Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

Chapter 22

Ollie

After a brutal workout and several hours of grueling training with his team, Oliver was finally home. It was almost nine at night, but it felt much later. Every muscle in his body was sore and the intensity of the drills had renewed a bit of pain in his recovering knee. He did his best to keep his weight off of it as he took a shower and crawled into bed. Sleep was coming soon. He could feel it. But he didn't want to close his eyes until he at least called Elsie to see how her day was.

He dialed her up and relaxed into his pillows as the phone rang.

“Hello, handsome,” Elsie said, picking up after just two rings.

“Hi, beautiful,” Oliver replied. “How was your day?”

“Let's see. I was picked up this morning at my hotel by a limousine and taken to a spa,” she said. “I then spent the better part of the day getting massaged and pampered. I don't think I have a single knot in any one of my muscles right now. So my day was beyond amazing, to say the least. Thank you again for spoiling me. It was really nice.”

“You're very welcome,” Ollie said, as he scooted himself up to a seated position with his back leaning against the headboard. “I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. A massage sounds pretty amazing right now.”

“Did you have a tough training today?” she asked, sounding concerned. He loved that she cared.

“Yeah, harder than I was expecting. Coach ran us ragged and I learned that I'm still not one hundred percent.” Ollie put a pillow underneath his right leg to elevate it, helping to ease the throbbing a bit. “My knee is a little sore actually. First time in a while.”

“That's normal,” Elsie said. “You're still healing. It could take months before you don't feel any pain at all. As long as it's not excruciating, then it's nothing to worry about. Take some ibuprofen and relax.”

“Are those the doctor's orders?” Ollie joked.

“Yep, you know it,” she said, laughing.

“I wish I could see you tonight,” Ollie said. “But I'm afraid I'd fall asleep before I made it out of the front door.”

“It's okay. I'm so relaxed and already curled up under the covers here at the hotel,” she said, letting out a yawn. “Can I see you tomorrow, though?”

“Definitely,” Ollie said, feeling his eyes get heavier by the second. “I've got a meeting with one of my sponsors in the morning, but that should only go until eleven. After that, I'm all yours. I'll take you out to lunch and a movie. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a date,” she said. “I'll check to see if there are any good movies playing. In the meantime, get some rest and elevate that leg.”

“One step ahead of you,” Ollie replied. “I've had a pillow under my knee the whole time we've been talking. You've trained me well, Doc.”

“That's what I like to hear,” Elsie said. “You know, I was thinking about you today and I've got to say, it's much more fun dating you than it is treating you as a patient.”

Oliver smiled, recalling the night before and the amazing sex they'd had. It almost got him hard just thinking about it.

“That's an understatement,” he replied, with a chuckle. “Way more fun.”

“Okay, well have a good night,” Elsie said. “Sleep tight.”

“You, too, gorgeous.” Ollie's eyes were almost fully closed now, but he managed to at least end the conversation before falling asleep. “Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow.”

He hung up and then set his phone on the night stand. Within seconds, he was sound asleep.

It was still dark in Oliver's room when something woke him up. A beam of light entered through the open crack of his bedroom door. The brightness washed over his face, pulling him out of his deep sleep. Someone was standing in the doorway. He could only see their silhouette, but it was clearly a female. Tall and skinny. Oliver sat up in his bed and squinted against the incoming light.

“Elsie?” he asked.

The response he received was immediate. “No, sorry to disappoint you.”

The woman flipped the light switch, illuminating Oliver's bedroom. Standing there, wearing sweat pants and a loose-fitting tank top, was Nikki.

“Nikki? What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, his voice still groggy.

“I just came by to see how you were doing,” she said, in her most innocent voice. “I had heard you guys had a pretty ruthless training session last night.”