by Erica Hobbs
Jake gasped and panted in my neck, his hips moving furiously as he pumped in and out of me. The orgasm he was working on licked at me, and I concentrated on it, focused on grabbing it and holding on tight. He thrust harder and harder until I couldn’t hold it anymore. I fell apart underneath him, reaching my peak. I cried out and arched my back. The orgasm spread out from my core, clenching every muscle in my body. I curled around Jake, grabbing onto his back and pressed my forehead against his shoulder gasping. He breathed hard in the same rhythm as my own breathing.
The orgasm faded slowly, and a warm flush seeped through my body. I was suddenly sleepy. Jake lifted his head and looked me in the eye, smiling. He only let me catch my breath for a second before he started pumping into me again.
He found a new gear, his hips hammering into mine. The sensations were heightened with my walls clamped down around him, and I cried out as echoes of my orgasm shattered through my body. His strokes shortened and he quickened his pace, even more. A spasm followed, and he jerked, pushing himself deep inside me. I felt him pulsate, emptying himself inside me. When he calmed down, he collapsed on me, and for a moment I struggled to breathe. As if he knew, he shifted to the side and groaned.
“God, Alyssa,” he said. It didn’t make any kind of sense, but I had the idea he was satisfied. I couldn’t help but smile. I was pretty damn satiated, too.
After what felt like forever, Jake moved away from me and pulled his pants back up, pulled off the condom and tucked his now flaccid sex away. He got up and walked to the bathroom. I sat up, found my panties and pulled them on, straightening my dress.
“Are you okay?” He asked. I didn’t know men could care about that after the fact. I nodded, slowly as he came out of the bathroom.
“I have to get going, though,” I said. “I didn’t tell anyone where I would go.”
He smiled. “You’re keeping me a secret?”
I shrugged, feeling shy. He nodded and held out his hand, helping me up. My legs were wobbly. I climbed into my heels while Jake pulled his shirt back on. He pushed his feet into his shoes –wow, I hadn’t even noticed he’d taken them off – and then he smiled at me.
“Can I take you home?” He asked.
I hesitated. My head was spinning with what we’d just done, with where we’d gone. He was everywhere – all over my body, everywhere in my mind. I swallowed hard and slowly shook my head.
“I think it’s better if we just kept things simple for now.” Right, cause sex, when we were virtually strangers, was simple. “And then there’s paparazzi, right? I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
He nodded and looked over my shoulder. He was shutting me out. I was pushing him away. I didn’t want to, but I had to play it safe.
When he finally looked at me again, his eyes were gentle.
“I understand,” he said in a way that made me feel like he really did. “Can I call you, at least?” I nodded. He could. I didn’t think he would, but he could.
“Thank you. For tonight.”
He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “No, thank you.”
Chapter 12
Damien
It’s irritating how easy it is for Jake to get anything he wants. It didn’t matter what the guy did, how bad the stories and the gossip got. He still managed to bag it all. Whether it was fame, fortune or women.
I’d seen him work his magic at Lemon the other night where the team was gathered. I hadn’t even expected them to invite me – it wasn’t as if I was their favorite or anything – but I guess even the runt needs to be present to make the team complete.
The girls had only stared at Jake. Everyone knew who he was, of course. Some of the other guys, Clyde included, hadn’t been able to get as much attention as Jake had.
Yet, he only had eyes for one woman. A blond with a sassy mouth and a body that would make any man sit up and notice. She gave him a hell of a time, though. It was pure poetry to see. I thought for a second she would turn him down and I would see the big man himself fall for once.
Of course, I was wrong.
No one can say no to Powerhouse Jake, not even a blondie with half a brain. Pity, I would have liked to have a go. Even with the dark-haired woman, he was so eager to get rid of after the others had left. He’d been trying to lose her all night, but she’d stuck to him like glue. Karma is what I call it. You get everything you want, then you’re bound to pick up some things you really don’t want.
And God, Jake had it coming. Childish of me to want him to fail? Maybe. But the satisfaction would be just as immense.
I made my way downtown and walked into a men’s wear store. I wanted to get some new threads, something that would make me feel like someone worth noticing. I had the money and no reason not to spoil myself. They could all hate me, but I could love myself.
Nothing wrong with that.
I ended up buying nothing at all. Nothing caught my attention. I was about to give up and go watch shopping instead – a Rolex makes me feel so much more on top of my game than a new pair of jeans – when a brunette walked past the shop window. And I knew her. It was the very same one who had been on Jake’s ass the night before. The one he wanted nothing to do with.
Well, that had to hurt. I knew what rejection felt like and it was no walk in the park.
I walked out of the store and followed her. I didn’t have a very good reason, other than the fact she was hot and if Jake didn’t want her, then she and I could be on the same team. The enemies of my enemies are my friends, right? Or at least, something like that – wasn’t sure if that applied exactly.
As she was walking, a tall guy in a trench coat bumped into her, and she dropped her handbag. She swore at him, and I waited until he was gone and she was scrambling on the sidewalk trying to scrape the contents of her bag together. Timing is everything.
“Are you okay?” I asked. I kneeled down next to her and helped her collect her things.
“Fucking asshole,” she said.
I chuckled. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you. Didn’t your mother ever tell you swearing isn’t attractive on a lady?”
She got up the same time I did and narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m not trying to be attractive for you, so you can just go ahead and fuck off.”
I held up my hands in defense. “Hey, easy. I meant no harm.”
She took a deep breath, and I saw her visibly let go of the tension.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just one of those days.”
“I know what that’s like,” I said. “How about I buy you a cup of coffee and try to cheer you up a bit?”
She eyed me suspiciously. I put my hands in my jean pockets and waited for her to figure it out for herself.
“Come on,” I said when she didn’t respond. “I’ll repeat it, I mean no harm.” I held out my hand to her, and she eyed it. “I’m Damien, by the way.”
She hesitated just a second longer before she took my hand and shook it.
“Amanda.”
I smiled, and we turned and walked together to Zig Zag, the closest place to have a coffee together. It wasn’t a bad place all in all – there was a bistro feel to it, and it had enough choices on the menu to keep a woman happy.
Amanda looked like the kind of woman who needed to be kept happy. High maintenance sort of type. She was quite something, though. With brown hair so dark it was almost black, hazel eyes and a caramel skin. I wondered if it tasted as good as it looked. She wasn’t someone I would just get involved, though, but I had ulterior motives.
Didn’t everyone?
She was still hung up on Jake. I told her I’d seen her at Lemon, hanging out with one of my teammates. She rolled her eyes when I mentioned Jake.
“I don’t know what it is with you men. You only want what you can’t have. Jake and had something special, but out of the blue, he decided it wasn’t worth his time. Do I look like someone who’s not worth someone’s time?”
She stared at me intently, and I realized the question wasn’t rhetorica
l.
“You don’t look like a waste of time at all,” I said and smiled. “But Jake… you know how he is. He’s not going to stay in one place for long when it comes down to women. Don’t worry. I don’t think the current one will last, either.”
The moment I said that I felt like an idiot. I shouldn’t have mentioned the blond girl. Women who were still hung up on their exes – although from what I could tell she hadn’t even been a full girlfriend to Jake – never wanted to know about other women.
“What do you mean the current one?”
I shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance. “You know how Jake is, another day another dog.”
She leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. “I'm not sure if I like the way you refer to women,” she said.
I blinked at her. She was straightforward, that was for sure. She was beautiful, but her attitude detracted from her as a woman. Was it the same with men? They say jealousy makes you nasty, but does it make you ugly, too? It seemed like it did with Amanda. I wondered what I looked like?
I shook off the thought. I didn’t give a shit what other people thought of me at this point. If I worried about what anyone said about me, I would have slit my wrists a long time ago.
“Look, I know I’m not your favorite person,” I said. “I’m never anyone’s favorite person. But I know Jake personally. And you want in. So if you really want to be a bitch to me, go ahead, but I’m the only link you’ll ever have to him. I’m not making promises, but it’s gotta be better than what you have now… which is basically nothing.”
She watched me, curious, calculating. I could see her turn it over and over in her mind.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you’re right. You are close to him. So, okay, we’ll see. Take my number. But, if you turn out to be a dick, I’m going to report you as a stalker. From what I hear that shouldn’t be hard to believe after everything they say about you.”
Blood drained from my veins at that moment, and I felt her words like a slap in the face. She was poisonous, this one. She held out her hand, and I gave her my phone. She saved her number on my contacts list and handed the phone back to me.
“Thank you for coffee. You did end up making my day after all. Who knew?”
She turned around and left the coffee shop, sucking all the life out of it as she went. I stayed behind in her wake, dumbfounded. Well, wasn’t this an interesting turn of events? I didn’t know what I would do with her number and the fact that Jake was still on her hit list, but this was good information to have.
She was a piece of work. Maybe just the kind of nastiness I needed.
***
Training wasn’t nearly as fun as the games. In the games, I could take out all my anger and frustration and really hurt someone on the field if I got the chance. During training, I had to go easier on them because they were my teammates and we were supposedly together in this. One glance at the team’s dynamic, though, would tell anyone who bothered to notice we weren’t exactly a well-oiled machine. Coach Clay didn’t care, of course. Wins were all that mattered to him, and we got that.
Thanks to Jake.
Lately, training meant we had to go over the same plays again and again because I fumbled the ball a lot. The more I did it, the more I stressed about it, which in turn caused me to do it even more. Before I knew it, I was stuck in some stupid cycle of anxiety and hatred.
Whatever, I didn’t care. Jake would pull us through, right? He would mop up my mistakes and lead the team to victory.
Puke.
This time, though, I had a plan. If I could do what Jake did – from the calm, sure way he ran to the way he handed off the ball – maybe I could slowly make my way up the same way he had. It was a long shot since no one liked me, but it was worth a shot.
What did I have to lose? My reputation was already shot to shit and my friends and family probably rooted for the other team whenever I played.
Besides, Jake was good at what he did. I had to admit to that. He was the star player for a reason, and not just because girls thought he was hot. Nor because men thought he was their hero after the team had taken a dip just before he’d been recruited.
“Again!” Coach Clay’s voice rang through the training center. My legs were tired, my shirt was drenched with sweat, and my gum guard was starting to make my mouth feel numb. I’d fumbled another couple of times. Not as bad as during games, though, but that was because no one was watching. No one was judging. Well, no one besides the team. I watched Jake. I saw him get into the zone, shutting out the world, ready for what would come at him. I tried to do the same.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I focused on the tension, letting it go, and cleared my mind all the way until nothing existed except for the game, the ball, and the scoreboard. This had to work, right?
The whistle blew, and the ball was thrown at me. I grabbed hold of it tight. For a moment, everything stilled, and I was sure I would keep the ball in my hands. Until it slipped through them because of the sweat. I hadn’t wiped them on my pants, and the ball bounced to the ground.
“Fuck!” I shouted and turned around, seeing red. I wanted to break something. The next person who came at me with a snide comment was going to swallowing his own teeth.
“Hey,” a voice spoke next to me, and I spun around, ready to fight. If Clyde was going to ride me about this, I was going to go mental, even if they kicked me off the team for it. It wasn’t Clyde though, it was Jake. And his face wasn’t mocking, it was sympathetic. No pity, though. I might have beaten him up just for pitying me.
“What?” I snapped. “Do you want to know when I’ll mess up again so you can be ready to pick up the pieces?”
I was pissed off. Pissed off and humiliated. I was supposed to be good at this. Instead, I freaked out every time I stepped on a field; I dropped the damn ball and let not only my team down but most of the fans in Denver. Hell of a burden to carry.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you and I can run some plays on our own later. Or tomorrow. Whenever. Just to get through this without the others and their comments.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked him.
Jake frowned. “Nothing. I just want to help.”
No one helped for free. Everyone wanted something. When I said as much, Jake shrugged. “Maybe I could use the extra training of ours, and it’s always good to have a workout buddy.”
Yeah, right. Like Jake needed anything more. He had all the skill, the raw talent, the muscle, the speed, and the whole Goddamn Denver behind him.
“If you don’t want to, just say so.”
Jake walked away from me, leaving me reeling. How dare he? How dare he make it sound like we were the same when we weren’t? At all! I didn’t want anything to do with him. He didn’t need to rub it in my face how much better he was than me. I was reminded of it all the time.
The whistle blew, and we were allowed a water break. I walked to the bench and squirted water all over myself to cool down before I drank from the bottle. This was turning into a nightmare. Obviously, I was still good enough to be on the team, but how long would that last? How long would it take before Coach Clay found a replacement for me and I would have to drop down to a lower level or drop out altogether? I was too young to retire, and I didn’t want anyone to remember me as a failure.
That was all that would happen.
Unless I got better. Unless I started playing as Jake did. I didn’t know how I would do that. He offered to teach me, but that felt like yet another embarrassment.
Unless I used it. When the thought dawned on me, I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. If I got him to train me and used all his tricks, maybe I could take over and eventually be better than him. Maybe I would be able to take his place.
I let myself entertain that idea. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Getting rid of Jake might not be so easy. But watching him slowly fall from grace, being replaced? That was something I ju
st might be able to do.
Was I a dick about it? Yes. Was I going to stab him in the back? You bet. But it was for a good cause – me. I could still make it. All I had to do now was be his friend, pretend to like him.
That would be hard, but maybe not as hard as I thought. After all, he was nice. He was always nice. He was so damn sure of himself he didn’t need to be rude to everyone. It was damn annoying, but I was the truth.
***
After training I found Jake, and we fell back from the other a bit, walking slowly to the locker room.
“I thought about it,” I said. “I’ll take you up on your offer. We can train together.”
Jake nodded and clapped me on the back.