by S. J. Bishop
"As a matter of fact," Kaitlyn purred, batting her long lashes, "it does." Her eyes swam toward me once more as I stepped closer to her and attempted to stick my tongue deep inside her mouth. She pulled away too fast, and I almost lost my balance.
"Sorry," she said, taking my hand to help steady me. I yanked my arm away, irritated.
"What gives?" I asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, pouting her lips and sounding confused. But I saw the look in her eyes before she could hide it. She knew exactly what I meant.
"You just fucked me. Now, all of a sudden, you're acting like you don't want me to touch you."
"It's just... I just..."
Her eyes burned brightly, and for a moment, her bottom lip trembled, then it was gone. "I broke my rule for you," she finally said.
"What rule?" I demanded. Once I got irritated at someone, it was hard for me to come down from it.
"I told you. I don't fuck football players."
The laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"What the hell is so funny?" she asked.
"Nothing, nothing. I just—" I stopped myself before I could make things worse.
Kaitlyn's phone chimed, and she looked down at it. "For crying out loud," she said. "Fucking Ethan." She forgot me for a moment while she texted whoever this Ethan was. A thought struck me.
"Is that your boyfriend?" I asked.
She looked up from her phone, and I knew I'd made a mistake.
"My boyfriend? No, it's not my boyfriend. If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't have just fucked you. What do you think I am? Some kind of slut?"
"No, of course not." But it was too late. Kaitlyn grabbed her bag and threw her things into it.
"Kaitlyn, I'm sorry." My heart thumped against my chest. She looked hot when she was pissed.
"Fuck you, Axel," she said, then stormed off.
7
Kaitlyn
I'm such an idiot.
How the hell could I have slept with Axel Cooper? I'd been massaging naked men for five years and hadn't once jumped into bed with them. Suddenly I'm banging Axel in the Bronco's locker room? I felt cheap.
I shook my head as I ran past the guard at the gate. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost missed the bleach blonde with long legs standing by the entrance to the locker room. She was arguing with the guard.
"What do you mean I can't go in?" the blonde screeched at the guard. It was the same woman who'd let me in earlier. Poor Shannon. She's got enough to deal with. "I told you. This is an emergency."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I can't—"
"Ma'am? Did you just call me ma'am?"
Shannon sighed, and I felt for her. My jaw dropped as the blonde turned toward me. Taylor's face had changed somewhat from the picture Axel had shown me—her skin looked dry, and premature wrinkles had formed across her forehead and around her eyes—but it was definitely her.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" Taylor screamed at me. Her eyes were red. The drugs had not been kind to her over the years, that was for certain.
I hurried back past Shannon to the locker room. The last thing I heard Taylor say was, "I demand to see Axel Cooper now!"
"You're here to see Axel?" Shannon had asked.
Despite my anger with him, I couldn't just brush aside Taylor's presence at the stadium. Not when I still had the picture of Riley's sweet, innocent face burning in my head.
I headed up to the field and spotted Axel immediately. He was easy to pick out—he was the only one on crutches. He was cheering his team on, but large beads of sweat had broken out across his forehead. He sat on a bench, stood up, then sat back down. He couldn't get comfortable.
"Axel," I shouted, running over to him.
"Kaitlyn," he smiled, trying to hide his pain. A few of his teammates made kissing noises, and I rolled my eyes. Why were athletes so immature?
Axel stood up and hobbled over to me.
"What are you doing?" I demanded. "Sit down."
"I'm fine," he lied.
"You're obviously not fine, Axel. Look at you. You look like you're about to pass out. Come back to the locker room with me, and let me finish doing my job."
"I'm fine," Axel said again. His lips tightened. The more I protested, the more Axel tried to walk around, just to prove he could. Axel's coach had one eye on the game, but his other eye was on us. Axel took a step and almost fell over.
"Axel!" Coach shouted. "Get the hell to the locker room and do your exercises."
"Coach, I'm fine. I swear it." But his face was red, and his eyes looked like they were busting out of his head.
"Go with your therapist now, or I'm banning you from the stadium for the rest of the season."
Axel's face hardened. He glared at me, and I felt his anger burn a hole in my head. It only made things harder for me. Axel looked so damned hot when he was angry. I couldn't shake the feelings burning deep inside me: I needed Axel's hands to run over my breasts again, to pinch their nipples, to circle my clit. I needed Axel to fuck me like there was no tomorrow.
"Come on," I said, trying to push those thoughts away. Axel grudgingly followed me back to the locker room.
"Why'd you come back?" Axel asked. "Just to torture me?"
I'd been so caught up in getting Axel back down here that I'd almost forgotten my reason for turning around. "Taylor's here," I said.
Axel's head shot toward me. His eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw her at the entrance to the locker room when I was leaving. Don't worry," I added, when I saw his face contort with anger. "The guard wouldn't let her in."
"Christ," Axel said, sinking onto the massage table. His crutches clamored to the ground.
My heart broke when I saw the worry on his face. It reminded me of the looks I'd so often seen my father make whenever something came up that called for a mother's touch.
"Hey," I said, any lingering irritation fading. "It's gonna be alright." It sounded trite, but it was the best I had right now. I put one hand on Axel's shoulder, rubbing it gently. His hand reached out and took mine. Energy surged between us, startling in its strength. Axel's rich brown eyes burned into me. I leaned forward and kissed him.
Axel's mouth found mine with ease, his tongue sliding inside my mouth and tasting of me once again. My hands wrapped around his neck. Blood pulsed deep inside me. My pussy ached with each soft touch of Axel's fingers. My shirt fell to the floor with a light thud. Axel buried his head deep against my chest. My hands reached down and found the zipper to his pants. It slid easily down, and my hand reached inside, massaging his growing erection.
"What the fuck!" a woman's voice screeched out at us.
Axel and I shot up, our heads spinning in the same direction.
"I should have figured I'd find you like this," Taylor said to Axel. "You always were kind of a slut."
8
Axel
"Taylor!" I yelled. I was so angry I jumped off the massage table without thinking. My leg gave out almost immediately as pain soared up and down it. I fell to the ground, and Taylor burst into a round of giggles.
"What the hell is so funny?" Kaitlyn demanded. "Can't you see he's hurt?" I couldn't help noting the way Kaitlyn's eyes raged and her cheeks grew red. It had been a long time since a woman had felt such passion for me—not just for my body, but for me as a person.
"You stay the hell away from Riley, Taylor. Or I'll sic your parole officer on you."
Taylor's eyes widened for a moment, darting around the room as if I had her parole officer stashed in a locker somewhere. Finally, they settled back to normal, and a smirk grew on her face.
"Nice try," she said, "but I completed my rehab before skipping town."
"Yeah, but I doubt you've been checking in with your parole officer like you were supposed to."
Taylor took a deep breath. Her face suddenly softened. "I'm clean, Axel. I have been for almost a year."
"I'm supposed to believe that?"
"You're supposed to try. For Riley's sake."
I hesitated. I couldn't believe that Taylor was clean. The whole time I'd known her, she'd been on something. Coked out of her head or shooting something up her arm. It wasn't a lifestyle a person just gave up.
"The last time you saw Riley, you put her in the hospital."
Taylor's face fell. Tears welled in her eyes. "I know. I'm so ashamed. But that's what pushed me to get clean. To stay clean." She moved toward me, her hands stretching out. I tried to back away, but my knee wouldn't cooperate. I heard Kaitlyn's breath stop as Taylor reached out and touched my chest.
"We were always good together," Taylor said, looking at me with soft hazel eyes I thought I'd never see again. Her hands ran up and down my chest.
"How would you know?" I asked. "You were wasted most of the time."
"I remember bed time," she said, smiling and licking her lips.
My heart pounded. From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaitlyn's mouth form a tight, thin line. She backed away from us. Despite my old attraction for Taylor threatening to bubble to the surface, there was something about Kaitlyn that surpassed Taylor in every way. It wasn't just that Kaitlyn wasn't a druggie.
When I looked at Kaitlyn, my heart thumped hard, and I forgot how to breathe. When I looked at Taylor, the only thing I saw was Riley's arm, bent at the wrong angle and dangling limp while tears ran down Riley's cheeks. I might have cared for Taylor once, but the only thing I felt for her now was disgust. I gently took her hands and pushed them away. I reached for Kaitlyn and wrapped my arm around her waist before she could leave.
Taylor grimaced. "I said I'm clean."
"And now you want to see Riley?" I asked, skeptical.
She seemed sincere, but sincerity was a drug addict's best friend. They had the emotion nailed down. Taylor had been no different. I had cared about her once, when we'd first met, so I'd bought her story over and over again. I'll change, I promise. I'll quit tomorrow. I love you.
These had been the circular phrases Taylor had spit out at me over and over again the whole time we were together. I'd wanted so desperately to believe them. Until the night that she'd hurt Riley, I'd always given her another chance to make them come true.
"Okay," I said, suddenly grasping on an idea. "Take a drug test. If you pass it, you can see Riley."
Taylor flinched. Her eyes grew dark. "I don't have to defend myself to you."
"Oh, I think you do."
"I told you I'm clean." Taylor's face, which had softened to the point of weepiness while she was pleading her case, hardened once again. "Why don't you believe me?" she demanded. Her head swung in Kaitlyn's direction. "Is it this bitch here?"
Kaitlyn's eyes widened. "Leave her out of this," I told Taylor. My arm instinctively stretched out to protect Kaitlyn from Taylor's wrath. "She's not a part of this."
"Oh yeah? Well, I think your girlfriend might disagree with you."
Taylor stepped closer to Kaitlyn, her eyes burning with anger.
"I'm not his—" Kaitlyn started to say. But Taylor had no intention of letting Kaitlyn get a word in.
"I don't care if you're the President of the United States," Taylor said. "I don't want you around my daughter."
I saw Kaitlyn's jaw set. She pushed my hand away and stepped closer to Taylor. My heart raced. This was bad.
"Riley needs a mother who's gonna be there for her," Kaitlyn said. "Who's gonna help her, not hurt her."
Taylor took another step toward Kaitlyn.
"Girls," I said, trying to pull Kaitlyn back. They both turned to me with heated looks in their eyes.
"Back off," Taylor yelled.
"I can handle myself just fine," Kaitlyn said.
My head spun as I racked my brain for the right thing to say. "Uh," was the best I could come up with.
That was when Taylor lunged at us.
9
Kaitlyn
"What the hell?" I screamed as Taylor knocked my stuff to the floor. She turned toward me like she was about to hit me, and I instinctively felt my hands curl into fists. She clearly wanted a fight. Well, it might surprise her to learn that I wasn't exactly afraid of a fight.
"You're nothing but a cheap whore," Taylor said.
"Whatever, bitch," I replied, turning away. Taylor was clearly off her meds.
"Takes one to know one," Taylor shot back.
"Are you kidding me?" I yelled. "What are you? Two?" Taylor's remark was so lame that for a moment, it gave me pause. Was she trying to goad me into fighting her? What if she was high and didn't even know what she was saying? It made more sense for me to be the bigger person and step away from the situation.
"I'm leaving," I said to Axel. His eyes looked sad and worried.
"I'm sorry about this," he said, clearly afraid I'd leave this room and he'd never hear from me again. This wasn't exactly his fault, though. I should never have given in to my lust. Just because Axel had the sculpted form of a Greek god didn't mean I had to pounce on him the way I had. But even now, I felt the pull between us. I couldn't deny it. My heart raced and my tongue longed to lick his golden skin.
"It's not your fault," I said.
Taylor looked at me like I was out of my mind. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"Away from you," I told her, stepping away. I started to gather my things then rethought it. I could pick them up later.
"Chicken," Taylor said. She actually made short clucking noises.
I rolled my eyes, my anger fading. Taylor really was acting like a child. I felt sorry for her. If she thought she could get Riley back by acting like an infant, then she didn't stand a chance. At just four years old, Riley was probably more mature than Taylor would ever be.
"Whatever," I said.
Axel watched us, anger on his face.
"Wait," he said to me. He turned back to Taylor. "You have five seconds to get out or I'm calling security. One, two, three..."
Taylor moved back like she was preparing to leave. I watched her step back toward the entrance she had come through. How had she gotten down here anyway? I thought the guard had turned her away.
I moved back to Axel's side. His hand reached for mine, and I took it without thinking. Suddenly, Taylor spun back around. She stepped quickly toward us—too quick. It took us both by surprise. Axel lost his balance. I heard him shout in pain as he fell to the ground. His crutches clanked against the floor. He reached for them as Taylor turned to me.
"Are you crazy?" I yelled at her. "Can't you see Axel's injured? Are you trying to hurt him?" I moved to his side, helping him up.
"Skank," Taylor said.
"Fuck off," I yelled at her. This was getting ridiculous. What was she still doing here anyway? She couldn't possibly think that showing up like this and calling us names would help her case in any way. If she really wanted Riley back, the smart thing to do was take the drug test and get in touch with her lawyer, if she even had one.
"You know, Axel and I might've had our issues, but we always had great chemistry." She turned to Axel. "Remember all those long nights together in bed? What about that night when we tried to set a record? What was it, six times?"
Jealousy bubbled inside me, and I tried to push it away. This was exactly what Taylor wanted. Besides, I had no reason to be jealous. I'd just met Axel.
"I remember you puking on the floor and me having to carry you to bed," Axel said.
Taylor winced but didn't stop. "Oh, I bet you remember more than that." She turned back to me now and eyed me maliciously. "I'm Riley's mother. Not you. She needs me. A lot more than she needs a slut like you."
Anger boiled deep inside me. This woman just wouldn't stop.
"I'm sure it's not your fault you're a slut, though," Taylor continued. "You probably learned it from your mother. I bet she's a real two-dollar whore. Your father was probably her pimp."
I couldn't take it another second. I let my anger go and lunged at Taylor, thumping my fist against her jaw. Taylor fell down a
nd lay there a half a second before standing back up. I lifted my fists and readied myself for a fight. But Taylor only stood there smiling.
"I'll be seeing you," Taylor said, walking away with a grin on her face. My heart sunk into my stomach. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just made a huge mistake.
10
Axel
"Are you alright?" I asked, turning to Kaitlyn after several minutes where we both stood in shock. She looked at me horrified.
"I don't think I've gotten into a fight since I was twelve."
"I bet you kicked that girl's ass, too," I said, smiling, hoping to lighten the mood.
"That girl," Kaitlyn said, "was an eleven-year-old boy named Douglas Richie who twisted my arm because he liked me and wanted to get my attention. I was grounded for a week." She tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm sorry about what Taylor said. About your mom, I mean."
She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Even from where we stood, I could smell her sweet breath, like lavender and honey.
"I shouldn't have hit her."
"She deserved it."
"Did you see the look on her face, though? It was like... she wanted me to hit her."
My smile dropped. Kaitlyn was right. I'd noticed that, too.
Kaitlyn stepped closer to me, and my body tingled. "My mother died when I was just a kid. I told you that already. But my father died not long ago, too. When Taylor started talking about them like that... I just lost it."
"It's okay," I told her, putting my arms around her waist. "I would've done the same thing."
She looked at me skeptically. "Really? You'd hit a woman?"
I hesitated. "Well, no. But I'd hit another man if he talked about my parents like that." Even when I'd caught Taylor screwing Bill Simmons in our bed, I still hadn't hit her then. My parents had brought me up to believe that under no circumstances should you ever hit a girl. And it had stuck.
