Page 30 of Sidelining the Safety

“Don’t be surprised if you’re propositioned by the single women, and maybe even some of the married ones. I swear, money makes people stupid.”

Lee chuckled along with his teammates. He was almost one of those stupid people until his aunt put the kibosh on his plans.

“My staff will be passing around hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, followed by a sit-down meal. You’ll each be at your own table. Steak good for everyone?”

Jakes’ stomach rumbled, replying for all of them.

“Excellent. Preference on drinks now… alcoholic, non-alcoholic, sweet, dry, beer, wine, gin?”

“I’d like to try one of your non-alcoholic gins, but we all need to watch our caloric intake.”

“Says you,” Yowie rumbled.

“Says Drew,” Lee countered.

“Boyfriend trumps alcohol; I see how it is.” Yowie deadpanned.

“He’s not?—”

Yowie’s fast grin had Lee shutting up. He’d been teasing, Lee belatedly realized. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, hearing Drew called his boyfriend flipped a little button on his heart, but there was Mac to consider.

“I’m not here to count calories,” Chester broke in. “Lee wants one drink and then sparkling water with a twist. Done.”

Jakes agreed to the same, while Yowie chose a beer to start and then said he’d also switch. Considering Yowie was the designated driver for them, Lee was fine with the arrangement.

“Mr. Young, since you’ve been here before, I’m going to cut you loose. You’ll end at table three, so start over on one. Mr. Matters, Mr. Jacobs, you’re with me for the first round of introductions. I’ll point out which table you’ll be at, too.” Chester led the way into the small function hall set with three tables of eight people each. He headed straight for the cluster of people at the farthest table, the one marked three.

Having worked enough of his mother’s events, including many small fundraisers like this one, Lee realized that they’d start with the tables they wouldn’t be seated at. His thoughts were confirmed when Chester said, “Mr. Matters, you’ll start here for appetizers, then rotate to table one for dinner, and end at table two for dessert. Everyone, this is Lee Matters. Grown on fresh Jersey corn and tomatoes, he’s playing safety for the Austin Troopers. Lee’s coming off his first preseason game with two interceptions. And this is Chris Jacobs, also a rookie on the team. Mr. Jacobs also plays for the defense as a line tackle. He recorded three tackles in his first game.” A small round of applause went up from those gathered. “Mr. Jacobs, this way, please.”

Lee watched as Chester guided Jakes to table two before turning to face seven of the best-dressed people he’d ever met. Not one face was familiar, unlike when he worked for his mother and had gotten to know many of the television and vocal celebrities who called New Jersey home. Of course, Austin boasted many big names of their own, including (or so he read) Jensen Ackles. His mother was obsessed with Supernatural, and Lee didn’t mind watching… Dean was swoon-worthy.

“Hello,” he said, breaking the ice, and thankfully, those gathered took it from there. They introduced themselves and asked both serious and ridiculous questions. Mostly he dodged any he thought were overly personal, such as if he had a girlfriend.

He enjoyed the non-alcoholic gin he tried, the hor d’oeuvres were delicious as was his meal, and Lee couldn’t fault the company. When they discovered his background working upper-class events, they asked about certain celebrities whom he’d met. Of course, he gave away little, respecting both their privacy and his mother’s business.

At the end of the night, he withdrew the envelope containing his donation from his jacket pocket and left with his teammates, but not before thanking Chester for a surprisingly wonderful evening. He yawned a few times on his way home, but he didn’t forget to text Mac and Drew.

Had a great night. Come over tomorrow for dinner. I’ll cook.

*thumbs up*

I’ll be there.

Lee dropped his phone on his nightstand and got ready for bed. He slipped between the sheets, smiling as he curled around a pillow, already looking forward to seeing his friends.

CHAPTER 22

DREW

The remaining three weeks of preseason flew by in a rush of preparing the players and treating injuries as they came up. They were just days away from their first regular season game, and the suits in charge had scheduled them playing at home.

Drew didn’t always see Lee during the week, but whenever he did, he usually stopped and stared for a while. Full stop. There wasn’t anything usually about it. He stopped, he hid, and he stared until Cutter, Dr. Rosie, or another player or staff member came up beside him, nudging him, making kissy noises, or teasing him in some way. He was kinda surprised he didn’t have a perpetual rosy glow going on with how often they liked to embarrass him.

How Lee never noticed, Drew had no clue, and he thanked every deity he knew that everyone else kept their mouths shut. His right hand was getting an extra near-daily workout along with the rest of his body. Imagining Lee right beside him, and more often than not, Mac was on the other side, or some other erotic combination of the three of them required Drew to keep a full bottle of lube and a box of tissues beside his bed.

Peeking at Lee from across the cafeteria where he sat with Cutter and the rest of the medical team while the object of his obsession sat with the defensive line, Drew pondered ‘Why now?’ He’d given up on Mac years ago, or so he’d thought. Mac was his best friend, but after one disastrous make-out session, they opted to never go down that route again.

So why was he dreaming of the three of them?

---