Page 10 of Our Hearts to Break

I should have known betterthan to let Parker choose the strip club. It’s the usual scene at Forbidden Temptations—tacky neon lights, mirrored walls, leather benches, and desperate men swarming the girls.

Three coked-up bitches shake their asses on the stage as my teammates toss dollar bills at their naked bodies. I refuse to give them a penny. These girls are way past their expiration and look like they need a hospital or a drug rehab. I’m just waiting for the blonde with huge nipples to fall off the stage.

Now that I’ve crossed the line with River, women don’t do it for me as they once did. I see men in a completely different light. It’s not like I’m lusting over my teammates in the locker room, but I do notice which ones are attractive.

Take Parker Hale, for example. He’s a pretty boy with long eyelashes, a head of short, black curls, and classic good looks. He’s wearing a perfectly pressed dress shirt and slacks. Parker fits the textbook stereotype of a rich douchebag.

Don’t get me wrong.

I like him just fine.

A decent player, Parker is usually good for a few goals per season and always offers to pay. Besides River, he’s the hottest guy on our team. But he has shitty taste in women.

Parker elbows me, and when I turn my head, he says, “She’s so hot, right?”

I stare at him like he’s grown another head. “Huh?”

Even if I wasn’t thinking about River’s dick, none of these women are doing it for me.

I don’t think I’m gay, but if I were, it would annoy my dad. So, there’s that. Maybe I’ll make a move on River at Thanksgiving dinner so dear old Dad can see how much I like dick. I would love to watch him lose his shit.

“I call dibs on the blonde.” Parker pulls out a black Fendi wallet and waves a wad of cash at the stage. “Which one do you want?”

“None,” I tell him. “You know I prefer the girls at Lucky’s. Forbidden Temptations blows.”

“What?” Parker looks confused. “Are you serious, bro? My treat.”

“Nah, I’m good. Save your money for the rest of the team.” I tip my head at the five guys crowding the stage. “Look at them. Thirsty as fuck for that beat-up pussy.”

Parker snickers. “You’ve been weird lately. Off. What’s up with you?”

“I’m good. Just bored. I’d rather go to Lucky’s.”

I only say this to get him off my ass. Thankfully, he doesn’t push me or suggest we abandon this hellhole for the other strip club.

“We’re not leaving.” Parker smacks his lips, giving me a strange, almost seductive look. “Suck it up, buttercup.”

He’s so close I get a whiff of his aftershave. And as our gazes lock, I see something flicker in his eyes. I step backward and knock into River’s arm. He puts his hand on my lower back to steady me.

Did I just get a vibe from Parker?

Yeah, no. Definitely not.

I read that all wrong.

“I need a lap dance,” Parker says to break the tension, yanking his eyes from my body. “Are you sure you don’t want one?”

I bob my head. “All good. I’m sitting out tonight.”

He leans over and says, “River? You want one?”

River takes a sip from the beer bottle and swallows. “Nope.”

A few times, River and I had taken home the strippers from Lucky’s. But was the sex ever about the girls? Now, I don’t know.

Most of my sexual experiences involved River. When I look back at our strange childhoods, I wonder if I fucked up River.

Did I make him gay?

---