On Friday night, I was laying on the couch reading a book. Cazzie liked to make the rounds just before dark, and was currently out on the balcony, where she had a view of the field next to my apartment. After a few minutes, I heard voices. She was chatting with the hot neighbor I had been flirting with. Lexi was leaning over the balcony toward Caz, showing off the tops of her breasts in a yellow sun dress. Cazzie said something, and Lexi laughed, which made her boobs tremble.
“What were you two talking about?” I asked when Cazzie came back inside.
“Bodyguard stuff. I was telling her about the last client I had. She was an Instagram influencer, too. Did you know Lexi has two million followers?”
“I don’t like you talking about that with her. I don’t want anyone knowing I have a bodyguard.”
Cazzie pursed her full lips together. It looked like she was trying to hide a smile. “I talked you up to her, actually. How important you must be to have someone out to get you.”
“Nobody is out to get me,” I snapped, tossing my book down on the coffee table. “Don’t talk to her again.”
“She said hello to me. It would have been rude not to reply.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not getting paid to flirt with my hot neighbors. If I see you doing it again, I’m going to find your boss’s number and tell him you’re distracted.”
Cazzie snorted as if that was a joke. “Yeah. Okay.”
“You’re only here for a week,” I said, the rest of it coming out in a rush. “Then you’re gone. You don’t need to be nice, or make friends with anyone. Just do your job and leave me alone.”
Her face darkened. “Message received.”
7
Luke
On Saturday morning, we flew out to Las Vegas for our road game against the Raiders. Our hotel was right on the strip, and we had to walk through the casino floor just to reach the elevators. My room overlooked the strip, with the Bellagio fountains just visible to the north. Apparently, Cazzie had been given the room next door to mine.I guess I should be grateful we don’t have to share a room.It would be nice to get away from her for a little while.
We had a small practice at Allegiant Stadium, where the Raiders played, before returning to the hotel. Some of my teammates were heading out on the town even though we had a curfew, but I turned down their invitation and ordered room service instead.
When the knock came on my door, I opened it and then gave a start. It wasn’t room service—it was Caz, wearing one of the identical suits she always had on. “Do you need something?”
“Are you going anywhere tonight?” she asked.
“Why is that your business?”
“It’s my business,” she replied simply, “because I need to know if I should be prepared to leave, or if I can settle in for the night. If you’re going out, then I need to be ready at a moment’s notice. So, what are your plans?”
“Maybe I’ll go out, maybe not,” I replied. “I haven’t decided yet. Better keep your suit on.”
A bellhop pushing a food cart arrived then, with a tray of pasta and a plate of rolls. Cazzie grabbed two rolls, gave me an annoyed look, and then returned to her room.
I ate my dinner alone while watching SportsCenter. Penn State, my alma mater, had lost their first conference game of the year to Iowa. Iowa! They weren’t even ranked. Considering we had won the National Championship when I was on the team last year, that was absolutely embarrassing.
I left the rest of my food uneaten and went out into the hall, then knocked on the door next to mine. There was a shuffling noise inside, and then the door opened a crack. Caz’s face appeared, flushed red. “What?”
“I wanted to let you know I’m not going out. I was never going to. I just said that to keep you from relaxing. Sorry.”
The crack in the door opened another inch, giving me a better view of my bodyguard. The white towel wrapped around her body barely kept her decent, and her hair hung wetly to her shoulders.
“You took a shower?” I asked. “What happened to being ready at a moment’s notice?”
She smirked and glanced down at my crotch. “You had already changed into your Vuori sweatpants. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were going to hide out in your hotel room all night.”
“Hide out? Oh, please,” I snapped. “There’s a lot of pressure on me. I’m this big first round pick who everyone’s expecting to hit the ground running. You have no idea what kind of stress I’m feeling.”
“I wasn’t judging,” she replied evenly. The towel slipped a bit, but she grabbed itjustbefore it could reveal one of her nipples. “Just explaining my assessment. See you in the morning, pal.” The door closed on my face.
I spent the rest of the night reviewing game plays while trying not to picture the skin I saw when Caz’s towel had slipped. It was a strange feeling to be attracted to someone I disliked. The fact that she was a lesbian made it easier for me to dismiss those thoughts from my mind.