Page 71 of Dirty Filthy Boy
"No. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love teaching. But I'm more of a warden than a teacher. The other day one of my kids brought a gun to school."
"Oh, Mar. Why didn't you say something?"
"You had enough going on, MacKenna." She heaves out a long sigh. "Oliver drew my dissatisfaction out of me. One thing led to another, and well, the upshot is he's hiring me to tutor some of the players. Apparently, some of them can barely read or write."
"So you're going to be doing that part time?"
"To begin with. But once my teaching contract with the city of Chicago ends in June, I'll be working for the Outlaws full time."
"That's great, Marigold. You certainly have a lot of experience tutoring college football players."
"Yeah, I do, don't I?" The smile in her voice tells me she's missed that part of her life. "And the tutoring will encompass more than academic subjects. He's envisioning a course on financial management, as well. Apparently, many football players end up broke once their football careers are done."
"I didn't know that."
"Neither did I."
"And, get this, he also wants to offer a class on the birds and bees." She laughs.
"You're going to be teaching sex ed to grown football players?"
"Well, it's not only sex ed, but issues surrounding consent. Some players have trouble taking no for an answer. That's going to be the toughest class of all. Oliver's putting me in charge of the whole educational program and giving me carte blanche. Can you believe it? He told me to think outside the box. Between now and my start date, I'll have to come up with a questionnaire for the players, and a mandatory basic skills test, so I can individualize their training programs."
"Some players will balk at this, you know that."
"Yes, but Oliver's making it a requirement in their contracts. So either they agree to it, or they don't get signed as an Outlaw. He's been thinking about it for quite a while."
"Wow."
"Yeah. In the meantime, he wants me to move to an apartment building he owns close to the Outlaws' compound. That's where they house potential recruits when they come visit, as well as those Outlaws players that find themselves temporarily without a place to stay. He plans to renovate the first floor into a classroom setting with a library and everything."
"That's amazing." I pause while I temporarily take this all in. "See, he's not so bad as you thought."
"Well, I still have a problem with where he's putting his stadium. Not changing my mind about that."
"But maybe you can exert your influence on him to come up with a plan that will help those inner city kids."
"Maybe. Well, Better go. Gotta get up early." I can almost hear the yawn in her voice. "If you need help with the move, let me know."
"I shouldn't. Not much to move. But if I do, I'll ring you. Goodnight, Marigold."
"'Night."
Restless after the call, I head for the bathroom, but even after a good soak in the tub, I can't sleep. And I know why. Because only a few feet away lies the man that makes every fiber in my being burn. Would it be so bad to be with him one last time? Before I can rethink the situation, I slide into my slippers and head toward his bedroom. The door's open. With the light from the hallway shining into the room, I can see him on his bed, probably naked under the sheets.
He comes up on his elbow. "What's wrong?"
"Can't sleep."
"Me neither." He taps the bed. "Come here."
Not for one second do I hesitate, but rush toward him like he's my last hope of salvation. And maybe he is.
I kick off my slippers, shed my robe, and slide into bed with him. "This doesn't change anything. I'm still moving out tomorrow."
"I know, sweet girl, I know." And with that he covers my body with his and proceeds to drive me to the edge of insanity.
