The Do Over (38 page)

I buried my head in my arms as she placed more pressure on my hamstring. Between the Advil, pool, and ice, my leg was feeling better. I hated her, but she took good care of me.

"Help me get her to your yoga class, and you take it from there. Think of Daniela as one of your charities. Be that dynamic, energetic, and driven woman who wants to right the wrongs done in society. We'll call it Operation Escalation," I suggested.

"And why on earth would I do this?"

When I sat up, she stood with her arms crossed and lips pursed.

"Your attitude is fucking hot." I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And you'll do this for me because when you aren't hating my guts, you love me and want me to be happy."

"I'll think about it."

When she stepped into a strapless cover-up, my dick was on high alert.
Damn.
I watched as she moved and shimmied into that dress.

She threw a towel at me. "Dry up. Is your leg feeling better?"

"Maddy, thank you," I said, drying off with the towel. "Yes, my leg is better. You're the best. I'll pick you up in a couple of hours. We have things to do."

"I'm busy," she said impassively.

"I know you're busy. You're going Christmas shopping with me. I made an appointment with Daisy to see some of her jewelry."

She was hesitating. I could tell she was about to say something.

I stood up, towering over her tiny barefoot frame. "I'll see you in two hours. Don't fight me."

Finally, she relented. Putting two fingers in the air, she walked away.

Madison and I resumed our daily training. According to her, I still had a great deal to learn. Apparently, ordering her around was on the list of things that needed to be dealt with immediately. The truth was that I liked telling her what to do, and secretly, I thought she liked it, too. She could try to remedy it all she wanted, but it wasn't going to change.

I also took on the role of Madison Pussy Protector. There was no way some motherfucker was going to get close to her if I was around. So, I was around as often and as much as I could be. After I had Daniela where she needed to be, which was on my fucking dick, I was going to subject Madison to the Rick Marin School of Maddy Reform.

Madison's training was proving to be beneficial in all areas of my life. The guys were back to playing basketball on Thursdays. We played fiercely on the court, and Liam was no longer the only wonder boy shooting hoops. The odds were evening out. In fact, they were stacking in my direction. He wouldn't know what hit him, and I didn't give a shit. Daniela was mine before she knew him, and by the look of her trembling lip, she still was. She just needed to be reminded.

As I walked into the locker room, I saw Chris. "Hey, Chris," I said, "before I forget, Madison wanted me to give you these. It's for her yoga class." I pulled out the certificates that Madison had given me as part of Operation Escalation.

My goal was to win Daniela back before New Year's. I'd decided that Madison needed to intervene. There was no better way to do that than to have Daniela and Madison hang out. I owed Maddy my left nut and maybe the right one, too.

"Dude, I don't do yoga. That's for chicks," Chris said flatly, looking at me like I'd grown a vagina.

Chris was unreal. I stared him down, shaking my head.

"No, you idiot, it's a class for women. Maddy, um…Madison wanted me to give them to you for your girlfriend and her friends."

"Maddy?" Chris chuckled. "What's going on with you and
Maddy
Stuart? The last time I asked, you changed the subject. You've been spending a lot of time with her lately."

"We're friends," I said impassively.

I really hated when Chris moved from shithead to motherfucker. By his tone and expression, he had done the transition in the blink of an eye.

"Madison Stuart doesn't do friends, and neither do you, unless benefits come with them." Chris smirked.

His assumption couldn't be further from the truth. Although I even questioned it at times, we were, in fact, just friends.

"So, is she as good as they say?" he asked.

Anger surged as I pictured that asshole Alex, Chris, and a plethora of other men who eyed her like a fucking meal. I was consumed and ready to fucking kick his ass. My blood boiled, and my jaw clenched.

Madison had come through for me. I could count on her for just about anything. This asshole wasn't going to talk shit about her. That was exclusively my job.

"Fuck you, Chris." I got in his face. "She's my friend, so fucking watch what you say before I kick the shit out of you."

Chris got back in my face and glared at me. "What the fuck's your problem? Why are you so defensive? Madison's no angel, and she'll be the first one to tell you. Shit, you saw right through her the minute you met her. She sure as hell doesn't need you to protect her virtue when she's giving it away to anyone with a dick."

The tension in the room escalated.

"Chris, stop it," Liam said sternly, staring at him.

Shit
. I didn't need or want Liam to fight my fucking battle.

Chris was speaking the gospel truth. Madison liked to fuck. I'd called her while she was fucking. I'd watched her walk away with a fuck buddy. I'd fucking hated it, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't blame her. I loved fucking, too. I was waiting for Daniela to get with the program, so I could finally fuck again.
Shit
,
I miss fucking.
Personally, I detested that Madison whored herself around, but she was a consenting adult. I knew she deserved a lot better, but Chris was no one to be talking shit about her.
Who the fuck does he think he is?

I didn't acknowledge Liam. He had no business getting involved in this.

"Don't fucking talk about Madison like that." Closing in on Chris, I clenched my fists. I felt a fierce sense of loyalty and a need to protect her.

Chris shook his head. "So, you aren't fucking her, but you don't want me to talk about what every other guy who does fuck her talks about—her sweet pussy. What's the deal? You're no fucking saint."

He was oblivious to the ass kicking that was coming his way.

Liam got between us, holding me back. "Chris, that's enough. Stop being an asshole," he said, making sure Chris understood.

Chris looked over to Liam. "Dude, relax. I'll back off." As he turned back to me, he sincerely said, "It's just weird. I don't know why you're so fucking pissed off." He was clearly dumbfounded by my reaction.

I took a step back and started pacing. As I opened and closed my fists, I shook the tension out of my arms and head, stretching my neck from side to side. I was confused myself. I had never lost control or gotten physical. I was a lover, not a fighter.

"You know what? I don't know what the fuck came over me," I said to Chris.

I felt possessed by a powerful force. She wasn't even here, and she was still fucking pissing me off.
Why the hell does she have to be such a motherfucking whore?
I remembered her saying that it was her turn to forget.
What the fuck is that all about?

I had been close to beating the shit out of Chris because he'd called her out for what she was. I had nothing to lose by explaining my relationship with Madison. Maybe they could shed some insight as to why she fucking pissed me off all the time.

"Madison's giving me advice on how to get my girl back. You know, she's helping me understand women," I admitted.

Chris was tying his shoe when he looked up at me. Shaking his head, he asked, "And how's that shit working for you?"

"To be honest with you, she's brilliant." Nodding, I sat down on the bench next to him. "But, most of the time, I think she's trying to fucking cut off my dick."

Liam stood there, tossing a basketball between his hands.

"Between you and Lucas, I feel like I'm watching one of those birth-control commercials.
Fuck
. The two of you need to grow some balls." After the words flowed effortlessly out of his mouth, he guarded his face when Liam turned and aimed the ball at him.

Liam shook his head in disbelief. "Chris, you're really a piece of work. Why on earth does Macy put up with you?"

Chris smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Per her admission, she's addicted to this right here." He grabbed his dick. "See, I'm a fucking man." Chris threw a towel at me. "Rick, you're asking a chick for help to get another chick. How are you not worried that you're going to grow a vagina? You are the man, dude. Talk to us, and we'll make sure that your manhood stays intact."

After my masculinity was challenged, We went for drinks, and so began my education with the first pitcher, the second pitcher, and then the third, or maybe it was the fourth.
Who knows?
We lost count.

Liam looked at us, shaking his head. He leaned in toward me. As though he was sharing the secret of life, he said, "You need to love her more than you love your dick."

"Dude, you're drunk," Chris slurred.

"That's really deep, but what the fuck does that mean?" I asked, confused.

Liam was being a fucking philosopher, and I'd gladly take practical tips from the asshole who was fucking Daniela. He obviously knew what worked with her.

"You have to love her more than you love your dick," he said in a tone that seemed to be making an obvious point.

I was lost. That sounded like the same bullshit he said earlier.

"You're not fucking Dani?" Chris's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I thought you took care of the condition."

"Fuck you." Liam shook his head and then finished his beer. "I don't need this shit. I have someone waiting for me at home."

"Yoda, wait. I need you to impart your wisdom." I needed him to keep talking. I had to understand. "Speak in English, dude. No offense, but you're talking in chick."

Chris just nodded in agreement as he stared at his beer with his eyes glazed over.

"You two are a lost cause. Let me dumb this down for you." Liam rolled his eyes. "She has to matter to you more than your dick does. Bottom line is that fucking doesn't create a lasting relationship. Don't get me wrong. It's a great part of the relationship. I love it. I can't get enough of it, but it's not everything. Talk about something other than you, like things that interest her. You have to get to know your woman—her likes and dislikes. Dani talks about her friends and her books. I know when I have to turn off the TV and give her all my attention. And when she wraps her arms around me and smiles, I know there's no other place on earth I want to be. The take-home message is for you to stop being a selfish cocksucker."

"Hold on a second. I don't suck cock. I eat pussy, and damn, I'm starved for some right now." I took another drink and brought my glass down hard, causing a little beer to splash out. I needed them to both understand. I was after pussy not cock.

Chris spit beer out of his mouth. "Rick, bro, when was the last time you got laid?"

"It's been too long. So, yeah, I think I might just love this girl more than my dick. My dick's fucking pissed off at me right now. Do you know that I fucking pushed Lise off of me while she had her pussy in my face and my dick in her mouth?"

Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads as their mouths dropped to the table. I deserved a trophy. Lise was a hot model with a smoking body.

"I can see you haven't been listening to me at all. Dude, stop thinking with your fucking dick. You need to love her more than you love your dick. Trust me, it's a wonderful thing," Liam said.

I stared at him. He sounded like he had been shot up with estrogen.

"Does this lecture come with a PowerPoint presentation?" Chris asked before he buried his drunken head in his arms.

"Fuck you, Chris. I can stop," Liam said, shrugging his shoulders. He pushed his glass away.

"Shut up, Chris. This is good. Continue." I motioned with my hands for Liam to go on. This was valuable information.

"Your dick is secondary to her heart. It's plain and simple." Liam pulled out his phone. "These are pictures of my girl. She's beautiful. Look at that million-dollar smile. The first time I saw her, I acted like a horny teenager. Fuck, I wanted her. I could have buried my dick in her in front of an entire CPR class. She turns me on like nobody else, but I didn't push it because she mattered more than my dick." He sat up and looked me straight in the eye. "When you find the one, you'll love her more than you love your dick. It's not about you. It's all about her."

Chris looked over at Liam. "Dude, is she the one?"

"Think so," Liam responded, nodding his head, while he looked at his fucking phone.

What a pussy.

I didn't want to hear about how much he wanted her, or how she turned him on, or that she was
the one
. A part of me wanted to tell him how much I'd once turned her on, how she had moaned when I'd touched her, and the way her body had reacted to my fucking voice. Then, I'd tell him that she wasn't the one for him because she was going to be mine again. But I didn't say anything because I was becoming a better man, or a worse one, for participating in this discussion.

I was fucking plastered, so I called Madison to pick me up. I overheard Liam calling Daniela for a ride. She would be there in a matter of minutes.