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Marlon and Vera returned to the table with fresh drinks. She nursed her pint while he tried impressing her with facts about his illustrious career and all the bullshit she didn’t give a damn about. She spent the time teasing me with her eyes and throwing subtle smiles my way when no one was watching.

“Vera! The party has finally arrived!” a guy announced as he approached our table. “Oh, shit! Leave it to you to make nice with the Washington Warriors. I’m a huge fan. Christiansen, you are hands down the best goalie in the league.”

“Thank you, handsome,” Christiansen replied gracefully.

I wish I could say I was surprised when four more guys showed up, but this is Vera Gray we’re talking about.

“Um… who are your friends, Lenora?” Marlon asked.

“This is my study group.”

“What the fuck?” Marlon responded while the rest of my teammates groaned.

Vera climbed from her stool and introduced her “study group.”

“This is Luke; he’s captain of the hockey team; Holden, captain of the basketball team; Xander, captain of the football team; Asher, captain of the lacrosse team; and last but not least, Milo, co-captain of the swim team. Guys, this is Marlon, Chandler, Rossi, Morgan, Christiansen, and Hart of the Washington Warriors. And can you believe it? Marlon volunteered to pay for our drinks for the night.”

“Wait. Wait a minute—”

“You’re so sweet, Marlon. Keep those drinks coming,” she said, winking at him before leaving the table with her drink and her harem of athletes.

We sat in silence as Marlon turned several shades of red.

“Damn… she got you good,” Rossi said eventually.

“She did,” Marlon finally admitted.

“Is it sad that I would let that woman ruin my life on a biblical level?” Morgan mentioned. The table grunted in response. “No, seriously. I would let her run up my credit, and I’d take her back every time she cheated and would apologize for not being man enough for her.”

The table exploded in laughter. Even I broke character for a second and chuckled.

My phone vibrated as my teammates animatedly discussed how Marlon had gotten swindled by my sugar baby. I checked the message.

Vera: Meet me in the ladies’ room in five minutes.

I’m Yours

Vera

I enjoyed my beer while watching Hart suffer a mental breakdown from across the bar. I sat in his direct line of sight so I wouldn’t miss a moment. It was ten minutes past when I told him to meet me in the bathroom, and he anxiously bounced his leg while checking his phone every thirty seconds. I decided to fuck with him further.

Me: How was your day today?

He read the text message, looked up from his phone, and glared at me.

If looks could kill.

Hart: I guess you don’t want me to fly you out to Toronto tomorrow.

Toronto? Sign me up!

“Yo, Vera!”

“Huh?” I dumbly asked, tuning back into the conversation.

“I asked if you’re coming to my game tomorrow,” Luke mentioned, gazing at me hopefully from across the table.

“I’m sorry. I can’t make it. Something came up,” I said before draining the rest of my beer. I hopped down from the stool and grabbed my purse.