Football Dad: (Friends to Lovers)

by Terry Towers

  “I see. Lift your hair from your neck and I’ll zip this up for you.”

  Gathering my hair in my hand, I inhaled as his knuckle grazed my bare back before slowly pulling the zipper up, closing the material around my torso. I did a silent prayer to God, thanking him for letting this one fit me and fit nicely at that. Adjusting my breasts so that the girls sat nicely against the low-cut bodice, I released my hair and spun around to face him, the material around my feet swaying and slapping against my ankles from the motion.

  “What do you think?” I held my breath waiting for the verdict.

  Taking a step back, he let out a low whistle, appreciation in his gaze. “That looks amazing. You could wear just about anything and be beautiful, but that dress was meant for you.”

  Turning back so I could examine my image in the mirror again, I looked at myself more critically. I couldn’t find much I didn’t like about it. It felt nice and I did feel beautiful, like Cinderella. My arms were a bit thick and I preferred to keep my upper arms covered, but it seemed like a minor detail. My biggest concern was my belly and it seemed the dress was magic.

  “I think you’re—”

  He stepped up to me again, his broad chest pressing against my back as he reached around me and slipped his hand into the bodice of the dress. He pinched my nipple, making me gasp, leaning back against him.

  “I’m what?” He leaned down to nuzzle my neck.

  “Damn…” I whispered, closing my eyes and letting the sensations flow through me. “We shouldn’t be doing this here.”

  A knock came at the door. “Is everything fine? Can I get you a few new dresses to try or different size?”

  “No. I think we’re fine Chyna, thanks,” Cole answered for me.

  “My pleasure, Mr. Grant,” she replied followed by the sound of heels retreating on the ceramic tile.

  “We can do what we want here. We’re paying customers.”

  “We haven’t decided on this dress yet.” Opening my eyes, I looked back and up at him, meeting his heated gaze. “It’s six thousand dollars, Cole.”

  He whistled, but there was humor in his eyes. “Then we should be getting it in a couple of different colors.” Bending down behind me, his hand grasped my ankle and then as he stood, his hand worked its way up my inner thigh. I wanted to bat his hand away, this was neither the time nor the place, but with each inch that his hand crept closer to my pussy, the hotter I became for him.

  My calf, my knee, my inner thigh… Oh God…

  “I’m not sure what you have in mind, but I don’t think this is the time or place,” I gasped as his hand reached the apex between my legs, cupping my mound. “When we get home.”

  His fingers pulled the flimsy material of my panties aside and began to stroke my soft slit, from my entrance to my clit and back again in rhythmic motions. With each pass he added a little extra pressure intensifying my need.

  I was getting increasingly wet, the moisture from my core beginning to dampen my inner thighs. Instinctively, I began to rock against his hand, my body pressing back hard against his. His free hand slipped back beneath my bodice, palming my breast while teasing my nipple.

  A moan escaped my lips.

  “Shh.” He removed his hand from my breast to cover my mouth. “We don’t want to get kicked out before we buy you that sexy dress.”

  How was I supposed to keep quiet when he was making me feel so good?

  His fingers spread me wide before dipping a finger into me, probing me deep. I groaned against his hand which stifled the sound as I began to buck harder. I was no longer in control of my body. He was the puppet master and playing me beautifully with the ridge of his cock pressing against my ass.

  “Fuck, I love your tight pussy, baby. When we get you home I’m going to fuck you until you’re hoarse from screaming my name,” he growled.

  A second finger joined the first before he began thrusting into me harder and probing deeper, stroking my inner wall and driving me near insanity. High and higher he took me until all I could do was ride the feelings taking over me. My stomach became knotted and my throat became dry. The tension within my core was so tight it hurt, but it was an exquisite pain.

  “Cole!” I managed to squeal as his fingers took one final dive into me, causing my core to erupt around his fingers. It was impossible to stay quiet as I groaned a second time, at the same time cringing due to the fear that it was heard by the women in the store.

  “Mmm.” He slowly slid one of his fingers from me and brought them to my lips, slipping them inside my mouth to clean off with my tongue.

  His other finger he slipped into his own mouth and sucked my juices off. Watching him relish the taste of my cum nearly made me orgasm a second time.

  Clearing his throat, he straightened and stepped back from me. “Well, we’re definitely going to have to buy the dress now.” Catching his gaze in the mirror, I blushed seeing his devilish grin.

  “Yes, I suppose we are.” Taking a deep breath in, I slowly released it. When my heart rate slowed so I could breathe normally, I lifted my hair. “Unzip me please.”

  “My pleasure.” He unzipped my dress and stepped away, giving me room to shimmy out of the dress. He took the gown from me and placed it on a hanger while I hastily pulled on my jeans, bra and shirt.

  “They heard us I’m sure,” I whispered.

  “No doubt.”

  His confirmation that they likely heard sent a jolt of embarrassment through me. How was I going to face them with them knowing we’d been messing around in the dressing room? My cheeks immediately grew warm which only made Cole laugh.

  “Don’t worry about it. They’re getting a good commission. That’s all they care about.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” Leaving the dresses I didn’t want hanging on the back wall, I allowed Cole to drape the dress we were taking over his arm and open the door. I followed behind him.

  “Is that a common practice for you?” I whispered.

  “I wouldn’t say common.”

  Rolling my eyes at him, I accepted his free hand that he extended to me.

  “The trick is to act like nothing happened,” he added in a lowered voice as he neared the cash register. As expected, all three women were eyeballing us with disapproval in their stares.

  “We’ll be taking this one.” Cole released my hand and placed the dress onto the counter.

  “Excellent choice, Mr. Grant.”

  It occurred to me that she’d called him “Mr. Grant,” which meant she knew exactly who he was. It’s not something that I would have picked up on prior to finding out who he was, but now it was becoming blatantly clear, confirming my suspicions. It would be very rare for us to go anywhere together without him being the main attraction.

  Well, if that’s the worst thing I can come up with for a reason not to be with him then I suppose I’m a lucky girl, I mused.

  “Is there anything else we can get for you? Accessories?” Chyna asked as she began to ring in our purchase and Cole pulled out his wallet.

  “No. We’ve got a few more stops for those things. I appreciate you asking though.”

  Leaving the store, I had to ask. “What do you mean by more stops? Surely you’re joking. I don’t need anything else.”

  “I beg to differ. Today is the day I get to spoil you.”

  “Just like Pretty Woman,” I teased.

  Laughing, he nodded. “Just like Pretty Woman.”

  I didn’t want to accept a bunch of lavish gifts from him, but I couldn’t stop myself from going along with him. How many times does a girl get to live out the dream of being Cinderella for a day?

  Chapter 19

  London

  “What is this thing called that you’re going to, Mom?” Justin asked as he watched me insert a pair of pearl earrings in my ears. Cole had taken me to Christian Louboutin and bought me a pair of heels and purse to match my dress, but I was on my own for jewelry. I didn’t have much in the way of fancy jewelry, but I had a nice set of pea
rl beads and earrings that would do the job well enough.

  “It’s called the Cherry Blossom Ball.” I crinkled my nose up as I said it. “I know it sounds corny, but it’s for a good cause.”

  “Cherry Blossom?”

  “Yeah, why?” Turning, I noticed Justin hard at work on Google.

  “Come on. Please stop with the Google search.”

  “You come on, Mom. Maybe it’s time you used Google search? If you’d done what I’d told you and Googled Cole when you first met him, then you’d have known he was a big football star. If you’d told me his last name I would have for you.”

  I groaned. “It’s a formal charity event. What’s there to know.”

  He snorted. “A lot!” He turned the face of the phone to me for me to see what was on the screen. “It’s the most high-profile event of the year here in Boston, Mom. There’s going to be celebrities there and everything!”

  “What do you mean?” Squinting, I looked a little closer at the phone.

  “Like actors, musicians, models, sports stars. You name it, Mom.”

  Aww, shit. Why did Justin have to tell me this? I felt pretty good about the ball and now I was starting to get nervous.

  He took the phone back and began to scroll. “There’s a guest list and everything. Derek Ambers is going to be there. Helen—”

  “NO!” I put my hand up, stopping him. “I don’t want to know. If I know it’ll only make me nervous.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. I don’t want to hear it. Just. Please. Read the list quietly to yourself, but don’t tell me. Learning about things and people beforehand isn’t always for the best. We didn’t have instant access to information when I was growing up. We had to learn about people and things the hard way. Learning beforehand takes the fun and mystery of discovery out of life.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  With my earrings in, I examined my makeup. If there was a bunch of celebrities there then they’d all have makeup and hair people making them look perfect. Here I was with my amateur application skills trying to compete.

  It’s not a competition, a voice in the back of my mind chimed in.

  “You look amazing, Mom.” My son’s voice cut into my moment of self-doubt. “Just as good as any of those celebrities.”

  Smiling, I turned to face my son again. “Thank you.”

  Justin stood and walked over to me, giving me a tight hug. He was getting so strong. “You’re welcome.”

  Stepping out of his embrace, I gave him a long look. Where had the years gone? It seemed like just yesterday he was a baby and I was carrying him around in a little baby carrier strapped to my back.

  The doorbell interrupted my ponderings. Cole! My heart skipped a beat before accelerating in its beats. It was time.

  “It’ll be fun. Wish I could go,” Justin said, giving me another quick hug. “I’ll answer the door, so you can make your grand entrance down the staircase.”

  I leaned my head to the side as I cocked a brow up at my son. “Now you’re just being silly.”

  He didn’t respond yet, simply vanished from the room with the sound of heavy footsteps thumping down the stairs to the first floor.

  Giving myself another final look, I had to accept that I looked as good as I was going to get and headed downstairs. At the bottom of the stairwell, I discovered Justin and Cole in a heated conversation.

  I kept quiet for a moment watching them. Cole looked amazing in a tuxedo. He always looked hot regardless of whether he was shirtless or wearing a t-shirt, but Cole in a tux was a sight that left me momentarily breathless. The conversation came to a halt when they heard me clear my throat and both sets of eyes turned to me.

  “Wow. London.” Cole walked over to me, that sexy grin of his on his face and desire sparkling in his steel blue eyes. “I don’t have words, you look incredible.”

  “Thank you.” The intensity and honesty in his eyes forced me to turn my eyes away.

  “Don’t.” Hooking a finger under my chin, he forced me to look up at him. “You don’t need to shy away from compliments, London. You deserve them, because everything I tell you is the honest-to-God truth.”

  “Okay. This is getting too gag-worthy for me. I’m gonna go kill some zombies.” Brushing past us, Justin walked down the hallway to turn into the living room.

  “Sorry.”

  Chuckling, Cole waved it off. “I have one of my own don’t forget.”

  “True.”

  “I have one more surprise for you before we leave.”

  “I don’t think I could handle more surprises. You in a tuxedo and us going to some fancy ball. It’s already overwhelming.” I touched his freshly shaven face. “You look so damn hot in that tuxedo.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “After this little shindig I’ll let you take me out of this tuxedo, baby.”

  A wave of affection rolled over me. I loved this man; deeply and truly. I’d known it for a while I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. Maybe one day I’d have the courage to tell him so. “We’ll see.”

  “Like I said, I have one more surprise.” Reaching into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket he produced a long, narrow black leather box. I knew exactly what it was before he opened it, but it didn’t make me any less flabbergasted when he opened the box to reveal a teardrop diamond necklace with matching earrings and bracelet.

  When I opened my mouth, I’d intended on saying something, anything, but nothing came out when I attempted to talk. My hand moved forward to finger the beautiful jewels. Just as I was about to make contact with the gems the case snapped shut. With a squeal I jumped back and was grateful I hadn’t put on my heels otherwise I’d have gone ass over tea kettle.

  He roared with laughter, one hand holding the box while the other covered his stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he gasped between laughing fits. “You mentioned Pretty Woman the other day and I couldn’t resist.”

  “You’re such an asshole.” Despite my words there was a smile on my face. “If I’d been wearing heels I may have broken my ankle, then you’d have to carry me to the ball.”

  Taking a few deep in and out breaths, he wiped a tear from his eyes and straightened, reopening the box and setting it down on the stand next to the door. “I know you already have a necklace and earrings, but I was hoping you’d wear these instead.”

  Knowing better than to deny him; I’d tried several times to no avail when we went shopping for my dress. I agreed, removing my jewelry. Pulling open a drawer in the table near the door, I gently placing them inside, closing it up. I’d properly put them away later.

  “Turn around.”

  Doing as told I turned, lifting my hair. Reaching around me, I closed my eyes briefly inhaling the smell of his cologne. I doubted I’d ever be able to be around that scent again without getting aroused.

  The necklace was cool as it was placed upon my skin and latched behind my neck.

  “Done.”

  Turning to face him again, I helped myself to the matching teardrop earrings and put them on. Stepping in front of him, I inspected the stunning set as it shone on my skin.

  “All I can say is wow.” Turning to him, I slipped my hands up his check and laced my fingers behind his neck. “And thank you. I don’t even know how to begin to thank you. It’s so much.”

  “No need to thank me. Just seeing you so happy is all the thanks I need.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips against mine. “And perhaps a kiss would be in order.”

  “Deal.” I smiled as I nipped at his upper lip, before deepening the kiss, my tongue searching out his. Our tongues connecting was like electricity being flicked on throughout my body that immediately ignited the need within he to have him sink deep within my core. Unlacing my hands from his neck, I stepped back, ending the kiss, leaving myself breathless. “If I don’t stop, we’ll never make it to the event.” I motioned to my outfit. “And all of this will go to waste.

  He cleared his
throat and made a quick adjustment to his groin area. “Perhaps you’re right.” My eyes followed his hand downwards to see the lump that had formed, showing off his growing erection. “Let’s get this bracelet on you and get out of here.”

  Chapter 20

  London

  I momentarily froze as Cole pulled the Escalade up to the curb and shut off the engine.

  “You ready?” he asked as valets stepped up to our vehicle and opened our doors in near perfect unison.

  “I don’t think I have a choice as this point, do I?” I laughed more out of nervousness than anything else.

  He winked at me then slid from the vehicle, passing off his keys.

  “Ma’am.” The doorman offered his hand to me. Accepting his hand and taking great care, I stepped from the SUV. Straightening, I released the doorman’s hand and worked at ensuring my dress was free of crumbles.

  When I looked up, Cole stood before me, a line of reporters of photographers at his back. Lights flashed in the darkness of the night.

  Once again I was hit with a bout of nerve and found it impossible to take even a single step.

  “It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry,” he whispered, guiding my hand to his arm. “Just smile and walk.”

  Managing to nod, I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, released it and took a step, then another. I refused to look at anyone on either side of the velvet ropes focusing on the black carpet we were walking along. If I fell in these heels in front of everyone, I’d die of embarrassment. I didn’t even want to think about the headlines comparing me to his ex-wife. Plain Jane versus Supermodel.

  Oh dear god.

  “You’re psyching yourself out again. Stop. You’re going great,” he whispered, his mouth close to my ear. “We’re a team and I have you.”

  “Can’t help it.” Despite my words, I lifted my chin and forced a smile to my lips.

  “Just enjoy it. This is your night to be a princess.”

  Looking up at him, our eyes locked a moment and my fears began to fade. “Okay.”

  Crossing through the threshold, we were ushered down a couple of hallways and finally into a large ballroom set up with dozens upon dozens of tables, with seating of ten per table. The ballroom itself was setup with a Japanese flair and ohmygod! The cherry blossoms! Every table had a centerpiece. As we walked through the threshold fake blossom leaves and petals lightly rained down on us.