by B. B. Hamel
Instead, I’d gone to high school, joined the football team, and never looked back. Getting on that field gave me the outlet for my aggression that I fucking needed. I was angry at the world for giving me a shit situation, for making my life harder than it had to be, and I wanted to take that anger out on someone. Football was the right place for that.
So I smashed bodies and broke bones. I loved it, and I was damn good at it.
I wasn’t perfect. I drank and smoked and fucked as much as I wanted, and I got away with it because I was so damn good. Nobody said shit to me, because I was their star fucking running back. But my body had problems; my knees were a constant source of worry, and I hadn’t woken up without a backache in years.
That was fine with me. The game took a toll on your body, and that was the price you paid. I got money and fame in exchange, and that was good with me.
There were other things in my past I wasn’t proud of. I didn’t have money growing up and never had any real opportunities. I’d had to do things I wasn’t fucking proud of, things that were still following me around.
The sort of shit that could destroy my career.
I wasn’t perfect. But I was good at football, and so far that’d been enough.
I was drenched in sweat, my knees aching like fuck the first time I saw her.
She was standing on the sidelines of the practice field, looking uncomfortable. I didn’t normally notice the medicine staff standing around, since there were so fucking many of them and they all wore the same damn outfit, but she stood out. I couldn’t say what it was about her that drew my eye, but as I walked over to the sidelines to grab some water, I couldn’t help but stare.
She was fucking gorgeous. I realized it immediately. She wasn’t like the other frumpy therapists. She had thick, long dark hair, full red lips, beautiful, smooth skin, and deep green eyes. I wanted to drag her back into the fucking locker room and slowly strip that polo shirt from her body.
She looked at me, and I smiled. She smiled back, a little uncomfortable, and I felt my cock stir. As I grabbed my water and downed it, someone came up beside me.
“Owen,” the man said. I looked over. The head of the medicine people, some guy named Jeff, smiled at me. “How’s it going?”
“Fine,” I grunted.
“Listen, I want you to meet someone.”
I nodded. “Sure.” I was exhausted, but these people were important. They kept my fucking knees from giving out every damn day.
Jeff steered me over to the side and we stopped right in front of her. She gave me this shy smile before reaching out to shake my hand.
“Owen, this is Taylor Jones. She’s going to be your personal therapist for the remainder of the season.”
I took her hand, soft but firm, and grinned at her. “Nice to meet you, Taylor,” I said.
“Same. I look forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to working you, too,” I said, still grinning.
There was a pause, and I knew she’d heard what I had said.
“Well,” Jeff said, “since Lucy is on her maternity leave, I’m giving you to Taylor. She’s young, but she’s very, very good. I think you’re in great hands.”
“I’m sure I am,” I said.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it.” Jeff gave me his best smile, but I was too busy staring at Taylor to give a shit.
“I’ll see you after practice,” she said.
I nodded. “You will.” I turned and headed back onto the field, feeling pretty damn good.
I couldn’t get her out of my mind the remainder of the day. Despite the heat and the hard work, I just kept thinking about her standing over there on the sidelines, watching me. She was staring at my body, my sweating body, and all I wanted to do was to make her sweat along with me.
Maybe that was stupid. She was supposed to be my physical trainer after all. People always liked to say that you shouldn’t get involved with someone you worked with.
But who fucking cared what people said? I was never the type to bother with that shit. If I wanted something, I found a way to take it. I never asked for permission for anything in my life. If I wanted to fuck a girl, I’d let her know, and I’d find a way to get it. I was never kept waiting for long.
By the end of practice, I’d already thought about how many different ways I was going to take this girl. In the whirlpool, on the massage tables, on every fucking inch of the locker room. I wanted to make her sweat and moan my name until she couldn’t take it anymore.
And the fact that I shouldn’t do it only made me want it that much more.
As practice wore down, the team headed into the shade. The coaches gave us their notes, we got some water, and then we headed in for our cool down.
Taylor met me at the door to the exercise room. She smiled, clearly nervous, but she was trying to hide it well.
I leaned toward her. “So you’re the girl that’s going to work me all season.”
“That’s right,” she said, either oblivious to my comment or choosing to ignore it. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Mister Rack.”
I laughed. “Shit. Call me Owen. We’re what—the same age?”
“Yeah,” she admitted, “we are.”
“Just call me Owen then.”
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
I followed her into the exercise room. She had mats already rolled out, and she gestured toward them.
“If you can get on your back.”
“You move fast.”
She shrugged. “We only have ten minutes before you have to go watch film.”
I grinned at her. “Not what I meant.” I got down on my back.
“Okay, left leg up.” I lifted my leg and she grabbed it, gently pushing it back.
I felt pain at first, but I masked it. Slowly, the pain ebbed into a gentle, warm throbbing as she stretched my leg out. She did a complicated set of motions with my leg and knee, shaking it and stretching it.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“I’ve had worse.”
“I’m sure you have, but I need to know.”
“It’s fine.”
“Okay.” She stretched it some more. “Tell me if you feel anything too uncomfortable.”
“What happened to Lucy?” I asked her.
“Had her baby.”
“Oh, right. I forgot she was pregnant.”
“How could you forget?”
“Easy. I was too busy staring at her beautiful ass.”
She made a face. “Very nice.”
“Don’t be jealous. Yours is much nicer.”
“I wasn’t jealous. Trust me.”
“I don’t know. I saw how you were watching me out there.”
She gently put my leg down and took the other one, beginning the same routine.
“Professional curiosity,” she said.
“Maybe. Or you were wondering if I was going to get you just as sweaty later on.”
“Doubtful.” She did a motion, and I felt a sharp pain run along my thigh. She stopped what she was doing. “Pain?”
“A little.”
“Okay.” She restarted, gentle but firm.
God, I was fucking hard for her. Just from her touching my legs and talking, I wanted to throw her down on the mat and taste her dripping little pussy. She was pretending like she didn’t know it, but we both could tell what was happening here.
“Do you give every player this much attention?” I asked her. “Or is it only the special ones?”
“You’re my only assignment.”
“Really?” I laughed. “So I have you all to myself.”
“That’s right, I guess.”
“You’re lucky. You don’t have to share.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“You want me all to yourself, and now you get me.” I grinned at her. “If you want, we can lock those doors and you can work me the way I really want you to.”
She did a sharp mo
tion, and I felt a little stab of pain. She smiled sweetly.
“Did that hurt?”
I laughed, grinning at her. “Not at all.”
“Good.”
I couldn’t believe she did that. She’d hurt me because I was being an ass, and she hadn’t seemed to think twice about it.
I fucking loved it.
Most girls in her position would be fawning over me, trying to flirt, trying to get on my good side, but she was no-bullshit, and I liked it. She was trying to be professional, even if her hands were lingering longer than they needed to.
She finished my other leg and then stood up. “Okay,” she said. “Quick strength exercise and then we’re done.”
“You finish quick.”
“Only when I want it to be over.”
I smirked at her. “We both know you want more.”
She ignored me and handed me a medicine ball. Then she proceeded to show me a strengthening exercise for the muscles around my knee. I did ten reps of that for each knee while she watched and critiqued my form.
Finally, I finished up. I was sweating again, surprisingly tired for such a simple task. I put the ball down and leaned up against the wall.
“It’ll get easier,” she said. “Soon you’ll be able to take a tackle without worrying whether your knee will blow out or not.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was never worried.”
“You should be.”
“Why? I’ve taken some pretty fucking hard tackles in my time.”
“Maybe, but you’ve been lucky. Every player should worry about his body.”
“You’re right. But now I have you to worry about my body for me.”
She smiled. “That’s right. And we’re done for the day.” She turned and headed for the door.
“Wait,” I said.
Reluctantly, she turned. “Yeah?”
“Come here.”
She walked over to me slowly. “What?”
“Do you have a phone?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have it?”
She hesitated and then fished it out and handed it to me. I typed my number into it and handed it back.
“Text me anytime,” I said, “preferably late at night.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“We’ll see.”
She gave me a look and then turned and left.
I stood there for a second, smiling to myself.
I had to admit, I was interested in her. She hadn’t immediately fallen all over me, which I liked. She wasn’t playing any games. Not to mention she was absolutely fucking gorgeous, and I could tell she wanted me even if she was pretending like she didn’t.
That was perfect, though. It just so happened that I liked the chase.
I liked to earn whatever I took.
3
Taylor
“You’re seriously working with Owen Rack?”
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me. “Seriously.”
“I used to watch him play.”
“Who hasn’t? The guy was a superstar.”
“And seriously hot.”
I laughed. “He’s not that hot.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“He’s a dick, Jessie.”
“So what? I’d let him be as mean to me as he wants, so long as he’s nice when I want him to be.”
I sighed. Jessie was my best friend from college, and I missed the hell out of her. When we graduated, she moved back home to Chicago while I stayed in Philadelphia. I went from living with her in a crappy little apartment outside University City to living alone in a crappy little apartment in South Philly.
She was one of the funniest people I knew, and she was so much more outgoing than I was. If anyone knew how to deal with a guy like Owen, it was her.
I’d called her as soon as I’d gotten home and told her exactly what had happened. I told her about Owen flirting with me, and about him giving me his number. He was so forward that it had really surprised me.
I wanted to say that I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t. The guy was clearly a jerk, but I had to admit that he was hot as hell. I wanted him to slide his hands along my skin and do exactly what he had promised he’d do.
But that was stupid. He was my biggest assignment. Working with him could make my career.
“I can’t. You know that.”
“Why? Are you afraid?”
“No. We work together.”
“So what?”
“So, if I screw this up, I can totally destroy my career.”
She sighed. “Okay, yeah. I get that.”
“Even if I wanted to do something, which I’m not saying I do, I just couldn’t. He’s too important.”
“Still, I don’t see why you can’t just get a little taste. A man like him probably isn’t looking to get you pregnant, anyway.”
“That could be worse.”
“I don’t know. It might be fine.”
“What if it makes things awkward?” I shook my head. “I can’t, Jessie.”
“Suit yourself. I’m jealous either way. Your job is amazing.”
“It’s stressful. This guy’s health reflects directly on me. I can’t believe they assigned him to me.”
“Must be really hurting for money.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad.”
“You’re not. But you said it yourself: You’re an apprentice.”
“The director said he probably wasn’t going to be starting anyway.”
“So all the more reason to go for it.”
“Jessie, I can’t.”
“Your loss.”
“He just wants to sleep with me anyway.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“We don’t even know each other.”
“Get to know him!” She laughed. “Look, I get your hesitation, but if I had a guy like that coming after me, I’d at least consider it.”
“Yeah. I guess. He’s just so cocky.”
“Can you blame him? Look at the guy. He’s gorgeous.”
I laughed. “He is gorgeous.”
As the conversation turned away from Owen, I couldn’t help but mentally return to him again and again. Even though I was listening to Jessie talk about her struggles with moving back home, I couldn’t help but remember what it had felt like to touch Owen’s body.
I was a physical therapist. My whole professional life was touching people’s bodies. I had never in my entire career so far felt anything other than a professional seriousness about any person’s body while working with them.
But with Owen, I’d been instantly soaking wet the second he had let me touch him. I couldn’t believe how fast my heart had been beating, and I’d known it was so incredibly inappropriate, but I hadn’t been able to help myself. He really was gorgeous, muscular, and intense. Even the dirty things had been setting me off, making me want to do exactly what he’d been saying.
I wasn’t about to give in to an asshole like that, but still, my body was betraying me. There was some part of me that really wanted him to do whatever he wanted to me, and then some.
Owen Rack was a total asshole, but he was a total asshole that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Anyway,” Jessie said, wrapping up. “I have to get going. Call me tomorrow?”
“I will.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up the phone and sat back. My apartment was small and hot since I didn’t have air conditioning. The window unit was humming away, but it barely kept up with Philly’s hot and humid summer nights.
As I stared at the wall, my phone buzzed. I assumed it was Jessie, remembering to tell me something. I looked down at the text and paused.
It wasn’t from Jessie.
It said, “Come out with me. Right now.”
And it was from Owen’s number.
I bit my lip, not sure what to do. I glanced at the time and it was a little bit past ten. I had to be in th
e office early the next morning, but I also knew that he had practice just as early. I was scheduled to work with him before they took the field.
I didn’t know what to do. I put my phone down and then picked it up again, my heart beating fast.
“I can’t,” I typed back. “It’s late and we have work tomorrow.”
He answered immediately. “We have work to do tonight. Come out with me.”
“I can’t. Another time.”
“There’s no other time. Put on a cute dress and come out with me.”
“I really can’t.”
“I’ll be nice. We’ll dance, have a drink, and then I’ll get you home. You’ll be nice and rested for tomorrow.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I know. Because you actually want me to take you back to my apartment and make you feel things you’ve never felt before.”
“No. Because I want to sleep.”
“Dress sexy. Send me your address. I’ll come get you in ten minutes.”
I bit my lip, shaking my head. Why the hell was this happening to me?
And why was I actually considering it?
Truth was, I needed Owen to like me. I didn’t want to say no and have this awkward thing between us, but I also didn’t want to say yes and put myself in a bad position. Worst of all, I wanted to say yes, and I wanted him to do exactly what he was saying.
There was no winning position for me here. I knew that if I turned him down, he’d just come at me harder. Maybe it was better to just say yes and get this over with. I could be distant and make it clear that I wasn’t interested. He’d get the hint, and then we could go back to being professional together.
The problem with that was, I actually was interested. I just didn’t want to be.
“Okay,” I typed back. “Fine. One drink. One hour at most.” I typed my address and hit send.
“See you soon,” was all he said in response.
I got up, my heart hammering, and practically ran into my closet.
I was nervous as hell and knew I had made the wrong decision, but I didn’t have time to second-guess it. He was coming in ten minutes, and I needed to get dressed.
If I wanted to look good, I needed to hurry.
