He had no idea. He had no clue that his agent had just hired his one-night-stand to be his social media manager.
Chapter 4
Vince
My agent, Leo, invited me to a new bar that had opened up downtown. Usually, a meeting with Leo meant a night of heavy drinking and hooking up with women. Leo and I were friends, and I was glad that we worked so well together, almost as well as we partied.
I arrived at the bar and saw Leo at a tall table at the end. Heads turned when I walked in because everyone recognized me. By this point, I was accustomed to the attention I got when I went anywhere public. I was used to it, but it didn’t mean that I liked it.
All those eyes following me around still made me uncomfortable, and I wished they would just leave me alone and let me lead my life in private. However, it did help as far as getting laid was concerned, but that had never been a problem for me even before I got famous.
“Hey, man,” Leo greeted me. We exchanged half-handshakes with thumps on the back. Leo was definitely dressed for a night out. He even styled his hair differently tonight, I thought.
“How’s it going, man?” I asked while Leo indicated for the bartenders to bring repeats to the table. As always, I was drinking whiskey, and Leo was drinking beer.
“I actually have news!” Leo said, and then he waited for our table to be served. I sat on the high stool with my arms folded on the table, looking around. The bar was new, but the scene was the usual. The music was low, so we could still converse. There were loads of pretty women in short skirts, and cocktail dresses and most of them were throwing me glances when I looked in their direction.
I smiled at a few of them, and they smiled back, and yet, I didn’t quite feel the urge to go up and speak to them. Ever since Miami, I felt a dull cloud hanging over me. I was looking for that spark I’d experienced when I first saw Beth, and that itch in my belly when she smiled blushingly at me. It was going to be damn difficult to recreate that feeling or those moments, but I was still trying.
“Are you listening to what I’m saying, Vince?” Leo interrupted my thoughts.
“What? No. I never listen,” I said to him with a smile.
“You need a presence on social media,” he declared.
“What? Where the fuck did that come from?” I growled, sitting up. Leo had all my attention now. Since when do I need to be on social media?
“Listen to me, Vince. You need to get out there, put your life on display to a certain extent. You have to do it for your fans, and for more sponsorship and better deals.”
I was shaking my head in protest. This was insane.
“I don’t need more deals, Leo!”
“No, but you need to keep the ones you have. You’re popular, but you’re not as popular as you could be if you just put yourself out there.”
“Fuck this!” I growled, banging my fist on the table. “Whose bloody side are you on, Leo?”
“I’m on your side, Vince. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do right now. Just admit it, you have no idea what I’m talking about. You have no clue what social media is about.”
“Because it is soulless and pointless and a waste of my time. Why would I need to put my personal life on display for everybody? The people who matter to me, I speak to them every day. I see them often. I don’t need other people to find out what I ate for dinner tonight!”
I was raging at Leo. He should have known better than to suggest something like that.
“You don’t have to take photos of your food. In fact, you don’t have to do anything. I got in touch with a marketing agency, and they’ll do everything for you. They’ll focus on your game, on your training and gym sessions. We can leave your personal life out of it.”
My shoulders heaved as I glared at Leo and his outrageous suggestion.
“Trust me, man, you need this. You need to stay current and in with the times. I wish it were so simple, and it was all about your game, but it’s not, and you know it. You need to keep these guys interested, and the only way you can do it right now is by getting a massive social media following.”
He wasn’t making sense but only because I didn’t want to believe him. I trusted Leo though, and I knew if he wanted to try something out, it was for my benefit alone.
“I’m not signing up for anything permanent right now,” I said as he nodded vigorously.
“Yes, of course. Let’s just give it a week. These guys are sending their best. Try the plan out for a week, and if you still think it’s not working out for you, then we’ll think of something else.”
I still glared at Leo, but he was smiling. He gave me his hand to shake which I did reluctantly. Then he changed the subject to lighten the mood, and I let it go.
I couldn’t be mad at him for very long, because soon enough I was thinking about Beth and if I would ever get to see her again. She knew who I was, but I knew nothing about her which was probably for the best.
She was one less complication in my life that I didn’t need.
There was nothing more important to me than a simple life. I just wanted to eat, sleep, play and fuck. A girl like Beth would mean much more than that.
Chapter 5
Beth
Before I knew it, I was on a flight to Boston and with little to no plan on what I would do when I finally saw Vince. This was going to be a disaster, but there was no stopping it now. I needed to do this for the sake of my career, and I needed to do this because I was curious.
I settled into my seat on the aircraft, looking out firmly through the window because I didn’t want my neighbors talking to me. There was a lot to think about and for my brain to process, and I didn’t need any interruption.
Very soon, before I had even shut my eyes, I was thinking about him again. Even though it was nearly a week ago now, the images were clear in my head like they were happening right in front of me.
Then I thought about my past. I've had a few serious relationships throughout the years, but something was always a little off. I ended those relationships because I never felt like I cared about them enough to take it to the next level. I wondered if I ever would feel that. My mind went back to Vince.
I could see Vince crossing the nightclub floor towards me. Gia and Suzy were giggling, leaning in towards me to say who it was. Why was he walking towards us? Did we imagine it? I couldn’t look away from him, because I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Just one look and I knew he had blown me away. No other man had this effect on me before, not without even speaking to me.
In those first moments, it didn’t even matter to me that he was a mega-celebrity. I didn’t care about NFL.
He singled me out the moment he came up to us.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked. Those were his first words to me, without any introduction. I thought it was very arrogant of him and I crossed my brows.
“How often does that line work on other girls?” I asked him, shouting to make myself heard over the loud thumping music in the nightclub.
“I don’t know because I’ve never used it on anyone else,” Vince had said, and I rolled my eyes.
“Well, it’s not working on me either. I don’t…” I was saying, but he interrupted me.
“Have sex with random strangers?”
I gulped. The mention of sex was like a bomb exploding inside me. It was all I could think about from the moment I saw him. All I could think about was sex with him, his naked body on mine, and my legs around his waist. What was happening to me?
“If we get out of here, we hit the beach. That was what I meant by my offer to leave this place.”
Behind me, Gia and Suzy were still giggling. I was just glad they weren’t filming this.
“You want to go to the beach right now?”
Vince was smirking, searching my eyes.
“Yes, with you, right now.”
I licked my lips nervously. I was trying to weigh the pros and cons, the dangers and excitement. Why had he picked me? Of all
the sexy beautiful women at that place.
He gave me his hand and like I was in a trance, I took it, and he led me out. I decided this sounded exciting. Before I left, I threw a look at my friends over my shoulders. Gia and Suzy weren’t giggling anymore. They were staring at me in utter shock. Neither of them had expected me, of all people, to behave this way.
But then, Vince Woods wasn’t just a regular stranger. He was the biggest celebrity at that nightclub.
We got out of the club and into the fresh air of the beach. He let go of my hand when my feet hit the sand.
“That’s better, isn’t it?” he commented, as he walked back towards the waves. It was night, and the beach was fairly deserted. In the distance, we could still hear the thumping music of the nightclub, and there was very little light illuminating my path.
“So, tell me….”
“Beth,” I said.
“Tell me, Beth, what do you want to do now?” he asked.
I was entranced by his handsome, magical face, by his broad shoulders and muscular arms and how he towered like a giant over me.
“You’re the one who brought me out here. You should have a plan,” I said, stopping in my tracks. There was a cool breeze in the air, and it ruffled my hair. It was messy already, and I didn’t bother trying to fix it. Vince’s eyes roamed all over me, taking in my dress, my bare legs, then traveling up again and settling on my breasts.
“I had something in mind, but you already ruled that out,” he said as I blushed.
Should I have been offended?
For some reason, I appreciated his honesty. Maybe it was because we were thinking the same thing.
From the first moment I saw him, I hadn’t thought about anything other than being naked with him.
When I didn’t reply, he drew closer to me. I stopped in my tracks.
“Is it weird if I tell you that I saw you tonight an hour ago? I’ve been watching you, and trying to stop myself from doing this…”
He came even closer, looming over me, so I had to crane my neck back to look at him. He reached my face, weaving his fingers into my hair and holding my head in position.
“No, it isn’t weird, just creepy,” I replied. Vince smiled. He knew I was joking. He knew I liked it.
Then we had a quiet moment where we just took each other in. Then he slowly leaned into me holding my head and kissed me, just like that. It was the most surreal thing I had experienced. Our faces were drawn together like a magnet. I was being kissed by Vince Woods, in a deserted dark beach in Miami…
I wouldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams, and I felt butterflies just thinking about it.
“You should know…” I fumbled with my words when he pulled away from me. I didn’t know what I was going to tell him about myself, about Ned, or about how complicated my life still felt.
Vince smiled and shook his head.
“I don’t need to know anything Beth, and you probably already know too much about me, but perhaps not the real me,” he smirked.
It relieved me at that moment that I didn’t have to say anything. I could just give in to him and do what I wanted to do without thinking. I didn't want to think. I just wanted to feel. I knew that in a few hours, we would both be on our separate ways.
Except now, I was on a flight to Boston, and he had no idea I was headed his way.
Chapter 6
Vince
I was dripping sweat. I was in a jersey, with my helmet on, in my Quarterback position. We had been in practice for several hours now, and Coach wasn’t happy. He was screaming orders to everyone on the field, which made most of us smirk.
The whistle blew. We had exactly forty-five minutes to take a break and get back on the field. I took my helmet and mouth guard off and walked towards the bleachers. One of my teammate’s had his arm around my shoulder. We were discussing strategy, and then my eyes fell on Leo.
He was standing at the edge, with his arms crossed over his chest and a mad glint in his eyes.
“What does he want, now!” I grunted as I walked towards him. My teammates were all headed for the locker room.
“Yo!” I shouted at him, and Leo smiled.
“Good game, man,” he said as he clapped.
“Yeah, whatever. What do you want now?”
Leo rarely ever came to the practice games. I could sense he wanted something from me.
“Your social media expert is here. I thought I would introduce the two of you so she can get started.”
I clenched my jaw and looked around. I couldn’t see anyone. Leo turned.
“Ah, there you are!” he exclaimed. I realized someone was hiding behind him. I was confused by this strange behavior. Usually, people were more than just a little excited to meet me in person.
“Vince, I would like to introduce you to Ms. Beth Thomas. She’s one of the brightest social media stars in New York.”
I heard Leo’s words, but they didn’t actually register in me. Then I saw her step to the side, out of Leo’s shadow and finally, she stood at a spot where I could see her.
I hadn’t misheard Leo. It was Beth, in the flesh. She was standing in front of me with a big bag in her hand, and her chestnut hair tied up in a tight, sleek bun. She was wearing a pair of tight dark jeans and a formal looking blouse. She had a big professional looking camera hanging from her shoulder. I thought I was hallucinating.
“Sorry, there has to be some mistake. Who did you say this was?” I asked Leo, squinting my eyes at him. Leo looked confused by my reaction too.
“Umm…Beth Thomas. Is there a problem?” Leo asked, looking from me to Beth and then at me again.
When I looked at her, I saw that she had pasted a tight, forced smile on her face. She was trying to be professional, even though a week ago, my cock was inside her and she was riding me like a horse.
“No problem at all,” I said as I extended my hand to her.
Beth took a moment to react. She reached out to shake my hand, and I felt that spark again. The spark that I had never felt before her.
“Beth Thomas? My social media manager for the week!” I exclaimed, smiling at Leo who could sense there was something strange going on.
“Sorry, am I missing something here?” he asked. Beth tucked in some strands of hair behind her ears.
“I think we should get started right away,” she said. We both looked at her. She had a determined expression on her face.
“Time is money, and I’ve been working on setting up various social media profiles for Mr. Woods. I would, of course, require your approval on some of the basic content and then we can get started. What we need right now, are pictures.”
I was staring at her with my brows crossed.
That was it? Nothing else? She wasn’t even going to acknowledge the fact that we knew each other? No matter how short lived that was.
It seemed like Beth had other plans.
Leo was impressed, and I stood there as the two of them talked briefly about the campaign that Beth had plans for. I stood by, staring at her because I still couldn’t believe she was actually here. Did she know this was going to happen?
“Excuse me, wait a minute, I need to butt in here,” I said, interrupting them.
“Of course, Mr. Woods, I would appreciate your input on everything, every step of the way,” she said. Her green eyes were wide, and I could see she wanted me to keep silent. She didn’t want Leo to find out.
“You’re going to start now? You want to take my photos now?” I asked, and Beth nodded.
I smiled at her, admiring the blush of her cheeks and how beautiful she looked today.
“Should I take my shirt off? Just for the record?” I asked and started rolling my jersey off. Beth stepped away from me. I had taken her by surprise. I could see her flushing even harder now, and looking even more embarrassed.
“We won’t be needing semi-nude photos as your introduction to social media. You can put your shirt back on, Mr. Woods,” she said, snapping her face away
from me and smirking.
Leo was rolling his eyes. He thought I was just doing my thing being cocky around a pretty girl like I usually did. He had no idea of the dynamic between us.
“This is my most natural state, Ms. Thomas. Don’t you need me in my most natural state for these photos? Aren’t they supposed to be a peek into my life?”
Beth gritted her teeth, I could see her flaring her nostrils while I grinned at her.
“You’re the boss, Mr. Woods, I’ll be happy to take these photos of you if you like,” she said, and I nodded.
“That’s right, I’m the boss.”
Leo was still lost as he stood there, while Beth and I glared at each other.
Today had turned out to be a surprisingly exciting day.
Chapter 7
Beth
Vince looked like he was enjoying himself with this. In the first few moments, he was astonished to see me there and then he decided he was going to take advantage of the situation. Especially since he had figured out that I didn’t want his agent to know.
Now, Vince was standing there as I started preparing my camera for the quick photo shoot we agreed to do.
Vince was there, in nothing but his jersey bottoms that were so low I could see the top of his plaid boxers. He was bare-chested, and his smooth olive skin glowed in the late afternoon sun. His dark hair was damp from the game, and now he weaved his hand through it while his eyes remained on me.
Leo was trying to have a conversation with him, but his eyes were on me. I put together the tripod and set up the camera in position.
“Okay, are we ready?” I called out, and Leo quickly stepped away.
“What do I have to do?” Vince asked, looking directly at the camera now. I could see he wasn’t the most natural in the limelight.
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