by Olivia Cox
She left the office and crossed the parking lot to her car. But halfway there, she was interrupted by a young blonde woman who approached and shoved a microphone into her face.
“Excuse me, Ms. Johnson? Is it true that you've become romantically involved with Jake Stone during his NFL suspension? Do you have any comment on the report that his suspension might be extended due to inappropriate circumstances surrounding his mandatory psychological leave?”
“What?” Chanise stared at the woman, dumbfounded. A cameraman stood off to one side, pointing his camera right at Chanise. “Who are you? What are you talking about?”
“Veronica Newton, Channel 5 News,” the woman said. “Can we get a comment from you regarding your relationship with Mr. Stone? Is it true that you're his therapist's daughter?”
“What? Who? No...” Chanise shook her head, looking between the woman and the cameraman. “Excuse me, I have to go.”
She pushed past the woman and got into her car. The reporter kept yelling questions at her the entire time, and the cameraman kept on recording her until she pulled out of the parking lot.
Chanise drove with both hands clutching the steering wheel. Her entire body was shaking. She had never been confronted like that before, especially not in front of a TV camera. She felt like she was going to be sick. It felt like her privacy, and her relationship with Jake had been violated.
She only drove a few blocks before she had to pull over to the side of the road to compose herself. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. Then she pulled out her phone to call Jake and see what was going on.
She paused before she dialed the phone. Something the reporter woman had said had only just sunk in. She had said something about Jake's suspension being extended.
Chanise opened the web browser on her phone and Googled Jake's name. Immediately, a news report came up with the headline, “Suspended Quarterback Faces Possible Trouble after Sex Scandal.”
“Sex Scandal?” she said aloud, staring at her phone in shock. She started shaking; trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
She read through the article, then read it again to make sure she hadn't misread anything. The article described her relationship with Jake, or at least an abridged version of it. She had no idea where the writer of the article had gotten their information, but it talked about how Jake had gotten involved in an “affair” with his therapist's daughter, and it went on to list some basic information about her: her name, her occupation, the fact that she was a widow. The article even listed the college she had graduated from, and it described her as a “widow and single mother.” Along with the article was a picture of her. It took her a moment to recognize it as her Facebook profile photo.
After the intrusive details about her personal life, the writer continued to say that there were allegations that the “affair” was a conflict of interest in Jake's mandatory therapy and that NFL officials were investigating to see whether this constituted cause for his suspension to be extended. The writer also reiterated the details of the fight that had led to Jake's suspension in the first place.
As soon as she finished with the article, Chanise called Jake. He didn't answer the phone, so she left a voicemail. “Jake, it's Chanise. I just read about what's happening. A reporter tried to get to me in the parking lot at work. Please call me back. I need to know what's going on. Are you in trouble? Call me, baby.”
She drove the rest of the way to the daycare, looking over her shoulder the entire time. Anytime she saw a car that seemed to be following her, she worried that it was another reporter, trying to invade her life. Though each time, the car eventually pulled away, and she realized she was just being paranoid. Though it was hard not to be, considering everything that was going on.
She was in tears from the stress by the time she picked up her daughter. While she was buckling Deena into her car seat, Deena asked, “Momma, what's wrong?”
“Nothing, baby,” Chanise said. “It's nothing you need to worry about.”
“Why are you crying?” Deena looked up at her, her own eyes starting to tear up.
Chanise took a deep breath to calm herself and she wiped away her tears. She didn't want to upset her daughter by crying in front of her. “I just had a bad day, baby girl. But it's okay. We get to go home now.”
Chanise had trouble focusing on anything after she got home. She ended up making Deena peanut butter sandwich and jelly for dinner, just because she couldn't focus on cooking anything more complicated. It wasn't until later in the night that she finally got a call from Jake.
“Jake?” she asked, heading into the other room so Deena wouldn't overhear the conversation. “Are you okay? What's going on?”
“It's complicated, babe,” Jake said. “Might be too much to talk about over the phone.”
“Jake, I need to know what's going on. There were reporters camped outside my office today. I'm scared that they're going to come stalk me at my home.”
“Don't worry about that. I'll take care of everything.”
“But what's going on?” Chanise asked. “Are you still being suspended?”
“I can't talk about it over the phone. Can I come over?”
Chanise chewed on her lip. With all the drama that was being stirred up, she wasn't sure if having Jake come over, and possibly having a reporter follow him to her home, was a good idea. But she was worried about him, and she wanted to see him. “Okay. You can't stay too late. I've got to get Deena to bed soon.”
“I'll be right there,” Jake said.
When Jake arrived, Deena rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Hi, Jake!” she said.
“Hey, Deena.” He reached down and patted her head. “How've you been?”
“I'm good. Momma's been crying.”
Jake looked up at Deena with concern on his face. “How’s she now?”
“I'm fine,” Chanise said. “I just had a long day, that's all. Deena, Momma, and Jake have some stuff to talk about. Will you be okay with your books for a while?”
Deena let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess so.”
“We'll spend some time together after Jake and I talk,” Deena said. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Deena trudged into the living room and sat in her rocking chair, sorting through her storybooks.
Chanise took Jake back into the bedroom. They sat on the bed together, side by side. Chanise took both of Jake's hands in hers and squeezed them tight. “Is everything going to be okay?” she asked. “Are you in a lot of trouble?”
“Not really, I don't think.”
“Not really it won't be okay, or not really you're not in trouble?”
Jake chuckled. “The second one. I don't think I'm in too much trouble. There's just going to be an investigation is all. They'll need to interview your dad. As long as he tells them that he didn't know we were dating and that I really was keeping up with my sessions, it'll be fine. Plus I already told my coach that I transferred to a new counselor. So I think this will blow over.”
“Oh thank God.” Chanise leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Jake, pulling him tight against her. “I've been so worried all day. I thought I had messed up your career.”
“No, I'm the one who did that,” Jake said. “When I got into that fight. It was a stupid mistake. I should never have done it.”
“But you're paying your dues now,” Chanise said. “We all make mistakes. And I don't believe you ever really meant to hurt anyone.”
“I didn't. I was just having a hard time dealing with things. And tensions can get pretty high on the team, especially during the playoffs. Lots of the guys have almost gotten into fights before. You get that much testosterone all pumping in one room and it's kind of inevitable.”
Chanise laughed, shaking her head. “I can only imagine.”
She kissed him, and just when she was about to pull back, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Jake held her tight for a long, sensual moment,
and then started lowering her back onto the bed.
Chanise tensed, glancing at the closed door. “Deena is in the living room.”
Jake smirked. “We'll just have to be quiet.”
She smacked his chest. “Jake! You're terrible.”
He chuckled, climbing on top of her and using his knees to spread her legs. “It's okay, babe. She won't know what we're doing.”
Chanise wanted to protest, but Jake started kissing her neck, then trailing kisses down her chest. She lost her voice, unable to find the words to protest. She knew it was risky to do this with her daughter in the other room, but she wanted it.
She whimpered when Jake started unbuttoning her blouse. “Are you sure you can be quiet?”
Jake leaned back, pulling off his shirt, and then unbuttoning his pants. “Trust me, babe.”
She closed her eyes and lay back while he pulled off her pants. He climbed on top of her and started rubbing his hardness against her. She moaned, burying her face against his neck to stifle the sounds. She wanted to cry out, wanted to beg him to fuck her, but she needed to keep quiet. Somehow, it made the experience all the more thrilling and dangerous, like that afternoon down at the office.
She pulled Jake tighter against her. His moans sounded so loud in her ears. She whispered to him, “Quiet, baby. Quiet.”
He reached down and grabbed her hips, thrusting deeper and harder. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling herself up to meet him with each thrust. Her hands slid into his silky hair and she held him close. He planted soft kisses against her caramel skin, kissing her face, her neck, and her shoulders. Each little kiss sent shivers through her body.
Chanise started to tense, feeling the rush overpowering her. She glanced at the door, certain that she had heard Deena calling to her, but it was too late to stop now. She whispered into Jake's ear, “Come on, baby. Give it to me. Hurry.”
Jake didn't need any more encouragement than that. He grunted and thrust hard against her, letting out a moan loud enough to be heard through the closed door. Chanise clung to him for a few moments, sweating and trembling. Then she got up and hurried to the door, pressing her ear against it.
Jake followed her to the door. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “It's fine, babe. She didn't hear anything.”
Chanise let out a sigh of relief, touching a hand to her chest. Then she turned and smacked Jake on the arm, though she was grinning the whole time. “You horn dog,” she whispered.
“What can I say?” he said, grinning. “I can't get enough of you.”
* * *
The next day at work, Chanise received an alarming phone call. She was in the middle of wrapping up the next week's schedule when the phone rang. When she answered it, an unfamiliar man asked for her by name.
“Yes, this is Chanise Johnson,” she said, already starting to worry.
“This is Robert Phillips, with the NFL investigatory committee for Jake Stone. I was wondering if I would be able to set up a meeting with you and Dr. Johnson.”
Chanise's hands started to tremble. “What...what about?”
“Well, I'm sure you're aware of Mr. Stone's suspension and the conditions of his reinstatement to the team?”
“Yes, I am.”
“In order for us to verify that Mr. Stone did indeed go through the mandatory counseling sessions he was required to attend, we need to come down there and ask you a few questions. To make sure that everything was on the up and up.”
“All right,” Chanise said, her voice trembling. “But you should know, Jake and I, our relationship, it really had nothing to do with—”
“Ms. Johnson,” Robert said, “it's really best if we discuss this matter in person. I need to get an official statement from you, and from Dr. Johnson. And I'll need to take a look at your records.”
“All right. I mean, I'll have to clear this with my father...”
“Of course. How about we set up an appointment for next week?”
“Okay. I guess that would be fine.”
She was on the phone with Mr. Phillips for a few more minutes, working out the details. Then she had to call her father in to talk with him and confirm everything. They set up a meeting for Monday morning, in between her father's counseling sessions. Mr. Phillips said he would come down to the office to speak with them directly, but he assured them that the meeting wouldn't take long.
Chanise was a nervous wreck all weekend. She called up Jake to tell him about the meeting. He assured her over and over again that it would be fine, that it was simply the league's way of going through all of the proper procedures. But not matter how much he tried to reassure her, she couldn't fight the tension that had built up inside of her. She was so scared that she would do something wrong, or say something wrong, and that it would end up costing Jake his career.
When Monday morning finally came around, Chanise couldn't focus on any of her work. She just sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen, unable to get anything done. When a man carrying a briefcase finally walked through the waiting room door, she let out a sigh of relief. At least, she told herself, the waiting was finally over.
Her father greeted Mr. Phillips in the waiting room, and then led him back to his office. Chanise joined them, taking one of the chairs in front of her father's desk, while Mr. Phillips took out the other. He pulled a small tablet computer from his briefcase and set it up on the desk with a foldable keyboard. They went through all of their introductions, and he asked them for personal details that he needed for the report, including their names, home addresses, and phone numbers.
“Okay,” Robert said, once the initial questions were over. “I just need to ask a few questions to clarify everything we've already been told by Mr. Stone. Just to confirm that your story matches his.”
Chanise started to feel nervous again. She hoped that Jake had kept his story to the simple truth. He certainly hadn't told her she needed to say anything other than exactly what happened.
“Dr. Johnson,” Robert said. “Can you tell me when exactly you learned of the relationship between your daughter and Mr. Stone.”
“It was a week ago Sunday,” Dr. Johnson said. “My granddaughter told me about it, and I confronted my daughter about it right away. I told her right then that I wouldn't be able to be Jake's counselor anymore.”
“And you had no idea that anything was going on before that.”
“None. I wouldn't have approved of it if I had known.”
“And when did you terminate your professional relationship with Mr. Stone?”
“The very next day,” Dr. Johnson said. “I called him up and explained that I wouldn't be able to be his counselor anymore, and I referred him to a colleague of mine, Dr. Nguyen.”
“And do you have copies of all of your records of the time Mr. Stone was your patient?”
Dr. Johnson pulled out a folder and handed it to Robert. “That's everything. Appointments, sign-in sheets, receipts for his insurance company, all the standard paperwork.”
Chanise let out a small sigh of relief that she had forced Jake to keep signing in. It seemed like such a small thing, but it was possible that it would make all the difference.
Robert flipped through the pages in the folder and then tucked it into his briefcase. “All right. And Ms. Johnson. Can you tell me, in your own words, how your relationship with Mr. Stone started?”
“All right.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. “We first met when he started coming in for his appointments. At first, we just talked. And he flirted with me a lot.”
“It was Mr. Stone who initiated romantic contact with you?”
“If that's what you want to call it,” Chanise said. “I just call it being hit on.”
“Were his advances unwanted?”
Chanise frowned. “That's not what I said.”
“I just want to make sure we have the details right.”
“Look, he flirted with me, and at first, I didn't think I should get in
volved with him because he was a patient. But then we decided to go out for coffee.”
“How long had he been coming here by that point?” Robert asked.
“A few weeks.”
“At any point, did Mr. Stone try to use his relationship with you to compromise your integrity?”
“What?” Chanise asked, a shocked look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, did he try to get you to alter any records, anything like that?”
“Don't be ridiculous!” Chanise crossed her arms. “Our relationship had nothing to do with his counseling sessions. Nothing at all. He just liked me. We liked each other. So we had coffee. Then dinner. Then things started to get serious.”
“And were you aware of the conflict of interest?”
“Yes,” Chanise said. “He and I talked about it, and we knew he was going to need to switch counselors. We were planning on telling my father anyway, if he hadn't found out.”
“All right.” Robert typed a few notes into his tablet, and then skimmed through his list of questions. “I just have one last question. And thank you for your patience with this. I understand this is a difficult situation, and you must not like having your personal life probed in this way.”
“No, I really don't,” Chanise said, frowning at him.
“I'm really sorry about that,” Robert said. “I hope you understand I'm just doing my job.”
“She understands,” Dr. Johnson said. “What was your question?”
“In your personal opinion,” he asked, “do you believe that Mr. Stone had any other motivations in initiating a relationship with you, beyond romance?”
“What does that mean?” Chanise asked.
“It means. Do you think he was considering his career or his suspension, or thinking that getting close to you would help him cheat his way past the mandatory counseling sessions? That he might be able to use you to alter the paperwork, or to say that he had attended sessions when he hadn't?”
“No,” Chanise said. “No, absolutely not. The only thing on his mind was me. Was us. He was attracted to me, and that was it. He didn't want to use me. I'm certain of that.”