Going All In

by Cassandra Carr

  And it’ll cost as much as I make in a month…I’m so out of my league here it’s ridiculous.

  “Awesome. Seven tomorrow night then?” She agreed and Marcus hung up.

  After setting the phone back into the cradle she sat down at the small, scarred table that served as her eating area. “I have nothing to wear to a fancy place. What was I thinking? And why I am talking out loud to myself?”

  She mentally flipped through her sparse closet and was ruminating on what to do about a suitable outfit for a fancy place like this Butter must be when she heard a key scrape in the lock at the front door. Her brother Hector strolled in. “Buenos dias, pobrecita!”

  Annalise rolled her eyes. Her brother had been calling her “pobrecita” forever. It meant “poor little girl”, but wasn’t necessarily meant in a good way. “Where have you been?”

  “I stayed over at Pablo’s house. I thought I left you a message.”

  “You didn’t.”

  And you damn well know it, chacho.

  Hector shrugged. “Sorry. We got anything to eat?”

  “Not much. I was just going to the store.”

  “You look like you’re sitting, not going to the store.”

  Annalise felt her temper flaring and had to consciously settle herself down before she spoke again. Hector loved getting her riled up and she was loath to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d succeeded. “I was just about to leave.” She’d hauled herself up and was out the door before he could speak another word, which was something given how sore her leg was today.

  On the way to the bus stop she considered her options for her date the next night. She could wear something she already had or hope there was something at the thrift store and subsequently buy less food. Just as she was mentally tallying how much food she could buy if she went to the thrift store, an idea popped into her head. Smiling, she got on the bus and sat down gratefully. Her friend Neva had offered to lend her clothes in the past. Neva’s family wasn’t rich by any stretch, but they weren’t living hand-to-mouth like Annalise was, so maybe Neva would have something acceptable. Even better, both girls were curvy, so even a borrowed dress might look all right.

  When she returned from the grocery store she called Neva, and her friend soon arrived with several choices. Annalise had a ball trying on each outfit, but ultimately decided to go with a pair of loose black pants and multi-colored blouse. She’d have to wear her work shoes, since Neva’s feet were smaller than hers, but at least people wouldn’t be staring and pointing since the outfit looked decent.

  After profusely thanking Neva, who insisted on knowing who Annalise was going out with before she handed over the goods, Annalise swore her friend to secrecy. All she needed was word getting out in the neighborhood that she was dating one of the Empires and she’d never hear the end of it. Despite that sobering thought, Annalise hadn’t felt this on top of the world in weeks, but she made herself approach tomorrow with cautious optimism. The few times she’d gotten her hopes up that a man was interested in her, she’d been hurt. And this wasn’t just any man—he was a professional athlete who was no doubt used to dating glamorous women. But she refused to be cowed by that. Her mama, God rest her soul, had taught her to be a strong woman, and she would be, even if she had to fake it.

  Chapter Three

  Marcus dressed for his date with Annalise with more trepidation than normal. He had no idea why he felt so anxious. She was just a regular girl. Maybe it was because he usually dated women he met through friends or his teammates. That last woman, what was her name? Kristeena? Ugh, she was so boring he’d thought at one point during dinner he’d rather talk to his hockey sticks than to her.

  He wondered again if he should have insisted on picking Annalise up. It didn’t sit well with him to meet his date at the restaurant and expect her to find her own transportation, but Annalise had been insistent.

  Marcus arrived at Butter with a few moments to spare and went to the bar to wait. He ordered a drink and had just paid the bartender when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Annalise standing there, smiling shyly. He took in her brightly-colored blouse and black pants, but frowned slightly when he noticed the serviceable black shoes she wore. Did she not have any other shoes or was there a reason she had to wear those? He wasn’t a snob and certainly not a fashion critic but he couldn’t help but wonder why she would wear black sneakers with her outfit.

  Before she could notice his disquiet he schooled his expression and grinned. Sliding off the stool, he offered it to her. “They said it would be a little while until our table is ready. Would you like a drink?”

  “If you’re having one.”

  He indicated the Crown and Coke sitting on the bar. “Got one. What’ll you have?”

  “White wine?”

  “Is that a question?” She blushed and he grinned again. He found he liked teasing her, which was a departure from his usual date behavior. The girls he normally went out with didn’t handle teasing well. Though Annalise blushed beautifully, she didn’t seem to be offended. The bartender came over and Marcus inquired about the varieties of white available by the glass. Annalise chose a Riesling and he settled behind her as she took a delicate sip from the glass.

  She half-turned in the stool to regard him. “How did you get a reservation here? My friend said it’s booked for months in advance.”

  “There are a few advantages to being a professional athlete in this town,” he answered, with a wink.

  “Oh. Well, of course. I-I didn’t think about that. You can probably go wherever you want, whenever you want.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, but it does make it easier to do some things.”

  “Should we look at a menu so we know what we want when they seat us?”

  “Are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me?”

  Annalise bit her lip and he imagined doing much more fun things to that full mouth. He shifted his weight, hoping his growing erection wouldn’t be noticeable. “No, of course not. It’s just…restaurants like this want to turn their tables.”

  “I’m guessing they’ll let us stay as long as we’d like.”

  She blushed again and he was hit with an image from the other night after they’d collided. She’d been blushing then too, but it wasn’t her lovely face he’d been paying attention to—it was her large, full breasts, nicely outlined by a sopping wet shirt. He was forced to alter his stance again.

  Now is not the time, big guy…

  “So, when you’re not toting champagne around, what do you do?”

  “Not much, really. I only have the one job right now, and the rest of my time is mostly spent at home.”

  He noticed she’d said ‘one job’ as if that wasn’t natural, but decided to ignore that for the moment. “And where’s home?” He knew he was being nosy, but the girl wasn’t volunteering any information about herself, so what was he to do? Talk about the weather?

  “Um, the Bronx.”

  “Wow, really? That’s cool.”

  Annalise shook her head, staring into her wine glass. “Not really.”

  Okay, new topic.

  “So why isn’t a beautiful woman like you going out rather than staying home?” He watched as Annalise closed her eyes briefly and could’ve kicked himself. How did he keep saying the wrong thing?

  “I just, um, prefer to stay home.”

  He was reminded of a phrase he’d heard as a boy: liar, liar, pants on fire.

  “Have you lived in New York your whole life?”

  “Yes. I was born in the Bronx and I’m still there. I’m guessing, based on your accent, that you aren’t a native New Yorker?”

  He laughed. “Not hardly. I’m from Vancouver.”

  “Canadian. I should’ve figured that out, seeing as you’re a hockey player.”

  “A lot of players these days aren’t from Canada. Only about forty percent of current players in the NHL are, I think.”

  “Really? Where else are they from?
I don’t know much about hockey.” There was the blush again.

  “Europe, Russia, and an ever-increasing number from here in the States.”

  “Huh. I had no idea. I mean, I knew there were players from Russia and stuff, but I had no idea it was so big a sport here.”

  A hostess came to take them to their table and Marcus blew out a breath as he watched Annalise walk ahead of him. He really liked her, but he was starting to get the feeling the two of them didn’t have much in common. What could he talk about for the rest of the night?

  Fortunately, they found they both loved similar movies and television shows and the rest of the evening flowed smoother than he’d originally thought it would. The only sticking point came when Annalise had opened her menu and he watched as her mouth dropped open before she was able to shut it again. She’d tried to order a small side salad, saying she wasn’t hungry, but he’d watched as her gaze had wandered toward the other diners around them, her eyes round with longing. He’d basically had to force her to order something larger. Once he had and the food had been delivered, though, she’d systematically demolished every bite and he relaxed.

  It was obvious she never ate in nice restaurants. He knew waitressing for a caterer couldn’t pay much and New York City was by no means a cheap place to live, but he wondered what her financial situation was. It was clearly none of his business, but he found himself with a crazy desire to take care of her. And after some of the duds he’d gone out with lately, he could use a little special someone in his life.

  She refused dessert, but he insisted he was still hungry and ordered a big slice of chocolate cake with two forks. When the check came he whisked it off the table and quickly threw his credit card into the holder, handing it back to the server immediately. He was happy their dinner was only interrupted twice by fans wanting to talk to him or asking for autographs. Marcus knew where his paycheck came from and made it a point to be friendly with the fans, but sometimes it was tiresome to not even be able to stop for a morning coffee without people harping on you about the power play.

  When they rose from the table, he asked, “Would you like to take a walk?”

  A strange expression passed over her face before she smiled and said, “I really shouldn’t. I’m stuffed and I need to get home. I’m working tomorrow.”

  “All right, but I’d like to see you again soon. I’m going out of town to play for the next four days, but I’ll be back late Friday night. Can I see you on Saturday?”

  “I’m working Saturday night.”

  “What time? We could have a late lunch after I get done with practice.”

  “I need to be there at five.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be out in Brooklyn, since that’s where our arena is, so I’ll come get you and you can take me somewhere in your neighborhood so you’re not too far from home before you have to work.”

  “I’ll meet you in Brooklyn. My catering job is there that night.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he didn’t know if she was lying about her catering job being there or if it was something else, but there was definitely some weirdness going on.

  He turned her to face him. “Is there something you’re not telling me? If you’re not interested you can say so. I’m a big boy.”

  “No!” She bit her lip briefly before continuing. “No, it’s not that.”

  Raising his hand to her face, he briefly stroked her cheek with his fingertips and she shuddered. “You can talk to me.”

  Annalise shook her head. “I really can’t.”

  “All right. Do you still want to go out on Saturday? Or would another day be easier for you?”

  “Saturday is fine.”

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll give you a call when I’m done with practice and we can get something right around the arena.”

  “You drive a hard bargain,” she told him, with a little smile.

  “As long as you don’t say no.” Before he lost his nerve, he leaned down and kissed her with just a light touch of his lips to hers. Initially she jerked back, but then settled in. His arm snaked around her waist as he applied a little more pressure to the kiss. Annalise put her arms around his neck and he pulled her even tighter to him, opening his mouth and running his tongue over the seam of her lips.

  Her lips separated and he plunged inside, stroking over her tongue and exploring her mouth as her grip on him tightened. Marcus let out a soft growl as he changed the angle of her head with his free hand and continued the kiss. They were standing outside the restaurant, and he knew he should be more discreet, but this woman made him crazy.

  Suddenly she pushed back from him and put her hand over her ravaged mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” he stuttered, “I—”

  Annalise shook her head and turned partially away. “It’s not your fault. Anyway, I gotta go.” She began to walk away and he found himself chasing her, cursing himself for his lack of control.

  “Annalise, wait!” She stopped and he said, “Look. I shouldn’t have done that, especially not right here on the street. You’re just so beautiful, and I thought we were having a good time.”

  She put up a hand and he stopped talking. “We were. We did. And it’s fine. I just have to go.”

  He watched her walk away, her gait a little jerky, and again he wondered if she was hiding things from him. Sighing, he waited until she’d disappeared down into the subway before hailing a cab.

  Chapter Four

  Annalise sat down on the subway and put her face in her hands.

  What have I done? Why did I let him kiss me? Why did I kiss him back?

  She knew the answer to the last question, at least. She’d kissed him back because he was hot and she liked him—far more than she had any right to. Once he found out who she was and the kind of life she led, never knowing where her next meal was coming from and trying desperately to keep her brother out of jail, he’d run, just like the few other men who’d shown interest in her had. One thing was for sure. She couldn’t afford to like Marcus any more than she already did. She needed to concentrate on staying afloat.

  But the next day as she was getting ready for work her phone rang. It was Marcus.

  “Hey. I just wanted to give you a call to tell you I had a really good time last night. I’m sorry if the evening didn’t end like you wanted, but I really do want to see you on Saturday.”

  Annalise ran a hand over her face. “Okay.” She was weak and she knew it, but she’d beat herself up later when she actually had some time. Right now she needed to get to work. “Look, I need to go. You caught me on my way out the door to work.”

  “Not a problem. I just wanted to touch base.” He paused for a beat before saying, “Will you watch me if you’re free? We’re playing tomorrow night and Friday night.”

  “I’m off tomorrow night. I’ll try to catch the game.” She didn’t have cable on her thirty-year-old, decrepit television, but maybe she could go to a friend’s house. Of course, then she’d have to explain why she had a sudden interest in the Empires. Maybe she could read the story about the game in the newspaper and hope that was good enough.

  “That’s all I can ask. Take care of yourself and don’t work too hard. Oh, and if your boss docks your pay, tell me and I’ll reimburse you. You promised.”

  “Fine. I really need to go, Marcus.”

  The next night she was able to listen to the game on an old radio Hector had gotten from who-knows-where, but it was hard to keep up with the action with how little she knew about hockey. One thing was clear, though. Marcus was one of the stars of the team. It seemed like the announcer was saying his name every other sentence. If he was one of the team’s best players, what on earth was he doing hanging around with her? Slumming it for the experience? Somehow she didn’t think Marcus would do that, but she really didn’t know him well.

  Marcus called her on Thursday while she was having cereal, something she had for lunch frequently since it was cheap and fairly nutritious. “Did you watch the game?”

&nbs
p; “I wasn’t able to watch it, but I listened to it on the radio.”

  “What did you think?”

  “Well, I don’t know a lot about hockey, but it seemed like you were a big part of the win.”

  “I’ll get you tickets to a game if you want to go sometime. You can even bring a friend if you don’t want to come alone. As long as it’s a female friend.” He laughed and Annalise wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Maybe.” It was the best she could do under the circumstances. After all, she couldn’t have him paying for what were undoubtedly expensive tickets after buying her dinner. When guys did things like that they usually expected something in return. Her mother had taught her that nothing in life was free, and Annalise had discovered exactly how right that statement was countless times. Again she thought about the kiss the other night and wondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t pulled away and left. Would he have expected her to go back to his place for sex? The thought made her feel warm all over and she wondered at her reaction to Marcus. Either she was totally blinded by his charm or it was far too easy to get her interested. Neither one boded well for her peace of mind.

  On Saturday she dressed in her most decent-looking jeans and a sweater. Marcus called at one-thirty and they met at two in the afternoon in a little bistro he’d suggested that was within walking distance of the arena. Here more of the fans recognized him, but he was polite to everyone, signing autographs and even taking a picture with a little kid with an Empires jersey on. When the meal ended he insisted on paying, even though she offered to pay her own way, and after lunch was over he kissed her again. They ended up sitting outside the bistro in the early-spring chill and making out like they were teenagers. Annalise knew she shouldn’t let him allow her to get so carried away, but when he held her and kissed her it felt so good she found she was powerless to resist him. Finally she pulled away with no small amount of regret and went to work. Marcus promised to call her the next day after practice, and true to his word, he did.