Tackled by the King: A Bad Boy Sports Romance

by Christina Clark

  Under her knowing gaze, I turned bright red and she said, “I knew it! Spill.” I tossed the magazine aside indignantly and said, “What? Can’t I just be here because I love my little sister?” She leaned forward and said, “It was that guy wasn’t it? From the bar yesterday?” I wrinkled my nose, smiling slightly and she threw a cushion at me, “Tell me everything!” I caught the cushion and hid my face behind it as I said, “Oh God, Sarah, where do I even start?” She dragged herself closer and she was sitting inches away from me as I said, “Okay so, it turns out, guy from the bar is Lucas Garrett, son of Simon Garrett.” Sarah frowned and said, “That’s the guy whose wedding you’re organizing?” I nodded and said, “So, Simon invited me to a dinner party last night, and I went-” Sarah interrupted me again and said, “What did you wear?” I looked at her, all wide-eyed and alert, and laughed, as I said, “A green silk jumpsuit, it was very pretty-” she interrupted again and said, “Do you have pictures?” I picked up my phone and pulled up a picture I had taken just before leaving my house to send to Alison, and showed it to Sarah. She raised her eyebrows and said, “Whoa, Rach. No wonder he fucked you, who wouldn’t fuck you in that?” I was mortified, “Sarah!” I said, turning red again, and she laughed, waving her hand to tell me to continue with the story. I cleared my throat before I went on.

  “Okay, so I see him at the dinner party, and that’s when I realize that he’s Simon’s son. He takes me aside and starts flirting, so obviously, I flirt back- I mean, have you seen him?” Sarah nodded and I went on, “Well, so then asked if I wanted a tour of the house- you should have seen it, Sarah- it was enormous. So I said yes-” Sarah gasped and I continued, “and then we walked around for a bit and he held my hand, and then- well, then he asked if I wanted to see his bedroom.” Sarah was positively salivating as she said, “Did you say yes?” I frowned and said, “No, of course not- should I have?” Sarah shrugged and said, “If you wanted to then you should have said yes, if you didn’t want to you should have said no- it’s as simple as that.” I mulled that over in my head and said, “But I did want to- and I said no anyway.” Sarah didn’t say anything and waited for me to go on and so I did. “Well, after that I went to the bathroom and he followed me and then we- I don’t know we just started making out, it was hot and heavy and I think we could have gone further but we were interrupted by a knock on the door.” Sarah exhaled and said, “Are you kidding me?” I shrugged and said, “But wait, there’s more.” I then proceeded to tell her about the phone call and the breakfast date. I told her everything and then stopped at the part where I went up to his hotel room, blushing furiously.

  “Oh my God, Rachel- did you do it or not?” I threw the cushion at her and she laughed as she dodged it- “Come on, the suspense is killing me.” I nodded and she shrieked in delight, and lowered her voice to ask, “Well, how was it?” I smiled widely and said, “Amazing- I can’t even begin to tell you- and I won’t because you’re my baby sister. But oh God, Sarah, I didn’t even know I could feel all the things that I felt today.” Sarah laughed again and said, “Wait, are you coming straight from there?” I nodded and she scrunched up her face as she said, “Ew, Rachel, at least, shower.” I opened my mouth indignantly and she laughed again, “Relax, I’m kidding. I’m sure you’re not bringing anything that my friends haven’t’ brought in here multiple times. Patrick and Chloe did it right it where you’re sitting just last week.” I looked down at the couch in disgust but Sarah just laughed again and asked me if I wanted some coffee.

  While she rattled about in the kitchen, I thought about Lucas again, and I realized that I hadn’t had sex in over six months. The last guy I had seen was Will, and I had met him through one of Sarah’s friends. Will and I hadn’t had much in common, but I remembered how he would just hang out with me at my apartment and often at Sarah’s when her friends were over, and we would all just sit together and play drunk scrabble. Will wasn’t at all what I wanted in a man, but at least I could be entirely honest about who I was with him. He wasn’t a billionaire with a giant sprawling mansion and I didn’t have to hide my living conditions from him. I still had to live with Alison, whom I’d met in college and we had bought our first apartment together. I knew that she made so much money now that she could have her own place anywhere in New York- a fancy Manhattan penthouse perhaps- but she still stayed in that crummy little apartment with me out of friendship and loyalty. We never spoke about it, but I knew it was true. Sometimes, I accidentally opened mail meant for Alison, and I would see the amounts on the checks she received. I sighed; I was a poor girl living in a shitty little place with my college roommate, who was far more successful and beautiful than I was. What could I possibly have to offer to Lucas, the man who had everything? Sarah returned with the coffee and I tried to get back into a better mood so she wouldn’t suspect what I was thinking.

  Chapter Fifteen: Lucas

  With just two days left to the wedding, I was running around doing all sorts of ridiculous errands, but it meant that I would see Rachel in two days, and that made it worth it. We had hooked up one more time after the breakfast date, and we’d decided to keep it casual since I’d be going back to Paris soon, but I still got excited every time I had to see her or talk to her. But right then, I was stuck doing some work for Sophia- she had called me, and I knew that if I denied her request to help out, I’d have to sit through an hour-long lecture with my father and I would do anything to avoid that. I arrived at the house half an hour after Sophia had called me and I walked in, calling out her name. There was no response, and I sat down in the living room, pulling out my phone to call her. I had just started to dial her number when she came rushing down the stairs. I stood up to greet her, and she hurriedly bumped her cheek against mine as she said, “I’m running late for the cake-tasting. I need you to take Paige to her dress fitting, would you do that for me, please? She’s never been around New York on her own, and my bakery is in Queen’s. Please please, say you’ll do it.” She was holding my arm tightly, and I nodded quickly so that she would let go, and she did, throwing her hands up and saying, “Thank you. She’ll be down soon. You’re a lifesaver, Lucas.” She rushed out of the apartment, leaving only a faint trace of perfume behind her.

  I ambled over to the staircase and decided to go up to my old room. As I walked up the stairs, I started to remember all the times I would sit by the banister and listen to my dad yell at his assistant and secretary over the phone, or listen to him fight with his latest girlfriend. Some of them were really nice, and they took pity on my eight-year-old self, but my dad always drove the nice ones away quickly. Some of them were awful, and they were usually after my dad’s money and trying to send me away to boarding school. I sighed and walked up the stairs. I passed by the bathroom where I would hide and smoke as a teenager, usually with Jackson. I reached into my pocket and felt the cigarette pack there. I smiled- why not have another one in there for old times’ sake? I pushed open the door and walked into the bathroom, and found myself staring at Paige- completely nude. I quickly registered her lithe frame, her small perky breasts, her pale skin glistening with water, and her soaking black hair. I turned around quickly and said, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry-” but to my surprise, she laughed and then walked on ahead of me, bending so I could see her tight little ass as she picked up a towel and wrapped it loosely around herself. “That’s alright; I’m done anyway.” I started to apologize again, and she said, “Shh, don’t worry about it.” She then sashayed out of the bathroom, leaving me standing there feeling incredibly stupid and very embarrassed.

  I went straight down the stairs again and parked myself on the living room couch again, promising myself I wouldn’t move again until Paige asked me to leave the house for her fitting. I sat right where I was and waited for ten minutes, after which Paige came down the stairs- fully dressed this time in a pale pink tunic and sandals, smiling as though nothing had happened in the bathroom upstairs. “Are you here to take me to Madison Avenue?” I nodded, and she sho
ok her head exasperatedly, “I don’t know why Mother thinks I need a chaperone to go to the boutique. I’m not a kid,” I smiled awkwardly. She was a kid; she was just twenty years old, but you can never convince a young person they’re young if they refuse to admit it. “I don’t mind- your mother asked me and I wasn’t doing anything.” She smiled widely at me, and as she twirled a strand of her damp hair around her finger, she said, “Well, we should go.” I nodded and followed her out the door towards my parked car. Barry was talking to the gatekeeper when I called him, and he ran over to start the car as Paige and I got in. “Are we picking Miss Rachel, sir?” He asked me, and I said, “No, today we’re taking Miss Paige shopping for her dress.” I smiled at Paige, but I noticed that her expression had turned sour suddenly. I frowned, not understanding what I had done or said, and assumed that she was thinking about how I had walked in on her. She was keeping remarkably calm about it, however, and I had to admire her level of maturity.

  She smiled suddenly and said, “I really love New York. I haven’t been here for years, but every time I’m here, it just makes me feel so alive. I know everyone glamorizes New York, but it deserves to be glamorized.” I smiled and said, “But isn’t LA glamorous?” She shook her head and said, “In LA, everyone’s trying to become something big- in New York, they already are.” I chewed on that for a bit, and she leaned over and looked out of my window, pressing her upper body against my thighs as she did. “It’s so beautiful,” she sighed. I gulped uncomfortably. I could feel her firm little breasts against me, and I couldn’t help but picture them again in my mind. I cleared my throat and gently put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her away. “You should sit up properly; we don’t want an accident. The traffic here is very unpredictable.” She pouted playfully and then sat up straight and looked out of her window. “It’s just so romantic here. Don’t you think it’s romantic?” I smirked and said, “I’m not one for romance.” She leaned close again and said, “Just sex then?” I furrowed my brows. Was she trying to hit on me? That wasn’t possible- she was fifteen years younger than me, and she was going to legally be my sister in two days. I pushed the thought out of my mind and said, “Oh look, we’re here.” Barry looked at me in the rearview mirror, and I motioned for him to stop, and he left the car idling as he hurried to open our doors. I waved him towards Paige’s door as I let myself out, and he obliged.

  I walked fast on the pavement and headed towards the boutique as Paige hurried to keep up with me. I knew it was rude to leave her lagging behind, but I wanted to distance myself from her, if even for a moment. I had liked her at the dinner party when we had smoked together outside my dad’s house, but she now made me feel very uncomfortable. I was used to women throwing themselves at me, but she was a child, and she was my soon-to-be step-sister. It was just wrong, and it made me feel cheap and dirty. I still thought that maybe it was all in my head and that she was just being friendly, and I was the one reading too much into innocent interactions. I was the adult here; I should act like it. I slowed down so that she could walk next to me as I pushed open the door and we stepped inside. As we walked in, the salespeople all looked up immediately, and they seemed to recognize me. A woman came rushing over and said, “Mr. Garrett- Welcome, how may I help you?” I was startled by all the attention I seemed to be generating, as I looked around and saw shoppers talk amongst themselves and whisper behind their hands. I heard my name in carrying whispers echoing from all over the boutique. I cleared my throat, “Yes, my step-sister has an appointment for a dress fitting I believe,” I said pointing at Paige, who nodded at the saleswoman and said, “Paige Cooper.” The woman nodded immediately, and said, “Of course, for your mother’s wedding. Please come with me.”

  I sat down on a small pouf near the dressing rooms as the saleswoman led Paige inside. I picked up a magazine and absently leafed through it. I saw a number of models I knew (and had fucked) over the years. Bored, I kept flipping through the pages until a familiar name jumped out at me- Felix Bouchard. I frowned; I couldn’t remember why that name had caught my attention. Who was Felix Bouchard, and why did that name bring up such unpleasantness? I tried to rack my brain, but I couldn’t remember. I tossed the magazine aside and looked around, and I caught sight of a dress hanging towards the back. I stood up, and walked over to it, thinking about Rachel and what she would look like at the wedding. I was still looking at it when I heard Paige clear her throat, and I turned around to see her standing there in a long teal gown with a plunging neckline. She twirled around, and I smiled and said, “You look beautiful,” as she beamed at me. She gave the saleswoman a few instructions about the fitting, and then hurried back into the dressing room. I turned my thoughts back to Rachel and ambled over to the counter. Soon, Paige was back in her pale pink tunic, and we got ready to leave the shop. “Paige, why don’t you head to the car, I’ve called Barry, and he’ll bring it around. I have something to take care of; I’ll join you in a minute.” Paige looked at me curiously, but she walked out of the boutique nevertheless, as I turned my attention to the man standing behind the counter.

  Chapter Sixteen: Rachel

  It was the day before the wedding, and I knew I had a long day of planning and working ahead, and the stress of it was getting to me. I hadn’t seen Lucas in a few days because the wedding plans were getting hectic, with Sophia calling in every day and changing her mind about everything. She wanted pink peonies at first, and now that everything was done, she decided she wanted a wall of roses like Kim Kardashian had at her wedding. I was going crazy trying to put everything together, and I couldn’t sleep. I checked the clock on my bedside table and groaned. It was 6 a.m., and I didn’t have to be in at work until 9. I sat up anyway, knowing there was no way I could sleep now. I decided I’d go for a run. I loved running, but I hadn’t been doing it recently, and I could feel the emotional effects of having left it already. I needed that little endorphin kick in the morning, and I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, and as I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I felt better already. Somehow I felt like I was in control of my own body, which is something I hadn’t felt in a long time. With Lucas, while I was in the throes of an orgasm, I felt like he was dictating the way I moved and moaned and touched- which I loved, but I also felt like he was definitely the dom and I was the sub. I pushed the thought out of my head and pulled on my tracksuit; I was gathering my hair on top my head and walking out the door when I stumbled and tripped over something. “What the fuck?” I yelled out loud as I massaged my shin, and whipped around on the floor to see what had caused me to fall.

  It was a large flat box with Roberto Cavalli stamped on it in bold lettering. I sighed; another package for Alison, probably one of her ten thousand admirers. I picked it up and carried it inside, as a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. I put the box down and went back to retrieve the piece of paper, and as I picked it up, I caught sight of my own name delicately hand lettered on one side. “What?” I said out loud, confused, and I turned the flimsy little card over. It said:

  Rachel,

  I saw this dress and couldn’t stop thinking of how breathtaking you would look in it. Please wear it to the wedding- for me.

  Love,

  Lucas.

  With trembling hands, I closed the door to my apartment and walked over to the package I had hastily placed on Alison’s bed, and I carried it outside. I reached out to open it, but couldn’t get myself to lift the lid. I reached out and let my hands drop again. I had never been the object of admiration before. I thought back to Will and how he would never even bring me chocolates or flowers while men would shower Alison with Tiffany’s and Cartier. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and quickly dialed Alison. She blithely answered the phone and squealed, “Rachey, darling. How are you?” She sounded bright and happy, and I could hear people shouting in Spanish behind her. “Ally, where are you?” I said in a voice that must have raised some concern in Alison because she moved to a quieter place and said, “I landed in Barcelona y
esterday love, is everything okay?” I laughed shakily, and said, “Yeah I’m good. I just had a fashion question.” Alison laughed too and said, “Why is your wedding client doing ridiculous things again?” I looked at the piece of paper in my hands and said, “Well- you could say that.” I could hear Felix in the background as Alison said, “Okay, shoot. What do you wanna ask?” I looked back at the label on the box and said, “So how big of a deal is Roberto Cavalli?”

  She laughed and when I didn’t respond she said, “Oh my God, Rachel are you serious? The biggest deal. He’s huge- Kurkova and Natasha Poly have represented him, oh my God is he coming to the wedding?” I sighed. I had expected she might say that, and I said, “Well, remember how I mentioned that Lucas Garrett is the son of my client?” There was a brief pause, and she said, “Ahan?” I went on, “Well, so I’ve kind of been sleeping with him.” Alison almost shrieked, “Rachel!” I quickly said, “I know- I know- just don’t say anything about that, please. It’s just- I kind of like him, but it’s nothing serious.” Alison sighed and said, “Okay- so?” I looked back at the box and said, “Well, this morning, I received a package. It says Roberto Cavalli on it, and I assumed it was for you, but it’s for me. And he wants me to wear it to the wedding.” Alison gasped and said, “Oh my God! What does it look like?” I sighed and said, “I don’t know- I haven’t opened it yet. Should I?” Alison shrieked again, “Rachel! I’m going to kill you- you get a fucking dress from fucking Roberto Cavalli, and you don’t even fucking open it?” I held the phone a few inches away from my ear so she wouldn’t deafen me, and I said, “Ally, I know you’re busy but will you Skype me so we can open it together? I’m just worried because what does this mean? It can’t be cheap, right?” Alison laughed and said, “Do you think ten thousand dollars or more for a dress is cheap? It’s couture, darling.”