Torment

by Chloe Fischer

  And she seems to be relishing in the attention too, doesn’t she? He thought furiously as he stormed toward the locker room, unable to watch anymore.

  “Good practice,” Sawyer told him. “Ready to take on the Tigers on Friday?”

  Darien didn’t respond, his mind still on what he’d witnessed with Odette on the field.

  “Hello? Earth to dickhead?” Sawyer jeered. “Are you with me?”

  He looked at his friend and managed a tight smile.

  “Louisiana sucks,” he replied, finally registering the question. “I wish we had a real challenge.”

  “Buckeyes in two weeks,” Sawyer reminded him.

  “Ohio sucks too,” he replied and Sawyer chuckled, the pair exchanging a high five.

  “Everyone sucks with you as our quarterback,” Sawyer replied magnanimously. Darien found himself touched by the compliment. They were friends, for certain, teammates to the bitter end but sentimental feelings rarely entered their talks. Not that Darien had any doubt that his team thought him a great player.

  “Hot broad coming through!” O’Conner yelled. “Make way for a hot broad!”

  Darien didn’t need to be told who it was and he quickly grabbed for a towel to head toward the showers. He didn’t want to spend another minute around Odette that day. As he moved, Odette appeared, her gaze unassumingly falling over his bare chest. Even from the distance between them, he could see the interest in her brown eyes as they raked over his abs and back toward his face. He found himself unable to move, again matching gazes with hers as if he was drawn there.

  To his disgust, she offered him a tentative smile.

  “Damn. She’s checking you out,” Sawyer whispered in a stage hiss, loud enough for Odette to hear and blush. Grunting, Darien ignored him and hustled back toward the showers.

  “Well, if you don’t want the attention, I’ll take it,” Grayson called, watching the scene but Darien was already turning on the shower and drowning out the sound of the banter around him.

  Quickly, he soaped himself, lathering the shampoo through his hair and letting the suds slip along the smooth, muscular lines of his body to fall at his feet. He couldn’t help but wonder what was happening out in the room beyond but he forced himself to ignore his curiosity.

  But if they’re going gaga over her, they’re going to get hurt, a nagging voice in his head reminded him. She’s destructive. You know that. You know her articles and you know what bad journalists can do. You can’t let her poke around here.

  The thought was enough to make him turn off the shower and hurriedly towel off, looping the terrycloth around his waist. He rejoined the team in the locker area and saw that Odette was still there, enveloped by his friends. A newly familiar spark of irritation coursed through him but he knew it wasn’t annoyance he was feeling, not really.

  Shut up. You’re not jealous. You’re being cautious.

  “…against Louisiana on Friday?” Odette was asking Vernon, her phone jutted out toward him as she recorded his response.

  “Well,” Vernon chuckled. “If I had to guess—”

  “Hey!” Darien boomed out before Vernon could finish his answer. All eyes turned to him, including Odette who eyed him warily. He gave her his best winning smile and sauntered closer, noting the way her eyes struggled to remain on his face.

  “Yes?” Odette asked, realizing that he was speaking to her.

  “If you want an exclusive after the game, I’ll give you one,” he told her.

  “Thunder-stealer,” Vernon grumbled, stepping back but his mumbling was good-natured. Odette’s eyes widened and she nodded.

  “Really?” she asked, hurrying to meet him halfway.

  “Yep—on one condition.”

  Odette paused and looked at him, suspicion clouding her eyes again.

  “Actually, two conditions,” he added as an afterthought.

  “Well?”

  Darien looked around at his teammates who seemed just as interested in his proposal as she did.

  “First, you have to come to the game in Tigers’ swag and sit among MSU,” he drawled, his grin growing wider and crueler. Odette seemed dismayed.

  “W-why?” she demanded.

  “Because that’s one of my conditions,” he replied shortly. “If you don’t want an interview with the quarterback—”

  “No, no, I do,” she interjected quickly, paling slightly as the team tittered slightly, not understanding why Darien was making such a demand. “What’s the other thing?”

  “You get the hell out of here and stop bugging us at practices from now on.”

  The men groaned and Odette began to shake her head but Darien held up his hand.

  “If you refuse,” he continued loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You and I will never speak. Ever. You’ll go through the entire year without getting a single quote from me.”

  Odette’s mouth had parted but no sound had come out. She stared at him, her brow furrowing as if she didn’t understand any of what he was asking.

  “Just the practices?” she finally said. “I can still come to the games?”

  Darien shrugged and nodded, knowing he couldn’t push his luck—yet.

  “Oh come on!” Grayson cried. “I was just getting used to having something to look forward to after practice.”

  “Nothing happens at practice,” Darien reminded him.

  Nothing except a bunch of oversexed men are looking to unleash all their energy after practice, he added silently. Slowly, Odette nodded and tucked her phone back into her bag, casting the others a half-smile as she backed away.

  “You heard the terms, gentlemen. I guess I’ll see you all on Friday.”

  A round of boos and jeers followed her out of the change room and suddenly all eyes were on Darien again.

  “What was that all about?” Sawyer chuckled. “She’ll get her ass kicked if she wears LSU garb in the middle of an MSU crowd.”

  “No one is going to lay a hand on her,” Darien replied with more confidence than he felt. He didn’t want to see her hurt, not really. He just wanted to see her humiliated.

  “What is your beef with that girl?” Allister insisted. “I read some of the articles she wrote and they’re really good. Why do you hate her so much?”

  Tension fused down Darien’s spine but his jaw locked.

  How can I explain to them what articles like that do to individuals? Odette ruins lives with the flick of a keystroke. She doesn’t think of the aftermath, of what happens to the people affected by the words she writes.

  Of course, there was no way to explain his feelings, not without more questions rising, questions that would put the people he most loved in jeopardy.

  Melody has endured enough. I can’t put her through any more than she’s already been through.

  “And I don’t mind if she comes by and checks out my junk after practice!” Vernon added, causing the others to snort.

  “No one is looking at your junk when Dare is standing there with his horse cock hanging out,” Sawyer snickered. Embarrassed, Darien realized that his towel had slid open, leaving him exposed. He wondered how much Odette had seen.

  What the hell do you care? The important thing is, she’s out of your way for now.

  “If you are so hellbent on seeing her, go by the State office and woo her with your little dick,” Darien retorted, fixing his towel. The men laughed again but Darien knew they didn’t care one way or another if Odette came by. The knowledge filled him with a slight relief. It was bad enough he’d have to see her at games but at least he wouldn’t have to watch his friends falling all over themselves to get her attention.

  He grabbed for his clothes but Allister appeared at his side again.

  “Seriously, man, what is your beef with her? She seems like a nice enough girl.”

  “You mean you’ve got a woody for her,” Darien corrected curtly. “Trust me—I’m doing the entire team a favor by keeping her away.”

  Allister shrugged, sensing that was al
l he was going to get from the man.

  “If you say so. But seriously, she might get herself into trouble wearing LSU gear on Friday.”

  Darien snorted.

  “If she’s a sports reporter, she should be used to dealing with the opposition. It’s part of her job, isn’t it?”

  Allister didn’t answer but Darien didn’t miss the look his teammate gave him as he shuffled away.

  He thinks I’m overreacting but am I really? I know firsthand what lies can do.

  “We going for a drink tonight?” Sawyer demanded as Darien slid on his socks. He could feel the trickle of water sliding down his back, his body only half-dried from his shower.

  “Not tonight,” he said firmly. “I have somewhere to be.”

  Sawyer gave him a wry grin.

  “Are you a spy or something?” he teased. “You always have ‘somewhere to be’.”

  “Yep. You can call me Double Agent Fowler, if you want.”

  He clapped Sawyer on the back and gathered his things before calling out to the others and disappearing out the door.

  “See you tomorrow.”

  He had a four-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of him and Melody was waiting for him back home. He hoped that night he’d get more rest than he had the previous night and as he made his way to his beat-up Chevy truck in the student parking lot, he wondered how much longer he was going to be able to live this double life.

  Double Agent Fowler indeed. Just not the way Sawyer thinks.

  Chapter 5

  Marcus’ mouth almost hit the floor when he saw how Odette was dressed.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake…” he muttered. “Are you kidding me right now? This is MICHIGAN STATE, Odette. MICHIGAN, not LOUISIANA.”

  Odette gave him a mirthless smirk.

  “Oh yeah?” she replied sardonically. “Thanks for the clarification.”

  “No, seriously, what the hell are you doing? Go get changed before you get your ass kicked. Honestly, are you trying to get yourself fired?”

  Odette bristled at the question, her jaw tightening in indignation.

  No, you asshole. I’m going for the exact opposite result. I’m trying to keep my job, even though I’m floundering through.

  For a week, Marcus had been on her about an article but Odette hadn’t known what to give him. There hadn’t been any games and nothing of interest had happened on any front. Aside from pumping out stats about the players, she genuinely had nothing to give him. The exclusive that Darien promised was supposed to break her into Marcus’ good graces but so far, that was failing.

  Of course, Odette hadn’t expected her superior to see her before she’d already gotten the story but a last-minute stop at the State office had unexpectedly turned into an inquisition.

  “I know what I’m doing,” she told him confidently. “It’s all for my story.”

  “If your story is about an idiot reporter who was blatantly looking to get physically harmed during a football game, I think I know how it ends,” Marcus growled. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

  Embarrassment crept into Odette’s face and she chewed on the insides of her cheeks to keep from blurting out the deal she’d made with Darien. The truth was, it was humiliating that she had agreed to his terms but her job was hanging in the balance. She didn’t need to be told that Darien was the star player of the Wolverines and that losing any potential to talk with him would certainly be a black mark against her.

  For whatever reason, Darien didn’t seem to like her and while that realization had hurt at first, Odette knew she needed to push past it—and the attraction she had toward him—for the sake of her reporting. She hadn’t taken on the job to get laid. She’d taken it on to prove to Marcus that she could do anything. It was her secret hope that once he saw how versatile she was, he would move her back to current events.

  Once he thinks the punishment has been carried out, he’ll be hard-pressed to keep me in sports. I just need to get through his probation and break through Darien’s hard shell and I’ll be okay.

  At that moment, Odette wasn’t sure which was going to be more improbable. Darien had to know the kind of reaction dressing as an LSU fan would bring. She couldn’t imagine that anyone was so cruel that he would purposely see her injured but given the stares she was already getting as she walked through the halls of the college, a feeling of dread was forming in her gut.

  There’s security at these events, she told herself reasonably. And nobody takes college football that seriously…

  Even then, she knew she was lying to herself.

  “Odie…”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m an adult human, Marcus. I don’t need to be lectured on how I chose to dress,” she snapped haughtily, deciding that offensive was the best play here. “I don’t tell you how tacky plaid looks with capris, do I?”

  She gave him a cold smile and watched as he balked as he looked at his outfit choice.

  “Trust me,” she added quickly. “When you see my article, you’ll see it was worth the hassle.”

  Marcus grunted, unconvinced but to Odette’s relief, he didn’t argue.

  “Did it ever occur to you to go into another field of study?” Marcus asked instead and Odette was insulted by the query.

  “You really think I’m that bad of a journalist?” she asked, shock lacing her words. He shook his head.

  “No,” he said slowly. “I think you’ll do anything for a story and that kind of hunger doesn’t usually end well for most people in your position.”

  Odette grimaced.

  “Why don’t you worry about your business, Marcus and let me worry about mine?”

  Marcus snorted.

  “Well, in this case, my business is your business because the game is starting in ten minutes and you’re still sitting in the office.”

  Odette’s eyes danced toward her iPhone and she gasped, realizing that he was right.

  “Shit,” she muttered, jumping to her feet and grabbing her bag. “Wish me luck.”

  “You’re definitely going to need it,” he replied.

  She was late to the kickoff but even if she had been on time, her attention wouldn’t have been on the game. All around her, MSU fans began to boo and hiss at her as Odette pretended not to notice, craning her head forward to take in the game unfolding on the field.

  “You’re sitting on the wrong side, bitch!” one bleached blonde yelled. “Rednecks are over there.”

  “Leave her alone, Catey. She probably can’t read,” her companion jeered and the group around them tittered.

  Just ignore them and they’ll eventually get tired of harassing you, Odette thought but as the quarter progressed and the alcohol flowed, the abuse grew louder and more daunting.

  “Hey LSU. You’re losing your pants down there. Wanna place a bet?”

  Odette scowled slightly, her eyes following number 34 with great interest. It didn’t take her long to figure out that she was watching Darien. He was shockingly graceful for such a large man, his body weaving up and down the playing field with ease like he was an animal, not human. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to ride on his back.

  Wow, okay, that’s weird, she thought as he scored his second touchdown that half.

  “LSU SUCKS!” the blonde screamed directly in her ear, startling Odette back to the present, her heart hammering. She looked at the woman with contempt, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “You give Michigan State a really bad name,” she informed the woman. “Can you just shut up and sit down?”

  Anger filled the blonde’s face and she sputtered, glancing at her boyfriend.

  “What did you just say?” she screeched. “What did you say to me?”

  Is she really angry now that I’ve finally spoken up for once in two quarters?

  “Screw her, babe,” the boyfriend growled. “She’s a sore loser.”

  “I’m not losing anything, Beavis. I’m not playing. Just like you and Britney Spears aren’t playing. Why don
’t you both sit down and let the athletes play?”

  Sputtering, Odette clearly read the fire in their eyes. She knew she’d overstayed her welcome and for the first time, she felt physically afraid of being assaulted.

  She ambled to her feet but not before the blonde picked up her companion’s beer and threw it all over Odette’s clothes.

  “Dumb LSU bitch!” she yelled. From somewhere, Odette found her last nerve and steeled herself from lunging at the blonde.

  “Honey, my name is Odette Stinson and I’m the sports writer for the State News. I was dressed like this to see how sportsmanlike our fans are in comparison to LSUs and let me tell you, you really have done our school a disservice. What’s your name so I can attribute the proper quotes to you?”

  Silence followed her announcement.

  “Whatever,” the blonde finally snapped. “Sure you are.”

  But her boyfriend had already pulled up Odette’s picture on the State News site and paled at the recognition.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Odette sighed. “I know your name is Cate. I can find anything out at the paper’s office. Thanks for making my article.”

  She headed down the bleachers as Cate yelled after her but Odette didn’t risk turning around, the beer seeping through her clothes to her core.

  I have enough time to get home and change before the game is over, she thought logically but she realized she couldn’t. If Darien saw her out of the LSU swag, he would think she hadn’t fulfilled her end of the bargain. She had no choice but to wait around in her beer-soaked attire until the end of the game.

  And I have to do my interview like this too, she thought, groaning loudly enough to attract the attention of the other fans as the halftime show commenced.

  A part of her wondered if Darien hadn’t foreseen her being doused in beer. Maybe this was commonplace activity at games.

  How the hell would I know? I’ve never been to a football game in my life.