When I saw Tabitha's open notebook on her desk, I choked back the rest of my sentence. There were glittery hearts all over the page, and each one of the hearts had the same name inside of them. Ace Warner.
“Oh my gosh.” Tabitha slammed her notebook shut, stuffing it into her backpack. “Please, Daymond, I swear to god – please don't tell anyone. He's my best friend's boyfriend – I'm never gonna do anything about it, just please – please promise me you won't –”
“I won't,” I replied coldly, taking a step back from her.
“Good. Thanks, Daymond.” Tabitha cocked her head to the side. “Wait, but what you were saying –”
“Never mind that,” I cut her off darkly. “This was all just a prank. I didn't mean any of that. And while we're keeping things real, that was the lamest poem I'd ever heard.”
There was a flash of hurt on her face, but she screwed up her nose and crossed her arms, turning away from me.
“Fuck you, Daymond.”
I walked away from her and slid back to my seat. My fists were curled up so tight I could feel the veins popping out from my arms. All around me, the rest of the class was kicking it and having the time of their lives.
Fuck Tabitha and fuck everyone in here. But most of all, fuck Warner. That dude had everything – a working car, a hot cheerleader girlfriend, and for some fucking reason, everyone broke their backs kissing his ass. He had everything I fucking deserved, and now he was taking Tabitha, too?
I don't care how long it took, but this motherfucker's gonna get it coming to him – mark my fucking words.
Chapter Four: Ace
2016
“Alright, guys!” Coach's voice tore across the field. “Gather up the equipment – we're moving inside!”
Above us, the sky went dark out of nowhere, and it was now pissing rain. The guys on the field spread out and started hauling equipment back into storage. I jogged up to one of the football sleds. As I took hold of one side, Baldwin and Hardwick ran up to the other side. We started pushing, the rain hitting us like bullets.
We dragged the sled into the stuffy storage room and set it down against the wall. I got up from the ground, cringing as a needle-like pain zapped up my right shoulder. It had been a little over 2 weeks now, but my whole arm was still sore from breaking that door down.
I started to make my way out the door, wringing the rain out of my jersey.
“Warner,” came Baldwin's voice from behind me.
I stopped and turned back around. Baldwin and Hardwick stood with their shoulders hunched forward, dripping onto the floors. They glanced at each other, but neither one of them said anything.
“Yeah?”
“I'm sorry, Warner,” Hardwick spoke up. He locked his hands in front of him, finally bringing himself to look at me. “I'm sorry I doubted you. Hell, you didn't deserve that. You've always had my back, and when it came time for me to step up to the plate, I let you down –”
“Forget it –” I started, but it was Baldwin's turn.
“I'm sorry, too, Warner.” Baldwin folded his arms over his chest, taking a step towards me. “I know I gave you a hard time, but I –”
“Like I said, forget about it.” I lowered my chin and looked him in the eye. “I would've done the same if it was my main man, too. I'm sorry for your loss, for Genevieve, for all of us. I really am.”
“I'd like to make it up to you, brother,” said Baldwin. “There's this new restaurant at Columbus Circle – my wife and I would like to take you, Genevieve, and a couple of the guys out for dinner. I know it's not much, but it's a start. You in?”
“Sounds like a plan.” I gave them a quick salute and turned away from them. “Alright, guys, I'll see y'all in a bit. Dubois wants to see me in his office.”
“Take it easy, Warner.”
“See ya.”
I left the storage room and scaled the 3 flights of stairs to Dubois' office.
When I got here to practice this morning, I found a stack of clean towels and a bottle of Gatorade waiting for me outside my locker. And when I got in line for the breakfast buffet, 3 of the guys let me cut in line in front of them. Apart from that, the dudes had been coming up to me, some on their own and some in groups, stammering their apologies all day long. Obviously, I wasn't complaining, but in all honesty, I was just grateful this was slowly blowing over. Grateful I was back here and I could get a chance at starting over.
I walked up to Dubois' office, knocking on his door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and let myself in. When Dubois saw me, he sat up straight in his chair, nearly slipping off his seat. The man looked like he'd aged 20 years since I last saw him. His dress shirt was all wrinkled and buttoned wrong, and his hair all messed up, flopping over his forehead. Judging by the sagging dark rings under his eyes, the man hadn't slept in days.
“Ace, it's you. Please, have a seat.”
I pulled up the chair across his desk.
“Mr. Dubois, what's this ab –”
“You know, Xavier, he's never been easy to handle.” Dubois gazed off into the distance. “He's smart when he wants to be, but he's weak-minded. The boy has poor judgment when it comes to choosing his friends, even when he was still in school. I know I've spoiled him, but I grew up dirt poor, with an immigrant father who spoke nothing but French, and I've only ever tried to give my son all I never had. I don't know where it all went so wrong. Somewhere along the way, I lost control of the reins. But I never would have thought my little boy was capable of...this.”
His glazed eyes finally swiveled back to mine.
“But he's still my little boy.”
I edged backwards uneasily in my seat. I didn't know what to say. Dubois was still looking back at me. He wasn't crying, but his dazed eyes were consumed with grief.
“I'm sorry, Ace. I'm sorry you were implicated in all of this – I never would have imagined, my own son – if there is anything I can do for you –”
“Mr. Dubois, please don't apologize. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this, but let me tell you know, I'm not holding any of this against you.”
I took a deep breath, resting my arms on my lap.
“The only thing I ask of you is to keep me on the team – I've been doing pretty good and I know I can keep this up. I don't want any special treatment, none of that. Just give me a chance to prove to you and Coach why I deserve to be first-string again.”
Dubois blinked at me, closing his mouth slowly.
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dubois. If there's nothing else, I've gotta get back to practice.”
I let myself out of Dubois' office and headed back downstairs, but by the time I got to the indoor gym, practice had ended. Most of the guys on the team had left, with a couple of the staff and a handful of the team hanging around the water station. As I looked around at the gym, Duff came up behind me.
“Hey, Warner!” He handed me a towel.
“Thanks. Where is everyone?”
“Looks like the rain's not letting up anytime soon, so Coach called it a day.” He grinned at me, his eyebrows bobbing up and down. “So, how you holding up? This is some pretty insane stuff, huh?”
“Sorry, man, but I don't really wanna get into –”
“Oh, Warner!”
Hannah and Caitlin came to the rescue. As the cheerleaders sauntered up to me, Duff wandered off where he came from. The girls looked like they'd come straight out of the gym upstairs, dressed in skimpy sports bras and skintight yoga pants.
“Something I can do for you ladies?”
“Caitlin and I just heard about everything,” said Hannah, sticking out and crumpling her lower lip.
“We couldn't believe it when we heard what had happened.” Caitlin reached out, rubbing my arm. “I've always thought that Dubois' son was really cute, but really creepy. But never in a billion years would I have seen this coming from Daymond!”
My eyes landed on Caitlin's deep, meaty clea
vage, peeking out of her sports bra.
“Thanks for the concern.” I pulled my arm away from her. “But I'm fine –”
“Caitlin and I are going to hit the showers, and we'll be hanging out at my place,” Hannah drawled, tracing a finger against her collarbone. “You're more than welcome to join us. We can open a bottle of wine, talk about everything –”
When Hannah cozied up to me, brushing her soft tit against my arm, my cock twitched.
“Again, like I said, I'm fine, thanks.” I smiled at them, turning away from them. “You ladies have a good night. Later.”
As I made my way to the door, the cheerleaders grumbled, stalking off in the opposite direction.
“Wow, I can't believe you turned them down.”
I zipped up my bag and looked up. Brooklyn was leaning against the doorway, smiling at me. She wore a loose light blue dress that was tied around the neck. As she walked towards me, glorious hints of her side-boob could be seen through the sides of her dress.
“I mean, I don't think even I would have turned them down.”
I slipped an arm around her and reeled her in, kissing her.
“What are you doing here?” I held her against me, rubbing the spot between her hairline and the back of her neck. I could feel her supple tits pressing up against my stomach.
“Had a little time off work, so I thought I'd drive down here to see you.” Brooklyn shrugged, smiling coyly as she looked up at me. “Coach let me in.”
“Good, 'cause I've missed you,” I whispered into her ear, giving her another kiss on the cheek. My hand left the back of her waist. With the back of my hand, I started feeling up the tantalizing outlines of her tits, guiding it down her stomach and between her legs. “And I've missed these tits...This stomach...This beautiful little pussy of yours...”
As I hiked up her dress, drawing my fingers against her thigh, she moaned into my ear.
“Not here,” Brooklyn gasped. She pulled down the ends of her skirt and batted my hand away. She stretched her neck to one side, squinting at the 2 custodial staff mopping the floors behind me. “Come on. I think I know where we can go that's a little more private...”
With my wrist in her hand, Brooklyn led me towards the men's locker room. She poked her head through the door. And when she was content that the coast was clear, she yanked me into the room with her.
We stripped off our clothes and stumbled into the empty showers. But as I reached behind Brooklyn's waist, she shoved me up against the corner of the shower. I flattened up against the wall, feeling the cold tiles pressing up against my back.
Brooklyn dropped to her knees. Her round, perky tits hung freely. Watching them sway as she crawled up to me was damn near hypnotic. She straightened up on her knees, cupping her hands around my cock.
With her round blue eyes peering up at me, she stuck out her small, pink tongue and scraped it across the tip of my head. I was shivering, fucking aching for her to swallow my cock whole. And she knew it.
She parted her mouth halfway, coating me with her dribbling drool. And right as my cock was fully lubricated, she steered my cock into her mouth. I watched as the rest of me disappeared in her mouth, the blues of her eyes still piercing into mine...
Chapter Five: Brooklyn
2016
“Let's hear it for Bosworth – our resident top dog at Slater Oakridge – 5 months in a row and counting!”
Around me, the cubicles roared with whoops of applause. In front of the office stood Mr. Hernandez and Bosworth, next to the scoreboard. As Mr. Hernandez flourished his champagne flute in Bosworth's direction, I sunk lower in my seat, refusing to clap.
“Thank you, thank you – I try,” said Bosworth loudly as the applause died down. He extended an arm, shaking the boss' hand. “But on behalf of all of us, I would like to take this moment to thank you, Mr. Hernandez, for your stalwart guidance and mentorship. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
I masked my snort with a violent, hacking cough. The hundreds of eyes in the cubicles glimpsed my way. I chewed on my lip, smiling back at them with burning cheeks. Bosworth glared at me from the front of the room. Hemming obnoxiously, he continued.
“And that is why I'd like to invite everyone here to give credit where real credit is due.” Bosworth raised his glass, the bubbly twinkling under the fluorescent lights. “Here's to Mr. Hernandez, and many prosperous years ahead at Slater Oakridge!”
Feeling the weight of Mr. Hernandez's disapproving gaze, I stared straight ahead and clapped with flaccid wrists. Eventually, all the brown-nosing fizzled out, and everyone got back to work. I swiveled around in my chair and propped my arm up against my desk, resting my chin on my fist.
If this wasn't a rut, I don't know what is. It was getting harder and harder to roll out of bed every morning. I was slamming down the “Snooze” button an extra time each passing week. When I did finally manage to get my butt off my bed, I had to contend with the wave of reporters waiting for me outside my apartment building. I'd never seen poor Mr. Emanuel look so flustered in his life.
It wasn't helping that neither Mom or Dad called once to check in on me after Xavier's disastrous “proposal.” Unless they were summering under a rock, they'd definitely have heard by now. As for why there's been no word from them, I didn't even want to go there.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that I hated my work, but then again, I wasn't special. So did just about everyone with a job. As soul-crushing as this place was, this was the very place keeping my apartment, all my bills, and the studio afloat. I hadn't accepted a cent from my parents since I was 18 (other than college), and I wasn't about to start now. Be that as it may, I couldn't say it wasn't tempting. And as much as I wanted to quit and parade out of here with my middle fingers held high, that would mean losing the studio, the kids, and everything else I actually cared about.
I couldn't let that happen.
XXX
“Oof. Take a look at the Real Housewives reject – my 2 o'clock.”
I lifted my blue cocktail to my lips, peeking over my shoulder. An older woman with cropped black hair sat on the edge of the bar, sandwiched between 2 20-something men. She wore a glitzy sequin black dress that was about 3 sizes too small for her. Her forehead and rouged cheeks were caked with foundation, and her slightly swollen face looked like it was being pulled back by invisible strings.
“Can you say, botched botox?” Tabitha giggled, swinging her leg over the other.
“True, but she seems to be doing alright for herself.” I turned back to Tabitha, shrugging. “Anyway, thanks for coming by after work. Boy, was I glad to see you.”
“You and everyone else.” Tabitha smiled, her eyes twinkling. “You looked like you could use a drink. So, how are you?”
“I'm fine, but enough about me. How are you? I'm not the only one that's slept with a psycho.”
“It was one time. What of it?” Tabitha brushed it off with a smile on her face, but she rubbed her arms, squeezing herself. “Yes, Daymond grew up on my block, but it's not like I ever really knew the guy. Talk about dodging a bullet. And yeah, it's kinda weird, but I'm a silver-lining type of gal, so I'm just going to keep it in my arsenal of crazy stories to tell at a bar.”
“I guess that's one way to look at it.” My eyebrows flicked upwards. “I'm just glad Ace's name is finally cleared. Now, that was a nightmare.”
“So am I.” Tabitha folded her fingers in her lap. “Listen, Brooks, there's something –”
“Ace and I are back together,” I blurted at the same time. I paused. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
Tabitha gaped at me.
“Oh, I – yeah, that's what I was about to say. I figured,” said Tabitha hastily, smiling at me.
“Yeah?” I stared at her, frowning. “'Cause that didn't sound like – never mind. It's been going on for a while. Sorry, I would've told you sooner, but I knew you wouldn't approve –”
“Brooks, I'm happy for you.” Tabitha flashed me a smi
le, but it was one that never reached her eyes. “Really. Forget what I said. I love you, and I want you to be happy. If this is what makes you happy, my blessings are all yours.”
“Thanks, Tab. I love you, too.” I reached over, squeezing her hand as I got up from my stool. “Okay, I gotta cut the sap short, 'cause I've gotta run to the little girl's room.”
“Be a doll and get me another daiquiri on your way back, will you?”
“Sure thing.”
As I made my way to the little girl's room, I glanced over my shoulder. Tabitha had zoned out completely. She gazed out at the rain drizzling against the window, stirring the ice cubes around in her empty glass.
Chapter Six: Ace
2016
“Aw, snap – look who's here! Alright, guys, make way for the man of the hour!”
Hardwick jumped down from the stage, the hind legs of his centaur costume bouncing beneath him. As I stepped up to meet him, the bobbing mass of mythical creatures on the dance floor pumped their fists and raised their beers. Their hollers of approval rang in my ears.
“What it do, brother!” Hardwick slapped my hand and pulled me in for a chest bump. “You killed out there today, man. Those cocky Falcon bastards never knew what hit 'em.”
“Thanks, man. Appreciate that.” I grabbed myself a light beer from the bar, looking around me. “Not a bad turnout.”
“Not at all.” Hardwick motioned to a pair of leggy chicks in the middle of the dance floor. They twerked against an oily guido, throwing their hands up in the air as they grinded their tiny loincloths against the dude's crotch. “Check out those slutty wood nymphs. I didn't know I had a fetish until I saw those babes, so thanks for that.”
“You're welcome – I think. But yeah, they're alright.”
“Alright?” Hardwick scoffed, shaking his head at me. He turned back to the wood nymphs, whistling. “I've been scoping them out all night. I say we partner up on this one – whaddaya say? I call dibs on that blonde girl with the tongue ring –”
Reckless: A Bad Boy Sport Romance Page 19
