by Raven Monet
“Hey, who was on the phone?”
Ashton shrugged, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to be a rat either. He was in a bad situation and he knew it. “It was one of those robo-callers, something about a survey for the elections.”
Dave just shook his head. “You would think they could pick a better time to call than this late at night.”
He agreed and tried to figure something out. He couldn’t leave his daughter hanging wherever she was, so instead he asked if he knew of a cab company.
“What do you need a cab for?”
“You know training. I am on this crazy diet right now and I need some salmon. I saw a grocery store a few miles back that I was going to go grab a few things.”
“I can give you a ride if you want. It’s no trouble at all.”
“No, that’s fine. It’s getting late and I don’t want you to have to do that.”
“Well just take my truck. It’s the red one out there in the driveway. Just don’t scratch her. I am kind of partial to my truck.”
Ashton thanked him and sighed to himself. He was already way over his head and he hadn’t been there a full day yet.
***
The place that she had told him to go wasn’t supposed to be far, but he didn’t realize until he had passed the place twice, that it wasn’t a house, but some off-road path that was posted with no trespassing signs. It seemed that the whole day was going to pot and at one point, Ashton almost thought he was getting messed with when he didn’t find them right away. They were parked in the back close to a bluff overlooking that area of town.
When he got out of the car, he smelled a joint burning before he noticed anything else. Walking up to the two women, they were talking loudly and they hadn’t even seen him yet. Clearing his throat, that finally got their attention.
“Hey, Ashton. You want a hit?”
She offered the rolled green to him and he shook his head. He was on occasion drug tested, especially if one of his genius teammates were caught with some. Then the whole squad would have to be checked and it had happened several times that year already. The school’s ‘no tolerance’ policy had made testing for all things normal. If they were trying to catch those that did something, right after spring break seemed like a perfect time to him.
“No, I am good.”
“I figured you were just another dud. My father always brings home the duds. He said you were special, but you don’t seem very special to me.”
She was baiting him, it was clear and usually he would have no problem with a little pressure. But that day was not the day and she was not the girl that he wanted to look bad in front of. She was looking at him as if he was one of the goodies from the college. Ashton was far from being the good one, but he was nervous about smoking.
“Come on. I got to drive and I don’t know the way, so you have to tell me where to take your friend.”
Ania whispered something under her breath about him being a dud, but she needed to get home without being caught, so concessions had to be made. “Well, thanks for picking us up.”
She sounded slightly begrudging, but he wasn’t going to take offense. Ania looked different, her face flush and her voice breathy. One way or another, Ashton decided that he really liked her like that. When she smiled up at him as she got in the side door he opened for her, his heart stopped a little.
The two girls were loud and it took him a while to get the other girl’s address, but he finally did, getting her back safe and sound before taking Ania home. He dropped her off first before doing what he said he was going to do anyways. By the time he got back, everyone was sleeping and he was thankful that he didn’t have to explain himself anymore.
Ashton went to bed in the unfamiliar room, thinking about Ania and how much he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about her. She was his type, though a little thick for his taste, but she had an attitude that was hard to ignore and her curves were well formed and in all the right places. Ashton thought of the difference between her and his girlfriend at home. Gretchen was nothing like Ania.
Sighing to himself, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time that she was not for him. While she may be nice to look at, she was not for him. Her father was the very recruiter that would make or break his career and no girl was worth that. No matter if she was gorgeous and made his knees turn to jelly. He couldn’t take his focus off of his goal and she was unfortunately not it.
Chapter 4
Ashton was woken up early and since he had been up late chasing after Ania, he was more than a little tired when Dave popped his head in and told him that he had to get up. The man’s bald head was the first thing that he saw and it took him a minute to realize where he was.
“Sorry Dave. I thought I had my alarm on.”
Dave waved him off. “Don’t worry. We have plenty of time, but I like to get up and get a workout in before the day starts. Figure you would as well.”
It was the very last thing that he wanted to do, but he smiled and got up anyways. “That sounds great. I will be down in a minute.”
Ashton waited for him to close the door before he got up and got dressed. He didn’t have anything to workout in but a pair of shorts from practice and figured that would be enough. It wasn’t even six o’ clock in the morning and he figured that no one would be up that early. The wife and daughter were most likely still asleep, so Ashton didn’t see it as a problem.
The house was full of small hallways and lots of different rooms. He walked down two hallways, still not finding what he was looking for, but then he finally found the small gym and he was not alone. Dave hadn’t made it there yet, but Ania’s back was to him and she was running on the treadmill. She must have figured the same thing because her attire was a pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra. It was enough to have him breathing a little heavier as he watched her ass bounce with each step. He looked behind him when he heard someone coming into the room and he immediately looked away so that Dave wouldn’t see what he was staring at so hard. It was difficult pulling his eyes from such a sight.
“Come spot me, Ashton. I need to work my arms this morning.”
Ashton agreed, turning towards him and moving towards the weight bench. It was on the other side of the home gym and it helped give him some space from Ania. He was surprised that she was up after the night she had had. When he had dropped her off before going to the store, the girl had been stumbling so much that he had to help her to the door.
He was jolted back to reality when the man reminded him what he was there for. Ashton spotted him for three sets of reps and then switched positions so that he could get some workout as well. It was just as well, his mind was able to concentrate on something else besides her when he wasn’t looking her way.
After a time, he heard her leaving and almost knocked himself out on the bar in front of him when he tried to sit up suddenly. Ashton felt his face getting red from more than the metal on his forehead. He could only hope that Ania hadn’t seen him acting like such a buffoon.
Dave thought that he just needed to get some more sleep, but either way, Ashton was happy that the workout was over. It was not at all what he thought it would be. Getting back to his room, he grabbed some fresh clothes for a meeting with the coach and assistant coaches.
He was getting out of the guest shower when the door opened and he tried in vain to cover himself. The intruder was Ania and her eyes stayed glued to his nether region for several moments. It was like she couldn’t look away and when she finally did, Ania could still see his hard member burned into her mind.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Dad was in the other shower, so I needed this one.”
She walked towards him and he stepped backward to match each one of her steps. He grabbed a towel off of the holder and wrapped it around his waist. The opening was in the front though and before long he was out and once again looking for attention. Ania smiled at him, liking how uncomfortable he was at that moment and she had a strange urge
to touch him. When her hand went out to do just that, he almost leapt back as if he were to be burned.
“You can’t.”
Ania pouted and then shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. I was hoping to get some of this energy out, but I guess I will have to find another way.”
***
Ashton was thinking about Ania and the moments in the shower. He couldn’t get it out of his head. The whole ride down to the meetings with her dad, the time Ashton spent waiting for them to call him back and he was certainly thinking about her as he sat down at a long table to meet with four men that would all ultimately decide if he was going to be playing in the big leagues. It was all boy’s dream and he was no different, yet he pictured Ania lying on the long table in front of him.
He shook his head to rid himself of Ania as the man in front of him started to talk. “So Ashton, what makes you want to play in Dallas?”
He had learned a bit about the school and was actually interested in a lot of what was going on in Dallas, but it was the chance at a Super Bowl ring and all the glory he could ask for. While he had some made up answer, the truth came out and before long, he was just as relaxed as he found himself with Dave when he wasn’t checking his daughter out.
They ask some tough questions about what he was willing to play and Ashton really was up for anything. He certainly didn't care how much they played him or where they wanted him to play. As long as he got a nice contract, Ashton would play every position if that was what it was going to take. When he relayed the message to the coaches, they all laughed a little, but everyone knew that he was serious. It was still early in the year and a lot of time players wanted to wait for the best offer, but Ashton would take any good offer that came his way.
“I think you are going to be a good fit here in Dallas Ashton. Now I can’t offer you the contract yet, but it is as good as my word. I can’t think of another player that would fill the spots we need better than you. It is refreshing to see such a man like yourself, willing to bite the bullet and do more than just what you are good at. We need a player that we can use in tight spots and I have seen you play, you are good in all of them. What do you say, Ashton? Should we have a contract filled out?”
He nodded his head a little too quickly, but he was over pretending that he was not over the moon with the offer.
“So that is it?”
Ashton was still unsure that it was real. He was more than a little worried that he was going to wake up and everything would not be as it was. Maybe he was still in bed at Dave’s house in the guest bedroom. Maybe it was all a dream. He pinched himself and grimaced. If it was a dream, it was a painful one.
“Well, that’s pretty much it. You will meet the team tomorrow night for a dinner we are having. Just be yourself and I am sure you will fit in here just fine.”
Ashton stood up and smiled. “Thank you, Sir, you don’t know what this means to me.” He shook hands with all of the decision makers and was practically vibrating with glee on his way out. Dave just shook his head but enjoyed his job all the more. There were many good players that were jerks off the field, but then there were some that he liked to help. His life would never be the same because of him and in that moment, it was a good feeling for Dave. He knew the kind of package that he was going to get and it was enough to change his life forever. Nothing would ever be the same for Ashton again.
Chapter 5
“Congrats Ashton. Dad told me about the contract.”
“Well, I don’t have it yet.”
“You had it when you got here. My father never brings people home with him unless he knows that they have a future.”
He thanked her, but he wondered what she meant. He was starting to finally imagine a future, though he was still trying to keep his hopes down until he saw it for himself. Ashton would only stop worrying when he had the money in his hand and he was playing for Dallas.
“So what are you doing tonight?”
“Your dad is taking me out for a celebration dinner. Are you coming?”
Ania shook her head and smiled back at him. “Sports bore me and that is the last place I would ever want to be. I can’t stand to hear it all of the time.”
“You have the wrong dad for that.”
“Don’t I know it? I used to have to go to his practices every single day it seemed like for football season, but after a while, I didn’t have to go anymore. Maybe he took pity on me finally.”
Ashton didn’t think that was it at all. No doubt as she had blossomed into the woman she was now, there was no doubt in his mind that she would have made all of the players fall in love with her. She must have been quite a distraction. He could relate to that as he had almost knocked himself out trying to get a glimpse of her backside.
“You have the strangest look on your face. Are you even listening to me?”
He shook his head that he was.” Well, come with me then.”
“I can’t. I told your father that I would go.”
“Right, wouldn’t want to make him mad would we?” She got up from her seated position at the table and told him that he was a disappointment. “I was hoping you would be a little more fun.”
He wanted to go, couldn’t think of anywhere else he wanted to be, but he couldn’t. Ashton was not about to ruin his future with one night with her. No matter how much he wanted it to be just that.
“I am sorry. Maybe we can go out before I leave.”
She shook her head. “No, I am only here one more night. I’m going over to Florida for the rest of Spring Break.”
“Oh.” Ashton didn’t know what else to say. He was disappointed and for a split second wanted to say the hell with everything. It didn’t matter of course that he would most likely never see her again or the fact that he couldn’t actually have her anyways. The need to follow her anywhere was still there.
“Don’t look so down Ashton. Maybe I will come back tonight and visit you.”
His eyes widened as she kissed him on his cheek, lingering for just a moment before she smiled up at him with her dark green eyes. “I will see you later Ashton before I leave.”
Ashton watched her leave and groaned inwardly. He was sure that she added more of a twist to her step just to drive him crazy. That was the kind of woman that a man like him would go straight to hell for. The only problem was, Ashton would have almost welcomed the chance.
***
Instead, he was on the other side of town in another kind of bliss. Not only was Dave, his recruiter there, but the man had brought a few of his friends as well. Ashton was in the presence of all of the men that he had looked up to for his whole career, once he had realized that there was football to play. Ashton almost forgot about the girl that had an innocent smile and mischievous eyes.
“So what will you do with the money?”
Ashton shrugged. “I just want to play ball. The money is just a bonus.”
Dave nodded his head. “Sure, sure. But surely you have thought about it.”
Ashton didn’t know how much the contract was going to be for and in a way, he hadn’t really cared. Dave was right, though, he had already thought about it. What he wanted was a house and a little stability. It wasn’t very exciting, but that was what he wanted.
“I have thought about it. Maybe a new bike and a house, but I will save most of it, invest it so when my time is done, I won’t have to worry about it.”
Dave was impressed more and more by the young man that he had brought back with him. He was also aware of his attention to his daughter. It wasn’t that he was so worried about anything happening, Ania was strong willed and seemed to be toying with him, but he worried that it might become a problem. Dave was glad that Ania was leaving the next day.
“That is good Ashton. You will serve yourself well to save some of it. I have seen too many times, players that make enough to retire at thirty and they are thirty-five and broke. The lifestyle can pull at you and you have to learn to ward it off. The money, the women…”
Ashton met his gaze and for a moment he knew what women or which one, in particular, the man was talking about. His want of his daughter must not have been as easily hidden as he would have liked to have hoped it would be.
“Yeah, just with the talk of going to the NFL, I have noticed a difference.”
The older man sat back, his bald head shaking as if he understood. Dave had his own career when he was Ashton’s age and he spoke from experience. The money seemed to be endless and everything seemed like a good time. Until you hurt your knee and there were no more contracts or worse, one of the dalliances got pregnant. He had both happen to him and he was trying to warn him not just of his daughter, but of making the same mistakes that he had done.
“You have to be careful. The people that will try to become your friend will not always have your best interest at heart.” The man speaking was one of the great quarterbacks twenty years ago when he was in his time.
After he spoke, many others gave their tales of women that pushed them wayward or used everything in their arsenal to put their claws in an NFL player. By the end of the night, Ashton wasn’t sure if he wanted to date again. The old men made it seem as though they were out for him already and he would have lied to himself if he didn’t think about it on the way back to the large house. His mind went to Ania, it was bound to in the end and he didn’t know what he would do if she came to see him. With her leaving the next day, all he had to do was just stay away from Ania and he would be fine. The contract would be signed and Ashton was on to better things.
Chapter 6
Ania was a little tipsy when she got home and she went to take a shower to wake herself up. The party had been fun, though all of the same familiar faces that she was bored with. What she couldn’t stop thinking about was Ashton and his last night in her house. All throughout her shower, she thought of his hard chest in the morning while he was working out and the way he had looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.