Chapter 44

Since there was no school Friday after Thanksgiving, Coach Vickers made it very clear that everybody had to be in the parking lot for the bus by ten. No exceptions. Still, he didn't sound very surprised when I called and said that Robbie and I were running late, and since we didn't want to hold everybody up, we'd drive ourselves.

"My Tony, who doesn't lie," Tami sighed from the seat next to me as I put my cell phone back in my pocket.

"I didn't lie. There's no way we can make the high school by ten." It was ten till now, and I was just getting back on I-90. We'd stopped for breakfast in Ellensburg.

"Of course if we hadn't left my house at eight..." Robbie suggested from the back seat.

"Look who's come up for air," I said sarcastically, more to change the subject than anything else. Robbie giggled, and in the rear view mirror I saw her lips mold themselves to Cody's again.

"Eyes front," Tami said softly, and I focused back on the road in front of me. I drove for several minutes, then smiled. "What?" Tami asked suspiciously.

"I was just thinking that if I was a crook, I'd be planning to heist the whole town tomorrow."

Tami smiled and nodded.

I wondered how many people would actually be left in town tomorrow. Mom, Dad, and Traci were driving to Tacoma later this afternoon, bringing Kelly and Peter, too. Mikee would be on the team bus with the other cheerleaders. Robbie's dad drove over yesterday after Thanksgiving dinner. He had some kind of meeting today.

Last night when Tami and I had been taking out evening walk, with Traci and Peter trailing a few yards behind somewhere along the line they'd become our shadows we'd met Dan Boyd, the deputy who lived in the park. He'd said that almost every cop in the county city police and sheriff's deputies was conniving and scheming to get this Saturday and next Saturday off to get to the game. The ones who didn't have kids in school were football fans.

"You have a criminal mind," she accused.

"Thank you."

"Maybe I better have Daddy run a background check before you propose again."

I grinned and kept driving.

We'd been relaxing in the indoor pool for almost three hours when the team showed up. We'd checked Cody and Tami into their rooms Robbie and I were supposed to check in with the team and I'd asked the front desk to let us know when the rest of the group got there. A housekeeper stopped by to tell Robbie just as Tami and I came out of the sauna and jumped in the pool.

We toweled off quickly and were standing in the lobby as the team came in. Some of the looks Robbie got in her bikini were a hell of a lot more than team comradery.

"Tate, Sims," the coach greeted us. "I thought you were running late."

"Tail wind," I said.

"I don't even want to know how long you've been here, do I."

It wasn't a question, so I decided to do the smart thing for once and keep my mouth shut.

"Poor Peter," Tami said, then moaned.

"Poor Peter?" I asked, pulling my tongue from Tami's pussy and looking up her body. "Woman, I'm trying to work here." I gave her a lick from the bottom to the top of her slit. "And why poor Peter anyway?"

"You're doing a good job. Two, three more hours and I'll be all relaxed from the long drive."

"I do what I can."

"I was just thinking of Peter. You and I have each other. But Peter has to sleep all by himself."

I laughed into her pussy. Tami must have liked that, 'cause her back arched and her pussy tried to swallow me.

"What's so funny?" she asked as I scooted up and lay next to her.

"I kind of screwed up."

"You?"

"Yep. It happens, you know. Actually I screwed up twice."

Even in the dim light of the room I could see the suspicion on her face. Or maybe I just knew her so well that I knew it would be there.

"And just how did Mr. Anthony Marion Sims screw up? Twice?"

"Well, I volunteered to make the hotel reservations for Mrs. Hancock." Mrs. Hancock was the president of the PTO, the Parent-Teachers Organization. "I got all the team rooms on the same floor except two."

"Would that be the room that you're supposed to be sharing with Mark at the moment?"

"Yeah," I admitted.

"And Robbie's room?" \ "You should be a detective. That's pretty good."

"And that was your two screw-ups?"

"Nope. That was just one." I grinned. I knew even if Tami couldn't see it, she'd know it was there. "I also volunteered to make the reservations for Mom. Somehow, I got one room on the second floor and one on the fourth. They were supposed to be adjoining."

"So your parents are down on the second floor, and Traci, Kelly and Peter are up here with us?"

"Yep. Traci and Kelly are supposed to share one bed and Peter gets the other."

"And your mom bought that?"

"They're just kids. What could happen?" I said and pressed my mouth to hers to end the discussion.

"You've got to be kidding!"

I don't lose my temper often, but I could feel my blood getting hot, though I knew I had to be in control.

"You're here to play football. Nothing more. Teams don't pick their officials."

"But..." I stopped and counted to ten under my breath. "It's just our school has lodged a formal protest against him. I don't think it's appropriate..."

"You think guilty until proven innocent is more appropriate?"

"No, but..."

"Dan Blakeman is one of the most senior officials in this state." The guy smiled, one of those painted on politician type smiles. "Your school filed a protest, as is it's right. The WSAA is investigating. Until then, Blakeman is still on the roster and he's earned this game." His tone was the same as he'd use on a first grader.

"He could do the second game," I suggested. The two semi-final games were today at the Tacoma Dome. Ours was first.