The Pool Boy - Nikki Sloane Page 0,66

a half-smile. “Maybe a little jealous. You bagged a cougar, man. How’s the sex? Is it insane?”

Talking with my boys about fucking wasn’t a big deal. We liked to brag about numbers and how often we go laid, but now? Talking about Erika this way felt invasive and wrong.

“Yeah,” I answered, giving him nothing else to go on.

His eyes widened and his smile was incredulous. “Oh, you’re really into her.”

Irritation heated in my chest. “Okay, I gotta get going.”

I didn’t want to be a dick, but Preston wasn’t trying that hard not to be one, and if I didn’t get home soon, my parents would notice I’d spent the night out. I was an adult, but they struggled to give me space and not ask questions. Plus, my track record on honesty had taken a hit with them since I’d hidden my music side-hustle.

“She got any hot friends?” he teased. “I mean, besides your mom?”

I didn’t mean it, but it was a required response. “Fuck you, man.” But then realization hit me, and I dropped my voice. “Hey, seriously, though. Don’t tell anyone about this. Erika’s my manager, and it might be bad for her if word got around.”

“Oh.” His amusement faded into seriousness. “Yeah. I gotcha, Troy.”

A year ago, I might not have trusted him with anything important, but now? It seemed like I could.

By Wednesday, my lead over Lauren had widened, but my mom was quick to remind me not to get cocky. Stella had stated in her intro video that she’d be taking the voting results into consideration when making her pick. Winning the poll did not equal winning the spot.

I barely slept Thursday night. Erika had work with one of her other clients, so I stayed home and was up late playing Call of Duty with Preston and Colin. I was jittery most of the night, aware that in a few hours, I’d either be fucking ecstatic or depressed beyond belief.

I tried to mentally prepare for the worst.

Really, all I had to do was think about freshman year and the moment the coach had pulled me aside at training. He’d done it while the team was moving to the weight room so the other guys wouldn’t notice. I remembered that long-ass walk back to the dorm with my equipment bag in hand, knowing the team was still back at the gym working out. Training went another two hours for them.

But not me.

I needed it to be different this time.

I wasn’t the only one who hoped I got the spot. Erika was right there with me, and it felt like this wasn’t just my dream anymore—

It was ours.

Morning sunlight crept through the window but I stayed in bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling while I tried to get a handle on my expectations. My schedule was light today. I didn’t need to be at the gym until my lunchtime burn class, but for once I wished I had something earlier. What the fuck was I going to do with myself for the next few hours?

If I needed any evidence of how nervous I was, I discovered I was too distracted to jerk off.

I considered texting Erika, but she’d be in work mode now when I wanted to talk to my girlfriend.

The universe must have known my frustration because my phone rattled on the nightstand. I vaulted up out of bed, yanking the charging cord out of the port and sliding my finger across the screen when ‘Warbler Talent’ flashed on it.

Only I hadn’t realized until I’d already accepted it that the call was coming through via FaceTime.

Ardy popped up on my screen, wearing a confused expression as he stared back at me. “Hey, kid, I know it’s early. Sorry to wake you.”

It wasn’t early, he was being polite. “No, it’s fine. I was up.”

He lifted an eyebrow. I was in my bedroom and shirtless, and my hair was a mess, so he clearly didn’t believe me. “Right. Anyway, we’ve got a bit of a situation on our hands. You got a minute?” When I nodded, he said, “Great. Let’s have you put on a shirt first.”

“Yes, sir.” I set the phone down on the dresser and scrambled for the first half-decent thing I could find. Fuck, my room was a mess. I snatched up a gray t-shirt off the floor and tugged it on, raked a hand through my hair to make it presentable, and picked my phone back up, turning so the only background was the