Tomorrow's Problem

Quick heads up, this story has gone through many revisions and at one point was going to be in two chapters with a time break in the middle. I decided I wanted to publish it as a single work, so I added a transition of about a thousand words in the middle. The transition is more 'tell' than 'show', but please push through as I really like the second (or third) part of the story.

All standard caveats apply; 18, happy ending, etc., etc.... Enjoy, and please leave a comment when you finish reading.

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I'd heard horror stories about these things. Parties where cute girls bring dorks and nerds and embarrass the hell out of them, but I'd never thought I'd fall prey to such a thing. I mean, I'm in great shape. Sure, I'm majoring in technology management, but I'm getting an MBA to go with it, and I don't have problems with the ladies. At just under 5 - 8 and 135 pounds, I'm lean, but I've got a great sense of humor. Hell, I haven't had a dry spell longer than a few weeks since I was a freshman in high school.

Sure, April Weathers was a little out of my league. We saw each other at some of the same parties, and it wasn't like I was a total loser or anything. When she asked me to go to the Halloween dress up party at her sorority, I jumped at the chance. I didn't even balk when she suggested I go as her twin, wearing one of her cheer uniforms. It would be a tight fit, but I saw her point. I had long golden red hair just like she did and was only an inch or two taller than her. In a weird sort of way, it sounded like a lot of fun.

She went all out, having me get rid of all my body hair, and I mean all. The uniform had a bare midriff and was sleeveless, so any traces would give it away. She even bought me boobs the same size as hers that she glued on so I could do a couple of simple cheers she taught me without them bouncing out of my bra. Yes, she had me in a bra and panties, too. She even did my nails in school colors, just like the cheerleaders wore on game days. Like I said, she went all out. When she finished my makeup and let me look at myself in the mirror, I could have been her twin.

"OK, you look amazing. Now I need to go get ready. You know where the house is, right?" I nodded. "Just be there at nine. And don't be late." I got a quick kiss, and she bounced out the door. "It's going to be awesome." She laughed over her shoulder.

My roommate thought I was crazy until he saw me all dressed up.

The party was in full force when I got there. I figured out exactly what was going on when the girl that met me at the door escorted me into a room of guys dressed just like me. I was the only one that even came close to passing. It took about three seconds to realize I was also the only one with a clue about what was going on.

When I heard someone in another room trying to get everyone to quiet down, I knew I had two options: find another exit or go out and suffer being humiliated.

I'd like to say I did the honorable thing and warned the other guys, but I was quickly diving into survival mode. The only skin I cared about was mine. Slipping out of the room into a hallway, I made my way toward where I thought I'd find a back exit ending up in a room with three large men and a pool table.

"You lost? I think the party is that way." He pointed back the way I came.

"Not lost, just looking for an exit that doesn't get me humiliated. Once I realized what was really going on, I bailed. I'm not falling for this shit. Now if you'll excuse me." I tried to make my way past them. Two pool cues blocked my way. The third guy came up behind me.

"You dressed like this, and you don't think you're a loser like them other guys?"

"Do you guys know April? I'll bet she could talk all three of you into a dress without breaking a sweat if she gave you a hope you'd get into her panties. Am I right?"

"Nah, man. It ain't that hard. You just got to have what she wants." He grabbed his crotch and let out a raucous laugh. "And you dressed like her, you even look like her, so maybe you like the same things." The guy behind me pressed down on my shoulders. I wrenched free and turned to face him. Hell, he was almost a foot taller than me and probably bench-pressed Volkswagens for fun.

"Way I see it, you got two ways out of this room. Back the way you came, or through us. There's only one way you're getting through us." He fucking undid his pants and pulled out the biggest cock I had ever seen. "And to be honest, you ain't going back the way you came. Your only choice you get is whether you make this hard or easy." They all laughed.

"Not happening." I leered at him.

"We could make you. Like I said, hard or easy."

Each one of these guys made two of me. If they ganged up on me, there was no way I could stop them.

"Tell you what, I'll play you for it." I motioned to the pool table. "You win. We do this your way. I win, I go on my merry way."

"Deal." He grinned at me. "I'll even let you break."

It wasn't even pretty. He sank ball after ball after I broke. I was so fucked until he lined up his shot on the eight ball and scratched. I was off the hook. Putting my cue back on the rack, I headed toward the door.

"There's three of us." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed the stick.

The second guy wasn't as good as they first, and we both had a few tries at the eight ball before I finally made my shot. Something told me he wasn't trying as hard as his friend, but I wasn't about to complain.

Guy three looked at me like I was a prime piece of meat. I got lucky and sank a ball on the break, taking three more off the table before I missed. All I accomplished was getting them out of his way. He ran the table, looked at me, and licked his lips.

"I think you owe me something." Shit, his cock was bigger than the first guy.

"You're really going to make me do this?"

"You made the bet." He grinned at me. "We'd probably have let you go after messing with you a bit, but..." He fucking laughed at me, "you made the bet."

"All right, let's get this over with. I can't believe I'm fucking doing this." I dropped to my knees.

Having one myself, I knew all about cocks. Where the sensitive places were, what felt good, what didn't, and what I liked girls to do to me when they gave me blow jobs. The hard part was going to be getting over my revulsion of touching another guy, especially his dick, and in such an intimate manner.

It was surreal the way the pale white fingers with the blue and orange polish looked as they wrapped around the ebony shaft. They didn't even look like they were mine.

"You made the bet." He smiled at me one more time as I looked up at him pleadingly. "Just take your time. Who knows, you might even like it once you get started. Girls like you usually do."

Girls like me. What the fuck?

I closed my eyes and reached out with my tongue, just licking the tip.

"That's right. That's a good girl." He put his hand on my head and ran his fingers through my hair. "Now kiss it." I did what he asked.

"Open." He whispered. Once more, I followed his instructions as he slipped the head of his cock into my mouth. Fuck, I was sucking a cock.

I did everything I could to not think about what I was doing, instead focusing on what I knew I liked girls to do to me.

The musky odor wasn't that bad. In fact, it was slightly intoxicating, and the feeling of his soft skin on my tongue as I ran it over the bottom of his shaft was almost pleasant. Taking my time, I pushed my revulsion down inside me and focused on his responses.

"Yeah, baby, just like that." "So good." "Oh fuck..."

His moans grew louder. I tasted his sweet pre-cum as it seeped into my mouth. Something changed, and I found myself trying to make his moans louder, his comments more emphatic, more frequent.

"Yeah, baby. Just like that. You are so good at this." I took him deeper into my mouth, stroking him with my hand, squeezing as he hit my gag reflex, gurgling, and coughing as my throat protested.

"You want it all, don't you?" I couldn't answer, but knew he was right. Something inside me was changing. Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was something deeper. I opened my eyes and looked up at the massive mountain of masculinity standing over me. When our eyes met and he smiled, placing his hands gently on the sides of my head. I understood. The why ceased to matter. I wanted all of him. I licked, I sucked, I played with his balls, all while doing everything I could to take him deeper and deeper into my mouth.

When it finally happened, it surprised me as much as it did him. His grip on the sides of my head grew firm as he held me there until I started gagging. That was when he took over, leaving me helpless to protest. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I fought for air as he shoved his cock into my throat over and over.

"You ready, baby girl?" I don't know why he even asked. There was no way I could answer. He shoved his cock as far down my throat as he could. I felt him tense and then pulse as he unloaded his seed into my stomach, slowly pulling out and squeezing the last few drops onto my tongue. I rocked back on my heels, looking up into his deep brown eyes.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He offered me his hand and helped me to my feet. "In fact, I think once you got started, you liked it." I couldn't even look at him. We both knew the truth.

"You're all right. Why don't you hang with us for a while?" One of the other guys handed me a shot of something. I didn't even think about it. I just downed it and coughed. There was a fridge full of beer and a bar full of liquor. We played pool and laughed and joked, but the amount of alcohol I drank seriously impeded any chance of me remembering. The last thing I remembered was thinking I didn't even know their names. I may have given the other two guys blow jobs, too, maybe more than once,

I woke up in a strange bed with someone's arm wrapped around me, holding me close. Being the little spoon for a change was nice. I felt safe. I let out a sigh and just lay there, listening to the deep breaths behind me and enjoying the warmth of whoever's bed I was in.

"You awake?" I felt him move behind me and turned to look up into his face. It was guy two. The look in his big brown eyes made me giddy. "I'm Derrick. You passed out, so I brought you here. I'm sorry if things got out of hand last night."

Memories of what I had done slowly filled my head. After the first time, I never objected or fought back. I liked everything I did. "It's ok. I made the bet, and I always pay my debts." I blushed. "So why here?"

"Because you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, even if you're not quite all-girl. I just wanted to make sure you were safe, and I knew I could protect you if you were here with me. Fucking Tyrel wanted to pass you around a little with some of the other guys, but I shut that shit down fast."

"Thanks. I guess I had a bit too much to drink."

"And other things." He smiled at me. "How much do you remember?"

"Not as much as I'd like. I remember playing pool and doing shots, and I think I gave a few more blow jobs."

"Yeah, you really got into it after a while. It was actually impressive."

"You let me win. When we played pool the first time, you let me win?"

"Yeah. I was hoping Tyrel would follow my lead, and then you acted like you liked it, so."

"How many?"

"Six. I think you did each of us twice. We all got kind of tight and I lost count. Like I said, you acted like you liked it."

"I guess I did. This is kind of nice, too." I nestled against him and laughed. "I am so fucking confused."

"Just relax. I'll take care of you."

"I'm not sure if that scares me or excites me."

"What about it scares you?" He leaned down and kissed me softly.

"Besides that?" I let out a soft moan as our lips parted. "I think what might come next?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Derrick, I don't have a clue what I want. Before last night, I'd never have thought I'd want to suck a cock, much less six times, and yet, here we are. If you'd asked me yesterday, I'd have told you there was no way I'd sleep with another guy, especially cuddling with him. And then letting him kiss me like you just did, no way. But, again, here we are."

We just stared at each other. His deep brown eyes wrapping me in a strange warmth I'd never felt before. Fucking asshole kissed me again. This time, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine as hard as I could, letting his tongue invade my mouth. I could feel his erection pressing into my thigh. Holy shit, what had I gotten myself in to?

We made out, kissing each other and letting our hands explore our naked bodies. I hadn't even thought about being naked. Maybe his intentions behind bringing me here weren't completely pure. I could hear myself moaning, my body tingling, as his massive hands gently caressed my skin. He even played with my fake boobs. The longer we kissed, the more we played and touched each other, the more lost I felt. I was so fucking horny; I couldn't stand it.

"What do you want?" My voice was almost a whisper.

He took his cock in his hand and pressed the tip into my ass.

There was no more discussion. My body betrayed me again. Derrick pressed his cock into my ass one more time. I bit my lip, nodded, and pushed my ass back into his invader. Tears welled in my eyes. Consciously, I didn't want this, but I couldn't say no. Somewhere deep inside me; something knew it was the next step in the progression, craved what I knew was going to happen. Every part of me understood. I couldn't, no, wouldn't stop it.

He reached over to the small table next to his bed, grabbing a bottle of lube. He showed it to me. Cringing, I nodded again. He slipped back between my legs, and I pulled my knees to my shoulders. Derrick lowered his lips to mine, kissing me softly before he covered his fingers in the slick liquid, using them; one, two, then three to prepare me for what was to come.

Trembling with a mix of fear and anticipation, I closed my eyes and tried not to cry. I was letting a guy I'd just met fuck me. Where did this even come from? Why had I made that stupid bet last night, and why had I stayed after I'd paid it? Fuck, I'd sucked all three of them twice?

It took him some time to work his cock inside me. He stopped when I protested, taking it out a time or two when I winced in pain. He'd give me a concerned look, like he was asking me if I wanted him to continue. I'd shake my head yes. Finally, he filled me completely with his massive beast. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. All I could do was let the tears flow down my cheeks and writhe below him as he made slow, passionate love to me.

None of the girls I had been with had made me feel the way Derrick did right then. The things I felt filled every nuance of my soul, surges of electric ecstasy coursing through me, my entire body alive with a strange, fresh energy. I shuddered and shook as he drove his cock into me over and over. My cock finally exploding all over my stomach, not just once, but twice, before I felt him pulsing deep inside me. Ruined, destroyed, he had invalidated, rewritten everything I thought I knew about myself.

Derrick tried to pull free, but I locked my ankles behind him, holding him in place. "Not yet. Please?" I half begged him to stay inside me. He just smiled, leaning down to kiss me one more time.

I think of all the things I had done since April conned me into her cheer uniform. Kissing Derrick was my favorite.

We made love twice more. Derrick would come inside me, and I would suck and play with his cock until he was ready again. We took our time exploring each other's bodies. I had never even thought of touching a man like this before, but it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

He was the one that finally quit. "Girl, you are wearing me out. I can't do this anymore." He kissed me hard and rolled onto his back. We got up and took a shower. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Even with my makeup destroyed, the boobs April had glued to my chest were enough. I could still see the girl from last night.

"Shit." I shouted when it hit me as I pulled on my panties and bra. "All I have is that stupid cheer uniform. I can't wear that back to my dorm."

"Hang on." Derrick stuck his head out the door. "Ginny, you out there? I need some help."

"Ginny?" I looked at him funny. "Who's Ginny?"

"My little sister." When the cute blonde came through the door, I twisted my confused expression even more.

"Fraternity, little sister. She lives here with me." He laughed. "Gin, you got something she can borrow. All she's got is that cheer uniform. And can you maybe help her fix her makeup?" I was positive she saw my cock in my panties, but she didn't say a word. I followed her to her room, where she helped me with all the same things April had helped me with only yesterday, except Ginny was doing it for the right reasons.

We found Derrick in the kitchen on his phone, making a protein shake or something.

"Damn, you look amazing. Better than in that cheer uniform, that's for sure." Ginny had loaned me a pair of shorts that looked painted on and a cropped football jersey with Derrick's number on it. The jersey hung off my shoulder and left just a bit of my tummy exposed. I was beyond cute.

"Thanks, and about last night, don't worry about it. I probably enjoyed it as much as you guys did." I gave Derrick a weak smile. "And this morning..." I just smiled.

"Listen, you can hang here with Ginny for a bit." He smiled back. I got the feeling he was going to want to pick up where we left off. "I've got a team meeting. A guy from the party, one they dressed as a cheerleader, is in the hospital and a couple of guys on the team were involved somehow. That April bitch did a number on those guys. I'm glad you bailed."

"Me too, and thanks, but I need to get home. Last night and this morning were too much. I need time to think; decompress." I left April's uniform in Derick's room and headed back to my apartment. When I realized Derrick didn't even know my name, I almost went back, but decided Derrick's not knowing my name might be for the best. I'd dressed up for a Halloween party, hoping to fuck the hottest girl in school. I wasn't sure I was ready to be a massive black man's girlfriend.

My roommate Ryan was still asleep, so I undressed as quietly as I could, changing into something a little more appropriate. I still had on the panties and didn't know how to get the breasts forms off, so I wore the bra, too. I guess that was part of April's joke. The panties just felt nice on my hairless crotch and if someone forced me to tell the truth, I liked the way the fake boobs tugged on my chest and moved with me. Once I met up with Derick and his friends, I'd had a good time. I smiled to myself and flexed my butt, thinking back on my morning with Derrick. Oh, boy. I couldn't believe I'd let him fuck me three times, much less that I'd wanted him to.

I tried to get the makeup off, but all I did was smear it all over my face. Ryan woke up to find me on the computer searching for makeup remover and watching tutorials.

"You and April. How was the party, bro?"

"Bitch tried to set me up as a fool. I saw a couple of other guys dressed as cheerleaders and put two and two together. It was Halloween, so I just went to a different party. Fuck her."

"Dude, you no-showed April Weathers?"

"Yeah. Good thing, too. I heard one guy they dressed up ended up in the hospital because of something she did. You know anything about getting makeup off?" We both laughed.

Ryan did me a solid and went to the drugstore for some moisturizer and makeup wipes so I could get the rest of my makeup off, and I treated him to pizza. I still had the boobs to deal with and the solvent I ordered to get them off wouldn't arrive for a few days. I'd just have to make do. We got the full story from some guys sitting at the table next to us, one of whom was at the party. April had five or six guys jack off into a cup and then forced the poor kid to drink it. She even videoed it and posted it online. She thought it was hilarious. When she told him what it was, he ran from the party and took a handful of his ADHD medicine. Lucky for him, his roommate found him.

The party was all everyone wanted to talk about for the next week. As Derrick had said, two football players were involved. They swore they didn't have a clue about why the girl at the party wanted them to jack off into the cup. Like jacking off into a red solo cup at a party in front of maybe a hundred people isn't bad enough.

The coach kicked them off the team, anyway. The school put the sorority on probation, and nothing happened to April. There were plenty of witnesses, but they were all drinking and conveniently deemed unreliable. It probably didn't hurt that she was the head cheerleader, and her dad had his name on a couple of buildings around campus, including the field house.

Me, I had other things to think about. Things like boobs and makeup, blow jobs and letting Derrick fuck me in the ass. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really had enjoyed it. I just didn't know how to explain it, or even worse, how I was going to move forward. All the questions. Was I gay or just bisexual? I liked girls but seemed to like guys, too. If I was honest with myself, I'd have to admit I enjoyed dressing up in that cheerleader uniform. I'd enjoyed the way Derrick reacted to me in those shorts and cropped jersey even more. I couldn't let it go. April had tried to humiliate me and in doing so had exposed a part of me I'd never have known existed.

A few weeks later, the football team beat our archrival, everyone forgot about the party and the kid in the hospital. I hadn't gone to the game. I had other things I wanted to do. My search for makeup remover had morphed and grown into a search for makeup to remove and tutorials on how to apply it. I loved the way the panties felt against my shaved crotch, so it involved finding more panties to wear, and then some matching bras. Naturally, I couldn't just wear Ginny's shorts and cropped jersey all the time, so I bought some clothes of my own.

I even did research on hair removal, shaving everything every day, get old fast. That manifested into a trip to a spa where I learned the joys of a full body wax.

"Dude, you should have been there. We killed them. What a ga... the hell?"

Ryan had caught me completely made up. Makeup perfect, I wore a cute skater dress I'd found online, sitting in front of the mirror admiring the new studs I had in my ears. In my defense, I was positive he would go to every party he could find after the game. I had been listening to the game on the radio, and it had been a great game. The last thing I expected was for him to come get me, so I could party with him.

We just stared at each other, neither one knowing exactly what to say. He'd seen me in the cheerleader uniform. That was a gag - fun. This was obviously intentional and had to be completely out of the blue.

What was I going to say, 'yeah, I really enjoyed getting dressed up and, oh, I love getting ass fucked and giving blow jobs, too?'

"Um, like there are parties everywhere, but it's a little chilly. Why don't you change into like some jeans or something, and we can go celebrate?" Ryan didn't sound convinced, but I admired his attempt at acting normal. I had changed in front of him a hundred times, but to have him see me in my panties and bra just made it weird. I went simple with jeans, the cropped jersey I had borrowed from Ginny, and a denim jacket. It was a tossup, what got Ryan's attention more, the bangle in my belly button, or the distinctive number 66 on the jersey.

In retrospect, I may have gone off the deep end a little.

More than the totally alien concept of any kind of relationship with a guy, Derrick being a first string all American freaked me out. Pundits had him pegged as having serious NFL potential. I wasn't sure I wanted the relationship I felt he wanted. I for sure wasn't ready for that kind of attention, especially since he and his friends were on a very short list of people that knew about my budding proclivities. Ok, maybe blossoming is a better word.

That I was going out to party dressed as a girl for the second time was so far out of my comfort zone, I could barely stand it. I hadn't even thought about what would happen if my parents found out. I was crazy to even risk it. It was beyond stupid, but I shoved what I needed in my one purse, took a deep breath, and followed Ryan out the door.

What had started as parties everywhere had morphed into a massive street party all up and down fraternity row. All the houses had their doors open, with people going in and out, refilling their red solos cups with whatever was being offered inside. Campus and city police were everywhere. They seemed to be primarily interested in keeping things under control. Enforcing anything meant finding some place to put everyone they arrested. Especially things like underage drinking or public intoxication. If everyone kept their clothes on and didn't cause trouble, they would be fine.

Ryan and I fell into a sort of assumed symbiosis. I acted like I was with him, which dramatically helped his street cred, and he kept most of the guys from hitting on me. It just worked.

"Well, if it isn't Cinderella. Nice top." I turned to see Ginny smiling at me.

"Thanks, I borrowed it from my bestie." Her Cinderella reference made me smile.

"Derrick is going nuts trying to find you, you know that, right?"

"Um, introduction, please, and who's Derrick?" Ryan interrupted.

"Sorry. Ginny, Ryan. Ryan, Ginny. And Derrick is, well, Derrick. I pointed at my jersey. That's whose party I crashed after I dumped April on Halloween." The look on Ryan's face was priceless.

Ginny dragged us through the crowd to the Rho house, where I knew Derrick and his friends would be. I stopped at the curb and grabbed Ryan by the arms. There was no time for subtlety. "Listen. This might get a little weird, but you need to know. I slept with Derrick. Slept with, slept with. Whatever happens, please, just go with it, ok?"

It slowly dawned on him what I was saying. I guess the desperation on my face was stronger than whatever else he was feeling. "Woah... You slept with, as in had sex with, as in got fucked by Derrick?" I just nodded, my face cringing as I waited for him to scream all kinds of horrible things at me.

"So, this is more than just wearing the clothes?" I nodded again, slowly relaxing when he didn't freak out.

"Maybe. That night was incredible. I'm still trying to figure a lot of stuff out. You already got blindsided once today, so I figured you deserved a warning."

He looked at me for a few minutes, like he was trying to remember where he knew me from. "You put in a word with Ginny for me, and I got your back."

"Ryan, I will always be your wingman."

"You guys coming?" Ginny came back for us.

"Lead on, my princess." Ryan might need more than just a good word from me if he's going to use lines like that.

Derrick was with his two buddies, surrounded by a small group of people looking for their attention. One of them had long red hair. Great, April was here.

Ginny worked her way through the crowd. "Look who I found." She practically dragged me up to Derrick.

"Been a while." I offered meekly.

"Yeah. I forgot to get your number. Um, you with somebody?" He nodded toward Ryan.

"Just my roommate. He ambushed me and dragged me out of our apartment to celebrate. Evidently, you guys played well today."

"Kicked some Tech ass is more like it." Guy number one piped in.

"You remember Dwayne, right?" he pointed at guy one. "And this here is Tyrel. Guy three.

"Oh. My. God. Charlie, is that you? You a little sissy boy full time now?" A few people in the crowd looked at me funny. Derrick, Dwayne, and Tyrel looked at April like she had dropped an 'N' bomb.

"Maybe." I gave her a smile mixed with a leer. "I guess I should thank you for that. Turns out I rock this girl stuff big time. You out trolling for more innocent lives to ruin, or is that just your Halloween gig?"

Suddenly, she was the center of attention, and it wasn't the kind she was looking for. Her face turned bright red, and she stormed off into the crowd, followed by a few snickers.

"So, Charlie. That's good to know." Derrick stepped closer to me.

"I'm thinking about dropping the 'h' when I'm dressed like this. What do you think?"

"Carly. Yeah. I like that, and nice shirt."

"I stole it from a friend. Thought it was appropriate for the occasion. And, hey. This is my roommate, Ryan. He's one of the good guys. Didn't let this phase him a bit." I pointed at myself. "Just dragged me out of the apartment, anyway. I guess I'm glad he did." Shit. I could feel the butterflies coming back. All I needed now was for Derrick to kiss me and I'd lose any composure I had left.

Thank god, he didn't. We hung out and talked. Ryan went a little fan boy talking about a couple of plays Derrick made. Derrick acted like it was totally normal, even expanding on the plays and admitting one of them was dumb-ass luck. I knew Derrick was a defensive end. Dwayne was the tackle that lined up next to him and Tyrel, a middle linebacker. Statistically speaking, the three of them were our defense.

Ginny must have thought Ryan was cute because she dragged him off to go dance. Dwayne and Tyrel took her cue and went to find some entertainment of their own, leaving just me and Derrick.

"Ginny said you were looking for me. You know I don't do this all the time, right?"

"Well, you should. I mean, look at you. You're one fine girl, whether you got a cock or a clit. Know what I mean? And the way you stood up to April like that. Damn, you're my new hero. I hate that bitch. I'm nice to her because her dad pays my NIL deal."

"What are we doing here, Derrick? I like you and I know you like me, and what we did together was, wow... but is this a good idea? I don't even know if I can do this all the time. Right now, it's just something I take out and play with now and then."

"What are you afraid of? 'Guy' you got so wrapped up in April Weathers he dressed up as a cheerleader and went to a nerd party. 'Girl' you owned that bitch. You know how many people around here stand up to her? As of a few minutes ago, exactly one and that's you. From her reaction, everybody in the whole damned school is going to know about you before you get to your first class on Monday. They'll probably have pictures. If getting outed is what you're afraid of, it's too late. Besides, you got your belly button pierced. You are already all in. Just admit it to yourself."

His noticing my belly button made me smile.

"Then what? How do I explain all this to my parents? Not just the dressing, you. Historically, Ginny is more my speed. My dad and stepmom would freak out if I showed up for Thanksgiving as a girl with a six-five black boyfriend. Especially one with a six-figure NIL deal and a near lock on an NFL career. One or the other, maybe. But both. My mom, I don't even want to think about her reaction."

That changed the topic for a few minutes as we talked about family. I was an only child, and my parents divorced. My dad married the girl he was having an affair with. Jules was a sweetheart and only about ten years older than me. She had been my babysitter and was more like a big sister than a stepmom, but when I was at home, I knew I was in her house.

My mom was a classic helicopter mom. That her name was Karen was life's ultimate irony. She had gone off the deep end a long time ago. One of those highly opinionated, ultra conservative fundamentalist Christians. She wouldn't understand any of what I was going through, and sadly, me dating Derrick would be the worst of it and not because he was a guy.

Derrick's family sounded almost too perfect. His dad was a pediatrician, and his mom taught high school math and science. He had four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. Derrick was the youngest and probably the only one that wouldn't have an advanced college degree. When he told me they already knew about me, everything about me, I didn't know whether to hit him or kiss him.

"How about this? We go back to my apartment and talk about it some more?"

"Talk? There is no way we are going to just talk if we go back to your apartment."

Derrick laughed. "You're probably right. But maybe I can distract you long enough for you to realize that once you make the big decision, the details seem to fall into place."

We passed Ryan in the hallway between the bathroom and Ginny's room. From the glazed look on his face, he was having a good time.

I had my legs wrapped around Derrick's waist, my arms around his neck, and was sucking his tongue into my mouth. None of us felt inclined to make small talk. I ripped my clothes off, got the lube out of the bedside table, and laid back on the bed with my legs spread. I threw the lube at him, hitting him in the chest, and looked up at him like he was my lunch. "So, distract me."

There was no going back, and I knew it. Derrick took me in one thrust, driving his cock all the way inside me before fucking me blind. I lost count of my orgasms as they blurred and blended into one massive feeling of ecstasy. Derrick came twice, maybe three times, before collapsing on top of me.

"I need to go clean up." I kissed him sweetly and whimpered as I crawled from underneath him.

"You want some help?" he tried to pull me back onto the bed.

"God no, you'd just try to stick that thing back inside me and I'd let you." I gave him a fake scowl.

This time, I passed Ginny in the hallway. "Thanks for bringing Ryan." She gave me a kiss. "Can I keep him?" I just laughed and stepped into the shower to rinse the cum and sweat from my body. I had more running down the inside of my legs than I did on my stomach.

Derrick was already asleep when I got back to the bedroom. I nestled next to him and chased him into my dreams, wondering how I had gotten so lucky. He was right. Whatever they were, the details would work themselves out.

"I've got a team meeting." Derrick woke me up with a kiss. "Just hang here with Ginny and Ryan, and I'll see you when I get back."

I pulled him back for another kiss. It would have to be enough. I couldn't find words to describe how I was feeling, anyway.

"Ginny asked me if she could keep you." I snickered as I sat down next to Ryan. He was on the balcony in his boxers, lost in thought. I had scrounged one of Derrick's T-shirts and hadn't bothered to put anything on underneath it.

"She tied me up and spanked me; made me call her mistress. Then she used a strap on. I don't understand it, but Carly, I think I love her." The smile on his face told me he had discovered a whole new world.

"I know how you feel." My hand found his thigh and patted it. I certainly knew how it felt to have my ass invaded by someone else. And just like him, was trying to come to grips with how dramatic the changes in how I felt about myself were becoming.

Facing the realization that you never truly knew your true self can be daunting. That's especially true when the real you doesn't fit the societal norms your family raised you to accept.

"I got coffee and bagels." Ginny called out from inside.

"Carly, what do we do?" Ryan glanced back over his shoulder toward Ginny's voice.

"I'd say you keep an open mind and keep exploring. Ginny's nice, and super-hot, and super into you, so go for it. I think I'm going to stop pretending to be something I'm not. The details will take care of themselves, and thanks for calling me Carly."

Derrick got a handful of new stickers on his helmet for his sacks and tackles. We all went for burgers for lunch and talked about stuff. It was a pleasant afternoon. Ginny told Ryan he was spending the night again, and I got the feeling he might not be much of a roommate for a while.

Derrick walked me back to the apartment. My hand slipped into his and I leaned against his arm as we walked. "This boyfriend girlfriend thing, how does that work in your mind?"

"We call each other and text, go on dates, hang out a lot. You come to the games and watch me play." Shit, his smile was deadly. "Hopefully we get to spend the night together now and then, and a lot of this." He pulled me to him and kissed me hard. "A lot depends on how often you want to be a girl. I'll take as much as you offer."

"I think a lot depends on whether April outs me to everybody. This is nice." I pulled his lips to mine. "But I'm still scared of the fallout. If she forces it, then you'd probably get me all the time. And that does not mean you get to call her and encourage her. You are my boyfriend, not hers."

"Yes, ma'am." He laughed, kissing me one last time before he left me to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

There were only three people that had special ring tones on my phone and one of those woke me up Monday morning an hour before I set my alarm to go off.

"Jules, what's wrong?"

"Charlie, that's what I'm calling to ask you. Karen showed up about thirty minutes ago. Somebody sent her a picture of some girl. The caption said it was you. Your mom is freaking out and your dad is doing everything he can to get her to calm down." My phone pinged, and I looked at the picture. April had done worse than just outing me to the school.

"Fuck, Jules. What do I do?"

"So, that's you?"

"Yeah, and it gets worse, a lot worse. I'm probably transgender."

"Yeah, the picture implied that. Think like your mom. How could it get much worse than that?"

"You promise you won't hate me?"

"Charlie, your dad, and I love you. In her own way, your mom does too. Just tell me."

I sent her a picture of me and Derrick. "That's me and my boyfriend."

Neither of us said anything for a good thirty seconds. "Wow. That outfit is cute. Wait? You're dating Derrick Walters?"

"I am. Kind of cool, right?" I smiled and blushed and told her most of the story. April, the cheer uniform, the Halloween party, my escaping the humiliation, meeting Derrick, leaving out the sex. I think she figured it out for herself.

"Jules, I've never felt like this with any of the girls I dated. Derrick treats me like a princess, and I love it."

"I'll talk to your dad. He might think it's cool you're dating an all-American defensive end. No promises, though. I'll call you later and let you know how it went."

"Thanks Jules. You're the best stepmom a guy, or a girl I guess, could have. Just do me one more thing. Please don't let my mom come down here, please. I can't guarantee April won't send more pictures and if my mom finds out about Derrick, I don't know what she'd do. She'd probably bring her whole church and try to pray it out of me."

Jules laughed. "She just might. One last thing, still Charlie?"

"I think I'm dropping the 'h'. My friends call me Carly and it just fits. Thanks for not freaking out, Jules. I'm glad my dad married you. If he hadn't, well, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to talk to."

"I love you, too Carly. Now go do your school stuff and I'll do some damage control on this end. I'll call you later."

"April sent a picture to my mom." I texted Derrick.

"Fucking bitch. I'm sorry, babe. What you going to do?"

"Wear something cute. Hope for the best. Get my boyfriend to take me to dinner." I added a few hearts and kissy faces and hit send.

"Like an actual date? Done. 7?"

"Sounds good. See you then." 'Like an actual date.' I liked the sound of that.

Someone should hire April as a publicist. Everybody knew about me. Thanks to Jules, I had a warning and had prepared for it. A short denim skirt with tights, a tight sweater, and a pair of ankle boots. The best way to deal with something like this was head on. I added big hoop earrings and bright red polish on my nails with a matching gloss on my lips.

All three of my professors asked me the same two questions; 'Yes, I'm transgender.' 'Carly or Miss Evans.' I'd answer them again twice the next day. It was a done deal now. I was officially Carly.

"I'm so sorry. Love you. Call me when you can." It was from Jules.

I was in the library working on a research paper when it came through. My mom had calmed down enough that I didn't have to worry about a busload of people from her church showing up at my apartment. She, my dad, and Jules were talking like semi-rational adults, and then the other shoe dropped. My mom got a picture of me kissing Derrick. I was officially at Defconn 1. My mom just shut down, got up, walked out, and went to church to pray.

I got the text from my dad while I was talking to Jules, "Need an address to send your stuff." That was it.

Jules promised to talk to my dad. I wasn't optimistic. I didn't even go home. Instead, I went to Derrick's apartment. When Ginny answered the door, I hugged her and went and climbed into Derrick's bed fully dressed.

I stayed with Derrick and Ginny all week. Derrick just held me and listened as I went over the same things again and again. Jules called me every day, and we talked, too, but my mom and dad weren't budging. My dad couldn't deal with having a gay son, and my mom had taken to dropping the 'N' word a lot. A 'good Christian woman' like my mom being blatantly racist didn't surprise me. I certainly never figured my dad would abandon me for something as stupid as who I had sex with. What really boggled my mind was that neither of them seemed to be bothered by the transgender thing.

To be fair, it was a lot, especially all at once. If I could have done it in pieces, they might have listened, but to have it dropped in their laps, shoved in their faces all at once was too much. They both probably felt betrayed that I hadn't come to them sooner, but my whole path had happened over mere weeks. If April hadn't forced me to decide, it would have taken years to do what I did. When I curled up in Derrick's arms and he held me close, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, that I was exactly who I was supposed to be. He was the glue holding my fragile world together.

Ginny and Ryan dragged me to the game on Saturday, and I finally got to see firsthand what a beast Derrick was on the field. I knew he was as angry as I was despondent over what April had done to me and my family. He took every ounce of that anger out on the poor guy across from him. Dwayne and Tyrel fed off his energy, as did the rest of the defense. It was a massacre. The other team never crossed our forty-yard line, and they only crossed midfield twice.

I knew I needed the same release he experienced, but I didn't have a football game to let it out in. When we got home, I took Derrick to bed and took it out on him. I couldn't believe he let me do it, but I fucked him as many times as he fucked me. I even spanked his ass until it was a deep red, calling him all kinds of horrible names before collapsing into his arms and crying my eyes out.

When we woke up Sunday morning, he took his time. He made slow, wonderful, passionate love to me, worshiping every inch of my body, letting me know how special, how loved I was. I just laid there next to him, my head on his shoulder while my hand caressed his perfect chest.

"Don't be too hard on your parents." He played with my hair. "You're in the middle of it. You've been dealing with this since Halloween, to be honest, probably longer or you wouldn't have been so easy to convince to put on that cheer uniform. They got it all shoved in their face at once. Try to imagine what that must have been like for them, to suddenly realize their prefect little boy wasn't what they thought he was. They're confused, shocked, overwhelmed and probably scared as hell. Their dreams for you shattered. No grandkids. And do you really think they ever expected someone like me to be in your life? They're worried about you and hurt that you didn't come to them first. You're still trying to figure this shit out. Imagine what they're going through."

"I know, but they're my parents. They're the ones that are always supposed to be there for me. They're the ones that are supposed to protect me from the monsters under my bed, not the ones that shut me out when I need them the most."

"Yeah, but they're human, too. And I'll bet they're trying to figure out what they did wrong, what they did to make you like this. If I'm right, they probably think this is all their fault."

"Why would they think that?"

"Because that's what my parents thought when I told them about you, that I was bisexual, and my girlfriend was transgender, and that I was falling in love with her. The only difference is, I got to break it to them on my terms. I got to talk to them. I didn't have an April fucking Weathers throwing it in their face with no warning."

"Wait, you're... You...?"

"Yeah, since the first time I saw you in that cheerleader uniform. I told you I thought you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen, and then you stood up to April. Even I couldn't do that. You were my hero, and I knew I wanted you in my life."

"Wait, you were falling for me, and you let Dwayne and Tyrel use me like that?"

"You kind of had to be there. That whole situation kind of had a life of its own. You looked like you were enjoying it so much and, well, you were so fucking hot. What was I supposed to do?"

"I was there, you idiot." Sitting up, I glared down at him, trying so hard to be mad. I just couldn't find it. He was right. That night had been surreal, and I had enjoyed it more than I could ever have imagined. It was what opened the door to my new life, it was what showed me who I really was.

"And it's a good thing I love you, too, or I'd leave your ass right now." I got up and went to the bathroom. I couldn't believe what I just said, just like I couldn't deny it was true. It had only been a few too short weeks.

What Derrick had said about my parents made sense, and while it still hurt, I found a sense of peace in his words that let me move on. Monday and Tuesday, I talked to my professors and explained the gist of the situation. They all understood, and I promised to get caught up over the Thanksgiving break.

The team had an extended practice Wednesday morning, and Derrick and I left for his house right after. He had to be back in time for another long practice Friday morning to be ready for the game on Saturday.

Thanksgiving at home had never been more than a dozen people. I was completely unprepared for what I walked into when they got to Derrick's house. I knew Derrick had four brothers and sisters. What I didn't expect was all the aunts and uncles and cousins. Derrick's grandmother lived with them in the old family home. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, and there were twenty people in the old house. That number would be five times that the next day.

I didn't even have time to get my bearings before an older woman conscripted me. "Your mama teach you to cook? If you're gonna date my grandson, you need to know how to cook."

"Um, no ma'am."

"Well, come on then." The old woman grabbed my elbow and dragged her into the kitchen. We did more talking than cooking, but I picked up a few things as Gran ordered me around the enormous kitchen. There was pot roast and mashed potatoes, corn bread, and collard greens. She taught me how to make gravy and the perfect mix for sweet tea. I had never seen this much food, and this was just for dinner; the real lessons would come tomorrow when we cooked the 'big meal.' That's what Gran said, anyway, and I didn't feel like it was a good idea to argue with her.

"My Ellen told me about you. It's different for girls like you today. People are more accepting, more open to things. But then when I was younger, everything was different." It was such an odd thing to say. She stopped and just looked at me. "Do you make my Derrick happy?"

"I hope so. I know he makes me happy."

"Well, I guess that's what matters, and you are a pretty little thing. Now go tell everybody dinner's ready."

Dinner was crazy, twenty people at two tables moving back and forth as the conversations morphed and changed. I sat between Derrick and Gran, across from Derrick's parents, and answered all kinds of questions. I'd get nervous and Gran would put her hand on mine or Derrick would smile at me and I'd relax. The answer Ben, his dad, seemed to like the most was, "Yes sir, Technology Management with an MBA. They have a great combined curriculum." He seemed satisfied that my degree plan wasn't a Mrs. degree.

His mom was more interested in things like how we met and what my family thought of 'things.' When I got quiet and looked at Derrick like I was going to cry, she apologized and changed the subject.

Derrick's siblings were a doctor, a veterinarian, a lawyer, and a PhD. candidate in theoretical physics and advanced mathematics. Their spouses and partners were all just as smart. I was so out of my league and poor Derrick got ribbed mercilessly for not going for an advanced degree. Like his projected first-round pick and a 3.7 GPA in finance weren't enough. I also knew he was planning to go to law school when he was through with football.

Derrick's mom, Ellen, led me out onto the front porch while everyone else cleaned up. "You're not want I expected for my son." At least she was direct. "But the way he talks about you, and now that I've met you." She let out an enormous sigh. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thanks. Derrick thinks they're just confused, hurt, and scared, and I can understand that. I never got the chance to talk to them before some girl at school sent my mom pictures of me and Derrick. Kind of a nuclear option, if you know what I mean. It went bad fast." I laid out as much of the April story as I felt appropriate. "And I didn't expect me and Derrick either, but the more I'm with him, the more I know it's right. To be honest, before I met him, his roommate Ginny was more my type."

"His, too. She shot him down big time." We both laughed.

We talked a while longer. She told me about all five of her kids and how she met Derrick's dad. It had been a whirlwind romance. I guess those run in their family.

"Mom." Someone hollered from inside and she turned to leave.

"Carly, you're going to be fine. Trust me. Your parents will come around. Just give them time. It's what parents do."

I stayed on the porch for a while longer, listening to the frogs and taking in the smells of the night air. Just when I got chilly, Derrick's arms wrapped around me. "It's getting late. Let me show you where you'll be tonight."

"I want to be right here." I pulled his arms tight around me.

"That would be nice. But this is my Gram's house, and there needs to be a ring on a finger before that happens."

"Ok." I read everything I could into the way he said that, sliding my arms up around his shoulders and pulling his lips to mine. I wasn't really a boy anymore, and I certainly wasn't quite all girl, so I got a fold out cot in the library by myself.

Gran sat down next to me as I slipped under the covers. "I want to show you something, girl." She showed me a picture of two girls all dressed up to go out. "That one there on the left is me. The other one was my William, Ellen's daddy. He was kind of like you. Didn't want to be a girl, but he sure loved to be pretty. He'd get all dolled up, and we'd pretend to be sisters, going down to the Cotton Club and dancing all night. Even the white boys would ask my William to dance. He used to laugh all the way home at how he'd fooled them. Nobody ever knew except me, and now you. I just want you to know you're welcome in my house. Now get to sleep. You're helping me in the kitchen, and we got breakfast and then the big meal to fix."

It had been months since I had slept that well.

It was simple, but there was just so much to cook: bacon and eggs, biscuits, and gravy. I didn't know how special it truly was until later, but Gran never shared the secret for her biscuits with anybody, not even Ellen, and I knew it. That's what she told me, anyway.

I got breakfast on the table while she started on the big meal. Ellen and her daughters Grace and Sophie helped clean up from breakfast and then pitched in with the big meal while the guys disappeared. It all came together and while a little misogynistic and patriarchal, the guys would have just gotten in the way.

The aunts and uncles and their kids started showing up. Pies and cakes and side dishes piled up on the counters around the kitchen. Gran taught me everything she could about cooking turkeys and hams, making giblet gravy and all the fixin's. I wouldn't remember half of what she told me, but next year, I'd learn it all again, I hoped.

We all ate way too much, and I met more people than I could ever remember. They all just accepted me, a few even knew what I was. As far as they were concerned, I was just Derrick's girlfriend, and that was good enough for them. I think Gran letting me help in the kitchen might have helped, but that may have been more for me to feel comfortable than anything else. She was a smart lady and had raised her family right.

Derrick's lap was my target after lunch. I had spent all morning in the kitchen and decided someone else could do the dishes. Beer in hand, I leaned back against him and watched football, only getting up when one of us needed a beer or to go to the bathroom. Best seat in the house.

It felt like I got hugs from everybody. The two I remember were From Ellen and Gran. "You take care of my boy," Ellen whispered in my ear. "Like my daddy took care of Gran."

"I will." Smiling at her, I knew exactly what she meant. I guess she knew her dad's secret, too.

Gran just squeezed me as tight as she could.

"I think you made a good impression." Derick reached over and put his hand on my thigh as we drove home.

"I like your family. You mom told me to take care of you, and your Gran is wonderful."

"My dad told me the same thing about you." He laughed. I think they expect you to be around for a while.

"I'd like that. Maybe when we get home, you can try to convince me to stay." Derrick was almost late to practice Friday morning.

I called Jules. We talked about Thanksgiving with Derrick's family, especially about how Gran had adopted me and how easily everyone had just accepted me. I even cried a little when I thought about how that was how I expected at least my dad to react.

"Give him some time." Jules reassured me. "I'm not sure what to think about your mom, though. You and Derrick hit her pretty hard. I never figured her to be like that."

"Me either. I think it's kind of funny that Derrick being black and me being gay or bi or whatever I am is worse than the whole trans thing. Derrick thinks it was just too much too soon, that maybe if they hadn't found out about all of it at once, it might have helped."

"Sounds like a smart guy. You might want to think about keeping him around for a while."

"Yeah. Let me get used to living as a girl and dating boys before we go there, ok?" We both laughed. I knew I had already made that decision, but even Jules didn't need to know that yet.

"I guess you've got a lot on your plate, too."

"Yup. Thank you, April Weathers. What a bitch." It got quiet, and we said our goodbyes.

When Derrick got home from practice, I immediately knew something was wrong. He stormed past me, straight to our room, and locked the door. I just looked at Ginny and she looked at me. I don't know why I chose Tyrel, but I had to ask somebody what happened.

"We got suspended. All three of us. We're not playing tomorrow. Somebody accused us of assaulting some girl at the Halloween party."

"April." All three of us said it in unison.

"You take care of Derrick. I'm going to go talk to the coach." I was beyond pissed. Ok, be mad at me. Out me to the entire campus and my family, but Derrick didn't do anything to you. They wouldn't let me into his office, so I went and sat on top of his car. It was almost midnight before he came out.

I had had almost twelve hours to figure out what I was going to say, and he got it all, both barrels, point blank range. I told him about being invited to the party, figuring out what

April was up to, meeting Derrick and the guys.

I admitted I was dating Derrick, but he also got to hear about how Derrick had protected me, taken care of me, even how I had willingly given myself to him the next morning. I ended with how I had run into April at the Rho house after the game last Saturday and what had happened after.

He just listened. When I finally finished, he asked me some questions. Most of them about the Halloween party and what had happened, since from my description, I was the only option for the girl that they had supposedly assaulted.

"Aside from getting my butt kicked at pool all night, nothing happened I would call assault. Sure, we flirted and gave each other crap. Some of it may have been inappropriate in a public setting, but we were the only ones there, and it didn't bother me at all. In fact, I had such a good time, I started dating Derrick."

"And you'll testify to all of this?"

"Why wouldn't I? First, it's the truth, and second, they are my friends. I think the person who needs investigating is April, but booster money trumps a lot of things, I guess."

"Not everything. Thanks for cornering me. I'll think about what you told me. Maybe I can do something. Why don't you come to the athletic offices tomorrow morning around ten?"

Derrick was tossing and turning when I crawled into bed with him. I could understand why. Something like this could ruin not only his college career, but could seriously jeopardize his NFL prospects. Whoever made the claims was messing with not just my life but now his, and that wasn't funny.

"I told coach everything. He said he'd think about it and asked me to come to his office in the morning. I think he wants me to talk to some people. He asked me if I'd testify, and I said yes. Maybe it will be ok."

"Maybe." He pulled me close. "How did you get in to talk to coach, anyway? He doesn't talk to anybody the day before a game."

"I sat on the hood of his car and waited. He didn't have much choice." That got me a big kiss and seemed to help Derrick relax. He was already gone when I woke up.

I was right. When I got to the athletic offices, there were three men waiting for me in a conference room. I recognized one of them as the president of the university. The other two were the athletic dean and the chairman of the board of regents. I retold my story just like I had told it to the coach, meeting all their questions and challenges as best I could.

"If they were at the Halloween party, why didn't anyone mention them when you investigated what happened to the boy that ended up in the hospital? Why didn't they get kicked off the team like the two players that were actually there?"

"If they had assaulted me, then why am I dating Derrick? Why did I go home for Thanksgiving with him? Why are Tyrel and Dwight still my friends? Why would any girl continue to associate with the people that assaulted her?"

"If you want my opinion, someone has a personal vendetta and is hurting people she feels hurt her. Personally, I don't have to look much further than the person who outed me not only to the entire university, but to my family to guess who that might be. It's like I told coach, booster money trumps a lot of things." That got their attention.

It had taken all of four hours, and by the time they had finished asking me the same questions again and again, I was more than ready to leave. "Follow the breadcrumbs. You all know the truth; you just need to do the right thing." I didn't even say goodbye. I just left.

Derrick, Tyrel, and Dwayne didn't play the first half but more than made up for it in the second. They finished undefeated for the regular season. The only thing left was the conference championship, and then finding out which bowl game they were going to play in.

In the post-game press conference, coach attributed it to a minor infraction of team rules and refused to go any deeper. That was it. Nothing else happened. April got off again.

It wasn't all bad news. Sunday afternoon, while we were watching one of the NFL games, I got a text from my dad, "We can talk at Christmas." That was it. A smiley face from Jules wasn't far behind. At least I could go home for the holidays. I just wasn't sure how long my dad was going to let me stay.

With just a week left before finals, I decided not to worry about Christmas, or April, or anything but my classes and to focus on my grades. They had suffered a little with all the stress of the past several weeks, and I needed to make sure I aced all my tests.

Even Derrick took a bit of a back seat, but he was busy with his own studies and getting ready for the conference championship. I had effectively moved in with him, and Ginny stayed at my old apartment with Rick a lot, so things were working themselves out. What Derrick had told me about making the big decision and letting the details take care of themselves seemed to make more sense every day. I guess this is what he meant.

Of course, he and I slept together. I helped him with his stress, and he helped me with mine, which is code for we fucked like rabbits almost every night. We just didn't get much of a chance to date or just sit and talk; classes, study, eat, study some more, fuck, sleep, fuck again, rinse, repeat.

We won the conference championship, and the celebration was epic, rivaling the one after our win over Tech. It didn't hurt that the most likely destination for our bowl game was Nassau or Honolulu, and Derrick promised he could get me tickets. Maybe my dad would cover the airfare and hotel. Assuming he didn't disown me completely.

Derrick and I ran into April and if looks could kill, well, she wasn't happy to see me, or maybe it was seeing Derrick and me together. Something clicked. Could it be that she was jealous? Did she want him for herself? That would make so much sense. I couldn't imagine how deranged someone would have to be to do all this just because I embarrassed her. But if she wanted Derrick, and I got him, especially since I wasn't a 'real girl', since I was a 'sissy', well, you know what they say about a woman scorned.

Derrick and I talked about it as we basked in the afterglow of a marathon session of passion, sweat, and other body fluids. "That would make sense, but I never encouraged her. I always thought she was a bitch. Delusional and scorned; I guess that would be worse than just scorned." I couldn't help but laugh with him.

When I ended up in my academic dean's office, accused of cheating on not one, but two of my final exams, it wasn't funny anymore. It took me three hours to convince them the accusations were false. It helped that I could show them the study guides I had meticulously created throughout the semester. All I had to do then was pass oral versions of both tests on the fly.

I called in a favor with another senior I knew that worked for the university in the computer center. He did some computer magic and tracked down the source of the 'anonymous' email that made the accusations. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with the information, but fucking April Weathers was going down, and going down hard.

Even with all the chaos, I had pulled it all together and kept my grades up. Christmas was going to be interesting. I was going to have to face my parents, and Derrick wouldn't be there to keep me from cratering.

"You going to be ok?" Rick found me in my room packing the last of my suitcase. I had decided that since the cat was out of the bag, I was just going to deal with whatever happened. Carly was going home for Christmas. Thanks to April, the execution had been mercilessly quick and equally brutal. Charlie was gone.

"Yeah. It just hit me how final this is. If I go home like this, it's as good as permanent. Even if my dad doesn't understand. I guess I'm kind of scared."

"Look at it this was. Ginny has me wearing a chastity cage and a remote control, vibrating butt plug. I'd say you're getting off easy." We both laughed. I almost asked him to show me, but decided that would be just too much information.

Jules was waiting for me when I got downstairs. I got an accepting smile as we loaded my bags into the car. Neither of us said a word for the longest time.

"Is dad really ok with this?"

"He's trying. You were right. It was just too much all at the same time. He is kind of stoked that you're dating Derrick Walters, which I think confuses the hell out of him."

If nothing else, my dad was a college football fanatic. He had even played in college, so yeah, someone like Derrick was a big deal.

My mom's car wasn't there when we got to the house, thank god, but I left my bags in the car, just in case things didn't go well.

My dad looked like he had been pacing the same five or six feet of carpet in the living room for a long time. He looked confused and hurt, but I could also see the concern for me behind it all.

"So, this is you now?" His eyes were pleading for an answer we all knew wasn't coming.

"Yeah, dad, I think it is."

We just stood there and looked at each other. "Your mom is freaking out, completely off the rails."

"Those pictures... I was just experimenting until she sent them. When I found out you and mom knew, I felt committed, and now, it's taken a life of its own. It's who I choose to be when I get up in the morning. It's just right. All of it."

"Who is this girl, anyway?"

I told him the whole story about April and the Halloween party and all the fallout, even my speculations that she was jealous of my relationship with Derrick. The only thing I had hard proof of was her lying about me cheating on my finals. The more I talked, the more my dad's expression changed. I had been devastated by what April had done. He was flat out pissed.

"Take your things to your room. I need to make a phone call." He turned on his heel and left me and Jules standing there.

Jules helped me unpack. Neither of us could remember seeing my dad like this.

An hour later, my dad introduced me to his lawyer. I repeated the entire story and forwarded the email thread, proving April was the one that accused me of cheating. He took copious notes and, after going over several points several times, took a deep breath. "I think we could sue her for libel and defamation, but the school didn't actually accuse you of cheating. There are no actual damages to claim. It would be an inconvenience for her, but I don't see much else coming out of it."

"So, what then? This little rich bitch gets away with trying to ruin my daughter's life?"

I about fell out of my chair. He called me his daughter.

"It may have been inconvenient, but from what Carly told me, except for the cheating, most of what this girl said turned out to be true. Was what she did right? Was the way she went about it acceptable? No. But she wasn't lying either. The only thing we could go after would be the libel for accusing you of cheating, and that would cost you more than I think you could get, even if you won."

"I'm sorry Carly." My dad looked at me with big, sad eyes.

"It's ok, dad. I don't care about April. I got everything I need when you called me your daughter."

"All this stuff is just that, stuff. But nobody messes with my family." He opened his arms. I got up and let him wrap me in a massive hug.

"Off the record. That bitch needs to be taken down a notch or two. If it were my daughter, I'd get creative quick to make that happen." Dad's lawyer packed up his briefcase and got up to leave.

We spent the afternoon coming up with elaborate plans to get various kinds of revenge on April. Most of them were ridiculous, and a few blatantly illegal, but it was fun. My favorite was putting her in stocks in the campus mall and selling rotten fruit to people to throw at her.

Amid all the revenge ideas, we talked about what was happening with me and with me and Derrick. Where it was all going and what it meant long term. I didn't have an answer for most of the questions and I knew I needed to find them, or at least ask them of myself before things went too much further.

A little research showed that the school had a counseling service that was free to students, and they offered gender counseling as an option. I went online and made an appointment for the first week of classes after break.

In the meantime, my dad was fine with me being Carly. Jules was all over it, even kidnapping me and taking me to her salon where we got matching manicures and pedicures.

My mom never made an appearance, and I was fine with that. She'd come around in her own time and would probably never fully accept what I was going through, or Derrick, if that worked out.

I got a surprise call from Derrick. Well, we talked every day, but this one was special. It concerned a FedEx package with three tickets and travel arrangements for the Hawaii Bowl. I thought it was hilarious that, through his NIL deal, April's dad paid for it. Me, my dad, and Jules got to watch Derrick and company shut out the Colorado State Rams. Tickets, airfare, and hotel. All we had to cover was our spending money and food.

After the game, we had a few days to enjoy the islands. Derrick and my dad got along great and seeing how Derrick treated me went a long way to my dad accepting the situation. I don't think he was too keen on what we did in private, but he didn't have to see that. Just like all dads and their daughters, he could just pretend it wasn't happening, I guess.

We waited until we got home to exchange gifts and I was a little disappointed until my dad tossed me my coat. I came home with a bright red convertible Camaro. I guess I was driving myself back to school.

Ginny and I officially traded places. I moved in with Derrick, and she took control of Ryan's life a little more. It was to the point it wouldn't surprise me if he showed up one day with a collar on with her name on it, but he was happy, so I didn't worry about it. So, she was a dominatrix, and he was her submissive. I was getting fucked by a massive black man every day. Life was good.

That was until one of my professors pulled me aside after class, mentioning the allegation of cheating that April had registered. "I'm going to need additional documentation on all your work. I won't tolerate this kind of behavior in my class."

First, there was not supposed to be anything on my school record. Second, I had categorically proven the charges to be false, and the review committee had accepted that. This professor wouldn't hear it.

I went to the dean's office and demanded an answer. He said it was out of his hands. The charge stayed on my record, classified as unverified. Not that it was blatantly false, but unverified!

I was livid. I filed an appeal and called my dad, letting him know it wasn't over. His lawyer called me later that afternoon, telling me he would start putting the case together. "In the meantime, just don't do anything to aggravate the bitch." He actually called her a bitch again. I liked this guy.

"She can't keep getting away with this stuff. There has to be something somebody can do to shut her down." I was venting, rambling aimlessly while Derrick, Ryan, Ginny, and I shared some pizza.

"It's too bad I can't play with her for a while and video the whole thing. Imagine what everyone would think about the little princess if that got out." Ginny sounded serious.

"Yeah, and what if Tyrel and Dwayne got hold of her when she was drunk?" I chimed in.

"That would not be pretty." Derrick laughed. "They hate her more than I do."

"I don't know, Ginny, girl on girl kink is almost acceptable." Ryan was thinking about something and didn't even realize his comment was late. "But Tyrel AND Dwayne." He looked at me with a focus I hadn't seen since we were in the same calculus class studying for finals.

"How far are you willing to go to bring this bitch down?" He looked at me and then at Derrick. "Do you still have that cheer uniform?"

The plan was as brilliant as it was extreme. Derrick and I just had to talk through how comfortable we were with implementing it. It would work, but what would it do to our relationship? Could he ever look at me the same way if I went through with it, and I was the only one that could?

We talked late into the night. Tyrel and Dwayne came over and were immediately on board, which surprised none of us. They were whore dogs anyway. I just needed Derrick to say OK.

"You're still mine, though, right?" The insecurity in his voice was kind of charming. He was a monster on the field and one of the most intimidating men I had ever met, but the idea of sharing me, even if it meant taking April down, scared him.

"I love you, too." I snuggled closer to him and pulled his arm tighter around me.

The setup in Ginny's playroom was impressive. Three cameras and all kinds of toys on racks along the wall. A suspension swing and even a bench that was custom designed for anal penetration. I looked at Ryan. His face was crimson.

I put on the cheer costume and did my makeup, pulling my hair into the requisite ponytail and tying the blue and orange bow. Everyone that saw the video would assume it was April. The only people that had seen me dressed like this that would remember were April and the people in the room right now. It was going to be glorious, and she would never see it coming. She would know, but couldn't do anything about it.

It was Ginny that finally figured out how to get around the elephant. Tyrel and Dwayne would each get another blow job. They would also be part of the final bukkake scene, showing all three of them shooting streams of hot, thick cum on my conveniently obscured face. Only Derrick would fuck my ass. The rest would be done with camera angles and clever editing. Either way, the cheerleader with the red hair was going to be in the middle of a four way with three massive black guys.

Derrick was first. Dressed in my uniform, I slowly undressed him, taking my time exploring his body as I moved lower and lower until I was on my knees in front of him. I loved this part, taking him in my hand and fondling him until he was completely hard. When he was ready, I would slather his cock with licks and kisses, sliding my mouth up and down his shaft. Last, I took his balls in my mouth one at a time before I took him all the way down my throat in one move. I'd had lots of practice and had gotten quite good at it.

Ginny had her cameras set up so that my face was unrecognizable while I pumped his massive beast in and out of my mouth. His moans were the only sound other than the slurping noises I was making. I could feel him getting close and on cue, he pulled free and exploded all over my face. I used my hands to scrape and scoop his juice into my mouth, licking the remnants eagerly from my fingers while he moved behind me and gently urged me to bend over.

While he reached up under my skirt to pull my bloomers down, Tyrel reached down and pulled my face up to his waiting cock. It disappeared in a single motion before he took my head in his hands and started fucking my face, just like he had done the first time we met. I gurgled and gasped and he ravaged my throat, and almost bit him when Derrick slid his cock in my ass.

Fuck, this was intense. I never imagined what this might feel like. Tyrel didn't pull out. I took my time milking the last few drops from his softening member, twirling my tongue around the tip, while Dwayne moved into position.

Dwayne followed Derrick's lead and came all over my face, using his cock to smear the sticky mess onto my cheeks and into my hair. As I licked the dribbles from his glans, Derrick lurched and filled me with his hot seed. Collapsing onto my face, all I could do was moan as Ginny made it look like Tyrel took his turn fucking me. Then Dwayne.

There were recharge times for the guys and resetting scenes, and technical issues; who knew coconut made an excellent substitute for cum in movies? It took three hours to get the video we needed, and all weekend for Ginny to edit the three hours of video we'd collected. Nine hours total when you accounted for all three cameras. Somehow, she produced six seemingly different hour-long videos. The same red-haired cheerleader in a State U uniform, pleasuring three unidentifiable black men with monster cocks. Whoever the girl was, she was a certifiable slut.

Ginny had a contact that would send the videos to someone that could validate them, even creating identities for the actors that would pass muster. They would also publish them to give us separation from the whole thing. It would just take a week or two.

My dad's lawyer filed our suits. Yes, plural. He included the University charging them with slander since they had put it in writing, and my current professor for discrimination. As a bonus, my lawyer even threatened to pursue action as a hate crime.

A potential number one pick in the NFL draft wasn't specifically involved this time, so the athletic dean wasn't there. I remembered the president of the university and the chairman of the board of regents. The other two guys were lawyers, one of them April's father. On my side of the table were me and Mr. Glenn, my dad's lawyer.

They wanted the suits to go away and would settle, but not take responsibility. All I wanted was my record cleared, a personal apology from the person who filed the malicious report, and for the university to hold them responsible.

Mr. Weathers being here, told me he knew his daughter was responsible, and that told me the university knew, too.

"Someone at the university mailed this to me over the holidays." I passed copies of the trace log across the table to the men and waited for them to react. April's name was at the bottom of the trace. It was clear she was the one I was talking about and now they knew I knew, and now they knew I could prove it.

"Someone obviously faked this." Mr. Weathers crumpled the paper and threw it across the table at me. The university was deferring to him. I could see it in the way they looked at each other.

"I guess we'll see you in court." Mr. Glenn got up. I followed his lead.

When we got to the lobby, I took out my phone and texted Ginny. One word. "Go."

That night, while Derrick and I discussed what I could do if I got kicked out of school, someone spammed a video link to everyone in the university email system. Janitors, students, faculty, even the regents, they all got it. University IT security wrote it off as a virus, but enough people clicked the link for it to go viral. The red-haired cheerleader was famous and for all the wrong reasons.

The next few days were interesting. I got an apology from my professor, and a written one from the university. I let Mr. Glenn know, and we dropped the suits against the university.

"You fucking bitch!!!" April jumped over a table in the student union, tackling me, scratching at my face and pulling my hair. "I know it was you; you freak! I'm going to fucking kill you. You ruined my life!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. I did my best to protect myself, but she'd caught me completely off guard and was sitting on my chest.

Campus security dragged her off me, and Ryan helped me to the campus clinic, where they cleaned up the scratches and checked me over for other injuries. April got to spend the night in jail. Good for her.

Mr. Glenn got a scathing response from Mr. Weathers, accusing me of all kinds of terrible things. My most egregious offense was the video of April that everyone was passing around, which was patently absurd. The credits clearly stated who the actress was, and Ivana Focker. Well, that doesn't sound anything like April Weathers.

When April got suspended for attacking another student, Derrick, Ryan, Ginny and I celebrated over pizza. "From what I heard, she's going to school abroad." Ginny put air quotes around 'abroad.'

"I think that's code for 'in residential therapy.' Good riddance." Derrick laughed. We all joined him, justifying what we had done by claiming we'd never actually accused her of anything.

"Derrick, what is bothering you?" we were in bed together recovering from a rather rough fuck. It hadn't been gentle at all. It reminded me of the time I'd taken my anger and frustration out on him.

"I thought it would be like that first night, that I could handle it. I can't stop thinking about how much you looked like you were enjoying it, being with Dwayne and Tyrel again."

"We talked about that, remember? That's why you were the only one that got to fuck me." I pushed him onto his back and slowly stroked him until I could take him back inside me. "This is the only cock I want. You're the man I love. Got it?"

****

Things got awkward between Derrick and me. We still cared for each other deeply, but me starring in a porno with two other guys, even if it was for a good reason and mostly fake, just does things to a relationship. In April, he was going to start a whole new life anyway when he got drafted, and me, I was starting a whole new life of my own. Whatever the future held for us, the separation would be good. It would give us time to find ourselves and heal from everything we had been through.

I'd miss Derrick and his family, especially Gran, but we both knew it was for the best. We played friends with benefits for a few months, but that was going to be it.

There were new doctors in my near future, and I still had a year left on my degree. All the drama of the past months had worn me out. Well, Derrick probably had a little to do with that, too. I was going to miss that kind of tired.

Maybe it was the realization that his daughter wasn't perfect. Maybe he believed it was her in that video. Who knows, but the check I got from Mr. Weathers made up for not getting an apology from April. I moved into a nice new condo not too far from the university and just focused on me.

I had gone full emersion into Carly so fast, I never stopped to think about if it was even what I really wanted to do. Sure, I truly loved Derrick and would miss him terribly. A large part of me hoped we could get over the awkwardness that had invaded our relationship. I also knew the only way that was going to happen was to let time heal the wound. Plus, in April, Derrick's life was going to change in a huge way. I wasn't sure I fit into that world.

'It was just better this way.' I lied to myself.

Ryan and Ginny were still my besties, but they had their own very interesting lives to lead. Some stories Ryan told me honestly made me uncomfortable. But he was happy, and Ginny never hurt or publicly embarrassed him, so I just listened and supported him in their relationship.

Ginny even invited me to join them once, but the whole 'Fifty Shades of Gray' thing never appealed to me, so I passed.

I talked to Jules every few days and the therapist I was seeing about my transition and all kinds of other stuff seemed to talk about Derrick a lot. We talked about my mom, too. She assured me it was all related and encouraged me to let it all out.

When I didn't show up for Easter, Gran called me to make sure I was ok. I cried my eyes out when we hung up. I talked to my therapist about that, too.

It took some time, but Derrick slowly became a warm memory and life went on. He got drafted in the first round by the Dolphins and I immediately bought a jersey; number 66. OK, maybe he was a little more than a warm memory. He probably always would be, but first loves are like that. My dad might have issues with me rooting for the Dolphins instead of his Texans, but it wouldn't be serious.

I went home for the summer and got a job making pizza just to have something to do. Without Derrick in the equation, my mom finally showed up. Naturally, she had her pastor with her. They spent an hour praying over me, trying to save me from the demon that was forcing me to transition. It didn't work. At least my relationship with my mom was back to its screwed-up version of normal.

With Jules' encouragement, my dad came around. It helped when I started dating a girl I worked with. My dad completely missed the irony that it made me a lesbian. Eve was a little dominant and loved teaching me how to please her. She was also rather fond of her strap on, and I liked that. Sure, I fantasized about Derrick when she pegged me, but she didn't need to know that. Besides, I was just her latest summer toy, and we both knew it. It would be over as soon as I went back to school.

When school started, I focused on my grades and myself. Gran called again on Thanksgiving and then the next Easter. It kind of became a tradition, I guess. Just enough to make sure I still missed Derrick and his family, but not too much. I got boobs for Christmas and lost my Adam's apple and had my nose bobbed over spring break. The more invasive stuff I was going to put off until after I graduated.

What would happen after that was anybody's guess.

***

I graduated and took a job in Dallas for a large tech company, managing one of the project planning teams. They had great insurance. As soon as I was eligible, I took the time off to have my final surgery. I was a virgin all over again.

Fridays were game-day Fridays, and everyone wore their teams' logo something. I caught endless crap for my Dolphins jersey.

"Hey Carly, you have plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Um, no. Why?" It was Gene Rider, the CIO my entire division reported to.

"Couple of reasons. One, you're doing a lot of things right and I thought I should get to know you better. Second, I have tickets to the game. My wife can't go, and I know you're a Dolphins fan, too. You brave enough to wear your jersey to ATT stadium for the game?"

"I think I can handle that." I smiled.

Gene didn't just want to talk to me. He and his driver picked me up. The entire drive to the stadium was a crash course in what he saw in me and a description of how he was going to mentor me. I had a reading list and would have homework. Gene and I would meet once a month to go over what I had read and to talk about the homework he gave me. There would also be some internal training classes he wanted me to enroll in.

I was already in shock when we got to the stadium.

Gene's tickets were incredible. Thirty-five-yard line about halfway up the lower section. I looked around. While we weren't the only ones wearing the Dolphins' colors, The Cowboy jerseys seriously outnumbered us. I made sure they heard us, especially when Derrick made Dak's day a little worse by catching him in the backfield. The poor tight end that had to block him was having a bad day.

"Nice jersey." Someone behind me in the line for the restroom tried to get my attention. I turned around to see two women wearing the same one. It took a minute for it to click. I don't think they recognized me, but I knew them. "Grace, Sophie. Um, I don't know if you remember me. Carly Evans. I came to your house for Thanksgiving with Derrick a few years ago."

"Carly, Oh my gosh." We were squealing and giggling, catching up like schoolgirls. It turned out their seats were about four rows up from ours, one section over. Even Gran was there. I got hugs from everybody. Even Derrick's dad seemed glad to see me.

When the usher came by and asked us to clear the aisle we had been blocking for a good five minutes, Gran pulled me aside. "You know where my house is. I need help with my biscuits and gravy for breakfast on Saturday. Then we got turkey and dressing to do for the big meal. You best be there." She winked and hugged me one more time.

A warmth I hadn't felt in a long time washed over me. I got back to my seat just in time to see Derrick wrap Pollard up for a seven-yard loss on a sweep.

The Dolphins didn't win, but Derrick had a great game, and it went to overtime. They were inches short on a two-point conversion try that would have won the game. It was an amazing game in a lot of ways.

"Carly, are you ok?" Gene sounded concerned. We were stuck in traffic after the game and I probably hadn't said a word in over an hour, which was unusual for me.

"Just a lot to think about, I guess. Working with you and I just got thrown a curve in my personal life. It's a lot."

"Well, when my daughters got this quiet, there was usually a boy involved." He chuckled.

"I didn't know you had daughters." I spent the next hour listening to him brag on all three of them. He threw in a few embarrassing boy stories, too.

"So, this boy, he was special?" It almost felt like I was talking to my dad.

"You could say that." There was that warmth again. "I ran into his whole family at the game. They invited me over for Thanksgiving. If I go, so many things could change."

"Sounds like he was very special. Can I ask what happened?"

"He was a senior. I was a Junior. He got this amazing job, and I had a year of school left. I haven't seen him or talked to him in a long time. You're offering me this incredible opportunity, and then today, suddenly, he might be back in my life. It's just a lot to think about."

"Well, if I were your dad, I'd tell you not to worry about problems that don't exist yet. If I were your boss, I'd tell you the same thing. It's just like a project at work. You make the best plan you can and go with it. Deal with the results when they get here."

"You think I should go?"

"This guy, he treated you right?"

"Better than right." I nodded.

"Then, I think if you don't, you'll always wonder what would have happened if you did. Same thing with letting me mentor you. Besides, I need you focused on your job on Monday."

"Thanks Gene. For everything." Gene's driver had parked in front of my apartment building at least twenty minutes ago.

Not quite twenty-four hours later, I pulled my Camaro into the driveway at Gran's house. Derrick was sitting on the swing on the front porch like he was waiting for me. I almost backed out and left. But he saw me and smiled. I sat in my car and cried until he came and got me.

I wasn't sad, and I wasn't happy. It was as if someone had released a spring, letting all the tension escape into the ether and it came out in tears. This subtle tension I had been carrying without even knowing, just vanished.

We never said goodbye. We certainly never talked about that awkwardness that grew between us and what caused it. Both of us had just gone on with our lives, leaving so much unsaid, so many things unresolved.

"Gran made me come." I was trying not to smile between sniffles.

"She told me. I've been on that porch all afternoon." There was that smile again.

"All afternoon, really?"

"I think we have some things to talk about." He nodded.

We migrated to the porch and did just that. He felt as guilty for letting me do the video as I did for doing it. He had been kicking himself just as badly as I had for not saying goodbye and not staying in touch.

I told him about my job, and he told me what it was like to play pro football. We even talked about Ryan and Ginny and what they were up to. Their online porn business was exploding. It was almost surreal. But I had a set of videos I still watched from time to time that told me they were very good at what they were doing.

When I admitted that to Derrick, he shook his head. "I have copies, too." We both started laughing.

"I almost forgot how much I like this, just being close to you like this." Cuddled up under Derrick's arm and rested my head on his chest, I just let him hold me.

"I miss you, too. Just letting you go like that was stupid of me. I didn't know what to say."

"Me either. It was a strange time, all the stuff going on, April, school, lawyers. That video."

"Do you ever regret what we did?"

It had felt like a righteous vindication. In retrospect, we probably went much too far, and that bothered me.

"The video, I guess. Sometimes I worry about what we did to April a little, but then I think about what she was doing to us. I honestly don't know if we crossed the line or not. She was such a vile person."

Derrick didn't answer. He pulled me closer, but never commented on what I said. We both just sat there, letting the frogs carry the conversation in the darkness. After a while, I couldn't stand it any longer.

"I ordered one of your jerseys the day after you got drafted." It just seemed like the right thing to say. "It's how Grace and Sophie found me at the game."

"I'll have to get you a cropped version with sequins."

The tension had passed. We would probably have to talk about it again, but not now. Not tonight.

"Make it an extra small so it shows off my new boobies." I told him about everything I had done. He wanted to inspect my new butt and boobs. I reminded him it was Gran's house. We both laughed. Mine was perhaps a little melancholy, as I remembered the way I felt when he told me the requirements for us sleeping together in this house.

Maybe we'd get to that point again sometime. I'd learned so much about myself in the past few years. I wasn't jumping into the deep end again, no matter how good, how right it felt to be in Derrick's arms.

When I yawned, Derrick got my suitcase out of my car. I was in the library again. It felt comfortable, like I belonged here. Maybe. Someday.

"Hey." I grabbed Derrick's arm as he turned to leave the room. "I don't know where we go from here, but I'm glad I came." I looked up into his deep brown eyes, running my hands up his chest as I had done so many times before. "Do you know what I miss the most?"

He shook his head.

"This." My hands slipped around his neck as I lifted myself on my toes, pulling his lips to mine. His hands slid around me and he lifted me off the ground, driving his tongue into my mouth. I think he missed it, too.

"You remember the secret to my biscuits?" Gran was waiting for me when I got to the kitchen the next morning.

"I think so." I smiled and let her pull me into a big hug.

"Well... I'll help you just in case."

It was just like the last time. We worked together, getting everything ready. Ellen showed up and started setting the table. Derrick came through and stole a kiss. Gran winked and smiled.

Breakfast was just immediate family, and it was still fifteen people. Like clockwork, as soon as we had breakfast cleaned up, everybody else started showing up. The men disappeared to watch football, and the women danced an intricate dance, getting the big meal ready.

Everybody seemed excited to see me. It was as nice as it was strange. I had only met these people once, and aside from Derrick, the only one I had talked to before I ran into Grace and Sophie at the game was Gran.

I didn't get to sit at the adults' table this time. They relegated Derrick and me to a 'kids' table with his brothers and sister and their spouses. The conversation was a lot less formal, and I got to hear all of Derrick's most embarrassing moments.

When I got up and stacked Derrick's plate on top of mine, Sophie grabbed my arm. "You've been cooking with Gran all morning. Go grab your spot and let me and Grace and everyone else take care of cleanup."

"I think my spot might be too stuffed to move right now." I laughed, and we all looked at Derrick.

It was like the last three years had never happened. Me in Derrick's lap watching football. All of us screaming and complaining about the horrible calls the refs made while cheering for teams we didn't really care about. Everybody taking side glances at me and Derrick.

Derrick had to go to the bathroom, so I did the same, taking the long way back as I stopped on the breezeway to get us both another beer.

"I'll take one of those as long as you're down there." It was Derrick's dad, Ben.

"Sure." I grabbed a third, closed the ice chest and stood up.

"Thanks." He smiled at me. He'd never done that before. Of everybody here, he was the only one that seemed to stay back just a little. It was like he wasn't sure about me or something. I hadn't worried about it because he kept whatever reservations he had to himself. Ellen and Gran and everybody else were so friendly and accepting.

"No worries. It's just a beer." I winked and smiled back. Letting out a small chuckle. I knew he wasn't talking about the beer.

"I had my doubts when Derrick brought you here for Thanksgiving that first time. He's my youngest and even today, mixed relationships make some people nervous. Besides, you're well, different, and that bothered me a little, too."

"Ben, what are you saying? Besides, I'm not so different anymore." That got a raised eyebrow.

"When you didn't come back, Derrick was different, quiet, like he was when his dog got hit by that car. He'd lost something important, and it hurt. I figured it would just take time, but he never got better. Today, I finally understood. I enjoy seeing my boy like this, happy, content, relaxed. You do that for him. Whatever you need to make this work, you just let me know, ok? If that's what you want, I mean."

Wow. I was stunned. I knew it was true. I felt it too, but just didn't want to admit it. The truth was, I still loved Derrick and probably always would. Now I knew he felt the same way, and it scared the hell out of me.

So many decisions. So many things in the way. It had been so simple in college. I followed Ben back to the den and climbed into Derrick's lap. All I did for the rest of the night was sip my beer and think about what to do about it.

As it got later, people started leaving, which meant we all got up to say our goodbyes. Ben wasn't the only one to mention my impact on Derrick. The gist was, we had effectively convinced just about everybody we were back together again. They all thought it was the best thing that had happened in a long time.

I did too. The problem was tomorrow morning he was getting on a plane back to Miami, and I was driving back to Dallas.

This whole thing was one big exercise in déjà vu. I had stepped back in time, or time caught up with me. On the porch listening to the frogs in the cool autumn air, my mind wandered aimlessly in a whirlwind of possibilities. Some of them scared me. Others I wanted so badly I could taste them. I knew what I wanted, but tomorrow morning, it was getting on a plane to go back to Miami.

"I can get you tickets if you want to come for some games." Derrick's arms slipped around me, and everything was ok again, at least until he let me go.

"I'd like that. Will we get to spend any time together?"

"Friday night. Maybe lunch on Saturday depending on meetings, and after the game. It's the best I can do until the season is over, and I don't want to lose you again. It would mean a lot to have you there."

"Then I'll be there."

Now I just had to figure out what to tell Gene.

Sunday morning, I got a pleasant surprise when Derrick asked me for a ride to the airport. He was flying out of Dallas and since I was going to Dallas, anyway. To be fair, I would have driven him all the way to Miami if he'd asked. It was another hour and a half that I got to spend with him.

We said our goodbyes with a massive hug and a passionate kiss. I stood there and watched him walk away until airport security made me move my car.

"Don't worry, girl. The way he was kissing you, he'll be back." The female cop patted my shoulder and smiled at me.

"I know. He's just so nice to look at." I smiled and laughed.

"That is some eye candy." She winked at me. It's strange the things people bond over. I felt like I had a new friend. One I'd probably never see again, but all the same. I'd smile and be happy to see her if I did.

When I got home, I changed and started a load of laundry before sitting down and looking at the reading list Gene had given me. I recognized almost all the names: Maxwell, Covey, even Sun Tzu. The first book was one I had read already. Carnegie's missive on friends and influence was one of those books everyone should read again and again.

I found it on my bookshelf, poured myself a glass of wine and went out on my balcony to absorb the lessons one more time. I still didn't know what I was going to do, but for now at least, the book would take my mind off Derrick for a while.

Derrick texted me when he landed, letting me know he was home safe and was going to go get a workout in, and would call me later. I ordered Chinese and called my dad. Not Jules, my dad.

I laid it all out. He and I had never talked about things like this before. We had talked around it, and he had given me the father/son talk when I hit puberty. This time I was his little girl and completely lost.

I wanted a career of my own, but I wanted to be with Derrick, too. In the simplest case, one was in Dallas and the other in Miami. I was guessing being the girlfriend of an NFL player was a lot more complicated than dating anyone else. Being more than a girlfriend would probably be even more complicated.

He didn't have any answers, but he listened and was supportive of whatever I decided. It still felt good to just talk to him about it.

"I love you, daddy." That was probably the first time I'd ever said that to him before, especially the daddy part.

"I love you, too, pumpkin." Pumpkin, where did that come from? The same place I got daddy, I guess.

I was already in bed when Derrick finally called. After his workout, he and a couple of other single players that had been in the weight room went out for dinner and a drink after. I accepted his apology, and he promised he wouldn't do that when I was there, but would come straight home to me every time.

I had been a guy. He'd try to and might even succeed sometimes. The reality was I was going to get a pre-apology text now and then and I'd find a way for him to make it up to me later. I'd find out in a couple of weeks... If he sent me the tickets.

I woke up to a text from Derrick. Nothing elaborate, just a smiley face with hearts around it. I sent something similar back.

Work was work. I was talking to Gene, letting him know I had started the Carnegie book and filling him in a little about how my Thanksgiving went.

"So, you're glad you went?"

"Very. I think I may have a tough choice to make, depending on how my trip to Miami goes. He invited me to come to a game."

"Wait, this guy you're talking about plays for the Dolphins?"

It's rare that someone as successful as Gene gets star struck.

"Yes. Didn't I tell you? The guy is Derrick Walters."

The stars must have been in alignment or something because, just as he was about to respond, the receptionist showed up at my desk with a dozen roses. They were from Derrick.

"66. Your jersey. I should have put it together." He laughed. "And Carly, from what I'm seeing in your face right now, when push comes to shove, I don't think your decision will be that tough. Keep reading and I'll have Allison put something on your calendar, just in case."

I was at lunch when someone named Jerry called me from the engagement office of the Dolphins. We talked for a while. He asked me questions about my schedule and a few other things. Derrick had reached out to him to get me set up with tickets and travel arrangements. Derrick was paying for everything. The engagement office was a concierge service, sort of.

He was also doing it as a personal favor for Derrick. Evidently Jerry's son was a huge 66 fan and Derrick had come to his birthday party.

"Carly, I need to ask you two things." He paused. "First, what's your long game? Second, how involved do you want to be when you're here?"

"Long game. I'm not sure I understand."

"Long-distance relationships are hard. With football players, it's so much worse because of the demands on their time."

"I've been thinking about that. I guess I'll know more when I come down for the game. It wasn't a problem in college. Derrick and I lived together, so we saw each other all the time."

"Is that what you want?"

Gene was right. Jerry was asking me the question, and I knew the answer immediately.

"It's what I hope for, I guess, but we just reconnected. We need to get to know each other all over again."

Neither of us said anything for a few moments.

"This isn't just because it's your job, is it?"

"No. Derrick is one of my favorite people. When he showed up this morning, his energy was different. His focus was more intense. It was like he needed to prove himself all over again. It's just my guess, but I think you do that for him."

How could I not smile? I knew exactly what Jerry was describing. He had been like that during the mess with April, when he felt like he needed to protect me. I pitied the Ravens and wished I could be in Baltimore to see the havoc he was going to wreak.

"Thanks. Um, I need to get back to work. Thanks for your help with all this."

"No problem. Watch your email. I look forward to meeting you in person when you get here. Good luck."

As soon as he hung up, I texted Derrick. "The flowers are beautiful. I love you."

I stared at the screen for a few seconds before I hit send. Those words, what they meant. I was going to take advantage of Gene's mentoring for as long as I could, but there was no doubt. As soon as Derrick asked me to, I was moving to Miami.

"<3U2," he answered back almost immediately.

I had meetings most of the afternoon and didn't have time to check my email. When I did, I almost fell out of my chair. The Dolphins had five home games left. I had flights out on Friday, a ticket to the game, and a flight back first thing Monday for all five.

Oh, well. I said I'd be there.

The days flew by. Derrick and I texted off and on all day. I got my good morning text every day and a lot of '<3U2' texts. We called each other every night and usually talked too long. I loved hearing about every detail of his days. What he lifted, how practice went, what he did on his one day off, all of it. He was just as interested in what I was doing, especially the book Gene had me read. So, I ordered a copy for him from Amazon.

I worked a half day and then called an Uber to get me to the airport. Derrick must have known how nervous I was going to be, or he just wanted me to be comfortable. My seats were in business class. It was a three-hour flight, and I had that many glasses of wine.

I gave the flight attendant the short version of the story. She laughed. Her sister was married to a receiver. I didn't think there would be any problems, but I had her sister Angie's phone number, just in case.

Even when we were living together in college, Derrick was imposing. There he was, standing in baggage claim, scanning the crowd, looking for me. Damn, he looked so good. I had to remind myself he was there for me. When he saw me, his face lit up like a kid at Christmas.

It wasn't a run, but I was walking as fast as I could. Before I could even say hi, he picked me up and pressed his lips to mine. It was going to be so hard to get on that plane Monday morning, and I had to do it five times. But then, I got to do this five times too. I kissed him again.

"I remember this car. I thought you might have upgraded." Derrick was still driving the Escalade he got from April's dad as part of his NIL deal. So many fond memories of the back seat, well, the front seat, too. Maybe I could remind him, or maybe I should wait. The feelings were all still there, but it had been a long time and so much had changed.

"Nope. I like this car. Lots of memories." He smiled at me and winked, reaching over and putting his hand on my thigh. My hand found his, and I knew I might never leave Miami.

Dinner was at a little restaurant in Little Havana. I don't know what Derrick ordered for me, but it was delicious.

We talked about my job, and I filled him in on what I had been doing since we last saw each other. I even told him about my two summers playing with Eve. That got a raised eyebrow and a smile. He told me about playing in the NFL and making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. It was kind of like a first date all over again. Derrick admitted he hadn't had time to date anyone. I read between the lines and inferred he had chosen not to make time.

It might have been just me, but a subtle tension filled the space between us. Was it anticipation, or maybe fear? Would things be like they were before? Of course, they wouldn't be exactly like they were in college, and we were both different people in different places now. But could the closeness and intimacy be the same? Would waking up in his arms be as special? Could I do the things for him I had done in the past?

"You ok over there? You've been quiet since we left the restaurant?"

"I'm fine." I reached over and took his hand. "Just over-analyzing everything, worrying about stuff that will probably never happen. It's what girls do, right?"

"I should have brought you with me. You could have finished your degree here. I'm sorry I left like that. And I didn't even say goodbye."

"I missed you, too. But I'm here now, and we can start over. That's what this is all about, right?"

"Start over? Do I need to call Dwayne and Tyrel and find a pool table?"

"We can skip that part, but maybe I could dress up as a cheerleader for you."

The tension eased as we both laughed.

"What are they doing now, anyway, Dwayne and Tyrel?"

"Dwayne is coaching at his old high school. Won a state championship, too. Tyrel is in Los Angeles working with Ginny and Ryan, making pornos."

"Tyrel's doing what?"

"You heard me." Derrick laughed. "And don't tell me you're surprised. I don't think he's acting anymore, though."

When we got to Derrick's condo, there was no question. He carried my suitcase to the master bedroom while I admired the view from his balcony, Key Biscayne across the bay, and the Gulf of Mexico beyond that. We were right on the beach. It was gorgeous.

"This is why I bought this condo." Derrick wrapped his arms around me.

"The view is amazing." I leaned back into his arms, resting my head against his chest.

"I meant sharing it with you." He kissed the top of my head. "I've dreamed of this moment since I moved in. You here with me like this."

"I've missed you, too." Turning in his arms, I slipped my hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling his eager lips to mine. "I guess you could try to convince me to stay." I smiled up at him and pulled away from him, grabbing his hand with mine. "Now, where is our bedroom?"

The way Derrick looked at me made me shudder. His smile was more of a leer, and the hunger in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. He picked me up and kissed me again. The only defense I had was to wrap my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist, and suck his tongue deep into my mouth in abject surrender.

When he set me down at the foot or his, no, our bed, I took a second to catch my breath before frantically unbuttoning his shirt. I need to have my hands on his chest. I needed his skin to surrender to my touch. If possible, he was even fitter than I remembered. Clenching my thighs together in arousal, I slipped my fingers up the ebony slab that was his abdomen, moving slowly and deliberately up to his pectorals.

Hairless and perfect, I was in awe of what was before me. Moaning, my lips found first one nipple and then the other. My god he was so gorgeous.

My hands took a mind of their own, or perhaps they were driven by my soul, maybe my libido, probably both. They roamed back the way they came, finding the buckle of his belt, and slowly, deliberately, unfastened the gate to his manhood.

His belt gave way. The button on his pants fell next, chased by the zipper. Hooking the band of his boxers in my thumbs, I kissed my way down his stomach. I went to my knees, dragging the cloth prison that hid my desire, letting it fall away as I sat back on my heels and watched as the beast rose before me.

There was no pretense of inhibition. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the glorious shaft, licking my lips as the red of my nails accented the deep, dark richness. First, a simple kiss. Then a lick, followed by a twirl of my tongue around the bulbous head.

Old memories roared to the front of my mind. All the things I had done to bring him pleasure. Letting the beast invade my mouth, I relished the familiar feeling. I let the taste and the aroma fill my head as I took him deeper and deeper. Even my throat remembered. He slipped past my gag reflex and down my throat with ease. It all came back as I bobbed up and down on his shaft as his moans kissed my ears.

"Carly, I want to be inside you."

I could tell he was struggling with taking control and fucking my throat, and knew he loved how I sucked his cock. The truth was, I wanted him inside me, too. I had a new vagina he didn't know about, and more than anything, I wanted to give him my virginity all over again.

"Then one of us is overdressed." Smiling up at him, I took him balls deep in my throat one more time, holding him there as long as I could before kissing the tip of his cock and letting him help me to my feet.

I couldn't have moved him with a forklift, but a gentle nudge sent him falling backwards onto our bed. I took a moment to remove his shoes and socks and to pull his pants and boxers from his ankles. Smiling and licking my lips, I admired his glorious form. Everything about him was perfect.

"Why don't you lube that bad boy and I'll fix that overdressed thing."

Turning my back, I took my time stepping out of my shoes and unbuttoning my blouse and letting it fall to the floor. My jeans were next, and I made a show of undoing them and working them down my long legs, bending at the waist, showing off my ass.

Unclasping my bra, I turned around and let him watch as it slipped down my arms, joining my other clothes at my feet.

"You like?" I grinned at him and fondled my breasts. I could tell from the lust in his eyes, he wanted his turn with them.

"God, Carly, you're more beautiful than I remember."

"Thank you. I could say the same about you. Now close your eyes."

Derrick gave me a curious look, but did as I asked. I slipped my panties down my legs and took a step closer to the bed. "OK. You can open them now."

It took him a few seconds to realize what I was showing him. "Holy fuck, Carly. You..."

"I did. I do." I smiled and nodded as I crawled onto the bed, smiling as he laid back, letting me climb on top of him. Straddling him, I lined his shaft up with my pussy and took him inside me, moaning loudly as he stretched me open. I surrendered my virginity all over again.

He didn't fit all the way inside me, but that didn't bother either of us. Derrick rolled me onto my back and took control. As big as he was, Derrick couldn't avoid massaging that magic spot, that last vestige of my manhood the doctors had turned into my clit and driving me wild with pleasure. Electric charges surged through my entire body as he pounded me harder and harder. Fuck, this was better than anal had ever been. Not that I was going to give that up. It had its own unique benefits.

I massaged my breasts with one hand and moaned and writhed under his attentions while my other hand massaged my clit. Wave after wave of ecstasy ripped through me as I raced toward that massive crest raging ever and ever closer. I could see the growing tension in Derrick's face.

I didn't even try to stop it. My body lurched. Tremors ripped through me as shivers of energy shredded my soul. Trembling as another wave of rapture tore into my core, I felt Derrick shuddering above me. His breath was quick and staggered, his body covered in sweat; he collapsed on top of me, completely spent.

"You were my first, again." I rolled him off me and nestled under his arm, resting my head on his shoulder as the intensity of what we had done slowly faded.

"I'm glad." He rolled toward me and kissed me sweetly. "To be honest, I just want to be your last. Carly, I never stopped loving you."

"Me either. You're right. I should have come with you. That damned video. I was just so angry at that bitch."

"We all were. But you're here now. That's all I care about."

I didn't want to go back to that time, and he was right. I was here now. My hand slipped down his sweaty body, searching for what I knew I was going to find. Derrick had always had the stamina of a thoroughbred, and he didn't disappoint.

Still slick and slimy from the lube and what we had been doing, I knew just what to do with it. "This time, I want you all the way inside me." I lined him up with my rose and prayed it didn't hurt too much as I lowered myself onto his thick shaft once more. I had to stop a few times, but it was manageable. When I finally bottomed out, we both let out massive sighs.

"I think it's time for you to fuck the shit out of me. Then we can go take a shower and get ready for bed."

It was different and felt so wonderful once the pain subsided. I guess that was my penance for letting him get away. He laid me on my back and fucked me hard before turning me over and doing it doggy style. In my vagina, he had to be careful not to go too deep. Back there, he didn't have to worry. We both knew I could take all he had to give, and that I loved taking it almost as much as he loved fucking my ass.

The feelings were just as intense as I remembered. With what he had said-that he wanted to be my last. There was a deeper feeling. I let my love for Derrick feed the energy coursing through me. I let the memories of the passion of our new lust all those years ago turning to love, fuel my own passion.

Driving myself back to meet his thrusts, I reached down between my legs. My head buried on a pillow, I used the fingers on one hand to obliterate my clit, and the fingers on the other, to drive myself to oblivion massaging my prostate.

His cock plunged into my depths, millimeters from my fingers, forcing them into that spot with a fierce energy. My body lurched and spasmed as one explosion after another detonated deep inside me. So many sources of pleasure and all of them were erupting at the same time. When Derrick finally filled my bowels with his seed, I was so exhausted I couldn't move.

I just lay there where he left me and watched my ebon Adonis walk to the bathroom to run us both a bath. The sex was off the charts amazing, and it wasn't even close to being the best thing about being with Derrick. Wherever he was, was safe and comfortable. It was warm and secure. It was where I found love beyond all else, where I belonged.

He picked me up and carried me to the bath. Stepping into the massive jacuzzi tub, he let me nestle between his legs, laying back against his chest, while the bubbles re-energized our bodies.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is going to be for me to get on that plane Monday morning?"

"You could just stay."

"That's tempting." I laughed and pulled his arms around me. "But we both know I can't. For now, let's just enjoy the weekend. All I want right now is to fall asleep next to you. We can figure the rest out later. I have tickets for four more games, after all."

I didn't believe for a moment I was going to last that long. Talking to Gene when I got to work on Monday was going to be interesting.

Derrick was gone when I woke up, but I could smell him on the sheets and on his pillow. He had told me about the early meetings and the walkthrough, promising he'd be back in time for us to spend lunch and a few hours in the afternoon together.

I got cleaned up and got dressed, giving myself a quick tour of the condo. I only saw the living room and the bedroom last night. Three bedrooms and three and a half baths; this place was enormous. It must have cost him a fortune. But with the location and the view, I was guessing it was also a brilliant investment.

The other bedrooms were an office and a guest room. The kitchen was immense, with a large island and a double door refrigerator right next to a freezer the same size. A massive solid wood table filled the dining area and probably sat sixteen. A huge TV and enormous lounge chairs filled the living room. I laughed when I saw the X Box with four controllers and the current edition of Madden Football lying open next to it. To his credit, he also had NBA 2K, FIFA, and PGA Tour 2K. I was just surprised he didn't have a pool table.

My purse was on the counter next to the sink. Right next to it were some keys and a note.

~Carly,

You were too beautiful to wake.

I'll see you for lunch.

I love you.

-D

That was a little less communicative than I'd hoped, but I liked the 'too beautiful to wake' comment. I took out my phone and texted him. "<3U2."

There was a Keurig on the counter, and I found a collection of coffee pods in a drawer. Choosing a hazelnut pod, I made myself a cup of coffee and went out onto the balcony to let everything sink in.

The view of the marina was magnificent. A few boats were out in the bay with a few further out in the gulf, flying on the waves and the wind with random flocks of seagulls and pelicans keeping watch.

Somewhere out there, just out of sight, lay the Bahamas. This place was amazing.

I didn't even finish my coffee. I just sat there and looked out over the water.

"There you are. You hungry?" Derrick leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Starved. It's so beautiful. I could sit here all day and just watch the boats and the birds."

"I know. This view is the reason I bought this condo."

"I like this view better, though." I got up and turned to face him, sliding my hands up his chest and gazing into his deep brown eyes.

"You better behave, or we'll be late for lunch."

"And would that be so bad?" I raised up on my toes and kissed him sweetly.

Derrick grabbed my butt and picked me up, turning my sweet kiss into one so passionate I could feel it to my toes.

"Maybe after lunch..." I sighed as he relaxed his grip and let me slide back to the floor.

"Definitely after lunch. I don't have to check in to the hotel until six."

"Mmmmm. Then let's go. I want as much of you as I can get this weekend."

He kissed me again. "You just have to remember I have to be able to play tomorrow."

"Ok, we can take it easy this afternoon, but you'd better be ready for me Sunday after the game."

It was a strange twist of fate that I met Angie and her husband Maurice at lunch. Miami drafted Maurice in the fifth round out of USC in the same draft as Derrick. The two had been rookie roommates and became fast friends. We talked and laughed. I liked Angie immediately. She was going to come pick me up for the game on Sunday.

What she actually did was come over after Maurice went to check in to the hotel and drank wine on the balcony with me, telling me the truth about being an NFL wife.

The Raiders should have stayed in Vegas. Derrick spent as much time in their backfield as their running back did. After the game, Angie and I made our way to the field to find Derrick and Maurice. It was pretty cool. Everybody in the country knew about Derrick and me when a reporter interrupted our post-game kiss to ask him about his performance. It was cool that I got to meet Erin Andrews, but I'd have preferred different circumstances.

Derrick made it up to me when we got home three times, even once on the balcony overlooking the gulf. Home, I liked the sound of that.

Getting me to the airport for a five AM flight was probably the biggest challenge we faced all weekend. I'd get to do it all over again when I came back Friday to watch him play against The Patriots. Oddly, the one person I hadn't met was Jerry.

Monday was a waste. People stopped by my desk to tell me they had seen me on TV, asking me about Derrick almost non-stop. I finally went to Gene and got permission to lock myself in a conference room for the rest of the day. Jules called. My dad called. Even my mom called. Of course, she had to point out I was going to hell for being with 'one of them.' It still blew me away. She was more concerned with me dating Derrick than with me getting my dick cut off, but whatever. It was her deal, not mine.

Tuesday morning, Gene called me into his office. He'd signed me up for a week-long training class that had a lot more to do with internal corporate vision and goal setting than it did managing my team. I also found it odd that he wanted me to read The Art of War that week.

At least if Erin Andrews caught me kissing Derrick again, I'd be offsite for the fallout.

It was crazy, but it was working. Because I was so busy, I had to delegate to my team more, and Gene liked that.

We beat the Jets and the Forty-Niners but lost to Green Bay. Yeah, I was a diehard Dolphins fan now. I had to focus even harder at work because of all my trips to Miami for games. Jerry came through, and I even went to Houston to go to the game there with my dad and Jules. He even got us passes to go down on the field after the game. My dad was beside himself.

Derrick was the perfect gentleman. I got a nice, simple kiss. Jules got a hug and my dad a more traditional handshake.

"I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting to meet you for a while." Derrick put his hand on my dad's shoulder. "Can we talk for a minute?"

The way Derrick smiled at me told me exactly what he was doing. I watched as they walked a few yards away, Derrick explaining something in great detail. My dad just listened. When my dad turned and looked at me, I bit my lip and nodded. There was no doubt in my mind what he was asking me with that look. My dad nodded once and turned back to Derrick, shaking his hand with both of his. I could read Derrick's lips when he said, "Yes, sir."

"Your mom is going to be so pissed." Jules nudged me.

"She'll get over it." I laughed. With the way Derrick was looking at me as he and my dad walked back over to us, I didn't care.

I got another kiss, and we all said our goodbyes. We needed to get off the field and Derrick needed to go shower and get on the bus to the airport for his flight back to Miami.

With game traffic, it took us four hours to get back to my dad's house. We grabbed dinner, and I had another three to get home. It was almost midnight when I climbed into bed.

"My dad said he'd disown me if I said no. You should have talked to me first." I texted Derrick as I snuggled under my covers.

"No idea what you're talking about. :) Glad you're home safe. Team meetings at 8. <3U."

"Sleep tight. <3U2."

The next few weeks were tough. Derrick's games were all away and with his crazy schedule mixed with what Gene had me doing, we barely had time for more than random texts.

Everything changed in the wild card game in Kansas City. Sitting on the couch next to Gram and Ellen, it was just another play. All I saw was a massive pile of bodies, with Derrick somewhere at the bottom. As the players extricated themselves, there was Derrick, grabbing his knee. Legs aren't supposed to bend that way. I called Gene and took emergency leave and caught the first flight to Kansas City. Derrick was still in surgery when I got there. It didn't take a genius to understand, there was a good chance his career was over.

I moved to Miami to take care of Derrick with Gene's blessing. I was officially on a personal leave of absence, which was code for he was holding my job for me if I wanted it. We still talked twice a week, and I still had books to read and homework to do.

My primary job, though, was making sure 270 pounds of depressed football player got to physical therapy, did his exercises, and didn't do anything stupid. He'd torn three of the four ligaments in his knee. I got to know the trainers at the Dolphins facility very well. Maurice was right there working with Derrick, and Angie kidnapped me once or twice a week just so I could keep my sanity.

When the Dolphins drafted a defensive end out of Texas in the first round, Derrick and I had a long talk. We called his dad and then mine. Gran had to get on the phone and give her two cents. Basically, he needed to put a ring on my finger, or else.

"Well?" I looked at him and just smiled. "You already asked my dad."

With Gran still on the phone, he unlocked the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small box, setting it in front of me. "If you'd have me." I'd never seen Derrick this timid.

The ring was gorgeous. Nothing pretentious, just a simple diamond solitaire on a gold band.

"Yes. A thousand times, yes." I held out my hand and let him slip it on my finger, fighting tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as hard as I could.

"I bought that after that first Thanksgiving. My mom told me I should wait until we both knew where our lives were going to go."

"I told him to forget that shit and grab you before you got away." Gran was still on speaker. We all laughed. "She said yes!" Gran shouted to whoever was listening.

If Gran said anything else, I didn't hear it. I was too busy helping Derrick to our bedroom and stripping him naked. If there was an upside to Derrick's injury, it was that I had to be on top. If there were two people that weren't going to stop having sex, it was us. We just had to get creative to do it.

That meant lots of blowjobs, which I loved, and lots of me riding him like I was breaking a stallion. That meant anal. I still craved him all the way inside me, and I knew he loved it, too. Naturally, my pussy had to get its attention, but that was slower and more measured. The anal, though, I could ride him as hard and as fast and as long as I could. He would grab my tits and run his hands up and down my sides, grabbing my ass as I bounced up and down on his thick shaft.

It was gloriously debauchery at its very best.

Two hours later, exhausted and covered in sweat, I called my dad and Jules giving them the good news. I heard my mom scream in the background. I guess I could count on a visit from her and her preacher when I got home.

"You bought this after that first Thanksgiving with your NIL money?" I was laying with my head on Derrick's chest admiring my ring. The irony was too rich. I just laughed.

"What's funny?" I guess Derrick didn't see it.

"All that crap. Everything April did was because she was jealous. I got you and she didn't. In a weird way, she paid for my ring."

"I can get you a different one." Derrick propped himself up on his elbow.

"Not a chance. It just makes this one more perfect. As fucked up as it was, she is what brought us together." I pushed him back onto his back and climbed on top of him one more time. Fuck, I loved how it felt when he came inside me.

I lay there and thought about it, all of it. From that Halloween party to now. All the drama, all the chaos, the ups and downs, the good and bad, it had all led to right here. There was no place I'd rather be. The road ahead was full of hard times and tough decisions. Derrick was making progress, but would it be enough to keep playing? What about my job? How long would Greg hold it while I took care of Derrick? Now that we were engaged, was my staying with the company even a possibility? What if, what if, what if...

Those were tomorrow's problems. Right now, I could feel Derrick's excitement growing against my leg. For the first time in over six months, since he had blown out his knee, he rolled me onto my back and climbed between my legs, taking me like a man should his woman.

Yeah, those were tomorrow's problems. Right now, my world is absolutely perfect.

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Epilogue-

Derrick kept playing. Karma or fate, he got wrapped up in a trade with the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Packers, and played for three more years. He got his law degree from SMU and represents Maurice and a few young hot shots as a sports agent. I don't work for Greg anymore. He retired, and I got his old job. I still help Gran with the big meal at Thanksgiving. Ben and Ellen even invited my dad and Jules to come.

My mom, well, she's still my mom. We have lunch now and then, and she's stopped telling me I'm going to hell. I think little Billy helps. Derrick and I adopted him when he quit football. He's named after his great-grandfather. The one that used to get dressed up and go dancing with Gram. He's only three and seems to enjoy playing with the little girls in his daycare more than the boys. I guess we'll see if a certain inclination runs I the family when he gets a little older. Like I've become so fond of saying, that's a tomorrow problem.

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Thanks for reading my humble offering. I hope you enjoyed Carly and Derrick's journey. As always, please leave me that comment. I love knowing what you think, and they truly do help make me a better writer.