Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

by Krista Lakes

  “You know, Elsie, you don't have to stay at the hotel while you're in town,” he said, while affectionately massaging her shoulder with one hand. “I've got a house not far from here.”

  She looked up at him, meeting his gaze with those beautiful eyes of hers that always made him smile. “I know that. I just don't want my presence here to bring too much attention to you.”

  “What do you mean?” Oliver asked.

  “Something happened when you first saw me in the stands at your practice and we kissed,” she said. “I looked over when you were going back down to the field and I saw Nikki. She gave me a pretty nasty look. There's a lot of girls out there that would give me that nasty look. You're kind of a hot commodity.”

  “That's just Nikki,” Ollie said with a sigh. “You've got to ignore her. And everyone else.”

  “And I will,” Elsie assured him. “I just don't want to step on any toes or make anybody mad.”

  “That's why you don't want to stay at my house?” Oliver asked.

  “I don't want to attract unnecessary attention. Plus, what if Nikki were to show up while I'm there? She'd flip out and I know it.” Elsie sighed, still looking into his eyes. “I just think it's easier if I stay at the hotel for now.”

  Oliver's heart sank a bit. He wished she'd stay with him while she was in town. It would make him feel like they were a real couple. They'd get to play house for a while. He could make her dinner and they'd get to wake up together in the morning. It would have been so much fun, but he also had to respect Elsie's need for a boundary, being that Nikki had already made her presence known and didn't seem too happy about it.

  “Okay,” he finally said. “I guess I can understand that. Can I ask you something, though?”

  “Of course.” Elsie slowly sat up and crossed her legs.

  “How long are you in town?” he asked. “You haven't told me.”

  Elsie shrugged. “I wasn't sure how things would turn out, so I just bought a one-way ticket. I can go home whenever.”

  “That's the best news I've heard all day,” Ollie said, with a smile. “By the way, I've got practice tomorrow and it will be a long one. Coach is running us through offensive drills again and they usually go until late in the evening.”

  “That's okay,” Elsie replied. “I can find something to do around here.”

  “No, I've got a better idea,” he said. He had an idea. “How would you feel about a day at the spa tomorrow?”

  Her eyes lit up immediately.

  “Really?” she asked.

  Oliver nodded. “Yes, really. I feel bad that I won't be able to spend time with you tomorrow. Plus, you deserve some spoiling.”

  “You're too sweet to me, Ollie,” Elsie said.

  “Anything for my girl,” he replied, as he leaned in to kiss her.

  I mean that, too, he thought. Anything.

  Chapter 22

  Ollie

  After a brutal workout and several hours of grueling training with his team, Oliver was finally home. It was almost nine at night, but it felt much later. Every muscle in his body was sore and the intensity of the drills had renewed a bit of pain in his recovering knee. He did his best to keep his weight off of it as he took a shower and crawled into bed. Sleep was coming soon. He could feel it. But he didn't want to close his eyes until he at least called Elsie to see how her day was.

  He dialed her up and relaxed into his pillows as the phone rang.

  “Hello, handsome,” Elsie said, picking up after just two rings.

  “Hi, beautiful,” Oliver replied. “How was your day?”

  “Let's see. I was picked up this morning at my hotel by a limousine and taken to a spa,” she said. “I then spent the better part of the day getting massaged and pampered. I don't think I have a single knot in any one of my muscles right now. So my day was beyond amazing, to say the least. Thank you again for spoiling me. It was really nice.”

  “You're very welcome,” Ollie said, as he scooted himself up to a seated position with his back leaning against the headboard. “I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. A massage sounds pretty amazing right now.”

  “Did you have a tough training today?” she asked, sounding concerned. He loved that she cared.

  “Yeah, harder than I was expecting. Coach ran us ragged and I learned that I'm still not one hundred percent.” Ollie put a pillow underneath his right leg to elevate it, helping to ease the throbbing a bit. “My knee is a little sore actually. First time in a while.”

  “That's normal,” Elsie said. “You're still healing. It could take months before you don't feel any pain at all. As long as it's not excruciating, then it's nothing to worry about. Take some ibuprofen and relax.”

  “Are those the doctor's orders?” Ollie joked.

  “Yep, you know it,” she said, laughing.

  “I wish I could see you tonight,” Ollie said. “But I'm afraid I'd fall asleep before I made it out of the front door.”

  “It's okay. I'm so relaxed and already curled up under the covers here at the hotel,” she said, letting out a yawn. “Can I see you tomorrow, though?”

  “Definitely,” Ollie said, feeling his eyes get heavier by the second. “I've got a meeting with one of my sponsors in the morning, but that should only go until eleven. After that, I'm all yours. I'll take you out to lunch and a movie. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds like a date,” she said. “I'll check to see if there are any good movies playing. In the meantime, get some rest and elevate that leg.”

  “One step ahead of you,” Ollie replied. “I've had a pillow under my knee the whole time we've been talking. You've trained me well, Doc.”

  “That's what I like to hear,” Elsie said. “You know, I was thinking about you today and I've got to say, it's much more fun dating you than it is treating you as a patient.”

  Oliver smiled, recalling the night before and the amazing sex they'd had. It almost got him hard just thinking about it.

  “That's an understatement,” he replied, with a chuckle. “Way more fun.”

  “Okay, well have a good night,” Elsie said. “Sleep tight.”

  “You, too, gorgeous.” Ollie's eyes were almost fully closed now, but he managed to at least end the conversation before falling asleep. “Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  He hung up and then set his phone on the night stand. Within seconds, he was sound asleep.

  It was still dark in Oliver's room when something woke him up. A beam of light entered through the open crack of his bedroom door. The brightness washed over his face, pulling him out of his deep sleep. Someone was standing in the doorway. He could only see their silhouette, but it was clearly a female. Tall and skinny. Oliver sat up in his bed and squinted against the incoming light.

  “Elsie?” he asked.

  The response he received was immediate. “No, sorry to disappoint you.”

  The woman flipped the light switch, illuminating Oliver's bedroom. Standing there, wearing sweat pants and a loose-fitting tank top, was Nikki.

  “Nikki? What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, his voice still groggy.

  “I just came by to see how you were doing,” she said, in her most innocent voice. “I had heard you guys had a pretty ruthless training session last night.”

  Ollie rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hands. “So you show up in my house in the middle of the night?”

  “It's not that late,” she scoffed. “And actually, I was just about to leave. I tried to wake you up, but it seemed you were out like a light. I'm actually surprised you're awake right now.”

  This has got to be the weirdest thing she's ever done, he thought.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked. His brain was still groggy with sleep and all he wanted to do was go back to it.

  “I brought you those muffins you like on recovery day,” she said, leaning against the door frame. “And, I guess I just felt like seeing you and didn't want to wait until tomorrow.”

>   “Nikki, you see me almost every day,” he said, beginning to lose his patience. “You can't just come in my house whenever you feel like it. That's beyond weird and I don't like it.”

  “What? Your old friend can't come surprise you?” Nikki asked the question as though showing up to someone's house in the middle of the night was something that normal people did.

  “No, Nikki,” he replied. “You can't.”

  A part of him wondered if he was dreaming. Although, Nikki standing in his room uninvited would be something he'd likely consider to be more of a nightmare than a dream. She was there, alright. Bad intentions and all. She was always up to something and in his gut, he had a feeling that this was no exception.

  “Look, you need to leave.” Ollie pointed toward the door she was already standing in front of. “I've got to get some sleep and there's no reason for you to be here right now. Unless there's a business emergency, then it's best you go.”

  Nikki pouted out her lower lip, seeking a bit of empathy from Ollie. It didn't phase him in the least, though. Her little tricks had no power over him any more. She gave it her best effort though, for full minute. Just standing there, with the most innocent and attention seeking expression on the planet. But Oliver didn't budge. He just sat in his bed with his arms crossed and his eyes half-closed, wishing for nothing more than to be able to fall back asleep.

  “Fine,” she finally said, realizing that Ollie would not be swayed. “I guess have a good night. See you tomorrow morning for the sponsorship meeting.”

  “Sounds good,” he replied, abruptly. “See you then.”

  Nikki turned and began to walk out of the bedroom, but Ollie called out, stopping her in her tracks.

  “Hey, Nikki,” he said. “Hold up.”

  She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah? What is it, Oliver?”

  “Do I need to amend your contract?” he asked. “I don't want you coming over without permission ever again.”

  “I won't do it again.” Nikki nodded in agreement, but there was a gleam in her eye and the outside of her lips curled into an evil-looking grin. Ollie had seen the expression before. It was usually when Nikki was pissed off beyond belief but trying her best to hide it.

  “Sleep tight,” she said, as she stepped the rest of the way out and closed the bedroom door behind her.

  That woman is crazy, he thought, listening to Nikki's steps as she made her way downstairs and out the front door. And not the good kind of crazy. Whatever, though. I'm going back to sleep. I'll just pretend this weird incident didn't happen. Besides, I've got a lot to look forward to tomorrow. I get to see Elsie.

  Chapter 23

  Ollie

  After a few hours of schmoozing with the new sponsors, Oliver and Nikki stepped out the front doors of The Bandit's manager's office. Ollie was still a bit tired from the night before. He hadn't slept well after Nikki had left his home. He'd tossed and turned the rest of the evening, trying to figure out why she'd really been there in the first place. It just didn't make sense.

  “Oliver, why are you being so quiet?” Nikki asked, as the two walked across the parking lot.

  “Just a little bit tired, I guess,” he said.

  He considered bringing up the weird midnight visit from the evening before, but knew that he wasn't going to get any answers from her. She'd just tell him what she had said then, which was basically that she had missed him and wanted to see him and muffins. But he knew there was more to it than that. In his gut, he knew.

  “I hope you're excited about how well that meeting just went with the sponsors,” Nikki said, her face beaming. “We just tagged another million dollars onto your contract and all you have to do is wear that company's brand of glove when you're playing.”

  “Yeah, can't argue with that,” he said, unlocking the driver's door of his SUV. “Nothing wrong with easy money.”

  Nikki's car was parked next to his, but she didn't walk up to it. Instead, she stood next to Oliver as though she was expecting something.

  “I guess have a good day,” Ollie said, hopping into the driver's seat.

  Nikki held the door open, moving in close to Oliver.

  “Can I spend the rest of the afternoon with you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

  “No, sorry, I can't,” he said. “I've got plans.”

  “With Elsie?” she growled.

  “Yes, actually,” he replied. “With Elsie.”

  “Whatever.” Nikki spun around and marched over to her car. She started it up and slammed on the gas, causing the tires to squeal on the concrete as she sped out of the parking lot.

  What has gotten into her? Ollie thought.

  He pulled out his cell phone to see a handful of calls and texts that he had missed during the sponsorship meeting. One of the calls was from Sean. It was odd to get a call from him, since they spent so much time together during training anyway. Ollie decided to call him back right away.

  “Hey, buddy.” Sean sounded excited when he picked up Oliver's call. “Man, I thought you were famous before but now you're like the king of social media. Why didn't you tell me you were getting back together with Nikki? I thought you were with Elsie.”

  “Wait, what?” Oliver asked, in utter confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “Seriously?” Sean laughed. “Nikki posted that picture of you guys last night and it's gone viral. Over a million 'likes' in one day. That's one way to tell the world who you're dating, I guess.”

  Ollie sat silent for a moment, trying to absorb what his friend was telling him. But it didn't make any sense.

  “I'm not dating Nikki,” Oliver said. “I have no clue what you're talking about.”

  “Really? Because she put up a picture online of you guys laying together in bed. Nothing too risque. It was just you two cuddled up.”

  “What in the hell are you talking about, man?” Oliver was overwhelmed with confusion, but desperately trying to put the pieces together.

  “You really don't know?” Sean asked, his voice loosing the upbeat quality he usually had. “The picture was a selfie she'd taken. She posted it with a comment that said something about how she was waking up from a nap with her boyfriend.”

  “Are you joking me?” Ollie asked. “You better be messing with me right now, Sean.”

  “No, I'm not,” he said. “Why would I do that? I was kind of excited that you guys were back together, so I was calling to say congratulations. You liked the picture, so I thought it was legit.”

  “We aren't back together. Nikki and I haven't been back together since I broke it off a year ago.” Oliver's confusion was quickly turning into anger. His heart was beating quickly. “Can you send me what Nikki posted? She has access to all my social media.”

  “I can, but like I said, all you have to do is go online,” Sean explained. “Just type in your name and I'm sure it'll come up.”

  “Thanks,” Ollie said. “I'll call you later.”

  He hung up the phone and immediately got online.

  What has Nikki done? He thought, as he typed his name into the search engine.

  Just like Sean had said, the Internet had blown up about “Oliver Lance's love affair with his personal assistant, Nikki.” His eyes scanned down the screen of his phone. The headline of each article was similar, so he clicked on one of them. The first thing that popped up on the website was a photo. It was clearly the one that Sean had been referring to.

  “What the hell,” Ollie whispered, his eyes focusing. “No way.”

  On the left side of the photo was Nikki. Her arm was in the shot, as she held her phone to take the selfie. She was smiling playfully. Her hair was in disarray and she wasn't wearing make up. She was wearing a loose-fitting tank top that left little to the imagination. But that part of the image isn't what disturbed him the most. On the right side, laying directly next to Nikki, was Oliver. He was on his back with his blankets pulled up to his chin. He was sound asleep in his bed.

  This has got
to be some kind of joke, he thought.

  His gaze moved down to the caption at the bottom of the photo, where Nikki had written, “Waking up with my amazing boyfriend, Ollie. He's still sleeping. Football season starts in two days! He needs his rest!”

  The little heart was filled in with Oliver's name right next to it, indicating that he liked the picture. There was even a comment, “You're too good to me, babe!” from his account. He suddenly regretted giving Nikki access to his social media. She'd even pretended to be him for this little stunt.

  Oliver's vision turned red and the phone dropped out of his hand and onto his lap. Everything began to add up. The weird visit from Nikki the night before was no random occurrence, just as he had suspected. He recognized her tank top in the photo and it was the same one she had been wearing when he'd woken up to find her standing in the doorway of his bedroom. She hadn't been stopping by for just a visit, though. She'd come in to snap a picture of the two of them in bed. Nikki was trying to sabotage him.

  He picked up his phone and quickly surfed the Internet for a bit, checking to see just how far this rumor had spread. Sean had been right. It was everywhere and already trending on social media sites. The public was eating up the story. It was juicy gossip and that's what people love. The juicier the better.

  Oliver became deeply angry. His privacy had been invaded by Nikki. But then someone else entered his mind. Someone who would be just as affected by this gossip as he was.

  “Shit,” he whispered. “Elsie. She's going to see this.”

  Ollie started up his car and pointed it in the direction of her hotel. It was a twenty-minute drive and he feared he was already too late. Even so, he had to talk to her and explain things.

  His heart raced as he pulled onto the highway. His hands were shaking with emotion.

  That crazy bitch, Nikki, he thought. She's finally gone too far.

  As Ollie made his way across town, he called up the woman who'd started this mess. She answered her phone after just one ring, with a chirpy “Hello!”