Burn gave me an appraising look, as if perhaps there was more to me than she assumed. “Well, perhaps he’s the exception to the rule.”
Another teammate laughed. “I don’t think it’s a rule so much as a funny meme.”
“Wait,” said another. “Impractical? As in, he’s too big to fit?”
“I am not having this conversation,” she told them. “Get the food and take it inside before I cram it up your ass and ask how that tastes!”
Enough people had come out to help, we didn’t need to take anything in, and Ember got into the passenger seat instead of going inside. She was apparently going to ride with me to park the truck.
“I’m so sorry. Fuck. I’m not sure if I made it better or worse.”
I chuckled. “Anytime you want to defend my dick, feel free.” I touched her hand. “Don’t stress over it. We’re good.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m gonna kill her.”
“No you aren’t. I’m sure you’ll find appropriate revenge, but she’ll still be breathing.”
“And the bitch of it is, now every time I see her girlfriend, I’m going to assume she has a butt plug in, but I’m not a big enough cunt to embarrass her girlfriend by bringing it up in front of the entire team.”
“Because you’re a good person, and that means something.” I turned my truck off and turned to her. “Put me to work if you need me. My preference would be to work doing whatever you are, but I can easily handle the door if that’s where you need me.”
“I can work the door with you. I usually do a two-hour stint in the concession stand, but no reason we can’t mix things up a little.”
I’d learned the derby girls who make it to the top of the city-wide team form a company. They don’t have an owner, like other sports teams. They have to figure out how to make enough money to keep the team going. They took the concept of teammates to a whole new level. This women’s sport was owned by the women who played it. No one owned them.
And I was sure this resonated with Ember in ways the other girls never considered.
Well, except for perhaps Burns’ girlfriend.
Chapter Seventeen
Ember
Our junior team won their bout, but one of our best teens got injured. It tears me up when people get hurt, whether they’re on our team or the other one. Humans are so damned fragile, and yet they do dangerous shit anyway.
We had a larger than normal crowd by the time we got to the final event, but Memphis always brings a lot of people with them. Nashville had handed our asses to us two weeks before, so morale wasn’t great going into this, but I knew we could kick ass this week.
Most surprising of all, several of Dementor’s brothers showed up to cheer us on. Knowing how shorthanded they are, and what they probably had to do to make sure all posts were manned, it kind of hit me emotionally.
Dementor was willing to work for us, and it didn’t matter he wasn’t getting a piece of me later that night. Plus, his brothers wanted me to feel as if I belonged. They wanted to show their support. It made me feel a little guilty for being accepted into a family I hadn’t truly accepted yet.
But then the match started and I didn’t have time to think about anything except skating. They put me in as the first jammer, meaning it was my responsibility to get our points on the board before the other team got points on the board. I had to build us a lead and not get us behind.
I thrive under pressure though, and by the time the first jam finished, we were well ahead of Memphis.
Dementor
The Birmingham Hellcats didn’t just win. They kicked ass. The afterparty was being hosted by one of their sponsors, a local mom-and-pop sports bar. It was already full of fans when we arrived, and I noted the match was being replayed on every screen.
If you were wearing Hellcat merch you got one free appetizer, and I’d bought a hat earlier. I wanted a t-shirt, but the largest size they carried wasn’t even close to big enough. The girl running the booth knew who I was. She asked me what size I needed and promised to order the style I liked the next time they bought more. I offered to pay for it ahead of time, but she wouldn’t let me since she didn’t know when they might order more.
I ate four double burgers and Ember ate two. The humans all had to comment on this, but I’m used to it. The way Ember responded, she was too. You’d think her teammates would’ve been used to it, but my guess is they’d always look for an explanation because she’s so short and skinny. I mean, as far as swan maidens go, she’s rather tall, but that still made her smaller than most human women.
The party broke up around one in the morning, and I have no idea how many Fireball shots my little Hellcat downed, but she was nice and tipsy when we left.
I put her in my truck, buckled her seatbelt, and walked around to my side of the truck.
“Done being platonic. We should fuck when we get home.”
My dick perked up, but I knew better. “Tell me that again tomorrow when you’re sober, and we’ll order in for dinner tomorrow evening instead of going out.”
“I decided before the party, when I was still sober.”
“Then you should’ve told me while you were sober.”
“Don’t be a dick.”
I chuckled. “Me and my impractical dick can’t help it.”
“Fuck. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. We’re good.”
She leaned over and reached for my cock, but I blocked her and pushed her back up. “Behave.”
“Will you spank me if I don’t?”
Fuck me. I smiled to myself and looked sideways long enough to give her what I hoped was an intimidating scowl. “No, you’d like that too much. Don’t think I won’t practice some really boring bondage if that’s what it takes, though.”
She gave a short huff, clearly not happy with my response. I had a feeling she was only quiet because she was plotting. Three minutes later, she said, “What if I just give you a blow job, and that’s all we do?”
“Tomorrow evening, if you still want to, I’ll fuck your face good and hard.”
“You’re turning me down?”
“Nope. I’m making sure you make an informed decision.”
The plan had been for me to watch the derby, spend the night, spend the day with her Sunday, take her to dinner that evening, and then either go home after we ate, or stay again. We were going to play that part by ear.
So, I had a bag with two changes of clothes. Another bag, stowed behind the back seat, held wrist and ankle cuffs, a bondage collar, carabiners, and a few other generic items. This was older equipment I didn’t use much anymore. The good stuff was still either at my house or in my apartment. However, I grabbed that bag and stuck it inside my duffel before I went into Ember’s house. I wasn’t going to keep moving her hands off my dick all night.
Ember
When I awakened Sunday morning, everything came back to me. Fuck, I’d been such a damned brat.
And Dementor had managed me. I was on my side with my wrists connected to a thick, heavy collar. Another loose rope went from my wrist cuffs to something I couldn’t see — probably the leg of the bed. One ankle was also bound — likely to a different leg of the bed. Basically, I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t sit up, and I couldn’t roll over, but I was comfy. He knew how I liked to sleep, and he gave me fairly loose bondage in that position.