Ali Vali - Love Match

Parker looked around and saw only the hardwood floors that were present in every room, but was game for whatever Emily had in mind. "Sure."

The cartons of food were spread out throughout the living room and their conversation was finally coming as comfortable as it had when they had first spent time together. When Parker looked at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was almost midnight and it was time to go if she was going to be in any shape to play in the morning.

"Am I boring you?" Emily knew that when a date looked at their watch, the night had come to an end.

"No, I just need to get going if I want to stay awake on the court tomorrow. The networks frown on center court matches when one of the players is napping on the sidelines. Tell me that I can see you again and I'll go away happy?"

"You can see me again, but why don't you stay here and take a cab back early?"

"Because I'm doubting I can serve or lift my arms over my head for any reason if I sleep on the floor tonight. Come on, I'll walk you home, and if you behave, I'll give you and the blonde bombshell some tickets for tomorrow's match."

"You don't have to sleep on the floor, silly, I have a bed, and I was planning on staying here and not at Bobbie's anyway." Emily walked Parker to the only bedroom in the place and showed her the neatly made bed that stood alone pushed up against the back wall.

"It's a double bed." Parker stood in the doorway with her hands crammed into her pockets looking at the sleeping surface like it was a bed of nails.

"Yes, so what?"

"Emily, I'm an inch over six feet. That means I won't fit in that bed." She pointed to the bed and wondered where Emily was planning on sleeping.

"Come on, Kong, we'll make the best of it." Emily stripped her pants off and pulled her bra through one of her sleeves before she lay to one side of the bed. The one thing she hoped that Parker understood was that this wasn't about sex. It was about getting to know each other and building a trust between them. One more headline putting Parker and Alicia together in anyway and she would kill Parker in her sleep.

She's leaving? Emily's heart just stopped beating for a moment when the tennis player turned and walked down the hall. Her smile returned when she heard the light switch in the bathroom click on. When Parker walked back she was dressed in only her underwear and the t-shirt she had worn under the light sweater she had on. Parker sat on the other side of the bed and fluffed up her pillow before stretching out for the night. She could hear Emily laughing because her feet were hanging off the end of the bed.

"Good night, Emily."

"Aren't you going to kiss me good night?"

"Only if you want me to."

"I want you to." Parker rolled over a bit and pressed her lips to Emily's and lengthened the kiss when she felt the pilot's hands in her hair pulling her closer.

Parker slowed them down knowing that it was too soon to move into that type of relationship with Emily. She rolled Emily to her side of the bed as she thought that for the first time she felt like this was a woman that she could come to care about enough to have a relationship with that didn't last the normal three dates. Emily held on to her hand and was close enough that Parker could feel her body heat but it was only their hands that were touching. What would the papers say if they could see you now, Kong? Parker asked herself as the fruity smell of Emily's shampoo reached her nose.

The next morning Emily got up and found the space on the bed next to her empty. She panicked when she thought Parker had just left until she saw the slacks still folded next to the bed on the floor. Emily found the tennis player sitting on the floor in the living room with her eyes closed and her legs folded under her like she was meditating. The quiet of the room and the early morning light coming through the naked windows made the empty room almost seem like a temple so Emily stayed quiet not to disturb whatever Parker was thinking about. Parker never opened her eyes when there was a light knock on the door, nor when Emily went to see who it was.

"Good morning, Emily." Gary stood in the hallway with two large black bags waiting to be invited in.

"Good morning, she's in there if you are here for Parker."

"I am, but why don't we let her finish before we go barging in there." Gary set the racket bag down by the inside of the door and unzipped it to get some medical supplies out of it. He dropped the other bag at Emily's feet letting her get a close up view of the tennis outfit full of sponsor logos at different spots. Even the socks she noticed had something sewn on to the tops when Gary pulled them out and laid them on top of the other stuff.

Gary saw her looking over what Parker would be wearing and smiled. "The talent is what gets all those companies to use her as a walking billboard, but that's what pays the bills once you can prove you can play."

"Does seeing Parker wear this on her sleeve really make someone want to drive a Lexus?" Emily asked as she pointed to one side of the pullover shirt.

"Do you buy office supplies at a certain store because they have a bowl game for college football?" Emily laughed at his analogy and knew that this was probably an argument he had often with fans and sponsors alike.

"What's she doing?" She pointed to the quiet woman sitting in the other room.

"She's going over every shot in her head. Reviewing every possibility so that there will be no surprises she hasn't given thought to, no weakness she isn't busy erasing now instead of on center court. Parker's the real deal, Emily, she gives the folks what they pay big money to see. Just straight forward power tennis that takes no prisoners and makes the shelf life of the balls next to nil."

"Is that on, and off the court?"

"I don't know, you spent the night with her, did she force you?" Gary didn't like the tone of Emily's question, and the fact Parker was messing around the night before a major tournament.

"No she didn't, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything."

"Nonsense, Gary, just likes to cause me trouble whenever the opportunity presents itself. Are you working today?" Parker had gotten up and walked quietly on bare feet to where they were talking.

"No, I'm not. I was planning to watch you on television today if you must now my deep dark secret," teased Emily hoping Parker wasn't insulted over her question to her coach.

"How about you and your friend join Gary and my sisters in my box?" Gary handed Parker the tickets she had requested that morning when she called. Emily took them and kissed Parker on the cheek for them. Bobbie would be thrilled since she loved women's tennis.

Emily watched as Gary helped Parker get dressed first changing her bandages and wrapping her chest tightly enough to cover the stitches but still leaving her the ability to breathe. It was like watching a gladiator getting ready to step into the arena. Only this one could chip your bones if you weren't careful, with little yellow fuzzy balls. With a good luck kiss from Emily, Parker was out of the door.

Parker turned before getting into the cab and looked up to the windows of Emily's apartment. The pilot stood there with her fingers pressed to her lips looking a little dazed from the kiss they had just shared. She waved and smiled before disappearing into the car making Emily sigh. Things were looking up and it wasn't because she had scored tickets to a tennis match.

Chapter 6

The stands around center court were filling up, and down on the court the line judges and ball retrievers were taking their places. Gary had watched Parker warm up with a critical eye making sure that his star showed no signs of pain. Parker's younger opponent was trying to find some weak spot as she too watched Kong warm up. If the story was true about the attack outside the restaurant, Mendela her opponent couldn't find where it put any cracks in Parker's game.