The Game Changer: A Novel

by Sterling, J.

  “It’s a little weird, don’t you think? You won’t even talk to her in real life, but you’ll follow her online?”

  The chair scraped against the floor as I shoved back, jumping to my feet. My breathing hitched as my defenses rose. No one talked about me and Cassie like that. Not even my brother.

  “Jack, sit down!” Gran said sternly. “And Dean, stop calling your brother names! You two are acting like little boys.”

  I inhaled a sharp breath before sliding the chair back toward the table and sitting down. “I can’t talk to her until I’m not married anymore, OK? So until then, yeah, I will follow everything she does online. And if that magazine can give me a glimpse into how she’s seeing the world, I’ll take it. Because until I’m back in her life, that’s the only Cassie I get. And if that makes me psycho, then I don’t give a fuck. Sorry, Gran,” I offered before she swatted my shoulder.

  “I’m going to ground you! I don’t care how old you are,” she threatened with a slight chuckle.

  “He started it,” I said, nodding my head toward my brother. “Let’s talk about Melissa some more.”

  Dean waved his arms in the air in defeat. “I’m sorry. Truce?”

  Before I could respond, Gran asked, “How long are you planning to stay home?”

  Gramps looked up from his plate and directly into my eyes. “Your whole off-season?”

  I swallowed my last bite of food. “I don’t know. I figured I’d wait for Marc to call me about the annulment, and then I’d go to Alabama to sign the papers and pack up the house at the same time.”

  “And then what?” Dean asked.

  “I’ll have to bring my stuff back here, but I want to get to New York as soon as possible to make things right with Cass,” I admitted. “I only have a few months before I have to be back in Arizona for spring training, and I still need to find a place to rent.”

  “That’s not much time.” Gramps sounded worried.

  “I know.”

  “What are you planning on saying to Cassie?” Gran tilted her head toward me. “How are you going to win her back?”

  “I don’t know yet. But it will be something along the lines of how much I suck and how much she doesn’t.”

  Gramps laughed at my words, and I smiled.

  “Very romantic.” Dean sarcastically popped two thumbs up in the air.

  “Shut up, Dean. No one likes you.”

  “You know you’ll have to give her more than just some nice words, dear,” Gran said as she eyed me meaningfully.

  “Trust me, Gran. I know.”

  Cassie’s face relaxed as she leaned up to kiss my cheek. “I like that you followed me online. I followed you too.”

  My adrenaline started racing as I adjusted my position on the couch. “You did?”

  “Of course I did. I still loved you, Jack. I cared about you. I wanted to see how you were. It was a big deal that you’d made it into the major leagues. I wasn’t going to miss it,” she explained, her shoulders shrugging like she had no choice in the matter.

  “So you don’t think I’m psycho?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she teased playfully.

  I pounced on her before she could get away, pinning her body beneath mine and against the couch cushions. Her chest moved heavily up and down, and it took everything in me to not rip her shirt off and lose myself in her body. My shorts tightened as I leaned down to kiss her, brushing my tongue along her bottom lip. She moaned slightly as she arched her head back, her lips parting. I pressed my mouth against hers, my tongue and hers touching erotically in a playful tease of push and pull.

  I wanted to tear her clothes off and devour her inch by inch. I sucked on her neck, the taste of her skin almost sending me into a frenzy. She ran her hands down the length of my back as she pulled my shirt up. She pressed her fingers into my skin as I kissed and licked her ear and neck before working my way back to her mouth. Jesus, I wanted this girl. She fired me up like no one else. Trying to maintain some semblance of self-control, I pulled back from the kiss, and her hands tightened around my neck. I chuckled and asked, “Don’t you want to hear more?”

  Her grip tightened as she pulled my face to hers. “In a minute,” she said, as she grazed her tongue across my lips.

  My hands explored the length of her body, stopping at the top of her thigh. “I want you so fucking bad. You make me crazy.”

  “Then take me.” She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, and I longed to put something of mine in there instead.

  I grabbed the bottom of her top and lifted it over her head, unable to get it off fast enough. She reached for my shirt, tugging and pulling before I sat up and tore it off myself. My insides flared as she ran her hands down my bare chest, stopping at the button of my shorts. When her fingertips gently grazed over my hardness, I shuddered. Just that single touch from her and I almost came unglued.

  It’s twisted how much she owns me. She always fucking has, but still.

  I kicked my shorts off, silently giving myself a pat on the back when I noticed where Cassie’s eyes were locked. Half tempted to make some smartass remark about how much she loves looking at my dick, I stopped myself. I hadn’t even been back in her life for twenty-four hours; no need to screw it up already.

  My gaze moved from her eyes down to her naked body. “You’re so fucking sexy.” I meant the words, but they came out in a lusty growl and she bit her bottom lip again. I dropped my mouth to hers, sucking that lip between my teeth, my body falling to meet hers.

  Heat shot through me as we touched. The feeling of her skin pressed against mine caused my lust to hungrily take over. I curled my fingers in her hair, forcefully tugging her head back so I could kiss her throat and jaw.

  “Oh God, Jack. I want you inside me. Please. Stop teasing.”

  I pressed my hardness against her, and when she howled with pleasure, I pulled it away. “Goddammit, Jack. Stop fucking around.” Her fingers dug into my backside as she forcefully guided me to her.

  Without another word I pushed inside, my body shivering as the warmth of her completely enveloped me. “Jesus Christ, Cassie. Why do you always feel so amazing?” My breath was labored as I worked in and out of her. The sight of her nipple drew me, so I traced a finger gently around it before I sucked it into my mouth, my tongue flicking around it.

  Cassie moaned, her body arching beneath me as she clawed her fingernails down the length of my back.

  “You better stop that,” I breathed out.

  “Or what?” she teased, running her fingers along my back once more.

  “Or I’ll be done before you are,” I admitted.

  She shook her head. “We can’t have that.”

  “Then behave,” I demanded, grabbing her arms and pinning them above her head, as my thrusting continued. She laughed beneath me, and I swept my tongue across her lips before pushing it into her hot mouth. She mumbled something unintelligible against me, and I kissed her harder.

  “Jack,” she whispered, her breathing quickening as her hips rose up and down to meet mine. “Oh.”

  She moaned again as her body shuddered against mine.

  Thank fucking God.

  I rocked into her one last time before exploding. My thrusting slowed as I collapsed on top of her, my weight pushing her body further into the couch.

  “Why do you enjoy suffocating me?” she said, swatting my shoulders.

  “I like lying with you this way.”

  She cocked her head. “What way? With me dead?”

  A quick laugh ripped from my throat. “No. I like being inside of you.”

  “Well, get out.” She smirked. “I need to pee.”

  I pulled out slowly and she scooted out from under me, hurrying to the bathroom.

  Stay

  Cassie

  I walked back into the living room wearing a new thong and nothing else. Jack was sitting on the couch, his shorts pulled up but still unbuttoned, his shirt pooled on the floor next to the one I had been wearing. I
reached for the crumpled shirt, slipping it back over my head before plopping down next to him.

  “That was a nice distraction,” I said, leaning my body into his waiting arms.

  His fingers combed through my messy strands of hair before tucking them behind my ear. “More stories or more distractions?” he asked with a mischievous tone.

  My cell phone beeped in the background, and I eyed him, contemplating whether I should see who was texting me. “I’m gonna see who that is.”

  He nodded and smacked my ass as I ran into the bedroom. I settled back into his arms before tapping the screen on my phone. “Oooh, it’s from Melissa.” I turned, looking into his deep brown eyes. “Does she know you’re here?”

  Jack shrugged. “The trade would be reported by now, so she might be wondering.”

  Another sound beeped and this time, Jack reached for his phone before laughing. “Text message from Dean.”

  “They’re so predictable.”

  Pressing the buttons, I read the message from Melissa:

  OH MY GOD! CASSIE! JACK GOT TRADED TO THE METS!!!! DID YOU KNOW THAT? IS HE THERE? IF HE’S NOT, HE PROBABLY WILL BE SOON SO HEADS UP! AND CALL ME ASAP!!!!!!!!

  I chuckled out loud.

  “What’d she say?” Jack asked, his eyebrows raised.

  “Well, she used all caps so this is a very serious message.” I smiled, handing my phone to him so he could read it.

  “Oh, she’s yelling at you. Isn’t that what all caps means?”

  “Yeah, but I think that’s her way of showing me she’s freaking out. Or excited. Or yelling,” I agreed with a smile.

  “Heads up. I might be on my way over.” Jack pressed his lips against my forehead, and I closed my eyes with his touch. So much had happened between us. So much more than any one couple should ever go through, but there we were. Together.

  “I should probably text her back or she won’t ever stop.” I quickly typed out a response.

  He’s here. We’re talking. Working through things. Call you from the office Monday.

  I lowered the volume button on my phone before it beeped again.

  MONDAY?!?! Like hell you’re making me wait that long!

  I laughed and typed out one last message before turning my phone to silent.

  You’ll survive. I can’t talk now. Talk later. Love you.

  “What did Dean say?”

  He scanned the phone screen before smiling and handing it to me.

  Dude, you got traded to the Mets and didn’t tell me? Is this because of Cassie? Of course it’s because of Cassie. How the hell did you get them to let you do it? Good luck. Call me after you see her.

  “How can you not love Dean?” I handed him back his phone, smiling.

  He straightened his back and pushed away from me slightly. “Good question. Speaking of Dean, why doesn’t Melissa love him?”

  “What?” My tone came out more surprised than I meant.

  “No, really. What’s her deal? Dean’s totally into her, but she’s not having it. I don’t get it.”

  Jack’s demeanor and tone gave away the fact that this situation bothered him. I found it sweet, if you wanted to know the truth. He cared about his little brother, and since I didn’t have any siblings to care about me, I found it inspiring. “She’s always been like that.” I knew I’d answered his question unsatisfactorily, but it’s all I had when it came to her.

  He shook his head, not accepting my answer. “You’ve known her forever, Kitten. Hasn’t she ever had a boyfriend?”

  I scratched my head, contemplating his question and forming my response. “Not really. I mean, she’s always hooked up with guys, but she’s never really had a serious boyfriend.”

  “Why not?” he asked, apparently determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How can you, of all people, not know? You’re her best friend. You’re chicks. Chicks talk about this kind of shit all the time.”

  My body prickled with heat as my defenses quickly rose. “First of all, calm down. Second of all, I don’t fucking know. I’ve never really thought about it before. Guys have always liked Melissa, and she makes out with them or whatever, but she’s never really said anything to me about liking them back. I never questioned it because I just accepted it. That’s the way she is. I don’t know why. I don’t know when it will change. And I don’t know why the fuck she doesn’t fall head over heels in love with Dean. Maybe you should ask her instead of sitting here grilling me.”

  I started to get off the couch, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me right back down. He reached for my face, turning it, forcing me to look at him. “I’m sorry, Kitten. I didn’t mean to get so fired up about it. I just don’t get it. My brother’s a good guy. And I know he likes her. It just makes no sense to me why she doesn’t like him back.”

  He loosened his hold on my face, but I refused to turn away from him. “I can’t answer that.” I shrugged, my annoyance fading.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” Jack’s lips twisted into a smile, forcing his dimples to appear.

  I am such a sucker for those dimples.

  “Let’s get back to our story,” he suggested. With his emphasis on the word our, my anger quickly disappeared.

  “OK. But now I’m too pissed off to remember where we were,” I admitted.

  He wrapped his arms around me, and I allowed him to pull me close. “We were talking about Gran and Gramps. Don’t be mad at me.”

  My breath hitched. “Fine,” I relented, feeling my annoyance fade with his nearness. I hated how he affected me sometimes. “So, how long did you stay there with them?”

  He inhaled a long breath before releasing it against the top of my head, causing strands of my hair to fall in front of my eyes. I pushed them away as I waited for his response. “A lot longer than I intended. My plan was to stay there for a couple weeks before heading back to Alabama to pack up my stuff and finalize the annulment. I honestly figured two to three weeks was enough time. That the bitch would sign it and I’d be on my way here before Christmas.”

  “Good thing I didn’t hold my breath.”

  He huffed. “Yeah. The past six months has been nothing but drama, Kitten. I’m not sorry for leaving you out of it, but I am sorry for letting it go on for so long.”

  I leaned away from the warmth of his body and into the cold cushions, squaring my shoulders toward him. “Why did it take so long? How could she fight the annulment, anyway?”

  My cell phone rang, waking me from a deep sleep and forcing my eyes to pop open. Anticipation rushed through me as Marc’s name appeared on the screen. “Hey, Marc,” I said, my voice groggy.

  “Jack, we have a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” I asked, scooting my back up against the wall.

  “She won’t sign.”

  “Huh? Who won’t?” I stopped short before continuing. “What do you mean, she won’t sign? I thought this was a done deal? An easy fix?” My heart slammed itself against my rib cage.

  “Her lawyer’s stating your claims are ridiculous. That no fraud was committed and therefore his client won’t sign under those terms.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? What terms will she sign under?” I fought to keep my anger under control.

  “She won’t sign an annulment. But she’ll consider signing divorce papers, although his client would rather work things out.”

  “Work things out? Are you fucking joking?”

  “I wish.”

  “You have to fix this, Marc. She faked a pregnancy to force me to marry her. How is that not fraud?” I threw the magazine sitting next to me against the wall and watched it fall to the ground.

  “It is. But the burden of proof is on us.”

  “So, let’s prove it then,” I insisted.

  “We’re going to have a hard time doing that since she has plenty of documentation supporting her claims,” he sighed.

  “What kind of documentation?”


  “Well, doctor’s reports, for starters.”

  Fuck.

  I’d forgotten about the fact that Chrystle had doctor’s prescriptions, appointments, and paperwork.

  “Can’t we sue the doctor for malpractice or something?”

  “We would have to prove that he lied as well, which would be extremely difficult given the circumstances.”

  When people allege that anger has the ability to shoot through them with such force that they see red… well, it’s true. I saw red. Literally.

  “This is so fucked up. What can I do?”

  “Nothing, Jack. Right now I want you to stay where you are and let me handle this,” he said, his tone calm and professional.

  I gripped the edge of the mattress, my fingers digging into it. “All my stuff’s still in Alabama.”

  “Don’t step foot in that state until I tell you it’s OK. You hear me?”

  I cringed as he told me what to do. “We’ll see.”

  “Jack, it’s my job to look out for you. For once, let me do that. Please.” His voice sounded strained, and I sighed.

  “OK.”

  “I’ll call you soon.”

  I pressed the End button on my cell phone and threw it against the wall. Why the fuck was this girl so hell-bent on ruining my life? I can’t move past this one mistake if I can’t put it in the past. Why couldn’t she be a decent human being and sign the damn papers?

  Knuckles rapped on my bedroom door. “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah.”

  Dean walked in and glanced at the phone on the floor before closing the door behind him. “What’s going on? I heard you yelling.”

  I looked him straight in the eyes. “You were right. She won’t sign the papers.”

  He moved toward my bed, sitting down at the opposite end. “Shit, Jack. I’m sorry. So, what does that mean?”

  I closed my eyes, pinching the skin at the bridge of my nose to relieve the stress. “I don’t know. Marc’s working on it.”

  “Do you want to go out or something? Get out of the house for a bit?”

  “I need to be alone right now.”

  Dean stood up from my bed without another word and left my room. I grabbed the notebook sitting on my dresser and flipped it open to a blank page. How quickly this whole letter-writing thing turned into habit. It helped to put my thoughts somewhere when all I wanted to do was pick up the phone and dial Cassie’s number.