Big Baller: Bad Boy Sports Romance

by Abbi Hemp

  “You better not be taking my man,” Dee said.

  I turned to my other side and saw her staring into the mirror and applying fake eyelashes.

  “There’s no calling what team member you get,” Jessica said. “You know that.”

  “Say what you want, old lady, the quarterback is mine.” Dee glanced over at me. “So you better stay the fuck out of my way. Understand?”

  I stared at her, not saying a word. She looked away first.

  “That’s what I thought,” I muttered.

  “Girl…” Dee stood up and stepped toward me.

  “Cut it out,” Ugly Stan said from the doorway. “You girls need to get your pretty little asses out here and make me some money with the team.”

  “Let’s go,” Jessica said, grabbing my arm.

  I stood and followed her out of the room and down a dark, lonely hallway. The sound of bass shook the walls and floors as we walked toward the back of the stage for our grand entrance.

  “Are you ready?” DJ Thrush said into a microphone.

  Real-name Jason, he looked and sounded much cooler than he was in reality.

  Men cheered and whistled as Dee and some of the other women stepped out on stage, parading around with nothing but a bikini. I scanned the crowd, looking for someone to zero in on.

  While I didn’t follow football regularly, I’d done my homework earlier in the day and recognized Tony Cassano right away. As the quarterback for the Cleveland Rebels, he was hard to miss.

  After three times around the stage, everyone except Dee left the stage. I headed straight for Tony. Determined to get his attention, I slipped off my top and arched my back as I approached.

  “Damn,” some other guy said.

  I walked past his table and stopped in front of Tony. His eyes met mine as I placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned forward.

  He glanced down at my breasts then back up to my eyes. My heart beat faster as the music played in the background. Everything else faded away.

  “You looking for some company tonight?” I asked in a sexy voice.

  “Not really,” he said.

  “Aw, come on, you know…”

  I stopped talking as some guy yelled from the entrance, “But I have a lifetime membership. That includes all private parties. That’s what you fucking said, Stan.”

  Tony craned his neck to see what was going on.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, shaking my breasts to distract him.

  “I can’t be caught here by a reporter.”

  He pushed me away and got to his feet.

  “Don’t push me,” I said, hands on hips.

  Without paying me any attention at all, he walked toward the confrontation at the entrance of the club.

  “Oh, hell no,” I said, storming after him.

  I recognized Scotty, a perverted regular who always hit on the dancers. He had come onto me more than once, offering five-hundred dollars to fuck him in the parking lot. I had declined with prejudice.

  “You gotta let me in,” he whined as we approached.

  Tony stopped next to them.

  “I thought you said this was a private night. We don’t want any bloggers or paparazzi in here.”

  “What the hell did you call me?” Scotty asked.

  Is he fucking nuts?

  “Come on, Tony, let’s get you a lap dance.”

  I slipped my arm around his waist. He pulled away.

  “No, I’m leaving.”

  As I watched him walk to the door, one of his teammates ran up.

  “Tony! Hold on!”

  Ugly Stan turned his attention to me.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “Baby Cakes here will give you a free lap dance tonight and then you leave, okay?”

  “What? No,” I said.

  Scotty grinned, his teeth stained yellow.

  “That’ll work.”

  “Great,” Ugly Stan said, clapping his hands together.

  “No,” I said.

  “Do this for me, and I’ll make it up to you.”

  I turned and leaned toward Ugly Stan, whispering in his ear.

  “Please don’t ask me to do this. He’s an asshole.”

  “If you don’t do this for my best customer, you’re going to get fired!” he snarled.

  What the hell is happening? I wondered as I stormed off toward the Champagne Room in back of the club. Every step, I felt Scotty’s beady eyes on my ass and bare back.

  “Be sure to make him happy,” Ugly Stan called out after us.

  How did I go from the quarterback of the Cleveland Rebels to this loser in less than ten minutes? I had no answers as we reached the special rooms with curtains for doors.

  I held back the black velvet and motioned with my head for him to go inside. He brushed up against me as he passed. His breath hit me like a dirty, disgusting truck.

  As he sat down on a leather bench against the far wall, I smiled, moving my body to the music streaming in through the closed curtain. He leaned back, spreading his legs.

  He’s got a fucking boner already, I thought, disgusted by him. I hid my true feelings as I sashayed across the room in time to the music. It was a skill I knew well.

  “We’re going to make this quick since it’s free,” I said. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “You heard Stan. Make me feel good.”

  I stopped dancing and stared down at him.

  “Come on, sugar tits.” He slapped his thigh. “Sit right here for me. Get your grind on.”

  “I’m sorry, this is a no-touch dance. One of the other girls might…”

  “Fuck the other girls,” he snapped in an angry tone.

  While I didn’t flinch, I noticed his change in tone and stepped back toward the curtain. I hoped Bubba or Steve, the bouncers, were nearby.

  “Take it easy,” I said. “One of the other dancers will blow you if you want.”

  “Fuck that,” he said, standing. “I want you, bitch. That’s what Stan said. Make me happy.”

  “You know what? Fuck you.”

  I spun around and stormed out of the room, my heart beating so damn fast. Where are Bubba and Steve? As I walked back toward the stage, I didn’t see either of them.

  “Where you think you’re going, slut?” Scotty called out behind me.

  Fuck you, I thought but said nothing, walking forward.

  “I told you to hold on,” the desperate, creepy man said.

  When I reached the crowd of football players sitting together near the stage, I felt safer. Tony, the quarterback, had returned in my absence. He looked up at me as Scotty reached me.

  The fucking creep put his hand on my bare arm and yanked me around. I glared at him.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’re coming outside to blow me,” he said.

  The music, dancing on stage, and the cat calls from the football players continued behind and around me, but everything else slowed down.

  “That’s not happening,” I said and moved to turn.

  “Look, slut.” He grabbed my breast. “You need to make me happy.”

  Unable to take it any longer, I turned and spit directly in his face. His eyes opened wide, and he reached back with his arm. Before his closed fist hit me, Tony stepped in between us.

  “You need to fucking leave,” Tony said.

  I stepped to the left to see the expression on Scotty’s face.

  Fucking priceless.

  “I ain’t got no beef with you, man,” he said, backing away with his arms raised.

  “You keep messing with this woman, and you’re going to have a problem with me.”

  “That whore?”

  Tony moved forward, causing Scotty to flinch.

  “Alright, man. Your team fucking sucks anyway.”

  Scotty’s last statement caught the attention of some of the other team members. Three of them stood and walked over.

  “That’s what I thought,” Tony said as Scotty scurried away.
r />   The hulking quarterback turned to me, a concerned look on his face.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I nodded my head, trying to look tough as my knees shook. He put his thick, strong hand on my waist.

  “Are you sure? Let’s go get some fresh air.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Ugly Stan asked as he walked over. “You need to get back to work, Baby Cakes.”

  “I need to take the rest of the night off,” I said.

  Tony turned back to the others when someone called his name.

  “You’re working tonight or you’re fired. I can’t have you spitting on customers.”

  “He fucking told me I had to blow him.”

  “Was he going to pay you?”

  “He said so, but I don’t do that shit. I told you.”

  “Look, honey. You’re not getting any younger. It might be time you started thinking about going the extra mile to make better money.”

  I took a deep breath, ready to go off on Ugly Stan, tell him what I really thought. The thought of money made me keep my mouth shut.

  “Go take a five-minute break, but I want you on stage.”

  “Fine,” I said, looking around for Tony.

  He deserved my thanks and appreciation. Ugly Stan walked off toward the bar. When I didn’t see the quarterback, I walked up to one of his teammates.

  “Where did Tony go?” I yelled into his ear.

  “He left,” he shouted without taking his eyes off the stage.

  Jessica was dancing completely nude. While it was illegal, Ugly Stan didn’t give a fuck and it made her more money. At least that was what she said.

  I made a quick round of the entire club, not seeing Tony anywhere. Why had he left so suddenly? Did I disgust him or something? As I walked to the back to get ready to go on stage, I frowned.

  The whole night had gone terribly. I needed to make money even if I wasn’t in the mood. Hopefully, Ugly Stan and Scotty would forget everything and move on. Yeah, that’s fucking likely.

  When I got backstage, Jessica walked up to me, her fists full of dollars. She smiled.

  “Go get your money, girl.”

  “Scotty fucking tried something tonight,” I said.

  Her smile faded.

  “Get your mind in the game, girl. You can think about your feelings later, okay?”

  “I got this.”

  “You do,” she said, smiling again as she raised her arms. “Go get your money, girl.”

  As “Back That Azz Up" by Juvenile began playing, I made my way onto the stage. The spotlights made it difficult to see everyone in the crowd clearly, but I saw Tony right away.

  He came back?

  I danced toward the pole in middle of the stage as the other players went wild. Tony stood behind them, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me.

  My body went through my normal moves, but my mind got stuck on Tony standing up for me. Why had he done it? The thought of all the money he had made me dance even sexier than usual.

  The next time I glanced out at him, I saw him on his phone. He turned away from the stage and walked away. My heart sank, but I kept dancing as dollar bills were thrown onto the stage.

  Only thirty-thousand more to go, and I’ll be able to get into college, I told myself as I swayed my hips and shook my natural C-cup breasts. Would I ever be able to break free from the life of a dancer?

  It didn’t look likely. Instead of crying about it, I get into the zone, driving the men in the audience crazy as I gave them a show they would not soon forget.

  While I made money the rest of the night, I regretted not having a chance to talk with Tony and thank him personally. Such was my life – one disappointment after another.

  FOUR

  Heidi

  When my shift ended, I sat with Jessica in the dressing room. The pile of money in front of me stood a little higher than hers.

  “How much did you get?” she asked. “I hit three-hundred.”

  “A little over seven-hundred dollars.” I turned to her. “Not bad.”

  “Not bad? Girl, you did more than twice I did. You’re younger by a decade, so it’s not unusual. Why aren’t you happy?”

  “I don’t know. Scotty really hit a nerve. And that Tony guy…”

  “He was a hunk, wasn’t he? I’ve always had a fantasy about doing the quarterback.”

  “Get out of here,” I said, smiling.

  “You haven’t? Come on, girl, don’t lie.”

  “I just want to find a good man someday. It doesn’t matter what he does. Besides, I’m not looking now anyway.”

  “Love has a way of finding you when you’re not searching for it.”

  “Yeah…”

  I looked at the pile of money in front of me, wondering if it was worth all the trouble.

  “You ready to go?” I asked.

  Jessica usually walked out to the parking lot with me. With all the creepers we had as clients, it was best for us to stick together, especially so late at night.

  “I need a few more minutes. That okay?”

  “Ugh. I’m exhausted. Will you be okay if I leave now?”

  “Sure, darling,” she said. “I’ll see you next week.”

  “Yeah, unless I win the lottery,” I joked.

  She laughed.

  “About the same chance of that happening as there is for you to find a decent man in a place like this.”

  I stood, grabbing my stack of money and slipping it into the front pocket of my brown and orange duffel bag.

  “Call me if you need anything or want to hang out.”

  “You can count on it.”

  She turned to the mirror as I walked out of the room, ignoring the other dancers talking about me under their breath. Fuck all of them, I thought as I made my way down the dark hallway.

  Ugly Stan approached me before I reached the door. I took a deep breath, telling myself to stay calm and let him say whatever he wanted. I needed to get home and unwind.

  “I’ve got to talk to you,” he said, waving me over to the bar where he stood.

  “About earlier,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about Scotty,” he said.

  I stopped in front of him. He leaned against the bar, smiling.

  “What is it, then?”

  He held out his hand, palm up.

  “You owe me some money.”

  “What? I paid you your percentage already.”

  “Yeah, but you need to pay for pissing Scotty off.”

  “I thought you didn’t care about him?”

  He stood up.

  “I don’t give a fuck about Scotty, but the fact is you cost me money tonight. You made enough to give me a hundred, right?”

  “Fine,” I said, reaching into my bad to grab some of the bills. “Here.”

  I set a hundred-dollar bill on his outstretched palm.

  “Satisfied?”

  “Watch your mouth. You’d make a lot more money here if you lost that attitude and accepted who you are.”

  While I wanted to ask who he thought I was, I kept my mouth shut. My fifty-thousand-dollar goal was too far away to quit. I had to do it all on my own without a family.

  As I exited the club and walked toward my car on the far side of the parking lot, lost in my thoughts, I failed to see Scott walking up until it was too late. He grabbed my arm.

  “Hey, bitch. Remember me?”

  “Help!” I screamed.

  Why hadn’t I waited for Jessica. Two of us would’ve had a better chance at getting away.

  “Shut the fuck up,” he said, dragging me toward a white minivan with tinted windows.

  “Help!”

  Please let someone hear me.

  Scotty squeezed my arm tighter as I fought against him. He dragged me away.

  “Let go!” I hissed, hitting him in the face with my closed fist.

  He stopped and let go of me, swinging his arm back.

  I closed my eyes and braced for contact, but it nev
er came.

  “What the fuck?” he yelled.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw Tony, star quarterback of the Cleveland Rebels, standing above Scotty as he sat on his ass on the concrete.

  “Get out of here before I call the cops,” he said, not taking his eyes off the pervert.

  “Call them, man. You assaulted me. They ain’t gonna believe no damn whore.”

  “Watch it,” Tony snarled as he kicked the man in the gut.

  Scotty rolled up in a fetal position, damn near crying.

  “Cut it out, cut it out,” he begged. “I’m leaving.”

  “Kick him again,” I said, unable to resist. “Fuck it.”

  I stepped forward and literally kicked Scotty in his fat ass.

  “I’m leaving. Cut it out.”

  Tony put his hand on my shoulder as Scotty crawled away.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, looking deep into my eyes.

  My heart pounded as I stared back, shaking.

  “Come on,” he said, putting his arm around my waist. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “My car is over there,” I said weakly, looking over my shoulder at the aging automobile.

  “We’ll take my car. You hungry? I stayed behind to see if you wanted to get breakfast, but I didn’t want my teammates to know.”

  “Um, sure,” I said, confused by everything that had happened. “As long as I can sit down and breathe a moment. If you hadn’t come up…”

  I let my voice trail off.

  “But I did come up,” he said.

  We stopped in front of a brand-new, dark blue Mercedes.

  “Here…” He opened the passenger door. “You have a seat and think about breakfast.”

  I climbed into the car, setting my duffel bag on the floorboard between my legs. He walked around the front of the car before getting into the driver’s seat and closing the door.

  “Well?” he asked. “You down for breakfast?”

  “Sure. My treat. I owe you so much.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” he said then started the car with the push of a button.

  “Fancy ride.” I ran my hand over the leather dash. “I’m Heidi by the way.”

  “I’m Tony.”

  “I know who you are.”

  He turned and grinned before putting the car in gear. We were soon on the road.

  “Do you know where to go?” I asked. “I’m surprised you guys came all the way down to Mansfield.”