by Layne Harper
My heart swells. I know that I still love him, and I always have. As crazy as our future will be, it’s a future that I can’t live without. “I love you too Colin. I never stopped,” I confess.
We sit like this for a long time. I know that he is not going to let me go. I have to be the one to break our moment.
“So I may have let you win the bet, but now we run for bragging rights,” I state emphatically.
“Charlie, it kills me that you’re just as competitive as me. Fine. Let’s go torture ourselves,” he laughs.
We stand and start running up a trail. He falls into position on my right side just like so many times before.
The trail is grueling. It never levels out so you get a break. Running ten miles on flat ground is nothing compared to this. I keep looking over at Colin to see if he is showing any signs of fatigue. Just my luck, he has barely broken a sweat.
I can’t believe that I am struggling with this. I hate feeling weak. My upper thighs and hips are burning. I keep thinking about the dress and ridiculously high heels that I have to wear in a couple of hours.
This is absurd that I am doing this to myself. I talk my legs into one more mile. He keeps glancing at me. Suddenly, I notice that he has a worried look his face. He motions for me to remove my earphones.
“You okay? Your face is white.” He stops running and looks at me.
“I better turn around. I am not sure if it’s the altitude or what, but I am not feeling very well,” I explain.
“We’re walking back,” he says.
Fortunately, when we turn around it is all downhill. The longer we walk, the better I feel. I am able to take a full lungful of air and my stomach isn’t queasy.
“I’m sorry I flaked out,” I say. “I grant you your bragging rights.” This is physically painful to say.
“To tell you the truth, Charlie, I couldn’t have gone much farther,” he admits with his half smile. “I just couldn’t let you beat me.”
I punch him in the arm. “By the way, I think that this is the first time that I’ve beaten you,” he taunts.
“I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” I tease back. “Hey! I need to talk to you about my name and you calling me Charlie.”
“Yes?” he says, raising his eyebrow.
“If you want to call me Charlie when it’s just the two of us, I am okay with that. However, please don’t introduce me as Charlie or call me Charlie in public. I really feel strongly about going by Caroline,” I say, hoping not to hurt his feelings.
“The media will be so disappointed if they can’t call us CharCol,” he prods me.
“Like I care. They will just have to get more creative,” I state, taking his hand in mine.
I am relieved to see the town car is still there, and even more relieved when the driver hands us bottled water.
Colin sits in the back of the car with me. I start feeling so sleepy. He must notice because he pats his leg for me to lie down. I put my head on his thigh and curl into the fetal position. He strokes my hair lulling me into a great nap.
Chapter 7
“WAKE UP, beautiful girl. We’re back at the hotel,” he murmurs.
I open my eyes, a bit surprised that I fell asleep. I sit up and yawn. “I’m sorry that I was such boring company,” I say.
He laughs. “I got to stare at you as long as I wanted without feeling like I was overwhelming you. You have nothing to apologize for.”
He used the phrase “overwhelming you” again. I am going to have to make a point to explain my feelings better. I don’t want him to worry that I might be scared away every time he expresses himself to me. If I didn’t bolt when he purposely didn’t use a condom, I am here for the long haul.
I check the time. We are a bit late getting back. I am going to have to get dressed more quickly than I wish.
As we step on the elevator, he asks, “Can I come to your room for a few minutes?”
“Sure. I have to start getting dressed though,” I remind him.
We walk off the elevator together and enter my room. When the door is safely closed, Colin says, “We need to talk about tonight.”
“What about it?” I ask while I start the shower water.
I can tell that this is not a pleasant conversation for him to have with me. He looks uncomfortable and is fidgeting somewhat with the hem of his shirt. I’m not used to nervous Colin.
“I told you Sasha is going to be at the dinner,” he says as if this is the whole explanation.
“Yes?” I prompt him.
“I am going to have to be attentive to her,” he says, showing me his angst filled eyes.
“Okay. So this is what this conversation is about,” I say, stripping off my clothes and standing in front of him completely naked. I watch as his erection grows and makes his running shorts tent. That has to be the hottest sight on earth. I feel powerful knowing that just my nakedness has this effect on him.
I slide the shower curtain back and step under the running water. He follows and opens the curtain enough so that he can watch me. The non-suite rooms in the hotel don’t have separate showers and bathtubs.
“Colin, I am an adult. I understand that she is your date, and you can’t leave her high and dry. I also understand that she is a member of the media, and that if we hope to have any privacy we need to keep the two of us under wraps; therefore you need to be her date. I am assuming that you are making it clear to her that whatever semblance of a relationship that you two have is over?” I say, raising an eyebrow at him.
He nods his head yes. “I’ll let her know tomorrow.”
“Fine. Then we keep our distance from each other tonight,” I state matter of factly.
I put soap on my hands and start washing my body. Then, I get a brilliant idea. I maybe do it a little more sensually than I would if I didn’t have an audience.
When I get to my breasts, I gently pull on my nipples elongating them into hard erasers. His face becomes dark and lustful. I know that his erection is rock hard.
“What if I can’t stay away from you?” he says through a gravelly voice. Oh! This is very fun.
“You don’t have a choice. Sasha is your date. It would be rude to show me attention,” I reply as I start massaging my breasts, paying close attention to my nipples.
“But suppose that I want to touch you?” He is a man on fire. I am so secretly pleased with myself.
I run my hands over my flat stomach and start toward my clit, when he says, “You are driving me crazy, Charlie. You know that, don’t you?”
“Colin, I am just teaching you that you can show restraint,” I say in a very innocent voice.
My finger finds my hard clit, and I begin to tease myself reaching up with the other hand massaging my breast. It feels so erotic. I would rather have Colin doing this to me, but I love how crazy this is making him. Getting myself off in front of him is so intoxicating.
“Are you going to make yourself come?” he chokes out in a husky voice.
I’m at the point that I can’t stop. My lower stomach is filled with heat. I am dripping wet, and I know that it’s not because of what I am doing to myself. I am responding to how turned on he is.
He pulls back the curtain and shows me his erection, gripping it through his shorts with his hand. “This is all because of you, Charlie.”
It sends me over the edge. I have to stop touching my breast and brace myself on the wall of the shower so I don’t collapse.
That was so hot!
I grab the shampoo and start lathering my hair. He’s standing there with a raging erection looking at me like he might attack me, and I am going on about my business.
“Are you going to leave me like this?” he asks with surprise written all over his face.
I start rinsing my hair. “Of course not, baby. After Miss Sasha goes home I am going to make love to you all night long. I want to be so sore when I get on the plane tomorrow that I am walking funny.”
He gives me a rueful
grin. He now has figured out my game. He shakes his head and says, “You drive me crazy. You always have.”
He turns to leave the bathroom and I yell out, “Don’t sort yourself out either, Colin. That’s all for me.”
He turns around, flashing me his half smile. “All for you, Charlie.”
My hair is styled in loose curls hanging down my back. My makeup is natural and soft. I message Brad a picture of myself to get his opinion before I slip my dress on. I sort of wish that I had kept the salon appointment, but then I would have missed out on Colin’s confession run.
I know who Sasha Stone is, and she is gorgeous. I’m quite certain that she has had a team of people working on her all day. In contrast to me, who is a complete idiot when it comes to fixing my hair and makeup. I have an overwhelming feeling of dread that she is going to look like a superstar, and I am going to look like the ugly duckling. I secretly worry that Colin is going to be so knocked out by Sasha’s California golden hair, clear blue eyes, and killer curves that he forgets about me all together.
While I wait to hear back from Brad, I send Colin a message.
Me: I am looking forward to later…
He replies quickly.
Colin: Me too. Sasha is on her way up. Remember Charlie: All for you.
My stomach drops. The idea of Sasha and Colin together is quite different than knowing that she is on the way to his room to be alone with him in the same place where we recommitted our relationship mere hours ago.
Me: I love you.
Colin: Those words from you take my breath away. I love you too.
Oh my!
Brad messages me back scolding me for canceling my salon appointment and suggesting that I add more makeup. He reminds me that I going to a formal dinner and not the local pizza joint. What would I do without Brad?
I go back in the bathroom and add more makeup. All the orgasms that I’ve had over the last day look really great on me. My cheeks are rosy and my eyes sparkle. Loving Colin is good for my overall appearance.
When my dad calls to say that he will be down in five minutes, I finally step into my aqua dress. I slip my high-heeled shoes on and start fussing with my jewelry.
I hear a knock on the door and assume that it’s my dad. I walk as fast as I can in these ridiculous shoes and open the door. To my surprise, an employee of the hotel is standing there with a blue Tiffany’s bag.
“Ma’am, one of our guests asked me to deliver this to you,” he says, holding out the bag.
I take it and turn around to look for my purse so I can tip him.
He says, “Ma’am the guest took care of the tip. Thank you!”
“No. Thank you,” I reply dumbfounded.
I open the bag and see a small blue Tiffany’s box. I open it, and there is a silver necklace. Two chains hold the symbol for infinity, the sideways eight. It’s simple and stunning. I love it!
Then I open the card. It’s written in Colin’s terrible penmanship. “Charlie, please wear this tonight. It’s my football number 8 turned on its side and it’s the amount of years that I went without you. It is also much more than that. It’s the symbol for infinity. Infinity is how long that I will love you. Infinity measures the depths of my feelings for you. Infinity is the amount of time that I will spend making up the last eight lost years to you. Yours for infinity, Colin.Fucking.McKinney.”
“Oh God,” I say as I sink to my bed. My eyes fill up with tears. I look up at the ceiling hoping that I can keep the tears from falling and ruining my makeup. I quickly remove the necklace that I purchased to wear with the aqua dress and replace it with the infinity necklace. I walk into the bathroom and grab a tissue to blot my eyes. The necklace looks perfect. It is a statement. It’s a statement from my Statement.
The note is so beautiful and the necklace is the symbol of the note. I know instantly that I will never take the necklace off. I love it, and it’s absolutely perfect. I put the note back inside the Tiffany’s bag and put it in my suitcase.
My dad knocks on the door. I do one last check in the mirror. I no longer care about Sasha and her beauty team. I am wearing the most powerful statement than a man can give. His infinity.
I hold my head up high and take my dad’s arm as he escorts me to the elevators. He is stunning in his perfectly tailored tux. I laugh a little when I wonder if people will think that we are a couple, Doctor and Doctor Collins.
“Caroline, I am proud to be your escort tonight. You look beautiful and classy. Remind me to compliment Brad,” he says with a grin.
“I will let Brad know that you approve.” I grin back.
“There is a red carpet that we’ve been asked to walk and have our pictures taken,” he states.
I let out a sigh. I knew that this would be the case, but I don’t understand why we have to do it. No one cares about Doctor and Doctor Collins.
“Let’s hope that I don’t trip,” is all that I can think to say.
As the elevator doors open, I wonder where Colin and Sasha are. I’m hoping that they have already walked the red carpet, and are inside the ballroom. I get anxious thinking about them alone in Colin’s suite. I end that train of thought. There is nothing that I can do about the situation at this point.
A lady from the hotel is waiting for us. She directs us to a long hallway that leads to the ballroom. I know we are close because the sound of snapping cameras becomes louder and louder. I can hear the voices of photographers yelling questions at the guests. I know that this will be me in a few short minutes.
Another employee of the hotel stops me. “It will be just a minute. Sasha Stone and her fine quarterback are on the red carpet now. The photographers love them,” she says conspiratorially.
At the mention of them together, my stomach becomes sour, and I feel my blood pressure rising. I hate that they are being photographed together. It confirms to the world that they are a couple, and it makes me feel like a great big cheater.
One of the photographers yells, “Colin, give Sasha a kiss.”
I hear his loud, jovial voice say, “I don’t want to mess up her make-up.” He says it in such an ‘aw shucks’ kind of way.
Then I hear Sasha say, “Come on Colin. Give the people what they want.”
I hate her. I have no reason to hate her, but I hate her. I will never watch her show again. My eyes are green with jealousy.
Then, I literally gasp as I hear the photographers going crazy, snapping pictures and hooting and hollering. I know that he kissed her. That picture will appear all over the world.
My dad notices my reaction and whispers, “Get it together Caroline. You know that this is part of his world.”
To my horror, it’s now our turn in front of the media. The lady from the hotel is motioning for me to walk onto the red carpet. I do as I am told and stop on the silver X. One photographer says, “And who are you?”
“Doctor Caroline Collins, friend of Clay South,” I reply.
I swear there are only two photos snapped. This is so humiliating.
I walk off the red carpet and listen as my dad gets as warm of a reception as I did.
He walks over to me when he’s done and says, “Glad we aren’t too famous.”
I smile at him in agreement.
“Ready to go in?” he asks with concern in his voice.
I flash him my best Doctor Caroline Collins grin and say, “As ready as I will ever be.”
Chapter 8
MY SENSES are assaulted by the sheer number of people, voices, lights, noise, and chaos. What I expected to be a distinguished event is the jock version of a cocktail party. The music is loud and the place looks more like a dance club with passed drinks and appetizers. My dad and I check in at a table that is set up just inside the room. Our IDs are rechecked and verified.
The two ladies working the table are admiring my dad. He is a very good looking man and carries himself with supreme confidence.
One of the ladies hands us a card. “Doctor and Doctor Collins, you will s
eated at table one.”
“Thank you and have a lovely evening,” my dad replies.
I lean over to my dad and whisper, “They think that we are sleeping together.”
The look on his face is priceless. He’s mortified and disgusted all at the same time.
I smile at him and say, “At least you look good in a tux.”
He escorts me into the room where I am quickly recognized by JT, the player that Colin warned me about. He approaches me with a swagger. “It’s lovely to see you again Doctor Charlie.”
“It’s nice to see you again also. This is my father Doctor Jack Collins.” I introduce Dad into the conversation.
We make small talk for a moment until, thankfully, the wine server walks by. I help myself to a glass of white wine.
I have made a point to not look for Colin. I am not anxious to see him and Sasha together.
“Caroline, I have your business card. I have seen a lot of doctors and not one of them has been as gorgeous as you,” JT compliments me with a very cheesy line.
I respond without missing a beat, “Or as smart.”
He raises an eyebrow and laughs. “You’re cocky. I like that.”
“I noticed that you practice in Houston,” JT says. “How do you know Clay?”
That launches my dad and JT in a long conversation about sports injuries. I mostly listen and interject when something interests me. JT might be a womanizer, but he seems like a nice guy. He’s much smarter than he comes off from an initial impression.
Suddenly, I spot Colin across the room. Our eyes lock. His green to my lavender. Sasha is standing next to him. She looks Hollywood beautiful. She is charming a guy that she is talking to. He’s laughing and obviously thinks that she is fabulous.
Colin is not engaged in the conversation at all. He looks distracted bordering on annoyed. When JT reaches out and touches my arm, I see Colin excuse himself from Sasha and the other man and walk toward me with heat in his eyes.
I finally have a chance to check him out. Colin in a tuxedo is quite a sight to behold. It fits him so perfectly that I am sure that it was made for him. He has on the white shirt that I wore last night. God! That is so sexy. The black jacket makes his eyes look like green glass. I subconsciously bite my lower lip knowing that I get to remove it later tonight. Colin.Fucking.McKinney is making a statement tonight.
