Slammed, стр. 31

That got my sister up and off the table. I looked aside as she covered up, the deference to privacy I’d learned in her teen years, no matter how close we were.

When Jasmine returned with a towel for me, I shed my clothes quickly and got on the table. I was more than used to a brisk sports massage, and I needed it, having skipped the post-match ice bath.

Usually, Alice would wander off and leave me to it, but the promise of some juicy news kept her in place, pulling her robe on as she took my spot on the couch. “And are these drinks some big group event?”

“No…not that I know of. I invited her here. There’s some privacy at least. And you’ve seen the drinks menu. It’s pretty impressive.”

“Should you even be drinking mid-tournament?”

“I’ll have one or two. What? Are you going to tell on me to Mamma?”

“Tell me what?” Of course Mother chose that moment to return. She’d gone off to complain to the concierge about something when we got back from Queens.

“Nothing, Mamma,” I assured her. “Could I have some peace for my massage, both of you? It doesn’t exactly relax me to have to talk to you both like this.”

Jasmine began working my calves, and I sighed in relief. I hadn’t realised how tight those muscles where until her capable fingers started digging.

“Alice, komma.”

There was no arguing with mother in that tone, so Alice got up from the sofa.

“Elin, we need to talk about your footwork later. You can’t be that sloppy next time out.”

“Yes, Mamma.” Of course Britta Larsson still wasn’t happy after a match that I’d won so decisively. That was why she made such a great coach, unfortunately for me. Maybe Toni would get a kick out of that when I told her later. Or maybe she’d find it a little sad, that at my age I was still saying “Yes, Mamma” just to keep the peace.

Soon Jasmine and I had the room to ourselves, and I found myself drifting pleasantly as she worked her way up each leg and down each arm. Slow and methodical, she pulled the tension from each overworked muscle, and by the time she got to work on my upper back I was halfway to a coma.

Only when she reached the dip in my back did she hesitate, speaking for the first time over the faint instrumental music that played in the background.

“Ezi told me when I got my booking that you’re having a hip issue. Which side?”

I gestured weakly to the affected hip, and she gave it a tiny squeeze, barely perceptible. We were both relieved when it responded normally, no yelp of pain coming from me.

“I’ll be careful,” Jasmine promised. “Miss…Elin?”

“Mmm?” I asked.

“I would never normally… It’s just this is maybe the one chance I have to be around you, okay?”

Was she seriously going to ask for an autograph? Or maybe a free ticket to my next match? These things did happen in the strangest situations. None of which had prepared me for what came next.

“I could lose my job for even suggesting it, but when I said I wanted to be you, before, what I really meant was I had this huge crush on you. And you know, here you are all gorgeous and naked, and I’m already—”

“Jasmine?” I was glad she couldn’t see my face. If I looked as shocked as I felt, it wouldn’t go well for either of us. “I’m very flattered, but that wouldn’t be appropriate.”

My mind began to whirl with possibilities. Was she some kind of honey trap? I never had come out publicly, no matter how many people seemed to know I was gay all the same. Or was she hoping to lead me to some misbehaviour and make me pay for it down the line? I knew a few people in the sport had paid off one-night stands and other compromising situations. I regretted ever asking Alice and my mother to leave. It wasn’t the first time I’d been propositioned at a vulnerable moment, whether in the gym showers or in the glare of the public eye at some event, but it still always caught me off-guard.

“You sure?” She sounded so confident and was carrying on with my lower back like we were just discussing the weather. I wondered if I should tell her to stop touching me altogether, but I had to confess she was working magic on my sorest areas. I might have been tired of getting treated like some trophy that everyone wanted to get their hands on, but I didn’t want to risk muscle strain by cutting the massage short.

“I’m sure. But um, thank you?” Smooth. So smooth.

“Okay.”

The last few minutes of contact seemed to drag out for at least a week, but I could feel the benefit as soon as she stepped away to wash her hands and start packing up. I made a dash for the bedroom and the shower, hoping Jasmine would be gone by the time I had to start getting ready for my evening drinks.

It wasn’t just the familiarity of the rooftop bar that I liked. It was how the subtle lighting made for lots of quiet, semi-dark corners and terrible conditions for selfie-seekers.

I took up position with my habitual martini. They made them perfectly here; the frosted glass and the spritz of lemon around the rim of the glass were a sharp contrast to the slightly sour drink. I’d never been into drinking alcohol for the sake of it, but this felt like an actual treat every time.

“Do you two need to be alone?” asked an increasingly familiar, slightly smoky voice at my shoulder before tapping me gently on bare skin.

The exhausted, sweating woman I’d left in the locker room was nowhere in evidence. Toni had dressed for the occasion, in a short dark-green dress that looked like it had been made specifically for her. Thin straps, the little purse tucked under one arm, and