by L. P. Maxa
WILD. RECKLESS. IRRESPONSIBLE. A FATHER?
Jackson Cole has been called many things: immature, irresponsible, sexy as hell. But one thing he’s never been called is “Dad”—until Child Services shows up on his doorstep with a waifish nine-year-old claiming he’s the father. What’s a rock star to do? Call your best friend, who just happens to be super hot, funny, and even more commitment-phobic than you, and beg her to help. Of course, now that his friend is living in the same house, Jacks is finding it harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.
Bryan Lawson never expected to become pals with a charming, hilarious, breathtakingly handsome rock star, but after they met backstage at one of Jacks’s concerts, she couldn’t stop texting him. He’s just the sort of person she could imagine being with forever, except that, try as she might, she’s never managed to stay interested in a relationship for more than three months. Now that Jacks is a dad, the stakes are much higher. A breakup wouldn’t just ruin their friendship, it would destroy a little girl who’s just learning to love. But maybe also the game has changed.
Play Fair
Book Three of The Devil’s Share
L.P. Maxa
www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.
PLAY FAIR
Copyright © 2016 L.P. Maxa
All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.
ISBN 978-1-944262-22-8
Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar
www.gopublished.com
For all the moms out there…whether your child grew in your heart or under it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since the dedication for Play Fair is to moms, I’ll go ahead and thank them first. As always, thank you to my CRAZY wonderful mother, and my grandmother who really loves reading all my dirty books. To all my AH-mazing mom friends, I don’t really know how I’d survive without you guys. And wine. To my perfect, loud, sassy, beautiful daughter—thank you for making me a mommy. To my uber supportive husband (he puts up with a lot, y’all) thank you for being such a good father, you made writing Jacks’s love for Landry the easiest thing I’ve ever done. As always, Jenni, thank you for molding this story with me and making it what it is. You’re always right :) KB, my number one prostitute, thank you for jumping on the trampoline with me and letting me take pictures of you half naked. You’re literally the best. And to that guy in that bar that let me watch him pick up chicks, sorry you went home alone *insert wince*. My readers, thank you times a million, because without you guys there would be no LP. And lastly, BIG shout out to my Smitten Kittens! Y’all keep me laughing, thanks for all the Gifs.
CONTENTS
Bryan and Jacks’s Text History
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by L.P. Maxa
PLAY FAIR
“When you meet the one who changes the way your heart beats, dance with them to that rhythm for as long as the song lasts.”
—Kirk Diedrich
Bryan and Jacks’s Text History
(after the music festival)
Me: You tried talking to a counselor.
J: I saw this on the internet and thought of you http://www.vballfails.fhg.jk.com
B: Awwww! You were thinking about me while you were watching porn?! So sweet. And highly inappropriate.
J: Just click the link
B: Omg. Who told you?!
J: Told me what?
B: I’m the 3rd clip…
J: Hahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahalolhahaha hahahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahahah
***
B: Whatcha doin’ love?
J: Playing Grand Theft Auto
B: Oooo the one where you can buy coke and screw hookers? Little art imitating life there, Jacky Boy?
J: Yes. But I don’t bang hookers
B: I always thought that game looked fun. And I’m preeetty sure hookers and groupies are one in the same.
J: I’ll send you a copy of the game. I don’t pay groupies, they blow fo’ free!
B: Nothing in life is free, kid. And I don’t have my Nintendo anymore, my mom sold it in a garage sale.
J: Nintendo? Are you serious?
B: Yeah, why? Is Sega the cool one?
J: Expect a large package tomorrow
B: Why? You coming to see me ;)
***
J: Good morning Baby Doll
B: Mornin’ Jacky Boy
J: You ready to play?
B: You are insatiable
J: Is that a yes?
B: Yes. But this time I want to bang a prostitute.
J: No. It’s weird. It makes me think of you in a sexual way. Makes my dick happy.
B: The wind makes your dick happy. You’re being sexist. Just don’t watch. Close your eyes.
J: Okay
B: And picture me, naked, writhing in the back seat of a car
J: I hate you
***
B: You going out to get some strange tonight, lover boy?
J: Nah. I’m beat, we were in the studio all day. You going out with the douche?
B: I don’t think so. His frat is throwing a party tonight. I’m all toga’d out this semester, he’s starting to bore/smother me anyway.
J: Wanna play?
B: I’m a little Grand Theft Auto’d out too. Movie?
J: I’m overnighting you a new game right now. Zombies.
B: I hope it’s super bloody
J: You know it! What movie do you wanna watch?
B: Something campy and low budget
J: That’s my girl
***
J: You awake?
B: It’s 2 am, dude.
J: I can’t sleep
B: Roll over and bug the chick that’s in your bed
J: I’m alone. And I’d rather bug the chick that’s in my phone
B: That’s sweet. In a re
ally sad pathetic way
J: :(
B: Awww, I’m sorry Jacky. What’s wrong?
J: Nothing. Just wide awake. I drank a red bull at dinner.
B: Why?
J: We were out of milk
B: You’re right, Red Bull is a superb substitute for milk.
J: Come hang out with me
B: Okay, I’ll be there in…about…uh…
J: Can’t figure out the math in your head?
B: No :(
J: It’s okay.
B: I would though, come hang out with you, if you weren’t a lot of hours away
J: I would come hang out with you too. Don’t make fun of me, but I think you might be my best friend.
B: Ditto
***
J: What are you wearing?
B: Did you text the wrong chick?
J: No
B: Oh, okay. I’m wearing a t-shirt.
J: And?
B: That’s it, a t-shirt. I just got out of the shower.
J: Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea
B: Why? You don’t want to hear about the water trailing down my thighs?
J: No
B: Dick happy?
J: No… Maybe.
B: Hahahaha
J: You’re my bff. You shouldn’t make my dick happy.
B: I can’t help it. I make everyone’s dick happy ;)
***
B: I have a confession to make
J: You think of me while you bang your d bag of a boyfriend?
B: No.
J: Darn.
B: I played the zombie game without you this afternoon
J: YOU DID WHAT?!
B: I’m sorry. But I had a break in between classes. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.
J: I was in the studio. I got in trouble for texting yesterday and they made me leave my phone in my room
B: Those bastards
J: I know, right?
B: Forgive me?
J: I could never stay mad at you.
B: I beat your high score.
J: This friendship is over
***
J: You still up?
B: Barely
J: Sorry. The band had a dinner we couldn’t get out of and it ran late
B: No worries
J: I missed hearing your voice tonight
B: Ditto
J: Call you in the morning?
B: Yes, please :)
J: Good night, doll
B: Night, Jacks
Chapter One
Jacks
My forearms were straining. “Yeah, that’s perfect. Right there.”
“Okay, good. Don’t stop.” I could almost hear her biting her perfect plump bottom lip.
“Wait, watch me, I’m coming behind you.”
“No! Stay back there. You said I could be in control this time.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know…but I’m better at it, doll. Just let me in.”
“No way. It’s my turn to win.”
“Ugh! Fine. You are such a brat.” I fell back to let Bryan take the lead on the apocalyptic war game we were playing via speaker phone. Who knew this volleyball-spiking, gorgeous klutz would be a good gamer? “B! Come on, how did you miss that shot?! See? This is why I need to be in front.”
“Shut it, Jacks. It was one missed shot. Look at the screen, my average is better than yours this round.”
I glanced to the bottom right-hand corner—she was right. “Well, look at that. Good job, B.” I fired off two rounds in the zombie coming up on my left. “Although, you are only improving so much because of my excellent tutelage.” I was the lead guitarist of The Devil’s Share, one of the hottest bands in the nation. I met plenty of great girls. But Bryan? She broke the damn mold. She had this amazingly down-to-earth personality. And she was gorgeous. Like a lingerie model: tiny waist, perfect curves, ice blue gorgeous eyes. I’m sure she turned heads everywhere she went, and I’m also sure she barely even noticed. If she were any other girl, I’d be hitting her up with the sexting on the regular. But I actually cared about her, like as a human. And although she was the coolest chick, ever, sex complicated things. AKA, it made nice girls turn into crazy clingy super fan stalkers. I wasn’t willing to lose her, or get a restraining order. So I kept my dick and my dirty thoughts to myself.
Bryan laughed. “Yeah. My zombie shooting skills have gone up and my grade point average has gone down. Thanks for the mentoring, Jacky Boy.”
I smiled. I was always smiling when I was spending time, well, virtual time, with Bryan. I’d only actually seen her in person once, at this music festival in New Orleans a month or so ago. She was visiting her older sister Dylan, who happened to be our tortured bassist’s new girlfriend. Bryan and I had clicked instantly. And by clicked instantly I meant that I’d tried to kiss her (my dick went rock-hard the second I laid eyes on her) and she punched me in the gut and then tripped on a floor cable, twisting her ankle in the process. She never ratted me out and we’d been long-distance besties ever since. My bandmate’s girlfriend’s baby sister was the best friend I’d ever had.
“You still dating that frat strap?” She’d been going out with some preppy frat boy for a few months now. Although, I talked to her for at least an hour every night, so I wasn’t really sure when they actually spent time together. She didn’t mention him much, which was fine with me. She may be my friend, but I was a selfish dude, I didn’t want her attention to go to anyone else.
“Kind of. I guess.”
“Kind of? I guess? It’s a yes or no, doll.” I took out a zombie coming up on her right. “I thought you liked him.”
“I did. I do. I don’t know.”
“He isn’t good enough for you.”
She laughed. “How would you know? You’ve never met him.”
“First, no one will ever be good enough for you, because you are the best. Second, his name is Shepard. I picture tossed-to-the-side old-school Bieber hair and Polo shirts galore.”
She laughed again. I’d grown to cherish each and every one of those I got to hear. In a totally friends-only kind of way. “You aren’t far off.”
“Figured.” I paused the game when I heard a knock.
“What the hell, Jacks?”
“Sorry, someone’s at the door. Just give me minute.” I threw my legs over the side of my enormous bed. I had yet to get up and head downstairs even though the sun had been up for hours now.
“Crap! No, just call me back later. I lost track of time, I have a final in twenty minutes.”
“Physics or poly sci?” I flipped the game off.
“Physics, poly sci was yesterday.”
I grabbed a t-shirt off the floor, smelling it before pulling it over my head. “Good luck, baby doll.”
“Thanks. Same time as usual?”
B and I had a standing phone call date at nine o’clock. “You know it. Peace.” I tossed my phone onto the blue plaid bedspread and opened my bedroom door. Blue plaid. Not something I would ever choose for myself, but freeloaders can’t be choosers. The label had set the band up in this amazingly large and very Truman Show-ish house down in Florida. The tour was over but here we were, all living under the same roof.
Smith, our bassist and my closest friend, walked in and started looking around, confused. “Who were you talking to?”
I jerked my head in the direction of the TV. “Game.” No one knew that Bryan and I were friends. Smith had started searching for us like a madman when we’d wandered off at the music festival. He didn’t trust me alone with her, not even for a second. That’s why we figured it was easier this way. It’s not like any of them would understand. She lived hundreds of miles away and I was Jacks, the perpetual partying man whore. They wouldn’t think I was capable of being friends with a smokin’ hot chick. “What’s up, man?”
Smith took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of my bed. “Look, there is no easy way to say this. So…I’m just going to
say it.”
Smith seemed like he was about to pass out. Holy shit. Did someone die? “Okay…” I grabbed a pair of pants off the back of a chair. Yeah, I liked to play video games in my briefs.
“There is a social worker in the living room. With a little girl. That looks a hell of a lot like you, bro.”
I paused with one leg in my pants, Smith’s words slowly sinking in. Nope. I shook my head and let out a little chuckle. “Haha. Very funny, man.” I pulled them up the rest of the way and buttoned. “What’s really going on?” I stared at him, willing him to smile. Wordlessly commanding him to tell me he was joking. He didn’t. He just stood there, silent and stoic. For some reason those words started to play on a loop in my head. Silent and stoic. Silent and stoic.
“No joke, man. There is a social worker downstairs, with a little girl, looking for you.” Smith clasped his hand on my shoulder and steered me out the door.
I couldn’t talk, I felt paralyzed. If Smith hadn’t been guiding me, I wouldn’t have been able to put one foot in front of the other. Silent and stoic, down the hall. Silent, down the stairs. Stoic, around the corner. I kept my eyes on the ground. I was afraid to look. Almost like when I was a kid and I was watching a scary movie. If I didn’t see it, it wasn’t real.
“Mr. Cole?”
Dammit. Now I had to look. A pretty older lady in a very professional pantsuit stood from her seat on the couch. “Yes?”
“My name is Diane Harris. I’m a social worker…do you know why I am here?”
I heard her talking. Like, I knew she was talking to me and that I should answer. But I couldn’t seem to look away from the little girl standing next to her. She had huge blue eyes, a button of a nose, and jet black hair. She was tiny, thin.
“Mr. Cole? Did you hear me?”
The little girl narrowed her eyes at me, her mouth a hard line. Was she giving me a go-to-hell look? “No. I’m sorry… I actually don’t know why you are here…” I tore my gaze from the girl with beautiful tough eyes and looked over at the social worker.
Smith stayed right by my side, never saying anything, just standing there next to me and looking at the child. I didn’t know what to say to either of them. I didn’t know if it was okay to freak out in front of the kid. Luckily Dylan, his girlfriend and Bryan’s sister, walked in and kneeled down by the little girl. The little girl that could be my twin. “Hi, sweetheart. My name is Dylan, what’s yours?”
