Crunch Time - Sneak Peek Excerpt

I just finished the manuscript for the fourth gym series novella and thought I'd share an excerpt.  I'll be submitting this manuscript as soon as I finish the review process.  This is completely unedited, so please forgive my mistakes.

Finishing his short shift, George clocked out.  Retrieving his workout bag, he ate the small snack he’d backed before heading to the locker room to change for his own workout before leaving the health club. 

On his way home, he bought a sandwich and after carrying in his things, George sat at his kitchen table, grading papers as he ate his sandwich, until the phone interrupted his concentration.

“Hello,” Shit, he should have looked at the display before answering.

“Hey cockhopper, it’s Lonnie.  Am I interrupting an all you can eat dick buffet?” 

George looked around the neat kitchen, the house so quiet he could hear the refrigerator kick in.  “Yeah right Lon, you’re interrupting a fourgy.”

“Yeah, your dick and four fingers.”  Lonnie laughed at his own joke and George said nothing because it was too true for words.  “Say, I got something to ask you, but this has to stay between us.”  Lonnie got very serious which was highly unusual.  The only time George had ever seen the man serious was when money was involved, usually his own.  “You can’t tell anybody or I’ll lose a client.”  

“What’s so important?”  George had a bad feeling about this.

“I have a client that needs help,” Lonnie sighed and George heard shuffling.

“Where are you?”  George picked up his sandwich in one hand, taking a small bite before setting it down again.

“In bed.  Cory’s about ready to polish my love hammer and she’s getting impatient.”  Gary chose that moment to try to swallow and nearly choked as he started coughing.  “Can you come to my office tomorrow afternoon?”

“I can be there at four.”  Thankfully he didn’t have to work at the club.

“Good,” More rustling and a groan before the phone went dead.  George looked at it for a few minutes wondering what the hell was up before setting it.  Whatever it was, he’d find out tomorrow and he had work to do.

 

The final school bell rang and the kids rushed out of the room and into the halls, voices raised in excitement.   Already the kids were excited about Christmas vacation.   As the sound died in the halls, George straightened the room before gathering his things and heading toward the exit.  He knew he was leaving a little early, but the pile of papers under his arm was a visual testament to the work he had yet to do.

Hurrying to his car, he stopped himself from rushing.  Yes he hated to be late, but he hated falling on the ice even more, and besides, his hip ached to beat the band anyway.  Starting the car, George pulled out of the lot, driving toward Lonnie’s office, pleading with the heater in his old car to start working and of course it started blowing warm air just as he pulled into the parking lot.  Getting out, George pulled his coat tighter around him, walking stiffly into the quiet office where the receptionist directly him to Lonnie’s desk.

Lonnie motioned him into a chair while he talked on the phone, obviously trying to sooth a skittish client because the market had dropped.  “Chris, you’re an investor, not a trader, remember.  The stocks you’re in a solid.  Do you want to sell your IBM and Coca Cola?”  Lonnie rolled his eyes, “I didn’t think so.  Look the market is tough right now, but you’re holding your own and doing better than most.”  Lonnie sounded so patient as he soothed the person on the phone, ending with an invitation to dinner in the next few weeks before hanging up.

“Thanks for coming George,” Lonnie shook his hand before peering out through the glass walls around his desk, “Hey Anne, is Darren here?”

“No, I haven’t seen him,” the middle aged woman sitting just outside Lonnie’s office answered without even looking up from her computer screen.  “Hello, Lonnie Rosen’s office,” George took a double take when he realized she’s answered the phone, barely breaking the rhythm of her typing.

“Hang on,” Lonnie raised a finger, dialing the phone, “Darren where are you?”  Lonnie got quiet for a second, but George could see his anger rising by the second.  “I don’t care how late you were out last night, get your butt in this office in ten minutes.”  The volume in Lonnie’s voice rose with every word, “I’ve told you before, you need me a hell of a lot more than I need you.  I’m not one of your sycophantic hangers on and when you make an appointment, you get your ass in her on fucking time!”  Lonnie was yelling by then end and whoever was on the phone must have capitulated because Lonnie calmed down, “Ten minutes and you better not look like shit,” Lonnie added before hanging up.

“Come on,” Lonnie stood up and led the way across the office to what looked like an empty conference room.  George followed behind wondering what the hell was going on.  “Anne, when Darren arrives send him in here.” 

“Sure thing, “she answered without looking up. 

Lonnie shut the door and motioned him to a chair.  “I have a problem client,” Lonnie started.

“The guy on the phone?” 

Lonnie nodded, “As I said, this has to remain quiet.  The client is Darren White,” Lonnie paused and looked at him expectantly, like George was supposed to know who that was.  “He plays for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Lonnie prompted and George shrugged, not knowing anything about sports.  “Anyway, Darren got injured and it may be a career ending injury.  He’ll tell you it’s not a big deal, but he doesn’t exactly live in the real world.  For all practical purposes, he’s done playing football.”

“Okay.  How does this affect me?  I can’t make him heal faster.”  George had no idea what Lonnie expected of him.

“Darren has a chance in about a month to guest host a sports program on Channel 4.  I’ve heard through the grapevine that if he’s good, he it could turn into a regular show.  Darren’s local and he’s played very well over the last three years.”  Lonnie leaned closer, “The thing is that the kid’s as dumb as they come.”

“Lonnie,” George used his teacher voice, “That’s not fair and I won’t have that kind of talk.  Not from you or my fourth graders.”  George expected Lonnie to bluster the way he usually did, but the man simply smiled.

“Okay, but you need the facts.  You have kids in your fourth grade class who read better than he does and he can barely write anything other than his name.”  Lonnie motioned to Anne, “She writes out his checks for him and he signs them because he’s not capable.”

“What do you want from me?”  George thought he could see where this was going and he didn’t like it, not one bit.

“I wanted to ask you if you’d work with him.  The kid needs help and he’ll pay you for your time.  I don’t know if it’s possible to help him at all, but I don’t want him to fail and without help, he will.”  George could see that Lonnie was sincere.  He really did want to help the kid, no matter what he’d said earlier.  But he wanted no part of this.

“Lonnie, I…”  George had every intention of telling Lonnie ‘No thank you,’ when the door opened and a tall man with broad shoulders wearing jeans and a t-shirt walked into the room, cutting him off.  “Jesus Christ,” George muttered under his breath as a pair of the deepest blue eyes he’d ever seen, met his gaze and the words died on his lips.  The other man, obviously Darren, slouched in a chair across the table from him, leaning back in his chair.

“So whatcha want Lonnie?”  He mumbled so badly George barely understood him.  “I got stuff to do, ya know.”

Lonnie swiveled in the chair, “Do you want that job at Channel 4?”

“I don’t need it.  I’m gonna be playing ball again soon,” Darren said, or something to that effect, George couldn’t be sure, even his speech seemed as slouchy as the rest of him.

“No you are not,” George could hear the raw edges of Lonnie’s temper, “You are probably never going to play football again and you need to face that.  So, I’m going to ask one more time, do you want that interview at Channel 4 or not?  I pulled strings to get it for you and I can unpull them just as fast.”

The feet of Darren’s chair hit the floor and he looked at Lonnie as though he was ready to kill him.  “I have to play ball, I can’t do nothing’ else.”

Lonnie’s face softened, “That’s what we’re going to help you with.  George here is a teacher, a very good teacher and he’s going to work with you so you can do well on the show next month.”

George shifted in his chair, “Lonnie,” he looked over at Darren, “I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”  He kept looking at Darren, fascinated with the man, even though he had no intention of going through with this scheme of Lonnie’s.  Darren obviously wasn’t interested in learning anything.  George suspected he’d gotten everything in life he’d ever wanted by flashing those deep blue eyes.

“I know you haven’t.”  Lonnie looked at Darren, “So what do you want?”

Darren shrugged, “I’ll give it a shot.”

Lonnie’s gaze turned to George.  “Well I won’t.”  George turned away and stood up, walking stiffly toward the door.  “He doesn’t want to learn anything Lonnie.  All he wants is what he’s always gotten, a free ride because he is who he is.”

“I can learn, I ain’t dumb!”  Darren stood up, fire blazing in his eyes, chest puffed out.

George took a few steps closer, “Then act like it!  You may not be dumb, to use your word, but no one could tell it from the way you speak.”  George stepped closer, telling himself he wasn’t going to be intimidated by the much taller wall of muscle glaring down at him. “Or the way you carry yourself.”  George turned and walked back toward the door, looking at the stunned expression on Lonnie’s face.  “I’ll see you tomorrow at the gym,” he said to Lonnie before pushing open the conference room door.

“Wait,” George stopped and turned around.  Darren looked alternately at Lonnie and then at him, the huge man suddenly seemed young and small, the cockiness he’d displayed earlier evaporated.  “I do want to learn.  I don’t want to be stupid no more.”

“Any more,” George corrected, “And you aren’t stupid, you just need to apply yourself.”  George felt the cold inside begin to melt, realizing just how much it took for Darren to admit that.  “If you’re truly interested, then be at my house at five tomorrow.  Lonnie can give you the information you need.”  George opened the conference room door, walking through the office to the front door.  Pulling on his coat, George walked through the twilight to his car and drove home, wondering what in hell he’d been thinking, agreeing to help Darren.  “Well,” he thought to himself, “Darren probably won’t show up anyway.”  No matter what he’d said, Darren’s body language spoke volumes.

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