Personal Foul: A Sports Office Standalone Romance

by Brooke O'Brien

  “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” Colson asks.

  Truth be told, that was a question I hadn’t given a lot of thought about when I was younger.

  I always knew I wanted to be a mom, although I thought about motherhood coming long after I settled into a career. It didn’t look picture perfect, coming with marriage, building the house with the white picket fence, and children after we settled in. I knew I could give a child a family and love, and however it came for me I knew it would be meant to be.

  Life never seemed to work out like that for me.

  “I’ve found my career, my passion, and what makes me happy. It’s something many spend their whole lives searching for, but I think we’re lucky to have found it.”

  “I agree.” He nods.

  “Outside of that, I mean, I hope I’m settled down and have a family of my own.”

  “Really?” He sounds almost surprised, perking his head up, staring down at me. His eyes flash over to the water, lost in thought.

  “Yeah, I would love to have kids. A family to come home to, ya know?”

  He rolls onto his side, running his fingers over my cheek and through the strands of my hair, brushing it away from my face. The saltwater air blows around us, and my feet are hanging off the edge of the blanket in the warm sand.

  “What about you?”

  He’s quiet for a moment. I start to wonder if he’s picturing it in his mind and if it’s something he’d want, too.

  “I want what you want,” he whispers.

  His words, the way they roll off his tongue, spoken with so much conviction, wrap around my heart. I start to picture what our future would look like, flipping through the different phases of life together. Colson retiring from the NBA, seeing him sitting behind a broadcaster table breaking down the game. I see him as the hands-on father, cheering on from the sidelines with a whistle and a clipboard, just like my dad would do as a coach.

  “I always hoped I’d finish off my career in Chicago, but the more I’m here with the team, with you, I realize this is where I want to be. I want to play for the Blaze until I retire, get married, and have a family. Who knows how many more years I’ll have left in the league, but wherever life goes from here, I know I want you next to me.”

  I’ve thought about Colson and how great he was with the kids down at the Boys and Girls Clinic many times since the Community Cares event. I know without a doubt when he has children of his own, he’ll be a wonderful father.

  “You know, I was thinking…” I whisper, getting an idea. “We have the Miami Blaze Foundation banquet dinner coming up next week. Will you be my date?”

  “We haven’t even finished up our date tonight and you’re already asking me on another?” He holds his hand to his chest, his jaw dropping with mock surprise.

  I playfully swat at his chest, sending him rolling onto his back. He laughs, rubbing where I hit him, wincing as if I hurt him.

  “Fine, I’m sure I could find someone else who would want to join me. Jaxsen’s still single, right?” I raise my brow, leaning up on my elbow to stare down at him. I’m unable to contain my smile seeing his gaze turn from playful to dark.

  “Not going to fuckin’ happen,” he chortles.

  “Why not?”

  “We have a no-trade clause, which means you’re stuck with me on your team. I’m your forever date now.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rush

  “What do you want to check out first? We can do a tour of the players’ locker room and the Blaze Shop, or we can skip all of it and go straight to shooting hoops.”

  Isaac crosses his arms and pretends to consider his options for a second before blurting out, “Let’s shoot some hoops!”

  His smile is so wide it’s nearly splitting his face in half, and it reminds me why I planned this for him. He’s a good kid, and with the right influences, I know he’ll go far in life.

  “I guess I should’ve known the answer, huh?”

  “You should’ve.” He giggles, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Do you even know me at all?”

  “Touché, kid!”

  His hair has grown out quite a bit since I last saw him, twisted into little curls. He’s dressed in the Blaze jersey I gave him when I picked him up. His black athletic shorts and tennis shoes have seen better days.

  If he cares though, you’d never know it. He’s never struck me as being someone who frets over materialistic things.

  When you don’t have much, you find appreciation in what you do have. I must admit, it makes doing things for him even more special because you genuinely feel how grateful he truly is.

  It took a lot of begging and pleading, but I was able to convince Terri at the Boys and Girls Clinic to contact his foster mom, Cheryl, for me. She wouldn’t give me her number, which I completely understood. It ended up working out in my favor when I ran into Terri with Cheryl when she came to pick up Isaac at the climic one day. I was able to talk to her face-to-face, and she agreed to allow me to spend more time mentoring him.

  He needs more male positive influences in his life, any kid his age does, and I want to be that person for him. She didn’t seem interested in getting to know me, so it was concerning to me how little she seemed to care about who Isaac spent his time with and where he was. A lot like the day we found Isaac outside waiting by himself. I tried not to think too much about it though, because the more I did, the more it bothered me.

  When I picked him up from where he stayed with Cheryl and tossed a jersey at his chest, telling him to lace up, his eyes lit up like it was the Fourth of July.

  He shot me a quick glance, biting his lip. I flashed him an easy smile, told him he better hurry so we could get out of there. He took off down the hall, not caring so much anymore.

  Sydney was great about making sure I got this whole day set up for him. Stepping out onto the court, staring out into where the crowd would be, I peer down at Isaac and smile seeing his eyes as big as saucers.

  “You gonna play out here one day?”

  His head tilts back as he looks up at the scoreboard, looking over at me and nods. The grin on his face says more than the words would though.

  “You can if you keep your grades up, you stay out of trouble, and keep your head in the game.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah, buddy, I do! I think you can do anything you set your mind to if you never give up.”

  “Yeah,” he sighs, hesitation creeping in once again.

  “You have to keep practicing, though. Grab a ball, show me what you got!”

  He takes off across the court to where the rack of balls is sitting near the seats and starts dribbling, jogging toward the basket. He passes it back and forth from one hand to the other, bouncing between his legs before pulling back and shooting. The ball hits the rim, from one side to the other, before you hear the swish of the net.

  We spend the next hour shooting hoops, playing a game of horse, and talking through his jump shot. I coach him through his hand motions, following through his shot, and testing him to keep practicing after I do.

  “I wish my dad could’ve been here with me today,” he says, stepping back and shooting the ball.

  “I’m sure you do, bud. You know he’s looking down on you right now, he’s with you even when you may not realize it.”

  “Yeah, Ms. Terri tells me the same thing.”

  My heart aches for the kid. I know he must’ve been close with his dad. Although mine was never around, I can’t imagine what it would be like if he were, only to lose him.

  “I wish he were here, so he could’ve seen me with you shooting hoops.”

  “Well, anytime you are missing your dad, or you want someone to shoot hoops with, you give me a call.”

  He stops bouncing the ball, holding it under his arm against his waist. “You really mean that?”

  “Of course, I do!”

  His eyes widen in surprise, nodding his head as if trying to accept my answer.

/>   “What’s on your mind?”

  “I guess I’m surprised. What would make you want to spend your time on a kid like me?”

  I stop, turning to stare at him. The broken-down look on his face reminds me of how he looked when I first showed up at his house earlier to pick him up.

  “C’mon.” I wave him over, turning and walking over to the players’ bench where the team and I sit during games. I point at the chair, motioning for him to have a seat, as I pull out one to face him.

  His leg bounces, folding his hands together while he watches me circle around the chair before having a seat in front of him.

  “How often do you say things like that to yourself?”

  “Like what?”

  I sigh, leaning toward him, resting my elbows on my knees. “How often do you beat on yourself, like you don’t understand why someone would want to spend time with an awesome kid like you?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugs, ducking his head, not looking me in the eye.

  “Listen to me. I know you can’t change your circumstances. You can control how you react to it. You can wake up today, and you can let it be a bad day, or you can get up and choose to be positive.”

  “Yeah.” He nods. “It’s just . . . it’s hard to stay positive sometimes. I see the way kids at school look at me. I hear what they say and how they whisper about my shoes or my clothes. They make fun of me for not having a family.”

  I struggle to avoid showing my emotions, shaking my head to disguise the urge to wince. I hate how cruel kids can be sometimes.

  “I’m sorry, kid. I truly am. When you’re in my shoes, you have the public focusing all their attention on you. They wait for you to mess up, to call you out on it, tell you what you did wrong.

  “You’ll find in life people will say mean and hurtful things to bring others down. What’s important is how well you know yourself and how you talk to yourself. You have to change the voice inside your head, be kind, and you’ll go much further in life than if you choose to focus on the negative.”

  He nods, running his hand over his face, letting out a slow but heavy breath.

  “Families come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some families don’t even share the same blood.”

  Isaac nods, a smile breaking across his face. Something about my comment changed him, and you can almost feel the weight of whatever was on his mind lift.

  “Now, what do you say we play another game of horse?”

  “You got it!”

  I hold out my hand toward him and he shakes it. Shooting up out of his chair, Isaac jogs to where his ball now sits on the ground a few seats away.

  We’ve both worked up a sweat when we hear someone cheering from behind us. Turning, we see Sydney dressed in a Blaze jersey with my number, shorts, and tennis shoes.

  Her hair is in a ponytail on top of her head, swaying as she jogs toward us with her hands in the air like she’s waving pom-poms.

  “Good game, boys. Good game!”

  She looks adorable running toward us. She shoots me a knowing smirk, watching how my eyes trail over her body.

  “Isaac, do you remember Sydney from the Community Cares event? She’s my girlfriend.” I wag my brows, my back toward him, knowing he can’t see me.

  Her eyes narrow for bringing up the word girlfriend. She waves her finger at me as if telling me to behave myself. I hold my hands in the air, letting the ball bounce to a stop a few feet in front of me in mock surrender.

  “People are going to find out sooner or later. Why not start now?”

  She rolls her eyes and giggles, jogging toward me. She lunges, grabbing the ball before taking off down the court.

  “Not going to play any defense there, Rush?”

  “Oh, I have no problem playing defense at all, Ms. Carr.” I laugh, chasing behind her.

  Isaac giggles when she passes him the ball and he catches it.

  “What? I thought we were cool, man? You’re going to just gang up on me?”

  I chase toward him, getting into a defensive position, playfully blocking any avenue he may take to pass the ball to her.

  “Whatcha gonna do, huh? What?” I chuckle, bounding on the balls of my feet.

  He perfectly times my jump, bounce-passing the ball through my legs to Sydney. She reaches for it and takes off down the court toward the hoop, shooting and scoring.

  “Woohoo!” she cheers, jumping up and down. Isaac darts down the court after her. They high-five, and for a second, I wonder if they planned this.

  “Excuse me! What happened to us all playing on the same team? Now you want to work against me?”

  “It’s about time you get a little competition. Or are you hurt because you may actually lose to us?” Sydney holds up her arm, flexing her muscles running, her hand over the defined skin before kissing it. “You don’t stand a chance against all of this,” she jokes, tossing her head back with a laugh.

  I can’t even form a rebuttal against her. Isaac high-fives her again, and they both bust out in a dance. Seeing them happy, celebrating together, feels like a glimpse into my future when we have kids of our own.

  This is what I envisioned when we talked about having a family, and I want it all with Sydney.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rush

  I don’t bother knocking, walking through Sydney’s door. She texted me about an hour ago, letting me know she’d leave the door unlocked for me. Tonight is the night of the annual Miami Blaze Charitable Gala. It’s a black-tie event benefitting charities supported by the Miami Blaze organization.

  It is also a big night because Sydney and I decided we would be attending the event together.

  “Sydney!” I holler down the hallway, announcing I’m here.

  “Hi,” she sings back. “I’m almost done. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready.”

  When we had talked about this night, she told me how excited she was for me to see the dress she’d be wearing. I hadn’t missed how she toyed with me, the not-so-subtle way she bit her lip when she mentioned she knew I’d love it, too.

  I pictured her in the red dress she wore to the dinner the night we went out for her mom’s birthday. I can almost feel the raging hard-on she’s going to give me all night. While we decided we were going to be sharing we are together with the world, it wasn’t the best of ideas to get too carried away, especially when the owner of the Blaze and her boss would be there.

  My head is down, scrolling through my phone, when the sound of her heels clicking on the hardwood floor sends my eyes shooting up in her direction.

  I knew from her teasing about me liking her dress, she was probably going to go with red again. After all, it is her color and fits in well with the Miami Blaze.

  Coughing, I choke on an inhale of breath when I notice the slit up her thigh. Her creamy skin showing with every step she takes. The gown sparkles, the deep V in the front not showing too much, sexy but in a classy way.

  I shake my head, unable to form a rational thought just from the sight of her. I step in close, circling around her like an animal would their prey. With her back against my front, I reach my hand around to grip her waist.

  Her hair is swept over her shoulder, curled in waves exposing her slender neck. Her throat bobs when she swallows, my breath feathering over her skin when I lean in close to her ear.

  “I’ve let you be the one to call the shots several times now,” I grunt. “No more.”

  Her eyes flutter closed. My height works in my favor when she tilts her head to the side, giving me better access to her. My lips skim over her neck, my hand fanning across her stomach.

  “Do you know how much I fucking want you right now?”

  She peeks her eye open, staring up at me silently, waiting for me to answer her. Pressing my hard dick against the curve of her ass, I grind against her, earning me another moan.

  “Look at what you do to me. You have me dry humping you like I’m some sort of horny teenager.”

  She pucke
rs her lips, trying to hide her smile.

  “I understand your need for control when so much of your life has been lived in uncertainty. When you’re with me, Sydney,” I whisper, her hand sliding over the top of mine, lacing our fingers together. “When it comes to us and your pleasure, I’m in control. Understand?”

  She nods, tilting her head back to rest against my shoulder. Gripping her chin, I turn her to face me, kissing her with an intensity that practically radiates the heat between us. A soft, muffled moan escapes her mouth, and it takes all I have in me not to bend her over the back of her couch and fuck her right here.

  We don’t have time, even though there’s a part of me that wants to say, “fuck it,” and forget all our responsibilities for tonight.

  “C’mon,” I grunt, stepping back, reaching my hand out for hers, lacing our fingers together. “I’m losing all restraint standing here, and we need to get going before we are late.”

  She lets go of my hand to grab her things before joining me by the door. I’m barely able to control myself while we ride down the elevator in silence, needing a moment to collect myself.

  Jairo is waiting for us out front. I’m glad I had the foresight to have my assistant, Kristen, arrange for a limousine for the event tonight. I don’t particularly want to think about Jairo overhearing any of what’s about to happen on the way there.

  I hold my hand out to Sydney while she adjusts her dress, exposing her leg as she steps inside the limo. My nostrils flare. She flashes me an innocent smile and I follow, Jairo closing the door behind us.

  I have her alone for the next twenty minutes, and I know precisely how I want to spend them.

  She reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together, trying to relax into the seat. She’s tense, and I’m unsure if it’s from us showing up together or if she’s worried about the event itself.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “A little nervous, but good.”