One Last Chance: A Sports Romance

by J. A. Collard

  “Here you go, miss,” the driver says as he hands me my camera bag and tripod.

  I accept it with a thank you, and Domenic takes the tripod out of my hand.

  Domenic turns to the driver and hands him a few bills and then looks back at me. “What do you say? Dinner just you and me?”

  “I… I promised the girls I’d go out with them tonight.”

  “Before that, then? I’m sure the girls will understand.”

  I chew the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back a smile. “Sure, it’s a date.”

  Domenic leans in and kisses me softly on my lips, then pulls back, saying, “Can’t wait.”

  Whistles sound around us as Domenic and I walk together toward the stadium. Feeling my cheeks heat, I look around, and other players from the Vixen Rapids are walking beside us. Domenic laughs and shakes hands with a couple of the players, then introduces me to them, and their eyes check me over.

  Trying to get myself together, I straighten and place my camera bag over my head. “I’ll see you guys in there. Tom must be waiting for me.”

  “Sure, babe, I gotta get dressed anyway.”

  Babe? I don’t think too much about it. I simply nod, then turn around and head inside the stadium to the coach’s office.

  “There she is. How are you, Chloe?” Coach asks as I make my way through the corridor leading to his office. I accept his hand as he reaches out to me and reply with, “Fine, thank you.”

  He’s dressed in his usual attire, the team’s jersey with his jeans and matching cap. But this uniform seems brand new. I guess he’s looking immaculate for the photo shoot today.

  “Hey there, Chloe.”

  Turning around, Tom is entering the office.

  “Hi Tom, are we all set?”

  The deal was that I was supposed to take some photographs of the team. Tom wanted some shots of the team playing ball, along with some group team pictures. Sleek Sports Magazine had organized the makeup artist and hairdresser, so all I had to do was organize myself.

  Coach folds his arms. “Tell me, Chloe, did you and Domenic fix your issues?” He stares down at me waiting for an answer, and I recall exactly how we fixed our issues.

  Trying not to grin like a madwoman, I reply, “Yes… ah… we did.”

  “That’s good to hear. Now, let’s get you out on the field. Follow me.”

  “That will be great.”

  “Is that all you have with you?” Tom asks.

  “I have my tripod, but Domenic is bringing it in for me.”

  They both raise their brows, then look at one another with a smile.

  I wonder what that’s about, then they turn back to me.

  “Okay then, let’s go.”

  As we walk outside to the field, Tom explains to me the itinerary for the day. “So, we’ll take some natural shots of the boys playing ball, and then you want some portraits of them in uniform and with their team?”

  “That’s correct. You got it, Chloe.”

  Walking out onto the field, my eyes look around, and I see most of the players are already there getting ready. Some are standing around talking while there are a couple getting their hair styled and some light concealer applied.

  “Over there is where we will take most of the shots…” He points. “The lighting has already been placed outside for you. Just let us know what suits, and we will follow your lead.”

  “Sounds great, Tom. When will the rest of the boys arrive?” I ask, looking down at my watch.

  “Most of them are already here, just waiting on a handful. I’m hoping we can start soon. Will you excuse me for one moment?” Tom asks as he looks at his phone screen. “I gotta take this.”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  Hearing male voices sound from behind me, I turn and find that Domenic is headed my way with some boys by his side, holding my tripod. I recognize the two men—Kyle and Julian—because of all the times I’ve stalked Domenic on television or on his Facebook page. Kyle is the fullback, and Julian is the halfback.

  Domenic smiles when he reaches me and hands me my tripod. He’s dressed in a fresh uniform minus his jersey. Muscles flex as he leans over to place the tripod on the ground for me.

  “You gonna introduce us to your friend here, man?”

  Kyle smiles at me while Julian taps Domenic on his shoulder. Both boys are bare-chested, but they’re not as wide as Domenic. All those years from playing ball has given him a firm athletic body.

  “Sorry, um… this is Chloe. Chloe, this is Julian and Kyle.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Chloe.” Kyle gives me a wink.

  “Yeah, the pleasure’s all mine,” Julian says, placing his hand out to me for a shake.

  Accepting it, Julian pulls me in and whispers in my ear, “You busy later? Can I take you out for a drink?”

  Feeling my cheeks heat, I turn toward Domenic, whose facial expression has hardened.

  Shit, he’s more than angry.

  Turning back to Julian, whose eyes are devouring me, I reply, “Thanks, but I have plans.”

  “Come on, girl, break them.”

  “Leave her alone, Julian, she’s not available,” Domenic growls, causing all eyes to land on us.

  Oh God, please don’t do this, Domenic.

  “Do we have a problem here, boys?”

  Looking over Domenic’s shoulder is Coach, who seems concerned with the body language the boys are displaying with their pissing contest.

  “Nah, Coach, was just introducing ourselves to the photographer here.”

  Coach turns to me then back to the boys. “Stop mucking around, get your asses over to hair and makeup. We don’t have time to waste.”

  “Makeup? I’m not putting on any damn makeup.”

  Coach points his finger at Julian. “Get your ass into makeup now. Don’t make me tell you again.”

  Looking defeated, Kyle and Julian both head toward the makeup and hair staff, and when they leave, Coach blows out a long breath.

  “Sorry about that, Chloe. These boys can be a handful at times.”

  I wave my hand. “Please, don’t worry. I’m going to set up over there,” I reply, pointing to where the lights and equipment are located. Leaning down to grab my tripod, I hear a woman’s voice yell, “Domenic, surprise!”

  Looking over my shoulder, a female who’s tall with brunette hair runs toward us wearing tight blue jeans with a white linen shirt and a leather jacket. Her wide smile shows off her beautiful white teeth, and I recognize her instantly. Cassandra.

  The rest happens in slow motion.

  Without a glance my way, her eyes lock on Domenic’s, and in one swift movement, she jumps into his arms and kisses him deeply.

  Jealousy runs through my veins at the image before me.

  Her hands are around his neck.

  His hands are under her butt, keeping her in place.

  This can’t be happening.

  Not here and not now.

  Finally, she breaks the kiss saying, “Surprise,” again.

  Felling like the wind has been knocked out of me, my feet take a few steps needing desperately to get away from this situation. Domenic looks over at me, his eyes show sadness. I can’t blame him for Cassandra being here, I mean, he was still with her last night when we made love, and I knew that.

  The idiot that I am, I forgot that she even existed, and I guess so did Domenic.

  Until now.

  “Babe?” Cassandra’s hands force Domenic’s eyes to look at her. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

  Domenic’s eyes leave mine and turn to hers, and he smiles. “Of course, I am, you caught me off guard, that’s all.”

  Leaning into him, she kisses Domenic, and the sight causes me to feel physically ill.

  This can’t be happening.

  Not right now.

  Not here in front of everyone.

  I can’t do this.

  Turning away to try and shield myself from the sight, I pick up my tripod and camera, hoist th
em onto my shoulder and force my feet to get as far away from them as I can.

  Making my way to where most of the shots will be taken today, I set up my equipment, trying desperately not to look back at the couple who look as if they’re in love. Anyone who got a glimpse of them together would think the same.

  Half an hour passes, and my camera and equipment are set up and ready to get started. A staff member from Sleek Sports Magazine sets up a few more lights, and a laptop is connected on a nearby table so all the images can be cast on the screen giving Tom a better visual as I click away.

  “You all set?”

  Focusing on Tom, who’s walking toward me with his glasses on and phone in hand, I plant a smile on my face and reply, “Sure am. How about you? The boys ready?”

  Tom says something, but my eyes look past him to Domenic, who is standing with his arms crossed and staring at me as the hairstylist is doing his hair. Cassandra is sitting beside him, talking between sips of her coffee.

  I know I shouldn’t be jealous.

  But I am.

  Cassandra is his girlfriend, and until now, I had, or should I say we had forgotten all about her. Yet, here she is in the flesh, looking beautiful as ever with no awareness that her boyfriend slept with me last night. Guilt fills me, and I get choked up because I did it again. I slept with Domenic when he belongs to someone else.

  “Chloe… are you okay? You seem pale.”

  Moving my eyes from the happy couple to Tom, I clear my throat. “Yes, sorry, I’m good. I was just somewhere else. What were you saying?”

  “I was just saying you will have help today. My assistant, Valerie…” He turns and waves to a young girl in a black skirt and white shirt. “Valarie, can you come here, please?”

  Valerie smiles when she reaches us, and Tom introduces her to me.

  “Miss Mason, I’m such a fan of yours, you take incredible photos.”

  Valerie looks like she’s in her early twenties with blonde hair that’s tied in a bun, and she is wearing glasses. She’s small and slim and has the most magnificent colored eyes—blue like a clear blue summer’s day.

  “Thank you, Valarie, and please, call me, Chloe.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Chloe. If there’s anything you need today, please ask.”

  “Thanks, Valarie,” I reply, noticing that her eyes are not looking back at me, they’re looking somewhere else. Turning around to see what’s caught her attention, I notice Julian, one of Domenic’s friends, who’s currently lifting weights getting his body prepared for the camera.

  Smiling, I turn back to Valarie, raising my brow. She smiles, and I wink at her.

  “Ladies, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got a few calls to make.”

  “No problem, Tom. I’ll look after Chloe,” Valerie replies.

  Tom turns and walks away with his phone already to his ear.

  Valerie moves in closer, whispering, “He’s so dreamy. I watch football just because of him.”

  Laughing, I can’t help but compare her to me. I watch football, so I get to see Domenic on the big screen.

  Crap! Domenic.

  My heart aches that little bit more, causing me to look around for him. His hair is finished, and now he’s joining Julian lifting weights. Searching the room for Cassandra, I find her in the corner on the phone talking to someone.

  My eyes travel back to Domenic, and our eyes lock as he lifts the heavy metal. I can see the longing in them, and I want to run over and kiss him just like Cassandra did, wiping away her kiss and replacing it with mine.

  What am I going to do?

  He says he will break it off with Cassandra and be with me, but how can he do that? She’s been in his life while I was in New York. Guilt is something I always seem to feel when it comes to Domenic and his women. Am I willing to finally give myself the happiness I deserve? I’m just not sure I want to be the cause of another relationship breaking, even if Sophia says it wasn’t my fault.

  “So… Domenic, is it?”

  Shocked, I ask, “Excuse me?”

  “Domenic Reed. Don’t try and deny it. You two have got it bad for each other. Just looking at his eyes on you… it’s like watching porn.”

  Raising my eyebrows in surprise, Valerie laughs. “Sorry, just stating the obvious.”

  “Yeah, well, he has a girlfriend.”

  “I never liked her,” Valerie adds, glancing over to where Cassandra is currently standing.

  Shrugging, I reply, “She doesn’t seem so bad, I guess.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess each to their own. Now, what do you need from me? We have everything set up for you. Would you like some coffee?”

  Glad for the change of subject, I reply, “Sure.”

  Pouring myself a cup of coffee, Valerie excuses herself to talk to Coach. I nearly drop the contents of my coffee when a deep voice sounds from behind me.

  “May I have a word, Chloe?”

  Surprised by the voice, I look over my shoulder and find Domenic standing there. He has oil rubbed into his skin, making the abs on his torso more defined. The same torso I had my hands around in the shower this morning.

  Worried that people might be looking at us, I glance behind him, finding everyone doing their own thing, and Cassandra’s still on her phone.

  Clearing my throat, I stutter out the words. “I… I… don’t th-think that’s a good idea.”

  Folding his arms, he replies, “Chloe, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was coming to the photo shoot. Normally, girlfriends are not allowed back here, but because she’s Timothy Miles’ daughter, she can basically do what she wants.”

  “It’s okay,” I mumble while at the same time playing with the rim of my coffee cup. “She is your girlfriend, after all.”

  Grabbing my coffee cup from my hand and placing it onto the nearby table, he steps closer and says in a low tone, “I don’t care about her, Chloe. You need to know that you’re the one I want. But I do need time to tell her. Get out of that head of yours… I will end things with her.”

  Our moment is ended when words are yelled, “Okay, everyone in position.”

  “Let’s talk about this later, I have work to do, and so do you,” I explain, my eyes looking around at the people.

  Domenic nods and says, “Right. Just promise me you will give me a chance to break things off with Cassandra?”

  “Domenic! Get your ass into position,” Coach yells, and I can’t help but giggle when Domenic straightens and heads off toward the other men. He turns back and smiles, and I smile back.

  Okay, let’s get this show on the road.

  Seeing Domenic on the television at home is one thing but watching him in the flesh as he flexes his muscles and runs with the ball is nothing in comparison. Every inch of his body is perfection. Wide shoulders, narrow hips, and wide thighs are just the beginning of how perfect he is.

  The click of the camera brings me back to the present as I continue to focus on the task at hand.

  Before I know it, an hour has passed, and Tom is yelling out, “Let’s break for lunch.”

  The boys stop their running and throwing to take a breather.

  I take the opportunity to take some more shots of them in their natural state, loving how they come together as a team while laughing and tapping each other on their backs.

  “Excellent work, Chloe,” Tom says as he looks at the screen that is currently displaying the images I’ve taken. Removing my eye from the lens, I walk to the nearby table and view the images.

  They look good.

  As we’re flicking through the images, perfume surrounds us, and I can only guess who it belongs to.

  “Doesn’t my man look great?”

  Swallowing hard, I turn around and face the lady herself. Cassandra.

  “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Cassandra Miles. And you are?”

  Cassandra places her hand out to me while her eyes look me up and down.

  Accepting her hand, I respond, “I’m Chloe Mason.”


  She runs her manicured fingers through her hair and lifts her lips in a smile before she zooms in on the screen. “You have a lot of pictures of Domenic. Do you know him?” She straightens, and her eyes narrow in on me.

  “Um… you could say that,” Tom answers her question. “Cassandra, this is Miss Mason, she went to school with Domenic.”

  Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “Is that right? Do you live in Vixen Falls? Domenic has never mentioned you.”

  Feeling a little hurt by her words, I look away and grab a cold bottle of water from the table. “No, I don’t live here anymore. I used to. I’m based in New York now.”

  “Right, well, nice to meet you, Chloe.” She turns away, leaving Tom and me, and heads straight for Domenic. She interrupts the conversation he is having with another player and kisses him.

  Anger and jealousy consume me when I see them deep in a kiss. Her hands hold onto his shoulders, and he cups the back of her head. My heart sinks that little bit more when her hands travel down his chest, touching what was mine last night.

  What am I doing?

  Why do I keep putting myself in these situations?

  Ignoring Domenic and Cassandra for the rest of the day, I place my full attention into my job where it should be, impressing myself with some of the images that come through. We continue to take some more pictures inside the gym where the players train. I even had a couple of the boys flirting with me. Usually, I would be flattered, but not so much today. I want today to be over with, so I can go back to the lodge.

  Feeling the vibration of my cell in my jeans pocket, I answer it. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Chlo, it’s Sophia.”

  “Oh, hey… how are you?” I ask, looking around the room to find a quiet corner.

  “I’m great. Just checking we’re still on for tonight?”

  Leaning against the wall, I answer, “Would you kill me if I canceled?”

  “No, you’re not. You’re coming out tonight, and that’s final. Now, Megan and I will pick you up from the lodge at seven thirty for dinner. Be ready.”

  My thoughts go back to Domenic and how he had invited me out to dinner tonight. Maybe it would be good to get some distance from him, to think about the situation we have involved ourselves in. I know I love him, and he says he loves me, but this whole thing is so confusing.