A/N: Complete, stand-alone story excerpted / revised from an older / unfinished novel I co-wrote with ICanStopAnytime. Three chapters.

Chapter 1

Tami loved Eric's after-sex smile. He was never more peaceful or content. "Satisfied, sugar?" she asked.

"Mhmmm…you always satisfy me, babe."

She kissed his shoulder. He was very, very relaxed. So now was the perfect time to inform him. "I have to work Saturday."

"A'ight."

Yep, he was relaxed all right.

"And Gracie has a birthday party. So you'll have to take her." This would likely get more of a rise out of him.

"A'ight."

Hmmm…She'd really satisfied her man tonight. Of course, maybe he didn't realize…"You can't just drop her off, though. They don't really start doing that until first grade around here. You have to stay."

"A'ight."

Really? Damn, she was even better in bed than she thought she was. But there was one more thing she'd failed to mention. Just one more thing. "It's at Chuck E Cheese."

His fingers tensed on her bare stomach where they were resting.

She waited.

"Chuck E Cheese?"

"Yep, sugar. Ten in the morning this Saturday. They're only expecting about fourteen preschoolers. For that party."

"Tami, you know how I feel about that place."

"I know, sugar, but I've got to work." She kissed him. "You'll do fine."

"Tami – "

She slid a hand over his chest and down below. "Want to go for two?" she asked.

His eyes shut fast. "You're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?"

"Uh-huh."

/-*-/

When Tami came home from work on Thursday, Gracie was drawing in the living room, the kitchen table was set, and Eric was pulling dinner from the oven. After he placed it on the table, she kissed him and said, "Well done, sir."

"Contrary to popular belief, I have many domestic skills." He placed a bottle of wine on the table. "How was your day?"

"Stressful. Another parent came with a kid to the interview."

Eric shook his head.

"When that mom started actually answering some of the questions, I told her she had to leave, and she said she was an alumni and gave generously and this and that and…I kind of…said something I shouldn't have."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"That's not important. What is important is that the President is a little irritated with me at me at the moment. But at least Dr. Tate's on my side."

"He's always on your side." Eric turned off the oven. "Because he's in love with you."

"Oh, cut that out. Dr. Tate knows I am very, very married. And I'm sure you've got all sorts of fresh-out-of-college female teachers coming on to you every day."

He laughed. "No, but I had one ask me if I watched Gunsmoke as a teenager when it premiered."

"Seriously? She wasn't a math teacher I hope. Because that would make you at least sixty-five."

"Yeah. I don't think you're in any danger of competition."

She kissed him. "You're just oblivious, hon. Which is fine by me. Just stay focused on football. And on me, of course."

"I've always got my eye on you, Tami, baby." He kissed her. "Hey," he said. "About this Chuck E Cheese thing…You're not serious are you? Can't you just take off a couple hours? Work the afternoon or evening instead of the morning? I might need to call a special strategy meeting Saturday morning."

"It's May, sugar. What are you strategizing for?"

"September."

She slid out of his arms. "You aren't getting out of this. No way. No sir."

He sighed as she slipped from the kitchen.

/-*-/

Tami's cheek was soft and warm against his chest. Eric had his eyes closed and a wide smile across his face.

"Was that a good pre-relaxation, sugar?" she asked. "Make it easier for you to brave the giant mouse tomorrow morning?"

"I don't know. I think I'm going to need another pre-relaxation. I mean…we are talking Chuck E Cheese."

She chuckled and raised her head to look at him.

"You're beautiful," he said. He stroked her hair. "And you're more beautiful now than you were when we first got married."

She laughed. "Yeah. You want more pre-relaxation."

"I do, but I mean it too. You know I do."

She began to trail her lips from his neck down his chest. She stopped at his stomach, rested her chin there, and looked up at him. "If I pre-relax you, will you promise not to get the police involved this time?"

"That wasn't my fault, babe. I didn't start that fight. I just politely asked that man to tell his son to give back that cup of tokens he stole from Julie."

"Politely?"

"Well, firmly. Hey, he hit me."

"You didn't have to punch him back."

"What does that mean? I didn't have to punch him back? He hit me. Just, out of the blue, pulled back and belted me. I was just supposed to do nothing?"

She was back up at the top of the bed now, her head on the pillow next to his. "Turn the other cheek, sugar. You're supposed to turn the other cheek. It's better than getting in a fight in front of your daughter."

"Well I've only got two cheeks, Tami. And I used my words first. You know I'm not the type to just fight for the hell of it."

"How many public fights have you been in?"

"Two, in my entire life."

"What about that one with Mo in the halls of high school? Quite a crowd."

"Well, I was a teenager. That doesn't count. And Mo was trying to steal you back from me. See, I only get in fights with thieves. Girlfriend stealers and Chuck E Cheese coin stealers."

"Didn't you throw another coach against the lockers once?"

"That was…he put a hand on one of my players." And Eric had felt horrible about it later when he found out the guy's wife was dying. He glanced down with a frown. "Hey, what happened to my pre-relaxation?"

"I've decided I'm going to save it for your post-relaxation. You're going to need it. And I think it's five fights, sugar."

"Five? What are you talking about? First of all, that coach doesn't count. It wasn't a fight."

"You're forgetting when you tackled Mo over the table at that restaurant."

"He started that one too. And I counted that. That was the second one. The one with Mo in the restaurant, and the one at Chuck E Cheese. Two."

"And the one with Mo in high school, and the coach you threw against the lockers, and don't forget that guy you belted at Joyland. Again, in front of your daughter. Jules got to see you hit someone twice by the time she was ten. You forgot that one."

"He grabbed your ass, Tami. Right in front of me. Just grabbed it and squeezed it. You really wanted me to stand by quietly?"

"Well, you could of let me belt him. I was about to."

"No. You wanted me to defend your honor. Admit it. How would you really have felt about me if I just stood there and waited for you to do it?"

"Well you still have to count it. And that makes five public fights, not two."

"I didn't start a single one of those."

"I know," she drawled. "I know, sugar. You do like your daddy taught you: don't start – finish. Although…well…come to think of it…both of those fights with Mo…I don't know that he started those."

"Oh, he started them a'ight."

"I think you both had a part to play."

"I don't think so." His hand toyed with her hair. "You don't really think I'm that sort of guy, do you? Looking for a fight?"

"I'm just giving you a hard time." She kissed his cheek. "Because you're cute when you're riled up and all defensive."

"Hrmph."

She giggled. "Very cute." She began trailing kisses down him again, this time from his shoulder. "And when you're cute, it makes me want to pre-relax you."