Page 36 of Sweeper
The corner of my mouth curls up on one side. “A shock tongue is the kind of kiss you don’t see coming, but once the shock wears off, you’re glad it’s happening.”
“Sounds lovely,” he croaks and then clears his throat awkwardly and pitches his voice low. “I mean…sounds fucking hot.”
“Oh, it was.” I can’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried. Pretty sure I woke up smiling today.
“What happened after?” Knight grunts, showing more interest than I expected of him this early in the morning.
“She stopped the kiss, yelled at me to take my trash out, and disappeared into her apartment. Fucking hot.”
“She sounds nuts,” Knight huffs.
“She sounds perfect,” Link corrects.
“She sounds like she wants me but doesn’t want to admit she wants me.” I drop my fork and push away my food, sitting back in my chair to think. “What can I do to get this shock tonguing to happen on a regular basis?”
“Can we stop saying shock tongue?” Knight grumbles, staring into his coffee mug. “It sounds rapey.”
“I have an idea,” Link says, and I can’t help but wince because it reminds me that it was Link’s idea for me to send in the DNA, and every time I think about what those results might be, my anxiety spikes. “What if tonight, we come over and break something in your place, so she has to come fix it like she did when you had Booker over? We’re basically setting up the perfect porno film.”
“Right,” I reply slowly. “Except we’re not doing an orgy scene so why would I need you guys there?”
Link deflates. “Really?”
I blink back at him. “You’d want to three-way one girl with me and Knight?”
“I’m open-minded.” Link shrugs.
“I’m closed-minded,” Knight barks. “To you. And other dicks in general. I’m not closed-minded to men who like dick. Play with whatever balls you like. But don’t feel the need to pass them over to me, you know?”
“Well, I don’t need them passed to me either,” Link defends, looking hilariously rejected. “I’m just saying if I was tossed into the middle of a porno, I wouldn’t be that disgusted at the idea of being with a couple of shredded pro soccer players. I think I’d be gay for you! Are you telling me you wouldn’t be gay for me? Have you seen my abs?”
He lifts his shirt up, and while the man is rocking a solid six-pack, I fear this conversation is getting away from us. “How about I just stop by Old George after training today and see if she’s working?”
Link sighs defeatedly. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
“Or…” Knight leans across the table to point his fork at me. “You focus on the match we have at Tower Park Wednesday night. You have a chance to start at a home game, and that’s one hundred percent where all your focus should be directed. Not some girl.”
I sigh heavily and rake my hand through my hair. “Fuck, you’re right. But after what happened Saturday, I’ll probably be back on the bench.” My jaw tightens as I replay the moment in my head. “God, I know I shouldn’t have pushed forward. They put me in as a center-back, but I was so fucking close to stealing, I couldn’t help myself. I left Booker hanging with his nuts out. Rookie move, for sure. Coach Z is going to have my ass for breakfast today.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Knight replies with a knowing look. “You may have been overzealous at one point, but up until then, you played more like a sweeper than a center-back, and that’s what Vaughn recruited you for.”
“You think?” I ask, still kicking myself. “I lost us the fucking game, Knight.”
“I know, but you and Booker were totally in sync. That’s what Vaughn Harris wants from you. A sweeper who sits back and protects the penalty box when necessary and has his keeper’s back…or front. I think your instincts for most of the match were spot-on. You just got burned because Finney didn’t have your back. Didn’t you notice how Vaughn pulled Finney aside after the game instead of you?”
“Yes,” I respond, feeling a nervous tingle start in my fingers. “I figured that was because he was too disgusted by me to talk.”
Knight shrugs. “Or you’re doing exactly what he wants, and now he just needs to shift things around to speed up the new game plan.”
“Well, fuck me.” I huff out a laugh, feeling ten times lighter than I did when we sat down earlier. “Knight, if you’re right, I might just have to shock tongue you.”
“I’ll watch!” Link exclaims, and the eerie twinkle in his eye makes both Knight and I burst out laughing.
Daphney
It’s Tuesday evening, and I’m seated inside my tiny, clawfoot bathtub with my guitar clutched tightly to my chest while the acoustical chords reverberate loudly off the tiled walls. I sing out the last bar of the Tire Depotjingle that I finally completed and feel a euphoric rush hit me.
“Oh, my God,” I exclaim, and my guitar makes an angry noise of protest as I grab it by its neck and hurl myself out of the empty tub. “That’s it!”
