out to see me is a major deal so thank you. What did you have in mind?”
