THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary breathed a sigh of relief after the game between Rosenborg and Aalesund ended. He'd only managed to watch the match on-screen in the living room of his apartment in Trondheim. But he could still envision the excitement that his teammates were feeling just by looking at their expressions as they marched out of the pitch.

"Is the game over?" Camilla's voice emerged from the bedroom. She'd begun spending most of her weekends at Zachary's apartment over the past month. That Sunday evening was no exception.

"The game has just ended," Zachary replied, raising his voice slightly. "The presenters and pundits are now conducting a boring post-match analysis."

"Who won?" Camilla asked once again.

"Do you have to ask?" Zachary said while aiming the remote at the television to switch to another channel. "Of course, it's Rosenborg that triumphed against Aalesund. No team in Norway can defeat us at this moment if we play at half our best."

There was no response from the bedroom for a few seconds, causing Zachary to crease his brows, wondering why she had fallen silent. But the next second, he smiled when he saw her step out of the bedroom and into the living room.

One glance at her, and Zachary could immediately tell that she'd just taken a shower. Her brown hair, tied loosely in a ponytail, seemed a bit moist while no traces of make-up could be seen on her pretty face. But all the same, she looked as gorgeous and titillating as ever, especially in her tight-fitting shorts that accentuated her long legs and shapely thighs.

A soft smile outlined her face as she strode into the living room. She halted her steps right in front of Zachary, seemingly to divert his attention from the screen. Then, her emerald-green eyes crinkled at the corners as she asked, "Who was the person that previously mentioned that he wasn't sure about his team's chances of winning the game?"

Zachary smiled sheepishly as his eyes darted across the entire length of her lithe figure. He could feel a fire burning inside him as the aroma from her shampoo assaulted his senses.

"That was my ego speaking," he said. "I was also in anguish, especially after the coach left me out of the squad traveling to Aalesund. So, you shouldn't take my words at the time seriously."

"Is that so?" Camilla smiled and sat on his lap. Then, she leaned forward, causing her alluring breath to tickle at his ear. "I feel that you're a naughty boy. And naughty boys deserve to be punished for their naughty deeds. Don't you think so?"

"I accept my wrongdoings," Zachary said, playing along. He breathed in deeply, burying his head in her hair. "How do you plan to punish me, madam?"

"That's simple!" A gorgeous smile lit up Camilla's face as she leaned back to lock eyes with Zachary. Then, without saying anything else, she cupped his face and leaned forward to kiss him aggressively on the lips. "That's your punishment." She said, smiling mischievously and leaning back.

"Madam!" Zachary whispered. "I like this sort of punishment. Can we continue?"

Without waiting for her reply, he responded to her teasing in kind. He locked her in a firm embrace, and the two of them made out for minutes on the couch, causing the fires of passion within them to burn brighter and brighter with an untamed vehemence.

They could no longer hold themselves back after a short while, and clothes started dropping to the floor as they sunk deeper and deeper into exploring their primal desires. And finally, they joined together in the most rudimentary and age-old ritual of expressing their feelings for one another.

Moans and grunts, accompanied by heavy breathing sounds, soon resounded across the room as a testament to their love-making session. They changed positions and postures several times as the intensity of their actions increased steadily and quickly, causing them to forget everything else in the world. Eventually, they seemed to transcend a critical pleasure point and immediately hit a thunderous united zenith, which pushed them over the edge of sensual bliss.

"That was incredible. I love you, Zachary," Camilla whispered in-between gasps of breath as she collapsed in Zachary's arms. The little bit of sweat coating her tanned skin made it glisten under the artificial lighting in the living room.

"I love you too, Camilla," Zachary replied, patting her back and hugging her tighter. "You were really aggressive and intense today. But I'm not complaining."

Camilla let out a soft chuckle as she traced circles on his chest. She remained silent for a few more seconds before saying, "Zachary! Can I ask you something?"

"You don't have to ask for permission," Zachary replied, tracing his hands back and forth along her curvaceous smooth waistline. "Feel free to ask me anything."

Camila supported herself up from Zachary's chest with her arms before locking gazes with him. "Who's Éléanor Bohen?" She asked.

"Éléanor Bohen!?" Zachary mumbled, narrowing his eyes. He was confused. "Is the name supposed to mean anything to me?"

"You tell me," Camilla said with a sigh. "Yesterday, when I was doing the laundry, I happened to chance upon a neatly-designed card in the name of an Éléanor Bohen. It was in the pocket of one of your tracksuits."

Zachary's mind blanked out for a moment. Then, he sighed as he recalled the incident in Lyon when the pretty blonde reporter stealthily pushed a business card into his pocket. He had decided to throw away the card after getting out of the public's eye but kept on forgetting afterward.

"So, who's this Éléanor Bohen?" Camilla queried in a soft voice.

Zachary sighed again before telling her the story of the reporter in Lyon. He described the entire incident vividly, without leaving out too many details. But he didn't mention that the lady reporter was beautiful or that he found her pleasing to the eyes after seeing her in a Rosenborg jersey.

Camilla chuckled after hearing his story. "Let me get this straight," she said, her eyes flickering with mischievousness. "You're moving through the airport with your teammates. Suddenly, reporters and fans interrupt you. And then, at the end of it all, a pretty lady reporter shoves a business card into your pocket without your knowledge. She then whispers in your ear, encouraging you to call her, before walking away. Then, you forget about her business card, and it remains in your pocket. Is that the whole story?"

"That's it," Zachary replied, nodding.

Camilla beamed, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "So, tell me," she said after a moment. "Did you at any one moment think about calling her?" She asked.

"Of course not," Zachary was quick to reply. "How can I get tempted by an average-looking blonde when I'm dating the most beautiful and sexiest girl in the world? The question is a no-brainer."

"Tee hee," Camilla tittered before resting her head on Zachary's chest again. "You're beginning to have a way with words. But I like it. By the way, have you talked to your grandma today? Is she doing okay?"

"The doctors tell me that she's improving very fast," Zachary replied. "If the next few tests are satisfactory, the doctors will discharge her from the hospital in about three weeks."

"That's great news!" Camilla said. "I'm happy for you, and of course, I'm also happy for her."

"Thanks," Zachary said, patting her back lightly. "Let's get up and take a shower. We need to have dinner and prepare for tomorrow. Don't forget that tomorrow is a Monday. You have to go to work early, and I have to attend a meeting and then go for training afterward."

Camilla groaned, not moving a single inch. "Stop being anxious. I'm sure that your coach will allow you a day off tomorrow since Rosenborg has just played a game today evening. So, relax, and let's stay like this for a few more minutes."

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Zachary said, smiling wryly. He also felt guilty for not spending enough time with Camilla over the past few months. So, he wasn't about to let her down by denying her a few more minutes of cuddling.

-----

The following day, Zachary woke up early as usual. He enjoyed a tasty home-cooked breakfast prepared by Camilla before going through his customary morning yoga routine. After that, he took a shower with Camilla, and the two of them shared some moments of early morning intimacy until they were slightly out of breath.

Thirty minutes later, they exited the shower, feeling blissful and relaxed, before starting their preparations for the hectic Monday schedule.

Zachary was as swift as ever while dressing up. He quickly pulled on his tracksuit and pushed his feet into his sneakers before packing his gym bag. In only a couple of minutes, he was done with his preparations. So, he settled into one of the sofas in the living room before patiently waiting for Camilla to get ready.

Camilla was a bit slower. She first ironed her suit a couple of times before utilizing about twenty minutes to dress up. Applying her make-up took even longer, and she only ended her preparations when the clock hand was almost pointing to the eight o'clock mark.

Zachary smiled and stood up from the sofa after seeing her exiting the bedroom. "You look smart," he said. "That suit really looks good on you."

"Thank you," she said, beaming. "You also... I don't know what to say as I don't wish to lie to you very early in the morning." She shook her head before slipping her feet into her high heels by the door.

"Is there a problem?" Zachary asked, narrowing his eyes. "I thought we were having a good time."

"Of course, we are," she replied. "But, I'm just wondering why you're in your tracksuit again. Aren't you going for a meeting with your agent and the investment consultant? Why are you dressed in your training gear?"

"That's because I want to go to the gym right after the meeting," Zachary replied. "Moreover, these Nike tracksuits are very comfortable and multipurpose. I don't see why I shouldn't wear them to a meeting, especially since I'm a pro-athlete."

"A green tracksuit over dark-brown sneakers to a meeting!" Camilla raised a brow. "I'm starting to doubt whether Nike endorsing you was really a good deal on your end. I haven't seen you wear anything else ever since they started providing you with their tracksuits at no cost."

Zachary chuckled. "Why are we talking about my tracksuits at this point?" He said, shaking his head. "We need to hurry! Otherwise, you'll be late for work, and I might be late for my meeting."

Camila shook her head and picked up her handbag from a nearby table. "We can go now," she said. "But we're not done discussing those tracksuits of yours. If you need to save money, I can link you up with a few men's clothing brands that can always give you free and presentable clothes and shoes. They would be happy to let you wear their brands since you're a rising football star. They might even pay you to model those brands."

"Let's talk about this some other time," Zachary said, opening the door out of the apartment. "But, for now, we need to get going, or we'll both be late."

"Okay, I understand." Camilla smiled and drew him in for a fervent kiss. She then hugged him for a few seconds before marching out of the door.

Zachary shook his head and smiled before locking the door and following after her. Before long, they were already descending the stairs and heading out of the building.