ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: The Playmaker (Bad Boy College Football Romance) (New Adult College Alpha Male Sports Romance)

by Carly White

  I had done my homework and I knew that the man doing the hiring had a thing for younger women. I used that to my advantage, making sure that I wore something tight and short. It was a low blow, but I knew that men couldn’t think when there were tatas on display.

  Finishing up my makeup, I made my way down to Cross Productions. It was located in the same building as one of the larger MMA sites and I ran into a couple of familiar faces while I was there. I nodded towards Antony and he gave me one of those disarming looks. Ignoring him, I moved into Wesley’s office after I talked to his assistant. “He’s on the phone, but he will be with you in just a moment Miss. Lace.”

  Thanking her, I waited in the small chair that faced him while he spoke quietly into the phone. I crossed my legs and looked at some of the awards and degrees on his wall. He had more than most people and I took it as vanity. The way he looked at my legs, told me all I needed to know about him.

  Finally he hung up and gave me and my legs, his full attention. “Denise Lace, right?”

  I stood up, leaning over slightly and shaking his hand. I knew where his eyes went next and I had to thank the pushup bra that had been stupefying men for years. “It is so nice to meet you Sir. I have always loved the sport and you make it so entertaining.”

  He nodded his head like he was used to hearing compliments. I waited for him to say something else, but he was lost in his lustful look. I started to think that maybe I had went too far with the shirt because he had lost all train of thought it looked like.

  “So what makes you qualified for this internship?”

  Wesley had my resume in front of him, the answers were right there, but it looked like he was wanting something else than what was on the paper. “I’ve been a fan for a long time Sir.”

  “A fan? We have plenty of those, what makes you the right one for the job?”

  It irked me, the way he said it. Like me going to a good school and graduating top of my class wasn’t enough. He was going to make me use the one upper hand that I had. The one I said I wouldn’t use, but I had a feeling he already knew anyways. “I am not just a fan Sir, but my family has been in the business for a couple of decades, so I have watched hundreds of matches, as well as knowing most of your current fighters. This will give me a rapport with them that you will find hard in another candidate.”

  “There are no other candidates. I think everyone here knows who you are. You are Ray’s niece, right?”

  I nodded my head, inwardly groaning at how he was acting. Of course he knew. I just hoped that he knew that the very fact that Ray was my uncle would make me off limits to him. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat and I can’t say that I liked it. If I got the job, which didn’t actually even pay, I would not be staying around him much. Wesley was a dangerous man, I came to realize in the interview. Maybe I didn’t want to work for a man like that.

  “So if there is no one else, am I to assume that I have it?”

  “Yes Denise. I can’t think of anyone that is more qualified for the job. We are a family here and you are already family.”

  I stood up and shook the offered hand. There was a moment where his fingers played with the inside of my palm, but I ignored it. If he got too randy, it wasn’t like I didn’t know plenty of people to get him to calm down. He gave me a schedule for the next week and I told him I would see him in the morning.

  Walking out, I felt giddy. It was the job that I had focused on for a long time and I couldn’t believe that I had gotten it. All I had ever wanted to do was make good entertainment. Seeing all the men shirtless and in their prime, was just a bonus.

  I stopped to watch a couple guys that were sparring with each other. One of them was Mike and like his stepbrother, he was looking pretty good in the ring. The two both held titles, Mike in a heavier weight class. He was huge and was nicknamed the Beast for a reason. Watching him fight, it was hard to tell that he was almost 200 pounds. It was all muscle though and watching him work out was hypnotic at best.

  “So I see you aren’t here with your uncle today.”

  I looked over and it was Antony. “No not today. His big hooray was yesterday.”

  “So are you here to see me?”

  I shook my head that I wasn’t. “I was here for an interview. You should tell your brother to cover his face better. Wouldn’t want someone to mess up his pretty smile.”

  “So you like my brother huh?”

  “He is good in the ring. I am sure he will do well for his next title match. You have one coming up too, don’t you?”

  “I do. But you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Which was?”

  “Do you like my brother?”

  I shook my head. “I like him, he is a good fighter.”

  “And me?”

  “You are good as well.”

  He moved closer to me and I took a step back. “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “Well it is what I meant. I work here now, so my thoughts on the two of you will always be strictly business.”

  “Then why are you shaking?”

  I tried to stop, but it was hard not to around him. It wasn’t fear that drove me, but something else. Didn’t he know how he affected women? I smiled back up at him and moved away. “It’s a bit chilly in here. I guess you guys don’t realize it because you are moving around so much.”

  “You want to spar, get you all nice and warm?”

  I looked down at the heels and skirt. “No, but thank you for the offer Antony. Good luck at your match tonight.”

  I walked away before I could get roped into anymore verbal sparring with him. I looked back once, I couldn’t help it and I wish I hadn’t. He had a smile that was both charming and disarming, but a little smug that made me nervous. Guys like him were the ones to stay away from.

  Chapter 3: Antony

  I watched her walk away, still unsure what it was about her that made me want to take her and bend her over the nearest chair. Maybe it was because I couldn’t have her, but there was something about Denise that drove me insane.

  “What are you looking at bro?”

  Mike was done with his training and I was ready to go. He saw the young blonde woman leaving and that one last look that told me she was interested, even if she didn’t show it. There was a smile on her face and it gave me hope that there was a chance with her after all.

  “That’s Ray’s niece, Denise.”

  “I didn’t know he had a niece. She is hot. You going to hit that?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if I would or not, but I wanted to. “Well if you aren’t going to Antony, I am going to give it a try.”

  “Have you seen Ray in the ring?”

  He shrugged. “Ray is an old man. I am not worried about him.”

  “I think she works here now.”

  Mike shook his head. “Well you know that it is Wesley’s then.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He only hires girls if they are easy and sleezy.”

  I didn’t agree with him. Denise didn’t seem like either, if anything, she was the opposite of the women that we usually got there. She was definitely not a groupie, though I really wish she was.

  “Trust me, she is neither. I don’t know why she is working here. Maybe it’s because of her uncle, but I think she is going to be in production.”

  “You always did like those smart girls brother. I try to tell you that they are more trouble than they are worth.”

  “Sounds to me like you don’t believe you can get in those panties.”

  Mike smiled big. “Have you ever known me to not get what I wanted?”

  I hadn’t. He was one of those people that always got what they wanted. Ever since our parents got married when we were young, I hated that about him. He could bat his blue eyes at pretty much anyone and it didn’t matter their age, if they were female, they were going to do what he asked. I felt a wager coming on and though it wouldn’t be the first time, it felt wrong in some way. I didn’
t want him to even try, but I could tell that he knew that.

  “Aren’t we a little old for that Mike?”

  He chuckled and saw right through me. “The day I am too old to chase tail, will be the day I die.”

  ***

  I walked into Wesley’s office, waiting for him to get off of the phone. The man was always stuck with it to his ear, so I was used to waiting for him to get off of the phone. When he wasn’t in his office, he was walking around with it stuck to his ear. While I could say I was there for numerous reasons, the truth was I was there to ask about Denise.

  “Hey Antony. What are you doing in here?”

  “Not much, was just seeing how tonight’s fight is going to go for Mike.”

  Wesley nodded. “Yeah, I would be worried too. Dante is huge and though he is new to MMA, he has been fighting for a long time. I think he is into his forties now, but don’t let that fool you.”

  I acted like I cared, pretended that what he said mattered. I knew I couldn’t just go in there and start asking about Denise. It would be her on his radar. He was just like Mike when it came to a challenge. Those two were like a dog with a bone and since I wanted the bone for myself, I tried to bring it up casually, though I knew that I was not being as casual as I would have liked.

  “So I saw a new girl watching the sparing. Is she a new girlfriend?”

  He looked around like someone was going to hear. The man was married, but he got more ass than most of us. I wondered sometimes what he said he would do for them. He wasn’t a particularly handsome guy and he was a little loose in the gut, but he got action, I have to give it to him.

  “Now you know I am married Antony.”

  I nodded my head, “but…”

  “But that is definitely one I would like to try out. She is Ray’s niece, can you believe that?”

  “Yeah that is what I heard. I think I seen her at his last match the other night.”

  He was losing focus. “So what is she doing here? Ray wasn’t here was he?”

  “What are you wanting to know Antony?”

  “I want to know what she was doing here. She doesn’t look like a fighter. The females in her weight class would kill her. She looks too nice to be a ring girl, so I was just wondering what she was here for.”

  “Do you and Mike have another bet going?”

  Everyone knew us too well and our love for a good gamble. “Just a little one on why she is here. Mike is eying her for other reasons and I guess he just wants to know if she is off-limits.”

  “To you two, yes. She is going to be the new production intern and I don’t want any lawsuits over it.” He seemed to have such a serious face, but all I could think about was what he planned to do. Wesley had never been that suave and he was planning to do the very thing he didn’t want us to do. Seemed hypocritical, but at least now I had more information about who she was and why she was there. It seemed that Denise was going to become a fixture at the place and I couldn’t say that I was upset about it at all. There was just something about her.

  Wesley must have caught the look in my eyes, because he called me back to him. “I mean it Antony. We don’t want an incident like Alicia happening again. Our PR department will not stand for another controversy.”

  I was sick of hearing her name and talking about her. She had been a groupie and I had tapped it, my brother too, but then she cried foul when it was time for us to leave for a fight. She expected us to take her with us and got mad when we didn’t. So instead of waiting for us to come back, she got it in her mind that she would ruin us and our reputation. “It is nothing like Alicia and I told you before, that woman was crazy.”

  “That she might have been, but she cost us several hundred thousand that we had to chip out.”

  I sighed and turned back towards him. “I paid those fees and then some. Don’t act like I am the only one dipping my wick in the company’s women pool. Wesley you are worse than all of us.”

  Regretting it as soon as it came out of my mouth, I wished I could take it back. I don’t know what had gotten into me, but I had to admit that it felt good to tell the man off. There was something about him that had always rubbed me the wrong way and I hated to think of his hands anywhere near Denise. He didn’t deserve a woman like her, not even once.

  “Sorry Wesley. I don’t know why I said that, but I hear you loud and clear. “Say no to the hot blonde.”

  Walking back out, I saw Mike waiting by our cars. “So what did you and the boss have to talk about?”

  I shrugged, “Not much. Trying to get the run down on that chick Denise. She is going to be the newest intern and I was told under no uncertain terms that she is off-limits.”

  He laughed and it was why I loved him so much. It was the same reaction that I had. He could say whatever he wanted, but if I wanted her, I would have her and that was the end of it. Now, I just had to convince her that she wanted it as bad as I did.

  Chapter 4: Denise

  As happy as I was to get the job, there had been something in the way that Wesley had looked at me, that had me questioning all of my wardrobe pieces. I didn’t want to seem like I was putting it all out there, but there was a small part of me that wanted to be noticed by the two brothers. I had always had a thing for them and though I knew they were both bad news. There was nothing else I wanted more than to see that look in their eyes some more. They had a way of looking into me.

  I decided on a business suit, the skirt a little tight, but almost to my knees. I wore a blouse that I made sure was buttoned all the way up so that there would be no cleavage. It was slightly see-through beige silk though and I knew it would give a hint, even if it wasn’t everything. I knew that Mike had fought the night before and that his brother had a couple interviews that needed to be taped. It was going to be my first real job since I started and I was hoping to impress Wesley. If he liked my work, there was a good chance that I would get better assignments in the future. As much as I enjoyed hearing the interviews, it was the fights that I wanted to be a part of.

  Setting off to work, my uncle called to see if I had gotten the job. He was happy that I had, but he had warned me about my new boss. Apparently there were several people that had seen him for what he was, a womanizer. I tried to assure him that I would be okay, but he was more than insistent.

  “I’m serious Denise. Watch out for him. He is no good and even though he is married, he is not going to care.”

  “But I am your niece. No one is going to mess with me Uncle Ray. You worry too much.”

  “Well you know what your mother will do if anything happens to you. She still hates the fact that you like fighting to begin with. When you told her your major, I got a call almost immediately after. You know how she can get.”

  I laughed a little and shook my head. He couldn’t see me, but we both knew that my mom was a bit of a terror when she was unleashed. She had never cared for Ray or any of my dad’s brothers, but that Ray would take me with him, dragging him into ‘his world’ as she put it, she hated him the worst.

  “She will be fine. You know she is all bark and no bite.”

  “Speak for yourself. I have taken a couple right hooks from her in the past.”

  “I am sure you deserved it Uncle Ray.” Matter of fact, I know he deserved it. She didn’t hate him for no reason. Him and my dad always got into some hair-brained scheme and all I could do was laugh about it. Ray was a bad influence on his brother, but for me, Uncle Ray had always been the one that was there for me when I had something I couldn’t tell my parents. There was never any judgment and that was what I liked about him the best. No matter what I told him, I knew that he was going to accept it and give me the best advice he could. I had at one point thought seriously about getting into kick boxing myself. I trained for a while, but it was Ray that had made me see it for what it was. I wasn’t cut out for fighting. He always told me to fight with my words. And he was right, it was much more effective.

  “She is not that bad and if you
didn’t get dad in trouble all the time, I am sure she would like you a lot better.”

  “That may be true, but with Wesley, I am not wrong. Stay away from him Denise.”

  “It’s going to be kind of hard Ray. He is my boss now.”

  “I know, but never be alone with him. Don’t stay late if there is no one else there.”

  “Okay, geez. You know you are really not helping my jitters with this being my first day.”

  “You will do fine, this I am sure of. But just be careful and keep your pepper spray with you.”

  I made a noise that he didn’t like. “I mean it Denise. He is the type of guy that won’t take no for an answer. I really wish you had gone somewhere else to work.”

  “But I know everyone there. I have grown up watching the. I wanted to work there because of you Ray.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of. I love you Denise, I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Sometimes I think that you are too nice and innocent for your own good.”

  I sighed and told him I would call him later. I was sick of everyone telling me how I was. It was not the first time that I had been told I was too nice. I didn’t see it. My temper was short and half the time I wish I had a filter on my mouth.

  Pulling up to the building with Wesley’s last name across the side, I had more trepidation that anything else. I shouldn’t have taken the call from Ray. I knew that he was not going to give me good news. “Well Uncle Ray, you know that isn’t really true. I am not that good.”

  He kind of laughed and then told me that he had to go. “Love you Uncle Ray. I will talk to you later.”

  I was parked and starting up at the huge three story building. It was like most of L.A., but there was my future in there and I knew that even though I had been warned, I was going to make the best of it. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t handle myself. And it wouldn’t be the first time that I had overzealous admirers.