Pleasure Rush

by Farrah Rochon

  “You knew this day would come,” Deirdre murmured. She just never thought it would get here so quickly.

  * * *

  “What is this?” Theo held up the script he’d been handed when he walked into the conference room.

  Ambria glanced over her shoulder. “It’s your intro for the story on the Sabers,” she said, then turned back to her laptop computer.

  “‘The New York Sabers have been a blinding disappointment to the entire state of New York, and no one is willing to own up to it?’” Theo tossed the script on the table. “I’m not saying this. I told you from the very start that this needs to be a positive piece.”

  “That was before your interview with Kendall Fisher,” Ambria returned. “I know you’ve got this thing about hurting your ex-teammates’ feelings, Theo, but there is no other slant you can put on the story after the way he behaved in that interview. I’ve seen mass murderers who were less hostile.”

  “We’re not using Kendall’s interview in the segment. I talked it over with Sara already. I’m going to interview Torrian Smallwood to take the place of Kendall’s interview.”

  “If you think I’m letting that interview with Fisher go to waste you are out of your mind. Fans live for stuff like this.”

  “We had a deal, Ambria.” Theo lowered his voice. “Are you doing this because I turned you down the other night?”

  Her eyes grew wide as she barked out a laugh. “Get over yourself. An hour after you turned me down I was hooking up with one of your ex-teammates. What happens in my personal life has zero influence on what happens with this show.”

  Theo’s jaw hardened. “I guess that’s where we’re different. I can’t ignore how the things I say on-air affect my personal life. I tried that and lost a good friend because of it.”

  Ambria leaned her chair back from the table. She kneaded the spot between her eyes, and blew out an exasperated sigh.

  “I told you this once before,” she said. “You can’t look at these guys as your ex-teammates or your friends. You are a broadcaster now. Your job is to get the most interesting, compelling story, and Kendall Fisher behaving like a surly teenager is compelling. Nobody is interested in a bunch of players getting together and singing Kumbaya.”

  A nerve twitched in Theo’s jaw. “When I agreed to do this story, I told you I would not throw the team under the bus. You’re forgetting that I was part of some of those teams that failed to make it to the Super Bowl. Am I supposed to go on TV and look like some hypocrite?”

  Ambria stared at him, her expression unyielding. She pointed at the papers he’d tossed on the table. “That script is the one we’re using for the story. You can read it, or I’ll give it to Clyde. But I’m using Kendall’s interview.” She hunched over the table and leaned in close. “Let me make something clear, Theo. If you bow out of this story, your chances of landing that desk job are gone. Figure out what’s more important to you and get back to me.”

  With that, Ambria turned back to her computer, dismissing him as if he had never been there.

  Theo swiped up the script and stormed out of the conference room.

  He should have expected this. It’s what Ambria had wanted from the very beginning, and Kendall’s caustic attitude during the Media Day interview was just the kind of fodder she needed.

  But he was the one stuck doing this damn story.

  What choice did he really have here? His career was at stake. Either he learned to deal with covering stories he didn’t necessarily agree with, or he looked for another line of work.

  Problem was, there was no other line of work.

  He’d considered coaching, but Theo knew it wasn’t for him. He had a hard enough time staying off the field already; he couldn’t deal with being so close to the game and not being able to play. But he needed to be in the football world. It was like air to him.

  He rolled the script into a narrow tube and headed back downstairs to the lounge area. He needed a drink. Badly.

  Finding an empty table in the crowded lounge was the first good thing to happen to him today. He ordered a beer, then unrolled the script and read over it again.

  “Instead of being America’s golden team, the Sabers have become America’s biggest cache of overpaid underachievers.”

  How was he supposed to say this about his teammates?

  Theo took the beer from the waiter before he could place it on the round coaster. He swallowed a large gulp, trying to wash out the bad taste the script had left in his mouth.

  “Sounds as if we have different ideas about what qualifies as ‘just hanging out,’” came a voice just over his head. Theo looked over his shoulder to find Torrian standing less than a foot behind him.

  “What the hell are you talking about, Wood?”

  “I’m talking about you and my sister,” Torrian answered. “You told me you were just hanging out with her, showing her around the island. But, according to Paige, you’ve been doing a bit more than just hanging out.”

  Theo dropped his head back, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We are not having this conversation.”

  Torrian held his hands up as he took the seat across from Theo. “You and Dee are grown. It’s none of my business what you two are doing. Just remember my promise, Stokes. You hurt my sister, and I will kick your ass.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Theo leaned across the table. “Well, I should do the same thing to you for opening your big mouth,” he hissed. “Why would you tell Deirdre what I said about settling down?”

  “What?” Torrian asked, dumbfounded.

  “About me being tired of dating party girls and wanting to find a low-maintenance woman? Sound familiar?”

  Torrian’s forehead scrunched in confusion, his mouth dipping low in a frown. “I told her that?”

  “Yeah, you did. That’s one of the reasons your sister wouldn’t give me the time of day for over a year.”

  “Dawg, I’m sorry,” Torrian chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

  Theo had to mentally talk himself out of charging across the table and strangling his friend. He’d been in agony this past year, partly because of Torrian and his big mouth, and the guy had the nerve to laugh!

  “It looks as if the negative stuff between you and Dee is all water under the bridge now,” Torrian said as he grabbed the beer the waiter had placed in front of him and took a long swallow. “What about your other problem?” he asked. “Did you and Cedric get everything straightened out? I’ve got a barbeque planned at my place in the Hamptons next month. I already ordered a new game table to be set up out there.”

  “Send the table back,” Theo said. “I doubt Cedric and I will be sitting down for a friendly game of dominoes anytime soon, if ever again.”

  “Oh, come on, man,” Torrian sighed. “Why didn’t you just congratulate him yesterday and be done with this, Theo?”

  Theo shook his head. “I couldn’t do it.”

  Torrian frowned into his beer. “I know you couldn’t,” he sighed. “I’m just ready for the two of you to kiss and make up. Cedric knows this is part of your job. He’s just being stubborn and trying to save face.”

  “He has a right to be upset,” Theo said. The entire team had the right to be upset. And after his piece on the Sabers aired this Sunday, Theo suspected they would come down on his head even more than they had over the situation with Cedric.

  It’s a good thing he had stopped going to Bragging Rights, the sports bar that was the team’s official post-game hangout. After this, they probably wouldn’t let him in the door.

  In fact, Theo wondered if he would be welcomed at Torrian’s house after his piece aired. Maybe he would have a chance of keeping his friends if it was just a little insensitive, but the script Ambria handed him was downright insulting to the entire
Sabers organization, questioning the heart of both the players and coaching staff.

  With Cedric, Torrian, and Jared all still affiliated with the Sabers, Theo was the odd man out. Expecting the guys to forgive him was pushing the limits of friendship. He had more than likely played his last game of dominoes with the group of men who had become like brothers to him. Theo doubted Clyde Barker and Dan Bates would make good substitutes.

  He drained his glass and stopped himself from ordering another beer. He had never been one to drown his sorrows in alcohol. It would only dull the pain for a little while; it wouldn’t change the inevitable.

  Besides, if he wanted to dull the pain, he could think of a much better way to do it.

  He tapped out of his tab, instructing the bartender to charge his and Torrian’s drinks to his room. “Will you be at the cooking competition tomorrow?” he asked Torrian.

  His friend shook his head. “I’ll be in strategy meetings in the morning, then heading to the stadium soon after. I already gave Dee a good luck kiss.”

  “Well, I’ll try to get with you a little later. But if I don’t see you before the start of the game, good luck tomorrow,” he told Torrian.

  “Thanks, man. Are you up in the booth or commentating from the sideline?”

  “Sideline,” Theo said. “I haven’t made booth status yet.”

  “Only a matter of time, dawg,” Torrian said, slapping him on the back.

  Yeah, just as soon as I sell you and the rest of the team out for a story, Theo wanted to say.

  He left the hotel lounge and headed to Deirdre’s room, hoping to God she was there. She answered on the first knock, as if she had been waiting for him to step up to her door.

  Theo didn’t say a single word, just kicked the door closed and took her mouth with all the heat and passion she could stand. They hurriedly stripped out of their clothes, and within seconds, were on the bed, turning each other inside out.

  He couldn’t get enough of this woman. Theo loathed to think of all the years he’d wasted on superficial starlets whose faces he could hardly remember. Those girls couldn’t hold a candle to Deirdre.

  When they were done, Theo scooted up behind her, and cupped her breast in his palm. He pressed a kiss to her damp shoulder, loving the way she tasted, the way she smelled, they way her hair tickled his nose when they were in this position.

  He loved her. Period.

  “Are you sleeping?” he whispered.

  “Mmm…” she moaned. “Not yet.” She twisted around, bringing both their fronts together. He loved how she lay there without a hint of the self-consciousness she’d first displayed. She was becoming comfortable in her nakedness around him, which was a good thing, because he planned for them to be naked a lot.

  “What are you doing next Wednesday night?” he asked. “That’s your night off from the restaurant, isn’t it?”

  Her brow hitched up in surprise. “It is,” she said. “I don’t have anything planned.”

  “Now you do,” he said. “You’ve heard of those cooking dates they have at the pier, right? I’ve wanted to try that for a while.” Theo shook his head, chagrined. “What am I thinking? You’re in the kitchen all the time. Why would you spend your night off doing even more cooking?”

  “I’d love to,” Deirdre said.

  “Really?”

  “If you asked me to shovel dirt in Central Park with you, I’d say yes, Theo. I don’t care what we do, as long as I get to do it with you.” She glanced at his chest, then back up at his face. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about this continuing once we left Hawaii.”

  Theo shook his head, awed that she was still having doubts. “Have you been paying attention? Woman, I am so in love with you I can hardly breathe when you’re not around. How can you not be sure how I feel about you?”

  She laid a hand on his chest. “I love you, too, Theo. So much.”

  The pleasurable rush that flowed through him was so strong Theo thought he would drown in it. “God, Deirdre, why did it take us so long to come to our senses?”

  “I’ve stopped asking myself that question. I’m just grateful we aren’t wasting anymore time.”

  Theo lowered his head and grazed her lips. “I’m grateful you made that list. I want to see it,” he said. “That list needs to be framed.”

  Deirdre wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head closer. “Forget the list,” she murmured against his mouth. “We’ve got better things to do.”

  * * *

  Deirdre dipped her head under the stream of hot water, letting it flow over her tingling skin. The tingles quadrupled when Theo opened the steamed-covered door and stepped into the shower. He turned her around and gave her a swift kiss on the mouth.

  “You are the most insatiable man on the planet,” she said.

  And thank goodness he was. Deirdre had learned over the past couple of days that she could be just as greedy when it came to her body craving this man. He was like a drug—the most addicting, pleasurable drug imaginable.

  Theo released her lips and smiled down at her, all manner of naughty thoughts gleaming in his eyes. “You know you like it. Don’t try to deny it.”

  She shot a mean look at him, and then messed it up when she burst out laughing. “Did room service arrive already?” she asked.

  “Not yet.” He squirted body wash into the palm of his hand and started rubbing them together. “I figured I’d hear when he knocks.”

  “You couldn’t wait until the room service arrived?”

  “And risk you finishing your shower? Hell no,” he answered. “Now turn around.”

  Deirdre rolled her eyes, but readily obeyed, turning around and giving him her back. A moan of pleasure rose from her throat as Theo’s strong hands glided up and down her back. She was amazed at how relaxed she felt standing inside a brightly lit shower with him. It felt right, natural.

  “Okay, your turn.” She made a twirling motion with her finger, ordering him to turn around.

  Deirdre built up a rich lather in her palms and rubbed her hands over his broad back, trailing soapy streaks over his shoulders, and down his sides. She cupped his butt, relishing the throaty gasp she elicited from him. Deirdre caught her bottom lip between her teeth, pausing for the barest moment before bringing her hands around his waist and taking his semi-hard erection into her hands.

  Theo’s spine stiffened, his back becoming rigid.

  “Don’t start anything you don’t plan to finish,” he hissed through clinched teeth.

  Deirdre glided her hands up and down his thick length, squeezing and caressing him until his entire body shuddered with his powerful release. Theo braced both hands against the shower wall as he forced in deep breaths. He turned and leaned his head against the wet tiles, his face cloaked in contentment.

  “You okay?” Deirdre asked.

  He gazed at her through half-lidded eyes, a lazy smile drifting across his lips. “You really have to ask me that?”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “That’s probably room service,” Deirdre said. “I’ll get it.”

  “No,” he said, stopping her. “Finish your shower. After what you just did, answering the door is the least I can do.”

  Even if her face wasn’t already flush from the steam, Deirdre knew it would be beet-red after that statement. She tilted her face up for Theo’s kiss, her gaze following his firm butt as he exited the shower.

  She tried to be as quick as possible, but the five minutes it took to finish her shower and wash her hair was still too long. She didn’t bother with drying herself off, just pulled on one of the hotel’s plush cotton robes. She snagged a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her hair as she slipped out of the bathroom.

  Deirdre stopped short at th
e sight of Theo standing next to the dresser, his face harder than granite. Her stomach plummeted when she noticed the familiar rumpled white napkin he held between his fingers.

  “You forgot to scratch off number five,” he said in a deceptively silky voice.

  Deirdre started toward him. “Theo, don’t take that list the wrong way.”

  “Is it written in order of importance?” he asked in that same eerily calm manner. “Or was it random? You do realize that you did it out of order, right? You didn’t swim with the stingrays until after you seduced me,” he said, his eyes ablaze with accusation.

  “Theo—”

  “I actually thought that I was the one who had seduced you. Joke’s on me, right?” He barked out an awful laugh. “And all this time Torrian has been threatening to kick my ass if I hurt his sister. Guess I should tell him there was no way of that happening, since all you were doing was trying to check off items on your bucket list.”

  “Theo, that is not what this has been about, and you know it.” Her voice quivered as she tried and failed to taper the rising panic flooding her throat.

  Theo held out the napkin. “How can you stand there and tell me that I wasn’t just some item on a list when it’s right here in black and white? This was all about you becoming the ‘new’ Deirdre. The least you can do is be honest about it.”

  His snide, self-righteous tone rankled. Standing there as he donned the mantle of wounded victim after years of being a playboy, Deirdre was struck with a sudden blast of rage.

  “You know what? You’re right,” she announced, a streak of satisfaction charging through her at the way Theo’s eyes widened in shock. “This was all about me. For once in my life, it was about me. I wanted to seduce you, so that’s just what I did.”

  His head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “Who in the hell are you?” he asked.