by Jessica Ashe
Leona’s email had been a stark reminder. I couldn’t bring myself to kiss Barton again, no matter how much I wanted to. And boy, did I want to. He could have had me up against the door, and I wouldn’t have stopped him.
I went into the office at eight in the morning. Leona wouldn’t be there yet, but I wanted to be waiting for her when she arrived. Besides, I couldn’t sleep at home, and I needed to think of an excuse.
I could say it was a work dinner, I suppose. If I did that, I’d have to charge my time, so Barton would be paying to take me to dinner. What did that make me? Nope, that wouldn’t be a good excuse.
Perhaps I could use Tasha as an excuse? She’d used me as an excuse to get out of dates before, so I wouldn’t need to feel guilty about it. That might work, but it depended on just how mad Leona was. Regular mad? Or mad mad?
“Kristi, my office, now.”
The screech came from the other end of the hall, but she often communicated that way. I couldn’t read too much into it just yet.
“Morning, Leona,” I said politely. If I could convince myself I hadn’t done anything wrong, then perhaps I could convince Leona too.
“Mind telling me why you were on a date with our client last night?” Leona asked. She’d never been one for pleasant formalities.
“It wasn’t a date,” I insisted. “Turns out my sister is friends with one of Barton’s friends, so we hung out just the four of us.”
Leona swung her monitor round to face me. “These pictures make the two of you look fairly cozy.”
The amateur photographer had captured me looking longingly at Barton, and in another I was laughing at a comment of his about lawyers. It did look like a date, and helpfully Tasha and Clyde had been completely cut out.
“My sister is sitting right next to me. And I’m not even laughing at Barton,” I lied. “I’m laughing at a story Clyde told about my sister from college.”
Hopefully Leona didn’t know who Clyde was. If she did, she’d quickly figure out that he was younger than her and they couldn’t have gone to college together.
“It doesn’t even matter what the truth is,” Leona said. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in this position.”
“The sponsors like to see him out and about wearing their clothes.”
“Except he wasn’t wearing any clothes from sponsors.”
“Oh. Well, it’s important I maintain a close relationship with Barton. That way he’ll trust me.” And he’ll end up even more hurt when he finds out I’ve been lying to him this entire time.
“He’s already got good reason to trust you—the work you’ve been doing for him has paid off. He looks good—a little too good. You’ve got him going out in the evening looking respectable, and saying boring things on Twitter. No one wants this.”
“Except his team,” I snapped.
“Don’t get smart with me, Kristi. Do you want to keep working with Barton?”
“Of course I do, but—”
“Then do as you’re told.”
“I’ve given him control of his Twitter account. He’s bound to slip up eventually.”
Or maybe not. He hadn’t so far. He’d ignored all the comments from slutty women trying to get on his dick, and had replied to fans with just the right balance of humor and respect.
“Good,” Leona replied. “And the next time Barton wants to go to dinner, make sure he has some trashy blonde hanging off his arm. Use Jessie if you don’t have one available.”
I couldn’t imagine there would ever be a shortage of young women willing to fill that role.
“Will do,” I replied, unable to hide how defeated and dejected I now felt.
I stood up to leave, but Leona called me back as I was about to open the door.
“Good work on the hours, by the way. The bill is going to be huge this month.”
“Great.” I added a healthy dose of sarcasm, but it was lost on Leona. Probably for the best.
No one expected me to be around the office these days, so as soon as the meeting was over I went straight home. Barton had already texted to ask me about the meeting, but I ignored it. Hiding the truth was one thing, but lying was another altogether. Barton thought of me as a little goody-two-shoes, who wouldn’t do a thing wrong. I only wished that were true.
“No work today?” I asked Tasha, as I found her crashed out on the sofa watching television.
I didn’t hear Tasha come home last night, but her bedroom door had been closed when I’d left for work in the morning. I’d been up most of the night, so if she’d have brought Clyde home then chances were I’d have known about it.
“I’m working,” Tasha replied, pointing to the laptop open in front of her.
“When you get fired, how will we pay for this apartment?”
“I’m not getting fired. Believe it or not, when I put the effort in, I’m quite the competent journalist.”
“Hmm, if you say so. Is Clyde around?”
“No, he’s not,” Tasha replied pointedly. “He escorted me home and then we went our separate ways.”
“Oh. Sorry. You two seemed to be getting on well.”
“We were. We are. Just because we didn’t sleep together doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing each other again.”
“But you’ve seen him twice already. Why haven’t you slept with him yet?”
“Says the twenty-one-year-old virgin.”
“I’m not a virgin.”
“You might as well be. Can you even still remember how to do it?”
“You lie there and open your legs, Tasha. It’s not rocket science.”
“Oh sweetie, there is so much for you to learn.”
“I’m waiting for the right teacher.”
“Seems to me like you’ve already found him,” Tasha said. “I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t stay the night.”
“I guess Barton has more in common with Clyde than I first realized. He walked me home and that was it.” What harm was a little white lie?
“I can’t imagine Barton giving up that easily. He must have at least tried it on.”
As much as I trusted Tasha, I now had the distinct feeling that everything I said would make it back to Barton, via Clyde.
“Nothing’s going to happen with Barton,” I replied. “He’s my client.”
“Oh, don’t give me that crap again.
“It’s true. I just got an earful from my boss for going out with him last night.” I slumped down on the sofa next to Tasha, and she immediately put her arm around my shoulder. She always could sense when I needed a bit of sisterly affection. “I don’t know what to do. This sucks.”
“Do you like him?” Tasha asked.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Answer the question, Kristi.”
“Fine, yes, I like him. I guess. I know it’s just a crush though.”
“Know what you should do with a crush?” I shook my head. “Fuck them.”
“That’s your solution to everything,” I pointed out. “You even suggested that as the best way to get the cable fixed last year.”
“Hey, that cable guy was hot, and he hooked us up with all the channels for free. I’ve always found technicians surprisingly good in bed. They know where everything should go, and they’re good with their hands.”
“I’m not going to be able to watch HBO anymore without thinking about you having sex with the cable guy.”
“Maybe if you had a sex life of your own….”
“I’m not going to sleep with him. End of. Anyway, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you changed the subject from talking about you and Clyde. Come on, spill the beans.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Like hell there isn’t.” I grabbed Tasha’s laptop and placed it on the floor. It’s not like she was using it anyway, and she sure as hell wasn’t working. “I want to know everything.”
Chapter 14
Barton
The only time I wasn’t thinking of Kristi was when I was
throwing the football. Scratch that, I often pictured her on the sidelines cheering me on, and imagined how she would react to every touchdown.
She’d ingrained herself deep into my life. Every time I interacted with fans, I took her advice on board.
Be enthusiastic. Imagine that this team is the only one in the country that matters. Oh, and you don’t have to screw the female fans.
My manager called me in after training, and expressed his delight at how I’d turned my image around in such a short space of time. In his words, “I’ve not been informed of one single fuck up. Well done.”
To top it all off, my best friend was dating her sister. There was simply no getting away from Kristi, and I didn’t want to. But was the feeling mutual?
Kristi had barely replied to my messages since the night of the kiss, and when she had, the messages had been formal and dry instead of sexy and witty. She’d changed the way she spoke to me just like I had changed the way I interacted with my fans. That couldn’t be good.
I checked my phone after training. My mood perked up when I saw a couple of missed calls, but then it quickly went back down when I saw they were from my sister. She wasn’t the woman I wanted to be talking to right now, but I called her back anyway. The longer she waited to talk to me, the more she insisted on talking. Short but sweet calls were the best way to deal with her.
“Hey, sis, what do you want?”
“I just want to catch up with my brother,” May replied defensively. “According to Lance, the season starts soon, so I imagine you must be nervous.”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just getting my head down and focusing on training.” And Kristi. Mainly Kristi.
“Yes, I’d noticed an absence of scandal lately. Have you been ill?”
“No, I’ve not been… May?”
“Yes?”
“Tell Lance I’m just fine, so he can go ahead and put me in his fantasy team.”
May laughed, and I heard a “thanks, Barton,” from Lance in the background, confirming that I’d been on speaker the entire time.
“He was worried about you,” May explained.
“So just because I wasn’t photographed with half-naked women, he thought I might be ill?”
“I did, too. It’s not like you. And it’s not just that. We saw you pictured with a young lady the other night. That wouldn’t be the one helping you with your image, would it?”
“Yeah, that’s her,” I admitted.
“She’s pretty.”
“And you’re not at all subtle.”
“It looked a lot like a date.”
“It was,” I replied. “But not for us. We were just there to support Clyde. He’s dating her sister.”
“You two make a cute couple,” May said. “And she looks a lot nicer than the girls you usually ‘date.’ ”
“You mean the ones I usually fuck. I don’t date.”
“Yes, I’m well aware of that little brother, but the kids are listening. So you don’t have any feelings for this woman at all?”
“No,” I said defiantly. “Not unless you count the feeling I get in my pants when she bends over in those tight little—”
“Alright, alright, I was just asking.”
“Well don’t. Look, I know you want me to have settle down somewhere with a white picket fence, but that just ain’t happening. I’m not the type. Sorry, but Tommy and Darren aren’t going to have any little cousins to play with just yet.”
Tasha sighed, but gave up the argument. “Speaking of the kids, they want to see their favorite uncle. Can we come and visit?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Because you’ve put me on the spot and I can’t think of a decent excuse.
“Excellent. We’ll pop down tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice, Barton. My kids are angels; I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”
“They’re little shits,” I replied.
“Yeah, I know, but I gotta love ’em. See you soon.”
Those kids were a handful, but I could take them along to training. That would keep them occupied for a bit.
Tonight I had my first proper interview since I started working with Kristi. I hadn’t given an interview since my promotion to first team quarterback. The last time I’d done a one-on-one interview with a reporter, I’d shown up with my fly still undone from having been sucked off just before it started. Turned out the little lovely in question was the reporter’s sister. He didn’t go easy on me after that, especially after I’d referred to her as ‘an average pair of lips, at best.’ At least this interview couldn’t possibly go any worse.
The doorbell rang when I was buck-naked, getting changed for the interview. The old me would have gone down there with it all hanging out. If it was a woman, I’d end up getting laid. If it was a guy, I’d give him a story to tell his friends.
That was the old me. The new me got dressed first. I shouldn’t have bothered.
“Kristi? Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I just came by to wish you luck.”
“You came all the way to my apartment just to wish me luck?” The interview started in less than an hour, but there was just time….
“I need to tell you something.”
Kristi had the look of someone about to deliver bad news. She came inside and walked silently over to the apartment. It probably looked very different from the last time she’d come here. There were no half-naked women for one thing. It was also tidy—kind of. “Man tidy” as my mom used to call it.
“You want a drink?” I asked.
Kristi shook her head. “I’m not staying. I wanted to wish you good luck for the interview tonight.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“Oh. I need to tell you something.”
“You’ve said that too. What is it, Kristi? I’m starting to get a little worried here.”
“I’m quitting. I can’t work as your advisor any more, and I don’t want to work anywhere near Leona.”
“What the hell’s brought this on? Kristi, I need you. You’re the reason I’m still on the team. If it weren’t for you, I’d have been given the boot by now. Is this about us? I’m not going to tell your boss that we’re fucking.”
“We’re not fucking.”
“We will be soon.”
Kristi shook her head, but I caught a glimmer of a smile. She hated and loved my arrogance at the same time.
“I’m leaving now,” she said. “I really did just want to wish you good luck and give you the news in person.”
Kristi stood up and walked quickly towards the door. I couldn’t let her leave—not like this.
“Bullshit,” I called out.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. This is bullshit. You don’t want to quit your job, you’re just doing it because you think it’s the right thing to do. You have feelings for me, and it scares you.”
“No, I came here to say goodbye.”
“You came here to fuck me.”
Kristi let out an exasperated laugh. “How are you this arrogant? I’d hoped you might have come back down to Earth in the last couple of weeks, but you’re worse than ever.”
“You didn’t deny it.”
“I shouldn’t have to.”
“Still not denying it. You came here to fuck me, you just can’t admit it to yourself.”
I narrowed the gap between us one foot at a time, as if I were hunting an animal that might run at the slightest sound.
“I have more self-respect than to fuck someone like you,” Kristi replied. Her words were vicious, but her voice didn’t carry any anger or venom.
“Someone like me? You mean someone with a huge cock, who could make you come over and over again until you beg me to stop?”
She stared at me sternly as I came within touching distance. “Yes,” she said softly. “Someone like that.”
“We could do it right here, right now.”
>
“I’m not going to beg you,” she replied.
“You are, Kristi. I guarantee it.”
Chapter 15
Kristi
I stood in Barton’s apartment with my feet rooted to the spot. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to.
Barton had been right. I hadn’t come here to quit and wish him good luck. That was a lie I’d told myself and him. I’d come here to see him. To see him and to… God, I don’t even know.
Why do I want a guy who drives me up the fucking wall? He hadn’t changed since we’d met—he was still the same cocky, arrogant asshole he’d always been. He was just better at hiding it now. And I still wanted him.
He wanted me to beg him, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even admit that I had feelings for him, let alone beg him for sex. Barton turned away and walked back to the sofa, sitting down with his legs spread wide, and his eyes looking up at me.
“Come over here,” Barton commanded.
“I thought you weren’t going to ask me for sex.” I took two steps towards him anyway, but I was still closer to the door than to him. I could leave whenever I wanted. So why didn’t I?
“I’m not. Like I said, you’re going to beg for it. Maybe not now, but you will. Now, come over here.”
I walked towards the sofa and went to sit next to him. He lifted up his hand to stop me.
“Take off your clothes.”
I laughed awkwardly. “You’re joking?”
“I’m not joking, Kristi. Take them off.”
I’d never stripped for a guy before. I’d gotten naked with a guy, but I’d never stripped for them. I’d certainly never been naked with a guy like Barton.
Nerves filled my stomach. Would he compare me to all the other women he’d seen naked? I had a nice enough figure, but I wasn’t exactly a calendar model either.
I slowly opened three buttons on my blouse. Barton sat there captivated as I revealed the top of my lacy white bra. I shifted awkwardly on the spot, as I opened the rest of the buttons while keeping the top held together with my hand.
