The Do Over (14 page)

My pheromones must have been giving off the I-need-to-get-fucked-hard-and-now vibe. As I made my way over to Chris, a few women smiled and offered to buy me a drink as they handed me napkins with their numbers. I needed a fucking prize. If I wasn't on a mission, I would've bagged two of them in the bathroom at the same time. Just thinking of girl-on-girl action was getting me hard. I needed a drink fast.

I had to wade through a sea of bodies pressing up against me before I met up with Chris.

"Rick, it's good to see you." Chris extended his hand to me and called over the bartender.

She leaned over the bar as she took my drink order. She was easily a double-D. Her tits were begging to be handled, nibbled, and sucked. I asked her for a double and told her to keep them coming as I thought about her doubles and her coming. I needed an outlet before I went insane.
Shit!
I was coming undone.

Chris and I engaged in small talk, and then I told him my impressions on Breathe. I was biased. After all this time, Breathe was where I saw Daniela, so for me, it would be memorable. Regardless, there really wasn't anything negative I could say. I didn't think Chris was convinced because I seemed distracted.

Sweat started beading on my forehead. The bartender kept coming by and leaning over the counter next to me. Sexually frustrated to the nth degree, I tossed back my Johnny Walker like it was water. This abstinence thing was really getting to me. I couldn't handle it.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked.

I wasn't exactly going to tell Chris that I'd seen my ex—who happened to leave with his friend—that I wanted her back and that I was now on a quest to become a man worthy of her affections. Not to mention, this meant I hadn't gotten laid in two weeks, so I was going to explode. Nothing I was doing was taking away the edge.

After I threw back the rest of my drink, I simply said, "I've been stressed at work."

Chris patted me on the back. "I know exactly what you need—basketball."

"Basketball? How the hell is that supposed to relieve my stress?" I asked, signaling the bartender for another drink.

Chris took a swig of his beer before he said, "Exercise and endorphins—the feel good stuff. My buddies and I get together on Thursdays. You should come."

I looked over at him and considered the offer.
Chris is a good guy.

He added, "The guys are really cool. They wouldn't mind if you joined our game. You've already met Lucas."

Bingo
. "I might have to take you up on that. I need to do something."

This had to be a sign from God. This was the prize I was getting for becoming a fucking honorary priest. For the first time in two weeks, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I was just going to find out if Liam was still talking to Daniela. It was my only viable lead right now. I was so fucking excited that I could have kissed Chris right here.
Yes, I'm one step closer to Daniela.

I loved the game of basketball. It represented life. I had to work as a team, think quickly on my feet, and trust my instincts. Plus, there was something special about being at the free throw line.

I stood on the court, waiting for the guys to arrive. As long as our schedules permitted, Chris, Wyatt, my buddy Josh, and I came every Thursday. We played a fierce game of two on two. Wyatt and Chris always teamed up together. They had nothing on the Lucas-Josh dream team.

With its high ceilings and waxed wood floors, the gym was awesome. I was palming the ball, looking at the basket, as I began to dribble it. There were times in life when it wasn't about being part of a team. Everything was on your shoulders alone. On the free throw line, I had to block out the crowds and the other team. My only focus was on the goal: making the basket. I bounced the ball a couple of times and took the shot.
Whoosh.

Moving over a cart full of balls, I got back on the free throw line, thinking of Dani. We'd been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now. After wiping the sweat from my brow, I bounced the ball a few times as I thought about what an amazing woman she was
.
I took the shot.
Whoosh.

I bounced the ball a few more times. I hadn't spent much time with her since the weekend. It took everything in me to stay away, especially considering that my station house was close to her office. Even though we both had busy schedules, I just wanted to see her all the time
.
While I looked at the basket, I couldn't believe how quickly she'd gotten under my skin. I took the shot.
Whoosh.

Bouncing the ball, I thought about how there was something unique about Dani. She stood out from
every
woman I'd ever known. When I pictured her smile, I smiled.

Chris called out, "Yo, Lucas, we're here."

I looked over to see him strut in with the douche from the club.

Turning back around, I took the shot.
Whoosh
.

I watched as Rick walked into our gym like he owned the place, and that brought me back to the present.

I didn't like Rick. He was a cocky son of a bitch, and I hated the way he'd gawked at Dani the other night. He was bad news, and I didn't trust him. These were reasons enough for me not to like him, but I trusted Chris with my life. If Chris thought it was a good idea to bring that asshole, then I would be open-minded for Chris's sake.

Chris waved. "Hey, Lucas."

I jogged over to Chris and Rick. After wiping my hands on a clean towel, I greeted both of them. Wyatt and Josh walked in behind them.

After a short warm up, we divided into teams. Rick played on Wyatt and Chris's team. However, it made no difference because we wiped the floor with them. As intense as we normally played, this game was more aggressive. It seemed personal between Rick and me. I didn't know what the hell his problem was, but he needed to back the fuck off before I didn't care that he was Chris's friend.

"Good game, guys," Josh said, patting the losers on the back as we walked off the court.

"Yo," Wyatt said, coming up next to me. "Oh, smitten one, I heard you met someone Saturday night."

Wyatt, Chris, and I were close, but we weren't
that
close.

I just shook my head. "Mom heard, too." I glared at him. "Why is it newsworthy that I met a girl?"

"Hey, you were MIA, and she was worried." Wyatt opened the door to the locker room. "No one gives a shit if you met a girl, but this is different. You're
smitten
," he said with a very bad British accent.

Laughing, I swatted him on the back of the head as we walked into the locker room. "Chris is an asshole, but yeah, I like Dani a lot. So, you better be on your best behavior."

As we were getting ready to leave, I was putting things away in my bag.

Chris eyed something. "Dude, what the fuck is that?" he asked so eloquently.

"What?" I answered, continuing what I was doing.

"That." He pointed at my duffel bag.

"What's your problem?"

Shit!
I was busted. I would never hear the end of this. I was already the
smitten
one. Now, my friends were officially going to call me a pussy. I tried to man up as much as I could.

Confidently, I said, "It's a Kindle, smart ass. People use e-readers all the time. It's an efficient way to manage your reading material."

Chris wasn't buying it. "Since when do you read?" He knew me. "Holy fucking shit, you're becoming a chick." Chris laughed as he pulled out my Kindle. "Let's see what reading material you have on this e-reader."

I grabbed it out of his hand and glared at him. He shut up, but he continued to snicker. The last thing Chris needed to see was that I'd downloaded the book Dani was reading. I'd tried to read it, but I couldn't get into it. I'd fallen asleep by the time I'd reached the second page.

"Chris, you know you're an asshole."

"Negative, dude. I'm not an asshole because you're pussy whipped." Chris decided to enlighten Rick and the others on the significance of the Kindle. "What a coincidence that you start dating a girl who happens to be really into books." He turns to the guys. "Get this. She meets up with her girlfriends for breakfast at Van Dyke's on Saturday mornings, but she gets there about an hour earlier just so she can read. Now, that's dedication. It's so bad that her friends even staged an intervention." He laughed some more.

I shoved him into the lockers, staring him down.

"Back down, Rambo," Chris mocked.

"Where the hell did you hear all these details about Dani?" I asked, stepping away from him.

Chris replied, "Pillow talk." He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the locker room as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

I would get Chris when he least expected it.
This isn't over.

I pulled out my phone.

Liam: I need to see you.

Dani: Everything okay?

Liam: Will be when I see your smile.

Dani: I'm smiling. I can send you a picture.

Liam: In person. Be there in ten minutes.

Wyatt walked out with me. "Listen, I fully support you being smitten. Don't let Chris get to you."

"Never have."

We both laughed.

"So, you know how I've been dating Jennifer?" he asked, rubbing his face.

"She's a friend with benefits. I don't think that qualifies as dating." I opened the door to my car and dropped my duffel bag on the seat.

"I buy her dinner. That counts," he argued. He looked around like he was about to share top-secret information. "Well, I like her, and I think I'm going to take it to the next level, but don't tell Mom. I'm just letting you know, so if I'm MIA, you know what's going on."

I laughed as I got in the car. "She won't hear it from me, but good luck keeping this from her."

As Wyatt walked toward his car, I pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto Ponce De Leon Blvd. From the Wellness Center, it was a quick drive to Dani's house. When she opened the door, her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red. I immediately pulled her into me.

"Baby, are you okay? What happened?" I asked, cradling her head with my hands.

She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe he cheated and got the skank pregnant."

Confused, I tried to maintain control. "Who cheated on whom? And who's pregnant?"
What the fuck is she talking about?
Maybe it was one of her friends.
But why is she so upset?
"Why don't you start from the beginning?" I asked with the most control I could muster.

She let out a big sigh and walked over to her Kindle. "I don't know why I do this to myself." She threw it on the couch. She hung her head in mock shame at her reaction to a book.

I was relieved that it was just one of her books.
Shit.
I hated the thought that she might be talking about herself. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her possessively. Lowering my mouth over hers, I kissed away the tragedy she'd just read.

Leaning back, her eyes sparkled as her face brightened.

"There it is," I said with a smile. "You just made my day."

I could never get enough of her. Holding this beautiful woman in my arms, I kissed her again. I didn't want to ever let her go.

Dani: OMG, Liam stopped by just because. Ahhh!

Macy: Get out of here. Anything happen?

Dani: Damn that boy can kiss.

Macy: Is that all he can do?

Dani: Head out of the gutter.

Candace: He came during the week?

Dani: Is Macy gossiping?

Candace: LOL! You know she can't keep quiet. Details.

Dani: Boy can kiss. I wanted him to have his way with me. Happy?

Macy: Hello??? Don't keep me waiting.

Dani: Not talking to you, big mouth.

Macy: It was Candace. That's not talking.

I did the happy dance. I couldn't remember the last time, if ever, I was this excited. I skipped to my room and fell back on my bed, kicking my legs foolishly.