Under Further Review

by Xyla Turner

  Then he and the guy ran off.

  Shane:

  Shane could not believe the odds. The same reporter he saw at the bar, at all of his home game press conferences was here at the same beach and at the same time. He could not ignore this, so he made some calls around the resort to see if a Diamond Reeves had a room and hoping it was in her name. After thirty minutes of calling different hotels, he found out she was staying at the La Pierla, a really nice hotel on the east end.

  Austin thought he was crazy to keep following her up, since he hated reporters and all. Once he realized his friend was more smitten than he even realized, he made up some excuse and left early. They were only supposed to be in town for a few more days before the Pre-Season officially started. They had a lot more scrimmages than usual, but though he had just come back from Paris, he was already mentally spent with the anticipation of playing another season without his father in the stands. Myrtle Beach was a last minute decision, since he really needed to get away and he was not in the mood for the way his friend Keith liked to party. Austin was busy with his new lady, Daphne and he didn’t want to impose. Matt had settled down years ago and he was faithful with dedicating his down time to his wife and kids.

  Thus far, Shane thought the beach was perfect. He would run, eat, exercise, read and take advantage of the different activities. Although he was alone, he felt like he could procure some quality company.

  Around six in the evening, Shane went to La Pierla. He was not certain what his strategy was going to be, but when he ran into her friends sitting at the bar, he approached them.

  “Ladies, we meet again,” he greeted them.

  Bridget stared at Shane with her mouth gaped open, while Trudy answered, “Shane Sinclair, we meet again.”

  He smiled at her and said, “By any chance is Diamond around?”

  Trudy’s entire face lit up at his question. “Why yes, she is working on that piece, but her room number is four-zero-three. Feel free to go up and disrupt her.”

  Shane laughed at her blatant attempt to play matchmaker. It was all over the news that there must be some sort of connection with the two of them, but even he started to wonder if there was a connection. This is what he intended to find out.

  After the media had started to assume that there was some sort of history between Shane and Diamond, his lawyer did some research. Shane did not think this was necessary, but Peter felt that his reputation could be on the line, if she were some crazy person. This made more sense, but he only asked him for the preliminaries. He did not want her full dossier. She was from Oakland, California and was previously married. Her mother still lived in Oakland, her father was not listed anywhere and she just moved to DC Metropolitan area three months ago. She went to school in California and had lived there her entire life. She even had a newscasting job at a local station near Oakland. Shane could not figure out why she moved across the country.

  He arrived on the fourth floor, turning to the left, then the right looking for her room. Once he reached the door, he knocked twice. A few moments later, a shorter Diamond without her heels opened the door. Fuzzy slippers with ears covered her feet, along with long pajama pants and a matching pink shirt with an embroidered Diamond over the chest. She was on the phone and her face was scrunched up as if she were arguing with someone.

  “Coach, that is not what this is about.” Her voice was measured, like she was attempting to control her temper.

  When she saw him, her head jerked in surprise. She held up her hand, palm up, signaling for Shane to state why he was at her door. He simply shrugged, then she pointed to the phone. He shrugged again, with both hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts.

  “No, no. That is not necessary. Coach, hear me out.” She turned to walk away from him. “No, this is simply about Roy’s incident. It has nothing to do with your team and how you handled it. That will be mentioned, but that is not the focus of this piece.”

  Shane walked in and closed the door behind him. Diamond had walked to the small refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle. Once she turned, she saw Shane a few feet away and raised her eyebrows. Using her hand to cover the receiver, she whispered, “What are you doing here?”

  “I figured you could use some help with your piece and probably needed to eat dinner as well.” Shane countered.

  “Look, I am in the middle of something right now. I don’t have time to deal with this.” She gestured to him, insinuating he was the ‘this’ she was referring to.

  “Go ahead, I won’t get in your way.” Shane made his way over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

  Diamond's mouth gaped open as she stared at him in disbelief. He went and sat on the chair, in the study area and pulled out his phone, placing his ankle on his knee. She was about to say something to him, but the person on the phone, must have asked her a question, because she responded with, “Yes, I’m still here. Listening to you.”

  She walked into another space to finish her conversation. When she returned, Shane was tapping away at his phone and configuring the remote control to her television.

  Diamond sauntered over to him and asked, “So, what are you doing here?”

  “Just thought you could use a helping hand and to get that dinner we discussed,” he nonchalantly replied.

  “We agreed to do this next time.”

  “Yeah, this is next time. You can kill two birds with one stone. I can help with your deadline and you can keep me company for dinner.” He moved his phone back in his pants pocket and stood up. “So, what will it be?”

  “Mr. Sinclair…”

  Shane interrupted her and said, “It’s Shane. I’m in your hotel room, I think we’ve moved past the player/press relationship.”

  “Well, actually Mr. Sinclair, we have not. I’d very much like to keep that relationship in place, because that’s the only one we’ll ever have.”

  Shane raised his eyebrows at the feisty woman. “Look, I’m on this beach alone and you’re the only person I know. I’ve been here for three days already. I’ve found you and I’d like to help and while we are doing that, eat dinner.”

  One side of Diamond’s mouth turned up in a smirk, but she said, “Fine. What do you know about the high school football leagues in the district?”

  She retrieved her laptop and mouse from the long wooden dining room table and brought them over to the love seat across from his.

  “A lot. I sponsor one and I run a summer camp for several high schools,” Shane replied.

  Diamond partially looked up, as if to see if he were joking. Shane’s face remained straight, as he realized she probably didn’t know that about him.

  “Is that so?” she mused. “So, what is the policy for teams when a player gets hurt on the field? Are they allowed to come back and play once they are medically cleared?”

  “That is really up to the coach’s discretion at most schools. However, if they are medically cleared, then they should be good. What happened?”

  Diamond started to type on her laptop, then she looked up and mumbled. “Yeah, one of the high school coaches did not let an injured student back on the team. He said it was due to a full roster, so the student transferred his senior year so he could finish playing football. The kid wound up getting a full ride to Brown for football and the school is attempting to take credit for his career. His parents are not having that and they’ve made a big stink about it.”

  “Hmm.” Shane rubbed his chin, touching the manicured hair that created his goatee. “How are they taking credit?”

  “They are posting his pictures in the paper saying that he played there and even trying to insinuate without blatantly saying it that he still goes there. They’ve also said that eighty percent of their students received full scholarships for football, but if Walter isn’t included, it’s only seventy-four percent. Things like that.”

  “So what are you writing exactly, a piece for the kid, the new school or the old one?” Shane inquired.

  “It�
��s for the parents and the kid. He’s really the poster boy for ‘overcoming challenges.’ They would not let him back on the team, after he was only out for a month. He was a faithful member for three years. He was even slated to be a captain, and bam, ‘Sorry, you are denied’. This is outrageous and not only does he transfer to another good football school and start, but he broke records and now he has a full football scholarship when his own school would not accept him back. Yeah, he deserves a write-up.” Diamond explained. “He gets my vote.”

  “Yes, I see,” he noted.

  This case seemed a little personal for her, like someone had tried to take the credit for something they didn’t deserve and Diamond was on a rampage to settle the score. Shane made a note to ask about that later.

  “Why are you doing high school write-ups, anyway?” he asked.

  She peered over her screen, took a deep sigh and said, “Long story.”

  “Okay, fine. Let’s get to work on this article.” Shane rose and joined her on the other seat.

  Only one hour had passed, before Shane peered up from the printed articles that were spread out on the table. “Diamond, I think we should get some food. I’m starving.”

  “Oh okay.” She looked over her laptop and said, “How does this sound?”

  Once she was finished with her introductory opening, Shane said, “There is something missing. You have to grab the audience. Not just the football audience, but the audience of people who can identify with other people trying to take the credit for their success.”

  “Yes, yes. You’re right.” She smiled, then looked up. “Thanks Shane.”

  “Sure,” he said as he went to grab the menu. “What do you want?”

  “Honestly, I just want a big juicy bacon cheeseburger and a large Coke. I have not had that in over a year and this is my vacation,” she called as she typed away.

  Shane smiled at her recollection and ordered two, one for her and him. She made it sound so good, he felt like he had not had one in over a year. Even though it was just yesterday. Once he completed the order, he rejoined her at the table, where the other findings and documentation were spread out in chronological order. Diamond was very meticulous about her work and put forth a lot of energy, passion and even herself. She liked to connect the dots to see how things were related, which is an excellent skill for a reporter. It was too bad, Shane did not like reporters.

  Once their food arrived, Diamond kept the conversation on her assignment, which was ninety percent complete. Shane was pleased and shocked that she was not peppering him with questions about his leave, the game, his careers, his father and how he felt. She simply spoke about the article and would ask various questions about how things sounded between the bites and small moaning from her throat as she enjoyed every bite.

  “So, I must say. Thank you for your help. It would have taken much longer than this if I did not have any help, so thanks again.” Diamond stood up once she completed the article and sent it to her editor.

  Shane stood as well, then replied, “Thanks for letting me stay and keeping me company. Even had me working.”

  “No problem,” Diamond remarked as she walked to the door with Shane on her heels.

  When she went to open the door, she bumped into him.

  “Sorry,” she exclaimed.

  “No, that was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” Shane moved to the side. “Well, Diamond. Thank you again and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  “Yes, have a good evening,” she called after him, then shut the door.

  Shane walked back to his suite with a feeling of contentment, satisfaction and at peace. He could not remember the last time he sat down with a woman and only did work or had a conversation or was just there as moral support. There was always a catch, sex or some ulterior motive. Never just to be present and he felt that with Diamond. He did not know how long that feeling would last, but he planned to work hard to keep it there.

  7

  Quality Time

  The next morning, Diamond opened the door to an incessant pounding by Trudy and Bridget. They were both in sun dresses, but Trudy’s was strapless and came all the way to her ankles, while Bridget’s was a halter top dress that came to her mid-thigh. Both women looked well rested and ready for the day, but more importantly ready for the gossip.

  “So, what happened?” Trudy asked.

  “About?” Diamond let them in and went to go finish unwrapping her hair.

  “Don’t do that,” Bridget scolded. “You know damn well what we want to know about.”

  Diamond sighed. “Nothing happened. He interrupted me while I was on the phone. I finished my conversation, he helped me work on my piece which I was able to do before the deadline, and then he left.”

  “That's it?” Trudy exclaimed.

  “That was all.”

  “Well that's enough. Quality time goes a lot further than a hot romp around a bed,” Bridget added.

  “Good point, Bridge,” Trudy acquiesced.

  “You guys are ridiculous. There is nothing going on, nor will there be. He shows no romantic interest at all. He literally is in town by himself and he wanted some company. He saw me and bam, there's his company. That was all.”

  “Diamond, let me be clear. If Shane Sinclair wanted company, he doesn't have to know anyone in town to get that company. So, don't hand us that bull, like this was some simple thing. Because as Bridge pointed out, quality time spent goes a lot further than…”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “As I was saying, I wonder who that could be? Hmm,” Trudy mocked.

  Diamond shook her head and went to open the door. She had no idea who it was, but she hoped it was not Shane. That was all she needed in the midst of the conversation they were having.

  A short bellboy stood at the door with a smile on his face. “Ms. Reeves?”

  “Yes, that's me.”

  “Mr. Sinclair would like the company of you and your cousins at the Bel Pointe Hotel. I will accompany you all there. How long do you need?”

  Diamond could feel both Trudy and Bridget literally on her back listening to every word. Then Trudy said, “Nothing, huh?”

  “We’ll be a few minutes,” Bridget spoke up when Diamond hasn't answered the man after several beats.

  “Okay, I'll be right here.”

  “What!” Diamond exclaimed as she glared at Bridget. “I thought you were on my side.”

  “I am, but you don't turn down the company of a man that looks like that. I don't care who you are. Even First Lady Michelle Obama would meet with Shane Sinclair, even though she has the President. Who is also fine by the way!”

  Trudy looked at Bridget and smiled. “Go ahead Bridge.” Then she turned her gaze toward Diamond and said, “The woman has a libido.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Diamond exclaimed.

  She was not sure what this guy’s game was, but she did want to keep it professional. Diamond tried to rationalize that he just wanted company, so it was cool. Especially since he also invited her cousins.

  “Fine,” she sighed. “Let's go.”

  When they emerged from the room, the busboy took them to a golf cart with an embossed sign that read Bel Pointe. The three of them readily boarded the cart and arrived moments later to a hotel that was around a few corners and in a discreet location, slightly hidden from the main road. Diamond figured it was where celebrities went, because it was high end on an ‘over the top’ scale.

  “Oh my,” Bridget gasped as we were taken through an exquisite hotel.

  The busboy stopped, then he bowed at the waist. His gesture was returned with thank you’s and waves, until we heard a voice say, “Ladies.”

  The three of them swiveled around to see Shane in a T-shirt, gray khaki pants and Leather sandals that showed his toes. Bridget went into silent mode, while Trudy came alive and responded, “Hello Shane Sinclair. Thanks for the invite.”

  “It's my pleasure. I didn't get your name.” Shane extended his h
and to shake hers.

  “I'm Trudy.” She beamed at him. “Diamond’s cousin.”

  “Good to officially meet you.” He swiveled his head towards Bridget and said, “and yours?”

  Bridget was as stiff as a board with her mouth wide open. Diamond could have sworn she heard a moan escape her mouth. Trudy tapped her on the arm to wake her from her trance.

  “Oh, uh. It’s B-b-bridget,” she finally uttered.

  “She means Bridget.” Trudy shook her head.

  Diamond erupted in laughter at the ridiculousness of Bridget acting like she had never seen a celebrity before. Shane stared at her, until she stopped laughing.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “Oh, nothing. Don’t mind me. I just haven’t seen or heard you laugh ever.”

  “I laugh, Mr. Sinclair,” she rebuffed him. “So, you invited us to breakfast?”

  “Ahh, yes. Follow me.” He turned and led the way into a room that resembled a dining area.

  The place settings for each table were already set up. Two forks on the front, two on the left. And the napkin was in the plate.

  Shane walked to a chair and pulled it out and signaled for Diamond to sit down. As she was seated, Trudy and Bridget sat on the other side of the table, both smiling like Cheshire cats.

  “So, ladies. Thanks for joining me for breakfast. The chefs will be out momentarily.”

  “Where are the menus?” Trudy asked.

  “No menus, just tell the chef what you would like and he’ll make it for you.” Shane smiled. “Here he comes now.”

  Everyone except Bridget ordered simple things. She wanted a poached egg with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and low sodium salt, turkey bacon with maple flavor and white wheat toast with a little pepper. Trudy and Diamond both looked at her with puzzled faces.

  While the food was being prepared, Shane asked Trudy and Bridget a bunch of questions about California, how they were related to Diamond and their careers. Bridget’s tongue finally loosened and she started to be more comfortable. Trudy was her usual self and talked away until our food arrived. We ate and slowly they began to ask him questions as well. Diamond felt it was better coming from them, than her because he did not like reporters and any inquiry into his life from her might be interpreted the wrong way. He answered all of their questions between bites and she stayed silent for most of the meal.