Love Match, page 11
"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Parish and this is my friend Bobbie Daley.
Parker was so happy you two could make it up to watch her play. The last time I
saw Parker, you two were headed to south Florida for your own tournament, how
did it go?"
"Are you kidding, Em, they kicked butt. The Viper and the Terminator took
the title and the cash pot without breaking a sweat. I saw it all on ESPN
II," said Bobbie. Emily could see that her friend was having a hard time
not falling to her knees and worshiping the two giants that had taken their
seats so they wouldn't have to crane her neck looking up at them.
Emily almost laughed at the look of rapture on Bobbie's face. The avid sports
fan was going to swoon before the day was over if one more of her idols showed
up. First she scored center court seats to the Open and now was getting to
share them with two of volleyballs greatest players.
"I suggest you breathe at regular intervals throughout the day, if not you
are going to miss the match when you pass out." Emily whispered the
warning as a joke to get Bobbie to calm down a little. The woman that was
Parker's practice partner was coming down the steps to join them, and Emily
watched as Gray King's eyes stayed glued to the tall Swede.
"Kimmie, why don't you slide in here next to Bobbie and let Natasha have
your seat?" suggested Emily.
Gray turned her head to the small pilot and smiled. "Thanks, Emily, I see
that my little sister is starting to wise up in her choice in women." The
announcer introducing Parker and Mendela helped take the attention away from
Emily and the blush Gray's compliment had caused.
The crowd got to their feet when the two players walked out to the court and
sat down on opposite sides of the judge's chair. Parker's tan looked even
darker against the tight white shirt she was wearing, and she looked like she was
anxious to begin.
The players picked their rackets and took their places, both nodding to the
judge that they were ready to begin. "Quiet please." The man pointed
to Parker after a hush fell over the crowd.
Two new balls were thrown to Parker from the ball girl in the corner behind
her. She bounced them both on her racket before selecting one and throwing the
other one back to the young lady that had given them to her. Parker squared her
shoulders and let out a long breath as a way to blow out the pain and forget
about it for the next couple of hours. After four bounces she threw it into the
air, connecting with it dead center on her racket. It flew past her opponent so
fast, the girl didn't bother to move her racket from the ready position.
Mendela got out of her stance when, "Fifteen love," was announced
from the chair.
"If you were hoping for a slower paced game from Parker King, sports fans,
you have come to the wrong place." The sports announcer calling the game
on the radio reported happily as the first shot went over the net. Gray had
been nice enough to bring earpieces for everyone so they could listen to the
commentary during the match. "I thing she was giving Mendela a warning
shot across the bow with that one. The stitches will not do the Spaniard any
favors today."
"Quiet please." Parker waited for the crowd to cooperate before
setting up for her next shot. This one nicked the net on the way over so she
had to serve again. The second serve was a little slower paced and Mendela
returned it. The young player hit it back to the baseline then ran to the net
to establish an early aggressive game against the number one seeded player. It
was a mistake when Parker hit a two handed back hand that hit just inside the
baseline. If there was going to be anyone volleying from the net, it was not
going to be from Mendela.
For the next forty minutes Emily watched Parker almost surgically remove every
aspect of her opponent's game, all while barely breaking a sweat. When her
opponent would rush the net Parker would send some blistering heat toward the
baseline with deadly precision. When Mendela took the hint and moved to the
baseline, Parker would drop the ball right over the net almost making her
opponent lose some skin when she went diving after one of them.
Watching the game at the USTA Tennis Center had been an experience for both she
and Bobbie. The atmosphere and energy of center court live was not easily
captured on the small screen of her television, and Emily was still smiling at
the 'Kong' chant the crowd was still shouting. The big tennis bag was repacked
and shouldered, but Parker took a few minutes on her way out to sign autographs
for the fans hanging out of the stands.
Up in their seats, the King sisters high-fived each other before turning to hug
Nick and Gary. In their celebration Gary failed to notice the attendant
standing in the aisle holding a folded piece of paper. The coach cringed when
the young man tapped him on the shoulder and handed him the note. Gary decided
he was going to exercise his promise to quit if it was directions from Parker
to ditch Emily. For the first time he had open one of Parker's short pennings,
her coach's face creased in a smile.
"Let's go take a tour of the locker rooms, girls." Both men moved to
escort the four others to meet Parker when they were stopped by the last person
they expected to see at the match. Alicia had attended with her manager, their
seats not quite as good without Parker's help. The young rocker had given three
interviews on the way in when she was recognized by reporters, so there would
be no misunderstandings about her feelings for Parker.
"Gary, could you tell Parker I'll wait for her outside? I figured we cold
share a limo back into Manhattan." Alicia was looking at the small blonde
trying to remember where she had seen her before. She was figuring to make
Parker suffer a little for forgetting to invite her to the match.
Getting her
back was not going to be so easy for the jock this time around.
"Sorry, Alicia, Parker has a ride back into the city. I'll tell her you
came to watch the match. Thanks from both of us. After all as you know,
dedicated fans are what it's all about." He didn't want to be rude but he
pushed his group forward before Alicia had any chance to cause a scene. Maybe tonight
Parker could have dinner and stay dry throughout the meal.
Emily stood back and let Parker have a moment to greet her two sisters. It
looked like Bobbie kept pinching herself at the good fortune their day had
turned out to be. Getting to see the match would have been good enough, but on
the way in they had seen a number of other players milling around the locker
room waiting for their time to play.
"You think if you slept with her, we can come back this weekend?"
Bobbie asked Emily in a whisper.
"I slept with her last night and you got court side box seats out of it,
so don't push your luck." Before Bobbie could ask her about what she had
said Parker called them over.
"Congratulations, that was an awesome match you played."
Parker
accepted Emily's hug and kept a long arm draped over the pilot's shoulders as
she waited to be introduced to Emily's friend.
"Yeah, great game, Ms. King. Thank you so much for the tickets, that was a
once in a lifetime experience," gushed Bobbie as she pumped Parker's hand.
"Bobbie, honey, she needs that hand to play this week,"
said Emily.
She smiled up at Parker hoping the player didn't mind over exuberant fans.
"Parker, this is my friend Bobbie Daley, and in case you haven't caught
on, she's a big fan of women's tennis."
"Ah, my running companion. You kept up pretty good until that last two
miles." Parker laughed at the tall woman's blush. Emily's friend was all
right now that she knew they weren't sleeping together.
"How about I treat
you two to dinner?"
"Don't you want to go with your sisters?" asked Emily.
"They are doing a spot for the local sports channel tonight so they can't
make it, but if you two have plans that's ok."
"No, I'd love to. How about it, Bobbie, wanna go and eat?"
Emily sunk
closer into Parker and wrapped her arm around her waist.
"I don't want to get in the way." Bobbie wanted to go, but hesitated
on being a third wheel.
Parker reached out and patted Bobbie on the shoulder.
"Come on, I want you
to go. That way if the mad bomber here throws any more hot chocolate on me, I
can use you as a shield."
Bobbie moved around the space looking at the multitude of pictures that
chronicled the past tournaments giving Parker and Emily some time alone. All
the winner had to do was put her shoes on to finish getting dressed and she was
sitting on one of the benches putting her socks on.
"Thanks again for the tickets, I loved watching you play."
Emily sat
beside Parker wanting to be close to her. That morning had been bliss when she
woke up and felt the long body pressed up against her back.
Emily was so
comfortable she had drifted back to sleep with a smile on her face.
"Will you still be in town on Saturday?" asked Parker tying off one
shoe.
"Yeah, my next flight isn't until Sunday at noon, but I'll be back that
night. I'm on a light schedule until I get settled."
"Good, you can make the next match then. If you want that is." Parker
played with the other shoe waiting for Emily to say something. The pilot's
close proximity was throwing off her usual cocky personality.
"I would love that." The pilot leaned in some more reaching to take
the shoe away from Parker. The lure of what they had discovered in Florida was
starting to become more enticing to her.
Parker leaned the rest of the way and kissed her. It wasn't erotic but both of
them felt the jolt. "Do you think she would survive another match?"
Parker pointed to Bobbie who was studying the wall like it was a fascinating
piece of art.
"Do you know CPR?" Emily looked at Parker with a serious face.
"I'm more of a mouth to mouth kind of girl."
"I'll just bet. Come on, star, your groupies are taking you out to
dinner." Emily gave Parker her shoe back and stole another kiss before
Parker leaned down to put it on. "Clear your schedule on Saturday, Daley,
we've been invited back." The happy dance the woman by the wall did almost
made Parker fall off the bench she was laughing so hard.
Bobbie took a cab home alone after they had eaten, leaving Parker and Emily
alone for the walk to Emily's new apartment. They had decided on a small
Chinese restaurant where Parker's presence had caused pandemonium with the
staff. Emily was sure their picture would be framed and hanging on the wall the
next time she went in for take out.
"Will you come up for a little while?"
"You aren't getting tired of me yet?" Parker picked up their joined
hands and kissed the back of Emily's.
"I was thinking that it would be you that would be bored by now." She
wanted to sound confident, but Alicia up close and personal that afternoon had
messed with her head.
"For someone who has taken up a lot of my thought process since this
summer, you aren't very bright." Emily laughed at the insult ready to say
something back when Parker bent her head and kissed her.
The passion in the
soft lips erased Emily's doubts. Parker King was young, but she was the person
Emily had been waiting for. The one that had awoken her soul as well as other
parts of her anatomy.
"Good night, sweet Emily." Parker kissed her again before letting her
go.
"Please stay."
"Take some time and think about what you want. I'm not in a hurry, Emily,
but for once I'm not playing around either." The distance between them,
even though it was less than three feet, was unacceptable to Emily.
"My problem up to now is that I think too much, now I just want to feel
what it's like to be alive. To feel like the person you see when you look at me
like that." Parker forgot about her stitches and scooped Emily up and off
the ground. "Just stay and hold me. We don't have to go any further than
that for now," said Emily wrapping her arms around Parker's neck for the
ride upstairs.
"Come on, if I could play tennis after last night, one more evening in
that bed won't kill me." The cab at the corner was asked by the passenger
to just wait before reaching its destination. When the couple went upstairs
together the back door opened and a twenty was handed to the driver through the
plexi glass partition. A disgusted sigh was expelled from the sidewalk when the
bedroom light went out and the apartment was plunged into darkness.
"Soon, my darling, soon." No one heard the promise as the cab's
engine muffled it out. A man walking his dog gave the person a wide berth when
he passed, hoping that the menace in the person's stance wasn't directed at him.
*************************************************************
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"Don't forget to pick up flowers. Women love that," shouted Gray from
the bathroom. Kimmie was busy straightening Parker's collar and making sure
their little sister looked her best.
"I'm not trying to score here, Viper, I'm just trying to get the girl to
want to see me again."
"She's seen you plenty and the thrill isn't gone so you must be doing
something right, kiddo. I think the camera crews have caught on after all the
pan shots of the box yesterday. What's Captain Emily going to say when she
makes the cover of the Enquirer as Alicia's replacement?"
Gray was kidding
but the way Parker acted around Emily let Kimmie and her know this one was
different.
"Hopefully not good bye." Parker sighed not knowing how Emily would
take being thrust into the limelight simply because of who she chose to date.
"No chance of that, Park. Go get the girl and tell her we said hello, and
don't stay out too late. Tomorrow's a school day and Marsha Cooper wants to
feed you tennis balls for lunch." Kimmie held up Parker's coat so she
could finish getting dressed.
Sunday had gone at a slow pace except for her morning practice session with
Natasha. Emily had left early that morning for the airport and her flight down
to Miami. She was due to return at nine and had made arrangements to meet
Parker in the city. After Parker's win on Saturday, both Emily and Bobbie had
made arrangements to be at Monday afternoon's game.
Parker had grown fond of
Bobbie, laughing when the tall blonde offered to give her a kidney should she
need it after the fabulous tennis she had gotten to see.
"Should I wait here, miss?" The limo pulled up to the Virgin gates
and the driver was holding the door for Parker.
"This should be great, thanks. It was a round trip so I doubt she has
luggage so we should be right out." Parker reached back and grabbed the
two-dozen long stemmed pink roses she had ordered before getting out of the
car.
"Very good, I'll see you in a few minutes."
A representative from the airline met her at the security entrance and escorted
Parker to Emily's gate. The young man told her that because of a storm system
over Georgia the flight had to make a detour further over the Atlantic so they
were running fifteen minutes late.
The passengers started to get off and run either to pick up their luggage or
catch their connections, while Parker stood up and waited for the crew to
deplane. The first one into the terminal was Willy, the flight attendant that
had been on the London flight she had taken home from Wimbledon. He gave her
thumbs up and came to shake her hand smiling after guessing who she was there
to see. He motioned for the rest of his co-workers to slow down to see how this
was going to play out. Emily deserved to be seen in a different light by her
crew and Willy didn't want them to miss the opportunity.
Emily stepped out after taking a minute to power down the cockpit and gather
all her things. Getting back to Parker had been her main priority all day and
her one wish was there wouldn't be ton of traffic heading into the city. Bobbie
had promised to take care of a surprise for here once Parker left for practice
and Emily hoped she had pulled it off.
"Excuse me, stewardess, could I bother you for some hot chocolate?"
The rumbly voice made Emily snap her head up and look toward the waiting area
seats. Parker was standing there looking like a Ralph Lauren model holding a
bouquet of roses, and the sight made Emily's heart melt.
Romantic notions had not
been one of her former partner's traits. Without thought for where she was nor
