Chapter 7

I could only nod weakly. My body felt suddenly exhausted.

"That was so hot," I said.

"Maybe I should be that dirty girl," Kat said.

Her voice was lacquered in the teasing tone I knew so well, but for a second, I wondered if she was serious. Jess’s words rattled around my head once more. We could still have our fun. I had the feeling things weren’t going to slow down one bit.

The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl always were an anxiety-ridden circus. I now understood that more than ever before. But for the four of us, it was an exercise in fantastic anticipation. There was a high level of confidence that Houston could take the title, but it was difficult to gauge how much of that was wishful thinking because of the windfall of fun it would result for us. You also couldn’t tell how the players would react on a unique stage with unsurpassed pressure and temptation. On the other hand, it was clear that the team was focused. They had devel