Jace refused to consider how much he didn’t like having someone in his bed or how he hadn’t gotten remotely close to getting off last night. Neither thought needed his immediate attention, so he pushed them aside.
Absently, Jace grabbed his tank from the lampshade and quietly shut the door as he slipped on the shirt, making his way to the kitchen. He anchored the earbuds in his ears and quickly and efficiently picked one of the hundreds of playlist in the iPod. This one was this year’s Nationals music, along with his top secret mixes for Worlds. He hadn’t listened to either one all the way through, even though he had teams performing in every division.
Jace grabbed a can of guava juice from the refrigerator. Brushing a stray piece of his long hair behind his ears, he took a seat at his kitchen table. The music in his iPod thumped to life as he unrolled blueprints and spread them across the table. A grin slid across his face, the music all but forgotten as he looked at the front page of the final plans for his new cheerleading gym.
He had no idea how much time passed as he went through the blueprints, page by page. He watched for every correction they had talked about, and from the best he could tell, they were all there. Jace had also decided on a general contractor. He didn’t go local, nor did he go with the cheapest bid, instead he chose Layne Construction out of Chicago. Their reputation was the best, and his cheerleaders deserved the best practice facility money could buy.
“Babe, come back to bed.” Jace tensed as arms slid around his shoulders and full blown morning breath hit his face. Jace automatically tugged the earbuds from his ear as the bold guy lifted his tank from the bottom, pulling the shirt up and over his head. “You’re built like a brick house. Don’t cover it up, baby.”
On a score of one to ten, this guy was a ten when it came to the come-ons. That being the main reason Jace had finally gone out with him. About thirty minutes into the date, Jace remembered come-ons only lasted a minute and the guy had nothing else to back him up. They had fallen almost immediately into gratuitous sex and even that had failed. Again, not something he cared to think about right now.
Jace grabbed the shirt and rose, getting out from under the bad breath. He walked around the table, the opposite direction of the guy, and tugged his shirt back on.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake. I need to get to the gym,” Jace said, walking into the bedroom. He scanned the floor and found all his date's clothing, laying them out on the bed. Bad breath came up behind him, evidently not taking the hint, and wrapped an arm around him, kissing his back.
“Don’t send me off yet. You were incredible last night. I want you to do me again.”
Jace cringed at the thought, narrowing his brow. It was almost comical the way his body physically recoiled at the idea of fucking this guy again. Bad breath wasn’t bad looking; probably younger, maybe in his early twenties, short, and had a nice tight body… but his nose looked too wide for his face. Jace broke from the hold.
“I’ll call you, but I gotta go. I’m gonna be late.”
“I don’t believe you.” Bad breath had his hands on his hips and a pout on his lips.
Really?
Jace had no idea what to say, so he didn’t bother with words. He bypassed the guy, placed his earbud back in his ear and returned to his seat at the kitchen table, reading over the contractor’s report. The guy never uttered another sound, but the front door of his condo slammed shut. A strong indication that bad breath left angry.
Jace grabbed the report and the juice and plopped down on the sofa, praying he might get an hour or two of sleep before he needed to be at the gym. Reaching for the remote, he turned the television to ESPN, hoping to catch the highlights of the missed Dallas Mavericks playoff game last night. He wished he’d gone to the game instead of on the date. What did that say about him? Jace ignored that question too and looked down at the report in his hand.
Everything with the contractor’s proposal looked in order. They would begin breaking ground in about a month, and by football season, the cheer gym should be ready for a grand opening. Layne Construction was known for staying on schedule. Which would be critical in the timing of his move. A beeping sound caught his attention as a breaking news report popped up across the bottom of the screen. At last, something about the game. Jace turned up the volume, but nothing could have prepared him for the image of Colton Michaels that flashed across the screen. Jace’s bare feet landed with a thud on the hardwood floor when he leaned forward as though being closer to the television would make the information come more quickly. His heart reeled before it fell from his chest as he watched images of Colt and his latest girlfriend out on the town. The girlfriend flashing her ring in front of the cameras. Reports claimed they just got engaged last night.
Jace sat frozen in place. The realization Colt planned to marry punched through his already fragmented heart, ripping open old wounds. Jace never got over the pain of Colt’s rejection, of his complete abandonment. Even today, he still wanted to know why Colt had left him without so much as a goodbye.
How could he still have a devastatingly broken heart over a guy he’d spent five days with? Anger shot through him, but not enough to stop him from hitting the play back option on his remote control and replaying the footage. Colt didn’t look happy. He actually didn’t look anything. He played no part in delivering the statement; the girl did the talking, and she was clearly drunk or on something, perhaps both.
Well, good for him. Colt landed himself a party girl. They fit together perfectly.
Jace, by no choice of his own, had inadvertently kept up with Colt’s career. All the tabloids and gossip magazines kept his picture plastered on the front page, all claiming in big bold print that Colt Michaels was America’s Sweetheart Party Boy.
The obstacle came in reconciling the Colt of today with the boy he’d known all those years before. The famous, party-at-all-cost, living-on-the-edge-of-trouble guy of today wasn’t the self-assured, easy-going Colt he’d watched through college and certainly wasn’t the man he’d spent five days with in Hawaii.
Even when derogatory news began filtering out about Colt a few years ago, nothing dissuaded Jace from the deep down goodness of the young man he’d been given the brief opportunity to know. Yes, Colt had totally played him, but the iPod in his hand proved he also had a big heart. And also proved Jace still wasn’t over their brief fling almost ten years ago. Damn, he thought he’d resolved these feelings a long time ago.
Jace punched off the television, tossing the remote back to the side before he grabbed the laptop off the coffee table. His gym had been invited to perform at the Dallas Broncos-New York Panthers football season opener. He hadn’t responded to the invitation. Instead, he let the email sit. The only concern he had over the invitation centered on his personal doubts about being in the same circles as Colt. Jace cleared his head and forced himself to think from a business perspective. Performing at the season opener was too big a deal to pass up. Jace booted up his email and replied to the offer. He’d be happy to prepare a routine and send one of his teams for the halftime entertainment. The opportunity would be cool and exciting for the kids in his gym, but Jace wouldn’t be attending with them. He’d send Haley, give her a bonus or commission or something as an incentive to take that many kids across country by herself. He placed the resolve firmly back in his heart. Although clearly, he’d always love Colt and that would never change, their relationship happened almost ten years ago. The man he loved wasn’t the man Colt had become. End of story.
Jace finished his email and clicked send before he could change his mind. He’d already stalled too long. He took the minute and sent his coaches a message to add this to their calendar of events for the upcoming year. When done, Jace closed the computer and shoved away the crazy pain the few unguarded seconds watching the television had caused. He forced positive, productive thoughts back into his soul.
No way could he sleep now. He stood, stretching out his long body. Colt always wound him up tight. Th
at being one of the biggest reasons his gym performed in so many competitions during football season. They kept Jace too busy to think about the professional quarterback.
Since his lifelong strategic plan focused on staying busy and ignoring memories, Jace decided the time had come to get to the gym. If only this newest round of pain in his heart would ease up some. On a sigh, he headed for the shower.
Hung over and hurting, Colt showered, dressed, and forced himself to put aside his craving for liquor. He began carefully going through his apartment, tossing everything party-related in the trash. He wasted no time draining the bottles of liquor and flushing all the drugs he could find down the toilet. Everyone in his bed stayed sleeping as he made his way through his bedroom and bathroom, cleaning out those rooms too. He personally took everything he found downstairs to the dumpster, making sure nothing was left behind inside his apartment to tempt him.
On the way back upstairs, Colt palmed his phone and made the first of three planned phone calls. He started with the easiest one, which just confirmed how complicated his life had become.
Dr. Knox, the New York Panthers head physician, answered his call on the first ring. “Hey, Doc, it’s Colt.”
“I know who it is, son. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Dr. Knox was an older man, well into his seventies, and he’d counseled Colt on more than one occasion about the quantities of liquor he consumed.
“I’m ready,” Colt said. The words didn’t come out as strong as the resolve he’d thought he’d had this morning.
“I’m relieved, son. It’s a good decision. It’ll be hard, but I’ll be there with you every step of the way,” Dr. Knox said, the relief evident in his voice.
“Thank you. Do I make the arrangements?” Colt asked. He stopped at his front door and leaned back against the wall. The best he could tell, he stood alone in the hall. As dangerous as this conversation might be to have in a public setting, the results would be worse if everyone was awake inside his apartment.
“No, don’t worry about that, I’ll make them. The place I have planned for you is in Utah, tucked away in the mountains. You’ll be there ten days, under an assumed name. We’ll get you detoxed, cleaned up, and back here for the rest of the treatments. The support group here’s just as discreet, but you know all that. We’ve talked about it before.”
“Yes, sir. And thank you. I can leave today. I want to start right away,” Colt said.
“Good. I’ll take you there myself. Let me get the flights booked now.”
“Thanks again. I better call Coach Atkins and let him know.”
“Colt, this is going to change your life, son. I’m proud of you.” Colt nodded at no one. The emotion of the words clogged his throat. How long had it been since anyone had been proud of him, including himself?
“I’ll call you back within the hour,” Dr. Knox assured him.
“Thank you.” Colt was truly grateful. The words broke as he said them. Dr. Knox disconnected the call.
Colt didn’t wait. He dialed Coach Atkins as he entered his apartment, relieved the place was still quiet. As the phone rang, he walked to the guest bedroom and quietly shut the door. Coach Atkins answered on the fifth ring.
“This better be good and make it quick. I’m in cooking class.” Colt grinned. In what world did a head coach of a professional football team find his relaxation by taking cooking classes?
“Coach, I’m gonna be MIA for about ten days,” Colt said. He plopped down on the bed and dropped his head between his shoulders, waiting for the coach’s response.
“Is Dr. Knox gonna be MIA, too?”
“Yes, sir, he said he’d be going with me.” After another lengthy pause, with nothing said between them, Colt could almost see the coach doing the math in his mind. Spring training camp was just a few weeks away.
“I want regular reports,” Coach said.
“Yes, sir,” Colt agreed and released the pent up breath he’d been holding.
“Did something happen, Michaels? Do I need to get public relations in on this?” Coach asked.
“I’m getting married, but I’ll announce that myself when I get back, if it hasn’t already been said. I honestly don’t remember.”
“To who?” From the sound of the coach’s voice, the man had trouble thinking of anyone in Colt’s life suitable to marry. Hell, he completely agreed.
“Sir, I don’t wanna talk about it. I’ll tell Doc to keep you updated. Go back to your class. I’ll call you when I’m back.”
“Colton, you need this. Get sober. Do whatever it takes to beat this addiction. We have a championship to win this year.”
“Yes, sir.” The call disconnected. Now, on to his third and final call. The one he absolutely didn’t want to make. He struggled with himself. The need for a drink made his tongue thick and his palms sweaty. Instead of calling his dad, he called his agent. The decision was lame, but they were really like talking to the same person. When one knew something, so did the other. Besides, this was Saturday morning. Maybe they’d be on the golf course and he’d get voice mail.
“Hey, Colt, how’s it going, buddy?” Johnny answered on the first ring. Damn!
“Johnny, I’m going into rehab. I’ll be heading to Utah in the next couple of hours. Will you tell my dad?” He bit the bullet, refusing to beat around the bush.
“What? You don’t need rehab!” Johnny’s financial concern drove him to say that, certainly not any care for Colt himself.
“Yeah, I do. I’m also getting married. Tell my dad that, too.” Colt stood. His nerves had him pacing. He left the guest bedroom, heading straight for the small living room. A muffled noise came from his bedroom, and Colt cut his eyes in that direction, watching for the bedroom door to open as he lowered his voice. “I gotta go. They’re coming to pick me up. I’ll be gone ten days.”
“Wait! Don’t do this. Your dad’s here with me. Talk to him.” Just as Colt figured, they were together. Why had Johnny answered the phone?
“No, tell him for me. I’m leaving now.” He prayed that would stop his dad from coming over. Colt didn’t wait, but disconnected the call and dropped his phone on the coffee table. He ignored the immediate ring back from the phone. He had all his photos and articles of Jace sitting out on his desk. He needed to put those away. Colt stacked them carefully on top of each other and went to his wall safe. He should have kept them there from the beginning. He just liked having faster access to them.
Colt worked quickly, keeping an eye on the bedroom door. Maryia didn’t know about the wall safe. And if she did, there was no way she knew the combination sequence. He opened the safe and carefully placed the photos inside. He shut the door, twisted the handle, and spun the combination, before hanging the picture back in place. Relief replaced the overwhelming need to drink that had plagued him since he’d spoken to his agent. His memories of Jace should be safe inside there. Colt would always protect Jace from anything else in his world reaching out and fucking up his life.
Jace was the motivation behind this stab at sobriety. Maryia was a cold-hearted bitch. She had sworn to out Colt, but worse than that, she had threatened Jace. She would do whatever it took to destroy him, and he had inadvertently given her an arsenal of information about Jace’s life. She vowed to make up horrific rumors and leak them if he didn’t do exactly what she wanted. That’s why he would never pick up another drink again. Jace needed to be protected. Colt had failed once, but never again.
A crash came from the bedroom, and then a round of laughter had Colt looking over at the closed door. He cringed. No telling what was going on in there. He slowly made his way to the door, pausing before he entered. He needed to pack a few things before he left, but they were all awake now. He’d cleaned out as much of their stash as he could find. All the noise probably came from them looking for a hit.
Colt manned up and opened the door.
The site greeting him shocked his almost-sober mind. He recoiled at the thought of being in the middle of them last night
. They all turned to look as he stepped inside the room. Maryia straddled his driver. Her hair hung in a long tangled mess and her silicone breasts bounced in Clint’s face. The other female was equally as naked and lay there taking a hit from a pipe. Apparently he hadn’t found it all.
“Join us, man,” Clint said, gripping Maryia’s ass with his hands, spreading her for his view. “She likes you in her ass while I’m fucking her.”
Maryia giggled and gripped Clint’s dick, sinking right down on top of him. All conversation stopped as the female on the bed moved to join them. Colt turned away and went straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Maryia might be controlling him right now, but when he got back, none of that would ever be happening again. He was a determined man.
Thirty minutes later, Colt opened the bathroom door with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. They were still going at it on the bed. No surprise there, since those were usually hours’ long sessions. Colt planned to be long gone before they realized he was no longer in the house. A note should suffice his bride-to-be. He certainly didn’t think she would curtail any of her activities in his absence. Clint seemed to be her latest object of desire, and the guy had no problem doing her bidding, whatever that might be.
Colt walked into the bedroom, keeping his head down and his eyes averted until it registered there was an additional person in the room. Colt looked up to see Maryia and the other female making out on the bed. His father sat spellbound on the side of the bed, watching the two naked women kiss while Clint moved to join them. His father’s hand disappeared inside his golf shorts, a look of depravity in his eyes as he leered at the women. His dad was a sixty-eight-year-old perv, watching his future daughter in-law fuck a woman and another man. His father sat so entranced by the scene before him he hadn’t yet noticed Colt’s exit from the bathroom.
Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material Page 10
