“You see,” he says, sounding slightly jittery. “The fact of the matter is, you’re sort of . . . kind of . . . you know, with everything happening and the past well—”
“Levi, what’s going on?”
“You’re making me hard,” he says in one fell swoop.
“Oh.” I attempt to hold back my smile, and it feels nearly impossible. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t. And yes, this is incredibly unprofessional of me, but I wanted you to know. That’s what’s happening.”
“Well, thank you for telling me. I’m guessing from the way you’re backing away from me, you don’t appreciate being hard.”
“Not particularly. Granted, I love that my dick can get excited. It makes me feel alive. But when it comes to you, it’s forbidden, so I really shouldn’t be getting hard, you know?”
I nod. Sadly. “I know what you mean. My dad was very explicit when it came to any sexual behavior with any of his players.”
“See? You know.”
“I do.” I cross my arms over my chest, lifting my breasts while doing so, and I watch his eyes bounce from my face, down to my torso, and then back up. The man is impossible. “Can I ask you, is there anything in particular that’s making you hard?”
“Yup,” he answers. “And I don’t want this to sound chauvinistic, but the no bra situation is just about destroying me.”
“Oh.” I chuckle. “I’m sorry. It’s just more comfortable that way.”
“I get it,” he says. “I’ve seen my fair share of bras being torn off after a long day. But maybe we can leave it on when walking around my apartment?”
“Sure, that’s not a problem.” I reach out and touch his arm. “I’m so sorry I’ve been making you uncomfortable.”
He swats my hand away and says, “Not uncomfortable, just . . . you know . . . aroused.”
“Which leads to discomfort. I get it. I’ll do better.”
“Thank you.” He sighs in relief. “Fuck.” He pushes his hand through his hair. “I thought this was going to be a tough conversation. Thanks for being so cool about it.”
“Not a problem. Anything you need or want to talk about, I’m here for you, Mr. Posey. We’re in this together.”
He eyes me, and I chuckle. “None of that mister shit.”
“Just teasing.” I nudge him with my foot. “Also, I’m very flattered that a man of your stature and attractiveness would be turned on by me. Makes me feel good.”
“Yeah, well, hard not to be turned on by you.”
I smirk. “Stop, you’re going to make my nipples hard, and we don’t want that.”
“Yeah, we don’t,” he says in a haze as his eyes float to my chest.
“Levi.”
“Huh?” His eyes snap up.
“Maybe you should leave since, you know, you’re getting all dazed.”
“Right, yeah. I should go.” He reaches into his back pocket. “By the way, here is a list of things I need done. Think you can do them today? Game tonight, then we leave tomorrow for a few days. I need some suits and new shoes, some snacks for the plane, and a refill on my vitamins. It’s all written down.”
He hands me the list, and I don’t bother looking at it.
“Not a problem. I can get this done for you. Are you headed over to the arena soon?”
“Shortly.”
“Can I grab a ride with you?” I ask. “I left my car there yesterday.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.”
“Great, give me like fifteen. I’ll be ready.”
“Sounds good.”
He takes off, and when my bedroom door is shut, I run over to my phone.
Wylie:He just came to my bedroom. Told me I’m making him hard by going braless.
I move into my bathroom, where I start the shower. It takes far too long for the water to warm up.
Sandie:Oh, didn’t see that coming. So he asked you to put a bra on?
Wylie:Yup. You know what that means?
Sandie:Oh, I do . . .
Wylie:Time for the ultimate push-up bra to take the reins.
Sandie:Poor, poor Posey. Should have stuck with the braless attire.
LEVI
“Let’s practice our box breathing,”Yogi Carl says.
“Fuck you and your box breathing,” I mutter, exiting YouTube just as I hear Wylie head down the hallway.
I sit up from where I’m leaning on the island counter just in time to see her enter the kitchen . . .
Fuck.
Me.
I’m . . . fucked.
“Hey, thanks for waiting,” she says casually as she moves toward the fridge, my hungry eyes eating up every last inch of her.
Wearing a pair of wide-leg jeans that rest low on her hips, she’s paired them with a deep V-neck, forest-green sweater and some sort of magical underwire. Her breasts are screaming to pop past the cashmere.
Well, she’s wearing a bra, that’s for damn sure.
A bra that’s making me sweat.
I actually have sweat on my upper lip as I stare at her.
At the way her curved hips hold up her jeans, the way they cling to her heart-shaped ass. The slight hourglass figure of her torso and the slenderness of her shoulders. And then her perfectly pulled together cleavage that’s begging me to touch, to play with.
Why does the universe hate me?
“Everything okay?” she asks.
“Uh . . . yeah. Just a second, left something in my bedroom.” Before I can wait for a response, I jog back to my bedroom, shut the door, and start typing on my phone.
Levi:RED ALERT. RED ALERT. I NEED MY LABIA LADIES!
Penny:Ew, you are not calling us that.
Blakely:Think of a better name, or we’re not helping.
Ollie:Agreed. A much better name.
Winnie:*Snorts*
Levi:I’M IN DISTRESS! That’s the first thing that came to mind.
Penny:You know, if we’re going to be a part of this, we should really brainstorm a good name.
Blakely:I like the idea of using the term queen. Because that’s what we are, right? Queens.
Ollie:Ooo, I second the queen idea.
Winnie:I’m also on board with queen.
Levi:Fine, my Quibbling Queens.
Penny:Try again.
Levi:Quintessential Queens.
Ollie:Too long.
Levi:Quirky Queens.
Winnie:You’re getting worse.
Levi:Uhh . . . Queefing Queens?
Penny:You’re going to be dead to us in mere seconds.
Levi:I’m sorry! Like I said before, I’M IN DISTRESS!
Blakely:You know, it doesn’t have to start with a Q.
Levi:For the love of God, just help me. Work on the name later.
Penny:*looks at nails and sighs* Fine. How can we be of service to you?
Levi:I told her about getting hard, and she understood completely. I told her to put on a bra. And she did.
Ollie:Wow, this really is a red alert. She listened. The horror.
Winnie:It is for a man. They don’t understand what listening is.
Blakely:Ha, good one.
Winnie:Thank you, it just came to me.
Levi:The listening isn’t the problem. It’s the kind of bra she’s wearing now that’s the problem.
Penny:Uh-oh. Is it a push-up bra?