Twenty-seven

“THAT WASN’T EXACTLY COMPETITION RULES,” Lissa complained over breakfast. “Melody, we have to get Tony on edge and keep him humming through the competition, not exhaust him at four a.m.”

“Oh, it was closer to five by the time I was exhausted, love,” I laughed. “Besides, I don’t compete until Thursday. It’s only Tuesday morning. Let’s not start too soon.”

“And Tony’s coming into this with two consecutive championships,” Melody added. “You didn’t just tease at Opens.”

“All that’s true,” Lissa said laughing. She tried to put her coach face on and get serious. “Let’s not forget that Brian is coming in with two consecutive championships, too. He won last year’s Nationals and took the Open division when Tony played in Elite. The odds-makers would say he’d played tougher competitions and is the favorite. Remember, as defending champion, he’s the number one seed. Tony is number two.”

“Darlings, I’ve trained hard for this and I’m anxious to meet Brian. But nothing in the world is more important than you. I would give up the tournament to make love to you one more time.”

“Well ... I suppose we don’t have to start the regimen until the competition starts tomorrow,” Lissa smiled. “But after midnight tonight, you get teased only. It’s a matter of family pride.”

“And, oh boy, are we going to tease you!”

“Tony, calm down,” Lissa whispered.

“Where is he?”

“He might not even be here yet,” Lissa said. “He doesn’t play till Thursday either.”

“I’ve only even seen him play once. I at least want to see him before I meet him on the court.”

We were at the player’s banquet on Tuesday night. There were close to 700 of us gathered at the conference facility. We’d spent the day getting our credentials, finding a warmup court, meeting other players, and having a meeting with the reps from Raquethon.

The Raquethon guys wanted to take us out to dinner. We passed so I could attend the opening dinner for all players. Even though sponsors aren’t supposed to play favorites, there was no question they were cheering for me. I was the on-court representative of Ice Queen Racquet Wear by Raquethon. I was a good representative. I should pay more attention to what I wore. I had my team USA warm-ups, though.

There was a speaker at the dinner and presentations of the various officials. There was a mandatory statement of rules and the reading of the brackets—not every player, but the name of the bracket, the number of players, the time of the first round, and where the pairings were posted. I’d already looked at the pairings and confirmed that Brian Summers was the first name on the bracket as top seed and I was the last name on the bracket as second seed. If we both won all our matches, we’d meet in the finals. First, I had to beat three other opponents. Well, that’s what I’d been training for.

Melody and Lissa were gently loving when we returned to our room. It was already eleven o’clock and they wasted no time getting me naked and each taking a turn with me before I let loose the last load that I’d be allowed until after the tournament. I was already on edge.

Wednesday went quickly and I watched the match that would yield my first opponent. The guy was good, but he was tall and slow to respond to his backhand.

They had twenty-four courts plus portables they set up outside for the three-wall challenge and the Lucite cube for the big matches, including the separate pro tournament. No matter what the name says it is, it’s the pro tournament that pays the bill. The only amateur contests played in the Lucite cube were the Elite finals.

By Thursday, I was so keyed up I could hardly think. I still hadn’t seen Summers and was beginning to think the guy was a figment of my imagination. Our matches were at the same time on Thursday afternoon, so after I finished dispatching my first opponent I rushed to his court. His game was already over and the result was posted. I’d allowed my opponent to score. Not so, Brian. I looked around, but the dude was gone.

I headed in for a shower, but took a detour and put in a couple miles on a treadmill before I finally hit the locker room. I was surprised to find Randy waiting near my locker.

“You’ve got too much steam built up,” he said. “You need to let some off before you explode. Get dressed, get your coach, and let’s head out for dinner.”

Dinner with Team USA was just what I needed. The three men and two women were all competing in the Pro division for the national championship. Melody sat on one side of me and Lissa on the other.

“What’s he drinking?” Hannah asked. “Whatever it is, make sure my husband gets some. How many ladies do you have, Tony?”

“All of them I need, believe me,” I laughed. “And not one too many,” I hastily added as both Lissa and Melody elbowed me.

“So, here’s the thing, Tony,” Randy said. “Summers is playing you. I don’t mean in the last match; I mean you’re being played. He’s staying out of sight and destroying opponents that don’t know what they came up against. He’s trying to psyche you out. He wants to be the man of mystery that you never see. But believe me he’s watching you.”

“How’s he managing that? Our matches weren’t long enough.”

“He skunked that guy twice in thirty minutes. I don’t think the guy returned one serve. I’ll forward it to you. You only need to watch a couple minutes and you’ll see everything you need to,” Randy said. “The thing is that you’ve got to relax. You’re acting like any player could prevent you from facing Summers. Don’t compete with him before you have to. Just knock off each opponent as he comes.”

“That’s good advice, Tony,” Lissa confirmed. “I half considered breaking training to calm you down.”

There were raised eyebrows all around the table and I know I blushed if the heat in my face was any indication.

“Do you make him ... you know ... be celibate during competition?” Claudia asked. She was blushing, too. We all nodded our heads.

“It keeps him on edge and it gives him something to focus on between matches,” Lissa said.

“We tease him unmercifully,” Melody added.

“I want in on that,” Hannah laughed.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to do anything extra,” I mumbled.

“Extra?” Hannah asked.

“Um ... I mean...”

“He means he’s already hot for you.” Hannah blushed, too.

“Now about the World Games,” Randy said. “Coach Elliot has already sent your entry in. So, you’re coming to Colombia, right?”

“Gosh. I hadn’t even thought about competing this summer. It’s a busy summer. I’ve got classes starting in three weeks.”

“You do?” Melody asked.

“Yeah. My advisors want me to take two classes this summer to finish my requirements. They’re all online, though.”

“When were you planning to tell us that?” Lissa demanded.

“It just never came up.”

“World Games,” Hannah reminded me.