Tao was the first to reach her, and she could hear the urgency in his voice and feel the warmth of his hand as he searched her legs for any fractures or sprains.
“Monique! Monique, are you okay?”
She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to fight the urge to scream at the pain that ran up from her collarbone to her neck. When she tried to answer him, she could not seem to suck any oxygen into her lungs.
“Monique!” added Gary as he crouched down near her head.
“I’m okay,” she finally gasped. “My shoulder…”
“Don’t move,” Tao commanded as he shifted his attention to an area around her upper arm.
“It’s okay,” Monique told him in a stronger voice. “I just banged it.”
“Stay still!” instructed Tao again.
She did as she was told and allowed him to gently inspect the area. He took his time, and Monique eventually opened her eyes to look up at him.
“Does that hurt?” he asked after prodding a tender spot and feeling her flinch.
Their eyes met, and Monique was taken aback by the intense concern reflected in his.
“Just a little,” she whispered.
“Is she okay?” asked Gary.
The other guys on the team where surrounding them, all clearly anxious to hear how she was doing.
“I’m fine,” Monique replied. “I just got the wind knocked out of me.”
To assure them, she sat up slowly. Both Gary and Tao quickly took her arms and helped her to her feet. Monique could not help but wince at the movement in her bruised arm. Once she was seated on the bench, the referee blew his whistle again and the game resumed, with Tao taking her foul shot for her.
There were only six seconds left on the clock, enough time for a final possession by the Wild Dogs. But with the Ravens already winning by twenty-seven points, no one expected much to happen. The few spectators in the stands started to pack up their things, and Monique turned away from the court to grab her towel. By the time she turned back around, a fight had broken out on the court and both teams were yelling and pushing at each other.
Chapter 2
“Let go of me, Gary!” Tao demanded.
Gary had his arms wrapped around Tao’s chest, forcibly pulling him away.
“Sam, man, just let it go,” said Gary.
“I’m cool, I’m cool. It’s over,” replied Tao. His fists were clenched tight, ready to respond if provoked.
On the other side of the gym, a Wild Dog player was limping and cursing at Tao with every possible dirty word. The referee was standing between the two teams to ensure the conflict didn’t escalate. Everyone else was standing still, wondering exactly what went down and waiting to see what would happen next. It took a few minutes, but the agitated Wild Dogs player was eventually led out of the room by his teammates.
“You tripped him on purpose, didn’t you?” Gary asked after things had quieted down.
“Tsk! The idiot tripped over my foot,” Tao told him.
“Yeah, sure he did.”
“He’s lucky I didn’t shove my fist down his throat after what he did to Monique.” Tao made this statement in a quiet, emotionless voice, but his face was hard with smothered fury. Gary nodded in agreement.
They both looked over at the bench as Monique touched her bruised shoulder and rolled it to check mobility and pain. Her oval face revealed a little discomfort, with slender, shapely lips pulled back and her even white teeth clenched hard.
Tao found his eyes drawn to her most dominant features: deep, smoky eyes, now surprisingly enhanced with a little makeup. They were one of the first things he had noticed when he had met Monique Evans over a month ago at the start of the basketball season. Even with her hair pulled back and in sweaty gym clothes, those eyes held the promise of sensuality. His first reaction was the natural male instinct to make a move. Then he saw her game skills, and any interest he felt was replaced with respect, almost admiration. Now, Tao tried to think of her as one of the guys.
“How does it feel?” Gary asked when they reached her.
“It’s okay, just a little sore.”
“You’ll have to put some ice on it,” Tao told her.
She nodded, and the three of them made their way out of the now empty gym.
“Are we going to get something to eat?” asked Gary once they reached the men’s locker room.
It was a routine for the three of them, and anyone else on the team who was free, to clean up then go to one of the nearby restaurants for dinner after the game.
“I think I’ll pass, Coop,” Monique told him.
“I’m out too,” Tao added. He was about to explain why, when they were interrupted by a woman walking toward them from the front of the building.
“Tao, are you coming?”
The question was more like a command. She stopped behind him, and Tao didn’t have to turn around to imagine the annoyed look on her face or the tight fist planted aggressively on her hip. His back straightened with annoyance.
“The game’s been over for, like, twenty minutes or something. I’ve been just standing out here waiting.”
“Hey, Tanisia, how are you?” Gary asked after several seconds passed and Tao did not respond to her.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you guys later,” Monique told them, clearly wanting to avoid the awkward situation. She turned and headed for the changing room. Gary took her cue and did the same.
“What’s going on, Tao?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tanisia,” he replied, finally turning around to face her.
“You don’t know what I’m talking about? Do I look like an idiot?”
Tao could not contain the condescending smirk that spread on his lips. But, he managed not to say anything.
“What’s going on between you and that chick?”
His brows lowered quickly, and his confusion was very obvious.
“What?”
“That chick,” she uttered, pointing to the spot that Monique had just vacated. “What’s going on? And, don’t tell me that I imagined the way you looked at her!” demanded Tanisia, her voice getting louder with each sentence. “Then you go and attack the guy because he bumped into her. What the hell!”
Tao closed his eyes and let out a long breath, partly because her screeching was giving him a headache, but also because he didn’t really know what to say. He had been really concerned about Monique and had let his anger get the better of him. But it was just because she was his teammate, right?
“Tanisia, I’m not talking to you while you’re shouting in my face, all right? So, just calm down and stop being ridiculous. You’re embarrassing me.”
“Oh, please! I’m embarrassing you? How do you think I feel coming down here to watch your game, and you go to the rescue of some other woman? Then practically ignore me while I wait forever for you? And who do I find you talking to when you finally decide to show yourself?”
“Tanisia…!”
“You think you can treat me like this?”