Slam Dunk: A Second Chance Sports Romance

by Sinclaire, Roxy

  Antwan didn’t think I deserved to be the starting guard. He wanted my position, and I had the sneaking suspicion that was why he’d pushed so hard for me to break up with Brittany. She made me happy, and when I was happy, I was on top of my game. Thinking about it just enraged me more. My fists clenched together. The coach had a pretty clear policy on in-team fighting, but today, I was willing to push that boundary.

  “Move,” I growled one last time.

  He laughed and stepped aside. “I think it’s time to change your tampon, man.”

  I ignored him, walking away and trying to keep my hot temper under control. It had been a rough few days since ending things with Brittany. She was all I could think about and my slacking game was a testament to that. Right now, I just needed to get out of there and not risk losing my place because of his pissy attitude. Fleeing wasn’t in my personality, but neither was beating up a teammate.

  “Aw, man,” I heard Antwan say from behind me. “He’s just mad that he dumped a hottie. Hundred bucks says I can tap that shit next.”

  It was the final straw. I dropped my bag and ran back to where he was standing. Rage washed over me as I pinned the towering asshole up against the lockers. The locker room fell silent, no one daring to move as I tightened my grip on his shirt and shoved him harder against the wall. He quickly shoved me back and I lost my footing for a second. Tumbling and catching myself, I lunged at him again. We both went careening to the ground.

  “Hey!” came a booming and familiar voice.

  In an instant, hands were ripping us apart and we were being shoved violently toward the coach’s office. It was always amusing to see our coach mad. His face became blotchy and red. It never failed that he would start to sweat, creating rings around his armpits and the collar of his shirt. Every once in a while, it would get so bad if we were having a bad practice or game that he’d have to slip away and change his shirt entirely.

  “Sit!” he yelled as he took the seat behind his desk. “I let it go when you two flopped ’em out over this girl before, but I won’t have my team fighting over a broad.”

  “We weren’t fighting over her,” Antwan said, his cynical tone grinding on my nerves. “I don’t want her. I mean, I wouldn’t kick her out of bed, but I’m not chasing his castaways.”

  “The only tail you ever get are the ones I turn down,” I told him.

  “What the hell do you know?” he muttered. “You’re so busy pining after your girlfriend that this team has taken a back seat.” Antwan turned his attention to the coach, trying to weasel his way into my place. “You should bench him now, Coach. Let me start for you while he nurses his poor little broken heart.”

  “Shut your mouth, Antwan,” I told him. “Even on my worst day, I’m still a better guard than you are.”

  “I’ll take you on any second of any day. Just name the time and place, Patton.”

  “That’s enough!” boomed the coach. “If you two can’t get past this and fix the problem, I’m going to bench the both of you! I don’t want to hear anything else about this woman, got it?”

  “Yes sir,” we both grumbled in unison.

  “Now get the hell out of my office.”

  I quickly grabbed my bag and jogged out of the office. Most of the team had cleared out except Jimmy. I tried to ignore him as I went for the door. Of course, he was waiting on Antwan. The two of them seemed inseparable. He egged Antwan on, not man enough to go out on his own.

  “Hey, you know that one chick was asking about you last night. Maybe giving her the goods will take your mind off the reporter.”

  “Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll pass.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Whatever, man. Just trying to ease the pain. Antwan is planning on getting to that reporter of yours. You and I both know that not many women can turn him down.”

  “Oh, yeah? If you think he’s so great, then maybe you should slip it to him,” I shot back.

  He slammed the locker door. “Maybe we’ll both take a turn with her.”

  I couldn’t get into another fight. The coach was already on edge. The best thing I could do was leave without any more trouble.

  “Go ahead and try,” I shot back as I opened the door. “She would kick both of your asses for thinking it.”

  It was the truth. Brittany was a wildcat. She wouldn’t think twice about slapping both of them right across the face if they got fresh with her. I hadn’t seen her since we’d broken up. She no longer waited with Patrick outside our locker room for post-practice interviews. Brittany wouldn’t go to the clubs where Antwan and the team spent time. She didn’t like clubbing or shaking her ass in public at all. I was the only one she shook it for. My heart lurched as I jumped into my car and hit the road.

  There was nothing I could do about the memories. They attacked me every time I was alone. Brittany shaking her body. I shuddered. She’d danced for me more than once. Two weeks ago had been the last time. It was a really bad practice that day. I hadn’t gone back home to shower or change before going right to her apartment. When I stepped out of the shower, she was waiting for me.

  I swallowed hard when I saw her. Dripping wet, I let the towel I had wrapped around me fall to the floor. She was standing in the doorway of the bedroom wearing nothing more than a short silk robe. As she ran her fingers up her hips and exposed her shaved womanhood, my cock sprang to life at once. She tugged on the string holding it closed and it fell open. Her perfect breasts bounded free, her pink nipples hardened.

  Licking my lips, I let my shaft jump up and down at attention. There was already precum dripping from my tip as she wiggled free from the robe and let it fall to the floor. Her skilled fingers moved over her body, rubbing seductively as her hips moved in sequence with the dripping water from the shower. I knew what she wanted. Brittany loved to watch me as I watched her. I reached down and slowly started to stroke my shaft. I couldn’t hold on for very long, though. Brittany quenched my urges perfectly.

  Her fingers moved lower on her body, slipping between her delicate folds and diving inside. She spread her legs, giving me a full show. I let go of my shaft, unable to take any more of her sweet torture. I dropped to my knees in front of her, lapping up her delicious nectar as her fingers tangled through my hair and crushed my mouth against her clit. She quivered under my touch, my throbbing boner begging to be buried inside her.

  I couldn’t wait. Grabbing her hips and pulling myself up, I lifted her up. My cock plunged into her body and she screamed out my name. She wrapped her legs around me as I pressed her back against the bedroom door. It didn’t take much. After a few thrusts into her tight core, I was exploding into her waiting body as she shuddered on my phallus. In that moment, she was my entire world. I knew that I loved her. I knew that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. How could I anticipate how much things would change?

  “Hey!” screamed an angry voice. Pounding pulled me away from the memory and I quickly looked up.

  The coach was standing at my driver’s side window. “What the hell are you doing, Patton? Go home!”

  I rolled down the window, awkwardly pulling my bag over my lap to hide the boner the memory had given me. “Sorry, Coach, just thinking about what I want to do today.”

  “Maybe you should try going to class for a change,” he said. “At the rate you’re going, you’ll need the degree to get by in life.”

  “I know I haven’t been on my game,” I muttered. “I promise I’ll do better.”

  “Do or don’t, but stop wasting my time,” he hissed before storming away.

  “Shit,” I muttered, trying to get myself under control.

  If I didn’t take care of myself soon, things were going to get bad. My mind wasn’t where it should be so close to game day. Brittany had me all screwed up. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind but failing. Gunning the engine, I sped out of the parking lot as soon as I saw Antwan and Jimmy leaving the stadium. I wasn’t going to go back to the apartments. The coach wouldn’t be there
to break up more fights and I didn’t trust myself around either of them. Rage was boiling inside of me.

  I tried to keep my mind on the drive but it was no use. Brittany crept back in, her sweet voice and tempting body distracting me at every turn. I told myself that she was gone and would never be a part of my life again, but I couldn’t ignore the permanent presence that she’d carved into my heart. I wanted her. I wanted to be with her and tell her that I loved her. One thought of the team, though, and the idea was gone. How could I be with her and still be a player?

  I couldn’t. I had to forget about her. As much as I hated the idea, I pulled a U-turn and headed for the apartments. If going out with them meant I would forget my pain and all about Brittany, then it was worth a shot. The night before, all I’d done was sulk in a corner, but not tonight. My future was too important to leave behind because of a woman. What would my father think if I told him I missed a girl? I made up my mind. I was going to party until I couldn’t see straight and sleep with every woman who showed interest.

  5

  Brittany

  “Have you had any other symptoms?” the nurse asked.

  I shook my head. “No, just the vomiting. Look, I’m missing work to be here. It’s just the flu. Give me an antibiotic and cut me loose, please.”

  She smiled passively. “I know you’re in a hurry. People always are when they come to the doctor, but we need to rule out every possibility before we can prescribe you anything.”

  “Fine,” I said. “It started a few days ago and doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”

  “Okay, great. We should have the lab results in a little bit. Just sit tight, okay?”

  “How long is a ‘little bit’?” I asked.

  I knew that she was just doing her job, but I had other things that I needed to get done today. The higher powers at work were giving me the green light on my vlog. They had absolutely loved the demo I sent them. Even though the interview was a just with a second-string player, the ratings were promising. As the nurse left and closed the door behind her, I flipped open my laptop and watched the interview again. It was the fourth time that day and the number of views kept rising.

  My stomach did a flip when I saw it had surpassed ten thousand views. For once, it wasn’t from being sick but from excitement. It wasn’t what you’d expect from a predominantly male company. Instead of talking about his average runs, touchdowns, batting average, or other sports numbers, the conversation centered around his life. That’s what our female base wanted to know about, not the other nonsense.

  “Can you tell the viewers a little bit about your personal life?” I asked on screen.

  “Um, like, where I live and stuff?”

  I laughed. “No. Are you single? Dating?”

  He blushed. “Single. I don’t have a girlfriend right now. What about you? Any boyfriends?”

  Now it was my turn to blush. “That isn’t relevant.”

  “Tit for tat, Brittany,” he said with a wink.

  “I . . .” I quickly thought for a second. “I am not in a relationship, no.”

  He leaned forward with a charming smile. “Would you like to be?”

  Again, I laughed. “Your turn. Relationship?”

  “Nope,” he said as he leaned back. “I don’t want to break any hearts out there, but I think you’ve stolen mine.”

  I didn’t think about it as I laughed. This was the sort of flirting that I could deal with. He was sweet and charming at the time. After the segment, when he asked me out and I declined, he remained cheerful and upbeat. It was nice not to be hassled. Before it aired, I showed the demo to my bosses and the player’s team. The reception was warm and welcoming. For the first time since I’d started at ESPN, I felt like I was doing something I could enjoy. Sports weren’t interesting to me, but I made sure to know everything I could about all sports to move up in the industry.

  When the waiting room door opened again, I jumped. I hadn’t been expecting the nurse back for at least an hour. “Oh!”

  “How are you doing in here?”

  I looked around, a little puzzled. “Um, it’s only been a few minutes.”

  She shrugged. “We didn’t need to run the blood tests.”

  I sighed with relief. “Thank God. Finally, some sense. So, where can I pick up my prescription?”

  “You can get the vitamins at any drugstore.” she said casually. “You’ll need to make an appointment with your OB/GYN as soon as possible. They will be able to give you a due date, how far along you are, that sort of thing.”

  “What? What the hell are you talking about?”

  The nurse looked at me, confused for a second before she smiled. “Oh, honey, you don’t have the flu. It’s just morning sickness. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re just about six weeks along at this point.”

  I could hear what she was saying but my mind couldn’t seem to process her words. My heart started to race as I grabbed ahold of the cold chair. I closed my eyes, tunnel vision setting in and the nausea taking over. The nurse was asking me if I was okay but I couldn’t answer. I could barely breathe, as a matter of fact. This couldn’t be happening. I was only twenty-one years old.

  “Do you know who the father is?” she asked me softly as she put a hand on mine.

  “Um,” I choked out. “The what? Father? Yeah. Yeah, I know who it is.”

  “Maybe you should give him a call when you leave here. Do you have someone you can talk to? We have a hotline here.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  Call him? Call Corey after he’d made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with me? That wouldn’t be a conversation I was having any time soon. He would think I did it intentionally. How was this even possible? I’d taken the morning after pill then started on birth control right away. It had to be wrong. Doctors got test results mixed up all the time.

  “T–this can’t be right,” I stammered. “I can’t be pregnant.”

  “Are you sexually active?”

  “Well, yeah, but we used birth control.”

  She shook her head. “No birth control is entirely foolproof. It happens all the time. You have several different options.”

  “I just don’t know, I . . .” What the hell could I say?

  “Take all the time you need,” she said softly before leaving me alone in the room.

  It was slowly starting to set in. I was pregnant and I’d only been with one person in months. The child I was carrying was Corey Patton’s, rising star and huge asshole. I could never tell him. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I couldn’t call my parents. The shame alone would kill me. There was no one here that I knew except people from work. Suddenly, I found myself upset that I hadn’t made more friends. Back home, I was a social butterfly, but not here.

  I left quickly after that, slipping out while the nurse was busy with another patient. She was kind hearted and well-meaning, but I didn’t need her sympathy. I needed a plan to get out of the situation. My morning had started off perfectly with the vlog and rising numbers, but now the world was crashing down. I sat in my car for some time, shaking and putting together the pieces. It made sense. It must have happened right when we first got together.

  My phone rang. It was Elisa. She was the last person I wanted to talk to, but I knew the call would be coming. I was already in a bad mood, so why not deal with one more problem while I was at it?

  “Hello?” I said.

  “What the hell! I just heard from Tim that you’re doing the vlog. I thought it was a team project, but you’re taking all the credit.”

  “Well, Elisa, you didn’t do any of the work, so why do you think I should put you on there with me?”

  “Because I look great in front of the camera, of course! I can’t believe you did this, you conniving bitch.”

  “If you want to take this to the higher powers, then by all means, go for it. I’m sure they would love to know how you’ve been using the company credit cards for
your own shopping.”

  “Those outfits are for the players! Do you know how much I know about them because of those tight skirts?”

  “I bet you could tell me every jock’s size. So, what’s it going to be? Wanna keep going with this, or are you going to drop it and go back to doing what you’re good at?”

  “And just what is that?”

  “Sleeping with the players, of course,” I said quickly.

  She screamed into the phone, “Don’t think that I don’t know about you and Patton! It’s all the other players were talking about. A ‘cute’ reporter. Well, I have news for you. I want him, he’s mine, and I’m going to make sure that we rub every kiss, grab, and date in your ugly face.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at how desperate she sounded. “Go for it! He’s all yours. Enjoy my sloppy seconds.”

  I slammed the phone down. Part of me did feel better after telling her off, but it wasn’t enough. I was still bubbling over with anger at the situation. What the hell was I going to do? Abortion? Adoption? Somewhere in the back of my mind, I already knew the answer. I couldn’t give up my baby, no matter who the father was.

  A number from the office popped up again and I answered. “Jesus, Elisa, I told you I don’t care who you go whoring around with.”

  “Excuse me?” Patrick said. “Please don’t tell me you got tangled up in that woman’s world. She’s bad news.”

  “Patrick! I am so sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

  “I guess so,” he muttered. “Where the hell are you? You said you had an appointment but that you were coming back. Do you have any idea what’s going on here?”

  “No,” I said, quickly starting my car and pulling out of the parking lot. “Sorry. The appointment ran a little longer than I thought, but I’m heading back now. Is everything okay?”