Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance

by Ashley Stewart

  I was shocked. “Did you ever hear from her again?”

  “You know, we dated for three years, I thought she would always be in my life. Once the doctors confirmed that she was not pregnant, she called everything off, left the state and built a life elsewhere. I tried to reach out to her here and there, you know, to see if she had sown her wild oats. Apparently, she never truly loved me because I never heard anything else from her. I learned from friends and family that she had eventually settled down in Arizona and married an engineer. I had to let it go.”

  Ashton’s story was unexpected. With his financial success and confident attitude, I never associated him with having had some major heartbreak in his past. It reminded me that everyone had a story to tell. “Wow. But you had no closure! Please tell me that she didn’t marry that other man within a year or two of the breakup!”

  “I got closure through my success in life. I just accepted that my destiny was different than I originally thought. That alone gave me closure. No, she didn’t marry her husband that soon. It took about seven years. It just never made sense to me. Eventually, I stopped trying to make sense of it. Anyway, that was a long time ago. Life goes on.” He grinned warmly.

  “That’s a wise way of learning to accept things. I never thought of getting closure that way.” I knew he didn’t want to discuss the subject any longer. “Well, I promised Jessica that I would cook dinner tonight. It’s my turn,” I chuckled.

  “I will let you get home then,” he replied, opening the car door for me. “By the way, would you be willing to be my business date to an important dinner in Asheville tomorrow night? I know it’s short notice. You don’t have to attend. It’s just one of those dinners where every person has a date with them, whether it’s professional or personal.”

  “And I’m guessing that I will be your professional date, correct?”

  “Correct. We don’t need to give Janet any further reason to be suspicious,” he joked.

  “Won’t people suspect that we are romantically linked though?” For a moment, I thought that he was contemplating allowing our relationship to go public. I still struggled with the concept of being single yet acting as a girlfriend behind the scenes. It was a complicated situation all around.

  “They won’t if we keep things professional. Many men have taken their assistants as professional dates. It’s an old school thing. So, would you be interested? Are you available?” His eyes pleaded with me.

  “Sure, I will attend it with you. What type of garment do I need to wear?”

  “Think ballroom elegance. Do you need me to buy you a dress?” He started to pull out his wallet.

  “Oh, no, I have plenty of formal dresses. Will this affect my work hours tomorrow?” I didn’t want to stir any more controversy at the office.

  “I suppose it should be marked as paid time. I will let you leave the office early. The travel time and event time will be counted in your timesheet. Thanks, Alexis, you’re wonderful.” He refrained from kissing me in public although I knew that he deeply wanted to. I jumped in my car and drove home.

  Chapter 4

  She stood radiantly. Her long black dress flowed gracefully from the A-line design. Her shoulders were draped in black, rose-patterned lace that curved around her cleavage, creating a V-neckline. She wore her long, blonde locks into an elegant up-do, embellished with the occasional diamond hairpin. She kept her eye shadow light but boldly painted her plump lips red. Long diamond earrings hung from her ear lobes, shining radiantly in the ballroom lighting. With her arm resting in mine, she garnered quite a few glances from people. She was red-carpet ready without professional make-up artists and stylists--Although I did offer to pay professional stylists to do her hair and make-up.

  “Alexis, you are absolutely stunning. Exquisite. You have caught the eye of nearly every person here,” I murmured to her underneath my breath. People were being seated at the long dining table that was lit up with large candelabras and garnished with green ivy and roasted turkeys.

  “The table is set for a feast,” she commented, not acknowledging my compliment. Sometimes, it seemed that compliments made her uncomfortable.

  “Well, you are at an event for the rich and famous. After dinner, there will be dancing.”

  “Ballroom dancing?” she asked.

  “Yes, but you don’t have to participate in that,” I reassured her. “I didn’t give you time to learn ballroom dancing.”

  She chuckled. “Oh, no need to comfort me. I learned ballroom dancing as a teenager. It’s been a long time since I’ve done it, but I always enjoyed it. Do you know how to ballroom dance? Waltzing is actually a lot of fun.”

  I enjoyed her feisty spirit. I didn’t expect that she would know how to ballroom dance. In some ways, she was more prepared for this lifestyle than I was. “I didn’t know that you knew how to do that. What else have you been keeping secret from me?” Immediately, I regretted my comment because I knew that it was hypocritical. She knew I was keeping secrets from her yet I joked that I expected her to not keep any from me. As always, she remained classy and discarded the hypocrisy of my statement.

  “You can’t learn everything about a person in one or two sittings. It takes some time. Have you not learned that in all of your years? I’ve learned it in my twenty-five.” She winked pleased with her own cleverness.

  “Well, I know a little about waltzing, but I’m not great at it. I can perform just enough to get by.”

  “In other words, you don’t step on toes?” she smirked.

  “I don’t step on toes. I’ve conquered that issue.”

  I introduced her to everyone we encountered until we found our way to our seats. Other men had their assistants with them as dates. Well, the single men did anyway.

  “And how do you know Mr. Jackson?” one lady asked Alexis. I trusted her ability to answer without raising suspicions.

  “I’m his assistant. When he offered me the opportunity to join him for dinner here, I couldn’t resist. I enjoy ballroom dancing,” she smiled kindly. Her words were perfectly clear and her posture couldn’t have been more perfect. Her table manners were excellent enough to convince anyone that she had attended finishing school.

  I interrupted to boast on her. “Miss King has recently graduated with her certificate in Yoga education. In a way, I’ve asked her to become my shadow. She is very passionate about and talented in her work. The sky is the limit for her.”

  The man chuckled. “Well, young lady, never think that Yoga can’t take you anywhere. If you have the same determination and drive as your mentor here, you will become a self-made billionaire in no time.”

  She politely placed her hands in her lap. “Well sir, it isn’t my intention to become immensely wealthy. It’s my intention to help change lives. Yoga offers a wide variety of health benefits such as stress relief and mindfulness. It lowers blood pressure and many other good things.”

  “What a pleasant young lady,” he smiled. “Mr. Jackson, you’ve hired a good one. She will go far in this world.” I couldn’t help but look at her and grin widely with satisfaction.

  Later on that evening, we swirled around the ballroom with the other couples. The quartet beautifully played one waltz after another. Looking into Alexis’ eyes, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. Her classy countenance only impressed me that much more.

  “Are you interested in a walk through the flower garden?” I asked her as we finished the waltz.

  “Sure, that sounds lovely. I saw a glimpse of it on the way in.”

  I held out my arm and escorted her to the open veranda. The scent of roses and hydrangeas greeted our noses. The stars twinkled in the night sky without a trace of a single cloud. Together, we strolled down the brick pathway, observing the garden sights and sounds.

  “There aren’t many people out here,” she noted. Indeed, there weren’t many people.

  “I know. I wanted to steal this opportunity for a romantic moment with you.”

  “Romantic?”
she questioned.

  “I thought it would be a great place to steal a kiss.” I couldn’t hold back a smile.

  “Wow, you’re willing to risk getting seen by your wealthy colleagues?”

  “They won’t see us out here. It’s dark for the most part,” I reminded her. Pulling her in, I softly kissed her lips. “I love your delicate skin. You’ve absolutely impressed me tonight. I couldn’t have been more proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. “Are you developing serious feelings for me?” she was challenging me with one bold topic after another, or so it seemed. I kissed her again, this time pulling her tightly into my chest.

  “Hmm…maybe,” I whispered as my lips hovered over hers. She remained still, not saying a word.

  “Kiss me again,” she whispered back. Underneath the pearly moonlight, I obliged.

  “Let’s leave this place and find us somewhere more comfortable,” I suggested. Holding my arm out for her again, we left the garden, said our good-byes to everyone and returned to my mansion. That night, I felt more passion with her than I ever had. I just couldn’t get enough of Alexis King.

  Chapter 5

  It had been a long day but successful day. Jessica was just getting out of her car when I pulled up next to her.

  “Great timing,” she said, laughing.

  “Girl, I’ve had one heck of a day, but I’ve got some awesome news!” I was so excited that I could hardly wait to tell her.

  She locked her car after grabbing her purse and waitress apron. “Yeah? Tell me all about it.”

  “My Yoga class has expanded so much that they’ve allowed me to teach the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays now!”

  She unlocked the front door. “Oh yeah? Did your billionaire lover get that done for you?”

  I know she didn’t mean anything negative by that comment, but it still stung. “Ouch, Jessica! I know you have a special sense of humor but don’t bite too hard,” I awkwardly laughed. I didn’t want to start a fight over it but wanted her to know that it bothered me.

  “Oh, girl, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just know he has given you many opportunities,” she defended herself.

  “That’s true. Well, he didn’t lift a finger for me on this one. I earned this completely on my own.”

  “That’s awesome,” she replied. She went to change out of her work clothes, and I started to boil water for noodles. I was going to make spaghetti for dinner. Jessica came back to the kitchen area dressed in her lounging clothes and pulling her hair up into a ponytail. .

  “That was fast.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t wait to shed those clothes. We had so many customers today; it was insane. Are you making spaghetti?”

  “You bet,” I answered. “I’m starving.”

  She opened the pantry door, pulling out the tomato sauce and noodles. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask you. How’s your friendship with Seth? You haven’t mentioned him much in the last few days.”

  I sighed. I noticed he had skipped Tuesday’s Yoga class but wrote it off as nothing to worry about. After all, he was my friend and nothing more. “I’ve not heard from him in a few days. I suppose everything is going well. Why do you ask?” I sprinkled some salt into the boiling water.

  “I just remember you telling me about his curiosity and concerns with Ashton after meeting him at Yoga class. Then there was his reaction of running into Ashton here that night. Didn’t you meet him for coffee last weekend?”

  I placed the dry noodles into the pot of boiling water. “Yep, I sure did. He acted rather unusual at first. I had to pull it out of him, but he did confess to feeling awkward about the Ashton ordeal. I finally told him the truth.”

  Jessica froze. “Wait a minute. You told him about your fling with Ashton?” She looked shocked.

  “Yes. I had to. He was already suspecting stuff, and I didn’t want him to think that Ashton was being some type of creeper.”

  Jessica continued to wear a stunned look on her face. “Do you know what this means?” she asked in an excited.

  “Should I?”

  “This means that you’re growing closer to him! Yes, Ashton may be your lover boy for the moment, but you are getting closer to Seth. Mark my words!”

  I shook my head in disbelief. I even chuckled a little. “Jessica, come on. That has to be the most elementary school relationship advice I’ve heard in a while.”

  “Yeah, well, as childish as it may sound, I think it’s true. Kids get these things right sometimes, you know,” she shrugged while peeling a banana and leaning against the wall.

  “Did your mother ever tell you to not snack right before dinner?” I teased her.

  “All the time,” she answered and took another bite of the banana. “She also told me to recognize the truly caring relationships in my life.”

  “So you think that Seth truly cares for me?”

  “Oh absolutely! The way he talks to you? That’s the classic sign. He isn’t pushy with you either. He is always waiting on you. Ashton, on the other hand? He is always flooding you with gifts and opportunities. Everything is granted right away as there is never any waiting. Even with all of that, he refuses to acknowledge you in public. It just doesn’t seem like a long-lasting relationship but an exciting temporary one.”

  It was a good point. “What you say makes sense. It’s worth thinking about. Although, I’m starting to think that Ashton may be developing feelings for me. Like, some serious feelings for me.”

  “But he still chooses to hide you,” she pointed out.

  “But he seems like he is on verge of spilling the beans to everyone. He has to have a good reason for keeping things under wraps right now.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sure that he has a god reason. He has something to hide and that’s a serious enough reason for him.” Her voice was stern and matter-of-fact. She was no longer playing around about this.

  “Let’s keep in mind that he is the first celebrity billionaire that I’ve dated, which means that there’s probably a long list of legal issues that come with the territory.”

  “What type of legal issues would he have with having a girlfriend? How many celebrities do you see that step out in public with their boyfriend or girlfriend?” It was rare for Jessica to debate her points.

  I added the tomato sauce to the pan of browned beef. “You hear all the time how celebrities keep their relationships private for a certain amount of time to avoid negative press.”

  “Okay, as much as you’re already out in public with Ashton Jackson, the press should already be going crazy about you two. Rumors would be swirling in the magazines and online. He is paying someone to be quiet even on those grounds.”

  “Maybe he paid his publicist to protect him.”

  “Seriously, Alexis? Just last week, you were sounding like me. What has you extra defensive about Mr. Moneybags?” She threw her banana peel in the garbage can.

  “I need to take the garbage out soon,” I added randomly.

  “You’re avoiding my question,” she reminded me.

  I exhaled deeply, wishing the conversation was over. It went from being interesting to annoying in five seconds flat. “After my conversation with Seth on Saturday, something made me want to really figure some things out. His concerns matched my concerns. I felt like I owed it to Seth to at least figure out my relationship with Ashton.”

  Jessica thought about my answer for a moment. “Ohhhh, I get it now,” she breathed

  I was confused. “You get what?”

  She leaned over the counter, staring at me with confident, steady eyes. “You’re developing feelings for Seth.”

  “No I’m not. What on earth gave you that idea?” My eyes grew wide with shock. I couldn’t believe she said that!

  “If you didn’t have feelings for Seth, why would you feel like you owed it to him? Because you don’t want to give him false hope. Instinctively, you know that something is developing between the two of you and you don’t truly believe anything will come of you
and Ashton long term. So, in order to make peace about it, you are giving Ashton all your attention so you can prove to yourself that he isn’t worth it in the long run. Boom. I nailed ya!” She lifted her arms overhead, proud.

  “Wow, that was out of left field. Has anyone ever told you that you have an amazing imagination?” I knew that I would later process her words.

  “I give you a few hours before that sets in. I don’t think you’ve realized it yet. You don’t even recognize your growing attraction to Seth.” She walked away from the kitchen, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Had I really ignored my feelings? Or was naturally ignoring the truth? Was it possible to be attracted to two men at once? The tomato sauce started to boil, and that pulled me out of thoughts. I focused on cooking the spaghetti instead of obsessively mulling over the new insight. I wasn’t in the mood to try to figure everything out at once.

  Chapter 6

  “London?! That’s spectacular!” I couldn’t hide my excitement.

  “It’s just an idea right now. It isn’t set in stone. The company has expanded enough that my marketer is confident that there is profit to be made in Europe. An office in London was my first thought. I’m supposed to deliver my decision this afternoon. What do you think?”

  “Well, if it isn’t set in stone, why do you have to deliver a decision this afternoon? Wouldn’t that make it set in stone?” His logic didn’t make sense to me.

  He tapped his pencil on the desk repetitively. Whenever he was in deep thought, he fidgeted. “It’s my company, and I believe that I can change my mind whenever I like. I suppose deep down, I worry what you think about it. I would have to spend a lot of time in London.”

  I understood then. He was being cautious with his words to the point of near deceit. “You’re afraid that I will disappear on you,” I stated.

  “I’m not afraid of anything. I just like how things are between us. That’s all.”

  I laughed. “Things are weird between us. That’s a fact.” Seth flashed into my mind. I felt a sudden rush of guilt.