Chapter Three
Eryn
I couldn't help the sudden rush of nervousness that invaded when Coach Vinson asked me to stay behind after practice. We’d had one practice. What did he need to talk to me about? And why me, but no other players on the team? To be perfectly honest, it made me a little nervous – for more reasons than one.
Even though I’d played it down with Leena, seeing him in person, I couldn't deny that the man was absolutely gorgeous. He was hands-down one of the best looking men I'd ever laid eyes on.
But then again, so was my ex. Tim was a model, and so I knew exactly how these male model types worked. Tim lied brilliantly and had me fooled for so long before I finally caught him in the act of one of his multiple affairs. Even then, he'd manipulated me so well that, for a while, I had doubted whether it had even happened, even though I'd seen it with my own eyes.
And this guy, the infamous Wade Vinson, well… I'd heard all the stories about him. Thanks to the tabloids, everyone knew all about the sordid details of his relationship with Georgia Jackson. If you asked me, he was a guy exactly like Tim: arrogant, self-centered, and manipulative. A guy who’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and who always got whatever he wanted due to his good looks.
Well, I'd been played once by a guy exactly like that. I had no use for another one in my life. Even if he was just my coach. And because he was my coach, there wasn’t a chance in hell anything was going to happen. Even if the man hadn’t been 11 years older, I wouldn't allow it.
I walked up to him as the other girls left the court. When he beamed a crooked smile at me, I could swear I saw the glint of something flirty in his eyes, but I kept my own expression cool and polite.
“What did you want to talk about, Coach Vinson?” I asked.
“Call me Wade, please,” he replied in a sweet tone.
“I'd prefer to call you 'Coach Vinson,'. Coach Vinson,” I replied somewhat coldly. I was not going to give him any room to try any games with me.
He nodded. “Fair enough. Well, Eryn, I just wanted to say that you really impressed me out there on the court. Your positioning, anticipation of opponents' moves, and your own athleticism and skill at handling the ball are all seriously impressive.”
I couldn't help looking down and blushing. I wasn't used to receiving such sincere and heartfelt compliments.
“Thanks, Coach,” I mumbled in reply, caught off guard.
“There's more, though. I had a long and detailed conversation with Coach Hatting about the team earlier today. He explained everything about, umm, how can I put it…the…irregularities involved with the former coach of this team. Anyway, since the issue hasn't been legally resolved in full, I'm not allowed to go into too much detail about it with you girls yet, but let's just say there was some serious injustice going on regarding selection for the starting lineup.
“I'm aware that, despite you being one of the best players on the team and the fact that you're here on a volleyball scholarship, you haven't been part of the starting lineup. I feel you should know there’s a good chance that's going to change. I judge people on hard work and talent alone. Keep working hard, and I can definitely see you being a starter this season.
“We've got some big games coming up at the start of the season, and because of the…irregularities, we're starting out low on the ladder. We're going to have to work hard to get back to a top spot in the rankings, but I think we can do it.”
I stood in stunned silence for a moment, not sure how to respond. I looked into his eyes and caught myself getting lost in them for a second. Damn, the man was beautiful. I snapped out of it, reminding myself that, despite his pretensions to the contrary, I knew what kind of person he really was: a player, just like my ex. Still, player or not, he had just told me that I was likely to make the starting lineup, and that was the best news I'd had in a long time.
“I… I don't know what to say, Coach Vinson. Thank you. You can bet I'll be working my butt off to get into that starting lineup.”
“You do that. You've got real talent, Eryn, and that could take you far. I mean that.”
“Thank you.”
“That's all; go on and hit the showers. I'll see you tomorrow at practice.”
“See you then, Wa-, um, Coach Vinson.”
I cursed myself for that little slip of my tongue as I hurried toward the locker room. As I did, I’d have sworn I could feel his eyes piercing into me while I walked away.
*****
I was leaving the computer lab when my professor, Dr. Adams, stopped me.
“Eryn, the secretary at the student finance office asked if I could pass on a message to you.”
“And what might that be, Dr. Adams?”
“She simply asked if you stop by there as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I'll do that. Thanks for passing on the message.”
He smiled at me. “No problem, Eryn. Keep up the good work, by the way; your grades are looking great this semester!”
“Thanks, Dr. Adams,” I said, and then I turned and left.
It was always comforting to know that I was doing well, even though I didn't really have much interest in the subject I’d chosen as my major.
I'd chosen computer programming because I knew there would be excellent work opportunities after I graduated and that was important to me. Seeing my mom suffer through her low pay and long hours just to take care of my sister and me made me focus more on making sure I could land a good job after college, rather than what I’d wanted to study.
Make no mistake, my mind was fully committed to my studies, but deep down, I'd wanted to major in art. Painting was my passion and I was good at it – really good. But realistically, I knew it wouldn't be a field in which I could make a solid living – and I wanted to be certain of a steady income, not only for my sake, but for my mom's. She had suffered long enough, and anything I could do to help her out – well, I'd do it.
As I approached the finance office, I wondered why they wanted to talk to me. I couldn't help but feel a tingle of nerves brewing in my gut. I couldn't afford to lose my scholarship, not now. There was no way either my mom or I could afford to pay full tuition.
Sometimes, I regretted the decision I'd made. I'd been offered a full scholarship to Duke University, but I'd turned it down and taken the partial one offered by Florida State just because I'd wanted to stay here for my mom's sake. With my sister all the way across the country, I was the only person Mom had. She tried to make me take it, make me go to Duke, but without me here, she'd be alone and I couldn’t stand the thought of that at the time.
Even though it was sometimes hard to accept, I knew deep down that I'd made the right decision at that point in my life. In some ways, I realized now that it was more for me than her. I wasn’t quite ready to be so far from home then.
Feeling more than a little anxious, I stepped into the finance office. The secretary looked up at me as I walked in.
“Can I help you?”
“I'm Eryn Barnett. I was told I needed to come here.”
She ruffled through a stack of papers on her desk, and then she smiled as she found my file. “Ah, here's yours.”
She skimmed through it, and the smile on her face rapidly changed to a frown. “Close the door, sweetie, and have a seat,” she directed.
I complied and slumped down into the seat in front of her desk, not liking the look on her plump, rosy cheeks.
“Hmmm,” she mumbled to herself. “You're here on a volleyball scholarship, aren't you?”
“I am, yes,” I replied, the nervousness inside me growing exponentially.
“Yes. Well, you see, the finance director just completed an audit of all scholarships and found that you haven't actually been playing much. With the amount of scholarship money you are receiving, the director feels you should not only be playing, but starting.”
My cheeks felt hot with both embarrassment and frustration.
“That's true, but, aren't you guys aware of the controversy with the former coach? He-”
“We know of the allegations, but unfortunately, since he hasn't been convicted yet, we can't take those into account.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I'm sorry, Miss Barnett, but if you aren't playing and benefiting the athletic program this season, the school will have no choice but to revoke your scholarship. Funding is tight this year, and the university has instructed us to trim the budget wherever possible. I'm sorry to bring you this news, Miss Barnett, but you must understand that we simply can't afford to fund students who don't perform at the level expected of them.”
I breathed in a long, slow breath, fighting the tears that threatened to pour out. “I understand,” I replied slowly. “Is that all? Can I go now?”
“You can go,” she said.
I walked out sluggishly, my steps heavy. If I lost this scholarship…no, I couldn't even begin to consider that. That wasn’t an option. I had to make that starting lineup, whatever it took.
I was supposed to meet Leena for coffee, but now I knew that I couldn't. I needed to get to the gym and train, instead. I took out my phone, sent her an apologetic message, and then gritted my teeth and headed off to the locker room.
*****
I limped into the kitchen, aching and weary from the extra workout time I'd put in earlier. All I wanted was to eat a quick, healthy snack, climb into the bathtub and soak for a while, and then crawl into bed. The last thing I wanted to think about was what I'd been told at the finance office earlier.
Hell, I was struggling enough with everything else, including covering my half of the rent on the apartment I shared with Leena. If I didn't make the starting lineup…well, I didn't even want to consider the consequences.
Just as I began rifling through the contents of the fridge, my phone rang. Annoyed, I took it out. Couldn't I have just a moment of peace?
My annoyance faded though when I saw who it was: my mom. “Hi, Mom,” I said.
“Hey, sweetie. How did the practice go with the new coach today? What's his name again?”
“Wade Vinson.”
“Ah, yeah, Wade Vinson, that celebrity from out west. Is he as much of a hunk in real life as he looks like in all the pictures?”
“Mom!”
“Come on, I’m old. Not dead. I just wanna know!”
I chuckled. As tired as she often was, my mom always found ways to make me smile and laugh. “He's very good looking, all right? Not that it matters. The point is, it seems like he’s going to be a really good coach.”
“I sure hope he comes to his senses and puts you in as a starter. It's long overdue.”
“I hope so, too, Mom. I do have a good feeling about this season, though. I really think it'll be my year.”
I hoped that the cheerfulness of my tone was adequately hiding the anxiety in my voice. I definitely didn't want her to know anything about what the finance office had told me earlier. She had too much on her plate already.
“I'm praying for you, my dear. You've worked so hard for this; you really deserve your shot at the big time.”
“Thanks, Mom. Say, do you want me to come over and make you dinner again tomorrow night?”
“You don't have to do that, sweetie.”
“Come on, Mom, just let me help out. I know you've got another twelve-hour shift tomorrow. Really, it's no problem.”
“Well…if it's not a hassle, I always love to see my girl.”
“I'll see you around seven. Goodnight, love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetie. Have a good night.”
“Night, Mom.”
I put my phone back in my pocket and sighed. Things had to turn around this year. They just had to. Otherwise, I had no idea what I would do. No idea whatsoever.
Feeling weary, I managed to whip up a simple salad from some greens and veggies we had sitting in the fridge and ate it almost mechanically at the kitchen table while watching some mindless reality show.
Then, all of a sudden, the image of Coach Vinson popped into my head – a vision that had nothing to do with volleyball. I tried to shake it loose. I didn't want to think about him. Why was my mind suddenly wandering in this direction?
I forced the thoughts of him out of my head, finished off my salad, and trudged off to the bathroom for a nice, hot, relaxing bath. Tomorrow was another day, and all I could do was the same thing I'd been doing up to this point: face it with my head held high and work my ass off.
Chapter Four
Wade
I felt like the first practice had gone pretty well. I'd gotten a feel for how good the team was as a whole and was beginning to get a feel for how talented the individual players were.
Chief among these was Eryn Barnett. The woman was as perplexing as she was beautiful. But with that aside, I couldn't believe she had been excluded from the starting lineup for so long. Then again, I couldn’t believe a lot of how things had been run on this team before.
But all of that was about to change. There wouldn't be any unfairness or taking bribes on my watch. I was here to set everything straight and make sure everything went by the book.
I walked out onto the court and blasted a short, shrill note through my whistle, putting an end to the girls' warm-up and beckoning them all over to me.
“All right, ladies,” I shouted, “practice officially begins now! Gather round. Today, we're going to start off with some exercises, so put the balls away for the moment. These are not for the faint of heart.
“Most are going to focus on getting your core as strong as it can be because if you're driving that ball from your core – and I mean really driving it from your core – you're going to have the power you need to blast it like a missile when the time comes to spike it. And, of course, having a strong core is also needed for moving around, changing direction fast, diving, and blocking. So, pretty much every aspect of this game.
“I hope you're all properly warmed up – and ready for some pain! Because you know what they say? No pain…”
“No gain!” they all replied in unison.
Good. They seemed well-trained enough, and that was all most likely thanks to the previous weeks they'd had with Coach Hatting.
We began working through the various core exercises I'd planned for the afternoon, and while many of them started off strong, a lot began to falter as time went by. They were fit, but not fit enough to win a championship – not yet, anyway.
One or two of them, however, powered through the strenuous workouts without a word of complaint. And one of these was Eryn. She seemed to have a seriously intense level of fitness, and whatever I threw at her, she did while barely breaking a sweat. While the other girls were collapsing with exhaustion and pain all around her, she just kept on going.
If I hadn’t already been impressed by her, I was now. And even though I didn’t want it, the more I learned about her, the more attracted I found myself to her.
No, no, no. I could not think about stuff like this. I was the coach; she was one of my players! I'd gone off the rails enough in California. I'd come here with the aim of getting back on the straight and narrow path and playing strictly by the rules, which was how I'd always done things.
Before California, at least…
But I didn't want to think about that now, and I certainly didn't want to think about the gorgeous girl in front of me in any capacity other than professionally. Especially since the more I stared at her, the more my thoughts began to wander into, well, inappropriate places.
Eventually, we were done with the core strengthening routine, and groans and sighs of relief sounded from all around. I sorted the girls into two teams and finished up the practice with a game, a game in which Eryn, once again, managed to amaze me.
I took some notes as I watched the game progress, recording the various players' strengths and weaknesses and writing up possible combinations of players for the final team. The first inter-varsity match of the season was coming up, and I wanted to make sure we started off with a bang.
The scrimmage game came to a close and I checked my watch; it was close enough to the end of practice for the day.
“All right, ladies, well done! You all put in some very solid effort today, and I appreciate that! I know that this fitness stuff I'm hitting you with is pretty hardcore, but trust me, you'll thank me later when this team is kicking some serious ass!
“All right, get yourselves off the court and into the showers. It's Friday, and I'm sure you've all got hot dates later. You don't wanna be smelling like you currently do to impress those boys, right?”
They all laughed.
“Go on, go on, get out of here,” I said with a grin. “Have a great weekend, and I'll see you girls on Monday.”
I walked on down to my office where I could put my notes together over a mug of coffee, draw up some potential strategies on my whiteboard, and then take off. It had been quite a week, and I was looking forward to a cold beer with John later. I mean, I'd come here to live a quiet life and leave all the craziness of the West Coast behind, but that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun on the side.
After around half an hour, as I was just wrapping things up, I heard a knock on my door. “Come in, it's not locked,” I said.
The door opened slowly, and in stepped Tammy, the Hollywood wannabe from the team. “Ah, Tammy,” I said, “what can I do for you?”
I was immediately suspicious. I had my reservations about why she was here the moment I saw her. She was dressed in a tiny miniskirt that barely covered her crotch and a tight, flimsy, white T-shirt with nothing underneath – which was very obvious. Very, very obvious.
I did my best to keep my eyes away from her chest and her pert, round breasts with their very noticeable, kinda happy nipples. No, no, no! I did not want to look there!
“Hi, Wade,” she purred slowly, grinning cheekily.
I knew why she was here, and I wasn't going to let this go any further. “I prefer Coach Vinson, Tammy,” I replied, keeping my tone as cool and professional as I could. “Is there something I can help you with? I'm just packing up, and I'm actually in a real hurry to get going.”
“Oh, are you?” she asked, batting her eyelids and looking sad. “I was really hoping we could have a talk. A quiet talk, just you and me. Maybe I could close the door? Then we'd have some…privacy in here.”
“No, no,” I said hastily, “let's keep the door open. Seriously, I have to get out of here. I have an, er, appointment that I'm already late for.”
“Aw, Wade… I just wanted to talk to you.”
Okay, this was starting to get annoying now. Yes, she was attractive in a generic, West-Coast-bimbo kind of way, and yes, I was a red-blooded man with desires and appetites and a very high sex drive – but not for her. I'd had enough of girls like her, and moreover, she was a player on my team. I was the coach, and there was no way in hell I was going to cross that boundary. I was here on the straight and narrow path, and that was that. There would be no two ways about it.
“It’s Coach Vinson. And, I'm sorry, Tammy,” I said curtly, standing up and hooking my gym bag over my shoulder, “but if this isn't something extremely urgent and important, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I, uh-”
Clearly, she hadn't counted on me resisting her sexual advances, and now she didn't know what to do. I pressed home my advantage, not giving her an inch of room in which to maneuver.
“So it's not an emergency? All right, well, have a good evening, and I'll see you on Monday,” I said as I pushed past her and stepped out into the hallway.
She stood, half in and half out of my office for a few moments, and then looked at me with a wounded expression before she turned and stormed off. I shook my head. Drama like this really was the last thing I wanted or needed here.
I reached into my pocket for my car keys, and with a stab of panic realized that they weren't there. “Shit,” I cursed under my breath.
I hurried back into my office and looked all around my desk, but there was no sign of them. This really was the last thing I needed. They had to be around here somewhere. I remembered having them in my hands on the volleyball court, so, thinking I may have left them there, I hurried that way.
When I stepped inside the gym, I was surprised to hear the sound of a volleyball pinging against the practice wall. I walked in slowly and then stopped in my tracks as I saw Eryn practicing her serves over and over again. I couldn't believe it; I'd put them through one hell of a grueling practice, yet here she was, training after hours.
I walked up to the stands, where I saw the glint of metal shining out from under a bench, and there, sure enough, were my car keys. I put them in my pocket and walked over to Eryn.
“Hey, Eryn,” I said as I reached the edge of the court. “You're really pushing yourself, huh?”
“Hi, Coach,” she replied, her tone cool and distant. “Yeah, I am. To get to the top, you have to work harder than anyone else, and that's what I'm doing. Now, if you don't mind, I still have a hundred serves to go.”
She turned away from me and served the ball, and then dashed across the court to grab another ball to serve. I really wanted to stay and talk to her, but it seemed pretty obvious that she didn't want to be disturbed.
“That's a good attitude, Eryn,” I said, my tone one of genuine admiration, “and I think you're going to get to the top. I really do. Keep up the hard work, and I'll see you on Monday.”
“See you then,” she replied quickly as she continued racing across the court.
I turned and walked off slowly, feeling strangely conflicted. A hot, 21-year-old blonde had practically thrown herself at me, almost begging for sex, and I'd easily been able to turn her down. Yet now, with this girl who obviously wanted nothing to do with me beyond a cold, professional relationship, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I wondered what was going on in my head.
I turned and took one last look at her, marveling at how gracefully she moved and how sexy she looked, even as I was trying to force such thoughts from my mind. Then I headed out, doing my best to keep her from wandering back into my head, uninvited.
*****
I walked into the bar and quickly found John perched on a stool with a grin on his face. One thing hadn’t changed: when John was happy, everyone around him was happy, too. He had one of those infectiously cheery personalities.
“Hey, buddy!” I said as I pulled up a stool next to him at the bar. “How's the week been?”
“Great man, just great!” he replied. “I just finished a major project, one that I've been working on for like, seven weeks, and the client is super happy with it. I'm celebrating tonight! Celebrating! Let's get some shots.”
“Whoa, now hold up there, cowboy. We're not 21 anymore; we gotta pace ourselves.”
John rolled his eyes. “Come on, bro, don't be an old man. Let's cut loose! It's your first weekend back, and I'm celebrating the completion of this gigantic project. A few shots ain't gonna kill us.”
“All right, all right,” I said. “Let's do this.”
John ordered us two shots of tequila each, which we slammed in quick succession. It didn’t take long for me to feel it. It had been quite a while since I'd had shots, and already, it was bringing back bad memories from my West Coast life. I forced the thoughts out of my head and concentrated on the present. I was here now, this was my fresh start, my new life – and I wasn't going to let the past mar that.
“Okay, okay, we've done shots, you happy now?” I asked with a grin.
“For now, but I can't promise that there won't be more shots later!” John laughed loudly and boisterously, and I couldn't help joining in.
“Now for beers,” he said. “Come on, let's hit 'em!”
He ordered us some beers, and we moved off to a table to drink.
“I think, Mr. Vinson, that another order of the night is to get you laid,” he announced. “Seriously, bro, it's your first weekend back. You need to sample some of the local talent.”
“Whoa, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves,” I said. “I just want a few drinks and a nice, quiet night. No craziness.”
“Come on, man, look at you! You could pick up any girl in this bar if you wanted to. Women have always fallen at your feet, Wade – and you might as well take advantage of that while you're still young. Sheesh, man, don't throw a gift like that away! A guy who looks like me would kill to look like you, just for one night!”
I shook my head and smiled. “It's not all it's cracked up to be, pal. And I appreciate you, uh, looking out for my needs, but it's just not what I'm after at the moment. I'm keeping my life as simple and complication-free as possible.”
“And, what's simpler than picking up a chick from the bar here? Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. You have some fun tonight, she's gone in the morning, and that's that!”
“Ah, man, it's never as simple as that.”
The truth was, I couldn't get thoughts of Eryn out of my head. It felt so wrong…like I was crossing a boundary just by being attracted to her. But I couldn't help it – I just couldn’t get her out of my mind.
“Well, we'll see what happens, old buddy,” I said with a smile, fully knowing that nothing at all would happen. “We'll see what happens. Come on now, drink up!”