CHAPTER 16
"Wanna go for a swim?" Troy asked into Gabi's ear, wrapping her against his body.
They were at the hotel, booked in for the weekend of basketball and cheerleading. Julia had left them to their own devices whilst the 'adults' went for dinner.
"I'm not a water baby" She scrunched her face up.
"Come on, we're all sneaking into the pool…" He grinned as he turned her, taking her hands in his.
She rolled her eyes.
"You just want to see me in my bikini." Her brow arched knowingly.
"Well if you must know, all the guys are bringing their girls and there's a wager on whose girl has the best bikini." He whispered conspiratorially.
"Best body more like." She said flatly.
He shrugged. "That too, I guess."
She smiled, knowing she could win it hands down.
"And you wanna show off your girlfriend's ass." She said knowingly.
"We could win a hundred dollars…" He enticed.
Her brows lifted. "Wow…and what would you propose we use the money for?"
He guessed this was some kind of test. To prove to her it was worth flashing her assets for. To show he cared about her for more than her good looks.
"Take you shopping of course." He smiled a little smile.
"Good answer, boyfriend. Give me five minutes." She winked and disappeared.
Clad in a halter neck snakeskin print bikini, wedge sandals and covered in a Wildcats t-shirt, Troy smiled as he took Gabi's hand and led her down towards the pool.
He was wearing his favourite board shorts and carried their towels.
He looked back on her, casting a look down her body, at his ring that dangled at her chest and the large hoops in her ears. Bangles decorated her wrist. He'd never seen anyone rock swimwear like that. And the heels just accentuated the feminine curve of her slim, curvy legs.
"Can we forgot this whole thing and go make out?" He murmured outside the pool door.
"No! You got me down here to flaunt my ass, now let me do my job." She argued.
He stopped her where she went to go ahead of him; their hands still linked which he pulled her back by.
"I'm not sure I want everyone seeing your ass, I changed my mind." He bit his lip.
"Tough." She said simply and strutted into the pool room, getting several wolf whistles from the boys already in the pool.
Troy closed his eyes and followed, nodding to his team-mates in greeting.
"Ah, Gabi?" Troy whispered, stood over her as she lay out on a sun lounger, despite it being night time.
"Yes Troy?" She purred, reaching out to stroke his thigh.
"You…coming for a swim?" He asked nervously.
"Mmm, maybe in a moment, just let me get organised." She said and he smiled wanly, sitting at the edge of the pool as every other male looked toward her.
The door opened again and a bunch of giggling girls came through and the boys turned their attention to them.
Troy noticed they all looked nice, but nowhere near as good as Gabi.
"Bolton, that is one hot piece of…" A guy from the Albuquerque Arrows said, watching as Gabi got up and stretched, revealing her perfect backside to the pool of admirers.
Troy nodded, swallowing. Was this really his idea?
"Yeah, she's amazing…" He smiled softly, a million miles away.
The room of teenagers stared in utter awe as Gabi stripped off his Wildcats tee, bearing her entire curvy body to the astounded basketball players in the pool.
"She wears your team t-shirt, dude." Max stated. "She's not even a Wildcat…"
"I bet she is in bed." Came another voice and another Arrow joined them, frolicking in the water with a girl who seemed oblivious to his comment.
"Hey, she's still my girl." Troy pointed out lightly, secretly proud of Gabi even if he was having a hard time with all the attention aimed at her.
"Troy? Help me down?" She begged sweetly from beside him and he hopped up, escorting her by the hand to the steps of the pool, walking her into the warm water.
She wrapped her arms round his neck as he walked backwards and she smiled up into his face.
"How am I doing?" She murmured into his ear.
"How are you doing? Jesus, Gabi, you're killing me here." He chuckled.
He gently touched her waist, holding her afloat.
"Kiss!" Some of the boys jeered, chanting at them as they faced each other, smiling.
"Go on then, Bolton. Make my day." She challenged.
He tilted his head and brushed his lips against hers, feeling her hands wind into his hair and deepen their kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pulled her close.
They pulled back to the sound of cheering.
"Wow, Bolton, that is one hell of a way to greet your woman!" One of the Arrows slapped him on the shoulder as Gabi climbed from his body, struggling awkwardly to the side of the pool.
He watched her strike up conversation with one of the other girls and they leaned back on the bar, kicking their legs out.
"She is so gonna win." Max said to him and Troy grinned.
"What in the heck does she see in me?" He wondered quietly to himself.
--
Meanwhile, Gabi was embroiled in setting up a room swap so intricate, so complicated, it would have taken and army general to set it up. She and Brenda were calculating partners and who would have to swap with whom to enable them all to share with their boyfriends.
Unfortunately, the fact Gabi was not a Wildcat was not helping. There were no spare Bears to swap her or her room mate with.
She sighed, lightly kicking her legs as she watched Troy play water volleyball with the boys.
"Why'd I have to go and fall for a Wildcat?" She wondered.
"You're lucky." Brenda smiled. "I'm going out with Ben and he's nowhere near as cool as Troy." She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess Troy is kinda cool." Gabi agreed, proudly.
"That kiss. Oh my god. I would die if Ben could kiss like that."
Gabi beamed. "We've had a lot of practise." She admitted.
"So is it true?" Brenda arched a brow.
"Is what true?" Gabi wondered if his prowess in bed had reached as far as the Arrow team.
"He...he's you know…well endowed." She mouthed.
Gabi hid her smile, biting her lip. How on earth did these rumours start? She trusted that Troy was truthful about being a virgin before her, but there were too many rumours for her to think there wasn't something she was missing.
"Where did you hear that?" Gabi asked back, shocked.
"From the boys. The showers…" She explained.
Gabi nodded, meeting her gaze shyly. What she said now could end up being repeated far and wide. Did she want everyone to know those details about her boyfriend?
She figured if he was willing to bet on her ass then he could put up with a little rumour or two.
"So…" Brenda elbowed her.
"I never had reason to complain." She smiled back, winking.
"Oh my god, it's true!" Brenda squealed and Gabi's eyes widened.
"Shh!" She teased.
"Yo, Ebony!" She proceeded to yell across the pool much to Gabi's dismay.
"All bets are off, we have a winner!" Brenda called, splashing out of the pool as Gabi floated, kind of stuck. Her swimming was not the best and she was trying to figure out what the heck was going on.
"Help?" She called weakly and a boy appeared at her side.
"Want a hand?" He offered and Gabi nodded, taking his arm as he escorted her to the side.
"Thank you." She said warmly, twisting the water from her hair, opening her eyes to find five pairs of eyes clinging to her as surely as the water.
"You told them?!" Troy whispered urgently in her ear, wrapping her in a towel.
She closed her eyes, realising now all the girls had also been placing bets- on who was the most endowed.
"You wanted to play this game, Bolton." She flicked her eyes up. "At least it's a compliment."
He had several pairs of eyes trying to trace his manhood under his board shorts and she thought this was good? He smiled inanely, rubbing his forehead.
"Here's your cut, Gabi." Brenda said, handing her a wad of dollars. "Lucky you." She added, shaking her head as her eyes went down Troy's body.
Gabi smiled, thanking her.
"Wow, I am lucky. I get paid to have a hot boyfriend." She grinned gleefully to herself.
"Why do you have to look so damn happy?" He mock-complained, crowding her with his body.
"Because you brought me here to show me off and now you have a taste of your own medicine!" She pointed out, placing her hands on his chest all the same.
"I wish I could remind you how beautiful you are, later tonight." He smiled back, kissing her.
"Whoa! Hold back the PDA!" Max complained as the boys climbed from the pool.
Troy grinned over his shoulder, sitting on the lounger and pulling Gabi into his lap where she sat, arms around his neck, playing with his hair.
"I think the girls should do a catwalk." One of the Arrows, Gordon suggested.
"Oh pur-lease." Gabi rolled her eyes.
"Yeah!" Brenda and the others twittered excitedly, obviously seeing this as their chance to win the bikini contest.
"Gabi?" Brenda asked and Gabi remained motionless in Troy's arms.
He nuzzled her ear. "You don't have to, babe."
"I would love to!" She faked, getting up, joining the girls who applied last-minute make up as one of the boys set his phone up and put on some music. The group of them crowded onto two sun loungers, waiting for the girls to start walking up and down the pool.
Gabi bit her lip to stifle a giggle as she watched the girls completely fawn over their boys, each taking turns to pick out their man and kiss him, or touch him somehow to gain brownie points from the rest of the boys.
Gabi had no idea how she was meant to compete with these girls- they were obviously professionals.
She rose from her seat, venturing out with a slow, sexy wiggle, using her towel to tease them to the view of her body, dropping it completely as she arched and jiggled, her butt bouncing to the music as she shook her hips.
She looked over her shoulder, biting her lip, squinting as if looking for something then pointed to Troy, his face an absolute picture as she strutted over, twisting down to the floor, her hand holding up her hair as she pouted, finally placing one knee between his on the lounger and leaning in, brushing her hands into his hair, kissing his lips, just as soon turning and strutting away, finishing with one more twist to the floor, pushing her backside out as she rose up, bopping to the music still as she high-fived the girls, jigging with them in their posse as the next girl went up.
Gabi had never seen anything like Troy's face in her life, he looked so cute. Stunned and astounded at her show.
--
Troy watched as Gabi whispered to her new friend and wondered what she was cooking up this time. Finally the catwalk show finished and he was re-united with her, a hundred dollars richer.
He beamed at her, taking her hand.
"I knew you could do it!" He complimented.
"Why, thank you." She smiled bemusedly.
"Come onnn…" He said, goading her.
"Okay, I went the extra mile, just for you." She sighed.
"Hey," he pulled on her hand, bringing her gaze up. "Are you okay? Did I make you feel uncomfortable?" He checked.
"No…I'm good. I made some nice friends" She admitted. "I'm just tired…"
"Well, you can go back to your room and sleep now…" He kissed her knuckles, checking her face.
She was clutching his t-shirt around her, fiddling with the material.
"Actually I kinda wangled it so I can bunk in with you…" She hedged.
"Wow…beautiful and clever." He beamed, leaning to kiss her hair.
"I'll just grab my stuff." She said and vanished, meeting him back outside with her bag, glad her mum was off with the parents and unknowing to this little plan.
Back at his room, Troy led Gabi through the door, seeing two single beds and a sofa, smiling as she headed straight for the seat, curling up her legs beneath her.
"Bliss." She sighed.
"You looked gorgeous tonight." He nuzzled her neck as he sat next to her.
"Yeah." She agreed vacantly, inching away from him.
"What's up?" He asked.
She smiled faintly, rubbing her brow.
"I just need to have a shower, wash off those looks." She got up and headed for the shower, Troy left confused by her actions.
He could have sworn she loved every minute of her show. She seemed like a natural performer, up there, showcasing herself. He wondered if maybe her past was haunting her. Maybe the night she was attacked was playing on her mind.
After his shower, he came out and found her curled asleep on the sofa in his t-shirt and her knickers.
Gently lifting her onto her bed, he covered her over, kissing her curls, touching her cheek.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful" He murmured with a small frown, climbing into his own bed.