by Abbi Hemp
“Um, thanks.”
I wasn’t sure how to accept congratulations from him. He had calmed down quite a bit, not yelling at me for every little thing I did wrong in his eyes.
“I might have another feature piece for you to do for the Sunday edition. You interested?”
“Maybe. To be honest, I’m turning in my two-week notice today.”
“Why?” he asked. “It’s not because of me, is it?”
“No. I’m just going in another direction.”
“I really want you to stick around.” He glanced back over at the rowdy man-boys on the other side of the sports department. “We need more people like you around here.”
I smiled sincerely.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He had taken long enough to recognize my contribution to the team, but it felt nice.
“Well, let me know if you change your mind. I’ll assign this story to you anyway. You can finish it over the next two weeks. It’s an easy story, and I think you’ll put a great spin on it.”
“Thanks. I’ll check the assignment folder later today.”
As he walked away, I tapped the spacebar of my keyboard to bring my computer back to life. What the hell had gotten into him? I wondered as I clicked an icon to open my email and another one to open the sports assignments folder.
When I saw my new assignment, a premium one, I thought twice about leaving. Scott had been a horrible boss, but things were different. Maybe I should keep my job at the newspaper and write my novels in my spare time at night? The idea intrigued me.
My mood changed when I saw Kenneth walking over. Great. He’s another reason I should quit. I smiled as he stopped next to my desk with a sullen, distant look in his eyes.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I can’t take it any longer,” he said.
I tilted my head.
“What do you mean?”
“That dumb fucking jock,” he hissed barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, you’re not going to talk to me like that at work. I just got Scott off my case, and I’m not going to replace him with you.”
“You’re such a fucking idiot,” he said, shocking me. “He’s laying off because of me.”
“Oh, okay,” I said calmly, glancing around to see if anyone was watching us. “Thanks for that.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m fucking sick of it. You either leave that big, dumb jock and go out with me, or…”
“Or what?” I interrupted. “What are you going to do?”
I stood up, not about to be intimidated by him.
“I’ll get the publishing company to go after you for the money they gave you.”
“I still don’t think they’re real,” I said. “That money is in my bank account.”
He laughed.
“You’re so fucking stupid. You never realized it was me who gave you the advance on your book. I’m the only fucking person that fucking believes in your fucking writing ability.”
“Calm down,” I whispered. “And don’t use fuck so much. You’re diluting it.”
“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled.
Scott lifted his head like a gopher on the plains of the Midwest and peered over at us. When he saw Kenneth, he looked away.
“You’re blackmailing Scott too, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Don’t play that stupid investigative reporter bullshit on me.”
“You’re not making any sense, Kenneth. I want you to leave.”
“I want you to pay me back that fucking money I gave you.”
“I’m leaving,” I said, walking toward the elevator.
He walked after me.
“I’ll sue you and him.”
I raised a hand in the air, not saying a word. When I reached the elevator, I turned around, hoping he hadn’t followed me. I didn’t see him. That scared me even more. On the first floor, I went to the parking lot and get in my car. After locking the doors, I called Tony.
“Hey, baby. I’m just about to take care of that errand. What’s up?”
“Oh, it’s one of those days.”
“Have you quit yet?”
“No,” I said. “I was having second thoughts. Scott changed his tune and assigned me a good story, but I found out it was Kenneth behind it. And now he says he’s going to sue me and you for the money he gave me. The publishing contract wasn’t real.”
“Slow down. Take a deep breath,” he said calmly.
I inhaled, holding the breath a moment before letting it out.
“You need to get out of that place. I told you I’d take care of you.”
“I don’t want to depend on you.”
“You’re forgetting I read some of your novel. It’s good.”
“How would you know? Have you read a lot of romance novels?”
“Well, no, but it got me interested in reading one.”
I sighed.
“I don’t know, Tony. Maybe I should keep this job another few months, until summer at least.”
“It’s up to you, baby. Just know I support you no matter what.”
“I love you, Tony.”
After I ended the call, I went back inside and headed straight to the Human Resources department on the third floor. I stopped outside of Ms. Johnson’s office to talk with her secretary.
“Is she in?” I asked.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but I just need to talk to her a moment.”
“You can’t see her without an appointment.”
“What if it’s an emergency?” I asked.
“Is it?”
“Well, no, but it could have been.”
“You need an appointment.”
I sighed. This is why I’m quitting.
The office door behind me opened. I flashed a smile at the receptionist then twirled around.
“Ms. Johnson? Do you have a minute?”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No,” I sighed. “But I want to turn in my two-week notice. Kenneth has been hassling me, and I don’t think I can work here anymore.”
“Kenneth from the IT department?”
I nodded.
“Come in my office,” she said then looked over at the receptionist. “Hold my calls.”
She opened the door back up and went inside the spacious office with a huge window against one wall.
“Have a seat,” she said. “We’ve had quite a few complaints about Kenneth recently, but they’re all anonymous. He claimed it was a senior editor who was getting back at him.”
“Scott?” I asked.
“Yeah. What do you know about him?”
“Just the usual rumors,” I said. “All I want to do is get out of here.”
“You’re not planning on suing us, are you?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.”
“I’ve got corporate breathing down my neck already, and I don’t need a scandal right now. If I set you up with a healthy severance package, will you agree to go quietly?”
“Um, sure,” I said, not believing my luck.
“Good,” she said, all business.
“Do I need to sign any paperwork or anything?”
“Yes, you do. Melinda, my receptionist will help you. Would you mind going on the record about Kenneth? We’ve been worried about him working here for a while.”
“I can write up something about him,” I said.
“Wonderful. We won’t need you to stick around two weeks, either. How does eight weeks of severance sound?”
“Well…”
“Okay, make it twelve, but you’ll need to sign an NDA about Scott, Kenneth, and everything else you saw here.”
“Well…”
“Damn, you’re good. Why the hell were you in the newsroom? I’ll make it twenty-four weeks of pay. That’s my final offer. Your health insurance will continue for a year after you leave.”
“Deal,” I said, standing up and holding out my hand.
She shook it with a firm grip. Outside her office a minute later, Melinda the mean receptionist begrudgingly gave me the necessary paperwork. My life is getting better, I thought as I filled it out while sitting on a chair outside of Ms. Johnson’s office.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Andrea
An hour-and-a-half later, I emerged from the newspaper building a happier woman. All the stress and craziness of the newsroom would be left behind. With six-months of severance pay coming, I wouldn’t need to bother Tony too much while I finished my first novel.
When I reached my Toyota Tercel in the parking lot, Kenneth walked up out of nowhere.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked. “Are you spying on me? Waiting for me?”
“You owe me four grand,” he said.
“I don’t owe you shit, Kenneth. You’re pissing me off.”
“I gave you that money!” he shouted, rage on his face.
“Under false pretenses. You’re a liar and a creep. If you don’t leave me alone…”
“What?” he asked, cutting me off. “If your big jock boyfriend going to beat me up?”
I fumbled to get my key in the lock of the door. Kenneth took a step toward me.
“Leave her alone!” Tony yelled out of nowhere.
As I turned, I saw the man of my dreams walking up between two cars. His brow was furrowed and his eyebrows pointing down toward each other.
“You fucking bitch,” Kenneth said, stepping back.
“I’d watch your language if I were you,” Tony said, not stopping as he passed me.
“Fuck off,” Kenneth said then turned and ran.
“Want me to go get him? He’s going to stop bothering you.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said. “They’re firing him today.”
“Maybe I should go after him to teach him a lesson.”
“No, please. Let’s just go. What are you doing here?”
When he turned to face me, I saw his black eye.
“What happened to you?”
“It’s a long story, but the bookie is out of my life forever.”
“But your game! Is your coach going to be upset?”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
Typical man.
“You don’t look fine.”
“It’s just a flesh wound.”
I threw my arms around him, hugging so tight. He bent his head and kissed me, so raw and full of passion. Every single one of my heroes would be based off him, the man I loved.
“Are you ready for your big game?” I asked.
“You’re always going to be a journalist, aren’t you?”
I smiled, loving him even more.
“Maybe. As long as your answers are honest, I don’t care.”
“We’re going to make it,” he said.
“Oh? Are you planning on moving back in?”
“Soon. After the big game. Well, games if I win the playoffs for them. The championship game is going to be tough no matter who wins.”
“You can do it,” I said. “I believe in you.”
“And I believe in you. I’m going to read the rest of your novel.”
“You’ll have to give me a call if you get too excited,” I teased.
“Believe me, you’ll be the first and only woman I call.”
We kissed again before parting ways. I marveled at him coming out of nowhere to save me. It mirrored our whole relationship, starting with the moment I’d walked into the locker room and saw him naked. How could I have known then what would happen?
All that mattered to me was that we had met and fallen in love. Once he won the championship game, we would be able to move in together. Maybe we would get our own house, a new one. The possibilities were endless. Life was working out … finally.
THIRTY-NINE
Tony
The final game of the season. Our team made it all the way to the end. My body still hurt from beating down Big John, but knowing he would not mess with me or Andrea was worth the temporary pain.
I blocked the rest of the world out of my mind and played better than I had ever before, even though I’d missed so many games that season. My teammates backed me up, making us a formidable force.
On the field, I dominated the first half. In the locker room, I gave a speech to pump up the others. By the time we got back to the game, we were fierce Viking warriors not just football players.
The opposing team, the San Francisco Lightning, were a good team, but we were tougher, meaner, faster, stronger and more dedicated to winning the championship game.
Our team hadn’t won one in three decades, which made the victory all that much sweeter as it rushed toward us. The clock ran down quickly in the Third Quarter. By the Fourth, I was in the zone.
Every pass I threw ended in a completion and yards gained, not to mention the touchdowns. As I tribute to her first novel, which she had decided to self-publish, I wanted to score as many as possible.
She had gotten me back on a true and righteous path through life. Thanks to her, my life had changed for the better. In the final three minutes of the game, we rallied all the way to their end zone.
Huddled around, I decided to take a chance and go for the touchdown rather than a simple field goal. A field goal would be the easiest and tie up the score, but I wanted to win the right way.
The roar of the crowd in the stadium fueled me as I stood behind the defensive line. I crouched down and gave the call. As the ball hit my hands, I stood and scanned the field.
Feeling blessed, I let loose to Rodriguez who had made it past the line. Come on, come on! I watched as the perfect pass spiraled through the air toward him. He caught it perfectly. The winning touchdown and our first championship in decades. The crowd went wild. I spun around, soaking it all in.
What mattered most was knowing Andrea was in a private luxury box watching. I glanced in her direction, wondering if she was watching me that exact moment. In my locker, I had the ring. Later that night, I planned on proposing to her in my own special way.
My teammates hit me on the back and ass as they passed, all of us going crazy, enjoying the ecstasy of winning the biggest football game of the entire year. I would get my championship ring, making me one of the youngest players to ever get one.
Despite all the glory of the game, my mind kept returning to Andrea. She had captured my heart. That night, I would take her in a hotel room then propose to her downstairs. I smiled so long and hard, my damn cheeks hurt. I waved to the fans as I walked off the field.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Later that evening, I stood next to Andrea in the Presidential Suite at the finest hotel in Downtown Denver. She held up her full champagne flute.
“To winners.”
“To winning at love,” I said.
We drank the glasses down then set them down on the mini-bar in the room. I hugged her, unable to keep my hands off her another moment. As I undressed her, she did the same for me. Every muscle in my body ached, but I didn’t want to wait to be inside her again.
Naked, we moved to the bed across the room. Side by side on the mattress, we continued kissing, touching, and working toward a better climax for both of us. While we made out, I kept thinking about asking her to marry me. The secret thought made each touch and kiss so much better.
Her fingers wrapped around my Ugly Anthony. They barely fit around my cock when it was hard. I put my hand between her legs, brushing my fingers against her pussy lips already so wet. My tongue slid into her mouth urgently as she stroked me. I grew harder in her hand.
“How do you want me?” she asked, staring into my eyes.
“Forever.”
She giggled.
“I’m not familiar with that position.”
“It’s not a position, silly. It’s how long I want you.”
Our mouths merged together again. Neither time nor space mattered with her in my presence. The present moment spilled out, lavishing us with lust, trust and a whole lotta love. I moaned as
she pushed me over on my back then climbed on top of me.
I stared up at her face between her breasts, those perfect orbs of flesh. She rubbed her pussy against my cock. While it felt good, I wanted to be inside her, feel the pink wet walls grip me perfectly. She fulfilled my wish a moment later, sliding down on my thick, hard dick.
She leaned forward, her breasts hanging down, and rode me as if she truly loved me with all her soul. All my memories of her flashed through my mind. In that moment in time, I realized she would be by my side for the rest of my life. No matter what happened, we would have each other.
Her pussy fit my cock like they had been made at the same time, were somehow always meant to be together like two pieces of a puzzle. She leaned further down, nuzzling her cheek against mine while whispering dirty phrases and words into my ear.
“Fuck with your hard cock. Deep. Fast.”
I grabbed her ass cheeks and pushed up and into her even deeper each time she came down. We found the perfect rhythm, giving us just enough friction and action to feel good but not so much we came right away. Time to build made everything so much better, especially sex.
As her hard nipples rubbed against my chest, I squeezed those perfect ass cheeks, loving the way she felt, the way she made me feel. Time may have passed, but I became lost in the primal intensity of the present moment. Her pussy sliding over my cock, taking it all into her.
She sat up, pinching her nipples as she continued to ride me rough and fast. I put my palm on her stomach and twiddled her clit with my thumb as she rode me. This drove her wild, causing her to scream out in pleasure.
“I’m coming,” she said.
Fuck! No condom! I thought at the exact same time she came, her face contorted and her eyes closed. Both of us had forgotten. I smiled as I realized it didn’t matter. Eventually, she would have my children. Maybe I would get lucky early.
She slowed down but continued bouncing up and down on my dick. I grabbed those breasts and squeezed as I felt myself ready to come.
“Come inside me, baby.”
Knowing she knew we had forgotten the condom, I grunted as my cock came, shooting my hot, sticky seed deep inside her. She leaned forward again, her breasts pressed against my chest, her face a few inches from mine. We kissed as my body shook, shooting the last of my semen inside her.
