Going for Gold (16 page)

Saturday

Alina

The heat in the sauna was super relaxing. Tim really did know
just what we needed after losing.
Stupid Gabriela.

"You're falling for him, aren't you?" Kristen
asked.

I opened my eyes and smiled. "I am."

"Did you two bang this afternoon?"

I laughed. "No. I was too busy crying
hysterically."

"I figured."

"What about you and Tim?"

Kristen sighed. "It was weird. I was being super
seductive. It was like he didn't understand any of my cues. God I'm so
horny."

I wasn't at all surprised that Tim didn't understand a
woman's cues for wanting sex. "Weird."

"I think he's doing a self-inflicted sex ban so we both
perform well tomorrow or something. That's the only explanation I can think
of."

Or he's gay?
"That makes sense. He's super into
the performance. I was thinking after we're done at the spa I might try to take
things to the next level with Bryce."

"Well, good luck with that. If Tim has a sex ban, I'm
sure he's put it on his understudy too."

"Geez. The only good part about having a silver medal is
that it means the games are over and we can have sex again." I sighed and
rested my head against the wall behind me. "I feel like I'm going to
internally combust."

"So I'm not the only one."

"Having sex with Bryce is literally all I can think
about right now."

"Good. I'm glad you're not thinking about the game.
Besides, we still have another shot at crushing her and Brazil. So really, we
should just pretend the game never happened."

"You mean you have another shot at crushing her and
Brazil," I said.

"Right. But it'll be a victory for both of us."

"It is going to be fantastic seeing her face when you
win."

"Mhm. And after we get gold this time, then we get to
have sex with our sexy new studs."

"Is it tomorrow night yet?"

Kristen laughed. "I think those are our masseurs."
She gestured at the two strong men that had come into the room. "If Tim
and Bryce got the biggest, strongest men here, I'm glad we didn't. These two
looked plenty strong. The men working on them must be terrifying."

I laughed.

We followed the two masseurs into the massage room. They left
as Kristen and I got onto the table.

"How does this work exactly?" I asked and climbed
onto the table. "Do we put our towels around our waists?"

"Just drape it over your ass and lay face down. They
won't be able to see anything."

It was good she was here. I felt like I always did the wrong
thing. I probably would have just laid down naked on the table and shocked them
if Kristen hadn't been there. I didn't want to offend the Brazilian culture.

I had never had a professional massage before, but as soon as
his hands touched my back, I knew why people got them. It felt amazing. I
closed my eyes as the masseur's hands ran down my back.
Shit.
I was so
wound up that this was making me incredibly horny.

"Oh, God that feels so good," Kristen moaned.

Apparently I wasn't the only one feeling that way. I was very
aware of exactly where the man's fingers were.

"Is there anywhere in particular you want me to
focus?" he asked.

Yes, between my legs.
"Umm..my lower back."

He pushed with just the right amount of pressure. I bit my
lip so I wouldn't moan embarrassingly. His fingers went slightly beneath my
towel, massaging just above my ass.
Holy shit.

"Oh yeah, right there," Kristen moaned.

If was official. We had both somehow become sex addicts
during our training. It was hard to find the massage relaxing when I was so
horny. When it was done, I was ready to leave. I was going to get Bryce to come
back to my room. If we even made it to the room. Maybe we could just find an
empty room here.

"Your spray tans will start in 15 minutes," one of
the masseurs said before leaving the room.

"Spray tans? Screw that," Kristen said as she
wrapped her towel around herself. "I think we should go find the
guys." It was like she was reading my mind.

I laughed. "We can't go wandering around the spa."

"We have 15 minutes to do whatever we want. And I don't
know about you, but I have been dying to see Tim naked. I can't even think
straight. I'm going insane."

"Okay, fine. But we have to be back here before they
come looking for us."

"We better run then."

I stepped into my slippers and ran out of the massage room
with her.

Kristen opened up the first door we came to in the hallway.
She peered inside and quickly closed it. "Definitely not them." She
giggled.

I shook my head. "We just became peeping Toms."

"No. Peeping Tom-ets. Which, let's be honest, is a lot
less creepy."

"Is it though?"

"Do you want to see Bryce naked or not?"

Of course I do.
"Why would they be naked? We
weren't naked during our massages."

"I don't know. If we catch them off guard maybe they'll
stand up really quickly and their towels will slip. You're good at getting
Bryce to drop his towel. Come on." She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the
next door. Bryce and Tim weren't behind door number two either. We tried
several other doors, opening them slowly and peering inside, hoping no one
would hear us.

"This is going to take forever," I whispered.

"But the payout is soooo worth it."

"I wonder if Coach Hammond knows she turned us into sex
addicts?"

Kristen laughed. "Oh geez, you're right. We're acting
crazy, aren't we?"

We both looked at the unopened door in front of us.

"How about one more door?" I said.

"Deal. And then we stop our man hunt."

I nodded.

Just when Kristen touched the doorknob, the door opened and
Tim walked out with a huge smile on his face. He looked so happy that I
wouldn't have been at all surprised if he had just received a happy ending from
his masseur. Kristen's jaw visibly dropped at the sight of him with just a
towel wrapped around his waist. He certainly had muscles in all the right place.

Tim cleared his throat. "Ladies, what are you doing out
here? Your spray tans should be starting any minute."

"I know, but I was thinking..." Kristen put her
hand on the knot at the top of his towel.

Tim grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. "Trust
me, darling, it'll be so much better if we wait until tomorrow. I have a huge
surprise for you." He kissed her knuckles. "I'm going to make all
your fantasies come true."

Darling? All her fantasies? Huge surprise?
I started
laughing. Was he seriously talking about his dick? "Is Bryce in
there?" I asked. Kristen had gotten to see Tim in just a towel. Now it was
my turn.

"No, he's not. And you ladies need to take this
seriously," Tim said. "Spray tans. Now." He pointed down the
hall to the tanning room.

Kristen made a pouty face. "Fine."

I felt two hands wrap around me before I had a chance to turn
around. "I like you in just a towel," Bryce whispered in my ear.

I giggled.

He turned me around so I could looked up at him. I
immediately ran my hands down his strong chest and abs.

"You're so sexy," I whispered.
"And...hairless?" I remembered him having a happy trail when I had
tried to seduce him the other night.

Bryce laughed uneasily. "Yeah, apparently having no body
hair is important for the dance tomorrow."

I laughed. "Seriously?"

He smiled. "You certainly seem like you're in a better
mood."

"There is one thing that would put me in an even better
mood." My fingers stopped at the knot in his towel. But he didn't look
like he wanted to stop me at all. His Adam's apple rose and fell. It was almost
like he was daring me to keep going.

Tim cleared his throat. "That's quite enough, you two.
No sex until after we win gold tomorrow."

"But we're not even performing," Bryce said.

He wants me right now just as much as I want him.

"I don't care. Get your hands off her, Bryce. Now."

Bryce sighed and let go of my waist. It took every ounce of
restraint to not jump on top of him.

"Are you sure that sex ban should apply to us?" I
asked.

Bryce was smiling down at me. God he was so sexy. We were
only a few inches away from each other and his cologne had completely engulfed
me.

"Understudies are essential for the success of a show.
You two will not jeopardize the integrity of everything we've worked for. Do
you know how hard it's been to arrange this whole thing?"

"Tim's right," Bryce said.

What?

He leaned in closer to me. "Besides, the longer we wait,
the more explosive it's going to be," he whispered in my ear. "I
promise it'll be worth the wait." He lightly bit my earlobe.

Oh my God.
I pressed my thighs together. I wished I
was still wearing underwear.

"Now, ladies, please make your way to room 17 for your
spray tans," Tim said.

"Fine." Kristen linked her arm in mine.
"Later, boys." As soon as we were out of their earshot, she said,
"What did he say to you? Your face is so red."

I smiled. "That it would be worth the wait."

"Swoon worthy much?"

I pressed my lips together. Definitely swoon worthy. I looked
over my shoulder before we entered the room. Bryce was staring so intently at
me that it made me gulp. Tomorrow night was certainly going to be explosive.

The lady at the spray tan counter greeted us and described
how everything worked. Before I knew it, I was putting on goggles and a little
thing that pinched my nose. I got in and closed my eyes. After a few minutes a
buzzer went off and I stepped back out. My body didn't seem to look any
different.

"Is it supposed to show up right away?" I asked
Kristen.

"I think it might take a few hours or something,"
she called from behind her door. "We can ask Tim when we're done."

Of course Tim will know.

***

My back was pressed against the wall outside my room and I
was panting embarrassingly loud. Bryce kept his hands on the wall on either
side of my face as he caught his breath. That kiss was just...
wow
. I
knew our sexual chemistry was out of this world. But it wasn't just that. He
understood me. He respected me.

"I really, really like you, Bryce."

"I really, really like you, Alina." His smile made
my knees feel weak.

"Thank you for today. I can't even explain how much that
meant to me...you being there."

"There was nowhere else in the world I'd rather
be."

I looked up into his blue eyes. We hadn't even known each
other for a week. But it felt like I had known him for years. "I want you to
come inside."

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine.
"Ask me again tomorrow night."

I sighed. "I'm making it seem like all I care about is
sex, but that's not it. I just feel so close to you already. It's more than
just physical for me."

"It's more for me too." He put his hand on the side
of my face and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "I'm..." he shook his
head and pressed his lips together. "Alina, you've completely consumed
me."

That was exactly what I was feeling. He was all I could think
about. Like I lived and dreamed Bryce. I wasn't even sure if I was falling in
love with him, or if I had already crossed the line into love. But I couldn't
tell him that. It was way too soon. I didn't want to freak him out. Instead I
stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him.

He immediately pushed my back against the wall, pressing
himself against me again. When he pulled back I was completely out of breath.

"You should get some sleep," he said. "We have
a big day tomorrow."

I wasn't even sure if he was talking about the dance against
Brazil or all the sex we were going to have afterwards. All I knew was that I
didn't want to say goodnight like this, with me not saying anything back to him
after he had just opened up to me. "If you do have a layover in Philly, I
don't think I'm going to be able to let you get back on that plane," I
blurted out. It was the first thing I could think of that wasn't, "I'm in
love with you, Bryce."

He smiled. "That's good, because I'm not going to want
to get on it anyway."

Sunday

Alina

Kristen and I arrived at the arena a few minutes before her
scheduled rehearsal time on stage. Practicing in the studio was one thing, but
getting a feel for the actual stage before the performance was key. Or at
least, that's what Tim told us.

A security guard kept us away from the stage while the clock
ticked down to our fifteen minute time slot. They didn't want us interrupting
or getting a peek at another girl's dance before the actual event.

"Your turn," said the security guard. He opened the
door and stepped aside.

Gabriela walked out. Her lips turned into a cruel smile when
she saw us. "Losing to me twice isn't enough for you girls?" Then she
paused and waited for Chris to come through the door too. "Actually, I
guess it's three times now. He was your boyfriend, right?"

Seeing them together made me lightheaded. All the blood must
have been rushing to my balled fists.

"Fuck you," said Kristen. "Chris, you're a
cheating asshole. And Gabriela, you're a stupid bitch. You two are perfect for
each other."

"We're also both gold medalists. Something you two know
nothing about."

"Just wait a few hours when you're looking up at me on
the gold medal podium. Then we'll see who's laughing." Kristen pushed past
Gabriela and Chris, bumping both of them with her shoulders. I followed and the
security guard closed the door behind us.

"God, I fucking hate both of them," I said.
"Thank you so much for volunteering to do this. Seeing you beat her is
going to be the best moment of my life. Well...until the after party with
Bryce." Just the thought of it sent chills down my spine.

"Believe me, I'll enjoy beating that bitch just as much
as you. Now, lets..." Kristen stopped dead in her tracks when we pulled
back the curtain to look at the stage. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit is right," I muttered. For some reason I
had expected the arena to be the size of my high school auditorium. It was
about thirty times as big.

Pyrotechnics guys and stage hands worked feverishly on
various curtains and flags and contraptions while camera crews were testing the
HD cameras around the perimeter of the stage. The front of the stage was curved
outwards, and then there was a catwalk that led to a circular platform with a
few steps up to a raised portion. From the brief practice I had, I knew that
the raised part could rotate. We made sure to incorporate that into the
routine. The judges table was directly in front of that. Beyond that, there
were thousands of rows of tiered seating. I could barely see up to the back
row, but the huge flat screens above the stage and on the walls ensured all the
spectators would have a perfect view of the performances.

"This is going to be awesome," said Kristen.

Or terrifying.
"Ready to do your rehearsal?"

"Yup, let's do it." Kristen pulled out the pair of
sparkly blue heels Tim had picked out for the dance and put them on. I had a
matching pair, and based on our practicing in them to break them in, I knew
they weren't going to be easy to dance in.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and waited for Kristen to get
her shoes on and take her starting position behind the curtains. She stuck her
hand through to give me a thumbs up and I hit play. The songs that Tim had
spliced together started playing. It probably would have been better if all the
backup dancers had been here too, but Tim said wardrobe needed them all morning
to get their outfits just so.

Kristen burst through the curtains with so much confidence
and rocked the first few moves.
Gabriela doesn't stand a chance.

I sat back and enjoyed the performance. It was flawless.

And then she went to dismount the rotating platform.

"Shit!" she screamed as her ankle twisted under
her. She collapsed to the stage.

"Kristen! Are you okay?" I ran over and put my hand
on her shoulder.

Kristen scrunched her face up in pain. "Yeah, I think
I'm okay. Give me a second."

"What happened?"

"I just landed funny in these damn shoes. I knew Tim
should have let us wear flats. Alright, help me up."

I reached out and helped Kristen to her feet. She winced when
she tried to put weight on her right foot.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"No. Damn it, I think I sprained my ankle." She was
standing on one leg and using me for balance.

"Should I try to find a trainer?"

"I'll find one later. But right now, we shouldn't be
worried about me. This is your dance now."

"Oh my God..." I had been so concerned about
Kristen being hurt that it hadn't hit me until just then. I was the understudy.
And now that Kristen was hurt, I was going to have to perform the dance. On
this stage. I looked around at the cameras, the thousands of empty seats in the
audience. My head started to spin. "Nope. No. This can't be happening. We
need to find someone else to do this."

"Who else? You were the only other girl in all of our
dance practices."

"Right. Okay, well, maybe your ankle just needs some
tape?"

Kristen laughed a little. "Alina, tape isn't going to
fix this. The dance is in less than three hours and I can't even put pressure
on it."

"I really don't think I can do it. What if the guys just
all go out there without us?"

"I wouldn't mind watching that, but I don't think it's
allowed. I'm pretty sure this is a women's event, so without a woman, we'd be
disqualified. Alina, you can do this. I saw you in practice. You know it just
as well as I do."

"Yeah, I can do the moves in the studio. But in front of
all these people? And what if I lose? I'll have to kill myself if Gabriela
beats me again."

"You know you can't think like that. If you were that
afraid of losing, you'd never have gotten this far in volleyball. We go out on
that court every day thinking that we're going to win. This is no different.
Just picture the look on Gabriela's face when she's looking up at you on that
gold medal podium. That'll be priceless."

"You really think I can beat her?" I asked.

"I know you can. But first you need to do a rehearsal
run. We only have a few more minutes before we get kicked off the stage."

"Should I wear my shoes?"

"Do you have an understudy?"

"No."

"Then hell no. You're wearing sneakers until five
seconds before you perform. We can't have you spraining your ankle too."

***

The music stopped and I looked over at Kristen.
Please
tell me I wasn't awful.

"Alright, I'd say you're ready," said Kristen.
"My only advice would be to not shy away from the sexy parts. Arch your
back more. Really get into it. It's supposed to be a sexy dance, so be sexy.
You haven't had a problem being sexy with Bryce during practice, that's for
damn sure."

"But this is in front of millions of people."

Kristen shook her head. "The lights on stage will be so
bright that you won't be able to see any of that. While you're dancing you can
just pretend like it's you and Bryce, but in the end, you're going to do such
an awesome job that you'll be happy all those people are there to see it."

"Is Bryce even gonna be out there with me? He's Tim's
understudy, so unless Tim was practicing in high heels this morning and tweaked
his ankle like you, he's not going to be out there."
Actually, Tim
practicing in high heels wouldn't really surprise me that much.

"I'll go to the guys' locker room and convince him that
you need Bryce out there. But first let's go to our changing room and find me
some crutches."

I helped Kristen to her feet. She draped her arm around me
and hopped on one foot towards our changing room.

Our changing room was marked with a gold star with
"Kristen - USA" printed in the middle. I held it open and let Kristen
hobble through. There were three women inside. One was pulling a ridiculous
amount of makeup out of a duffel bag and setting it on a counter in front of
one of those fancy mirrors with all the light bulbs on the side. Another had at
least three different curlers and flat irons plugged in and was cleaning off a
comb. And the third was our wardrobe designer, Annie, who had just hung up
Kristen's dress and was making a few last minute measurements with a tape
measure.

All three of them turned to look at us.

"Hi, girls," said Annie. "I'm just putting a
few finishing touches..." She paused and looked at Kristen. "Are you
okay? Why are you hopping on one foot like that?"

"I sprained my ankle during the rehearsal. Alina is
going to have to dance for me."

Annie shook her head. "That's why we have
understudies."

"Do you think you can find me some crutches?" asked
Kristen.

"Sure, I'll be right back." Annie looped her tape
measure over Kristen's dress and hurried out of the changing room.

The girl with the curling iron took a step towards us.
"Hi, I'm Judy, and I'll be doing your hair. Cindy will do your makeup.
We're gonna make sure you look amazing."

"Hi, thanks," I said. "Is it okay if I shower
first? I got all sweaty during the rehearsal."

Judy smiled. "Of course. There's a bathroom right
through there." She gestured to a door on the opposite side of the room.
"I put a few products in there for you to use."

"There's a towel and robe waiting in there for
you," added Cindy.

"Okay, great. Thanks," I said.
At least I'm
getting pampered before humiliating myself in front of millions of people.

"Did you want me to wait until Annie gets back?" I
asked Kristen.

"Kristen hopped over to the makeup chair and sat down.
"That's okay. I'm comfy here. You should go shower. This is your big day
now."

She was taking her injury surprisingly well. I thought she
had been so excited to perform, but now that she couldn't, she didn't seem the
least bit upset. In fact, she didn't even really seem to be in that much pain.
Oh
my God, is she faking her injury just to get me to perform? She was the one who
demanded I be her understudy.

"Are you sure your ankle isn't feeling any better?"
I asked.

Kristen lowered her foot to the ground and winced. "Ow,
damn."

Okay, definitely not faking.
I guess it was wishful
thinking that she'd be faking and actually be able to perform.

"Go, take your shower," said Kristen. "The
sooner you shower the sooner Cindy and Judy can start working their
magic."

"Thanks for being so supportive. I know you really
wanted to do this dance."

"As long as we win gold and wipe that smug look off
Gabriela's face, I don't give a damn which one of us is out there."

I gave Kristen a smile and walked into the bathroom. As
promised, a fluffy towel and robe were hanging up on the wall and the shelf in
the shower was lined with bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion that had
super expensive sounding brand names. I turned the water on, stripped off my
sweaty clothes, and stepped inside.

When I was a kid, showering was one of my favorite parts of
my daily routine. I remember waking up on cold winter mornings. The sun would
still be hidden below the horizon. I'd be so cold when I got out of bed, but
I'd run right into the bathroom and take a nice, hot shower. And for those
fifteen minutes, I was warm and at peace. Whatever tests I had coming up,
whatever boy problems or drama with my friends, none of it mattered while I was
in the shower. All that I would focus on was the sound of the water hitting the
tiles. There were times when I wished I could just stay in the shower forever.

This was one of those times.

I took extra long rubbing the shampoo in, then I told myself that
I should let the conditioner sit for a little longer before rinsing it. I even
soaped myself up twice. But it was all just prolonging the inevitable.
Eventually, the shower came to an end.

I turned the water off and stepped out. The steam from the
shower had filled the entire room, so the air was pretty warm.
Maybe I
should crack a window. Or escape.

The thought lingered in my mind as I walked over the window
and opened it. I was on the ground floor. I could easily just hop out and catch
an Uber to somewhere far away from here. It was so very tempting, but I
couldn't stand the thought of letting Gabriela win. I had to at least try to
beat that bitch.

I guess this is really happening. I'm going to do a strip
dance in front of the entire world.