Ball Buster

by Kara Sheridan

  “Good morning,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for agreeing to attend the focus group.”

  He checked the time on his gold Rolex. “I could be back at camp having eggs and bacon.”

  “Our hosts have generously provided breakfast. It’s waiting inside.”

  “How are things going with Carson?”

  Sadie didn’t know how to answer that. She preferred to keep their relationship secret until she finished her job. But Ty was Carson’s best friend, eventually she’d have to get used to him knowing. “Good,” she said.

  “He’s happy, Sadie.”

  “We both are.”

  “Keep it that way, okay?”

  “Hey, red,” another player called.

  Sadie looked past Ty, putting a check mark by Jag Patera’s name. “Hello, Mr. Patera.”

  Jag gave her a lopsided grin and gazed at Ty. “I think it’s kind of sexy when she calls me Mister.”

  Ty chuckled. “Don’t let Carson hear you say that.”

  Patera’s forehead creased. “Why not?”

  Sadie shot a pleading glance at Ty, silently asking him not to say anything more.

  Ty nodded at her. “He’s here to make sure we all behave.”

  Just as Sadie sighed in relief, Carson appeared from inside the van and waved at her.

  He was dressed in gray warmups and a matching team T-shirt, a ball cap on his head and his eyes hidden by sunglasses, and his smile suggested he was in a good mood. Sadie waited for him to join them by her rental car.

  “Hello, Ms. Reynolds,” he teased.

  “Hello, Mr. Savage.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Ty said.

  “What?” Carson removed his sunglasses.

  “Nothing. Can we get on with it already?” Ty begged.

  Sadie took a last look at her attendance sheet, then glanced at the players standing around her. For a moment, she wished she could take a picture and send it to Barbi and Erika. She was surrounded by so much hotness. Barbi would definitely appreciate the visual proof. So would Lenny.

  “All right, gentlemen. Thank you for showing up on time. This should only take an hour or two, depending on how receptive our volunteers are. The plan is pretty simple. I wanted you to witness firsthand feedback from local fans. This is all about perceptions, how people feel about the most prominent players on the Warriors.”

  “I’m a prominent player?” Nick Acevedo asked, puffing out his chest.

  “Yes, Mr. Acevedo, you’re a fan favorite.”

  The tight end grinned. “Thanks.”

  “I doubt you required confirmation from me.”

  “Maybe not,” he said. “Still nice to hear it from a pretty lady.”

  Sadie had learned quickly how to tune out the compliments.

  “If you’ll follow me…” Sadie had rented space from a full-service company that provided turn-key facilities for business needs. In this case, a suite for focus groups.

  They walked through the reception area, the administrative staff stopping to gawk as the guys walked by. After they turned down a long hallway, Sadie stopped midway and opened the door to the comfortable lounge where the players would be observing through the two-way mirror. A long table containing coffee, tea, bagels and spreads, fresh fruit, and yogurt waited.

  After the team settled down, Sadie pointed to the two-way mirror on the far wall. “You’ll be able to see and hear everything I do, but the volunteers won’t know you’re watching.”

  “Isn’t that unethical?” Solomon Webster asked.

  Though Solomon had become more cooperative, he still questioned Sadie since their initial confrontation.

  “Not in this case,” she explained. “We’re not conducting clinical trials. This is a simple exercise meant to discover how your fans feel about you as individuals.”

  Solomon sat down on one of the sofas with a cup of coffee. “I like the idea. Sometimes it’s easy to forget who we really play for.”

  “I understand,” Sadie said. “You have one of the biggest followings. And I’m impressed with how well you manage your social media and public appearances overall. However, we need to focus on less controversial posts. Nothing about being able to do a better job than the NFL commissioner, and you probably shouldn’t call any of the Cowboys pussies. And there’s the video clips where you work out in a thong.”

  “What’s wrong with my thong?”

  “Um…it’s not very kid-friendly. Maybe you could wear shorts or warm ups?”

  Solomon scratched his head. “What about chaps?”

  “No,” Sadie said. “Remember—think families.”

  Solomon laughed. “You’re gullible, red. Yeah, I’ll switch to shorts. I’m all about the kids.”

  She couldn’t believe he’d gotten the best of her so easily. “I’d like to join you next week when you visit the hospital.”

  Solomon took a sip of coffee. “Sure. As long as you don’t mind handing out stuffed animals.”

  “I’d love to donate some. How many kids are we visiting?”

  “About thirty. I can have my assistant send you the information.”

  “Please do,” she said. “Any other questions?” she addressed the rest of the players.

  No one said anything, so Sadie distributed a worksheet that explained everything she would do today. Twenty-three players were listed.

  “Meryl isn’t even part of the class,” Ty said, scanning the paper.

  “That’s intentional,” Sadie said. “With the exception of the ten of you, the name selection was random to keep it fair.”

  “Fair?” Acevedo questioned.

  “We needed a true representation of the team. Less controversial players mixed in with your names.”

  After spending a few more minutes with the players, Sadie excused herself and went to the room where the volunteers would be arriving shortly. She checked the tables to make sure all the supplies they’d need were ready. Fifteen minutes later, the participants arrived. She greeted them warmly, directing them to the refreshments table.

  Twenty-eight of the thirty showed, which satisfied Sadie. She closed the door and started the session. The general mood of the volunteers was pleasant, so she had high hopes for the group.

  Taking careful notes, she opened the exercise with Solomon Webster’s name.

  “Thunderbolt,” a man in the front row said.

  Several participants laughed.

  “Tenacious.”

  “Powerhouse.”

  “Political.”

  “Rude.”

  “Risky.”

  Solomon drew a mixed impression.

  Sadie moved down the name list, finally stopping on Ty. “Tyrone Baxley,” she said.

  A woman cleared her throat. “Man-whore.”

  “Dangerous.”

  “Ultimate talent,” a gentleman said.

  “Try to limit it to one-word descriptions, Mr. Wright,” Sadie reminded him.

  “If we were talking about anyone else,” he said, “I could.”

  “All right,” Sadie said. “Let’s run with this.” She walked up to the white board and wrote Ty’s name. “Give me everything you have, Mr. Wright.”

  After shooting off three paragraphs worth of positive adjectives, Sadie smiled at Mr. Wright. “Now that you can visually assess how you feel about Tyrone Baxley, what’s your favorite word on your list?”

  Mr. Wright scrubbed his face. “Does it have to pertain to football only?”

  Sadie shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “Prowess,” he said.

  Sadie circled his choice on the board. “Prowess is a wonderful descriptor. Can you explain how this applies to Tyrone Baxley?”

  “On the field and off.”

  “Can you be more precise?” Sadie urged.

  “Women.”

  Yes! That’s what Sadie was looking for, the truth. “Are you a friend of Mr. Baxley’s?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Then how can you quantify your descri
ption of him?”

  “Don’t you follow him on social media? Watch the news? Read the papers?”

  “My affiliation with Tyrone Baxley is unimportant, Mr. Wright. I’d like to know more about your opinion.”

  “The man has everything, talent, speed, money, looks, and women.”

  “You admire him, then?”

  “I love him.”

  Sadie scribbled down a few notes, then moved on to another player’s name, recorded the results, then called Carson’s name.

  “Apollo,” a woman said.

  “Accuracy.”

  “Honest.”

  “Secretive.”

  “World-class.”

  As the compliments flew, Sadie couldn’t help but smile to herself, thinking about a few choice words she’d use to describe Carson, too.

  “You get Apollo, and I get man-whore,” Ty complained.

  “What did you expect?” Carson asked.

  “Don’t my stats mean anything?”

  “When the number of women you’ve slept with in a season equals your rushing yards, what do you think your fans are going to pay attention to?”

  Ty scratched his head and laughed. “Never thought of it that way.”

  “Maybe Sadie deserves a little more consideration.”

  “The same kind you’re giving her?”

  Carson gave him a push. “Don’t go there.”

  “I didn’t, but some of the players are talking.”

  “About what?”

  “Come on, man. They’re not blind.”

  “My personal life has nothing to do with this.”

  “Technically, no. But there are a couple guys who are envious of what you have with our teacher.” He gestured at the mirror. “She’s exceptional.”

  “I didn’t want everyone to find out yet, but I guess it’s hard to hide when we’re all working together in close quarters. Just let them know she’s taken.”

  “Hey.” Ty raised his hands. “According to Sadie, I already have my hands full with too many women.”

  Carson laughed. “Do I need to worry about Sadie getting hit on?”

  Carson didn’t want any added drama. With the preseason on its way, the front office and his coach up his ass, and his relationship with Sadie, there wasn’t any room for problems. Carson had limits. And the next person who tried to get in his way might suffer the consequences of the temper he’d spent a long time learning to control.

  “You know I have your back.”

  Carson trusted Ty implicitly. Yet the question remained as he gazed at his other teammates. Could he trust them? The competitive nature of football in general made it impossible to always keep the peace. Add a beautiful woman into the mix—especially one who had access to the team—it could start trouble. “But?” he pressed his best friend. “Do I have to worry?”

  Ty gritted his teeth and gestured at the rookie, Jag Patera, known as the Greek Freak. “I’ve heard him make some lewd comments about her. Locker room trash talk. Might be time to make your relationship more public.”

  Maybe Ty was right. He’d have to talk to Sadie first. If she agreed, Carson knew it would take care of the problem. And if it didn’t, he’d handle it some other way.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sadie waited in the main terminal of the Mobile Regional Airport with a sign that read SEXY ALMOST BALD GUY. As soon as Lenny appeared, she waved, thrilled to see him. He smiled and rushed to her side, pulling her into a hug.

  “Look at you!” he said, spinning her around.

  “I’m so happy to see you, Lenny.”

  After grabbing Lenny’s luggage, they were in her rental car and driving to the stadium.

  “You made it in time for Family Night,” she said. “We’re unveiling the first video online tonight.”

  The video clips had been taped around Mobile, at the hospital where Ty and Carson volunteered, at the local parks on Big Brothers Big Sisters play days, at a couple elementary schools, and even at the stadium. Sadie couldn’t believe how nurturing Carson was with the kids…like he had a dozen children of his own. As for Ty—there was more to that man than he let on. Sadie smiled—the big softie would make a great father one day.

  “The production team did an incredible job, didn’t they?”

  “That’s an understatement. They captured everything I envisioned for the campaign. Starting with Ty Baxley and ending with Carson was brilliant. And the kids…”

  “I loved the little boy at the end,” he said.

  “He’s adorable. I love that he asked Carson why he chose the Warriors.”

  “Did you like Carson’s answer?” Leonard asked, rubbing his eyes.

  “Hey, are you too tired to attend the event? I could drop you at the hotel instead.”

  Sadie worried about Leonard because he never took time to rest. He was either at work or partying. Now that he was there, she’d encourage him to stay in a few nights and catch up on sleep.

  “No, I’m fine. What about Carson’s answer?” Lenny asked.

  “When he said it was all about Alabama? I loved it—really meshed with the slogan—‘Rediscover the Alabama in the Alabama Warriors.’”

  “Charles suggested a series of videos.”

  Sadie stared at Lenny, then back at the road. “I didn’t know he was keeping up with the project.”

  Lenny nodded. “When he can.”

  “Here we are.” She pulled into the vast parking lot of the stadium, driving up to a security shed and flashing a badge that gave her access to all the team areas.

  The guard waved her through.

  “Now that’s power,” Lenny teased.

  “There’s a pass waiting in my office for you, too.”

  “Really?” He laughed maniacally and rubbed his hands together. “Does it grant access to the locker room?”

  “Should I be worried about Carson?”

  “Afraid of a little competition?”

  She parked the car and pulled the key from the ignition before raising her hands in mock surrender. “You’d win.”

  Lenny grinned. “Glad you recognize my superiority where men are concerned.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Is it difficult carrying that big head of yours on your shoulders?”

  Lenny snorted as he climbed out of the car.

  Sadie enabled the alarm and slung her backpack over her shoulder. “I’ll give you a quick tour of the administrative building, then we can get outside and start taking some pictures and video footage.”

  They walked to a side door where another security guard was stationed. “Hello, Ms. Reynolds.” The guard smiled.

  “Hello, Richard. This is Leonard, my coworker. I have a pass for him in my office.”

  “No problem. I trust you.” He opened the door, and Sadie and Leonard stepped inside.

  Sadie led the way down the hallway, then turned left. “There’s several offices on this wing,” she said. “Two media rooms, a conference room, and classrooms.” She opened the door to her office and flipped on the light switch. “Small but functional.”

  Leonard set his briefcase on the desk and loosened his purple tie. “You’re comfortable here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The way you carry yourself, more relaxed than I’ve seen you in a while.”

  She shrugged. “Blame Carson.”

  “Blame me for what, Kitty Kat?”

  The sound of Carson’s deep voice aroused her, and she could read the excitement on his face. He was wearing full pads and leaned against her office door.

  She gazed at the wall clock, surprised he’d cut it so close to the practice game time to see her. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the field warming up?”

  “Sure,” he said. “But I wanted to check in and make sure Leonard got here okay.” Carson turned to Lenny. “Heard a lot about you. I’m Carson.”

  Sadie held her breath, hoping Leonard wouldn’t drool all over Carson’s extended hand.

  “I’m a big fan,” Leonard said,
shaking his hand. “Looking forward to the exhibition tonight.”

  “Thanks.” Carson stepped around the desk and kissed Sadie’s cheek. “Ready for tonight?”

  Sadie nodded and scooped up the schedule for the featured activities. “I memorized everything. On-field football drills, six to seven; Care and Share Family Night Picnic in the west parking lot, seven to eight thirty; and the ever-important Fan Walk of Dreams, an interactive, confidence-building training area with a football toss, photo ops, obstacle course, and other fun for the whole family…” she read out loud.

  “Someone’s been doing their homework,” Carson praised her.

  “Well, it’s a great opportunity to make you guys look good. Plus, someone needs to set an example for the bad boy quarterback and his rowdy offensive line.”

  Carson gave her a crooked smile. “Did you think about what I suggested last night? Attending the after-party together? It’s important to make a good impression on our new sponsor for the stadium. And I’m pretty sure you’ll charm him into a generous donation.” It was the best solution Carson could think of to show the world he and Sadie weren’t just a hookup.

  She dropped the program on her desk. “Yes, I have.”

  “You hesitated.”

  “I did,” she admitted. “Though there’s no policy in my contract discouraging me from fraternizing with a player…”

  “You should go,” Leonard injected.

  Carson nodded in his direction. “You’re invited, too.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I have some paperwork to catch up on and should probably get some sleep. You two have fun. I’ll grab a cab to the hotel after the game.”

  “Are you sure, Leonard?” Sadie asked, not wanting him to feel left out.

  “Stop worrying about me and go show the world how happy you are.”

  Why did Leonard have to be so direct in front of Carson? She didn’t have any doubts about being with Carson, just about how everyone would react to them getting back together. There were so many things to think about—especially whether or not they could deal with a long-distance relationship.

  Carson took Sadie’s hand and squeezed it. “No wonder you like him so much.”

  Sadie couldn’t hide her smile. “He grows on you.”

  “I just want what’s best for my girl,” Leonard said. “And I’ve always told her, run with the big dogs or stay on the porch.”