Cheater: A Summer Games Short Read (Going for Gold) (8 page)

Fire hot, her mouth slid over my length until I was knocking at her throat. She laved and licked me into a wild frenzy. My moans weren’t sultry or sexy; they were feral yells. They rose from the primal man within me who sought relief.

I watched her suck me through a curtain of ink-black hair, taking in my full length. My balls tightened and my stomach tensed. I was ready to blow.

“Collette, I’m going to…” Her eyes lifted to meet mine just as she nearly swallowed my length. I couldn’t hold back any longer. Pulse after pulse washed down her throat. She stroked me until I squirmed beneath her. Paybacks were hell, but oh they were worth it.

She crawled up my body and laid her head on my chest. Her breath tickled as it skirted over my skin.

“That was amazing.” I’d had a lot of blow jobs in my life, but all from Bryn. This one topped the charts. Collette had given it without expectations—something I wasn’t used to.

“Now that your lower head is clear, let’s focus on this one.” She ran her hands through my hair.

“I don’t know how it happened, but I need you.”

“Oh, Alec. You’ll figure it out.”

I fell asleep trying to do just that.

N
o one expected
the biggest fumble in the all-around to come from our team captain. Food poisoning had taken its toll on Wade big-time. We were barely hanging on to the bronze, and the only athlete left to perform from Team USA was Wade.

I’d nailed everything today. My floor wasn’t perfect, but now that I was properly motivated, I was sure it would get there soon. I wanted Collette in the worst of ways.

Wade stepped up to the rings. Nick hoisted him into position. It was all going well until he fell out of his iron cross. He lost not only his line, but also his grip, and fell to the floor like a cement block. The fall was devastating to the whole team. All the Russians needed was to have a clean rotation, and we were out.

Our hopes for an all-around medal were gone once Ivan Yazov finished his last event. I was over Bryn, but it still pissed me off that of all people to sink Team USA, it would be the guy Bryn hooked up with.

Many of the team members’ best chance for a medal had been in the team event. Now we had to depend on ourselves. Team was a great concept until it fell apart. We’d gone from “there’s no I in team” to “every man for himself.”

Collette was waiting outside of the locker room when I emerged. Disappointment covered her face.

“I’m so sorry, Alec.” She lowered her head into my chest. “Can I do anything to make you feel better?”

There were a lot of things she could do to make my body feel better, but all my soul needed was her presence.

I dropped my gym bag, picked her up, and swung her around in a circle. I was in Rio. I had an amazing girl with me, and that was enough reason to celebrate. “Let’s go out and party.”

The lips that had brought me so much pleasure last night pursed with puzzlement. “You want to party?”

“We have two options.” I released her and let her slide down my body. “We can drown in our disappointment at not making the finals, or we can embrace the experience. Losing isn’t the end—death is the end, and you and I, Collette Lamont, are alive. So…let’s live.”

“I like your style, Grumpy Maes.”

We hopped on the bus back to the village. Once we changed, we headed out to explore Rio. The walk along the Copacabana was breathtaking. The water was the blue seen in postcards, the sand sparkled like buffed pearls under the falling sun. Birds swooped in to say hello, and it was perfect.

Rumor had it that a hole in the wall called Bip Bip was the place to go if you needed to unwind. Live music and a casual atmosphere was exactly what I wanted. A guitar player sat in the corner strumming his brand of entertainment.

Collette and I ordered a sampler platter of local cuisine, making sure to avoid anything with seafood, which was a shame because we both loved it, but we didn’t want to follow in Wade’s footsteps. We sipped sparkling water and watched a one-man show turn into a full band as other artists joined the jam session. We snapped photos throughout our date and sent them to our parents.

It was easier now to communicate with Mom through pictures, not words. They were keeping her medicated, so her attention span was almost nil, often cutting our daily calls short. I did get a short text after the loss today, telling me I’d made her proud. Lord, I could have fallen off the rings and she would have figured out a way to make me feel good about it. I’d miss that.

With my hand over Collette’s, I looked into the depths of her cocoa-colored eyes, a near mirror to my own. “What’s next, Collette?” My question was intentionally vague, but what I really wanted to know was whether there was a future for her and me. A week had passed, and in that time, I’d experienced more love and compassion, camaraderie and kinship than I’d ever felt outside of family. She was a good habit I didn’t want to break.

“The world is our oyster, Alec.”

“Yeah, but you’re the pearl.” I squeezed her hand. “What I’m really saying is, I want to keep knowing you after the Games.”

She lifted my hand to her lips and caressed my knuckles. “We’ve already established that you need me.”

I shook my head. “But do
you
need me?” I wanted her to need me as much as I knew I needed her.

She thoughtfully sipped her water. “Have you ever looked at someone and knew they’d be important to you? Have you ever lain with someone and had your heartbeat fall in sync with theirs?”

“Yes.” Collette was my heartbeat.

“You’re that person to me, Alec. It doesn’t have to be solved today. We’ll figure it out.”

As we canoodled at our table, we hummed to the songs we knew and soaked in the ones we didn’t. Collette was competing on the floor tomorrow. When it reached ten o’clock, I walked her to her room. She wanted me to come in, but I was reluctant because I knew if I followed her to bed she’d never get any sleep. But when she said she needed me, I changed my mind. I’d give her anything she wanted.

Once she changed into her pink pajamas, I tucked her in. As she nestled in my arms, we talked about everything from hockey to hangnails. Amidst all the darkness, a light had emerged, and her name was Collette.

* * *

“
A
lec
,” someone shouted. I turned to see the reporter from last week running up behind me. “Alec, talk to me about your mother.”

It was only a matter of time before my story got out. I could see the headlines now: “Young Man Goes To Rio To Win His Dying Mother The gold.”

When she caught up with me, I stopped. “Listen, I don’t want to be a story.”

“Too late for that. You’re the compassion project for the Games.”

I had no idea what she meant by compassion project, and I didn’t care. “I’m no different than anyone else at these games. The exception is I have a terminally ill mother. Lots of people have more interesting stories to contribute. You have refugees and political prisoners, rags-to-riches stories. Go talk to them.”

She looked down at the bandana I kept tied around my wrist. “I disagree.” She pulled out her digital recorder. “Just give me one quote and I’ll leave you alone.”

I thought about her request. I knew from experience that if the reporters were interested in my story, they’d dig far and wide to come up with it.

“One quote and then I’m gone. My girlfriend is competing today, and I don’t want to miss it.”

“You mean Bryn Carlysle?”

“No, Bryn and I are no longer together. The girl who has captured my heart is Collette Lamont, but I like to call her Snow.” Collette and I hadn’t defined what we were yet. I hoped she didn’t mind me publicly claiming her. I suppose I’d need to beg for her forgiveness since I hadn’t asked for permission.

The reporter’s eyes became the size of hubcaps. “What happened with Bryn?”

It was obvious she’d already done some digging to come up with my relationship with Bryn. “Nothing. She’s a lovely woman. It was an amicable split for both of us.” I hated to lie, but I also refused to sully Bryn’s reputation. I wasn’t that guy. “I have to go.”

By her confused expression, I knew the wheels were spinning in her head. “You promised me a quote.”

“I did.” I considered my words carefully. “Winning. Losing. Living. Dying. Life is full of challenges. My mother is dying, and she’s doing that with courage and grace, but it’s how she lived that I will remember her.”

“What do you hope to achieve here in Rio?”

“I don’t have anything to prove. I came, I played, I conquered. I’m a Maes. That’s what we do.” My walk turned into a jog. There was no way I was missing Collette’s routine.

When I reached the arena, I flashed my badge and took a seat just in time for the floor event to start. Bryn was second to last up. I’d seen her routine a thousand times. She’d been using it for the last two seasons. Despite the movement on the mats, my eyes were glued to Collette. She bent, and stretched, and fidgeted with the bling on the arm of her leotard.

She didn’t pay attention to her competition; she stayed in her own head. Then her eyes scanned the stands. I had told her where I’d be sitting, and sure enough she found me. I pointed to her and then tapped my heart to tell her that mine was racing with hers.

She took the corner of the mat. She only needed to beat Bryn to walk away with the gold. The distinctive beat of her music filled the air. People like me beat the mat into submission whereas others like Collette made it an extension of their body. Everywhere she touched, a flash of energy sparked, causing every spectator to sit at the edge of their seat waiting for more. The choreography was superb. Each major element ended on the strength of the music.

When it was over, I wanted more, and if the raucous roar coming from the audience were any indication, they wanted more too.

There’s nothing worse than waiting for the judges to tally the score. When it was this close, every tenth counted. Collette was guaranteed a medal; the only question was what color it would be.

Bryn was a seasoned athlete, and a prior medal winner. She stood on the sidelines bathed in confidence as if she had the gold in the bag. But when Collette’s score flashed on the board, Bryn’s face fell to the floor. It was a good thing Collette was resilient because the virtual daggers Bryn was tossing at her would have stung.

Collette hugged her coach and turned to the stands to face me. She pressed two fingers to her lips and blew me a kiss. Collette wasn’t from Team USA, but she was from Team Maes, and I felt no sense of disloyalty by celebrating her win.

She emerged from the arena with her gold medal hanging from her neck, tears running down her cheek and her phone pasted to her ear.

“Thanks, Mom, I love you too,” she cried into the phone. “I have to go. Alec is here waiting for me.” She puckered her lips and blew a kiss in the phone, then hung up.

I was on my knees in front of her in seconds. “Your Highness.” With a sweep of my hand, I bowed.

She dropped to her knees in front of me and pulled me into her arms. The weight of the medal clanged against my chest. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“You deserved it. Your routine was perfection.”

“Lucky break.” A familiar voice snarled behind us. “You won’t get so lucky on the beam. I’m not about to let you steal
everything
from me.” Bryn’s face was puce with rage. “Who do you think you are?”

Collette stood with confidence. “I’m Collette Lamont. Don’t forget it.”

T
wo days had passed
since Collette had won. The Games were quickly coming to a close. I’d failed to medal in the individual all-around. My chances of going home with gold were shrinking each day.

Conversations with Mom were all but gone. Each time I called, Dad said she was sleeping, but I knew she had fallen into that quiet state that happened before she was silenced forever. He’d hold the phone to her ear, and I’d tell her how much I loved her. I’d talk about Collette and how much she would love her even though I knew she’d never get the chance to meet her.

I wanted to go home, but I’d made a promise to stay. However, the losses surrounding me were weighing me down. I’d missed my Mom’s last lucid moments to chase a dream. What kind of son was I? I had to remind myself that I was a dutiful son, one who’d obeyed his mother’s wish that he compete.

Today I’d compete on rings. It was now or never because even though I’d qualified to compete in the floor exercise, I wasn’t consistent enough to think I could win.

Collette was in the stands watching me. She’d spent the last two nights wrapped in my arms. We couldn’t seem to get enough of each other, and yet we still hadn’t had sex. Last night, after I showed her my oral skills, she hung her gold medal around my neck. In my heart I knew that if that was the closest I got to a medal, then I’d take it. It felt good to wear, but what was better was when Collette folded her arms around my body and fell asleep.

Eight competitors lined up on the mat next to the rings. Wade and I stood next to each other. He was finally back in top form, and for that I was happy. I’d gone from laughing at his misery to being happy to see him do his best. We’d come a long way since the moment that I thought he deserved a case of herpes.

“You got this?” I asked him while the Russian gymnast was lifted to the apparatus.

“Man, you’re the only one who can edge me out.” Wade circled his arms; he liked to say it lubed his joints, but I was certain it was his way of releasing pent-up anxiety.

“Game on.” Thank goodness we were at the end of the pack. I hated to go first. It was a crap position. At least when you were at the end, you knew what you had to hit to win. The guys at the beginning were simply setting the bar that would almost always be bested.

I pulled Mom’s bandana to my nose. The faint smell of her perfume was still there when I inhaled deeply, but it was fading. She was with me; this I knew.

When it came my time, I found Collette in the crowd. The silly girl was waving an American flag. I watched her lips because she always had something to say. Three syllables formed one after another. “Per-fec-tion” was all she mouthed before those red lips puckered into an air kiss just for me. Maybe she’d relent on the floor exercise if I brought home gold on the rings. I hit the apparatus properly motivated.

In the zone, I blocked out everything and everyone and went through my routine. After my butterfly to my inverted cross, I went straight to my triple-back-twist dismount. In my mind it was flawless, but I wasn’t judging. One look at my scores and I knew I’d medal, but it was up to Wade to decide whether I got gold or silver.

He walked over to me and gave me a hug. When he leaned in, he whispered in my ear, “How bad do you want this?” His words were filled with meaning. He was willing to step his routine back if I asked.

I pulled back and looked at him. “Bring it all, man. I don’t want it unless I earned it.”

“I hope you like silver.”

And that’s what I got. Wade pulled out all the stops and delivered a perfect, nearly impossible routine. There was a reason I’d always admired the man.

* * *

“
I
said perfection
.” Collette tugged my medal and pulled me down for a kiss.

“That was perfection, and I think I should be rewarded.” I leaned in and licked her earlobe. She loved that. Said it sent shivers all the way to where her curlies used to be.

“I’ll give you a reward all right. I’ll go easy on you at the gym tonight.”

We’d been spending an hour or so every night in the gym practicing my floor routine. I tried to explain to her that I didn’t stand a chance of winning, but Collette wasn’t a quitter, and neither was I. Besides, when I perfected a difficult element or nailed a landing, she often gave me a bonus. Last time it was a world-class blow job next to the pommel horse.

We worked out so late that no one was in the training area. There was no risk we’d be caught on camera, either, because they weren’t allowed to film on the practice floor. All they could record was the entrance, to see who came and left. The idea was to keep someone from getting an unfair advantage by taping athletes prior to their performances.

“No practice tonight. I want to celebrate. I came to Rio for a medal, and I’m leaving with one.”

She wrinkled her nose at me but nodded. “Salsa then?”

“Are you talking the snack or the dance?”

She shimmied around me. “Let’s do both.”

Gabby ran from the arena and rushed toward us. Protectively I pulled Collette behind me. With a thud, Gabby threw herself into my chest and hugged me. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” I whisked Collette to my side. “This is Collette.”

“Oh, I know who she is.” Gabby eyed Collette the way girls do other girls. They sized them up and then dished on their clothes, their hair, or their makeup. “Great job yesterday. Your floor was amazing.”

Both Collette and I were speechless. We’d talked at length about Bryn and her jealousy, the cult following she had—and her handmaiden, Gabby.

I glanced around, looking for her master. “Where’s Bryn?”

“I don’t know. She’s a bit out of control. I think she’s off with Ivan or Igor or…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to say congratulations. You deserved that.” The rest of the women’s team was boarding the bus. “I gotta go.” She looked at Collette. “Good luck tomorrow on the beam.”

“Thanks.” She pulled my arm over her shoulder and held my hand.

I was grateful to avoid any confrontation with Bryn. I didn’t want any drama tonight. I had enough going on in my life to borrow trouble.

Immediately after winning my medal, I’d called Dad, but his line went straight to voicemail. I’d called the hospital, but because of HIPAA regulations, they wouldn’t give me information over the phone. However, several of the nurses were happy to get on the phone to wish me luck.

I shouldn’t have worried. Dad had promised he would call if there were any changes. I had to believe he would.

* * *

W
e ended
up at Ringo’s in downtown Rio. It was off the beaten path, but was the most famous salsa club in the city. Collette was patient with me. I had the Latin beat down. It was in my DNA. The problem was, I was more of an improv guy while Collette went by the numbers. Little did I know this was training in disguise.

“So, you see how we move on the one, two, three and rest on four?”

I watched her feet demonstrate the steps. “Yeah, I got it.”

“This is your problem on the floor. You’re so overzealous to get to the end that you miss the rest in between. It’s where your whole routine goes wrong.”

I couldn’t argue with her. My muscle memory had been defined by reacting prematurely. I entered my tumbles before I could contain my velocity, and it always sent me outside of the line. If I managed to stay in, it was never pretty.

Collette and I danced for two hours. She worked on retraining my brain to take a micro break. I didn’t know whether it would be effective, but I loved the feel of her in my arms. Salsa was like sex on a dance floor. Two bodies moving as one. Fluid motion. Connected by desire.

With her beam routine in the late morning, it was time to get back to the village. She had a closed-door practice with her coach tonight, which meant I wasn’t invited to watch because he didn’t want the distraction.

Once back in my dorm, I pulled my silver medal from the room safe and stared at it. Did Mom know I’d done it? I closed my eyes and envisioned her smile.

Letting my fingers run over the design, I likened the ridges to my life. Some highs. Some lows. Nothing stayed flat or even lasted for long. It all flowed together to create something beautiful—something worth experiencing. It was fluid and moving just like the salsa. Maybe that was part of Collette’s lesson tonight. It’s the breaks in between, the flats of life’s design that give you what you need to complete the journey.

Later that night, Collette climbed in bed with me and took a break. We slept peacefully until her alarm blared to let us know it was time in her life for movement.

I fed her an egg-white omelet and went with her to the arena. She didn’t look nervous and I wonder how she maintained her calm. Every other gymnast I knew gnawed off her fingernails before a meet, and this was so much bigger.

“Aren’t you nervous?”

“Would it help?” She was right that it wouldn’t help, but her control of her emotions was amazing. “Do you get nervous?”

Did I? “No. Yes. Maybe.” I wiped a sparkly bit from her cheek. “I’m just in the zone. It’s me, and the event, and lately you.”

“I can only do my best in that single moment. Freaking out beforehand won’t help. Like you, I can do my routines with my eyes shut. I pray for luck and hope that preparation and opportunity collide.”

God, I was falling in love with this girl. Hard. Fast. Hopelessly. I kissed her long and passionately and told her I’d be there to see her take the gold.

The arena was filling up fast. Word had got out about the rivalry between Bryn and Collette. The reporters had grabbed hold of my story and ran with it, and that meant anyone connected to me was fair game. Over the last few days, pictures of Mom and me had emerged on every social media platform. There were shots of Collette and I popping up here and there, too, but they weren’t being obtrusive. The reporters were giving us a wide berth. I wasn’t sure whether it was out of respect for my mother or respect for the Games.

With my butt planted in the stands, I dialed my Dad.

“Alec.” Behind his voice was a cacophony of beeps and buzzes. “I’m so proud of you, son.” My dad never cried, but the frog in his throat indicated unchecked emotion. “Your mom woke up for a few minutes last night, and I showed her the medal. She smiled, Alec, all the way from her eyes to her lips.”

My heart twisted like a wrung-out washcloth. “That’s amazing, Dad, but how is she really?”

A sob escaped his mouth. “Almost gone, Alec. She’s almost gone.”

I couldn’t breathe. The world was collapsing around me. Blackness surrounded me until I found Collette. She must have known something was wrong because she bolted from the floor to where I sat on the benches. I’d dropped the phone and put my head between my legs.

Breathe.

Fucking breathe.

My dad’s voice broke through, and I picked up the phone from the floor. “I’m here, Dad. I’m sorry…it’s just…” I swallowed my grief. The cameras were on me, and I didn’t want my sorrow to be headline news. Collette kneeled in front of me, her face full of concern. “I knew it was coming, but it doesn’t seem possible. I should be there.”

“No.” Dad’s voice could be heard two rows back. “You promised.”

My head sank against Collette’s. “I did, and I’ll keep it.”

“Your mom is stirring. I’ll hold the phone to her so you can tell her you love her.”

Sitting in the stands of the arena I told my mother how amazing she was. I thanked her for being such a great woman. Something told me it would be the last time she’d hear my voice, so I looked at Collette and found the piece of joy I needed to grasp in order to say goodbye to the woman who had given me life. She’d given me everything. I was a lucky bastard.

“Alec, are you okay?”

With my lips pressed to hers, I knew I’d survive. She pulled away and looked over her shoulder as if torn between the event and me. Her coach was calling from the floor. They were lining up to compete.

“Go and kick Bryn’s ass.”

“I think I’ll do just that. This one is for Marlene.” She gave me a bonus peck and left me in the stands with mixed emotions. My mom’s life was ending, and mine felt like it was beginning.