Slam Dunk: A Second Chance Sports Romance

by Sinclaire, Roxy

  “Better than okay. The vice president wants to talk with you. You’ve got a meeting with him in half an hour. Your little vlog is taking off, and now they want to know the face behind the idea.”

  “Jesus, don’t let Elisa get to them, okay?”

  “I guess she didn’t tell you about that either, huh?”

  “What?” I said quickly. I couldn’t handle much more bad news.

  “She got caught sleeping with Melanie’s son. Got fired on the spot and blacklisted from the company. No one is going to let her around a camera for a very long time.”

  “Whoa! I guess that explains her bad attitude. Who’s the son?”

  “Carter Plum,” he said in a secretive whisper.

  I gasped. “Holy crap!”

  “Yeah, so they’re already on a war path. You need to get here and sell your idea before the window closes. Are you going to get here or what? If you’re contagious, though, I don’t want you back here. We can reschedule.”

  “No way,” I said quickly as I popped a couple of Tums into my mouth. “I am perfectly healthy. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Good,” he said before hanging up.

  I couldn’t think about Corey or our unborn child right now. I had to focus on work or else I was going to be a single, unemployed mother with no one to help. That wasn’t an option. I had to keep this job and make a name for myself before the industry realized I was pregnant. It could be a death sentence for my career if I didn’t stand out in the next few months. I thought about the future as I sped through traffic.

  By my calculations, I had another six months before I wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer. In that time, I had to become so valuable to ESPN that they wouldn’t let me go over the pregnancy. I had to be strong now, not just for myself. With no idea what I was going to do with a baby, I knew one thing for sure. Corey would never know he had a child.

  6

  Corey

  I’d been at my father’s for over an hour, and it was obvious that he was mad. The silence was deafening. Every attempt at conversation was shot down by him with a grunt or a nod. Eventually, he was going to have to talk to me. I knew what was bothering him. I just wasn’t willing to say it was my fault. Still, the silence hurt. I’d always done my best to make him happy. That wasn’t working anymore.

  I sighed and leaned back against the porch chair. “You’re going to have to talk to me at some point.” He said nothing so I started to stand up. “Fine, I’m just going to go then. I could be sitting in silence at my own apartment.”

  “What the hell was that last night?” he said quietly. “You call yourself a guard? I’ve seen ten-year-olds who could have moved that ball faster.”

  There it was.

  “Yeah, I know. I just wasn’t in the zone last night,” I muttered weakly.

  “Is it that damn girl? I thought you broke things off with her weeks ago, and now you’ve basically been a bench warmer for the first two games of the season!”

  I ground my teeth together. “It’s not her.”

  He looked at me for several seconds without saying anything. I had to look away. I couldn’t meet his stare. I knew it was a lie and so did he.

  Quickly recovering, I added, “I did break up with her. It’s been a month.”

  “Then what the hell is the problem? Not getting enough action? Are you losing your touch?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know, okay?”

  “Not okay!” he snapped.

  He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. I didn’t know what to tell him to make things better. I could say that I would try harder, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get her out of my head. My mother had left when I was young, leaving my father cold and only loving one thing. Basketball. He couldn’t understand that a woman could play such a big part in my life. More than that, he couldn’t accept that it was my life at all.

  “I’m not you,” I growled. “I love basketball, but I’m not going to stay single and do nothing but eat, breathe, and live basketball.”

  “You are young, though. Give it five years and you can have a trophy wife who will give me perfect grandsons and you won’t have to lift a finger.”

  “What about love, though?”

  “With a supermodel on your arm, who needs love?” he asked with a cackle. “I’m just trying to show you that women are not where your mind needs to be right now. Get back in that game and stop letting a woman screw up your dreams.”

  I nodded my head. Not because I agreed but because I wasn’t going to fight him on it any longer. Everyone seemed to be upset with me. It had reached the point where I couldn’t seem to do anything right. My father was disappointed, my team was ticked, and Brittany hadn’t spoken to me since I dumped her. That was the crux of the matter. I’d tried to end things when I never should have. I didn’t tell the team or my father, but I desperately wanted her back. As a matter of fact, I’d been trying for weeks now.

  It started with an interview but led to so much more. I watched her on my phone, talking and laughing with the third or fourth athlete she’d had on her vlog. He hit on her just like the others, but this time, she seemed to glow each time his inquiries made her blush. There was something so pure and wonderful about her. I could sense the chemistry between them even through the small screen. He made her laugh more than the prior guests.

  A few minutes later, I called her. There was no surprise when she didn’t answer. At least I’d let her know I wanted to talk again. Then, I waited. Hours went by, then days. I showed up late for practice once, not wanting to put down my phone for even a second and miss her call. That was just the beginning of it. I texted her when practice ended. Maybe I wasn’t making myself clear that I wanted to be with her again.

  By the time our first game rolled around, I’d sent Brittany two different flower arrangements along with half a dozen messages. I still couldn’t get her on the phone. She wouldn’t even send me a message back. The first game should have been my last. Our team won, but just barely. Halfway through, the coach benched me. It was the worst halftime break I’d ever had. Even before the team started in on me, the coach was there to drag me through the dirt.

  “What the hell is your problem? Where is your goddamn head at?” he screamed.

  I said nothing. There was no excuse for my actions. All I could do was take it and wonder in the back of my mind whether Brittany had gotten the roses I’d sent. It was like watching a movie of my own life without being able to control it. She was leeching into everything. There was no stopping the show.

  “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” he hissed.

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t know what happened out there.”

  “I do!” The coach bellowed. “Your damn head isn’t in the damn game! It’s like you want me to bench you!”

  “Coach,” I protested.

  He glared at me. “No, you want to sit your ass on the bench and watch Antwan get the offers, then have fun! What the hell do I know, right? I’m only the freaking coach!”

  “But I—”

  The coach threw up his hands and stormed out of the locker room. “I don’t want to hear it. You’re done.”

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered.

  I slammed my fist into my locker. This day was the worst that I’d ever had in the sport. It wasn’t enough that I missed Brittany. My career was going up in flames before my very eyes. I closed my eyes, letting the pain of the swing reverberate through my body. Something had to change or I was going to lose my scholarship and free ride through college. I just had to get my mind back on basketball. It wasn’t going to do me any good sitting on the bench for this game, but come practice tomorrow, I was going to give it all.

  “Wow, you know, I knew you weren’t giving it your all, but I really have to thank you for this total lack of effort,” hummed Antwan. “Today is my lucky day. Did you see the scout for the Ravens out there?” Antwan laughed. “Looks like I’ll be doing a few interviews later this
time, instead of you.”

  I couldn’t get into a fight, not when I was barely on the team as it was at this point. I didn’t say anything to him as I slumped down on the bench, wishing for halftime to end so we could get back out there. At least then, I wouldn’t have to deal with Antwan. I could watch the game and wait for Brittany to call or text.

  “Fun fact,” Antwan said as he sauntered by me. “I have an interview tomorrow with your ex. I think I might ask her out. Now that she’s single, I hear she’s more than happy to take a guy’s number.”

  I lunged at him, unable to control myself. Before I even made it to him, though, the other players were on me, holding me back from him. The bell chimed for us to make our way back onto the court and he skittered out before I could make a second attempt. I followed behind the rest of the team, taking my place up on the bench and feeling lower than ever.

  The only place I had any sort of comfort was my apartment. The other teammates had stopped coming over to invite me out. I didn’t miss their company. The less I saw of Jimmy or Antwan, the better I felt. I slumped down onto the bed and picked up my phone. My fingers instantly found Brittany’s vlog from memory. There wouldn’t be another new interview for at least an hour, but I had nothing else to do.

  Scrolling through the comments I saw a positive pattern. Everyone seemed to love what she was doing and her outgoing personality. I didn’t blame them. Brittany was unstoppable when she put her mind to something. The first negative comment that I saw made my heart race. It was posted by a woman claiming her husband had become obsessed with Brittany.

  No one online seemed to take the woman seriously, but I did when a short time later, a new screen name started to appear more frequently. It was the same man posting repeatedly. He wasn’t saying anything wrong, but the whole thing just felt weird to me. At first it was harmlessly commenting on her good looks, but then it escalated to talking about her perfect skin and wondering what her hair smelled like.

  The last message had been posted a week ago, then suddenly, they all seemed to stop. My phone lit up and before I could think about it, I answered the call coming through.

  “Hey, Dad, is everything okay?” I asked. I’d only just left his house.

  “Yeah,” he grumbled. “I just wanted to know if you had tickets for the next game for me?”

  “I don’t know if I can get any. It’s only a few days away now,” I said quickly. He watched every game on television, so he knew that I wasn’t playing. Having him there wouldn’t help the situation any.

  “Right,” he said. “I thought so. Maybe the next one. Think you’ll get a chance to play?”

  “I don’t know, okay?” I said. “Things are just weird right now, but I’m going to get my head on straight and figure it out.”

  “You’d better,” he grumbled. “You know I only want what’s best for you, right? I want you to have more than I did growing up.”

  “I know, Dad. I’ll see about getting you tickets to the next one, okay?” I promised.

  “Great, talk to you later then,” he muttered before ending the call.

  I wasn’t going to find out about tickets for this game, but maybe the next one. That would give me two weeks to figure out what the hell I was going to do about Brittany. I couldn’t keep driving myself insane all the time, though. Somehow, I had to get in there to talk to her. Even if she wouldn’t take my calls, I needed her to know how I felt.

  With a renewed sense of purpose, I jumped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. The apartment door opened and Jimmy stumbled in with a woman I recognized from the other night. They both sobered up some when they saw me standing there.

  “Well, I thought you’d be pining for your lost girlfriend by now,” he slurred.

  “Be nice to Corey!” the woman said, playfully slapping her drunken companion. “Just because he’s had a slump doesn’t mean it’s over.” She let go of Jimmy and stumbled over to me. “Let me know if there is anything you need. My name is Elisa.”

  “Great,” I muttered as I slowly backed away to my bedroom. “I will be sure remember that.”

  I quickly shut and locked the door behind me and took a deep breath. Elisa was the last kind of woman I wanted to be with, but I was only human. It would take a corpse not to notice the skintight leather outfit she’d been wearing that was enough to drive any sane man mad.

  7

  Brittany

  “So, how did the appointment go?” my mother asked.

  I sighed. “Everything is perfect, just like I told you it was going to be. You really need to stop worrying about me so much.”

  “What? It’s my job as your mother to worry about my daughter! You’ll know what I’m talking about here. Just you wait and see. Are you sure you won’t come home? I’m just worried sick.”

  “I’m not going to give up my job or the life I have here because of this child, Mom. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this.”

  “And what does your boss think?” she asked.

  “I haven’t told him yet. You and the family back home are the only people who know about it so far.”

  “Well, you know he’s going to figure it out at some point. You can’t hide that belly forever.”

  “I know that, Mom,” I told her. “I’m not an idiot, okay? I just need to figure out the best way to do it. The show is a hit so I know I’m not going to lose my job, but he’s a bit of a creep.”

  “This is just ridiculous! Maybe I should fly there and see what I can do to help you out.”

  I laughed. “And leave Dad all alone to fend for himself? That place would be a war zone in a week! I told you, I’m fine. I promise that if I start to have any problems, you will be the first to know.”

  “Not the father?” she asked in a quiet whisper.

  At once, I was grinding my teeth. It was a subject we’d gone back and forth on for the last three months since I’d told them. I’d even gone as far as flying home so I could tell them in person. That was the first time she tried to get me to stay, and every time I spoke to her now, she would ask me again. The one topic I refused to talk to them about was who the baby’s father was. That wasn’t a secret I was comfortable sharing with even my own mother.

  “Mom,” I warned.

  “It’s just such a silly thing. If he doesn’t know about the baby, how can he do the right thing?”

  “Have you been listening to Dad again? This isn’t the forties. Single moms do it all the time.”

  “But they’ve probably tried to get in touch with the fathers! No one wants to be a deadbeat dad.”

  “I don’t think he would be a bad father,” I muttered in defeat. “I just know that he doesn’t want kids right now. This isn’t what he would want. It’s just better if he doesn’t even know about the baby.”

  I was too tired to fight with her anymore. I knew that this wouldn’t be the end of the conversation. I was just prolonging the inevitable at this point. The vlog was taking off. It was doing so good, in fact, that I was up before dawn to go meet with the board on the fourth floor. It was an intimidating prospect to be meeting with the primarily female board of trustees. They were the wives, the women behind the company owners who made the money and deals. I had no idea why they wanted to see me, which only made things worse.

  “Is there something wrong with the father? Please don’t tell me that he’s a married man.”

  “Mother! Of course not!” I said quickly. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. You just won’t tell us anything, and its driving me insane. Is he your boss? You know, I saw a court program like this once. You could sue him and get enough money to provide for your child.”

  “Good God, Mother!” I yelled. “That is a terrible thing, and in either case, it’s not my boss, or my boss’s boss, or anyone I work with, okay? He’s just a guy I met here and hung out with a few times. I don’t want him in my or my baby’s life.”

  “Did you find out what you’re having?” she asked.r />
  I smiled. “No. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “That’s not very practical,” she muttered. “Who knows what colors to buy?”

  I’d pulled up to work and turned off my car. The air was starting to chill and I loved it. “Mom, I have to go. I have a meeting at work. If you want to buy something based on the color of it, then just buy it, okay? Boys wear pink and girls like sports nowadays, so it’s all okay. I promise, I’ll call you tonight and you can tell me all about my other flaws, okay?”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing? Pointing out your flaws, honey? I just want you to be taken care of. I wish you would let me and your father help you out. You shouldn’t be working so many hours in your condition.”

  “I’m pregnant, not dying!” I told her. “You worked through all of your pregnancies.”

  “Well, yes . . . but I had a husband to help me around the house too. And family if I needed help with anything.”

  “Once again, thank you for reminding me that I’m all alone out here. I promise, I really am okay, but I need to go.” It was a lie. I had half an hour before my appointment. “I love you and I will talk to you later.”

  Before she could complain about anything else I was doing with my life, I ended the call and quickly put my phone on vibrate. I couldn’t handle any more of my mother’s version of ‘help’ for the morning. This meeting could make or break my career. I needed to be on top of my game today.

  * * *

  “Brittany?” said Mrs. Vander, “Do you mind if I call you by your first name?”

  “Not at all,” I said with a smile.

  “How do you like it here so far?” asked the second woman.

  I’d forgotten her name, along with the third woman’s. Vander only stood out because her father owned over half the entire company.

  I cleared my throat. “It’s wonderful so far. I love doing the vlog.”