by Leigh James
I swallowed again, bracing myself. "I'm sure you're like me—that your family is the most important thing in the world to you. My team is my family, as well as my mom, my agent, and now my girlfriend, Avery. I will fight for my family, and I will always choose to put them first. I've made some mistakes, but I don't regret any of them. Because without those mistakes, I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today."
I scanned the faces in the crowd. "When my wife told me she was filing for divorce and then subsequently started a relationship with one of my teammates, I panicked. You all know I'm a private guy. I like to keep my personal life out of the spotlight, and I was worried about how these personal issues might impact my teammates and our season. So I took the unorthodox step of hiring someone to pretend to be my girlfriend. And that someone was Avery. I thought that having a new relationship would salvage my public image."
To their credit, no one said a word. They looked largely dumbfounded.
Finding courage in the silence, I continued on. "Avery and I signed a contract, and I agreed to pay her a certain amount of money in exchange for her company. I had second thoughts about what I was doing. I thought it was unethical and probably immoral. I was lying and I was asking someone else to lie, and I was paying her to do that. My attorney has assured me this doesn't rise to the level of criminal activity, as it was a private agreement between two consenting adults. We weren't breaking any laws, but I was lying. To all of you."
I took a sip of water and watched the confused, calculating, disbelieving, and furiously texting members of the audience.
"And I lied to Avery. And to myself."
They erupted into questions and I groaned. Then I saw one of my favorite reporters, Suzanne, with her hand up. I could usually count on her to get to the point.
"Go ahead Suzanne." I shot the rest of them a warning look. "And only Suzanne."
"Can you go into more detail about that? About lying to Avery and yourself?" she asked.
"Sure. It's the worst part. It makes me feel sick, and I deserve that." I looked toward the news cameras, wishing I could look into her eyes. "Avery, if you're watching, I want you to know I realized something. I never told you how I felt about you. I'm an idiot, babe. I love you. I've loved you from the moment I met you. Or maybe since the swan boats…or when you first made me lasagna…or that night with all the shots…"
Eric coughed behind me and I shook my head. "The point is, I never told you that I put you first. That's because I'm a jerk. I was putting myself first because I was afraid of what would happen to my career if the truth came out. And it's taken me this long to realize that's not the most important thing. The only thing I care about is you. So this is the public version of my apology. The private one's where I get on my knees and grovel. If you'll let me."
I looked at the press. "The truth is, Avery deserved better than what I gave her. But even if she never forgives me, something good came out of it. I met someone incredible. Someone who's taught me to be a better person."
I looked around. "Okay, that's all I have for today. Are there any questions?"
Everyone started talking at once.
I swallowed hard as question after question was hurled at me. "Are you saying that Avery's a prostitute?"
"Did you pay her for sexual relations, Chase? Isn't that illegal?"
"How does she feel about the whole world knowing the truth about her background?"
I held up my hands to stop them. Eric had told me the questions would be like this and worse, even though I'd had a friendly working relationship with these people for years. "She worked as an escort, which is different from being a prostitute. An escort is legal in the state of Massachusetts, and being a prostitute is not."
Another reporter stood up. "How is management handling this scandal? Their top player, who was slated to be the NFL player of the year, dating an escort?"
There was an uproar of more questions being shouted, but Eric stepped forward. "My client's done taking questions. On behalf of my client and Warriors management, we all hope that you can respect Chase and his family's privacy at this time." With that, he hustled me to a side entrance where I could get out of the building unscathed.
Eric clapped me on the back once we slid into the waiting SUV. "You did good, buddy. That was not an easy press conference to hold. You handled that like a champ. I wouldn't expect anything less."
I nodded at him.
"Let's get you home. You have some in-person groveling to do."
We pulled up outside of my house, but Eric didn't follow me out of the car.
"She's waiting for you," he said.
"You got her to come over?" I asked.
"I know you need help sometimes," he said. "And that's what I'm here for."
"Chase Layne loves you, buddy."
"Don't push it."
Chapter Twenty-Five
AVERY
I was pacing around the house. Chase said he loved me. He'd said it out loud, in front of management, in front of reporters, in front of the world. And now it didn't matter if Lila tried to blackmail us, or if Jessica and Pax did an interview about us.
Because it was out in the open.
I thought I might be embarrassed, but I only felt relieved.
And desperate to see him.
My phone buzzed.
Jenny: Nice press conference. I told you he had an emotional boner for you. See you around the rug.
My phone buzzed again.
CHASE: Can you please come to the front door?
I ran to it and threw the door open.
Chase was waiting for me, his brow furrowed.
"Why didn't you just come in?" I asked.
He crossed his enormous arms against his chest. "Because I didn't know if you wanted me to."
"It's your house."
"But it's only a home if you're in it." He looked at me pleadingly. "Babe. I'm so sorry. This is just step one of my groveling plan. I love you so much. I've been an idiot—"
I threw myself at him, silencing him with a kiss.
Then I pulled back, running my hands down his face and looking into his eyes, which still looked a little puffy. "I'm sorry, too. I love you so much. I was trying to—"
Now it was his turn to silence me with a kiss, his big hands running over my hair and my face, touching me as if he was worried I wasn't real.
Then he pulled back. "So you don't have another boyfriend? A real one?"
I buried myself in his chest and he wrapped his massive arms around me. "There's nobody but you, babe. There's never been anybody but you."
* * *
CHASE
We spent the next several weeks making up, i.e., kissing, looking at each other with googly eyes and having sexual relations whenever I wasn't at practice. I loved the master bedroom at the new house. It had floor-to-ceiling windows and excellent lighting, all the better to see Avery without her clothes on.
The bedroom was great, but I wanted her in every room of the house. It was my favorite new hobby.
We were on my bed. She'd put her clothes back on and I wasn't too pleased about it. "I need you again," I said, trailing my fingers down her shirt.
Avery laughed. "You're nuts."
"I'm nuts about you. Speaking of my nuts…"
She laughed again and swatted me. "What about them?"
I leaned down and looked at her intently. "We still haven't christened the dining room. Don't you think it's time we did something about that?"
"You're determined to do it in every room of this house, aren't you?" She grinned up at me and my cock rose to attention, as if it were saluting her.
"Absofuckinglutely. Are you?"
Avery looked at her watch. "You have to go in for your meeting in half an hour. You really think that's enough time to worship my body in the manner to which its become accustomed?"
I grabbed her by the hips, lifted her up and threw her over my shoulder. She squealed. "Plenty of time. You're getting spoiled lately, anyway. I bet
I can make you come in five minutes or less." I proceeded to carry her down the stairs.
"What are we betting?" Avery asked me, while she hung upside down.
"Well if I lose, I'll just keep going. Does that sound okay to you, babe?"
She giggled. "I guess I can live with that…"
I smacked her on the ass as we arrived in the dining room. "You guess you can live with that? You're definitely getting spoiled." I gently placed her feet on the carpet, and started unbuttoning her plaid shirt. I loved it when she dressed like this: a button-down shirt, a pair of denim cut off shorts, no makeup, and a messy ponytail. She was so beautiful like that, just so normal and down to earth. And then when she got dressed up, she was absolutely stunning.
She was the best of both worlds. On top of that, my dick fit in her so tight, I swear to God—it was like she was made for me.
"You know I don't like to rush you," Avery said, as I took my time unbuttoning her shirt. "But you really do have to get going."
I dropped her shirt to the floor and then put my finger to my lips. "Shh. No more talking. Chase is in charge."
Avery rolled her eyes but she laughed. I undid her shorts and they dropped to the floor. I sucked in a deep breath as I looked at her, and in the middle of the dining room in a white lace bra and matching panties. "Damn, girl. It's a good thing your mine. Otherwise, I'd lock you up in this house and never let you out." I leaned down and kissed her, our tongues tangling as she ran her hands down my chest. "I might do it anyway," I growled.
I stripped her out of everything else and then picked her up and gently sat her on the dining room table. "Lie back." Her eyes widened excitement as she did as I asked. Her legs were dangling off the table and I spread them wide, kneeling before her. I looked at her beautiful body, spread open before me. I looked at my watch. "Four and a half minutes, I said, leaning toward her. "Now, what can I do for four-and-a-half minutes?"
I ran my tongue gently of her slit, loving the taste of her. I was rock hard as she moaned above me. I loved making my girl come. I licked the tender bud of her clitoris and her hips bucked. "Oh baby…" she groaned.
I circled her with my tongue, licking and sucking until she grabbed the back of my head and ground herself against me. "Oh my God, Chase! Holy fuck, baby!"
I took her clitoris in between my teeth and nipped gently, and then sucked her hard. I felt the orgasm ratchet through her, her body shaking uncontrollably under my attention. She cried out and her muscles clenched and shook. I continue to lick and suck her through her orgasm, until she was babbling incoherently. And then I stood up, stripping down as quickly as I could. "Two minutes," I said, checking my watch. "Turn over onto your stomach and put your feet on the ground. Ass in the air, babe."
She stood up and grabbed me first, pulling me in for a deep, wild kiss. I was panting by the time she pulled back. "I love you," I said.
"I love you, too." She smiled up at me and my heart squeezed.
She palmed my cock and I groaned. "Okay-turn over. Now." She followed my orders and I spread her cheeks and traced my finger along her slit to her clitoris again, rubbing it slowly, making sure she was still ready for me. At the same time, she reached around and grabbed my cock, circling it with her fingers and milking it. I grunted and put the head against her, thrusting and luxuriating against her wetness.
"Baby, I need you inside me…" Her tone was pleading.
"Since I already won the bet, we don't really need to do anymore." Still, I notched the head of my cock inside of her.
She pushed her ass back towards me, taking in more of my length. I sucked in a sharp breath. "We can stop if you really want to," she said, teasing me.
I inched myself inside of her, entranced by the feel of her body against mine. "No fucking way." Her body was so tight, her pussy was like a vice-grip on my cock. "Not ever."
Her fingers were still wrapped around the base of my shaft, the pressure making me feel crazy. Finally, I was all the way inside of her. She gave me one final squeeze of her fingers and then put her palms flat on the table.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked back at me. "Fuck me, baby. I want to feel you explode inside of me."
"God, I love it when you're bossy. It makes me want to give you what you want." I put my hands on her hips and start started to thrust into her deeply, my balls slapping against her each time I entered her. She bore down on my cock, increasing the pressure. The tightness and the heat were making me insane. I could hear our bodies slapping together, skin on sweaty skin, Avery moaning and writhing beneath me.
"Jesus Christ Avery, you're so fucking tight…"
I reached underneath her and fingered her clit, and then she was bucking and shaking beneath me again. Our bodies slammed against the table, rattling it.
"Oh my God, Chase! Chase!"
All I needed to hear was my name on her lips. I exploded inside her.
The orgasm ripped through me and my vision got blurry. But I held onto Avery's hips and continued to pump into her, more slowly, savoring every second.
One thing was certain as I spent the rest of myself inside her. I loved this girl. She was mine.
Chase Layne was one lucky bastard.
Chapter Twenty-Six
AVERY
"I think I have a second wind," Chase said. "Let's get dressed."
"Do I have to?" I whined. We'd been doing it again. This time in the pantry. Chase had said something about christening it, and wanting a snack…he'd also mentioned the word 'multi-tasking'.
That was my man. Three things always on his mind: me, football and food.
But I knew now that I came first.
"Would you do it for Chase?"
I laughed. "I'd do anything for Chase." Warm happiness erupted in my chest after I said it, because it was true and it felt good.
"Okay. Get dressed."
We left the house and he headed in the direction of the park. Then we walked through it, past Newbury Street onto Boylston. "Are we going out to eat?"
This is Chase—of course we're going out to eat.
"No. We're going shopping."
"Do you have a store in mind?" I asked.
"I do." He said nothing further until we stopped outside of Shreve, Crump & Low.
I looked in the window and wrinkled my nose. "Are you buying a crystal swan?" I asked.
He just stood there, looking at the window and gripping my hand. "Only if you want to buy a crystal swan."
I shot him a funny look. "I think that's a little fancy for me. With my luck, I'd break its neck." I peered at the swan. "I might even do it on purpose."
"Let's go inside." He didn't wait for me to answer. He dragged me straight to the case that held the engagement rings.
"Babe? What're you doing?"
"I'm ring shopping." He examined the rows of sparkling, elegant diamonds in different settings. "Is there one you like?" He pointed to a rectangular cut diamond with a slim, elegant diamond band. "I think that one's beautiful."
"Of course that one's beautiful," I said. "They're all beautiful."
He searched my face. "Is there one you like better than the others?"
I shrugged. I was afraid my voice would wobble if I attempted to speak.
"You like the one that I picked out?" His voice was very gentle.
I nodded.
A sales person came over, recognizing us instantly. He beamed at us. "You see something you like, Mr. Layne?" His voice was eager, but tasteful. This was Shreve, Crump & Low after all. They sold crystal swans with a straight face.
"Yes I do. We'll take it to go."
Chase worked his magic, having the ring sized on the spot. We were quiet as we waited. My mind was racing and I felt as though I was too nervous to talk. After he'd paid, he put the box in his pocket and held my hand, leading me back toward the park. I still didn't say anything—I was worried if I opened my mouth, I'd just start bawling.
"Speaking of swans…" Chase stopped in front of the swan bo
ats. It was late afternoon and they were closed. He looked at his watch and laughed. "I messed up. We can't go for a ride, babe."
"S'okay." My voice was gravelly.
He patted his pocket. "I want to give you this ring right now. But I'm going to wait. Until things are finalized with Jess and you and I have some time to settle in. Because I want to do this the right way. But I also want you to know what my intentions are."
He squeezed my hands. "They are to love, honor and protect you for the rest of your life."
I felt that nervous little bird of hope in my chest glow. It was a phoenix now, a symbol of rebirth, rising from the ashes of my past.
I blinked back tears.
"Does that sound okay to you?" he asked, his blue eyes searching mine.
"It's more than okay." My voice sounded stronger. "It sounds perfect."
He held out his arms and motioned to me. "Come to Chase, babe." And then he wrapped me in a massive hug, making me feel safe and protected. "I love you."
I smiled against his chest. "I love you, too."
We got back to the house and he swooped me into his arms, carrying me up the stairs and putting me on the bed.
He smiled at me. "Are you in the mood? How much do you think you can take?"
"I can go all night, baby," I said.
He snuggled down next to me, happily grabbed the remote control, and scrolled through the channels until he found HBO.
Then I sighed contentedly as the new season of Game of Thrones started, and I held on to the man I loved for dear life.
Epilogue
CHASE
"What do you mean, you booked another trip to Disney? You just took the boys last month!"
I sighed as my mother explained patiently that her grandchildren had made her promise to take them back to see something called The Electric Light Parade. It involved an octopus and took place outside at night. Or something. I stopped listening.