Page 78 of In the Safety's Zone
Rich noticed it and he shook his head is distaste. “Whatever advice you were given is bad. I’m not trying to overstep at all, but focus on all areas of healing instead of just gritting through the pain. We want you to still be making history years from now.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that, and it just confirms how I’ve been feeling. I should definitely look for a tennis coach and trainer here locally.”
“I’m sure that you’d have a list of people lined up to work with you. If y’all will excuse me, my wife is bringing our little one to see me. Anthony, Marion is free to take a look and make sure she’s good structurally before your workout. Let her know I sent you and that she needs to focus on the MCL and the hamstring before she clears you.” He gave that last bit of advice to Aphrodite directly before he gave his goodbyes and went to check on his wife.
“He’s really nice. And he’s alarmingly smart. I never knew someone could just look at you and know what was wrong.” Phro’s voice held a note of wonder and I was battling being jealous that Rich’s brilliant mind had my girl starry-eyed. But since I’d been the same way I couldn’t really blame her.
“Yeah, he’s the joint and bone version ofHouse. Shit is uncanny, honestly.”
We went to the treatment room and found Marion who, after she got over being slightly star struck, had Aphrodite moving through a series of mobility tests to ensure she was good. Watching her balance and execute the stretches shouldn’t have had me wanting to find a meeting room to bounce her on my dick but it did. Aphrodite in work mode was a turn on and I understood the attraction to athletes now.
Selfishly, men thought they were the only ones who were able to do these incredible physical feats but that was hubris. Seeing Phro take care of herself and then go out and hit balls at the tennis court that was on the complex was just as exciting as watching her play. Phro took her practice shots, testing her thigh, while I ran and practiced footwork. After about an hour, we were done, and went to lift.
We worked out with resistance bands today to ease her back into working out and one of the PTs was there acting as her trainer. I wasn’t sure what was going on with Terri, but I’d seen how she was practically begging Phro to call her back. Aphrodite seemed set on cutting ties with anyone that might have a connection to her pops so I understood why she wasn’t fucking with her like that. When we got done working out and were playfully recording ourselves messing around in the mirror. I wasn’t too pressed about other players being around as long as they kept it respectful. The second they didn’t I was gone go across somebody’s head with a plate. Might have to make it two because 45 lbs might not be enough to knock some sense into some of these niggas.
I’d fully intended to post the video of me in the gym today to show off my gains but now this one was going to stay in the drafts.
She came to my side unbothered by the camera in my hand and started to flex her biceps. The sheen of sweat on her skin reminded me of how I’d had her thighs by her damn ears last night and I needed to taste her. Since I couldn’t spread her legs open the way I wanted to, I leaned over and licked her bicep before kissing her neck.
“What are you doing?” She was giggling partially from shock and maybe disgust but I didn’t care. My desire to experience her wasn’t ever going to be dimmed because of a lil workout sweat.
“I needed my fix of you since I couldn’t eat the breakfast I truly wanted to this morning.”
She rolled her eyes but I could tell she was biting back a smile. “Who would’ve known you were an eater?”
“I’m from Nawlins baby. Fine dining is what we do best. Only the best of the best passes these lips, and I’m telling you, AP, your shit is second to none.” I flicked my tongue back out at her playfully as I pulled her to me. I ain’t give a damn about this camera recording us, I was just happy to spend time with her while we were both working to get better.
“That was so nasty but so damn sweet. I can’t believe you did that with all this sweat on me.”
“Kinda of man you think I am to be worried about some sweat when I’m trying to feel you? Hell, we work up a sweat when we fucking, you think I’m going to worry about it before we start?”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and I leaned back slightly so her feet were off the ground. “Makes sense.”
“Thought so. Now bring your ass on so we can have you pay what you owe from earlier today. We gotta link up with Money and his people later and I don’t want to be late.”
I was shocked to see who Money had with him in the club when we met up. He said that he wanted to give ole girl a night off but I could tell it was deeper than that. With camp coming soon, he looked like I was feeling. Like he wanted to spend more time with his girl before he had to be away for a few weeks. They were lucky that I made it out of the house because Aphrodite’s ass tried playing with fire with the little ass shit she was wearing.
Her locs were pulled off her face into a ponytail that hung down her back and were curled lightly at the ends. She had on a see-through dark purple shirt that was shimmery with a flesh-colored bra on underneath and a black miniskirt. She’d thrown on some heels and when I asked where the hell she had that packed up at, she told me she’d had a bunch of stuff delivered to the house because she didn’t want to be unprepared. Every second she was with me I battled telling her ass to have them ship her stuff from Jersey. She was cool with being here, but we would have a lot of talking to do in the next few weeks. She had to head out for the US Open in just under a month, which only gave us two weeks between now and the end of camp to figure our shit out. I hoped her being here wasn’t just a refuge from how her pops had acted when we were in London. I wanted her to stay and needed to convey that without making her feel like I was pressuring her.
I glanced around the lounge with my hand on Aphrodite’s thigh. We’d only had a few run-ins with people snapping photos of us, one happening at the damn grocery store, so I wasn’t surprised if someone was watching right now. She was busy laughing with Money’s date that I didn’t bother to interruptthem. Money was to my right and even though he was trying to relax he had his eyes on Sterling the whole time.
“You good?”
I was laughing cause it was clear this nigga was trying to hide his feelings for this girl. He talked about her way too much and would often pause working out to call and check on his baby. He would swear he just wanted to talk to the baby but since she ain’t even have teeth yet I knew he was checking for the lady he had living in his house.
“Chillin’ man. Just wanted to have one last moment out before camp started.” Money seemed to catch himself staring and started to look around the room but he went right back to staring at Sterling like he just couldn’t help himself.
He in as bad as I am.
“I understand that. It’s a lot riding on this season for everybody.” My fingers were rubbing Phro’s thigh and even though I could vaguely hear her talking she still gave me attention by wrapping her arm around mine.
Money pointed to me his face turning serious. “I hope you ready to show the fuck out the next two weeks, bruh. We need you on the active roster this year. The secondary getting old—”
I huffed a laugh since I was older than he was. “I ain’t young, nigga, I’m twenty-six.”
“For a safety that’s young as hell. I’m a twenty-five-year-old running back. I only got five good years left if my ass is lucky.”
He took a drink from his glass like he had already resigned himself to being retired at thirty and it wasn’t a bad idea if that’s what he wanted. But Money had the type of talent and training that meant he could go for longer if he wanted.
