Player

by Joanna Blake

  She led me into a windowless kitchen. I looked around. This room was clean at least.

  Then I saw it.

  In the corner of the room was a twin bed. More of a cot really. A faded floral blanket lay on top.

  I turned to look at her.

  “Is that your bed?”

  She nodded, refusing to meet my eyes.

  “What the fuck?”

  Nadine

  “Jesus Deanie. You live here?”

  I knew how it must look to someone who wasn’t in my situation. I knew it looked like a hovel. But the room was spotless. Well, except for a few dishes in the sink. And empty beer bottles.

  Great.

  My fucking roommates were class acts.

  I shrugged, afraid to look at him. He waited for me to look up. When I did, I wished I hadn’t.

  James looked horrified.

  Shame pooled in my stomach. The old feeling was back. The feeling of not being good enough.

  Not deserving.

  “What? All I need is a bed really.”

  He looked at me, his gorgeous blue eyes wide.

  “This is…”

  “A lot better than the places I’ve slept since I left South Side.”

  He frowned, looking at me as if I was something strange and dirty.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m fine.”

  “No. You’re not.”

  He shook his head slowly.

  “But you’re gonna be.”

  He walked over to the kitchen cabinets and started riffling through them.

  “What are you doing.”

  He turned around and threw me a garbage bag.

  “Pack your shit.”

  “What? Why?”

  He strode across the room, grasping my face in his hands. He wasn’t gentle. But it didn’t exactly hurt either.

  “Because. You. Are. Coming. With. Me.”

  Then he kissed me. It was hard. And fast.

  And it sent a spiral of desire straight to my center. He lifted his head, his eyes boring into mine.

  “Say yes Deanie.”

  I didn’t think. I just obeyed.

  “Yes.”

  He smiled then.

  “Good girl.”

  I was numb as I did as he asked, shoving all my clothes and my few personal items into the bag. James watched me impassively, his arms crossed over his broad chest. In minutes I held up the bag. It was only half full.

  “That’s it?”

  I nodded.

  “I got used to… traveling light.”

  He frowned and jerked his head.

  “Let’s go.”

  He drove me back to campus. I didn’t ask him where we were going. I was numb and exhausted. I almost didn’t care where we went.

  As long as I was with him.

  It was crazy, but I felt safe. Even though I knew, deep down, he just wanted to sleep with me.

  So help me God, I wanted that too.

  It scared me to death though.

  We parked past the athletic complex and walked to a row of townhouses. He opened the door to one and flipped on the light. I stared around me in awe.

  His apartment was gorgeous. It looked like something out of a magazine, not college housing. Marble tile floors, sectional couch, glass coffee table and open kitchen. The kitchen was big too, with a dining table on the other side of a bar with stools.

  It was so… clean.

  He shut the door and flipped the lock behind us. Then he carried my bag up the stairs.

  “Wait.”

  He turned to look at me.

  “What’s wrong? You thirsty?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t thirsty. I was just confused.

  “Is all this yours?”

  He looked a bit sheepish as he nodded.

  “It’s safe. Nobody comes in here except a maid once a week.”

  “You don’t have to share it?”

  “Nah, it’s just me. Come on.”

  I followed him up the stairs in a daze.

  There were two bedrooms and a bath at the end of the hall. When he led me into the master bedroom I froze, suddenly apprehensive.

  But he just smiled and dropped my bag by the door to the en suit bathroom. Then he pulled back the covers.

  “Come on, baby girl.”

  I swallowed nervously and walked over to him. He bent down and lifted my shirt over my head. Then he knelt and undid my jeans, tugging them over my hips.

  I stared down at him. He looked up at me with the sexiest look on his face. He looked hungry.

  “Damn Nadine. You aren’t making this easy.”

  He shook his head, biting his lip. Then he grabbed a t-shirt from a chest of drawers and lowered it over my head. He ran his knuckles over my cheek and leaned towards me.

  “I can’t believe I’m putting clothes back on you.”

  Slowly, I found myself being lowered into the bed. The covers were drawn up to my chin. A butterfly light kiss brushed my forehead.

  “Sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I looked up at him in surprise. I’d expected him to pounce on me. I was almost sorry he didn’t.

  Almost against my will I felt my eyelids close. The last thing I saw was James watching me like a mother hen.

  Then I fell into the deepest sleep I’d had in years.

  Chapter Eight

  James

  “Focus up people!”

  I heard Coach Adams shout at the offense while we scrimmaged. He yelled at everyone. But I knew he was talking to me. I was distracted as hell today.

  How could I not be?

  Waking up this morning with a half naked Nadine in my bed had been… amazing. Awesome.

  Fucking awful.

  The hardest thing I’d ever done had been sliding out of that bed and into a shower.

  A very, very cold shower.

  But not before I’d kissed her bare shoulders. Or lifted the covers to take a peek. My t-shirt had ridden up, exposing her long legs and that adorable ass of hers.

  Damn, the girl was fine!

  I’d done my best not to stare when I’d put her to bed. But this morning my scruples had been… less scrupulous. To say the least.

  I’d looked my fill at her body while she slept, pressing down on my jock. It had been hard enough to cut glass. Fuck, I think it could have cut through fucking steel.

  Now the image of her was emblazoned in my mind. Those gorgeous legs, that impossibly soft skin, all those gorgeous curves… How the fuck was I supposed to focus?

  All I could see was her.

  So yeah, I was a little distracted.

  Never mind the fact that I was worried as fuck about the girl. She was in a bad spot. That place she’d been living… and she’d told me about her second job. Two jobs, full load of classes, that shit hole she was living in.

  Her alarm had gone off so early this morning. No wonder she was exhausted. I’d slapped it off without thinking twice. Fuck her student job. My girl needed rest.

  I was going to keep her real fucking busy.

  Riding my cock.

  I groaned, feeling myself getting hard again. I had spent every waking moment since I met her in a state of constant arousal. But this was worse.

  She was naked in my bed. Right now. And I was here.

  What a joke.

  What a fucking disaster.

  “Yo’ Fitz, where’s your head at?”

  Pete was talking to me. I pulled out my mouthpiece. Practice had just ended, thank God. I’d practically sleep walked through the whole damn three hours.

  Kyle’s head popped over Pete’s shoulder, his goofy face wearing a shit-eating grin.

  “He’s thinking about that hot little piece from the rib joint.”

  “Oh yeah, the one that turned him down?”

  “Shut up.”

  I was in no mood to be ribbed about Nadine. Especially, considering the state of my hard on. I just wanted to get home and take care of it.

  Once and fo
r all.

  “Let’s go for some lappies. That’ll fix you right up.”

  Kyle was always down for lap dances. Pete too. Hell, once I had been that guy.

  But no more.

  “No man, I can’t. Plans.”

  “Plans, eh?”

  “Well, whoever she is, I hope she gets your head back in the game.”

  I nodded curtly. I wasn’t going to dish about Nadine. She was different.

  She was mine.

  Nadine

  Take the day off.

  I’ll be back for dinner.

  -J

  P.S. That’s an order.

  I chewed my lip, staring at the note in my hand. It was after ten. I’d already missed my shift and the start of my first class. It seemed somehow extravagant to just lay around in bed.

  Foreign.

  Wrong.

  But when I saw his bathroom, I reconsidered. It was clean. Spotless even. And there was a massive soaking tub.

  To hell with it.

  I ran the tub while I brewed a pot of coffee and called the vet. They needed to keep Honeysuckle a few more days. I asked what the bill was going to come to and my stomach dropped.

  That was just so far. Eight hundred freaking dollars.

  And counting.

  I thanked the vet and hung up.

  I brought my coffee into the bathroom and stripped. Then I sank into the water with a deep sigh. I lay there, sipping my coffee, refreshing the water a few times to keep it hot.

  Weighing my options.

  I didn’t have many.

  I could sell a kidney.

  Or my eggs.

  Or I could strip.

  The thought of that made my stomach turn. But I knew I could pay off Honeysuckle’s bills in one night. I shook my head. No. That was a last ditch option.

  Not that I looked down on it as a profession. I knew a couple girls who did it. One of Lana’s friends who came by BB Smith’s after her shift. Barbara. AKA Babs. She always had a lot of money.

  Babs was married too. Her husband didn’t seem to mind all those guys looking at her. I didn’t even have a boyfriend to worry about, let alone a husband.

  But that was the problem.

  I just didn’t really like it when men looked at me.

  Like that.

  So, yeah. That was definitely a last resort. I knew they’d hire me though. Babs had mentioned it more than once, saying I would rake it in if I ever wanted to give it a try. Lana and I just laughed.

  I might have the body for it, but I definitely did not have the personality.

  I wouldn’t know how to flirt if my life depended on it. Which, at the moment, it kind of did.

  I riffled through my bag for clean clothes and got dressed. I knew what would go down if I stayed. James had certain expectations of what would happen if I was here when he came back. I did my best not to over think it.

  But I didn’t leave either.

  I walked around the house, sipping my second cup of coffee. The kitchen was stocked. The house was clean. It was almost as if a maid service came and took care of the place for him once or twice a week. I stopped in my tracks.

  Of course it did. He’d said that last night. I shook my head. It was hard to believe how far he’d come since South Side.

  And I knew he was going to rise even higher.

  I had known of course that the University gave perks to its star athletes. I just hadn’t realized the extent of those perks. Right now I was standing in the middle of what was probably the biggest perk of all.

  It was decorated expensively, with tastefully masculine pieces of furniture. Big furniture. A couch that I could sleep on easily. With three friends.

  Not that I had a lot of friends.

  But Fritz did.

  I turned the television on and flipped through the channels. Then I turned it off again. I’d had so little time or exposure to TV since I left home that it was hard to get into it. It felt too weird just to sit there, staring blindly into that little box.

  Okay, it was a big box. Almost like a private movie theater. I walked over to it, examining the back. It was paper-thin.

  I shook my head.

  I was out of my element. Way, way out of my element.

  I sat at the dining room table and started doodling on the back of a magazine. I didn’t notice time pass. When I reached for my coffee, it was cold.

  I didn’t hear the key in the lock. I didn’t hear the door open. All I knew was that suddenly James was there, pulling me into his arms.

  He kissed me deeply, holding me like I was made of glass. Like I was precious.

  Like I might break.

  Little did he know how right he was.

  I was out of breath by the time he lifted his head.

  “Hey.”

  I blushed, trying to act normal. But the way he was looking at me was sending crazy tingles shooting through my body. My heart was beating like a drum. My mind was utterly blank.

  “Hi.”

  “You hungry?”

  “What?”

  He laughed at me. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. How distracted I was. Then I looked down and saw that he had set a massive take out bag on the table.

  “Oh.”

  I smiled at him, relieved that I had a break from his sensual onslaught. I knew that once he started in on me again, I wouldn’t be able to stop him. I wouldn’t want to.

  “Yes, I am.”

  He grinned at me, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. He stepped back and it was like a huge wall of heat and comfort had disappeared.

  Then he pulled his shirt over his head and my mouth went dry.

  “I just want to rinse off.”

  He was staring at me expectantly. But I could not think. I could just take it in.

  James was beautiful.

  Heartbreakingly beautiful.

  From his gorgeous face, all the way down to his waist. Chiseled muscles, hard, flat stomach, a broad chest and the thickest shoulders and arms I had ever seen. His skin looked soft and… um… tasty. I wanted to lick it.

  Jesus, what was getting into me?

  I swallowed and nodded.

  “Yeah, uh… cool.”

  He was grinning at me like the cat that ate the canary. He fucking knew that he was gorgeous. Perfect even. And he knew that I thought so too. I lifted my chin and acted like he wasn’t standing there half naked, looking like an Adonis.

  “I’ll just find some plates.”

  “They’re in the kitchen.”

  I scowled at him and he laughed, slowly walking up the stairs. He was staring at me, a hot look of promise in his eyes. I was frozen in place.

  The moment he was out of view I sagged, leaning against a chair.

  I wasn’t sure if I could go through with this after all.

  He was making it easy for me. Too easy. But still, I knew the old fears would come creeping in.

  I knew I might close my eyes and see someone else above me.

  Damn it, I just want to be a normal girl for one damn night!

  Lana was covering my shift so I knew I could just relax and go with it. I knew that any other girl on campus would give anything to be me right now. I exhaled loudly and went to set the table.

  Fuck it, what did I have to lose?

  Except everything really.

  Chapter Nine

  James

  Nadine was picking at her food, not looking at me. Of course, I’d caught her sneaking glances at my chest. I suppressed a grin. I knew she liked looking at me.

  That’s why I hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on after my quick shower.

  We ate quickly, or I did. I wanted to get to the main event. She on the other hand… she was stretching it out.

  I watched her eat another tiny bite of her salad. She’d told me she was a vegetarian. I’d joke that next time I wouldn’t order steak. I’d teased her about a vegetarian working in a rib joint. She’d smiled but it hadn’t reached her eyes.

  Now s
he was dragging out her dinner in an obvious attempt to avoid what was coming next.

  Me.

  Her.

  Naked time.

  I just couldn’t figure out why.

  “Nadine.”

  She looked up at me, looking like a deer in headlights. An adorable, sexy, about to get pounced on deer. I smiled, trying to look reassuring. My cock was already hard. It was a good thing she couldn’t see it under the table.

  “Are you finished?”

  “Oh.”

  She nodded, as if she hadn’t realized what she was doing.

  “Yes, I am. Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll just clean up.”

  “No! I’ll do it!”

  She practically jack rabbited out of her seat, grabbing plates and hauling them to the kitchen. I followed her, bringing our empty glasses of wine. Maybe if she had a little bit more of it, she would relax.

  The girl was acting like a virgin for fuck’s sake. Not a nineteen-year-old girl from South Side. Nobody got out of that part of town without lots of experience. Especially, a girl who looked like her.

  I felt a split second of jealousy at the thought before I squashed it. I didn’t really care how many guys she’d been with. As long as she was with me now.

  She scraped the dishes into the trash and went to the sink. She grabbed a sponge and turned on the hot water. I stepped behind her, turning the faucet off.

  “Nadine.”

  She turned and I leaned forward, boxing her against the counter with both arms. My cock surged forward, wanting to get closer to her. I tilted my head, my eyes on her gorgeous lips.

  “The dishes can wait.”

  I moaned as our mouths connected. It was hard to believe how good it felt. Just kissing her. It was like a fucking fireworks show in my synapses.

  I couldn’t wait to find out what the real deal was going to be like.

  She sighed against my lips and I reminded myself to take my time, really enjoy this.

  Once we’d done it once we could bang it out just for kicks. Whenever we wanted to. As much as possible. But the first time should be special.

  All the same, I was eager to get her clothes off her.

  Right fucking now.

  Ten minutes ago.