Lemon Combo Point

Author's note: This is tied for my favorite of the dozen stories I've written so far. It's a slow-paced and gentle exhibitionist/voyeur CMNF tale with a splash of romance and likeable main characters. There is much embarrassment and groping, but no sex. I worked hard on this one and really do hope you enjoy it!

*****

I grew up in Florida and have been a beach rat for most of my 25 years. You could always find me down at Clearwater Beach until college, playing soccer on the beach by the pier or just hanging out, then later at Siesta Key when my Dad moved us down there to be near a job in Sarasota. I made money giving tennis lessons and running little boat and snorkel tours for families on vacation, and generally enjoyed the easy life. The beaches are awesome, the beauty of the famous Tampa Bay quartz sand exceeded only by that of the rich tourist girls flocking south from the eastern seaboard. I had myself a few flings with those that found a Florida beach bum an intriguing and distracting interlude in their lives, but nothing had developed seriously.

Soccer (more sensibly, "football" in the rest of the world) became an influential force in my life when I was in middle school. I picked up the game seriously and it soon became clear that I had talent and a chance to excel, so I was launched on a trajectory towards becoming a possible somebody in the sport. This fed my dreams for a few years until injuries in high school blocked me from pursuing a college scholarship. First the knee, and then just as I had recovered from that, a heinous ankle shattering-bones sticking out of my skin-from taking one too many stunts on the skateboard. Just like that, I went from a possible somebody to a nobody. I missed two seasons in a row, and that was the end of the college recruiting window. Devastated, I let the sport slip from my life for a few years after that, not even watching the European leagues.

But soccer in my life didn't end there. I went back to it just a couple years ago after being motivated by the World Cup, and started getting traction in local competitive leagues. I love playing the game again, and hanging around the game. Play hard, then smoke a joint afterwards watching the sunset over the gulf. I'm a pretty chill guy and I like the different people you meet in the game and their approach to life. I'll play almost anyone as long as afterwards I can feel the grass or sand between my toes and the sunshine on in my face afterwards. And if they aren't dickwads, of course. We have our share of those.

Down at SCF, State College of Florida, they put in some beautiful soccer fields for the women's varsity teams on a flat marsh, with only a busy street separating them from the beach. A multi-story parking structure on the other side leads into campus. When I got an apartment nearby, I liked to hang out there and try to find pickup games instead of fighting my way to the main fields across town. The women's coaches weren't too happy about us locals coming into their turf, but as they got to know us, they realized we weren't that much in the way, and as long as we didn't interfere with their schedule, they usually didn't kick us out.

One late afternoon, towards the end of the women's season in the fall, I was running drills on one side of the women's field with three other guys. The sunlight took on a beautiful metallic blue tone as it reflected off the ocean. It was one of those magical evenings with the breeze rolling in-cool and dry, even, which is rare in Florida. We broke up when the last rays slipped under the horizon and it starting turning dusky, and my buddies had to take off, anyway. In Florida, it's still reasonably warm on a late November evening but it gets dark early due to the season and they hadn't put lights in yet for these fields.

There was one other group still playing on the far side of the field from us, two girls and a guy. I took a long look at the ocean and then over at them, because I hate to leave when there's more game to be had and also, to be honest, I had nothing else planned that night and didn't want to face going back to an empty apartment. A prickle ran over my skin and I felt an excitement that something unusual might happen tonight.

I sauntered over, standing nearby to watch them casually. You can't be like some tourist rube straight from Ohio interrupting with a dorky, "Hey guys, can I play?" hoping you can crash in.

The dude was legit. I didn't know him and I knew most of the starting SCF varsity men. Maybe he was second string for the varsity, or on the club team. He was a shorter guy, looked to be Southeast Asian, tan and good looking, playing without a shirt in the cool evening air and showing an obvious ripped six-pack and rounded biceps. He was quick. They were running a drill called a "three person passing combination," in which each player passes the ball and then runs to a new position in an intricate pattern over a small rectangle on the field. It was fun to watch players who knew what they were doing execute this drill.

The two women were also well skilled. They were SCF varsity team members, I could tell by the two-toned blue and green SCF swirl tank tops which were dead giveaways. Normally, the women's coach wouldn't allow her players to defocus during the season with random pick up ball like this, but this year State had a unexpectedly poor season and was eliminated from a playoff chance early. So the mood was subdued as they prepared to finish off their last few games. The coach probably didn't even know the girls were out here letting off steam.

I watched a few rounds of the drill. The shorter girl was spunky and slightly built, looked to be of Chinese descent but definitely American-born by her banter. She was probably a quick defender. She looked over at me, evaluating. She might have seen me playing with the other guys earlier, or else she just assumed from my confidence that I could ball. In any case, I must have passed her quality bar because she yelled out to me in a raspy voice from across their little drill rectangle on the field.

"Hey. You want to fill in and play two-on-two?"

"Yeah, love to!" I replied, and jogged over to join the guy near me.

He held out a hand. "Mike."

"Joel," I replied in turn, in usual curt guy fashion.

The talkative Chinese girl waved a hand and said, "Jade". Her partner was tall and dark-skinned, with long arms and legs. I bet she could bend the ball real good when playing forward. I couldn't tell in the fading light if she was Indian or African American. Maybe some kind of combination. She mumbled something that sounded like "Preesha" but that's probably wrong. I never got her name, so I'll just call her that for this story. She was pretty, also with a lean build, and long black hair tied up in a bun.

Both girls were athletic, of course, which is always sexy. Jade wasn't unattractive but you could tell she made more coin with her spunky personality than her looks. She already was in banter mode, with the sass turned on to what I assumed, correctly, was her normal full throttle.

"Joel, see if you can keep up with us. Mike here has trouble keeping his fucking legs moving fast enough, that's what I'm seeing."

"Yeah, yeah," Mike said without much reaction, as he jogged over to fetch the small goals we use for two-on-two games.

We played only about 5 minutes when two more players showed up, a guy and a girl. It was obvious from their familiarity that they all knew each other well. The guy was another white guy, tall like me about 6'3" and thin, with short-cropped hair, wearing a dirty wife beater. He was your standard-issue beach rat, a dime a dozen out here in Florida. I should know.

What caught my attention was the girl. She was a real looker, oh my. A solid athlete at about 5'10" I guessed. She had sandy brown hair about shoulder length, and even in the low light, I could see she had an absolutely beautiful face and a figure to match. More full-cut than your prototypical soccer player. She wore a light blue tank top with thin horizontal white striping that was smashing the way it hugged her curves. Especially sexy was how it hugged her flat abdomen below her breast line down to her shorts. Damn, she was attractive, and in shape. I was sure she could out-crunch or out-plank me in any kind of fitness battle, like that cross-fit stuff or the one where you hang your feet in ropes and do push ups and shit.

Watching them greet each other, I became sensitive to fact that I was this mid 20's dude crashing a social event of these vivacious college kids. Like I was at a campus party and didn't fit in. I started wandering towards the edge of the field and mumbled something like, "I think I'll head out and let you guys run your drills. Thanks for letting me on."

Jade spoke up first. "Joel, you can stay and we'll just run three on three. Guys vs. girls." There was a pause and the others looked over at her. A smile crept over Jade's face and she impulsively threw her hands straight up into the air as if she thought of something brilliant.

"YES!" she shouted.

The bombshell girl crossed her arms over her blue-lined curves and cocked her head. "Oh no, Jade, come on, not this again."

I didn't understand the undercurrent, but I was curious about anything going on that might involve this wildly cute fantasy girl I couldn't take my eyes off of. Jade continued her enthusiastic sales pitch to the group.

"Come on, let's do Lemon Combo Point! It's dark enough for you sissies. Besides, Sam, you're a senior. Your varsity career will be over in a few weeks. You don't want to graduate being the only one who never played it. Besides, there's no better motivation to sharpen your skills!"

I was standing near Mike, who muttered, "That's for damn sure, sharpens my skills right up."

I thought Jade was talking to the tall dude named Sam, but it turns out that the cute dream girl was the Sam. She replied in what sounded like a practiced refusal.

"Not going to happen, Jade." She looked around at the others gathered there before her eyes fell on me. I thought I saw a slight curiosity register as she looked me over. She hesitated. "But look, let me warm up first, okay?"

Jade noted the small sliver of uncertainty in Sam's response with keen interest. Then elation struck.

"Yes! She's finally going to do it! After FOUR FUCKING YEARS!" Jade triumphantly declared to the group. "Okay, I'll take Mike the sexy muscle-man. Sam, you partner with the new guy, Joel. He's pretty cute, don't you think?" she ribbed, and flashed me an over-exaggerated wink. Then she looked back to Sam with a dismissive thumb point at me. "And you'll never see him again, anyway. So what the fuck, Sam? Then you can say YOU DID IT!" with a dramatically repeated finger point at Sam on the last words.

Sam ignored Jade's stream of verbal bullshit and walked over to me, extending her hand. "Samantha, or just Sam" she said to me in a friendly voice, and I nodded like, yeah, I got it. Close up, her eyes literally took my breath away. Both the dark lashes and the hazel coloring of her eyes themselves were just phenomenal. I have no idea what exactly it is there that causes a guy's heart to flip, but she also had fine skin tone and delicate facial features. And when she smiled it took it to another dimension altogether. She had the whole package.

"Joel," I introduced myself as friendly as I could and shook her hand. She had beautiful arms. Golden skin. Her handshake was firm. She was strong. All that weight training and cardio they do on the varsity team, it's amazing how fit these girls are. I didn't want to let go of this goddess that I had stumbled upon on this random evening.

"Is that game like the Footie drinking game, that I'm going to be your partner for?" I asked tentatively, as I punked her the ball and she instinctively passed it back to me. Judging from her reaction to Jade's proposal, it seemed a long shot that she would actually play this game, but I figured why not be optimistic about the chances, and try to encourage her. I'd be her partner for anything, based on what I'd seen so far. Strip soccer. Tiddlywinks. A romantic dinner date.

"Let's not even talk about it," she said with obvious dread. She couldn't have said anything to increase my curiosity more.

We played the ball back and forth between the two of us for a few minutes to warm up. The entire time, I was mesmerized by her body, the weight of her breasts slightly bouncing under her tight blue shirt every time she moved this way or that, or shifted up and down to kick the ball. I was trying hard to not get caught staring at her. She was so smooth at this game, and moved like a cat. It must have been the result of ten thousand hours of practice, as they say.

I said something stupid, like, "So all you girls are on the varsity?" She said yeah and asked if I played in college. I just said I play in some local leagues, and not super competitively. She seemed really nice. I liked her straight away, besides her amazingly good looks I mean, and wanted to get to know her more. I wish it had been just the two of us kicking the ball on the beach with the sun going down. I'd compliment her and then offer her a joint afterwards, and she'd decline, being an all-serious varsity athlete. But that would break the ice and we would talk for a couple hours with our feet in the sand and she'd tell me all about her life. I sighed, thinking of what we would talk about.

I do love me a good daydream.

Meanwhile, I was on autopilot warming up, distracted, and I miss-hit the ball and kicked it right past her. She left it instead of chasing, and began some calisthenics to continue her warm up. I stared openly as she twisted her torso back and forth and flexed her arms above her head, and when she bent over nimbly at the waist towards me to touch her toes, I admit that I didn't make any effort to avert my eyes, and was treated to a close-up shot of her curvey blue chest. Her top was snug so I didn't get any peeks down her cleavage, but it was so sexy watching the graceful curves of her breasts in the blue top suspended in front of me jiggle a little as she bent down and up. She had beautifully athletic hips accentuated with jet black lycra capris, those half-length tights, and surprisingly slender calves.

Jade yelled out from the other side of the field. "Let's play! Girls over here".

Sam stood up straight and looked at me. She scratched her head as she appraised me, in a turnabout. I don't know if she had been aware that I had being doing the same to her for the past few minutes. It seemed she was trying to decide something. Then she smiled.

"Do you have a girlfriend, or anything?" She put out there boldly.

"Uh, wow, that's kind of a direct question..." I said in response, caught off guard. What the hell was that about? "No, in fact, I don't at the moment."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Just trying to figure out..." She paused. "Yeah, maybe this time..." she said to herself, and then to me, "It'll make more sense in the game," and gave me a crooked smile. This exchange left me extremely intrigued, and I hoped with great fervor that she would in fact play this game with me, whatever it was. Especially if my not having a girlfriend helped encourage her somehow!

Jade yelled again. "Sam, let's fucking GO!" at which Samantha smiled at me again and raised her eyebrows in kind of a "Why not?" resigned expression, with just a hint of flirt. I've been told by a lot of girls that I was a looker of sorts, even though I'd never been able to snag a girl for the longer haul. Maybe I'd caught her interest just enough. She turned to walk to the girls' side of the field, and glanced back at me once with a look of shy intrigue.

Preesha met Sam in the middle and said something I couldn't hear. I just heard Sam's annoyed response. "Seriously? If I do this, then you guys will stop fucking with me all the time? I'm not a prude, you know. I've had boyfriends."

The tall dude walked over to join our boys' side. He never introduced himself, but told me in sincere awe, "Dude, I don't know what God you prayed to this morning, if this goes down." I shook my head in confusion.

Mike just had a dumb smile on his face. "It's like Fifty Shades of Grey on a soccer field."

What the fuck? I hadn't read those chick books but I knew enough about their themes. With my wild imagination, I pictured myself spanking Samantha over my knee on the grass. I still had no idea what was going on. But I was a cool enough customer not to jinx it by asking any dumb questions.

I reviewed the situation in my head as we took our positions. As near as I could tell at that point in time, on this random evening, I found myself facing a very cute girl packing a blue top with her lucious yet athletic curves, and she was signed up to be my partner in an embarrassing game that she didn't want to play, but that she might have talked herself into. That was definitely good enough for me to shut the fuck up and wait for it. The only soccer social game like that I knew was Footie, where everybody ends up just plain smashed. It's mildly fun, but also kind of stupid. And I didn't see any alcohol around, anyway. So this was going to be something new to me.

I had to consciously resist getting a board-shorts boner looking over at Samantha, who was now bending over towards us in her tight outfit in a defensive posture, getting ready for us to approach her with the ball. She locked her elbows and rested her weight on her knees with her arms, in the typical ready stance. It's a natural reflex to hyperextend one's elbows in that position, and as she did, her biceps pushed in against the outsides of her tits, forcing them together. Her top cut was low enough that I could see the smooth curves of her cleavage where the arcs of her breasts pushed together forming a vertical line.

"Let's go!" said Jade enthusiastically to the group, emphasizing select words. "Sam is IN the game, bitches. WHOO!! You KNOW the rules! Now FOCUS!"

I had no fucking idea what the rules were. But I could ball well enough, so I figured I would just do that and they would tell me anything different along the way. I figured correctly, it turns out, that playing well was key, so I indeed did sharpen up my attention as Jade requested.

We played a few minutes and everything seemed like a normal three-on-three game. Even though it was getting dark where we were standing, there were enough shards of light from the street lights and parking structure shedding across the field that it was possible to see the ball almost like a regular, late afternoon game, when it rolled alternately from dark to light areas.

After a play that Preesha ended by miss-handling a pass and letting the ball go out of bounds. Jade and the two guys on my side all yelled together, "Lemon!" I guess they yelled lemon for someone making a bad play, like buying a bad used car, maybe, I thought.

"Shit!" I heard Preesha say, but mostly with good nature, and she walked towards the guy's side. The tall raggy guy bounced up there to meet her eagerly. The light was getting low, and they were standing close together in a guarded fashion, so I didn't really see exactly what happened next, but it sure as hell looked like Preesha pulled her tank top open and he grabbed his hand in there at her tits. Fuck! For real? But it was done discreetly enough that I couldn't see any skin from where I was standing.

But whoa! Holy shit. I indeed prayed to a few Gods right then. If Samantha makes a mistake in this game, is that what's in my future? No wonder she was apprehensive about playing, especially with me as a partner, some dude off the street that she didn't even know. Even if maybe she thought I was a cute guy. And no wonder she was checking me out carefully before she signed up to let me grab at her tits.