Love Under Quarantine

I pull up her number and hit call.

“Hello, person I’m not speaking to,” she says in that haughty tone that makes my dick perk up.

“Baby, come on. I need to talk to you. Come out on the balcony. The sun is shining.”

“Perhaps I can be persuaded. On the condition that you’re planning to grovel? I’m talking down on your knees, completely repentant, begging me to forgive you. Do we understand each other?”

There’s my girl. All sass and quick wit.

“You’ll have to come outside to find out. Besides, I have a present for you.”

“If it’s a stack of money, I will kick you straight in the junk the second I can see you tomorrow. There will be no sweet nothings. No tongue touching. No hands, no penises anywhere near this body. You hear me?”

I laugh hard. “I missed you, sweetheart. Your voice. Seeing you. Yesterday was the pits, but I figured out a way to make it up to you. Now come outside. Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?”

“Hmm, only because I’m hoping there is actual whipped cream and a cherry magically sitting on top of a sundae on my balcony. And I swear if you’re not shirtless, there will be consequences. Lots and lots of bad consequences.”

“Got it.” I put the phone down and on speaker outside and rip my shirt over my head. The wind is a bit nippy as proven by my now-erect man nips, but the sun is warm enough for me to tolerate. And for Sadie, I’d do just about anything.

She meanders through her sliding door. Her hair is in a ponytail on top of her head. If I was there right now, I’d grab that tail, wrap it around my fist, tilt her head back, and ravish her mouth.

I firm my jaw and stand with my hands on my hips, taking in her splendor.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” I scan her form until it’s all I can see. Nothing else exists.

“Oh, please. It was only a day.”

“In quarantine. A single day is like a full month and you know it.”

She purses her lips and crosses her arms over her chest. “I missed you too,” she huffs, and looks over at the view. Her side profile is elegant, with her pointed chin and long slender neck.

“First, I want to apologize for the other night. I didn’t mean to be so overbearing. Your finances and your career are your business. I should have listened to what you were saying. I know you can take care of yourself, baby. You’re the most intelligent and independent woman I’ve met.”

“Thank you.” She keeps her chin lifted as if she’s not yet ready to back down, but I can see the cracks in her resolve to be mad at me tumbling down.

“Honestly, I don’t know how this relationship stuff works. You’re my first girlfriend since high school.”

“You’re kidding!” She loses all pretense and frowns.

“Went to college and focused on nothing but the game and doing my best to pass my classes. Sure, I played around on and off the field, but nothing concrete. Nothing anywhere near the seriousness of our relationship. Which means I’m gonna screw up with you occasionally.”

Her blue eyes flash with a fire I missed so dammed much my balls ache seeing it.

“I’ll probably screw up a lot. Not by cheating or anything like that so don’t get all in a snit.”

She giggles and it’s the cutest sound in the world. “I wouldn’t think you’d do that.”

“Because I wouldn’t. You mean something to me. And when you were talking about your money concerns my instinct was to fix it. Right away. I have more money than I know what to do with and you’d be surprised. My teammates are big spenders. I laid a whack down on my house and car, but I have to. I live in Oakland. I’m considered a celebrity and safety matters. It’s also expensive. Besides that, I’m all about hanging with the guys, working out, training, and playing the game.”

“But you can see how high-handed it was to simply offer to pay off my debts like I’m incapable of doing the same for myself.”

“I do and I apologize. I’m sorry.” I give her my best puppy dog look until she gives in and smiles.

“Oh, all right. I forgive you.”

“Thank you. All I ask now is that you work with me. You never back down in an argument and I love that about you. I want you to do that if something I say or do hurts you or your feelings. And I promise to do the same. This is unchartered territory for me, sweetheart. I’m swimming in an ocean full of sharks. Any wrong move and I’m shark bait.”

That has her cackling in laughter. “Like Sharknado!”

“Sharknado is ridiculous. And awesome. We should totally watch it together.”