Page 59 of Long Shot

The anchor smiled, “Mackenzie Bennett, here we are again just a day later. How are you feeling?”

Mac giggled. “Like a million bucks.”

“Well I think there might be a reason for that.” The anchor teased. “Yesterday, you briefly thanked your coach – the notorious Barbara McConnell. How does it feel to win the same trophy she did just forty years later.”

Mac shrugged. “There aren’t enough words for a coach like Babs. She took a risk on a kid from a small town in upstate New York, coming out of retirement to coach me. And I’m just honored to prove to her that I was worth the gamble.”

Babs smiled down at her, but tried to go back to being stoic.

The anchor waved up to Barbara. “We see your mom right there too. Any words for her?”

“Yeah, thank you for driving me every weekend to Tennis practice. And for paying for my summer camps. It changed my life… in more ways than I can count and I’ll always be grateful.” Mac felt a lump in her throat grow bigger.

Behind them, the trophy ceremony was finished being set up.

Mac was ushered over to the lineup of officials. Standing there, was the Princess of Wales along with the organizers of the Women’s tournament and the President of the Women’s Tennis Association.

They presented the second prize plate to Rina who said a few words. Then, the Princess herself approached Mac with the first prize plate in hand. She shook Mac’s hand and congratulated her on the victory. “That was quite the show.”

Mac couldn’t stop herself from blushing. “Thank you, ma’am. It was an honor to play.”

They posed together with the plate in both of their hands. Cameras flashed around them, making Mac a little dizzy as she smiled. After she was given the plate, she was presented with her prize check of a whooping $2.8 million dollars.

Before she knew it, the moment passed and Mac was grabbing her bag to head off of the court. When the cameras cleared, Taylor had disappeared.

A smile came back to Mac’s face when she realized they could finally see each other again. Just as she was walking off the court, a text came to her phone from Taylor herself.

So, when can I see you, Champion?

24

Taylor

Taylor breathedin the smell of Mac’s hair, a clean and unobtrusive smell. It felt like warm laundry on a Sunday.

Mac’s head rested on her bare chest as Taylor stared up at the ceilings of her Central Park apartment. Mac turned to look up at her. “Do you seriously have to go training right now? Wimbledon was like four days ago.”

With a sigh, Taylor kissed Mac’s forehead and started to sit up. “Unfortunately, Kim is not a fan of my loss. So she’s pushing me harder.”

Mac bit her lip as she sat up, wrapping the plush duvet around her chest. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly stopped.

Taylor whipped her head around. “What? You can say it.”

“I was just going to ask, do you think you’d ever fire her as your coach?” Mac winced as the words came out.

Laughing, Taylor threw her workout shirt on. “You should try comedy next, Mackenzie.”

Mac rolled her eyes. “Okay, but I’m being serious. She isn’t good for your game. She can’t get out of her own bubble enough to see the holes in your game.”

Taylor pulled her tennis skirt over a black, bikini-cut panty. “You seemed to think my moves were good enough to steal for a Finals match.”

Reaching behind her, Mac grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Taylor. “Because I don’t use them every match. If I tried to pull that shit again, it wouldn’t work.”

Checking herself out in her full-length mirror, her skirt was short and she made a point to make sure Mac saw it. As she looked over her shoulder, lifting her blonde locks into a high ponytail, Taylor winked. “You just want me to stay in bed with you and think a new coach would let you.”

Mac’s eyes were glued to Taylor’s ass. “I mean it’s notnota factor. But it’s just a thought. I just want to show you off, take you to dinner with my newfound wealth.”

There was a moment of silence between them as their eyes met. Taylor bridged the gap between them, hopping onto Mac’s lap.

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