Page 26 of Long Shot

With a sight, she grabbed it and headed down the stairs. From the chain link fence, cameras flashed. Taylor let a sly smile play at her cheeks, enough to give them something to write about.

The headlines would read something like: “Champion Returns: Thrilled With Victory, Taylor Young Heads Back To Training in NYC.” Kim would be happy with that.

A driver opened the back, passenger’s door of a black SUV. “Miss Young.”

“Thanks,” Taylor said as she ducked inside. About an hour drive later and the car was pulling up outside of her building. Not waiting for the driver, Taylor thanked him again and got out of the car.

The sun was just starting to set as Taylor walked into the lobby.

“Look who it is,” A tall, curly-haired woman greeted Taylor from behind the front desk.

Taylor smirked. “Hey, Cam.”

The door attendant smiled back, her perfectly tailored suit unbuttoned around her waist. “You know, the bars were going crazy.”

“My bars?” Taylor winked.

Camilia nodded. “Yeah I stopped by Mary’s for your match against Bennett. The crowd was wild, they didn’t know who to root for.”

Taylor looked around the swanky lobby, hoping to keep her blush hidden. It was a lush environment, wood floors and black marble walls. A warm orange glow filled the space at night.

“You guys used to play right?” Cam asked, leaning closer as she lowered her voice.

Taylor let her elbows rest on the desk. “Between you and me – and I will sue your ass if you ever say a word – we did more than just play.”

Cam pumped her fist. “I fucking knew it. Cause she is out and proud and the sapphics at Mary’s were all about it. But obviously, a lot of them have theories about you.” Living in a building like this, all of the staff were experts in discretion. They had to be, especially when Taylor was bringing women home in the middle of the night.

Taylor’s head dropped. “And all of them are true.” Giving the desk a pat, Taylor sighed. “I have to get some rest.”

“Kimberly wants you back on the courts in the morning, right?” Cam laughed. “We’ll have the car waiting for you.”

Reluctantly, Taylor nodded and headed upstairs. “Thanks, Cam.”

The elevator was so smooth that Taylor felt her eyelids drooping with each floor. By the time the doors were swinging open to the 42nd floor, Taylor was basically snoring.

She unlocked the door to Penthouse C, her $14 million beauty. The heavy door swung open to Taylor’s gallery. Tossingher bag down by the door, Taylor let a sigh leave her chest. Seeing her art on the walls was a surprising comfort.

She slipped off her sneakers and walked past each piece. The property wasn’t the only thing Taylor had spent her money on. Over the last decade, she had been collecting the works of dozens of famous artists. From Hannah Hoch to Rosa Bonheur, the work stretched centuries. Of course, when Architectural Digest visited for a piece on her apartment, Kim had made sure each piece was replaced with an equally expensive one.

The gallery opened to the open living room where a wall of windows stretched out, a view of Central Park just past the pristine glass. She headed to the kitchen and threw open her floor-to-ceiling fridge. Inside, a platter of sushi was waiting for her.

“Fuck yeah,” Taylor’s eyes flashed with a passion she rarely showed. She grabbed the tray and a pair of silver chopsticks, heading for the couch. Laying back on her couch, Taylor threw on the TV. She found some reruns of The L Word: Generation Q. She had grown up with the original show, hiding her watches from Kim.

There was a comfort of watching women her age enjoy their queerness. To date without fear.

Taking a bite of her sushi, Taylor pulled out her phone and scrolled socials. She had avoided as much of the coverage of Roland Garros as she could. But now, she needed to know what the temperature on her matches was.

She searched her name and found dozens of posts about her wins.

Taylor Young remains the GOAT of Women’s Tennis.

Of course it was a comfort, but it wasn’t what she needed to read. So, she tapped into the search bar and added two words: “Mackenzie Bennet”.

Immediately, thousands of new results appeared. Clips of their match had trended for a few days. Taylor bit her lip as she read.

If anyone can come for Tay’s crown, it’s Mac from Queens.

Can’t wait to see this proud sapphic take home a trophy.

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