The Pickup (Imperfect Love Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  She begins to move up and down—her arms wrapping around my neck, her fingers threading through my hair. She pushes her tits into my face as she comes almost completely off my dick before grinding back down and taking me all the way back inside her.

  “Suck on my tits,” she moans, and I about come right here on the spot. I love when Olivia lets loose, when she turns into a sex-crazed wanton woman. My lips suck on her nipple, and I bite down hard. She moans loudly, picking up speed. My fingers make their way between us, landing on her soaked pussy. I gather up her juices then circle my arm around her back side, pushing a finger into her tight hole.

  “Oh my God,” she screams as she picks up the pace, her ass bouncing up and down on my dick, her juices dripping down my balls. I’m mesmerized by the way she moves on top of me. Rolling and shifting her hips in such a way that has me ready to come. I continue to suck her nipple and finger her tight hole as she rides me harder and faster. When I feel her getting close, her walls tightening like a goddamn vice grip around my shaft, I glide my lips to her neck, sucking on the sensitive flesh. Olivia moves forward slightly, her pussy grinding me, her clit getting the friction it needs to get her off.

  “Nick…holy shit…I’m. Going. To. Come.” I push my finger a bit farther into her ass, and she loses it. Her movements turn desperate, her clit grinds harder, her cunt begins to pulse around my dick, and then she’s coming all over my dick and balls. I pull my finger out and grip her hips, taking over. Her head is thrown back in pure ecstasy as I push her down, bottoming the fuck out in her tightness as I come inside her.

  We both come down from our highs, and she looks at me with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” I’ve used my finger in her ass before, so I can’t imagine it hurt, but you never know…

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She begins to sob. “Everything is perfect. I-I love you, Nick.”

  “I love you too, Brown-Eyes, so goddamn much.”

  Thirty

  Nick

  It’s the last day of our trip, and we’re packing to go home. It’s an eleven-hour flight, so we’re getting everything ready to take on the plane for Reed so it goes as smoothly on the way back as it did coming here. The bellman knocks on the door, and we head out. We stack all of our luggage on the cart then make our way down to the valet.

  Once we’re seated on the plane, and Reed is sleeping in his portable crib, Olivia comes over and sits next to me. “Thank you for this, Nick.” She gives me a kiss on my cheek. “I had a really good time.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing those words from her. The night we got back to the hotel, after she told me she loved me, I made love to her several times, demanding each time she tell me again. She thought I was joking at first, but once she realized I was serious, she complied, screaming and moaning the words every time I made her come.

  * * *

  We have less than an hour left of our flight, and Olivia is playing with Reed on a blanket she has spread out on the floor. Killian and Giselle are sitting next to each other, looking at Killian’s iPad. I told them no cell phones allowed on the trip, so of course he found a loophole and brought his iPad.

  “Everything okay?” I ask when I notice they’re talking in a hushed whisper. Just the fact they’re sitting next to each other without killing one another should be a red flag. Giselle looks up at me and glares, and Killian gives me a wounded look.

  “Damn, man…you could’ve at least told me,” Killian says, and I’m confused as hell.

  “Told you what?”

  He throws the iPad into my lap, and when I read the headline, my heart stops.

  *Nick Shaw signs five-year contract with Los Angeles*

  I scroll down and read the story. It says I signed the contract a couple weeks ago and will be their starting QB. “This doesn’t make any sense.” I click out of the article and google my name. Article after article all say the same thing.

  “You’re saying you didn’t sign with LA?” Killian asks, and I see Olivia’s head pop up out of the corner of my eye.

  “You signed with LA?” she asks, hurt evident in every word.

  “No.” I shake my head. “This doesn’t make sense.”

  “They can’t just print something like that if it’s not true, Nick,” Giselle points out. And she’s right. There’s no way LA would announce something false, nor would ESPN.

  I go to call my dad but remember I don’t have my cell phone and we’re thousands of feet in the air. “I didn’t sign with them,” I state again. Olivia gives me a sad look but doesn’t argue.

  We land and head to our vehicles. After we get all the luggage put into our trunks, Killian comes over to me and says, “Listen, if going to LA is what’s best for your career…”

  “I didn’t sign with them,” I say. “And if I had, I would’ve told you.”

  He sighs but nods his head in acceptance. “Okay, let me know if you need anything.” We bump fists and take off in our own vehicles.

  The entire drive to Olivia and Giselle’s place is done in silence. I don’t know what to say or do, and I know I need to first figure out what the hell happened before I attempt to say anything. When we arrive at their place, I help the women get all their luggage and Reed’s stuff inside. “I need to go speak to my dad,” I tell Olivia. “I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s going on.” She nods, and I give her a kiss. “I love you.” She nods again, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that she doesn’t say it back.

  I get back to my place and grab my cell phone, powering it on. A million texts and missed calls come through. I ignore them all and call my agent.

  “Son,” my dad says when he answers on the first ring.

  “Don’t fucking ‘Son’ me,” I growl. “What the fuck did you do?”

  “Why don’t we meet to discuss this in person?”

  “Are you in town?” Because his cliental has increased in New York, he’s expanded his company here and has purchased some office space in the Financial District. He said he’s only planning to stay here long enough to make sure everything is in order, then he and my mom will be going back to North Carolina. That day can’t come soon enough.

  “Yes, I’m at my office. They completed the renovations last week.”

  Twenty minutes later, I’m standing in his office. “I didn’t sign a contract with Los Angeles” are the first words out of my mouth. My dad is sitting in his chair, typing away on his laptop. He takes his time before looking up at me.

  “Actually, you did.” He pushes some paperwork at me, and I grab them off his desk. My eyes scan the documents. It’s a contract between LA and me, and sure enough, on several of the pages is my signature.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I throw the papers back at him.

  “I did what was in your best interest.”

  “When the fuck did I sign these? You never said a word to me!” I boom.

  “Right before your trip to Hawaii.”

  My mind goes back to our brief visit before I left.

  “Any news about New York?” I ask, sitting down on the couch with Reed in my arms. Olivia had a doctor’s appointment, so I offered to keep Reed with me so she could go by herself.

  “That’s not why I’m here. I need your signature on a couple of papers…endorsement contracts and such. I’ll make it quick so you can get back to your son.” My dad hands me the documents as Reed starts squirming and getting fussy. He’s due to be fed, so he’s cranky. I grab the pen and flip through each page quickly, signing and initialing where the yellow arrow sticky notes point to sign.

  Once I’m done, he snatches the papers off the coffee table. “Enjoy your trip. We’ll discuss your contract when you get back.”

  “Holy shit, you had me sign a fucking contract with LA without my knowledge. You realize I’m going to fight you on this, right? And after I win, I’m going to destroy any credibility you have. Fuck, if
I have to, I’ll go after your license.”

  “Did you not read the contract? Five years, one hundred and sixty million dollars. As your agent, and your father, I did what was best for you. I wasn’t going to let you throw away your future for that woman!”

  “I don’t give a fuck how much it’s for! You went behind my back! You didn’t do what was best for me. You did what was best for you.” I slam my fist down on the desk. Then it hits me. “Did New York not want to re-sign me?”

  “Not for what you’re worth.”

  “But they would’ve signed me,” I clarify.

  “For fucking pennies!”

  “You’re going to fix this, or I’m going to sue you.”

  My dad stands. “You’re thinking like a pussy-whipped fool!” He leans over his desk, challenging me. “If Olivia wants to be with you, she’ll move to California. You’re not going to stay in New York to make her dad happy and get paid half. That’s ludicrous!”

  “It’s my choice to make!”

  “You’re making the wrong choice. Choosing love over money will get you nowhere fast.”

  Realizing nothing I say to this man will change his money-hungry mindset, I stalk toward the door. “I’m giving you an hour to fix this shit and then I’m coming after you.” I slam the door behind me and head to the elevator. Once I’m to my car, I call Olivia, but her phone goes to voicemail. I try again, but it does it again.

  Next, I try her dad.

  “Nick,” he says when he answers.

  “I need to talk to you about my contract.”

  “Son, you know we can’t discuss this.” Fuck!

  “Okay, can you at least tell me if you’ve spoken to Olivia? I can’t get a hold of her.”

  He’s silent for a second, and my heart starts racing, the hand holding my cell phone getting sweaty. “Stephen, where is she?” There’s no way she would’ve taken our son away from me. “She didn’t go to Paris, did she?”

  “No! No,” he says, finally speaking. “I think she’s headed to our place in the Hamptons. She said she needs some time.”

  Fuck that! She’s not getting any time. “Stephen, in those fairytales, I highly doubt when the princess runs, the prince sits back and gives her time.”

  Stephen chuckles softly. “That’s probably true.” Just as I’m about to say goodbye, he adds, “Like I told you before, Nick, regardless of what happens in this business, you’re part of our family. That will never change. I don’t know what happened, but I’m always here if you need a friend…or some fatherly advice.”

  “Thank you.”

  I hang up and turn my car toward 27-W toward the Hamptons when my phone rings. Olivia’s name pops up on Bluetooth.

  “Liv,” I answer.

  “Hey, can you come over? We need to talk.”

  Thirty-One

  Olivia

  One hour ago

  Nick drops me off and the first thing I do is call my father. When he answers, I breakdown. “Is it true? Did he sign with Los Angeles?”

  “He did, sweetheart. He didn’t tell you?”

  “No! He didn’t say a word.” I start to gather Reed’s clothes, throwing them into a small suitcase. “I asked him so many times and he said we would figure it out together.” I shove diapers and a container of wipes into a bag.

  “We just don’t have the money they have. We offered what we could, but it was still only half of what LA could offer him.”

  My body freezes in place. “This is about money? Are you serious?” A lump lodges in my throat. “One of his biggest concerns was that everyone around him was money hungry, and in the end, he chose money over his son and me?”

  “You don’t know that. He could want you to join him.” My dad, always the optimist, always seeing the best in everybody.

  “Then he should’ve asked before he signed the contract.”

  “Do you want me to come over?” my dad asks, concerned.

  “No, I’m leaving.” There’s silence over the phone.

  “You’re not going back to Paris, are you? Because I would really miss you and my grandson. I feel like I just got you back.”

  “No, I’m not going to Paris. Probably just to the Hamptons. I’ll call you once I’m on the road.”

  “Okay, sweetie. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Dad.”

  Just as I’m ending the phone call, Giselle comes down the hall. “Reed’s asleep.” She assesses the situation in front of her. “Where are you going?”

  “To our place in the Hamptons.”

  “Wow! You’re running again?” She snatches the luggage and throws it to the side. It hits the floor with a thud. Giselle has never been mad at me before, never raised her voice with me, so her actions have me frozen in place.

  “What do you mean, again?”

  Giselle scoffs. “You ran to Paris when your mom died. Then you ran home when Victor dumped you. Then, you ran home again when you found out you were pregnant. And two out of three of those times I ran with you. Well, I can’t run, Livi.” Tears threaten to spill from her lids, but Giselle is too strong to let that happen.

  “I can’t run anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to…but I can’t. And if you stop for one damn second and think about this, you don’t really want to run either. It’s just what you’re used to doing, and up until now, you’ve never had a good enough reason to stay because everything you were running from you had already lost. Your mom died. Victor broke things off. We graduated. But now—”

  “Now I have Nick,” I finish her sentence for me. She’s right. I always run. I want the fairytale, but I never fight for it. I want the happily-ever-after without wanting to work for it. I don’t know what is going to happen with Nick or what’s going through his head, but instead of running, I need to face this head on because he’s worth fighting for. I ran when I felt like my life was out of my control, but now it’s time to stay and fight. Then it hits me…

  “Giselle…what if in order to be with him, it means having to move to California?” She knows what I’m asking. Does this mean I’ll be living across the country from my best friend?

  Fresh tears brim over as she opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Then she closes her eyes for several beats before opening them back up. “Then I’ll come and visit you and Reed every chance I get.” My heart tightens. I can’t imagine my life without Giselle in it. I shake my head, not liking her answer.

  “Livi…” Her tears fall like a waterfall down her cheeks. “My mom…she’s not doing so well, and I don’t know how to help her. And now with my dad gone and my sister away at college, I have to stay here.”

  I hug my best friend. “I’m so sorry. I completely understand.”

  “Thank you. I probably shouldn’t have left to Hawaii, but I just needed a breather from it all, to escape from reality for a few days, and since my sister was off of school for spring break, she offered to keep an eye on our mom, so I could go.”

  “I hate that you’re going through this. What can I do?”

  “You can go figure out what’s going on with you and Nick. One of us deserves a goddamned fairytale ending.” She laughs softly, trying to play off the seriousness of what she just told me about her mom. “Go! Go call him.” She stands and grabs her keys. “I have a couple errands to run, but I’ll be back later.”

  Before she makes it out the door, she says, “Oh! By the way, this came for you.” She hands me a large envelope.

  “Thanks.” I open it and inside is all the information I requested from the accountant who handles Nick’s charity, Touchdown for Reading. Apparently, the original accountant retired, and Nick recently hired someone new. When we spoke, I asked him to go through and let me know how active the charity has been these last few years, so I know where to begin. I pull the papers out of the envelope and a note falls out.

  You might want to check the charges I highlighted.

  I flip through until I find the highlighted amounts. I read over them several times.
This can’t be right. There’s no way…

  My intercom buzzes, so I put the papers down. “Hello.”

  “It’s Victoria.”

  “Okay, I’ll buzz you up.”

  Knowing it will take a minute for the elevator to make its way up to my floor, I call Nick.

  “Liv,” he says when he picks up.

  “Hey, can you come over? We need to talk.”

  “I’m on my way now. I should be there in two hours.” Two hours?

  “Where are you?”

  He pauses for a second. “Where are you?”

  “Home…where else would I be?”

  “Your dad said you were going to the Hamptons. I was on my way there.” Oh no!

  “I was going to, but Giselle talked some sense into me.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, good, because your mom is on her way up.”

  I end the call just as Victoria knocks on my door.

  “Victoria, come in.”

  “Thank you.” She steps into my home, and I close the door behind us. “Well, this is a beautiful home you have here,” she says, her gaze darting around my living room.

  “Thank you. Would you like something to drink?” I ask, trying to be polite, but also wanting to stall so Nick has time to get here.

  “No, thank you. I won’t be here long.”

  “Well, I’m thirsty,” I tell her. “Feel free to get comfortable while I grab a drink. You sure you don’t want anything?”

  “I’m sure,” she snaps, losing a bit of her patience.