Ask For It

by Selena Blake

  She glanced down at the text message from Trevor for the thousandth time since he’d sent it Monday morning and that warm happy feeling bounced around inside her.

  LOVED THE BOOK. YOU SHOULD WRITE MOODY’S STORY NEXT.

  Yesterday when they’d talked more about the story and the characters, he’d urged her to let the girls read it. Once again, he was right.

  These women had been her support system for years. Through boyfriends and breakups, job offers and that interview with superstar-turned-convict Roger Morrison. Who knew how many bottles of wine they’d topped off together and there was no telling how many laughs they’d shared.

  She just hoped they’d—

  The door opened. “Well hello there miss soon to be published author,” Baby said.

  JJ gave her an exasperated smile. “Hardly.”

  “Come on.” Baby waved her in. JJ felt those big blue eyes studying her carefully. “You look like you could use some wine.”

  Baby gave JJ a trademark grin and just like that, the ice was broken. She had known that Baby would take everything in stride. That’s just the kind of woman she was. Easy going to a fault. Go with the flow…

  “You have no idea.” It’d been a rough day, which was why she was propping herself with three day old text messages.

  Cindy and Gretchen were already there, tucked into the ultra-modern bubble chairs Baby was so fond of. JJ laid her purse on the clear acrylic entry table. Five days ago she’d stood in her parents’ kitchen and had an epiphany. Now she needed to follow through. It was time to own up to her desire, to admit she was a writer, not just a journalist.

  To admit she was seeing a smoking hot football player. Well, former football player.

  After settling into one end of the equally modern, too boxy to be comfortable sofa, and setting her bag on the floor, she gladly accepted a big glass of red wine.

  “A Shiraz from that little boutique vineyard we liked,” Baby said.

  “Australia is producing some great wines,” Gretchen added, scribbling a note on their wine scorecard. Being somewhat graphically inclined, Gretchen had created a note-card design several years ago so they could track the wines they tried. Each sheet on the oversized notepad had a space for the wine’s name, type, year, country, region, an overall score and then notes.

  JJ had been dubious of any sort of formal wine notes, but they’d had plenty to drink over the years and the scorecards helped them remember their favorites. They kept them in a binder and passed it around each week so the next hostess could make an informed decision when it came to her selection.

  Admittedly, picking out something everyone would like sometimes had her standing in the local package store for half an hour. That was, until she’d realized she could always go back to the scorecards and find a favorite. Sommeliers they were not, but they knew what they liked and JJ loved the tradition.

  JJ took a sip, noted the flavors and watched her friends do the same. Gretchen passed the notepad and JJ scribbled a few notes of her own before handing it over to Cindy.

  “So I’m dating Trevor Wyatt. And I have a full length novel with agent Jessica Ross,” she said. Sometimes it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off. They knew both bits of information, but she felt it was time to lay everything on the line. No more secrets.

  Baby grinned but Gretchen and Cindy remained pensive.

  Oh boy, it was groveling time.

  “I know we said we wouldn’t keep secrets, but I wasn’t sure if this thing with Trevor was a one night stand or what.”

  “Well you guys didn’t look too one night standish to me,” Cindy said.

  True. It didn’t feel like a fleeting affair. She wouldn’t have expected him to be so attentive but he was. And though she didn’t want to jinx it, she felt this relationship was different than any of her others. Deeper. Richer. Fuller. More exciting.

  JJ nodded. “We’ve been together a month. Remember that money that was stolen from my account last month?”

  “Yeah. Did you ever get that back?” Baby asked.

  “Yeah. The bank finally took care of it. Anyway, I went to the shoe store where my card number was used and Trevor was filling in while his cousin was on his honeymoon.”

  “How sweet,” Gretchen said. Bless her hopeless romantic heart.

  “Anywho, one thing led to another and we went out to dinner that night.”

  Baby and Cindy shared a yeah-right look.

  “Finally,” Gretchen chimed in.

  The other two gave her a droll look.

  “What? She’s been talking about this guy forever,” Gretchen defended.

  Had JJ really been that transparent about her feelings for Trevor?

  “Is he…you know…everything they say he is?” Cindy asked and actually looked like she might blush.

  JJ laughed. “That and more,” she said with smug satisfaction. He was so much more… More thoughtful. Tender. Naughty. All around pretty perfect for her.

  “So are you guys going to keep seeing each other?” Gretchen asked. Trust her to look for a happily ever after.

  “I think so. We’re just kind of playing it by ear I guess.”

  Cindy arched a brow and shot Baby a knowing smirk. “Playing it by ear, my foot. The man’s flown down here twice to be with you.”

  “Good for him. Our JJ deserves to be chased a little,” Baby said.

  “So long as his intentions are good,” Gretchen added.

  There was a pause and then all four of them busted out laughing. God she’d missed this. The easy going camaraderie amongst dear friends. With her secrets gone, new life had been breathed into their friendship. No more secrets. Not even if she wasn’t prepared for questions or didn’t feel like something was important or if she wanted to keep things compartmentalized.

  These women had her back. If she had a one night stand or needed a clean pair of undies, they’d be there for her.

  “I have something for you guys.” She took three bound copies of her manuscript out of her bag and handed one to each of them. “My book.”

  Baby clapped. “I can’t wait to read it,” she said and Gretchen agreed, already flipping open to the first page.

  “Did you let Trevor read it?” Cindy asked.

  “I sent him home with a digital copy. These are hot off the printer. You’d better like it because I slaughtered a tree to print it on.”

  They laughed.

  “What did he say?” Cindy asked, her gaze focused on the book.

  JJ handed over her phone as Baby hopped up and ran into the kitchen. She was back in a flash, her hands working the cork out of a bottle of champagne. “I got the good stuff!”

  Tears sprang to JJ’s eyes and her nose twitched.

  “Time to celebrate,” Cindy agreed. Manuscripts forgotten, the wine glasses were shoved to the center of the table. Gretchen fetched four ultra-modern (and very square) champagne flutes.

  “To handsome men,” Baby declared a moment later, lifting her glass.

  “And new books,” Cindy added.

  “To true love,” Gretchen said.

  “To the best friends a girl could ask for,” JJ finished, clinking their glasses together.

  Good friends. Family. Love. That’s what life was about. Taking chances and being true to yourself.

  Now you’ve got it my beautiful girl, she heard her mother whisper. Now you’ve got it.

  “Oh!” She remembered something else. “I sold my condo!”

  At that, they all jumped up (careful of the bubbly of course) and did their own little version of a touchdown dance.

  There were hugs and tears and promises of no more secrets. And plenty of bubbly.

  She’d just crawled into bed when her phone trilled. She didn’t need to look at the caller ID to know it was Trevor on the other end of the line. He usually called late.

  “Hi.” She sank back against the mound of pillows and closed her eyes. It wasn’t hard to conjure his face in her mind’s eye or even imagine he was in
the bed next to her.

  “Hello, gorgeous.” His smooth, rich voice carried through the phone’s speakers and made her quiver.

  “Where are you?”

  “Just outside of San Francisco. Boys club opening tomorrow morning.”

  “Ahh. You’re a good man, Trevor Wyatt.” He continued to prove it, little by little, every day.

  “Yeah well… I decided it was time to get back out there and use my name for something more than endorsements.”

  It couldn’t be easy, opening himself up to the questions and curious kids who had no filter between their brain and their mouth. Two things she knew about Trevor: he was a very private man and loved football with every fiber, tendon and bone in his body.

  “I’m sure it’ll mean the world to those kids. Meeting a real life super hero. You can help them believe anything is possible.”

  “I’m not a super hero.”

  “You may not wear a cape, but you’re a super hero to them. Larger than life.”

  There was a long pause and she wondered if the call had dropped.

  “Did I lose you?” she asked.

  “Just thinking.”

  Normally she didn’t push. When he got pensive, she let him have his space and time. Even when everything in her was shouting questions, she was good at turning parts of herself - her curiosity in this case, off. But tonight she opened her mouth and asked “about?”

  “How was your day?”

  Changing the topic…a classic evasive maneuver. She decided to call him on it. With a short laugh she said “I doubt that’s what you were thinking about, but I’ll play along. My day was rough…but my condo is now under contract. Happy about that. Now Greg and I can get serious about buying that loft.”

  “You’re my little house-flipping dynamo.”

  “Hardly. Greg does all the heavy lifting.”

  “You say that but I have a feeling you’re the brains behind the operation.”

  She laughed and snuggled deeper into the pillows. “I’ll tell him you said that.”

  “I’m sure he’d agree with me.”

  “How about you? Having a good week?”

  “Yeah. I went over to my mom’s for dinner Tuesday. Got to see my brothers. I’m not so sure she was glad to have all of us rough housing in her living room again, but she hardly complains.”

  “I bet she loved it. Mom always said her favorite times were when everyone was home; noisin’ up the house.”

  “I would’ve liked to have met your mom. She sounds like a great lady.”

  JJ smiled and blinked back a rampant tear. “I think she would have liked you. You may not be southern, but she would’ve forgiven that.”

  His rumbling laugh warmed her. Dang, she missed him. Missed feeling that laugh. Resting her head on his chest.

  “You think so?”

  “You have plenty of fine points working in your favor.” Too many; so JJ had stopped counting. She didn’t dare ask him where the relationship was going. He’d said it was real and that was good enough for now. If she cataloged all his good qualities…it’d be a really long list.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Are you hinting for a list, Mr. Wyatt? That’s not very humble of you.”

  Another bark of laughter.

  “Sweetheart, whoever said I was humble?”

  She’d thought it, on more than one occasion. Like when he’d caught that ball during his last Super Bowl and run his legs off to make the touchdown. While everyone had been congratulating him on an incredible catch, he’d complimented the quarterback for throwing it just right.

  A team player. That’s what Trevor was.

  “I’ll list three things, shall I?”

  “I’m not stopping you, princess.”

  “You understand the value of family. Momma would’ve liked that. You’re not fast and loose with your money. We both appreciate that in a man. And you’re good to me. No mom could complain about that.”

  “Tell me about her.”

  JJ opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling fan. It wasn’t often that she met someone who wanted to know about her mother. Everyone in her circle of friends and family knew all about Leigh Ann Fairchild.

  She didn’t know where to begin.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “You said your dad is your step dad? How did they meet? How old were you?”

  “I was five. The story goes…they met at a party. Thrown by a mutual friend. And momma was the prettiest girl there, according to dad.”

  “Like mother, like daughter.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Wyatt.” There was a click on the line and she assumed it was his call waiting. She was used to their calls being interrupted but that didn’t stop the longing to stay on the line as long as possible.

  “I’m counting on it, sweetheart. Listen, I know it’s late. I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe I can detour through Atlanta on my way back to New York.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Great.”

  The pause was so long she wondered again if the call had been dropped. Stupid cell towers.

  “Trevor?”

  “Sorry, I was going to say sweet dreams, but if I meet you there they’ll be anything but sweet.”

  She laughed. “You’re right about that.”

  “So I’ll just say ‘dream of me’ and ‘good night.’”

  “I will,” she said honestly. “Good night.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JJ’s phone rang, waking her from a wicked hot dream about Trevor. Three weeks apart hadn’t lessoned her desire for him or her imagination. If anything, it seemed to be increasing both. Her dreams the first week had been hot. The second week, twice as steamy. Last night he’d been painting her naked body with a can of whipped cream. She groaned, never so hungry for strawberry shortcake in her life.

  Rolling over, she glared at the clock and wished he was in bed next to her. Seven thirty. Who in their right mind was calling her at seven thirty?

  She stretched for her cell phone and jabbed the talk button.

  “’Ello?” She coughed, patting her chest then revised, “Hello?”

  “JJ? Did I wake you? It’s Jessica Ross.”

  Her agent’s name pushed aside all thoughts of fruit and creamy goodness. She jerked into a sitting position and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m awake now.”

  “I have exciting news.” Jessica’s voice singsonged through the speaker and JJ actually felt a little shiver. As a lifetime New Yorker and a strong business woman, Jessica wasn’t one to get excited about much and she certainly wasn’t demonstrative. But JJ hadn’t signed with her for hugs and a pat on the back. She’d signed with Ross & Company because of Jessica’s reputation in the industry.

  “That’s my favorite kind,” JJ said, struggling to pull herself together.

  “I have a contract on my desk for your book. It’s such a good offer, from Barkley no less. They are super excited about the project. They want to meet with you. They’re ready to move, JJ. Gone are the days of slow New York publishing.”

  Contract. Barkley. Project. Meet. The words peppered her like rain drops. She held the phone out and looked at it for a moment. The call timer on the screen ticked by. It was a live call. Still, she felt like she was dreaming.

  “JJ? Are you there?”

  “Yeah…I’m just—processing.” Barely processing. “Wow. I—that’s amazing!”

  “I agree. Do you have your calendar handy? They want you here ASAP.”

  “I-um, yeah.” She put Jessica on speaker phone and flipped to the scheduling app on her cell phone.

  As soon as she was done with the whirlwind of questions and notes and scheduling with Jessica, she switched to the text messaging app.

  “Ohmygod, this is really happening,” she said to the empty room. Holding both hands against heated cheeks, she glanced around at her bedroom. Everything looked just as it had when she went to bed last night, but everything felt different
this morning. She felt…different.

  She was more nervous right now than when she’d closed on her first condo and the real estate lawyer had handed over the keys. And at the same time, she was so excited she felt like she might bounce right off the bed.

  With trembling fingers she sent Trevor a note.

  JUST GOT SOME EXCITING/SCARY NEWS.

  The next message was to the girls.

  AGENT JUST CALLED. BARKLEY WANTS GAME DAY.

  She thought about calling her dad but figured one of the four people she’d just texted would be calling her soon. Right on cue, Cindy’s number flashed on her screen and JJ hit the green button.

  “You’re fast,” JJ said.

  “Barkley? Barkley wants your book? You lucky girl! Is it a good deal? Did you ask for all the details? Does she have a contract? Who’s the editor?”

  JJ’s head spun a little. She was sure Cindy’s was spinning even more because she was almost positive her friend had said all of that without taking a breath. “Yes, Barkley. Jessica says it’s a great deal. I did ask for all the details. She has a contract in hand.”

  “And the editor?”

  “I haven’t heard of him. Scott Spangler?”

  “I haven’t heard of him either, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’ve never worked with Barkley before. I’ll look him up.”

  As usual, JJ got a little lost in Cindy’s shuffle. But she was thrilled to have someone, other than Jessica, in her corner. While she trusted her agent, publishing was a big scary new world. Similar and yet different from her job of the last seven years.

  When she hung up with Cindy she glanced at the clock. Eight forty five. Trevor was in LA for another appearance today. This time for an inner city youth league.

  What time was it in California? She started to count backwards with her fingers. Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the text.

  THAT’S AWESOME, JULES. WILL CALL YOU WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS CRAZY-ASSED MEETING.

  Baby. Smiling, JJ hit the reply button.