‘We were never really in love, Dad. Not with each other. I’ve never felt that way about Ronnie and he’s never felt that way about me, and anyway, stop changing the subject.’
‘So, you and Jim are getting married then nipping off to Spain to live happily ever after sipping sangria on the terrace of your millionaire’s mansion, is that it?’
‘Now who’s being flippant? Y’know, I could’ve just gone ahead with all of this without telling you a thing, given the way you feel about Jim…’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t. Why change the habit of a lifetime?’
She looked away, over her shoulder, out of the window. ‘I didn’t ask for any of this, and I certainly didn’t want it to turn out this way, but…’
‘It did. And I think we all need to start dealing with it like grown-ups, don’t you?’
Both Freddie and Amber looked over to where Jim stood in the office doorway, his hands in the pockets of his trademark dark suit, his eyes covered by the aviator shades he always wore. Even in the midst of this less-than-comfortable situation Amber thought he looked hot. He looked handsome and sexy and she couldn’t stop the memory of the shower they’d shared that morning from flooding her head, a beautiful shiver crawling up her spine that was making her thighs tingle and her stomach jump about.
‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell me how to handle this situation,’ Freddie said, his eyes following Jim as he walked over to Amber, sliding an arm around her waist and leaning in to whisper something in her ear, which did nothing to calm her somersaulting stomach, her thighs tingling even more the second he touched her.
‘You okay, honey?’ he asked, squeezing her waist, sending what felt like a million tiny electric shocks coursing right through her.
She nodded, but she wasn’t okay. Not really. How could she be when her relationship with her dad – the man she loved more than anything in the world – was so strained? They’d always been so close, and now this threatened to tear them apart, and she hated that. But she couldn’t – she wouldn’t walk away from Jim, or let him walk away from her, not again.
‘Both Amber’s mother and I trusted you, Jim.’
‘We’ve already been through this, Dad…’
‘And we’ll go over it again, Amber. My choice.’ He looked straight at Jim. ‘Her mother and I trusted you. Yet you reeled her in…’
‘He didn’t “reel” me in, Dad. Jesus…’
‘You took my sixteen-year-old little girl and you… I carry that image around in my head all the time now, are you both aware of that? Hmm? This image of my best friend having sex with my little girl and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get rid of it.’
Jim squeezed Amber’s waist again, looking down at the ground for a few seconds, letting Freddie’s words sink in. ‘I really am sorry. For the way things turned out.’ He looked up at Freddie. ‘We didn’t exactly go about things the right way.’
‘You shouldn’t have touched her, Jim.’
‘I wanted him to, Dad. You have to believe that. It was me who instigated sex, me who wanted to sleep with him. It was me. And yes, maybe I was infatuated with him, at first, I can’t deny that. He was this handsome, sexy older man, this famous footballer, and he was best friends with my dad! What sixteen-year-old girl wouldn’t be infatuated by that? I wanted him from the second I saw him…’
‘I don’t want to hear this, Amber…’
‘From the second I saw him I wanted him. More than I’d ever wanted anything, and I don’t care if nobody understands how that feels, because I know. And, yes, he hurt me. He hurt me like you wouldn’t believe, but all the time I was away at University he was still there, in my head, like some movie playing on repeat that I couldn’t switch off. So when I came back home, and he was there, and he was single again… He wanted me, too, and I know I should have been strong enough to walk away because, if I had, then there’s a possibility that none of this would have happened, but…’ She looked up into Jim’s eyes, and it was as though a waterfall of emotions were cascading through her, overwhelming her, almost, ‘… but I’m glad I was weak. I’m glad.’
‘Even when he walked out on you a second time?’ Freddie asked, throwing a quick glance in Jim’s direction.
‘I need him, Dad. And I need you to understand that. We’re together, and it doesn’t matter whether you approve or not, that’s the way it is. The way it’s going to be. But I love you, so much, and I really don’t want this to get in the way of our relationship. I don’t want that, Dad.’
Amber felt hot tears sting the back of her eyes, looking at Jim in the hope that would stop them from falling, but all it did was make them escape faster.
Jim leaned forward, kissing her mouth, his thumb gently wiping the tears from her cheek.
‘I can’t pretend I’m happy about this,’ Freddie sighed, watching his daughter in the arms of his best friend. A man he’d once trusted. A man who’d betrayed that trust. But a man who, quite obviously, loved Amber. And she loved him. So who was he to stand in the way of her happiness? ‘But I guess I’ve got no choice. Have I?’
Jim looked over at Freddie, his arm still tight around Amber’s waist. ‘I’ve loved her for over twenty years, Freddie.’
‘Well, you had a bloody funny way of showing it for most of them, Jim.’
‘I know. I know I did, but… Look, maybe it’s time to stop raking over the past and move forward. We can’t change anything that happened back then, but we can make sure the future is a good one. And all I want to do is make Amber happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. And now I’ve finally got the chance to do that.’
Freddie looked from one of them to the other, shaking his head, his arms still folded against him in a slightly disapproving manner. ‘The pair of you should have had your heads banged together a long time ago,’ he sighed. ‘So, Amber tells me you’re flying out to Spain to look into the manager’s job at Malaga Athletico. You’re taking my little girl away from me, then?’
‘Nothing’s set in stone,’ Jim replied, silencing his phone as it rang from within the confines of his jacket pocket. ‘I haven’t even spoken to the Red Star board yet, and I don’t intend to until I’ve checked things out over there. But I think Amber and I… I think we need a new start. Wherever that turns out to be.’
‘There’s a lot to talk about. A lot to sort out,’ Amber smiled, directing her words to her father, but looking at Jim when she spoke. ‘All I know is that, somehow, we’ll work this out. And then I might finally get that happy-ever-after I always dreamed about.’
*
‘Shit!’ Ryan said, slamming the empty glass back down on the table, even though most of it had ended up down the front of his shirt rather than in his mouth. ‘Get another round in, Gaz, come on! Speed it up a bit, mate. I’m dying of thirst over here!’
‘You need to calm him down,’ Debbie hissed at Gary as he got another round of drinks in at the casino bar. ‘He’s on a hiding to nothing over there. Have you seen the state of him?’
‘What do you want me to do, Debs? Carry him home?’
‘If that’s what it takes.’
‘Don’t be so fucking stupid. What are you still doing here, anyway? I thought you were meeting the girls at ten-thirty?’
‘I am. I’m just not sure I should leave you alone, I mean, we’ve been here before, haven’t we?’
‘Jesus, Debbie, I think I can handle a pissed Ryan Fisher. And this is tame compared to some of the states he’s been in.’
‘You think so? He’s not safe to be left on his own, Gary.’
‘He’s not on his own, though, is he?’ Gary said, indicating the group of girls who’d draped themselves over Ryan in the corner booth they were sitting in.
‘That’s not what I meant. Just make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, okay?’
‘I’m his best mate, Debs, not his frigging babysitter.’
She stood up on tiptoe, quickly kissing his cheek. ‘Get him home in one piece, that’s all I’m asking
you to do. The last thing he needs is Jim Allen on his back, given the circumstances.’
‘Gary! You got those drinks yet, mate?’ Ryan yelled over as a young, blonde girl climbed deftly onto his lap and proceeded to stick her tongue down his throat, silencing him immediately. Ryan responded without missing a beat, circling her waist with one arm while his free hand plunged underneath her tight-fitting top, finding her left breast straightaway and squeezing it to within an inch of its life. ‘Jesus, you are one horny bitch,’ he groaned, feeling his hard-on push against the denim of his ridiculously expensive jeans.
‘I need a pee,’ the girl moaned, reluctantly climbing off his knee.
‘Can I watch?’ Ryan grinned, making a move to get up and follow her, until Gary put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down.
‘Sit down and shut up, you dick,’ Gary said, handing him another shot of vodka. He was beginning to wonder if Debbie was right. Maybe home was the best place for Ryan to be. He was getting steadily more out-of-control as the night wore on.
‘Who you calling a dick?’ Ryan slurred.
‘Jesus. You really need to slow it down, mate. You’re gonna be so fucked up in the morning, and we’ve got training, remember? Plus, Colin said the boss was probably gonna be around, too…’ He stopped talking, well aware that any mention of Jim Allen was like lighting the blue touch-paper at the minute. And now was no exception.
‘Fuck Jim Allen,’ Ryan said, knocking back the shot and slamming the empty glass down next to the others he’d already put away.
‘Yeah, real grown-up that, Ryan.’
Ryan glared at his friend. He was bored of sitting here, talking crap with him and being pawed at by these nameless, but ultimately very pretty women. Although, he’d probably come back to them later. No doubt The Goldman would be getting the pleasure of his company in a little while. Mind you, he could quite as easily take a few of them back home with him, couldn’t he? Now that there was no girlfriend there to nag him. Fuck Amber, too. He didn’t need her. He needed this – he needed fun. And he was having plenty of that right here.
‘I should get you home,’ Gary sighed, taking Ryan’s arm.
‘Fuck off!’ Ryan protested, shaking Gary off and standing up. ‘I don’t need looking after, alright?’
‘Yeah, well, I think you do,’ Gary said, standing up, too.
‘Fuck off, Gary!’
‘Is that the sum total of your vocabulary tonight, Ryan? Because you’re starting to sound like some pissed idiot who’s spoiling for a fight. Is that what you want?’
‘All I want is to be left alone,’ Ryan hissed. ‘Is that alright with you?’
‘Do you know what? It’s fine with me. I’m done here. You go ahead and press that self-destruct button, because that’s where you’re heading, Ryan. This – this isn’t helping. Let me know when you’ve sorted your fucking head out, okay?’
Ryan watched Gary walk away, grabbing the chair behind him to steady himself as he felt his knees give way slightly. Shit! He needed another drink.
‘Ryan! There you are! Hannah said she’d seen you in here tonight.’
Ryan turned round to see a tall, dark-haired woman standing there. She was wearing a very short, very tight black dress and heels that made her legs look unbelievably long. If he squinted she looked a bit like Penelope Cruz – with a Geordie accent.
‘Do you remember me?’ she asked, sitting down and pulling him down next to her, her leg touching his, her hand on his shoulder. ‘Hannah and I were at a party down in London a few months ago, for one of your ex-team-mates’ birthdays. There were a lot of us there, I know, but I thought you might remember me because I was the one who danced naked on the table in your VIP area.’
Ryan grinned. Even in his drunken state he’d find it hard to forget that night. One hell of a party then some of the best sex he’d ever experienced. And the blow-job he’d received from this woman sitting beside him wasn’t one he’d forget in a hurry.
‘Yeah. I remember you,’ he smirked, sliding his hand up and under the hem of her dress, and it didn’t have far to go before it found just what it was looking for. ‘Do you do repeat performances?’
Chapter Thirty-One
‘I take it that rule about no sex on a match day doesn’t apply to the manager, then?’ Amber smiled, stretching out in what had to be one of the most comfortable hotel beds she’d ever slept in.
Even though today was a home game for Newcastle Red Star, Jim still kept to his usual routine of making the squad stay in a local hotel the night before, just to keep an eye on them – and some, more than others, needed keeping an eye on. But he didn’t want to spend a night away from Amber any more than she wanted to be away from him right now, so she’d come with him to the hotel. And they’d spent the night breaking one rule in particular he imposed upon his players, in every possible way they could.
Jim propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at her. ‘I think that rule was blown out of the water last night, baby, don’t you?’
She kissed him slowly, loving the taste of him, the way his lips moved against hers. Loving the way he talked to her, the sound of his voice, the way he said her name, that accent of his so different to anything you heard on the streets of her native North East England. All those years in Britain and Europe and he’d never lost that accent, that Western American twang that she sometimes found unbelievably sexy.
‘I don’t want to get you into any kind of trouble, Jim.’
‘Hey, who’s the boss around here, huh?’ he said, that smile of his sending her stomach somersaulting. ‘Anyway, everyone knows now, don’t they? About you and me.’
Amber turned to face him, running her fingers lightly over his shoulder, down over his toned arm. ‘I hate being the centre of attention. This whole media circus that’s following us around right now…’
‘Says the TV sports reporter.’
‘That’s different,’ she smiled, sliding the covers down over his hip, exposing more of his pretty-much-perfect body, for a man in his late forties. ‘I work on local television. The celebrity status tag doesn’t really count, does it? And anyway, I’ve always tried to keep a low profile. Until now.’
He gently pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, staring into them as he did so. It reminded Amber of the very first time they’d made love, over two decades ago. The way he’d looked at her then was the same way he was looking at her now. Back then she’d wanted him like she’d never wanted anyone or anything before. She wanted him more than that now.
‘And it’s only going to get worse when they find out we’re getting married. Why do you have to be such a high-profile manager?’ she groaned, rolling over onto her back.
‘Well, if it makes you happier I could seek out a nice little third division club to take charge of. Hmm? Does that sound like a better option?’
She turned her head and smiled at him, sticking her tongue out. ‘You’re funny. And you know what I mean.’ She stared up at the ceiling, flinging one arm up above her head. ‘All my life I’ve tried to avoid relationships with footballers, and especially with the extremely famous ones, but it was all a complete waste of time, wasn’t it?’ She looked at him again. ‘Because I was always destined to be with one. To be with you. Why did we waste so much time, Jim? All those years…’
He trailed his fingers across her stomach, pushing the covers down so he could see her body in all its beautiful nakedness. ‘We can’t turn the clock back, Amber. But we can move things forward.’
She closed her eyes as his fingers slid between her legs, giving her no choice but to open them. Not that she’d intended to put up any kind of a fight. ‘That sounds like a plan to me,’ she groaned, stretching out again as he touched her, played with her, like he’d done so many times before, but now it was different. Now she had him for keeps. No more secrets. Well, apart from their engagement, and their possible move to Spain.
She bit down on her lip as she felt him move between her legs, felt his mouth ta
ke over where his fingers had left off and she really had to curb the rising feelings inside her – she was so close to just shouting out loud. His tongue was warm and soft against her, darting in and out of places she’d only ever really wanted him to see, taking her to that wonderful heaven she’d only ever really wanted to visit with him. He was driving her crazy!
Gripping the pillows tight she turned her head to one side, biting down harder on her lip, but she couldn’t stop a moan of pure pleasure from escaping as he pushed her legs wider apart, going in harder, giving her no option now but to give in to what he was about to give her – the most incredible orgasm she’d ever experienced at eight 0’clock in the morning. It hit her like a tidal wave, crashing over her in a huge spasm of ecstasy that flooded every inch of her, her skin tingling as though it was on fire. That beautiful pain, that all-consuming, breath-taking feeling of wanting to feel nothing but this man inside her. She should have fought for him twenty years ago. She should never have let him go. He may have walked away from her, but she could have stopped him. If she’d really wanted to. But back then things had been so much more complicated. Were they really any less so now?
She kept her eyes closed as she heard him get off the bed, go into the bathroom. Jim Allen – the man who’d made her fall in love with him. The man who’d taken over her life. The man she was finally going to marry.
She couldn’t help smiling at the thought of becoming Mrs Jim Allen, the relentless round of stomach flips making her feel like that star-struck teenager all over again, that young and slightly naive girl who’d fallen for the American accent and the footballer’s legs and a face so unbelievably handsome it was no wonder he’d been the pin-up of the football world for a long, long time. Even now, with his slightly greying hair and the faint lines around those mesmerising green eyes of his, he was still so incredibly handsome. He was still lusted after by many, and she had no doubt that he’d made the most of all of that in the time he’d spent out of her life, while she’d felt no desire to be in any kind of relationship during those years. Because of him? If she couldn’t have him then nobody else would do? She’d always known that was the reason, deep down. It had only been in the past few weeks that she could finally admit it was true.
Striker (Book 1 in the 'Striker' Trilogy) Page 50