After a few months off, I found myself inspired. Enjoy! As always, I welcome constructive comments and suggestions!
All characters are fictional and over the age of 18. These events are intended to portray a sexual fantasy while intentionally not addressing the potential real life consequences and morality of such interactions.
Prologue
"Mr. Barton? Are you going to Chicago too?"
I looked up from my laptop to see the smiling facing of Avery Probst.
"Avery! How are you? What are you doing here?" I answered, not realizing that there were any army of girls standing behind her looking at me like I was from Mars.
"I'm heading to Chicago for a Cheerleading competition with my squad from school," she answered, gesturing to the pod of teenaged girls flanking her, all of whom had on "East High Cheerleading" warm ups on.
"It's called 'Chicago Cheer 2025,'" she continued. "It's a national competition--the best of the best. It's the first time our school has made the cut!"
"Congratulations! That's great!" I answered, smiling at Avery and her crew.
Avery was the almost 19-year-old daughter of my friends Lisa and David Probst. Her daughter and my only daughter, Lexi, had been friends since they were little. Now in their senior year, they were inseparable, with the exception of cheerleading. Lexi was a swimmer and field hockey player. Their differing sports interests were the only thing that kept them from being joined at the hip. In fact, I did recall Lexi mentioning something about Avery and her cheer squad when we were out to dinner recently. Chicago Cheer 2025 must have been what she was referencing.
"So, Mr. Barton, are you coming to Chicago to cheer us on?" Avery asked, her lips curling in a curious grin.
"Yes, of course I am. Lexi didn't tell you? I'll be in the front row all weekend! You didn't bring any East High stuff for me to wear?"
Avery broke out laughing and the girls next to her snickered in delight.
"I'm sure we can find
something
for you to wear to show your support, Mr. B. But really, what brings you to Chicago?" Avery asked.
"Work. A team I oversee is getting a sales award. I am heading out to support them."
"Awe, that's so nice of you, Mr. B," Avery replied. "Well, if you have some free time, we'll be in the convention hall at the Lexington Hotel tomorrow as of 8:00 a.m.!"
"That's actually where I'm staying! I'll try to stop by. The awards dinner isn't until the evening, so I've got nothing going on," I admitted.
"Well, now you do, Mr. B!" Avery said with a sly wink.
"Your parents aren't coming out, Avery?" I asked, scanning the seats at the gate for Lisa and Dave.
"Nope. Dad's working all weekend. He couldn't switch his shifts at the hospital. Mom is with my little brother at a soccer tournament. So it's just me...and the girls of course," she answered, once again motioning to the girls around her, who were now all checking their phones, having reached a point of sheer boredom with the conversation between Avery's and me.
"That's too bad. Well, I will text them to let them know I'm in Chicago too, in case you need anything. In fact, take my card with my cell number on it. Reach out if you need anything at all."
"Thanks, Mr. B!" Lexi replied, taking my business card. "See you in Chicago!"
I watched as the cheer team, seemingly led by Avery, roamed the gate in a large herd, ignoring the admonitions of their two coaches to sit down and be still. I didn't envy the coaches, having to wrangle over 20 high school girls from small town USA all weekend in one of the country's biggest cities.
I texted Avery's parents before the plane boarded to let them know I ran into her at the airport and that I am available if she needed anything. They each responded almost immediately, thanking me. They sounded relieved that someone they knew would be close by for the weekend.
The flight to Chicago was uneventful. I arrived at my room just before 6:00 p.m. with about a half hour to get ready form the welcome reception my company was hosting in the hotel restaurant. I heard giggling and music through the thin walls from the rooms on either side of me, no doubt cheerleaders from other schools at the competition. The halls were also filled with girls--and a few boys--talking loudly as they found their rooms. I imagined that they would all be turning in early to be at their best for the start of the competition tomorrow--or hopefully they would be--which meant quiet for my slumber. I chastised myself for thinking like an old man.
I showered and got dressed for the reception. I was putting on my blazer just inside the door of my room when I heard a group of girls chatting in the hallway.
"...He's really hot," a voice said.
"Total DILF!" Said another.
"Who?" Someone else asked.
"Lexi's dad! At the airport! Mr. B!" They cackled all at once at my Avery-given nickname.
The voices trailed off and became indiscernible as the girls continued down the hallway. I giggled to myself. At nearly 44, having a bunch of 18 year-olds admiring me wasn't too bad I guess. I kept fit, despite a crazy work schedule, not to mention vying for time with Lexi.
Lexi lives with her mother. We divorced 5 years ago. It was difficult for all of us, especially our only daughter. But Camille (my Ex) and I were committed to navigating Lexi through our breakup and maintain strong relationships with her, despite the breakup of our family unit. And we seemed to have done that relatively successfully. Lexi was at the top of her class and had a group of friends who would lay in traffic for her if she asked.
I did my best to spend as much time as possible with Lexi. Whether it was our weekly dinners out or the weekend or two a month that she stayed at my place, we connected and had quality time amidst our crazy lives. It wasn't perfect, but nothing is really perfect, is it?
Since the divorce, I didn't date much. A couple of attempts at relationships led to dead ends, unfortunately. I am not sure why I couldn't maintain an adult romantic relationship in the past five years. Maybe I was irrevocably damaged by the end of my marriage.
I shook off the fleeting admiration of Avery's teammates and headed to the welcome reception, which was nice but after a nearly full day of work and the flight to Chicago, I was beat. I headed back to my room and hit the sack, grateful for the silence in the rooms around me. Thankfully, the legions of cheerleaders who had raided the hotel for the weekend were fast asleep ahead of tomorrow's start of the competition.
Chapter 1: The Turn of the Ankle
I arose at 5:00 a.m. and went for a run along coastline of Lake Michigan. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning, and the vistas of Chicago and Lake Michigan along my 5 mile journey on foot would make up for the lackluster corporate affairs that I must attend later in the day.
I ended my run early to get back to the hotel in time to shower and stop by the cheer competition for a bit to see Avery. I wanted to text her folks to let her know she was doing well in the Windy City with her team.
I arrived at the competition just after 8 o'clock. The conference hall was filled with dozens of cheer squads from around the country. I wondered if I would even be able to find Avery and her team amongst the hundreds of cheerleaders around me. I toured through the massive hall and eventually came upon the East High team warming up, but I did not spot Avery. As I approached the team on the floor, I was surprised to see Avery sitting in a folding chair off to the side while her team warmed up. Her right leg was out straight in front of her, her right ankle wrapped in an ace bandage. An ice pack sagged over the front of the bandage.
Ugh. She's hurt.
