Saving the Game

by Karen Frances

  “Fletch is looking forward to spending ‘quality time’ with her.”

  “I’m jealous that they get to go and have some fun in the sun and I’m stuck here working. Covering yet again.” She turns her head away, probably hoping I don’t catch the look of disappointment in her eyes or hear the tone in her voice, but I do. She wishes it were her getting whisked away for a romantic weekend with someone who loves her as much as Fletch loves Jess.

  Oh, fuck. I don’t do soppy shit. Never have and never will. An awkward silence fills the air between us and I don’t want that. Christ, Lee doesn’t deserve that. After the day I’ve had, tonight can’t be a disaster. I won’t ruin the night for us before it’s even begun.

  Reaching my arm across the back seat, I pull her closer to me and kiss the top of her head. Lee looks amazing; the least I can do is make her feel amazing all night long. She tilts her head. There’s still a sadness in her eyes, but now her dazzling smile is back where it belongs.

  As the taxi approaches the hotel, I hold Lee’s hand tightly. I have no idea why but, suddenly, I’m nervous. I’m sure it’s because of what went on today. Fletch doesn’t need today’s antics to take away from what he wants to achieve tonight; and that is awareness and much needed funds for the charity.

  The taxi stops and I pay the driver. With a deep breath, I turn to Lee. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” she says, without hesitation. I’m glad she is because I’m not sure I am.

  I get out of the taxi and wait for Lee. Cameras flash. When she stretches out her long lean legs and stands, I take her hand in mine. She smiles and we stop to get a few pictures taken. She’s a natural as she stands leaning toward me, smiling and laughing at the right moments. I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s a privilege to have her by my side tonight. A privilege I know I don’t deserve.

  These thoughts don’t belong in my head. The only thoughts that should be there are tonight’s end game. Lee in my bed, naked.

  Oh, the fun I’m sure we will have.

  I guide us inside and, when I glance at her, she’s smiling, and that makes me happy. People, players, speak to me as we enter the room. I say a few hellos and introduce Lee to a select few. Some I guide her quickly away from; she’s better off not knowing or speaking to them.

  It’s strange. I have this urge to keep her all to myself. To keep her away from everyone here.

  Even I know that sounds fucking crazy. Christ, I must be going mad.

  I see Peter, the boss, and his wife, Fran, standing close to the bar. That’s where I head. I need a few drinks to settle me. Fuck, if I feel like this, how does Fletch feel? He has to stand up in front of everyone and give a speech. He must be a bag of nerves. I hope he and Jess get here soon.

  “Logan. Lee.” Peter smiles. “Lee, you look great,” he says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She smiles shyly and thanks him before she starts talking to Fran. I greet them before falling into easy conversation with Peter. He’s more than a boss; it might be because he’s closer in age to me than any of the bosses I’ve had over the years. I order drinks for us all. Fran and Lee step to the side, talking out of earshot.

  What the hell do they have to say? Are they talking about me? This is ridiculous thinking on my part. What the fuck is wrong with me?

  “So, how are you after today?” Peter asks as we wait for our drinks.

  “I’m okay. It was a bit nerve-wracking. I’m just glad all players on both teams are all right.”

  “Yes, me too.” We change the subject to next week’s game, not dwelling on the events of today. I’m sure all the national newspapers tomorrow morning will run with the story of today’s game. We talk about Fletcher not playing next week due to the fact that he’ll be missing out on training. It will be strange not having him at training, and even stranger knowing he won’t be on the pitch next week, scoring goals.

  The bartender puts the drinks down in front of us and I thank him. I lift the glass of wine Lee ordered and freeze.

  “Hi, Lee. You look incredible. Wow.” I turn in time to see Jason with his hands on my girl as he kisses her on both cheeks. Who the fuck invited him? Rage fills me as my body starts to tremble. Now I understand how Fletcher felt seeing the pictures of Jason and Jess in the paper, and that was completely innocent. He steps back without removing his hands from her. There’s nothing innocent about the look in his eyes at the moment; they’re filled with lust and desire as they roam her body.

  Fucking bastard. I might kill him. I need to break up whatever the hell is going on.

  “Lee, babe.” I step forward. She smiles nervously and moves out of his hold. I hand her the glass and slip my arm around her waist. Fran has already moved back to Peter. “Jason.”

  “Logan. I never saw you there.” His eyes dart between me and Lee and I see the surprise in his eyes the minute he realises we’re together. Well, we are here together, after all. “I . . . I was just saying hi.”

  “Yes, I saw that. Now, run along, Jason, before I do or say something I might regret.”

  “I was just going back to the lads. I’ll catch you both later,” he says, walking back to some of his team mates.

  “What the fuck was that?” Lee shouts, and pushes my hand off her, taking a step back.

  “What? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “Really? You don’t think that was fucking rude?”

  I shake my head. She’s angry. She’s not the only one. “No, I don’t. I was just making sure he knew you’re here with me.”

  “Staking a claim! Unbelievable. We’re not even together; you’ve made that clear. For weeks you’ve been out and about with slut after slut, and someone shows a little interest in me and you’re acting like a jealous prick.”

  Well, there she’s managed to sum me up. She’s right; I am jealous. “You need to watch the likes of him.”

  “Because he’s so much worse than you.” She walks away from me and my heart sinks. She’s got a point. I’m no better than Jason. If anything, I’m worse. I look up to see Fletcher and Jess have arrived. Jess frowns at me as she greets Lee. Something is said between the two, but I’m too far away to hear.

  Christ. I’ve fucked up. I can’t seem to do anything right lately.

  Lee

  HE’S A FUCKING arsehole with a capital A. Who the hell does he think he is? Ah, that’s right, Logan Walker, international pain in the arse. Trying to tell me who to stay away from. If I had any sense, I would stay away from him. Maybe I’ll spend the rest of the night talking to every other man in the room to piss him off now I know he’s angry about Jason.

  I try to focus and push him to the back of my mind, but it’s hard because I feel his eyes on me. I don’t look at him because I’m still fucking mad. Yet, at the same time, I still feel this incredible pull towards him.

  I honestly do try to keep up with the conversation between Jess and Fran, but I’m fighting the urge to walk back to Logan and slap him across the face.

  “Lee, what is going on with you two?” Jess’s whispered voice has me looking around. It’s only her and Fran standing with me; the guys aren’t in earshot of us. Logan stands stiffly beside Fletcher, looking in our direction. I quickly turn away.

  With a deep breath and a smile, I say, “Nothing. Nothing at all.” They look at each other and shrug their shoulders. Jess’s eyes narrow, silently questioning me. She doesn’t push the subject, but I’m sure she’s going to want to talk about this when she gets back from her break. Maybe I’ll take the rest of the week off when she comes back to work. Avoid this conversation with her altogether.

  Yes, that might work. Avoidance is the key. Can I avoid Logan for the rest of the night?

  No. I sense him before I feel his hand on my back. I daren’t look at Jess. I’m hoping Fletcher will take her wandering mind off me.

  “Come on. Dinner is about to be served,” he says quietly.

  I nod and he steps beside me, hand still on my back, and we make our way to our table. I would be lying
to myself if I said his hand touching me doesn’t have any effect, because it does. A slow, tickling feeling spreads through my body and my heartbeat picks up pace. I don’t do nerves, so why does Logan Walker make me feel so damn nervous?

  “Lee, I’m sorry,” he mumbles. I glance his way because I’m not entirely sure I heard him correctly. “Yes, I mean it. I’m sorry.”

  “And so you should be. He was only saying hello.” As the words leave me, I wonder if I’m the one in the wrong. Maybe he wasn’t just saying hello. Maybe he does have an ulterior motive. Although, what that could be is anyone’s guess.

  He opens his mouth and pauses before closing it again. I think that’s for the best. Maybe he should’ve thought before opening his mouth to Jason only minutes ago.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I say as we near the table. This just gets better by the minute. Logan’s body tenses beside me when he sees what has me swearing. The brunette I know Fletcher has been with, and now I’m certain Logan has been with her as well, is sitting at the table with Jackson. Could this night get any worse?

  I wish I had stayed home. This has disaster written all over it.

  What the hell do you talk about during dinner with someone who has most likely slept with three of the men at the table? Who is better in bed—Jackson, Logan, or Fletcher? Well, it looks as though you’re working your way through the football team. Who will it be next? I shouldn’t be thinking like this. With a huge sigh, I don’t look at Logan and take my seat.

  This is all for a good cause. It’s all for a good cause.

  Logan takes the seat beside me. “Lee, are you okay? We can leave as soon as you want,” he says.

  “I’ve been feeling off all day and, if I’m honest, I don’t need the crap that’s going on between you and Jason, and now your friend across the table. I didn’t sign up for this. I’m here to support the charity, nothing else. I’ll stay until Fletcher makes his speech.”

  If I needed any conformation that Logan has been with her, I get it. His eyes widen, his shoulders slouch forward and then his smile is gone. Yes, my assumption was correct.

  The brunette doesn’t engage in conversation, which is just as well. I’m not sure I could hold my tongue and say something nice. Actually, I know I couldn’t. It’s a few minutes before Jess and Fletcher make their way to us.

  Jess’s face falls when she looks toward the table, but only for the briefest of moments. I’m sure I’m the only one who saw it. She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and smiles. I watch on with concern as Jackson introduces his date.

  “I don’t think we need introductions,” Jess says. The brunette turns her body to an angle, facing only Jackson. Good. She obviously isn’t interested in anyone else. I’m sure she is only interested in Jackson and what she’ll get from him at the end of the night.

  Conversation flows with ease at the table during dinner, surprising me. There is plenty of laughter at our table and Jess looks really happy. The happiest she’s been in a long time, and it’s all because of the man sitting beside her. He absolutely adores her, and would do anything for her. As I watch them laughing and smiling, I know that no matter what life throws their way, they will get through it because of the depth of their love for each other.

  Logan is very attentive, and I’m sure Jess and Fletch have noticed. He is constantly filling up my water glass because the first drink of wine I took tasted awful.

  “What’s wrong?” Logan asks as I put my cutlery down and move my plate a little. I’ve picked at every course, moving food around my plate like a small child, hardly eating.

  “Nothing.” I lower my voice. “As I said earlier, just not feeling one hundred percent.”

  He frowns and I see the concern on his face, but like Jess earlier, he doesn’t press any further.

  Fletcher takes to the stage to give his speech. He looks confident.

  “Firstly, on behalf of Scottish Women’s Aid . . .” As soon as he starts talking, I take Jess’s hand because he might not be talking about Jess and her story, but I know her, and this is bound to be emotional for her. He pauses briefly and his eyes shift to the back of the room. I turn to see what has grabbed his attention. Oh, no. Not what Jess needs. Chantelle, the blonde who stirred up so much trouble when she sold her story to the papers. His voice stays strong, even though I’m sure all he wants to do is come back to the table, take Jess in his arms, and keep her safe. Her body shakes beside me as he goes into detail about domestic abuse.

  I look at Jess and she has tears in her eyes. “Jess.”

  “I’m okay. Really, I am,” she tells me with a warm smile.

  Fletcher finishes his speech to a round of applause and is thanked by various people before he leaves the stage. His eyes are on only one person. I hand Jess a tissue. Everyone at the table tells him his speech was amazing, but he’s only interested in the love of his life. I turn away from them, giving them what privacy I can.

  Jackson and his date leave our table and I’m sure it’s to go and see her friend who made her entrance during Fletcher’s speech. The band starts playing and Logan takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. Nerves kick in when I look around and see we’re the only people there.

  “Breathe.” He pulls me close to him and we move in time to the music. I can’t help but smile as I look at him. My anger from earlier has eased as he holds my body close to his and we move effortlessly around the dance floor.

  The sizzling chemistry I feel when I’m around him is there again; the sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, and tingling across my skin. Yip, it’s all there and, what’s more, he knows it. The cheeky smug grin on his face as he looks at me tells me he knows.

  Others join us on the floor and I start to relax in the comfort of his strong arms. I could stay here with him all night long.

  This isn’t good. There’s a reason I was putting distance between us these last few weeks; he’s the type of man who could easily break my heart in two if I allowed myself to fall for him. But as we dance together, it feels as though this is where I belong. In his arms. After tonight, I’m going to need to put distance between us again.

  As the song ends, he takes my hand and we leave the dance floor. I need a seat so I’m glad it was only one song. I don’t have time this week for illness but I swear I’m coming down with something. Trust it to be this week when Jess is away. When I go home, I’m going straight to bed and I’ll stay there until I need to get up for work on Monday morning.

  “We’ll be leaving soon,” Jess says.

  “Not before I get a dance,” Logan tells her. He doesn’t wait for a response before taking Jess’s arm and leading her away from a bemused Fletcher.

  “You know, Lee, he’s not a bad guy. He just needs some guidance,” Fletcher says, taking the seat beside me. “I know he’s fucked up a lot lately.”

  “Fletcher, it really doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

  “Oh, please. I have eyes. I see how you look at each other.”

  I shake my head. This isn’t a conversation I want to have. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

  “I don’t know who you’re trying to convince. He cares about you, probably a lot more than he wants to admit.”

  Neither do I.

  “Fletcher . . .”

  “Okay, I’ll drop the subject because I know Jess won’t let this go. She’s worried about you. She says there’s something wrong and she thinks Logan is the cause.”

  Is he? I don’t know the answer to that myself. “Well, your job is to make her forget about everything, including me, for the next few days.”

  “Oh, I’ll do that, don’t worry.” He smirks with a glint in his eyes. We sit in silence and watch as Logan dramatically dips Jess in his arms. “He’s pushing his fucking luck now. I might just bloody kill him.”

  I laugh. The song ends and Peter steps in and asks Jess to dance. “At this rate, we’ll miss our flight.”

  Fletcher stands when the song ends. He’s a man on a miss
ion. A mission to leave and have his woman all to himself for a few days, but Jess heads for the bathroom. It’s a long ten minutes before she returns, with our friend blondie at her back. Jess looks smug, but the blonde, not so much so. She has a thunderous look on her face. Fletcher is furious. Jess tells us that everything is okay, and the funny thing is, I believe her.

  Jess is now more than capable of standing up for herself, especially with someone like Chantelle, who appears to only be out for fame and fortune.

  Jess and Fletcher say quick goodbyes to everyone. I tell Jess to have a great time and I’ll see her later in the week. Logan heads over to the bar where Jackson is, and I sit down with Fran.

  “Right, missy. Come on. You’ve had very little to drink. What’s wrong?” she asks.

  “Nothing.”

  “Lee . . .”

  “I’ve been feeling off all day. I swear I’m coming down with something.”

  “Oh, no. Hopefully it’s just some twenty-four-hour thing and you’ll be fine, but if you need some help at the office this week, I can always give you a hand. Not sure what good I’ll be to you, but I will try.”

  “Thanks, Fran. I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m probably going to head off now all the formalities are finished.” All I want to do is lie down, close my eyes in a darkened room, and try and sleep.

  “Is Logan taking you home?”

  “I think I’m more than capable of getting home on my own.”

  “That might be just as well.” Her eyes drift to the bar and she’s shaking her head. What the hell has he done now? I turn to see blondie draped all over him, whispering something in his ear. He laughs. “It looks as though he’s pre-occupied.”

  Pain slices through me as the pair laugh and joke alongside Jackson and his date. I try to stay calm, but I’m not. It hurts. I feel the blood drain from my face as I watch them. She giggles like a schoolgirl at something that’s been said. I look away because I don’t want to draw attention to the fact that it bothers me.

  My stomach twists and turns as thoughts of the two of them race through my mind. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths as I fight the nausea rising in my throat.