Page 58 of Necessary Roughness

Sloane

Eventually, Knox let go of me and hugged everyone else—Logan, Roman, his coach, the athletic director. Jayden even went in for a hug, slapping Knox on the back and openly weeping.

“What?” Jayden said, wiping tears from his cheek. “I’ve never seen a room so happy before. It’s contagious!”

Darlene popped champagne, then she and Roman filled flutes and passed them around. Robert made a toast. Logan’s glass shattered while clinking it against the coach’s, so we had to pause and clean everything up.

The rest of the draft was a blur. Knox was bombarded with texts and phone calls from everyone he knew. Jayden proudly showed off the Buccaneers cupcake, announcing that it was one of the best ones. Knox only took a bite, giving the rest to me to split with Roman and Logan.

Then the thirty-second pick was announced, and the first round of the draft was over.

That’s when I remembered Logan.

“Doesn’t mean anything,” Roman told him, squeezing his shoulder. “We knew you wouldn’t go in the first round. There’s six more rounds to see what happens.”

“I’m not getting drafted.” Logan smiled sadly. “My stats this season were fine, but nothing special. And there were a hundred more impressive receivers at the combine.”

“You don’t know…” I began.

“I’m not upset,” he announced. “I was already prepared for this. Maybe I’ll be a walk-on at NFL tryouts this summer.”

“About that,” Knox said.

We all turned toward him.

“When the Buccaneers coach called to tell me the news, he was afraid I might turn down their offer. So he said they were willing to sweeten the pot by signing you to the practice squad.”

“Oh shit,” Roman whispered next to me.

“I know it’s not the same as being a starter,” Knox told Logan. “But you’ll get to keep playing football for a living. And it still pays like two hundred grand a year. I bet I can get them to bump that up a bit. What do you say, best friend? Want to play with me in Tampa?”

“Well…” Logan scratched his neck, glanced at me, then turned back around to face Knox. “I was kind of thinking about staying in school. Getting my master’s degree in creative writing, or sports journalism.”

“Logan,” I whispered, tugging on his arm. “I’m flattered, but you can’t stay just for me.”

“It’s not for you,” he replied. “It’s for me. I spent the last four years thinking of school as secondary to football. It would be nice to come back here and focus only on my degree. Doing something I actually enjoy , rather than whatever degree is easiest.”

Roman clapped him on the back. “I’d be glad to have you back for my senior year. Better than getting stuck with some random freshman on the team.”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Knox said. “Most of the practice squad work is in the summer. Then twice a week during the NFL season. Not saying you have to, but you could do both. Get your master’s degree while being on the practice squad. Tampa’s close enough for you to commute.”

Logan looked around like he’d just been told he’d won the lottery. “Well shit , Knox. If you want to keep throwing footballs to me, you can just say so!”

“Is that a yes?” Knox asked.

Logan lunged forward and hugged his best friend tightly. “Only if you promise not to gloat about how you’re a starter and I’m just a practice guy.”

“Hell no,” Knox replied. “I plan on reminding you of that fact twice a day for the rest of my life.”

“Damnit,” Logan said. “You called my bluff. Hell yes, I’m in.”

We all jumped as another bottle of champagne was opened. “More bubbles for Logan!” Darlene announced, and we all celebrated for a second time. Logan went around hugging and high-fiving everyone. He was even more enthusiastic than Knox.

After hugging me, he quietly asked, “Will you still love me if I’m not a famous NFL player?”

I stroked his cheek. “I’d still love you if you were the janitor at the football stadium. Are you sure you want to come back to school?”

“I’ve been thinking about it since the combine,” he admitted. “And yeah. That’s what my gut is telling me.”

“You’ve got a smart gut.” I poked him in the belly.

Logan glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice further. “You’d better not love Knox more than me just because he’s about to become a big shot.”

I brushed my lips against his. “I’ll love you both the same.”

“Even though his dick is bigger?” he whispered.

I leaned forward so I could whisper directly into his ear. “He’s only a little bigger than you. And you’re better at going down on me.”

His face lit up even more than when he’d learned he had a job with the Buccaneers. “Hey, Knox!” he shouted. “Knox! Guess what Sloane just told me!”

I shared a look with Roman as Logan ran off to find Knox deeper in the house.

*

After the party, Knox took us out to a fancy restaurant—me, Logan, Roman, Robert, and Darlene.

It was a fancy restaurant, and we didn’t have a reservation, so we were almost turned away.

But then one of the servers recognized Knox and told the hostess, “That’s the new quarterback for the Buccaneers!

” and a private room in the back was opened just for us.

“I could get used to this kind of treatment,” Knox said.

“Look at you. Already letting it go to your head.”

He grinned at me. “If I can’t let it go to my head today , after being drafted into the National Football League, when can I?”

“Good point.”

Robert picked out a few nice bottles of wine for the table before we ordered our meals.

When it was Logan’s turn, he grinned wickedly at me and then told the server, “I’ll take the smoked pork shank, the pan-roasted salmon, the grilled duck breast, the steak frites, and…

what was the special you mentioned? The butcher’s cut ribeye? Yeah, I’ll take that too.”

He handed her his menu and took a sip of wine while we all stared at him. “What?” he asked.

“You can’t eat all of that,” Knox said.

“Nope!” Logan winked at me. “But I can taste a little of each one, then take the leftovers home. Don’t cheap out on me now, Knox. I was your friend long before you came into money.”

Knox leaned across the table and pointed at him. “You know what? Tonight, I don’t care. Go crazy, buddy.”

The evening was full of laughter, smiles, and good cheer. It wasn’t every day that someone you knew became a multi-millionaire in the blink of an eye. Robert stood up and made a toast, declaring that he hoped Knox would continue to surround himself with good people who made him a better person.

“Looking at you, Sloane,” he said, aiming his wine glass at me.

“Cheers to that!” Knox said loudly.

We were all pretty toasted by the time dinner was over, so Knox’s parents took an Uber back to their hotel while we took one home.

I tried to think of an excuse to stay up, for just the four of us to sit on the couch and drink some more and spend some time unwinding from the insanity of the day.

I was afraid Knox and the others were exhausted

My fear proved unfounded, because as soon as we were inside, Roman put a hand on my lower back and led me toward the hall. Into my bedroom.

“About time we’re alone,” Logan said.

“I was afraid my parents would want to come back here to celebrate some more,” Knox agreed. “Glad they didn’t. It’s time for us to celebrate.”

Roman shoved me up against my wall with enough force to let me know I was his, and he could do with me whatever he wanted. His tongue was in my mouth in the blink of an eye, his body pressing against me with need.

“You’re feisty,” I said.

“It’s your fault,” he replied darkly. “Making me stare at you in that dress all day.”

“He’s right,” Logan said. “Knox might have been the center of attention today, but you’re the star.”

The three of them were more possessive than normal tonight—and after the kind of stressful, exciting day we’d had, it was exactly what I needed. Roman roughly kissed me while sliding a hand up my dress, immediately finding my pussy and rubbing me through my thong.

Knox tried to take over, but Roman shoved him away without ever taking his lips off me. “Wait your turn,” he growled into the kiss, half-playful, and half-serious. “You’ve gotten enough for one man today.”

I glanced over at Knox. He looked so dashing in his dress shirt and newly-cut hair, all of which was for the cameras during the draft party. I gave him a little smile as Roman kissed my neck.

Knox responded by slowly undressing. His eyes locked onto mine intensely as he slowly untied his necktie.

One by one he undid the buttons of his shirt, then slid out of the sleeves.

He stood there in his perfectly-fitted dress pants, the white undershirt practically glued onto his broad chest. He gazed at me with hunger while behind him, Logan sat on the bed and waited patiently.

Roman’s fingers pulled my panties aside and curled up inside of me, twisting as he moved them in and out of my pussy. I let out a soft moan and closed my eyes while he nuzzled against my neck, smelling like cologne and beer and that deeper scent that was all Roman.

Finally Knox could wait no longer. He approached and pushed Roman out of the way, and this time the roguish man allowed it.

“My turn now.”

“You’re pushy now that you’re an NFL player,” Roman growled, but there was half a smile on his lips.

“He’s been drafted, but he’s technically not in the NFL yet,” Logan announced. “He won’t sign a rookie contract for another couple of weeks.”

I leaned over and pressed my fingers to Logan’s lips. “Shh. We can pretend tonight.”

His eyes sparkled. “I’ll pretend to be whatever you want, baby.”