Game On

by Kyra Lennon

I chuckled. “You're still a charmer, aren't you?”

  “That I am,” Billy answered, finally reappearing from Stacey's room, green shirt in his hands. “Thanks for that, Leah.”

  “No problem.”

  Billy’s gaze shifted so he was looking over my shoulder, open-mouthed. I tried hard not to let out a groan.

  “Aren't you going to introduce me?” McCoy said as I turned to look at him.

  I wouldn’t have to if you’d kept out of the way.

  “Radleigh,” I said, as politely as I could manage. “This is Stacey's boyfriend, Billy. Billy, Radleigh McCoy.”

  McCoy held out his hand and Billy shook it in complete awe.

  “Wow, Leah. You didn't tell me you were bringing Radleigh McCoy to the party.”

  “Oh, I'm not. He’s just passing through, he’ll be gone before the party starts.”

  “Actually, I'm staying in a hotel for the night,” Radleigh interrupted and I fixed him with a death stare. “I only just got here.”

  “If you hadn't turned up unannounced, I could have saved you the price of a plane fare.”

  “See what I have to put up with?” McCoy asked Billy, putting his hand on my shoulder with more familiarity than I liked. It made me think of Taylor, and I shrugged him off, keeping a smile on my face so Billy wouldn’t think I was being rude.

  Bloody stupid British manners!

  “I'm sure Alison and Michael won't mind if you come along. Having a celebrity at his wedding will make Michael’s day!”

  “Oh, I’m not sure,” Radleigh said, his words oozing fake modesty. “It wouldn’t be right to intrude.”

  How I refrained from rolling my eyes at his little act, I'll never know.

  “Besides,” I added, “he probably doesn't have anything suitable to wear.”

  “I do. I brought a few extra things along with me.”

  “Well, that's settled then,” Billy said, smiling. “I have to run but I'll catch you guys later!”

  The moment Billy left, I spun round to look at McCoy. His eyes glimmered with barely suppressed pride at his bullshitting skills.

  “I could kill you. Who the hell do you think you are? You are not coming to this party, no way. Make up an excuse, anything. You're not coming.”

  “Why not? It might be fun.”

  My hatred for him had never been stronger. Not content with groping Taylor and kicking the snot out of Miguel, he had to seek me out in Boston to make my life even more uncomfortable. And fun? The only thing I wanted to do with him that could ever fall into that category would certainly not be “fun” for him.

  “I’m not about to ruin my friends' wedding by bringing you along,” I snarled.

  “But Billy’s expecting me. You wouldn’t want to let him down, would you?”

  I had two choices. I could scream at him and increase his amusement, or I could take a deep breath and accept that there was no way I was going to get rid of him easily. For the sake of my sanity, and to stop him looking any more smug, I had to calm down.

  Gently massaging my forehead to ease the headache that was rapidly coming on, I sighed. “Whatever.”

  He grinned triumphantly. “What time do you want me?”

  “Seven thirty,” I answered, unenthusiastically. “If you must come, don't be late. I won't wait for you.”

  “Lighten up, Leah. We might even have a good time.”

  “Screw you.”

  With one last look of superiority, Radleigh headed out the door and I let out a loud growl of frustration.

  Stacey poked her head out from around the bathroom door. “What's up?”

  “McCoy. How dare he come here and ruin my time off? I could throttle him!”

  “Easy, Leah,” Stacey said. “I assume he's gone now?”

  “Oh sure, he's gone. But while you were showering, Billy stopped by and invited McCoy along to the party.”

  She may not have known the situation, but Stacey could clearly see that it wasn't a smart move on Billy's part.

  “Want my advice?” Stacey asked. “Start drinking. You won't find him nearly as annoying when you’re drunk. And if you end up punching him, you can say you weren't aware of what you were doing.”

  I chuckled. “Sounds good to me!”

  When Stacey vacated the bathroom, I jumped in to the shower to begin my usual pre-partying routine. After showering and washing my hair, I slipped into my bathrobe and began sorting out the disaster that was my hair. As I was straightening it, Stacey popped into my room with a glass of vodka and coke.

  “Here,” she said, setting the glass down on the dressing table. “I thought this might help calm you down.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, then knocked the drink back in one mouthful.

  She sat on the bed chatting to me and pouring us both more drinks as I continued to get ready. It was like I’d never been away.

  Just as I was finishing off my subtle make-up with some clear lip gloss, the doorbell rang.

  “I'll go, you finish off here,” Stacey said, leaping off the bed.

  “I hope it's Billy, and McCoy has decided not to come at all!”

  No such luck. The familiar scent of Radleigh’s aftershave wafted through the hallway into the bedroom. I went out to save Stacey from the lecherous stare he was probably giving her. When I stepped out of my room he started to laugh.

  “Great minds.”

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I sighed. He was wearing black trousers and an open collared blue shirt in exactly the same shade as my dress. We couldn’t have been any more co-ordinated if we tried.

  “I need to change,” I said. Maybe Stacey had something I could fit into. Anything so McCoy and I didn’t look like twins.

  “No.” he said. “Don’t change. You look gorgeous.”

  So do you.

  Wait … what?

  “Do you two want a drink?” Stacey called, as we walked through into the living room.

  I nodded and downed another vodka and coke. Actually, I blamed the four vodkas for making me think that way. Time to start pacing myself. The problem was, without a drink in my hand, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

  I should call Miguel and let him know what’s happening.

  I didn’t know why the thought hadn’t occurred to me earlier. Probably because I was too busy drinking vodka straight out of the bottle. I needed to move around in the hope of using up some of the buzz that was taking over me anyway. I hopped up from the sofa and went into the hallway to get my phone from my bag, but just as I got my hands on it, the doorbell rang.

  I swung the door open, and Billy smiled. “All ready to go?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, as Stacey and Radleigh made their way to the door.

  Calling Miguel would have to wait. The cab had arrived, and my hellish evening was about to begin. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to make it through, but I had no choice but to give it my best shot.

  .

  Chapter 11: A Man Of Many Talents

  Alison and Michael's wedding was being held in a lavish hotel in the centre of the city, much to my amusement.

  As if I didn't spend enough time in hotels.

  There was a rather elegant function room set up especially for the reception and when we arrived, the DJ was already playing popular music as the guests began to fill up the room.

  I was already a little woozy and although I wasn’t usually such a lightweight, I didn’t normally drink so much in the space of an hour. If I carried on, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was dancing on the tables, singing It’s Raining Men.

  Before we went to the bar, Stacey, Billy, Radleigh and I went over to say hello to Alison and Michael who were slowly greeting everyone by the entrance.

  “Leah!” Alison squealed, hugging me tightly. “I've missed you! How are you?”

  “I've missed you too,” I told her. “And congratulations! You look beautiful.”

  Alison’s wedding dress was a simple, straight gown with lace detail across the bodice. It
was classy and understated, just like Alison.

  “Thank you,” she beamed, looking up at Michael with the kind of adoration that had made me nauseous before I met Miguel.

  “It's good to see you,” Michael said, kissing me on the cheek.

  He was about to say more when he caught sight of Radleigh.

  “Holy crap,” he said, his eyes widening. “It’s Rebel!”

  I was used to seeing this reaction from women, not men. I introduced them and Michael said, “Leah, I thought you were dating one of the team coaches.”

  “I am but he’s not fit to travel at the moment,” I told him, throwing a pointed glare at Radleigh.

  “So Radleigh McCoy was your last minute substitution?” Michael joked, and an alcohol induced hysterical giggle slipped out of my mouth.

  “Actually, I had no idea he was coming.”

  “But … you’re wearing matching outfits.”

  “Purely coincidental.”

  “Nah, we’re just showing our unity by wearing the team colours,” Radleigh laughed, putting his arm around me.

  The feeling of his fingers pressing lightly against my waist filled me with a sudden heat I hadn't been expecting.

  Wow, you really are pissed.

  “Let's go and get a drink, shall we?” I suggested brightly, though I knew I couldn’t let another drop of alcohol pass my lips.

  “Sure,” Radleigh said. “What's everyone having?”

  Billy and Stacey told us what they wanted and we made our way to the busy bar.

  “You're going to do everything you can to embarrass me, aren't you?” I hissed.

  “Of course not,” he replied, but I caught a devilish flash in his eyes. “By the way, you really do look all kinds of hot tonight.”

  “Shut it, McCoy.”

  He laughed, and we waited to get close enough to help ourselves to drinks. An open bar was a novelty for me. In the UK, open bars at weddings were highly unusual. I always thought that was a good thing. Free alcohol plus over-emotional family members equalled drunken fights and tears. Nobody wants their big day ruined that way.

  I looked around the room while we were waiting, at all the people who had arrived for the party. I could see why they had hired out such a big place – both Alison and Michael seemed to have huge families and a lot of friends so the space was definitely needed. Everyone was talking animatedly, hugging, catching up and there were the obligatory children skidding up and down the dance floor, as seemed to be tradition at most parties.

  “Leah, what do you want to drink?” Radleigh asked. Engrossed in people watching, I hadn’t noticed we’d reached the bar.

  “A coke, thanks.”

  “A coke? With…?”

  “Nothing. Just a plain coke.”

  “I thought you were planning on having fun?”

  “Well that plan was ruined when you showed up. Besides, I’ve already had way too much to drink. I need to slow down.”

  I was actually hoping the caffeine would help sober me up.

  “Okay,” McCoy said with a shrug. “Coke it is.”

  We joined Stacey and Billy at a four-seated candle-lit table, and McCoy and I sat down and handed out the drinks.

  “So, what's it like being a soccer player?” Billy asked. “I play a little, but nothing even close to your level.”

  “It’s unbelievable,” Radleigh replied with a grin. “I get to travel all around the country doing what I love, and I meet loads of hot women.”

  He added the last comment with a sideways glance at me, but I scowled at him.

  “What do you do for a living, man?” McCoy asked after a few minutes silence, in which Billy had obviously been fantasizing about what it would be like to be a Westberg Warrior.

  “I'm an accountant. Nothing nearly as interesting as you,” Billy said.

  “At least you get to stay at home and be with your woman.”

  I had to admit, I was impressed with the amount of effort he was making to fit in with my friends. This was quite possibly the first time I'd ever seen Radleigh being nice when there wasn't anything in it for him.

  After fifteen minutes of Billy hanging off McCoy's every word, Stacey grabbed my hand and dragged me on to the dance floor.

  “I can’t stand any more of Billy's hero worship,” she chuckled.

  “I know, like McCoy's ego isn't big enough already.”

  We danced to a few cheesy pop songs before we were worn out and desperate for another drink. Stacey and I headed to the bar, where she insisted I at least have a glass of wine. I took it, but only drank a sip before setting it down and getting myself another coke.

  A few minutes later, Alison approached us, glowing with pride and looking every inch the perfect blissfully happy bride.

  “My goodness, it's hot in here,” she said, fanning herself with her hand as she reached for a glass of vodka and lemonade. I agreed, but Stacey looked a little distracted.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I think I better go and rescue McCoy from the Billy fan club. I might see if I can put Billy in the mood for later with a little dirty dancing!”

  Alison and I shook our heads in amusement as Stacey left to re-join her boyfriend.

  “So,” Alison said, steering me away to a far corner of the room where it was a bit darker and a lot quieter, “now we’re away from the guys we can catch up properly. How are things with you? Are you still enjoying the job?”

  “Hey, come on, this is your night! We're supposed to talk about you and the wedding.”

  Alison grinned. “What's to know? It's a wedding, it was expensive and I will never be able to afford anything again for the rest of my life.”

  “You can't fool me, Ali. I can see how excited you are.”

  “Okay, of course I'm excited, I just got married! But I’ve been gushing about how happy I am for hours. I want to hear about what you've been up to.”

  “Me? It's all been about work. Apart from meeting Miguel.”

  The thought of him made me smile, and Alison said, “Wow, that's the happiest you've looked all evening.”

  “Oh,” I moaned, briefly hiding my face behind my hands. “Do I really look that pissed off?”

  “No,” Alison laughed. “Actually, you look incredible tonight. I just meant that your eyes kind of lit up at the mention of his name. Are things getting serious between you two?”

  “Well, we've not been together long but … he told me he loves me.”

  “Ooh, that's a big step forward! How did you feel about that?”

  “Ecstatic. Ali, he's such a great guy. He's so caring and honest. I wish he was here.”

  “Why isn't he?”

  “He’s injured,” I said, not wanting to go into the ins and outs of how it happened.

  “So, how come Radleigh McCoy's here?”

  “That is a long story so I will spare you the details. McCoy’s been suspended, and he decided to show up at Stacey’s to try and persuade me to help him, I think. We haven't had much chance to talk yet. Billy came over to the flat earlier and invited McCoy along tonight, so … that's why he's here.”

  “I sense animosity,” Alison said, watching me closely. “You don't like him much, huh?”

  “I don't like him at all,” I told her with a laugh. “But if I think about it, it will only make me angry. He's here, there's nothing I can do about it now.”

  “That's not a satisfactory explanation, Leah. You can't leave me dangling!”

  I looked distastefully at my glass of coke, put it down on the table and took Alison's glass of vodka and lemonade from her hand, swallowing a huge swig and causing her to burst out laughing.

  “Is he really that bad?”

  “Oh yes.”

  Alison looked across the room to where Radleigh was sitting, surrounded by children and a few of their parents. He was laughing, and one of the kids was challenging him to an arm wrestle. I watched as he pretended to struggle with the determined boy, then finally concede, making the young teenager beam wit
h pride.

  “He looks harmless enough.”

  Tearing my eyes away from him, I said, “He has his moments.”

  “He's damn good-looking too. The women in here can't keep their eyes off him.”

  “I'm used to that. It wouldn't be so bad if he weren't so up himself.”

  “Are you saying you don't see the attraction?”

  “I'm saying there are more important qualities in a man than an incredible body,” I told her. “He's a great looking guy. But that's where his good points end.”

  “I bet he's an amazing kisser.”

  I tried not to splutter into my drink. After what I’d said, confirming her theory probably wasn’t the best idea.

  “Alison! You're a married woman!”

  “Exactly. I’m married, not blind,” she said with a wink, making me laugh. She finished the last of her drink, then stood up. “Well, I better be getting back out there.”

  “Have fun. I’ll catch you later.”

  I rose from my seat and made my way over to where McCoy was sitting alone since his admirers had left him.

  “Well, well, well,” I said with an amused grin. “I never would have thought you'd have a way with children.”

  He looked up at me. “I'm a man of many talents.”

  “Well, you may be able to fool a bunch of kids into thinking you’re a superhero, but I am not so easily misled.”

  “Actually, I was charming them into not using their smartphones to tell the world where I am.”

  I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to think about that before. He wasn’t quite famous enough to be stalked whenever he stepped out his front door, but if he was seen partying while he was suspended, it would make an interesting story.

  And if I was seen in any of those photos, it would be a disaster.

  “Don’t look so worried,” he said. “Everyone’s having too much fun to take any notice of me.”

  I had no choice but to hope he was right. We were already out together, there was nothing I could do about it.

  “Why don't you tell me why you came to see me?” I said.

  “You want to talk about this now?”

  “I don't want to talk about it at all, but you came here to talk so you may as well get it out of your system.”

  Radleigh fixed his eyes on me and I could tell he was trying to figure out the best way to win me over.