Bender (Vegas Venom Book 4)

The day after our game, I put everything I have into our morning skate. Everyone else is in a good mood due to our win, but I cannot stop thinking about how poorly I played last night. I put so much energy into perfecting each skill, but practicing what I should have done does not change the fact that I did it wrong when it counted.

At least my frustration and disappointment have morphed into determination overnight. I will be seeing Madison later, and it is hard to stay angry when I have that to look forward to. I dreamed about her last night, about what it would be like to have her beneath me, or straddling my hips while we—

I stop myself short before I can get myself worked up. Madison told me that all she wants to do tonight is Netflix and chill. To be honest, that sounds just fine to me. After our first date, I was worried that she would think I had pushed too hard too fast. I want her, desperately, but I do not want her to think that all I desire from her is sex. If she wants to watch a show with me, then that is what we will do. I am just happy that she wants to see me again. To get to know me.

The real me. The me I rarely show to others.

“Look at this guy.” Latham bumps my shoulder as we head for the locker room at the end of the morning. “Did you see the goofy little face he kept making?”

“Goofier than usual?” Cash deadpans.

Anders collides with me from behind and throws one arm around my shoulder. “Oh, I saw it alright. And I’ll bet you guys anything that I know what he was thinking about.”

Latham and Noah nod in unison as they both say, “Madison.”

“Tonight, our boy becomes a man,” Noah adds. He laughs at his own joke as he opens his locker.

I shake my head. “No, tonight is only Netflix and chill.”

“Same thing,” Latham says.

I shake my head as I pull off my practice jersey. “No, no, tonight is only for relaxing. If she wants more, she will tell me, but I am being happy with a show. But I do have one question. What am I to do if it is a show I have seen before? Is it rude to say so?”

“Dude, who cares about the show?” Latham asks. “Unless it’s Game of Thrones.”

I sigh. I cannot believe that I have to explain this. “Because Cash is being very angry when I give him the spoilers. And I do not want to make Madison angry. I just hope it is a long show.”

Latham cackles and holds one palm up for a high five. “Go big or go home, am I right?”

I freeze. “Are you being rude about my principessa’s size? She is not liking to be called big, I think.”

“No, I’m only…” Latham trails off with his hand still held up, then swivels his head toward Noah. “Help me out here.”

“You’re beyond help,” Cash drawls.

Noah pushes Latham’s arm down so that it hangs by his side. “He thinks he’s going to watch a show with her.”

“I am!” I throw my hands over my head in exasperation. “This is what I am telling you again and again! She says, come to Netflix and chill. If it is a long show, maybe she is asking me to come again, and again, for many nights.”

Anders’s lips twitch. “How many times do you think she’s going to ask you to come?”

“As many times as it takes for us to finish together,” I say.

Cash leans forward so that his forehead knocks against the door of his locker a few times. “Here we go.”

“Netflix and chill on the second date.” Latham whistles. “Damn. Does Madison have a sister?”

Anders gasps in horror. “Shut up, jackass, you’re married! Scarlett would have your ass on a plate if she heard you talking like that. Get ready to have all your dirty laundry aired on the podcast. And your newly found status as husband instead of B-list fuckboy? Yeah, you’ll get demoted straight down to the D-list.”

“Not cool,” Noah adds. “Nobody wants to be on the D-list.”

“Jeez, guys, settle down.” Latham pats the air in a soothing manner. “I wasn’t asking for me. I was asking for Cash. Maybe if we got him laid, he’d finally unwind and learn to say more than three words at a given time.”

Cash lifts his middle finger. “No words necessary.”

Latham pretends to flip his hair at my roommate, even though his ‘flow’ as he calls it is not quite long enough to do much. “Keep proving my point, Cash.”

“I will ask about a sister,” I interrupt, trying to bring the subject back to my date as we head to the showers. “What should I bring for the show? Popcorn? Icees? The raisins in chocolate? Or the chocolates with the white balls that are all over them?”

“Definitely the white balls,” Noah says.

“Kill me now,” Cash mutters as he turns his shower on.

“Snacks are thoughtful,” Anders chimes in, “but make sure you take some condoms. Ones big enough to fit over your… you know.”

Latham shoves him. “Dude.”

Anders shoves him back. “What? We can’t warn him to practice safe sex? He’s still not keen on all of our customs and norms. Can you imagine what would happen if he accidentally knocked up Silas McKay’s sister? Marco needs to do this the right way. Marriage and then babies. We may even need to give him the talk.”

“Which talk?” I ask.

“The Talk.” Noah says these words as if they mean something other than what I think they mean. “And no, Latham, I’m not telling him how sometimes two people give each other a special hug when they love each other very much.”

“Oh, no.” I lean against the wall of the shower and stare down into the swirling drain. “A special hug? I know nothing about this. Do you think she will be expecting it?”

Anders nods. “Trust me, she’s expecting it.”

Everything is so complicated here. I do not know anything about the sort of hug that Madison will expect. I so do not want to let her down in any way. Will she be disappointed? Or, worse, will she think that I do not love her?

Do I love her? That thought stops me short. I do not know her that well, but the more time that I spend with her, the more I want to know. I would be happy to spend as much time with her as she would give me. Maybe, if I learn this special hug, it will show her that I am taking these things very seriously. She has asked to learn Italian. For her, I can learn an American love-hug.

“Cash, amico mio?” I whine.

He rolls his eyes. And I think he might be holding his breath. “Still your roommate.”

“You are both,” I promise him. “But this is important. I have never learned the special hug. And you and me, we are two who are Netflixing and chilling many times. And in my heart, I have love for you. Will you show me this special hug? Will you teach me?”

Cash smacks his hand over his eyes and mutters something under his breath, while Latham laughs so hard I fear he might choke.

And again, I am confused.

“Don’t worry about the hug,” Anders says, although he, too, is laughing very hard. “Manscaping would be a better use of your time.”

“Manscaping?” I repeat, utterly lost.

“Google it, dumbass,” Cash says.

I am not sure what is so funny, but my friends are trying to help. It is not their fault that I do not understand the intricacies of American society. They are doing their best to help me, and I am doing my best to learn.

When we return to our lockers, they are still laughing, and I reach for my phone right away, hoping that I will be able to Google a YouTube video about how to do the special hug. Before I can open my browser, however, a text alert pops up. It is a message from Madison.

See you at six?

“Six?” I cry aloud. “That is not much time. I am needing to shop for tonight. I must be ready!”

“Shop for what?” Cash asks.

“For our snacks. They must be perfect and I need time to visit Google about landscaping. If I explain that I have not yet known the special hug, she will understand. Madison is very kind. She will not be making fun of me.”

“She’s a saint,” Cash mutters.

“Should I ask her about this hug?” I ask as I change into my clothes. I am not sure if I should change again before I go over to her house. She will not be looking at me anyway, and if I wear nice clothes, it will be uncomfortable to snuggle. I want to do good snuggling with her.

“Definitely ask her,” Anders advises.

“She’ll be expecting it,” Noah agrees.

I am so lucky, I think again, to have such good American friends. But even though he speaks the least, I trust Cash Denaro the most. Best to listen to him and follow his advice.

* * *

According to Google, there is no better place for buying snacks than at the movie theater. I wait in line at the one a few blocks from Madison’s apartment with the rest of the moviegoers, studying my options. I am in awe of the variety some of the theaters in Vegas offer. Popcorn is the obvious choice, and there must be something magical they put in that golden syrup that you can add because it is definitely not butter. Candy and iced drinks are also standard fare, but in Vegas, it is also possible to get a steak dinner, real nachos, or a full all-you-can-eat buffet. There are also reserved seats that recline and massage.

I decide to keep it simple this time since I am not sure if Madison has eaten dinner. Besides, if I get the usual snacks, we can snuggle up with the popcorn and sit close to one another. Maybe this will even provide me with a good opportunity to ask about the special hug since we will be touching already.

This, I think, is a good idea. It is exactly what I will do.

When I reach the front of the line, I order the largest bucket of popcorn they offer at the concession stand, half a dozen different kinds of candy—including the one with the white balls, since Noah said I should definitely get some—and two cherry Icees.

“And give the popcorn a golden shower, please,” I add.

The fellow behind the register stares at me with astonished eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“The golden shower.” I point to the better-than-real-butter dispenser. “Give it a drench. I want extra.”

“Oh, right.” The man shakes his head as he swipes my card. “That’s not the… usual lingo.”

I wait while he and his coworker retrieve my order, then gather everything up and set out for the front door.

“Sir?” he calls after me. “The theaters are that way.” He points down the hall to my left.

“Oh, this is for at home. Netflix and chill.” I beam at him.

He nods in response. “No doubt. Way to grab the bull by the horns, buddy.”

I backtrack and squint at him. “Why would anyone grab a bull by the horns? Although, I suppose there are worse places to grab. To make money, I once had to milk a bull. Also, bulls do not make milk.”

He coughs loudly. “Maybe keep that story to yourself if you want tonight to go well.”

“I will take that advice. Grazie.” I dip my head to him, then turn back to the exit. The group of women behind me titter as I walk by. One of them bounces her eyebrows at me and lets her eyes run up and down me, but I ignore her. I have to go.

Butterflies take flight and then crash land in my stomach.

My principessa is waiting for me.