The Coach

As I sat in the "Coach's" office waiting for him to finish his phone call with the Dean, I tried to concentrate on my breathing. I also fished my cell phone out of my pocket and reread my best friend Kristy's text.

"Hey, I know you're off today but our new football coach got in a car accident last night and since he's already recovering from rotator cuff surgery, can you stop by and work on him? He's free at 3:00."

I had simply responded with, "Sure!" Kristy had been my best friend since the first day of kindergarten, over 23 years. She was the Dean's assistant and often sent coaching staff or students my way.

My current text to her did not mince words: "You are fucking dead to me."

"Nanc!" the door flung open and Bill filled the frame. "I'm so glad you had time for me. So great to see you!"

"I...uh..." I stumbled. I was always at a loss for words with him.

"I'm leaving," his receptionist cut off my rambling. "See you on Monday."

Damnit, I thought. Why hadn't she left five minutes earlier? When I had seen Bill through the window, I could have bolted and he would have never known I was there.

"Thanks, Mary!" Bill called after her. "Have a great weekend."

He walked towards me; his huge arms outstretched. As I stood, I remembered those arms around me and I trembled. I also remembered why I was here and I thrust out my hand. He looked down at it like I was presenting him with a foreign object.

"Your arm," I reminded him.

"C'mere," he insisted, grabbing my hand and tugging me against his chest. He squatted, snaking his one arm around my waist and lifting me right off my feet, spinning me in a circle. Just like old times.

My arms instinctively went around him, my fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders. Those shoulders that I had spent my college years dreaming about, looming over top of me as he took me, as he pounded me hard into the mattress, making me his. My breasts tightened against his wall of chest muscle and just as I worried about him feeling my hard nipples, my pussy betrayed me by puddling.

God...he was still so fucking huge, so solid, so strong. The past six years had certainly been kind to his physique. I had continued to dream about him all these years and I never imagined I'd see him again, let alone be wrapped up in the warmth of his bear hug.

"Oh, baby, I missed this," he whispered into my neck before giving me one tight squeeze and setting me back on my feet. I kept my head ducked to avoid his gaze and he lifted one hand to push my hair behind my ear. "I might have always said it was a ritual but that was just my excuse to get my hands on you."

I grinned and let out a nervous laugh, tucking my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. As I looked down, I realized I was thrusting my breasts out and I quickly jerked my hands to the front of me, awkwardly ringing them together. I side-stepped him, walking towards the windows that overlooked the football field.

"I've never been in this office," I croaked. "You have a nice view."

"Yeah," he came up behind me, reaching over my shoulder to open the blinds wider. "Whenever Coach Walker had me in here, all I could think about was getting out there."

I tensed and he wrapped his free arm across my chest, under my neck, pulling me back against him.

"Relax, little one," he told me. "I've never understood why I make you so nervous. That always upset me."

"I...I never said you make me nervous," I whimpered.

"You didn't have to," he chuckled.

I brought my hands up to hold onto his forearm. God, he was warm, the muscles bulging from his arm. He rested his chin on the top of my head. I felt and heard him take a deep breath.

"Vanilla and coconut," he moaned.

"What?" I asked.

"The scent of you," he told me, brushing his mouth and nose over the crown of my head. "I never forgot it. Whenever I would get a whiff of either, I thought of you. But I never smelled them combined, other than on you."

My fingers tightened on him, my nails no doubt making crescent moons in his skin, and I leaned back into him, my head dropping onto his shoulder.

Bill's mouth moved to my temple, his lips singeing my skin. His arm squeezed me tight and he stepped closer to me until my back was completely flush against the front of him. I don't know how long we stood like that but it was long enough to feel myself melting, to feel him growing hard against my back.

"This is all I ever wa..." he began, and I stepped forward, pulling away from him.

"K-Kr-Kristy," I stuttered, "mentioned...she mentioned you hurt your arm."

I stood ramrod straight in front of the window, waiting for him to respond.

"Nanc," he came to stand at my side. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, to overwhelm you."

"It's okay," I dropped my head, "I just...I don't...I mean, I'm not used to..."

"Not used to what?" he asked. "Being held? Cause I don't believe that for a minute."

I moved away from him, pacing around the small office before finally perching on the edge of one of the chairs in front of his desk. His eyes bore into me, watching each one of my movements. I took a deep breath to compose myself before starting again.

"Kristy said you got in a car accident last night and are in the midst of recovering from rotator cuff surgery," I reviewed. "What kind of pain are you experiencing now? Have you been seeing a physical therapist?"

"I did," Bill answered as he came around to the front of his desk. He leaned back against it, his crotch at my eye level. His jeans were pulled taut against him, stretching over a very impressive bulge, one I had just run away from.

"Did?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from his package.

"After graduation, I got an assistant coaching job in Milwaukee. That's where I've been living for the past six years. I had surgery nine months ago and was in therapy for a few months. I've regularly kept up with the exercises but moving, unpacking and now a car accident all within a week's time seems to have aggravated the area," he explained.

"I'm a massage therapist, not a physical therapist. Maybe you'd be better off..."

"I know the difference," he cut me off, "and I trust you. The area is tight. I worked it with bands and a pulley last night and again this morning to avoid stiffening but I think it needs deep tissue work."

"I don't know if Kristy told you but I am currently renting a room at a massage studio about 30 minutes away while renovating the basement at my house. I don't have availability at the studio until Tuesday," I told him.

"You bought a home nearby?" Bill asked.

"I'm in my childhood home. Mom and Dad retired early to Florida," I said.

"Wait...you're still on Pear Street?" he asked. "You're my neighbor. I not only took Coach's job, I rent his house from him. He went to stay in Utah with his sister. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and beginning treatment."

He was living around the corner from me. Murph lived behind me and Coach's old house was located across the street from him.

"Oh..." I began.

"Kristy told me that you worked on her at your house a couple weeks ago. That'll work for me. I don't need anywhere fancy," he shrugged. "Is that doable? I'll be here all day and until after 8 on Tuesday with practice so I won't have time then."

"Or...I could call the studio and see if another therapist could see you this weekend," I suggested.

"Wow, you really don't want to spend time with me," he sighed.

"Bill..." I squirmed in my seat.

"I'll stick with my workouts, Nanc. It was so amazing to see you and since we're neighbor's, I really do hope you won't avoid me and I'll get to see you again some time," he stood up straight, a clear invitation for me to leave.

I felt horrible. He was an old friend, in pain and needed my help. I was in his office and I could tell that I had made him uncomfortable. I couldn't even be around him without freaking out. How was I ever going to touch him?

"I...I want to help you, Bill," I told him as I stood on shaky legs. "I have a table and mats in my basement but it really is a work in progress..."

I looked up at him as he raised an eyebrow and I swore I saw a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"If you're sure you don't mind that the area's not perfect, I can work on you this weekend," I offered.

His face beamed as he took a step forward to reach out to me but he caught himself and stepped back just as quickly.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," I assured him, shaking my head emphatically up and down.

"I would be so very grateful, Nanc. Thank you so much!"

"Well, let's see..." I bit my bottom lip, flashing back to the memories of his shirtless college days. "It's already Friday afternoon..."

"How about now?" he suggested. "I'm heading home and my only plan for tonight was to make pizza in Coach's wood burning stove. I could make you dinner when we're done."

"Um...okay, sure," I stammered, doing my best to sound nonchalant.

"Really?" he asked again, bending at the knee to be on eye level with me and give me a huge smile.

It made me so happy to see his face light up, to know that he was excited to be spending time with me. We had never done anything like this. We were always in a group, even when he was seeking me out before and after a game to lift me off my feet and give me a massive hug. Back then, I thought it was because he had felt sorry for wallflower me, was trying to make me feel included. Kristy had told me repeatedly that I was crazy, that he really liked me, but I never believed her.

"Ready?" I asked.

"I so want to pick you up off the ground right now, Nanc, but I'll wait until later," he teased. "Let's go!"

I spun on my heel and headed towards the door, waiting for him as he locked up so we could walk out of the school together. I was suddenly very aware of what I was wearing: dark denim jeans, a long black tank top, a slouchy cardigan and ankle booties. I don't know what I was thinking when I switched out of sweats for this meeting and I don't know what I would have worn if I had known it was Bill I was going to see, but I sure hope I looked okay.

"I'll walk you to your car and when we get to the neighborhood, I'll park at my place and walk over. Is that okay?" Bill asked as he held open the gym door that led to the parking lot.

"I'm parked right there," I motioned when we got outside. "Head down the side stairs at my house. I'll see you in a few."

"Sounds good, Nanc," he winked at me.

As soon as I plopped myself in the car, I started concentrating on my breathing. Inhale, exhale, don't freak out. He was coming to my home. He was going to be on my massage table. My hands were going to be on him, stroking him. I was already bright red thinking about it. How was I going to concentrate? How was I going to keep my hands steady? My God, they were already clammy.

I don't know how long I was sitting there when Bill pulled up next to me in his truck. He had his window rolled down.

"You good?" he called.

I gave him a thumbs up, yanked on my seatbelt and then finally started my car. He was obviously waiting for me so he could follow. I inched out of the parking spot talking to myself, "My God, I gave him a thumbs up. I'm such a dork."

As soon as we inched out of the lot, I called Kristy on my Bluetooth.

"Are your panties wet?" she asked as she answered on the first ring.

"Kristy..." I began.

"He looks fucking amazing, doesn't he? Especially today, in that tight black t-shirt, dark jeans and black sneakers. And who would have ever dreamed that his biceps could get any bigger? You know I was always super jealous of the feelings he had for you, Nanc. If he had ever lifted me off the ground and twirled me around, I wouldn't have given him the opportunity to set me down. I would have wrapped my legs so tight around his waist and ground my pussy..." I could practically picture her drooling as she went on and on.

"Kristy..." I tried again.

"Did you get your hands on him yet?"

"Would you let me talk?" I yelled. I had stopped at a red light and could see Bill behind me. I swore I could feel his eyes boring into me through both our sunglasses.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"I am beyond pissed at you," I told her. "You knew how I felt about him, how it's never gone away, how I've never felt..." I sighed and started driving again. He was going to be in my home in less than 10 minutes.

"You've never felt alive," Kristy finished for me. "You're 28 and the only man you have ever wanted, who so obviously wanted you, is back. There was no way I wasn't going to wrap that up with a bow and gift it to you."

I howled in laughter. She had such a way with words.

"You're not mad at me," she clarified. "You're terrified and without reason. Bill would never hurt you. He looked out for you in college. He has always wanted you. That's why he sought you out and called it a fucking ritual. Don't waste this time with him by second guessing every damn thing."

"He's following me home, I don't even have time to change," I worried out loud.

"Girl, please, you always look amazing," Kristy reassured me. "I would kill to have your hair, your boobs, your hips and ass. I'm built like an ironing board."

"Kristy, you are not..."

"Don't!" she cut me off. "Tonight is not about me. It's about you and Bill. Go massage his big beautiful bicep and then move south to his big..."

I slammed so hard on the brakes at the next light, even though it was just turning yellow, that I must have startled Bill. I didn't dare look in my rearview mirror.

"Are you okay?" Kristy asked.

"No, I'm not okay," I shook my head. "I should have never called you. I gotta go."

"Nanc, wait...one more thing..." Kristy's voice sounded promising.

"What?" I sighed as I pulled into the intersection.

"Take him bare cause you're gonna want to feel every hot inch..."

I pulled my clammy right hand off the steering wheel and ended the call. My hand was shaking. I had visualized what she had just described for ten years now. I had never thought of anyone like I thought of Bill. Even when Kristy managed to drag me on a double date, it was only Bill I could think about, only Bill who I wanted to take me home.

I pulled onto my street and looked up in time to see Bill wave at me. He'd be over in a matter of minutes. I parked in the driveway and headed down the concrete stairs that were built into the ground on the opposite side of the house, leading to the basement door. I unlocked it and headed in. This weekend I would get this place painted. My trunk was full of the light bluish-purple hue I had taken hours to decide on. Kristy said she would help on Sunday but I never really knew with her.

I dropped my purse on my desk chair and headed to the bathroom that was at the bottom of the stairs that led right up into the kitchen. I used the bathroom, washed my hands and finger-combed my hair. I opened a drawer and found a lip gloss, just something to give me a little bit of shine. My face was so red, I could barely make out the freckles that were splattered all over my nose and cheeks.

"Nanc?" Bill called and knocked at the same time.

"Hey!" I called out as I opened the door and went out to greet him.

"Hey," he grinned, walking towards me. "Are you okay? You stopped quick on the drive home. Is your car okay?"

"Yes," I let out a nervous laugh. "I was talking to Kristy. I should know better to do that when I'm driving."

"Said something shocking, did she?" he surmised. "She's always been a wild one."

"Yeah, guys love that," I muttered.

"Not all guys," he corrected me. "I believe there's a time and a place for everything."

I walked around him towards the table I had set up in the darkest corner of the basement. I turned to see if he was following so I could tell him to hop up but he was making his way towards the interior stairs.

"I've only been here once before but I know those stairs lead to your kitchen. Do you keep it bolted from the other side? You've only worked on friends here, right? When you begin scheduling strangers, you'll do so only during daylight, right? Someone should still be here with you. Do you have a roommate or will you have an assistant or another therapist on site? I take it you don't have a dog because none barked when I walked up..." He finally stopped looking around and headed over to me.

"Are you done?" I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head.

"I won't apologize for caring about you, Nanc," he challenged me.

"Hop up," I patted the table. "Which arm?"

He came to stand in front of me and raised his hand to my head, caressing the crown before dragging it down and through my locks until he cupped my chin. I bit my lip at his touch and he inhaled sharply, his eyes dropping to my mouth.

"This conversation isn't over, sweets," he promised me.

He dropped his hand only to reach behind him and yank his tight black t-shirt over his head. I gasped as I took in his beautifully sculpted chest, smattered with curly black hairs that I imagined my freckled naked breasts pressing against.

"Will it hold me?' he asked.

"Wh...what?" I tore my gaze away from those beautiful muscles to gaze up at him. My eyes must have been as wide as saucers.

"I weigh 270," he explained. "Will your table hold me?"

"Y-yes...definitely," I told him.

I knew I felt dwarfed by him but I never guessed he weighed 100 pounds more than me.

Remembering that my hands were clammy, I reached behind me for a jar of balm. I was so jumpy; I dropped the lid as I twisted it off. As I bent down to pick it up, I felt my cross nestle in my cleavage. My Grandmom's cross. She had met Bill once and adored him immediately, compared him to a teddy bear. If she could see me now, she would have said the same thing as Kristy: go for it.

"Which arm?" I asked again as I straightened and worked some balm between my palms.

"My left," he said as I turned towards him.

"I didn't notice any damage to your truck. Did you already get a rental?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was lucky they had one available in the same model as mine. Given my size, I don't fit well in most cars," he laughed.

I looked at his arm before touching it. I could see the surgical scars.

"You'll let me know if I hurt you," I prompted.

"You broke my heart years ago, Nanc. Nothing's ever hurt more," he shook his head, rubbing his heart with his right hand.

I grinned, knowing he was just trying to make light of the situation, trying to make me feel at ease. As the massage therapist, that was my job.

I took a deep breath and placed both hands on his bicep, lightly lifting it away from his body. He was so warm to the touch, so solid. I held him for a few minutes before I let my thumbs meet in the middle and started drawing circles over his skin.

"That feels nice, Nanc," he turned towards me, watching me as I rubbed him.

"I should have put on music. Do you want music?" I asked.

"No, because that means you would have to stop. Please don't stop," he groaned.

My thumbs pressed harder and I averted my eyes to his chest, watching his pecs move up and down.

"You still wear your Grandmom's necklace," Bill acknowledged.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"I hate that I only met her once. I enjoyed talking to her. She was a real character," he smiled.

"Yes, she was," I agreed. "You made quite an impression on her. She really liked you."

"Yeah?" he chuckled. "Did she tell you to go for it?"

"Go for it?" I questioned.

"That's what she said to me when I told her that I liked you but you just thought of me as an annoying jock," he shrugged.

"No, I didn't," I gasped as I pulled his arm farther from his body and started stroking from shoulder to elbow.

"Yes, you did. You never took me seriously," he said.

"Bill, I know you've always enjoyed teasing me. I never took you seriously because I knew you just felt sorry for me," I told him, letting go of his arm. "Do you mind laying down? It's hard for me to work on the underside of your arm when you're sitting up."