One Last Chance: A Sports Romance

by J. A. Collard

  “Oh, wow, Sam. I’m so happy for you. Who is she?”

  “Susan… Susan Baker.”

  Shocked, I widen my eyes and say, “Susan Baker from school?”

  “The very same,” he replies, twirling his amber liquid around in his glass.

  “I can’t believe it. You married Susan Baker. Susan, who everyone used to tease for wearing braces?”

  He laughs as he remembers. “Yup, that’s her.”

  Sam takes out his wallet from his inside jacket pocket and pulls out a picture of them at their wedding. I hardly recognize her.

  “She’s gorgeous, Sam. Gosh, she’s changed so much.”

  “Well, you know what they say, the ugly duckling turned into a swan.”

  “You got that right. She really is beautiful, Sam,” I say, returning the photograph of them. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Enough about me. What are you doing here alone?”

  “She’s not alone!” A low growl comes from behind me, and I twist around in my stool, noticing Domenic is standing there dressed in jeans, a shirt, and his football jacket.

  “Reed,” Sam says bitterly.

  “Ross.”

  “Well, look at that, it’s time for me to go. How long you in town for, Chloe? I’d love to have you over for dinner. Susan would love to see you.”

  Sadly, I say, “At this stage, I’m not sure. I was supposed to be leaving this weekend, but now I have promised Sophia and Megan that I’ll go out with them for old time’s sake.”

  “Not to worry, next time, perhaps.”

  Sam gets up off the stool and places a kiss on my cheek. “It was nice seeing you. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

  “I won’t, it was so nice seeing you, too.” I get up off my stool and hug Sam. “I’ve missed you,” I tell him honestly.

  Sam pulls back and looks at me. “I’ve missed you, too.” He leans in and whispers in my ear, “It seems like nothing’s changed… Domenic over here still acts as though he owns you.”

  I turn around and see Domenic standing there with his arms crossed, glaring at us.

  “I’m the one that should be angry. He’s made me wait for forty minutes,” I say, a little loudly, so he can hear me.

  “Don’t look now, but I think he’s gonna pop a vein any minute.”

  I giggle when I see that Sam’s right. Domenic’s fully tense. What’s up his butt?

  “I’ll see ya. Say hi to your mom for me,” Sam says as he walks out of the bar. “Reed, always a pleasure,” he states as he passes and nudges him a little.

  Shit, my mom! I need to call her.

  “You done?” Domenic growls.

  Turning around to face him completely with wine in hand, I take a sip then walk to a nearby table. Taking a seat, my eyes travel to Domenic as he orders a beer and brings it over to the table sitting opposite me. He accidentally brushes my thigh with his knee, and I freeze.

  “You and Sam seem cozy.”

  How dare he?

  “You have some nerve, Domenic. I waited for over forty minutes for you to arrive.”

  “Sorry, Cassandra was extra attentive tonight.”

  Oh, so he wants to play that game?

  I smile, although I’m dying inside. Then I sit back and twirl my hair in my finger. “Oh, I know what you mean. I love it when Bryan is ‘extra’ attentive.” I use air quotes to really accentuate the word.

  Bryan? How the hell did I come up with that?

  Domenic smirks and leans on the table folding his arms. “Bryan, ha? And what exactly does this Bryan do?” His green eyes bore into mine, and I can see he’s playing me. Somehow, he knows there is no Bryan in my life.

  “Um… he’s a real estate agent.”

  “Real estate, hey?”

  “Yes. Real estate. You have already wasted my time today. Can we cut to the chase?”

  “Sure,” he says, placing his hands out. “Be my guest.”

  Clearing my throat, I begin, “Well, you can start by explaining to me why you said you don’t want to work with me?”

  “Mmm… let me think?” he answers sarcastically, placing his finger to his chin in thought. Then with all seriousness, he states, “Did you ever think that maybe I couldn’t handle seeing you again? The day you left, you took my heart with you, and since then, you’ve spoiled me for any other women?”

  I swallow hard, my breath hitches, and my hands feel clammy. I didn’t expect him to be so damn honest. Did he just say I took his heart, and that I’ve spoiled him for other women? No, he can’t be speaking the truth.

  “Domenic,” I say sadly and gently place my hand over his.

  He removes it swiftly and looks away.

  “You have Cassandra.”

  He laughs and turns to face me again. He’s so beautiful. My memories of him don’t do him justice. No man will ever compare to him.

  “Cassandra, you really believed that story? Fuck!” he growls. “You just don’t get it, do you? I loved you, and when I finally got you, you left without a single word. And not only that, you wouldn’t even answer my calls. I will never have what I had with you that night with anyone else. I tried… God, I’ve tried. I have fucked women every night to get rid of the memory of how you felt beneath me in my bed, screaming out my name as I brought you pleasure.”

  Not liking his admission that he’s fucked women every night, I pull away, sit back in my chair, and have a large gulp of wine.

  “And just when I was going to move on and ask Cassandra to marry me, you fucking come back.” His words sound venom, like a foul taste in his mouth.

  “I… I don’t know what to say… I’m sorry, Domenic. I’m sorry I left without a word. I know that was wrong now.”

  He doesn’t answer, just takes a swig of his beer, then slams it down. “You’re some piece of work, Chloe.”

  “Look…” I say sternly. “I know what I did was wrong, but this is business, and I’m here to do a job, and you’re making it very difficult to do that.”

  “Am I now?” His eyes travel to my cleavage, then back up to mine. I feel heat in the apex of my thighs, so I clear my throat then say, “Yes, you are. Now, let the past be in the past, and let’s move on. I’ll be out of your life again after this weekend.”

  “What if I don’t want you to be?” His words are low, almost silent, but I heard them.

  Pushing my chair back, I stand and finish off my wine in two big mouthfuls. “Look, I’ve had enough of these games… I’ll see you tomorrow at the photo shoot. I hope you can be respectful and let bygones be bygones. It was nice seeing you, Domenic.”

  I turn to walk out of the bar and feel a sense of relief when the fresh air hits my face. He’s too much. What was I thinking coming back here? I walk down the street, knowing the falls are on the edge of town.

  I choose to walk there to clear my head—the falls were always my place of solace.

  As I feel the mist caress my skin, large arms grab me from behind and drag me back. I scream, but it’s muted when a hand covers my mouth. I’m pushed up against a tree, and when my assailant spins me around, I see exactly who it is. Domenic Reed.

  He slowly removes his hand from my mouth, his face savage. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Shocked and stunned, I yell, “What do you think you’re—” My words are silenced when his lips smash down to mine in a heated kiss. Feeling anger burn within, I try and push him off me, but he’s too strong. His mouth covers mine, and his tongue delves into my mouth, making it difficult to breathe.

  Domenic grabs my face with one hand and then pulls back. “You have no idea what you’ve done to me, do you?”

  “Domenic… I—”

  “You’ve ruined me, and I hate myself for still wanting you. I can’t even be in another relationship because no one can compare to you. Do you understand how frustrating that is?” Feeling uncertain about what to say, I just stare at him.

  He wants me?

  Me?

  Angrily, he pushes back, let
ting go of my face and curses, “Fuck!” He heads to another tree and kicks it hard. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

  I want to run to him. I want to comfort him and let him know that I also have never been able to be with anyone else, that when I do go out on a date, I’m too busy comparing them to him.

  Domenic turns and threads his hands through his hair, pulling it between his fingers in frustration. “Fuck!”

  He looks at me in anguish, then he drops his arms and moves closer to me. I’m still glued to the tree the way he left me, unable to move, wondering if this is really happening.

  “But… you hate me. You don’t want me here, you said it yourself.”

  He inches closer, and his cologne hits my senses.

  God, I love him.

  I always have and always will.

  Can I tell him that?

  I push myself off the tree and break the gap between us. “Domenic, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you that morning. I thought—”

  “You thought what?” he cuts in, snapping his head to me. His green eyes glare into mine, and I whisper, “I thought you wouldn’t care.”

  “Wouldn’t care!” he shouts.

  I quickly glance around to make sure we haven’t caught anyone’s attention. “Are you crazy? I wanted for you for so long, and that night, I couldn’t believe you felt the same about me. And to know I was your first… that has stayed with me all this time.”

  Threading his fingers through my hair, he cups the back of my head, bringing me in closer, our lips only a hair’s breadth away. “And even though it was your first time, I can’t forget the way your body responded to mine.”

  Swallowing hard, memories of our night together come to mind. So many nights of lying in bed, going over every single detail of our night together, remembering every single touch, every kiss, every stroke was all I thought of.

  I’ve had sex with other men since Domenic, but none of them compared to him or even came close. The chemistry, our attraction, the way he made me feel was something I can never forget. Nothing can compare to the way our bodies came to life when we finally gave in to our desires.

  Now, here he is, standing in front of me admitting, admitting what?

  That he loves me?

  Misses me? No, not that!

  Only that his body craves mine.

  “Domenic, what do you want from me?” I ask, tears pooling in my eyes. One releases from my eye and run down to my cheek.

  He leans in kissing it away, his tongue strikes out following its trail. He leans in and pulls my hair away from my neck, nibbling on my earlobe before he says, “What I want is one last chance, Chloe. With you.” He looks at me, deep into my eyes, and it makes my heart skip a beat. I’m hanging onto every word he’s saying. “Please, will you give me that?”

  Shocked and confused, I frown, trying to gauge whether he’s being serious or not. I don’t see any hint of sarcasm in his features, but I look down, trying to figure out what to say.

  Part of me is ecstatic, over the moon, thrilled.

  But the other part of me wonders, could this ever work?

  Our lives are so different.

  Domenic’s life is here. He’s the star of Vixen Rapids, and I have my life in New York. I love my job, and I wouldn’t want to leave it to move back here. But could I? Could I give it up to be with him?

  We’ve grown, we’ve moved on with our lives.

  Who are you trying to kid, Chloe? You love him, and you would do anything to be with him.

  “Chloe, look at me,” he rasps, gripping my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze. “I want you, Chloe. I love you. You’re it for me. I can’t move past this, and I won’t give up on us, on what we could be together. Please, Chloe, will you do this for me and give me one last chance?”

  in

  PART TWO

  Turn the page…

  DOMENIC

  Past

  With my eyes still closed, a smile plays on my lips when my hands hit the headboard as I stretch out in bed. Memories of last night come to mind as I think about exactly what I used that headboard for. My hands had gripped onto it as I made love to Chloe repeatedly. It was magical, the best night of my life, and the sex, well, that was something else.

  It was Chloe’s first time, and she had chosen me to be her first. But you would never have known it because of the way her body responded when I finally made her mine.

  Slightly opening my eyes, I turn to face her, and when I do, I find the bed is empty. The smile I had planted on my face seconds ago fades slightly when my hand slides over the cool sheets.

  She must have left a while ago.

  Sitting up in bed with the sheets low on my waist, my eyes adjust to the light that’s streaming through my bedroom window.

  “Chole?” I shout, hoping for some sort of response. “Chloe?”

  Dread fills me when nothing but silence is returned. There’s no sound of water streaming from the shower, no rustling of clothes as she gets dressed.

  Simply nothing.

  Naked, I jump out of my bed and stride to the bathroom door, hoping I may not have heard correctly, and perhaps she’s drying off.

  Knocking, I ask, “Chloe, are you in there?”

  With no answer returned, my hand grips the doorknob, and I swing it open wide. The room is empty, and there’s no evidence that anyone has been in here. No water on the glass cubicle shower walls, no fog on the mirror from the hot water, everything is how it was last night when I got dressed for the party.

  Panic fills me at the thought that she’s left without saying goodbye. But why?

  Not caring that I’m naked, I run to my bedroom door and swing it open, then try and avoid all the empty bottles and plastic glasses that line the hallway to the stairs.

  “Chloe?” I yell over the banister.

  Hearing some movement downstairs, when I get no response, my feet take two steps at a time. I step into the living room where most people are still sleeping from last night. Bottles lie on the floor, tables, bar, and on top of my father’s grand piano.

  Shit! I need to clean up before my parents return from their weekend away.

  Bodies rouse from sleep, and I’m reminded that I’m still naked when one chick who’s placing her bra on giggles.

  “Hey, man, what time is it?”

  Turning around to face the familiar voice, Justin is standing there in nothing but his boxers.

  “Justin, have you seen Chloe?”

  He scratches his head and smiles. “Yeah, ah… I saw her leave earlier when Hannah was giving me a morning surprise.” He winks as he adjusts himself.

  Ignoring his comment—I don’t care what Hannah and he got up to—all I am concerned about is that he saw Chloe earlier.

  “When did she leave?”

  Justin shrugs. “Not sure.” He looks over at Hannah, who’s pulling her dress over her head, and he asks, “When did you go down on me, babe? About an hour ago?”

  I shake my head. “Really, Justin? Does everyone need to know your business?”

  He smirks. “Why not? I have nothing to hide.”

  Yeah, well… that’s too much information. Turning around, I run back up the stairs to my room to change, so I can head over to Chloe’s house, a couple of blocks away. I have to find out why she left.

  Throwing on my jeans and a T-shirt, then socks and sneakers, I sprint down the stairs once again. When I reach the bottom, Justin’s there getting dressed. He frowns and asks, “Going somewhere, bro?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” I reply, running out the door, not wasting another second to explain where I’m heading. Once I hit the footpath of my driveway, Justin shouts out, “Dom, wait up.”

  Feeling frustrated, I pause, turn, and wait for him to speak as he places his shirt over his head to where I’m standing.

  “I’m kind of in a rush, can’t this wait?”

  Everything in my body is saying to run to Chloe’s house and find out what happened.

  Why di
d she leave?

  Did she regret our night together? By the moans coming out of her mouth, I was sure she enjoyed herself. She came twice and fell asleep content in my arms.

  Justin smirks. “What exactly happened between you two anyway? Did you tap that?”

  Not wanting to betray Chloe’s trust, I reply, “Nothing, man. Nothing that concerns you anyway.”

  Before he can respond, I’m running down the street with only one intent on my mind—to get to Chloe’s house to talk to her and make sure she’s okay after what happened between us last night, and that she has no regrets.

  With sweat running down my forehead, I arrive at Chloe’s house and run up a couple of steps that lead to her front door.

  Taking a deep breath to get my breathing back together, I knock twice on the door. Hearing voices coming from behind the door, the voices become louder and closer, then the door is opened, and Mrs. Mason is standing there with a letter in her hand and tears in her eyes.

  “Oh, hey, Mrs. Mason, is Chloe around?”

  I don’t know Chloe’s parents well. However, her dad is a huge football fan and doesn’t miss a single game when Vixen High is playing. One time, Chloe introduced me to her parents after a game. I thought they were the nicest people I’d ever met—real honest and sincere, just like Chloe.

  Chloe has her mom’s hair and dad’s eyes. Long blonde hair with brown doe eyes—eyes I can get lost in.

  Mine focus on Mrs. Mason, and I don’t miss how she discreetly tries to wipe away her tears.

  Mr. Mason walks up behind her and opens the door wider for me. “Hey there, son, wanna come in?”

  I swallow hard.

  Has something happened to Chloe?

  Where is she?

  Why do Chloe’s parents look as if they have just received the worst news of their life?

  Thanking Mr. Mason, I quickly hurry inside their house, not waiting for a second invitation, and follow their lead into their living room.

  “Please, take a seat,” Mrs. Mason says, pointing to the couch. “Can I get you anything?”

  Shaking my head, I reply, “No, thanks. I’m here to see Chloe. Is she around?” My eyes travel to the staircase, wondering if Chloe is up in her room and will run down the stairs to greet me.