Play Me

by Kelly Elliott

  It was my turn to be confused. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Kendall shook her head, pointed at me, and then turned on her heel and stormed out of my apartment. She slammed the door so loud I jumped. Then I laughed.

  Still laughing, I made my way to the kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator, and grabbed a beer. I sank down into the leather sofa and took a long, slow pull from the bottle. Smiling, I propped my feet up on the coffee table.

  “Hunter, one; Kendall, zero.”

  I dragged my hand over my face with a sigh. The last three days had been hell. This team was worse than I’d thought. No coach in his right mind would want the responsibility of straightening out these idiots.

  I could hear the players carrying on in the locker room. They were pissed I’d actually made them run that day. A five-mile run should have been a walk in the park for them, yet each and every one of them bitched. Their last coach clearly hadn’t pushed them. That shit was not going to be happening while I was in charge. The quarterback, Josh McEvans, and I needed to have a come-to-Jesus moment. He thought he walked on water, and I was more than ready to let his ass sink.

  I pushed away from my desk and headed to the locker room. When I opened the door, I saw something I’d never thought I would see.

  Ever.

  “What the fuck?” I mumbled as I stared at the sight before me. Were those... condoms? These assholes were actually sucking condoms up their noses.

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten.

  What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  Drawing in a deep breath, I picked up the baseball bat I’d brought in earlier and had left right inside the locker room door. I lifted it up, restraining myself from hitting one of them over the head, and bashed the locker instead. Everyone froze, and the sight of condoms dangling out of nostrils made me gag. Internally, of course.

  “What in the living hell are you idiots doing?”

  Josh shot me a smirk. “Doing a condom challenge. What does it look like?”

  Fury erupted faster than I thought possible. I dragged my gaze around the room, hitting every single player with a look that dared them to keep going. One by one, they pulled the condoms out of their nostrils and tossed them in the trash. Josh was the last to comply.

  “You like challenges, boys?” A few visibly flinched at the term boys. “You like acting like a bunch of high school players jerking around in a locker room? No more. This shit ends right now or you can all pack up your shit and walk out the door. That includes you, McEvans. All I have to do is make a few phone calls and your time on the football field is over. Do I make myself clear?”

  A few mumbles were the only response I got.

  I lifted the bat and hit the locker again. “Do I make myself fucking clear?”

  This time, I got the respect I deserved when they all answered back with yes, sir.

  “Get a good night’s sleep tonight—you’re going to need it. Tomorrow, I’m giving you a new challenge.”

  Josh glared at me but said nothing. Pointing the bat at him, I growled, “I want to see you in my office in ten minutes.”

  “Yes, Coach.”

  I stilled. “I’m not your goddamned coach.”

  I rushed out of the locker room and made my way back to my office in the field house. I’d quickly made it my go-to office when I needed to get away from Kendall. The office up in the main building reminded me too much of her. The scent of her damn perfume was everywhere... except in her office. The woman had a weird fetish for constantly spraying Lysol in there. I was quickly beginning to hate the smell of that shit.

  I opened up my email and smiled when I saw the video my father had sent me. He spent too much time on Facebook and sent me funny videos daily. This one actually hit home, and I laughed as I watched a damn sheep stuck in a tire swing try to figure out how to get unstuck. It kept running and swinging helplessly as the other sheep watched the poor bastard.

  The knock on my office door caused me to look up, and I said, “Come in.”

  Josh walked in with a cocky grin on his face and a chip on his shoulder. His father had been one of the best NFL quarterbacks to ever play the game. As his son, Josh had a similar talent, but he couldn’t seem to grow the fuck up.

  “Take a seat.”

  He remained standing. “The guys just needed to blow off steam. I thought it would help.”

  I tilted my head toward the chair. “Sit down.”

  “Is this going to take long? I have a date.”

  Staring him down, I said nothing. He finally got the message and took a seat.

  “Do you have any idea the talent you are pissing away?”

  He huffed. “I knew it. I knew you thought this league is a joke. Why are you even here, man?”

  My head jerked back at his response. “Is that what you think I mean?”

  “What else would you mean? Mr. NFL Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. Why the hell you down in this league anyway?”

  I leaned forward and rested my arms on my desk. “Do you want to know why you’re not in the NFL?”

  He smirked at me but didn’t answer.

  I reached for the remote and turned on the video I’d been watching earlier. There stood Josh McEvans, pissing in a fountain in the middle of Bowling Green.

  His face went blank, and he looked away from the TV.

  “That right there is why you’re not in the NFL. You’ve been doing shit like this since college. Dude, you could have been the first-round draft pick if you didn’t act like a child all the time. Like it or not, you are the captain of this team. You have more talent in your damn pinky finger than most guys develop in ten years of playing in the NFL. Josh, you need to be the first change that turns this team around.”

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Listen, I get it. I had a father who dominated not only college football, but the NFL and coaching, as well. You don’t think I know what it’s like to try and follow in his footsteps?”

  Josh looked down and then back up at me. I thought he might open up to me. When he didn’t say anything, I went on.

  “You need to find your path, and you need to find it soon.”

  For a brief moment, it felt like I was getting through to him. Then he smirked again and stood.

  “You fire me, you’ll never get your championship this year. You need me.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I gave him an incredulous look. “I need you like I need a fucking hole in my head.”

  Josh grabbed the bag he’d dropped on the floor earlier when he sat down. “Is that all... sir?”

  I groaned internally. In a way, he was right. It would be hard as hell to find a quarterback as good as this little prick, but I couldn’t let him know that.

  Standing, I pulled out a stack of papers from a folder and slid them across the desk. He glanced down at it.

  “What’s that?”

  “Your contract. I’ve been going over it, seeing how expensive it will be for me to fire your ass.”

  His eyes darted from the papers up to me. He swallowed hard, looked back at the contract, and then stalked out of my office. Once the door was shut, I sat and dropped my head against the back of the chair before glancing back at my computer.

  When I saw the video again, I clicked Forward.

  Subject: I want a raise

  Dear Ms. Wales,

  This video currently represents how I feel about trying to get this team on track. And in case you don’t get it, I’m the fucking sheep stuck in the tire.

  H.O.

  It didn’t take long for Kendall to respond. I clicked on her email and stared at the response. She drives me insane, this woman. Insane.

  Subject: Re: I want a raise

  Dear Lost Sheep,

  I’m confused. You want a raise for having a good time? That swing does look fun. Let me know if you’d like for me to add it to your list of demands you so eloquently provided the other day.

  Kendall
>
  It hadn’t even been a week, and I was losing my mind. I was going to wind up murdering her before the year was up. This team has to win. For my own sanity... they have to win.

  I needed a run. I needed a drink. I needed to fuck Kendall senseless and show her who was in charge.

  Okay, so that last one was a fantasy. But before I left for the day, I had to fill her in on the day’s events. The thought of going to her Lysol-filled office made me queasy.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I mumbled as I gathered up the tapes I intended to watch later that evening.

  “Hi Amber, is she in?” I asked, stopping at the woman’s desk. She smiled up at me with a dreamy look on her face.

  “Let me see if she is free to see you, Mr. Owens.”

  I nodded and waited while she got up and made her way into Kendall’s office. With a frown, I watched her. Why the hell couldn’t she just call her? I followed her and stopped short of the door. Amber thought she had shut it all the way, but it was cracked open ever so slightly.

  “Hunter is here to see you.”

  Kendall groaned. “Where is my Lysol? I need it for preemptive measures.”

  What the fuck? She’s using that because of me?

  I quickly lifted my arm and sniffed. No odor there, as far as I could tell.

  Amber responded, “At least he doesn’t wear a belt and pull his pants up all the time like Coach Bailey did.”

  “Thank goodness for small miracles. I watched his coaching videos before extending the job offer to ensure he didn’t have a habit like that.”

  Amber chuckled. “That is a rather weird pet peeve to have.”

  “It’s ridiculous. There is a reason you put on a belt, and that’s to keep your pants up. It drove me insane. Either tighten the belt or get properly fitting pants.”

  I grinned and knocked on the door before pushing it open.

  “Did you ladies forget about me out here?” I asked as I strolled into the office.

  Kendall rolled her eyes and then smiled sweetly at Amber. “Thank you, Amber. I’ll call if I need anything.”

  Lifting my brow, I gave Kendall an innocent look. As if Amber could really save her from me.

  “So, to what do I owe this honor? You’ve been hiding out the last few days.”

  I sat in the chair facing her desk. “I can’t stand the smell of the Lysol. It’s giving me a headache.”

  She almost looked regretful. Almost. However, she gave no response.

  “Anyway, I’m here because I walked in on something rather disturbing in the locker room today.”

  Kendall sat up straighter. “Disturbing?”

  “Yes. Your players were sucking condoms up their noses.”

  She stared at me with a look of sheer disbelief. Then she laughed. When I didn’t laugh along, she stopped immediately.

  “Wait. What?”

  With a sigh, I repeated my statement. “Your players were sucking condoms up their noses and pulling them out their mouths.”

  “Why are they my players in this circumstance? Why not your players?”

  My jaw hit the floor. “These are not our kids, Kendall. We don’t get to argue about who is claiming them and under what circumstances.”

  She smirked, which was sexy as hell. The idea of Kendall pregnant with my baby hit me hard. It warmed my body in a way I did not want to think about. Pushing all those thoughts aside, I continued.

  “These are grown men doing a damn middle-school or high-school challenge.”

  She nodded, seeming to get back on track. “What did you do?”

  “I picked up a baseball bat and hit a locker.”

  Her eyes went wide. “You hit a locker? With a baseball bat?”

  “Twice.”

  That brought her brows into a frown. “That’s going to cost money to fix!”

  Leaning back in the seat, I put my ankle over my knee. “Would you rather I hit one of them over the head? The thought did cross my mind.”

  “I believe you know the legal ramifications of that. Next time, let’s be mindful of what we are hitting. We have a budget to stick to, Mr. Owens. Hitting things that cost money to fix affects the bottom line. Actually, why don’t you just let me have the baseball bat?”

  I laughed. “No. That’s mine, and I’ll use it how I see fit.”

  She lifted a brow and said, “Do you always use force to get what you want?”

  “Not always, but I do rather enjoy it under certain conditions. My partners do, too.”

  Kendall seemed to stop breathing for a moment.

  Hunter, two; Kendall, still at zero.

  She cleared her throat and continued. “I am not the least bit interested in what you do in the bedroom, Hunter. We’re here to discuss the team and how you’re going to get it to a championship in one year.”

  “Who mentioned anything about a bedroom, Kendall?” Her cheeks heated, but her face retained a blank expression that I was going to refer to as Boardroom Kendall from that moment forward.

  “Let’s keep the bat-swinging to a minimum, if you don’t mind.”

  I nodded.

  “Anything else?” She was trying to dismiss me the way she had the first day I arrived.

  Standing, I pulled in a breath and gave my jeans a good tug up before sighing. “Not that I can think of.”

  Kendall’s eyes widened in horror, and she stared at my hands where they rested on my waistband. She was clearly disturbed, but then something in her eyes changed. She licked her lips, and my damn knees nearly buckled.

  “See something you like, sweetheart?”

  Her gaze jerked up to mine. “What? No! Why? Um... if you’ll excuse me, Hunter. I’ve got work to do. That will be all.”

  My feet hit against the pavement hard and fast. I had never run for so long or so hard. The tension I was feeling had nothing to do with struggling to get the team under control. Or the fact that I would never be able to look at a condom ever again.

  It did, however, have everything to do with her.

  Kendall Wales.

  She was going to drive me insane and be the reason my dick fell off from jacking off so much. The cool night air felt good in my lungs. I was positive it was clearing out all the damn Lysol fumes Kendall was letting out in the office. Making a mental note to pick up new deodorant, I stopped and placed my hands on my knees. Taking one deep breath after another, I attempted to focus on the team. Focus on finding a decent coach who would take on these hooligans.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, smiling when I saw who it was.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Good evening, Hunter. How is my favorite son doing in his new job?”

  Running my fingers through my sweat-dampened hair, I sat down on the bench. “First off, I'm your only son, Mom.”

  “Minor detail. And second?”

  “The job is a job. It’s going to be difficult finding a coach who wants to take this team on.”

  “That bad?”

  “No, they’re all actually decent players. Well, they are when they’re not sniffing condoms up their noses.”

  There was a silence on the other end of the phone before Mom laughed. “Come again?”

  My phone beeped with a text message from Kendall. I put my mother on speaker and pulled it up.

  Kendall: I want you to know I just threw up.

  I frowned. Then I began to type my response while continuing to speak to my mother.

  “Apparently there is some weird-ass challenge out there where you snort a condom up your nose and pull it out your mouth.”

  My mother gagged audibly. “Why would anyone do that?”

  I smiled and hit send on the text message.

  Me: Aww... Is the Lysol getting to you?

  “That’s the million-dollar question. These men act more like twelve-year-old boys.”

  “Sounds like you have a challenge on your hands.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  My phone beeped.<
br />
  Kendall: I pulled up a YouTube video of the condom challenge. For the first time ever, I don’t have a lot of words or know what to say. I have to give you props for only hitting the locker. I might have hit one of them if I’d been there.

  Smiling, I took the phone off speaker.

  “It will all work out; I have no doubt. I just need to find the right coaching staff. I’m going to hit the road in a few days to do some scouting of some high school football coaches.”

  “High school? Why not college?”

  I laughed. “No college coach would even consider taking on this team. A high school coach, on the other hand, would see the opportunity as a step up and might be willing to take on the challenge of whipping these guys into shape.”

  “That makes sense. Listen, your father is calling me. Do you have a name for the Akahl-Teke yet? She is one amazing creature.”

  “No, not yet. Nothing has come to me. I’ll plan on heading down there this weekend. I’d love to spend some time with you and Dad.”

  “That would be lovely, sweetheart. Why don’t you invite Ms. Wales? I’d love to meet her.”

  I laughed as I stood. “There is nothing going on there, Mom. I’m doing a job for her, that is all.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Okay, if you say so. I love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you more, Mom. Tell Dad I said hi.”

  “Will do!”

  I resumed my run for another ten minutes and then made my way back to my place. When I walked by Kendall’s apartment, I glanced through the large picture window and I saw her sitting at the table. When she stood, I froze. She was wearing a black nightgown that hugged her body. My jaw hit the ground.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, adjusting my growing dick. I was rooted in place, unable to move, and hell if I even wanted to move.

  Kendall must have felt my gaze on her, and she turned and caught me staring. She attempted to look angry, but I saw it in her eyes. She liked me watching her. She slowly made her way to the front window, and I caught a glimpse of her nipples pressing against the fabric of her gown.

  Jesus in the heavens above. What did I ever do to you to make me suffer like this?

  For a moment, I prayed she would flash me a peek of the breasts I knew had to be perfect. She reached up, and I held my breath.