by Sophie Oak
“Whatever.”
Mike pushed past him and headed into the kitchen.
Randy stared at him, his dark eyes taking on a sympathetic gleam that set Curt’s teeth on edge. “Man, I get it. I really do. Seeing how Mike is dressed, it’s easy to guess what’s got you boiling. Still, a little out of character for the player you are—and I don’t mean on the field.”
“Shut the fuck up, Randy.” Curt followed Mike into the kitchen. What the hell did Randy know about him and women? Just because he’d invited Randy and Marcus to a couple of play parties at his house before the YouTube incident didn’t mean the man knew how he felt about Tess. Come to think of it, what the hell did anyone know about his private life? They knew what Curt wanted them to know. Since the incident with the tabloid and the BDSM club, he’d been very careful. In public, he’d dated the “right” women. They were all beautiful, successful, and paid to be on his arm. Sure, he’d slept with a couple of them but never the way he wanted to. Not a single one had gotten to him. Not until Tess…
Curt charged into the kitchen. Mike had apparently gotten into his clothes. Their wrinkles were a red flag. Mike went to the fridge and got a bottle of water. Marcus sat at the table, eating a bagel. Kevin walked in and oddly didn’t make a jab or joke at everyone’s expense. He simply grabbed a bowl and sat down. Of all five of them, Kevin was the lighthearted one. Now, he looked like his dick was in the dirt, totally sullen, closed off, as though he was trying not to give away a thing.
What the hell was that about?
Curt stared at Kevin. Though he knew what had happened, seeing the damn proof staring him in the face started an ache he didn’t want to acknowledge. “You enjoy double-teaming Tess with Mike last night, asshole? What’s wrong, you can’t get it up without your buddy there?”
Marcus looked up from his meal. “They did what?”
Randy sighed and sank into a chair. “Apparently, Mike and Kevin went through with their ridiculous plan of seducing Tess to try to get an early release.”
Curt’s blood pounded in his veins. That had been his plan, but his anger came from more than being beat to the finish line. They’d moved in on his territory. “Kevin, what the fuck happened last night?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He stared down at his cereal but didn’t take a bite.
Marcus snorted. “That’s a first. Hell, you’re always giving us the blow-by-blow about your conquests, with and without Mike’s participation. And when have you ever hesitated over food?”
Kevin glared at the tight end. “Did you not hear me? I don’t want to talk about it.”
Marcus shrugged. “Weird. Mike, what about you? Your lips sealed, too?”
“Yeah. Let it go, Marcus.”
Curt wanted to deck them both. Instead, he decided to push their buttons. Doing that felt a hell of a lot better than sitting idly in pain, thinking about Tess. “I bet you two couldn’t get her off. That’s why you’re both acting so weird. Leave it to me, boys. I know what she really needs.”
Kevin was suddenly on his feet. Mike moved to his side, a glare darkening his face. Before they could speak, Tess walked into the kitchen. She was soft and warm this morning, wearing a pretty green blouse, a yellow scarf, and a skirt that hit right at her knees. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail and perfected her makeup, but there was a look about her that told Curt he was wrong about Kevin’s and Mike’s prowess. They’d gotten her off just fine.
Everyone shut up as she entered and crossed the kitchen. A blush stained her cheeks, and she muttered a good morning, obviously unwilling to look anyone in the eyes.
Curt wasn’t about to drop it. She’d been pushing him in every session. She’d pushed him about opening up and sharing his true feelings—and not just about his career. Clearly, she wanted to flip his switches. She wanted to peel back his layers and examine him like a bug on a pin. Well, if she wanted to know the real Curt Goff, she was about to get a big dose. She wanted his true feelings? He really felt like beating her ass for sleeping with two other men. Even that didn’t quell his desire to have her. He craved her like no one before. Tess was his. She’d soon learn that.
Tess walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup.
“You sleep well last night, princess?” Curt made sure his voice was silky smooth as he moved in. He saw her tense as he came up behind her. He also saw Mike and Kevin ready to pounce if he got any closer. “Any discomfort? Soreness? I know a new bed can be hell on your…back.”
“Chingate, pendejo.” Mike growled.
Tess’s cheeks brightened, but she didn’t take the bait. She moved quickly to stop the scene. Fuck, the woman was so impressive.
She sipped her coffee and seemed to remain calm in the midst of all that testosterone. “Everyone ready for our morning rounds? I left the schedule on the board outside. Remember, these are the one-on-one sessions. Each of you gets an hour alone with me. Don’t think I’ll be easy on you. I won’t.”
Curt bristled. “That’s a lot of sessions for one day. Maybe you should reassess your schedule.”
“What do you mean? I have an hour with each of you and a break for lunch.”
Curt pointed to Mike and Kevin. “Don’t you like to do those two together?”
Her jaw dropped and then snapped shut. She slammed the cup on the granite countertop. “I’ll see you at eleven, Mr. Goff. You can apologize then.” She stormed out of the kitchen, deeper into the cavernous ranch house.
“You’re an asshole, Curt. I swear, if you talk to her like that again, I don’t give a shit what you mean to this team, I’ll waste you myself.” Kevin slammed out the door into the expansive backyard.
“You’re a real winner, Goff.” Mike shook his head and followed Kevin.
Marcus sighed. “Well, I think this whole team-building exercise is going really well.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Randy asked.
“Absolutely not,” Marcus replied. “We’ve all finally agreed on something. Curt’s an asshole.”
Randy laughed and slapped his teammate on the back.
Curt stalked off, unable to stop wondering if they were right.
Chapter Five
Tess stared at Curt as he sank into the chair opposite from her and wondered how she would make it through the next hour. She’d spent the morning with Randy and then Marcus. That had been the easy part of her day. Now, she had a session with Mr. Prick, as she’d decided to call him mentally, and then a break for lunch before she had to face her previous night’s big mistake.
How was she going to get through that? What should she say to them? She’d been debating it all morning. She’d gone from a very polite, “thank you for the orgasms, let’s all behave professionally now,” to just sneaking out and maybe taking a plane to some far-off place where no one would ever know what an ass she’d made of herself.
“Want to talk about it, princess?”
There was a smirk on Curt Goff’s ridiculously handsome face. It was further proof that God must be a man. Otherwise, no guy that hot would be such a dick. She carefully schooled her face, hoping for a professional placidness. “I would much rather talk about you, Mr. Goff.”
“Mr. Goff.” He tsk-tsked her. “I thought we moved past that, Tess. You were calling me Curt yesterday.”
Yes, she had called him that yesterday. Yesterday, she’d thought they were making progress. He’d been surprisingly sweet after lunch. He’d been almost protective of her. When she’d tripped walking into the kitchen, he’d been right there to catch her. It had made her feel soft and feminine. Thinking about Curt had set her up for a fall. By the time Mike and Kevin had gotten to her, she needed something to make her feel good. Yeah. She could blame this all on Curt. That thought brightened her day a bit.
“I think Mr. Goff is better, don’t you?” Tess was determined to get back on track.
He leaned forward. His tight T-shirt didn’t hide the way his muscles moved. He was like a sleek panther stalking its prey. “I
think I would prefer Sir, Tess.”
Tess fought to breathe evenly. The way he said it made her think of her college days. Long days of study and nights of submission. She’d loved the crack of a whip back then. She’d given it up because submission didn’t go with her career plans. Sometimes she felt like she’d given up far too much of herself for what she thought was the ideal life. First to Roger and then to her own strict views of success. Why had last night been wrong when it felt so right?
She shook off the thought. These thoughts didn’t do her any good now. She needed to concentrate on the problem at hand.
“Mr. Goff, I’m not here for my health. I’m here to help you. There is no reason this team shouldn’t work. The Bandits have one of the highest payrolls in the league. You have brilliant regular seasons. Why does it fall apart in the postseason? What is keeping you from succeeding?”
“Randy’s slippery hands are what’s keeping me from succeeding, princess. Talk to Kevin, who can’t block to save his life. He’s an awesome fullback when it comes to the run, but he tends to forget that he has to protect me, too.”
“You’re very good at blaming other people, Mr. Goff.” She winced inwardly because that had been exactly what she was doing. Blaming him for her behavior. She was talking the talk, but she wasn’t very good at the walking part lately. “Your quarterback rating is much lower in the postseason.”
He sat back. Only a light stain on his cheeks betrayed that the conversation bothered him at all. “Your QB rating is only as good as the people you’re throwing to.”
“And your rate of interceptions? I saw your last game. You threw three.”
His jaw hardened. “We all have off days, princess. We all have days where we make decisions we probably shouldn’t.”
She got his point. She felt a blush race across her skin. “Yes, we do. But not many of us make mistakes that cost others millions of dollars. Don’t you feel like you owe Mr. Boyle something?”
A nasty grimace tightened Curt’s face, and he sat back up. “Don’t talk to me about what I owe Frank. I owe him plenty. He should have cut me when that tabloid story came out. My contract was almost up. Instead, he protected me, gave me a ridiculous amount of money, and treated me more like a son than my own father ever did.”
Finally, a spark of real emotion. “Was it hard? When the story came out?”
“Fuck yeah, it was hard. How would you like your most private self paraded around for the tabloids? How would you like something that means a lot to you to become a joke to everyone around you?”
She heard the anguish in his words even though they were hidden behind a wall of anger. It made her want to reach out to him. She did it in the only way she could. “Did the girl mean a lot to you or the club?”
He was silent for a moment. She thought he might bolt, but he settled back. “The girl was just another sub. She wasn’t mine. The club was a little like a second home to me, but beyond that I was talking about the lifestyle. The lifestyle means something to me.”
Now they were getting somewhere. It was the first time he sounded genuine. “BDSM? Is that the lifestyle you’re talking about?”
His eyes narrowed, and Tess had the strangest feeling she’d just opened a door and walked into a trap. “Yes, princess. I’m talking about BDSM, but mostly I’m on the dominance and submission side of things. I like to have a woman submit to me. Do you know what it means to submit?”
She was not going there, even if her panties were turning dangerously damp. God, what kind of a person was she? She’d spent the entire night before with two men, and now she couldn’t get her mind off Curt.
Pointedly, she crossed her legs. “What I know or don’t know isn’t going to help you or the team. This time is to focus on you. Do you feel out of control when the regular season ends? Like your life and career are in other people’s hands and you don’t trust them? Is that why you push? I’ve seen the game films, and you push during the postseason when you’re extraordinarily patient otherwise.”
He stopped, his handsome face a complete blank for a moment. “I don’t push.”
She looked up from her notepad. There was absolutely nothing written on it, just little doodles, but she felt like she needed this little bit of armor this morning. “Have you watched the films, Mr. Goff? I have the stats in your file. You take significantly less time to throw a pass in the play-offs than in the regular season. Maybe the reason Randy struggles is that you don’t give him enough time to run his routes correctly.”
Curt’s face turned bright red. “Think you know a lot about football, do you?”
The tension just kept notching up. It was there, a palpable fission running across her skin. She knew she should tone it down, but she just couldn’t. He’d been baiting her for days, first with his sarcasm and then with a sweetness she’d been unable to deny. This morning he’d really rubbed her raw.
“I know enough, Mr. Goff, but more importantly, I know a lot about people, though you surprise me a bit. I suppose I thought you were the type to take responsibility for your actions. Instead, you come up with a whole lot of ways to excuse your poor behavior.”
She’d expected him to explode, secretly wanted it so she’d know she could get to him the way he got to her, but instead a slow smile slid across his handsome face.
“Are you owning up to yours, princess? Because I don’t think we’re talking about football anymore. Were you upset that I caught you with your legs spread? It certainly upset me.”
Heat flashed through her. Did he really have to be so crude? “My personal life is none of your business.”
“Oh, I disagree. You’ve made my personal life your business. You’ve decided you can top me, haven’t you? You think you can breeze in with your psych degree and all those idiotic ideals of perfect teamwork and change everything? You don’t know shit, princess. You want to peel me apart like an onion, you should get ready for the acid in my soul to burn your eyes.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit dramatic?” She felt her left leg start to bounce, a sure sign that she was stressed. “You came from a privileged family. Your father was a Hall of Fame quarterback. You went to all the right schools.”
“Is that what you think? You think I’m some poor little rich boy who can’t quite make the cut because my father smoothed the way for me? And now that I’m on my own, I’m floundering and making excuses. Is that how you pegged me?”
Keep it professional. The sudden image of tossing her profile of Curt straight at his face was almost impossible to resist. He didn’t take her seriously. He was never going to. “Tell me something, Mr. Goff, when was the last time you struggled with money?”
“Not once in my life, princess.”
“And obviously you didn’t have to struggle for female attention.”
He shrugged.
“And you wonder why I think your privileged life has led you to this state?”
“Oh, which state is that, wise one?”
She sniffed. “The state where you fumble through your life. You were given a direction and the tools to get to a plane of success most people can only dream about, yet you spend your time baiting your less fortunate teammates and causing scandals. You’re going to be the reason Coach Wilde gets fired, you know. Frank has no choice. Season ticket sales are down. He can’t get rid of you. Someone has to take the fall. But that doesn’t mean anything to someone like you, does it?”
Curt blanched. “Frank wouldn’t do that. He and Jimmy have been friends since they were kids. It would ruin Jimmy.”
“What do you care? You’ll have your money, and you can go your way.” A secret part of her was thrilled she’d finally made contact.
“You don’t know anything about it. I would shut up if I were you, princess.”
But she couldn’t. She had him on the run and for the first time felt a little thrill at the idea that she might be reaching him. “I should think you would be happy. You like to have control over people. Maybe you can get th
e next one fired, too.”
“I’m warning you right now, Tess. You’re pushing me too far. If another nasty word comes out of your mouth, we’re going to have trouble.” He said it with a clenched jaw, but all Tess could hear was the challenge. Weeks of tension were finally coming to a head, and she just couldn’t resist.
“You’ve never had a minute of trouble in your cotton-candy life. You’re just a rich boy who doesn’t care who he hurts. Not only have you just about ruined your coach’s career, you’ll take your teammates down at some point. Hell, you’ll take me down, too. None of us matter to you.”
He stood, and Tess thought he would walk away. She was surprised at the way her heart plunged at the thought of him walking out the door.
He towered over her. “You’re right and wrong. You do matter. And I will take you down, princess.”
Too late, she realized she’d tugged the tiger’s tail, and he was coming for her. Tess darted for the door, but he was on her in an instant. One hand wrapped around her waist, hauling her up against his rock-hard body. The other ruthlessly covered her mouth.
“Bite me, and I’ll bite back. I won’t hesitate to take my pound of flesh, princess. You just worry about where I decide to take it from your pretty hide.”
He whispered the threat in her ear. Tess struggled against him. He dragged her back to the big chair he’d occupied before.
“Struggle all you like, Tess. It’s just getting me harder. We’ve been building to this. I meant to go slow. I planned everything out. Wine, roses, some gateway bondage. Then I find fucking Mike Cabrerra crawling out of your bed this morning. So, we’ll move a little more quickly, I think.”
He tugged at the scarf around her neck, and before she could get out of his grasp, he had it wrapped around her wrists, binding her hands neatly in front of her. With his hands on her wrists, Tess was free to scream. She decided to try reason first.
“You asshole, let me go. This is a ridiculously bad idea.” She pushed away from him. She pulled at her hands, but they held tight. Damn, he was really good with a knot.
