Chapter 15

David
Over the weekend, David had taken Cassidy home with him to resume ninja training with the ankle-biters. It also allowed him one-on-one daddy time with each of his children.

Finally, on Sunday evening, it was back to school, with classes starting on Monday. Cassidy and David had one additional occupant in the car: Duke, who would spend the summer at the townhouse. Being constantly around five two-year-olds had worn the boy out, and he needed a vacation.

“I have a question,” David said, darting a look at Cassidy as he drove.

“Is this going to be something stupid? Because if it is, I’m in no mood for it. After spending two days with your kids, I just want to go home, take a nice long hot bath, and then crawl into bed.”

That sounded way too girlie for his little ninja.

“In fact, my question has to do with the last part of your plan. Do you plan on continuing to sleep with me?” he asked.

He could all but read Cassidy’s thoughts as clearly as if they were written on her forehead. She was thinking about how hard she could hit him without their dying in traffic. Then she looked out her window. What had he said to make her go from contemplating his demise to turning inward?

“What’s your problem?” David asked.

“Instead of being so judgy, maybe you should have some sympathy for people who have to deal with you,” Cassidy said.

“Are you implying that I’m hard to deal with?”

“No, I am outright telling you that you’re hard to deal with.”

“Do we need to stop and get you something for your PMS?” he asked. “Ow!”

Okay, he probably deserved that, but it earned him an upward twinge at the corners of her mouth.

“I just needed you to hold me,” Cassidy finally said.

“So, this wasn’t some plan to get me to ask you to marry you or something?” he asked.

“No. I was feeling lonely and wanted to be with someone who cared about me.”

“I don’t have a problem with that. I just didn’t want to make any assumptions.”

David waited for a beat before asking his next question.

“What happened at home?”

Cassidy glanced over, making David realize he’d hit on the problem.

“My brother was acting like a jealous ass. Brad said I was sponging off you by living in your townhouse and only having to help pay for utilities. You basically pay me to go to school when I don’t really do anything to deserve it. He made me feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I also buy your groceries and have a maid come in to clean the place,” David said with a teasing smile.

“See. Even you are out to destroy my self-esteem,” she grumped.

He’d gone through similar conversations with almost all of his real friends at some point. But having money meant that sometimes he wanted to do something with them that was too expensive for college kids. When that happened, he insisted on paying. It looked like it was Cassidy’s turn.

“You know I don’t feel that way, right?”

“I guess, but Brad just wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Brad’s always been a jerk, and this is between you and me. I think you know me well enough to know that I would talk to you about it if I had a problem with anything. As a matter of fact, one of the things I like best about you is that I can do stuff for you and not feel like I’m doing something wrong.”

“Like Wolf makes you feel?”

“Exactly. So, next time you see Brad, you’re allowed to kick him in the nuts.”

That made her smile.

“Can I get my security job back?” Cassidy asked sweetly.

“I’m going to get up early in the morning and go running. Do you plan to go with me?”

“No.”

“Then, no.”

“Okay. But I get to sleep with you whenever I want?”

David smiled.

“I’ll agree to that.”

Dawn was dusky pink, and you could almost hear the city coming alive with activity. It was a perfect California morning for a run.

When David came downstairs, Miss Bettis, aka Ruth, had a water bottle and a banana waiting for him. Duke remembered their routine and was eagerly sitting by his leash at the front door. David put it on his pup and let him do his business while he and Ruth stretched.

“Do you want to set the pace?” David asked.

“Sir, I am confident I can keep up,” Ruth assured him.

David didn’t intend this to be a serious run because he was meeting his new teammates at the weight room that morning to start stacking days. Cassidy said she would meet him there so she could be with him when Tank gave him his new lifting program for the summer.

After they’d gone only a mile, David saw Duke was out of shape. He decided that they should make a stop at the coffee shop near his dorm. He hoped to catch up with Kat, the Goth Barbie barista he’d dated for a short time during the spring. They’d hooked up several times after their ‘breakup,’ and quite frankly, David was horny.

When they entered, they found themselves the only customers in the place. The music was pumping, and he saw no one at the counter. David walked behind it like he worked there.

“What do you want?” David asked Ruth.

“I could go for a large coffee and a blueberry muffin, sir.”

Ruth might turn out to be okay. She hadn’t even questioned him helping himself.

“Lordy, there’s my fine-assed big boy. Come here and give me a hug,” Doreen said as she pulled David close. “I see you brought me two new customers.”

“Doreen, I would like you to meet Ruth and Duke. They’re my running partners. Ruth, this is Doreen. She owns this fine establishment.”

“Any friends of David are welcome.”

“Is my favorite employee around?” David asked.

“No, she up and quit. She’s out east, going to school.”

David knew that Kat was going back to Yale but had hoped she would wait until the fall. While he was disappointed that she hadn’t called and told him, he realized he’d been just as bad by not calling her. He would remedy that later today.

David made his tea, got his dog a bowl of water, and joined Doreen and Ruth at a table. He talked to Doreen until Ruth had finished her coffee and muffin. By then, Duke was ready to run home.

As they ran back to the townhouse, David mused about his roommate, Alex, wondering how he was doing in Colombia. His sister, Nat, had told David that Alex was something rare: a college player who also played on an international team.

She said that, in general, players on World Cup teams were recruited for club teams at sixteen or seventeen and played sixty to seventy games a year; they didn’t have time to go to college. The other players on the Colombian national team played for Colombian or European clubs. They were all millionaires from their club pay, so they really didn’t need college.

The fact that Alex was able to go to college and still play for a high-level international team like Colombia was testimony to his skills on the soccer field. And, of course, to his family’s wealth; he had enough money that there was little incentive for him to play other than his love of the game.

Still, it was likely that Alex would end up playing professional soccer. He was simply too good and loved the game too much for that not to happen. David had to wonder what Umberto would say about that since he was the one insisting that Alex (and Nat) needed to go to college.

As they arrived at his townhouse, David decided he would ask Nat about her brother the next time he saw her.

Cassidy drove David and Ruth to the weight room. He was happy to see that all the new guys were already there, except for Oliver. Tank had his entire staff busy testing each player. When he saw David and Cassidy, he broke away from his supervisory duties.

“Do you plan to have Cassidy be your personal trainer over the summer?”

“No, the gym we used is closed this summer,” Cassidy jumped in. “David will be working out here with you. I’m here because I want to learn from you.”

Tank was pleased.

“Frankly, we’re swamped right now. Could you put David through his normal routine?”

“I think I’ll take it easy on him since he’s been a total slacker while on break,” she said.

“Yeah, let’s not injure him the first day back. I’ve got some free time this afternoon if you want to swing by so we can talk,” Tank offered.

Cassidy was happy, so David hoped she was feeling laid-back. She quickly made him aware that was not going to be the case.

After an hour, he’d sweated through his clothes and was glad he hadn’t eaten much that morning. She finally took pity on him. He’d grabbed a towel and a bottle of water when Oliver appeared.

“Hey, mate. I want to apologize for the way I acted Friday.”

“That was acting?” David asked.

“Look, you don’t need to be a knob about it...” Oliver got out when he made the mistake of touching David.

Before Oliver knew what was happening, he was face down and worried his right shoulder might be separated. David glanced over at Cassidy, who looked as stunned as he did. Ruth had taken down their Aussie punter—who was twice her size—so fast that neither of them had any idea how she’d done it.

David was glad she’d exposed her talents because he had no doubt Fritz would suggest they spar. To date, David had bested all of Fritz’s security people, even knocking Fritz himself silly on more than one occasion. Ruth might provide more of a challenge if she was that lightning-quick. Now, he would actually pay money to see her spar with Cassidy.

“I would advise that you never touch Mr. Dawson again in anger,” Ruth said just loud enough that only the four of them could hear.

She then released Oliver. David reached down and helped him stand.

“How about we start over before this becomes a thing?” David suggested.

Oliver ignored him and smiled at Ruth.

“Where did you come from? You’ve got some spunk.”

It took a moment for David to realize that the guy was hitting on his security. If he’d just had his ass handed to him by a girl, that was probably the last on the list of things David would have done.

“Why don’t we talk later? I have to take a shower and get to class. Could we meet for a late lunch?” David asked Oliver.

“This little sheila is a firecracker, mate. Is she going to be with you?”

“She goes where I go,” David answered.

“Then I’ll be there. Text me the details,” Oliver said.

Once he left, Cassidy leaned in close to Ruth.

“David has a rule about only hurting one boy per week. For that one, you can do it as many times as you think necessary.”

David shook his head as he began to walk away.

“David?”

He turned back to Cassidy.

“Text me the details, too. I want to be there the next time they meet.”

Oliver might have just stepped in it.

The USC School of Cinematic Arts was the country’s oldest and best film school. David had decided that he should take advantage of the opportunity and make film his minor. He wanted to learn not only how to act but also how to make movies.

It was one of the most challenging of the USC schools to get into since it was taught by industry professionals. It was considered a feeder school for Hollywood. USC bragged that if all their alumni decided to take the day off, it would shut down the television and film industries. Their alumni list was impressive and ranged from directors and producers to artists in the technical fields and even to agents and studio executives.

When David told Dr. Carter what he wanted to do, she’d gone to bat for him to secure a spot without having to go through the rigorous admission process. That included writing and media (video) samples and three letters of recommendation. This was one occasion when being an Academy Award-winning actor had opened doors that mattered to him.

When David arrived at his first class, he found the room packed and had to hunt for a seat. By now, he was used to the half-empty classrooms in the business department. David hoped the full classroom meant students were excited about this course. When he did find a seat, it was front row, center. He made a mental note to arrive earlier for the next class.

David looked around the room and spotted a man leaning nonchalantly against the wall, watching him. The man continued to stare unapologetically, not appearing at all fazed by the fact he’d been caught intently watching David.

The man’s clothes were dark and nondescript, allowing him to almost blend in with the shadows. But it was his hair and eyes that really caught David’s attention. He was smooth-shaven, with the face of a man perhaps in his early thirties, yet his hair appeared to be pure white, like that of an old man. His pale gray eyes looked unnatural. David wondered if they were contacts.