by Abbi Hemp
I watched his chest rising and falling, and I felt so content and ready to spend the rest of my life. Even without my money, I would be happy with him.
Wasn’t that a sign of true love? Being willing to sleep on a wooden floor as long as you’re with the one you love, the person who matters most.
“I love you,” he said suddenly as if he were reading my inner most thoughts.
“I love you, Tony.”
“We’ll find out more about the money tomorrow at our meeting with Mr. James. Hopefully he can recover some of it, but even if he can’t, I’ve got enough for us to live together.”
“You’re a dream come true. Do you know that?”
I stared at his face, lost in those eyes of his.
“We’re going to be okay.”
I believed him.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Tony
Heidi sat next to me in Mr. James’ office at the FBI building. He frowned before saying anything.
“Give it to me straight,” I said, squeezing Heidi’s hand.
“It’s not good. Like I said before, these things take time. We haven’t been able to find Mr. Nowski yet and extradite him. Rest assured, we’re working on the problem.”
“That’s not good enough,” Heidi insisted.
“Unfortunately…”
“Not unfortunately for you,” she snapped.
I stood.
“We’re going to go. Let us know when you have any new information.”
Heidi got to her feet, lips pressed tightly together.
“I’ll do that, Mr. Cassano. There’s still a chance we’ll catch this guy.”
“You better. It’s your job.”
I smiled and raised a hand before walking toward the door.
Heidi followed, stopping in the hallway.
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“There’s no reason to get upset with him,” I said.
“I know, but…”
Her voice trailed off.
“Let’s get out of this building and get some fresh air.”
She walked down the hall toward the elevators. I followed, loving and hating her fiery temperament at the same time. Her complexities were what made me love her so much.
We entered the empty elevator alone.
“I’m sorry,” she said as we rode down to the lobby.
“You don’t have to be sorry for being upset, but you took it out on that poor guy.”
She sighed. I placed a hand on her back.
“We’re both under a lot of stress. I’m still playing for a professional football team. We’re going to be okay.”
“I know…”
The elevator door slid open.
She stepped out and into the lobby.
I followed her to the glass door leading outside.
Under a clear blue sky, we walked toward the parking garage.
“You okay?”
“I’ll be okay. Don’t think I’m not happy about you coming into my life, it’s just I thought I was financially secure on my own, you know?”
“Yeah, I do. Here’s the thing, Heidi. We’re a team now. What’s mine is yours.”
“Oh, so you’re not going to make me sign a prenuptial agreement?”
“Not if you don’t want to sign one. I’m trusting you, but it’s because I love you and think you love me too.”
“I do, Tony.”
We stopped in front of the metal door to the parking garage.
I held it open for her. She walked inside, heading up the stairs.
* * *
I pulled into my driveway and parked, turning to her.
“You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded.
“Do you mind if I hang out with Jessica a while?”
“Not at all. I’m going to catch up on all the pre-season madness on television and the blogs.”
“You know you’re my hero no matter what the haters and fans say, right?”
I leaned over and kissed her before we got out of the car.
We parted ways inside the house. She went to talk with Jessica while I headed into the living room. Before I switched on the television, my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Tony?”
“Yeah. Who is this?”
“Coach Underwood wants you to come in and see him.”
“I’m not waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.”
“This isn’t for the whole team. Just you.”
“What’s he want to talk about?”
“That’s between him and you, Mr. Cassano. Can I tell him you’re on the way?”
“Can’t he talk to me on the phone.”
“No. He said he wants to see you in person. It’s important.”
I took a deep breath.
“Fine. I’m on my way.”
The unknown office person ended the call.
“Fuck,” I muttered then made my way to the kitchen.
Heidi and Jessica were sitting at the table with coffee mugs in front of them.
“What’s wrong?” Heidi asked.
“I’ve got to go talk to Coach.”
“Why?”
“They wouldn’t say.”
“Is it about the other day?”
Jessica looked down at the table.
“I’m not sure, but I won’t know until I talk to them.”
“They would never replace you so close to the start of the season, would they?”
She got to her feet and walked over to me.
“Who knows what they’ll do. I’ll be back later tonight. Do you need me to bring anything home?”
“No, we’ll be fine. Be safe.”
“Always.”
I kissed her then left the room and the house. Nestled in the driver’s seat of my Mercedes, I headed toward the stadium downtown.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Tony
As I approached Coach’s office, I saw Harris walking out. He smiled smugly then averted his eyes as we passed in the hallway. I thought about stopping him, but Coach stepped out.
“Get in here,” he said bluntly.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever was about to happen. Not knowing was the worst.
“Sit down,” Coach said as he sat behind his desk.
“What’s this about?” I asked, not sitting.
“Sit down,” he repeated, motioning toward the chair across from his desk.
I sat, sitting on the edge, staring straight at him.
“What’s this about? Did Harris come clean about what he was doing?”
He snorted with laughter then shook his head.
“You fuckers are worse than my grandkids.”
I tilted my head to the side in confusion.
“You’re telling me he did something, and he just left after telling me you’ve been running an escort service in the stadium.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“There you go again.”
“You can’t take his word over mine.”
“He told me all about that woman from the strip club. What’s her name?”
“Her name is Heidi, and she’s going to be my wife.”
“I’d be careful if I were you. Harris told me…”
“He doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” I interrupted.
That made him angry, his facial features changing in a flash.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing, Coach. It’s just…”
“Shut up, Tony. I’m sick of your shit.”
“My shit?”
“Yeah, you thinking you’re better than everyone else. That Heidi woman put you up to all of this, didn’t she? I heard you lost all that money, but damn, Son, this isn’t the way to make more money.”
“I’m not involved with it at all. Harris is lying to you because he’s the one behind all of this.”
He waved his arm through the air in disgust.
“Listen up. Here’s the deal. We’re prosecuting her so
that the owners of the stadium and the league isn’t held responsible for all the shenanigans going on around here.”
“No. You can’t.”
“I can, and I will. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“You quit the team. Most of the media are going to think you and her were involved and leave us alone if you go away. And if you quit, we don’t have to pay out the rest of your contract.”
“What?” I stood up. “You can’t do this. She’s innocent, and so am I.”
“We have witnesses that she’s behind it all.”
I shook my head, refusing to believe him.
“This isn’t right, Coach.”
“Maybe not, but it’s what we have to do if we’re going to have a chance of winning during my last season.”
“You would throw me under the bus like this?”
He shrugged, showing no emotion.
“It’s your call.”
“Fuck this team. I love her.”
He flinched in surprise.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m positive.”
I turned and left his office. As much as I loved football and needed the income, I loved Heidi more, and I wasn’t about to sacrifice her for my own gain.
We would find another way.
* * *
When I returned to the house, I still hadn’t come up with any sort of solution. Heidi looked up from the couch as I walked in the living room. Jessica sat next to her watching television.
“How did it go?” Heidi asked.
I glanced at Jessica.
“Ready for bed? I’ll tell you upstairs.”
“Sure.”
Heidi stood. Jessica did the same.
“I’ll be heading to my room. Thanks again for letting me stay here.”
“You’re fine,” I said, not worried about her in the least.
That Ugly Stan character wasn’t below hurting her. Part of me still wanted to believe the truth would come out and I’d be allowed back on the team.
“What happened?” Heidi asked as we climbed the stairs next to each other.
“They wanted me to help prosecute you for running the escort operation at the stadium.”
“What? That’s crazy. I had nothing to do with it.”
“I know.”
We reached the top of the stairs and continued toward our bedroom.
“Harris had something to do with it, I think.”
“And Ugly Stan, I bet.”
“We know he’s behind it, but there’s no way to prove it.”
“Yeah, but you can’t quit. Let them come after me but stay on the team. We need the money.”
I stopped and turned her toward me, hands on her arms.
“Listen. Nothing is more important than you anymore. Do you understand?”
She pressed her lips together.
“I love you, Heidi, and that’s all that matters. The rest will fall into place.”
“But what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know at the moment, but we’ll figure it out.”
We made quick but passionate love after reaching the bedroom.
Afterward, I promised to spend some time helping plan the wedding the next day.
With everything else going on, both of us needed a break to concentrate on our future.
The rest of the world might be falling apart around us, but we had each other.
As she snuggled in my arms, I knew that was all that really mattered in life.
THIRTY-NINE
Heidi
I woke up the morning after he had given me the big news, and I still couldn’t believe he had chosen me over football. He had insisted we’d find another way to survive and start our family.
With my lottery money gone and his supposed investment not very evident, I opened my eyes with a sense of dread overwhelming me. Seeing him still sleeping made me feel better.
He farted then rolled over. I laughed, scrambling out of bed.
“Morning,” he grunted. “Do I have to get out of bed?”
“We’re planning our wedding today. You’ve got to be more excited.”
He sat up and stretched. I stared at his perfectly proportioned body.
“Come back to bed,” he begged, motioning me over.
I reluctantly crawled into bed next to him.
“You’re going to help me plan this, right?”
“Jessica is helping you, right?”
I stared into his eyes as we sat next to each other.
“Yeah, but I want it to be your wedding too.”
“Baby, I’ve got nothing but time on my hands.”
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
He put an arm around my back and pulled me close.
When he kissed me, I didn’t resist. The touch of his lips against mine somehow made it easier to deal with everything going on in our lives.
“Are we going to get through this?” I asked after pulling back. “Really?”
He shushed me then put his lips against mine.
I felt his strong hand on my breast, and I gave up resisting.
When we made love, all my problems went away for a while at least.
So many problems plagued us, I didn’t mind all the sex. Not at all.
I rode him in cowgirl position, leaning forward, my breasts pressed against him.
His quick and labored breaths turned me on even more as we both greeted the day with lust.
As usually happened, I came first, squirming. He followed not more than a minute later.
I stared into his eyes, hoping he had a plan to get us back on the right path.
* * *
Later that afternoon, as I suggested Europe for our honeymoon, Tony dropped a bombshell between us at the dining room table.
“We’re going to have to scale back the wedding.”
“Are you kidding? I thought you had money saved up, other investments and stuff.”
“Well, I do, but I lost my job. With no money coming in, I have to be careful.”
“I want my dream wedding, Tony. Since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted my dream wedding.”
“We can still have it. Just smaller.”
I shook my head, not ready to accept our new reality.
“We have to be careful, Heidi. I’m not even sure what kind of job I can get.”
“I’ve got an idea.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded.
“But you’re not going to like it.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“I have to go talk to Ugly Stan and get him to admit he’s behind it and not me.”
“No, I don’t want you to go and see him on your own.”
“You can’t control me, Tony. Stop trying.”
He sighed then shook his head.
“Why do you have to be so difficult sometimes?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Heidi, no…”
“You can’t stop me.”
I left the dining room and went outside to my car. They would repossess it soon, but until then I had to fight and protect Tony and myself. Ugly Stan had to listen to reason.
He wanted to destroy my life. I had to stop him.
No matter what it took.
FORTY
Heidi
Tony not coming after me or trying to stop me was a shock, but I had to do something. The money didn’t matter as much to me as the fact Tony loved playing professional football.
Ugly Stan was a miserable son of a bitch, but he might be reasonable if I could spin his confession into a positive somehow. I still wasn’t sure of how to do it as I pulled up to the club.
When I got inside, I went straight back to his office. A few of the other dancers, some I didn’t recognize, gave me looks, but I kept walking, paying them no attention.
“We need to talk,” I said, knocking on his door.
“Come in already,” he barked. “We’re not hiring unless you
blow me.”
I opened the door and stormed in.
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t work here if I had no other options,” I said.
“It’s you,” he said, reaching for his cell phone.
“No need to call your goons to protect you. I’m unarmed.”
I raised my hands in the air briefly.
He stared right at my breasts.
“Quit gawking at me,” I said.
“You better watch your mouth, girl.”
“I’m a woman, not one of your fucking girls.”
He sat back in his chair and stared up at my face.
“Go on. What do you want?”
“You’re behind the escorts at the stadium, and you need to admit it so Tony gets his job back.”
He cackled with laughter which quickly switched to a horrible-sounding cough.
“You’re a funny dumb bitch,” he said, shaking his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I’ve been around you long enough to know the truth. This is totally something you would do. Besides, Jessica told me you’re behind it all.”
“No one’s going to believe that dried-up whore.”
“Watch your mouth.”
“Or what?” he asked, standing up.
I backed away from him as he walked around the desk.
When he closed the office door and locked it, my heart sank.
Maybe I hadn’t thought this all the way through.
He turned to face me, this sickening expression on his face.
“I’m leaving,” I said, heading for the door.
He stepped in front of me.
I narrowly avoided bumping into his stomach.
“Where do you think you’re going? You still owe me.”
“I don’t owe you shit,” I yelled.
The dance music pounding outside drowned out my voice.
“You need to let me go.”
“Or what?”
He snickered, reaching for me.
I grabbed the closest thing on his desk, a heavy glass ashtray.
As he stepped toward me, I brought it down on his head.
“You fucking bitch,” he cried out, hand rushing to where I’d hit him. “You’re going to fucking pay for that.”