Players

by Rachel Cross

“Hell no! You know how awful my first time was. I hate to even think about it. You did right picking someone who knows what they’re doing. Just don’t get all caught up in him. Learn some tricks of your own so he’s not always in control.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Read some erotica, watch some porn, get all baby oiled up and ready, I don’t know. Whatever works for you.”

  Tasha smiled. She’d heard enough from Shayla to have an idea about what men liked. It wouldn’t hurt to show Jared that she wasn’t completely out of her league. “You’ve got a point. He’s so full of himself. I don’t want him to think I’m some sex puppet on a string.”

  “That’s my girl. When is this going down?”

  “We’re going to Charleston next weekend for my birthday.”

  “Damn, he’s taking you away. He must want this as much as you do.”

  “You think?”

  “Why else would he take you out of town? No guy’s gonna turn down sex. If it was a simple one time thing he would have just told you to come over and hit it once. If he’s taking you out of town that means you’ll have to spend the nights together as well as the days. He must like you a little bit.”

  “Not like that. We’ve always been cool—I think he’s trying to be nice to a friend.”

  “Yeah, well he can be nice to you for twenty minutes in his bed at home. Taking you out of town is a bit more than nice.”

  There was a knock on the other side of the phone. “Look Shayla, go be with your guy. I’ll call you later this week.”

  “All right, but call me before you leave and as soon as you get back. I need all the details.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’ve heard my sex stories for years, it’s payback.”

  Tasha laughed. “My story may not be worth discussing.”

  “I doubt that. Bye, girl.”

  “Bye.” Tasha hung up and stared at the phone. Why did Jared insist they leave town? He’d had other women in his bedroom at home whose names were unknown, so the discretion thing was just an excuse. He was happy when she’d said yes. It didn’t mean he was interested in her outside of the bedroom, but he definitely wanted to sleep with her. Was it for the same reason as other guys, to say he deflowered a virgin? She knew he wasn’t sleeping with her because he cared or anything.

  Tasha stood and went to her bookshelf. She pulled down a book of erotica Shayla had given her last year in an effort to liberate her mind. It was wrapped in the cover of a cookbook so her parents wouldn’t know she had it. She’d forgotten it was there until now. She may be a virgin, but she wasn’t completely innocent. Admittedly, her limited experiments with her high school boyfriend paled in comparison to Jared’s love life, but Shayla was right. If she wanted to keep some control then she’d need to be able to meet him step-by-step next weekend. Or at least put up a good show.

  Chapter 7

  “Another excellent inspection, Mr. Patterson. I wish all of the facilities I visited were as well organized as yours.” The health inspector reached out a thin hand, which Jared happily shook.

  “I appreciate that, Mr. Simmons, but it wouldn’t be this way without the hard work of my superintendent.” Jared turned to his plant superintendent Barry Jordan.

  Barry’s already massive chest puffed up with pride at Jared’s compliment. “I appreciate that, Mr. Patterson.”

  Jared hated formalities, but Barry insisted on giving him respect when others were around.

  Jared nodded. “I’m only speaking the truth.”

  Mr. Simmons turned back to Jared. “And you’re very lucky to have such a diligent superintendent.”

  Barry continued to smile, but didn’t say anything else. Jared would have to thank him again later. Barry’s hard work allowed Jared the time he needed to focus on running the operations of his business and continue personal training for exclusive clients. Without Barry, Jared’s dream of a production facility would’ve been harder to achieve.

  Mr. Simmons looked at his watch. “I have another facility to inspect before lunch. I doubt their inspection will go as well as yours . . . ” His voice trailed off and his jaw dropped.

  Jared followed his line of sight as Cassandra Davenport, his public relations advisor, stepped into the lobby. He couldn’t blame the guy, Cassandra was fine. Her exotic looks, courtesy of a black father and Korean mother, combined with dark hair that stopped mid-back, large breasts, and well-rounded backside were enough to stop any man in his tracks. She raised a brow, a knowing smile on her lips as she approached them.

  Jared acknowledged Cassandra with a head nod. “Mr. Simmons, this is Cassandra Davenport. She handles my public relations.”

  Mr. Simmons’s eyes were glued on the black camisole peeking out of Cassandra’s red suit jacket. Jared cleared his throat.

  Mr. Simmons shook his head, as if snapping himself out of a daze. “Um . . . yes. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Davenport. I was just leaving.”

  Cassandra gave him her most award winning smile as she reached out a manicured hand. “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Simmons. I noticed you during the inspection.”

  Mr. Simmons face lit up like a light bulb. Barry looked at Jared and rolled his eyes. Cassandra had that effect on men. She’d once had that effect on Jared, but he’d known her for so long he now only saw her as a friend. And, she was too high maintenance.

  Cassandra continued talking to Mr. Simmons. “I’m glad to hear you all are finished. I need Jared for a few minutes before catching my flight back to L.A.” She turned to Jared. “Can we meet in your office?”

  Jared reached out to shake Mr. Simmon’s hand. “Mr. Simmons, thanks again. Barry, will you finish up with him?”

  Barry nodded and Jared walked away with Cassandra. As soon as they were on the elevator Cassandra frowned.

  “I can’t wait to get back to L.A. The men in South Carolina behave as if they’ve never seen a woman.”

  Jared laughed. “You get the same reaction in L.A.”

  She smiled. “You’re right. But if one more man calls me ‘ma’am’ I’m going to throw up.” Her frown turned into one of her well-practiced pouts. “When are you going to move back to L.A., Jared? The facility is up and running perfectly. You don’t have to stay here to oversee things, Barry is wonderful. I miss having my buddy around.”

  They got off the elevator and crossed the hall into the main office of the facility. One side was Plexiglas, allowing him to look out over the floor. Since Jared didn’t work there daily, he’d assigned it to Barry, but used it whenever he came to the facility. Instead of sitting behind the desk he went to the couch near the window, pressed a button to lower a screen, and sat down. Cassandra slid in across from him.

  “I’m not coming back to L.A., at least not anytime time soon. Like I told you before I left, I’m a southern boy at heart. I don’t like the hustle and bustle of L.A.”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Southern boy my ass. You love L.A. The women, the excitement, the celebrities paying too much money to work out with you. You’ll be back.”

  Jared nodded and laughed. He did love the women in L.A., but the memory of Tasha’s caramel skin, honey-colored eyes, and soft lips filled his head. L.A. women didn’t compare to the sweetness of a Carolina girl. “Yeah, maybe. But for now, I’m staying here. My brother’s here so that works. Now, did you really need to talk with me, or did you just want to badger me about moving back to L.A.?”

  “Both,” she said.

  Jared could only laugh. He did miss Cassandra, his only female friend. He also appreciated she let one of the reasons for his hasty return to South Carolina slide: avoiding sleeping with her again.

  He’d met Cassandra while working at a gym after moving to L.A. Every other male trainer worked overtime to land her as a client, including him. She’d denied him at first, but as usual his tenacity won out. It wasn’t long before their workouts began taking place out of the gym. He’d turned her on to his line of health food products, which combined with h
is workout routines helped her get her already slim body down to Hollywood standards. After that she’d put all of her PR muscle into promoting him. She’d recommended him one of her clients, an R&B singer with roots in South Carolina who wanted to lose some baby weight. When that worked, his name was tossed around as a person who could make miracles in the gym. Before he knew it, he was the most preferred personal trainer in Hollywood. By then their sex life had run its course, but she’d stayed on to handle personal relations for his brand. She was the reason his products, gyms, and workouts received nationwide attention.

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. He knew she wanted him back in L.A., but he meant what he said. He liked building his empire here, where things were more stable. Celebrities were fickle, and their love of him could be gone in a flash.

  “Since you’ve already asked me to move back and I’ve said no, we can move on to your other reason for wanting to talk to me.”

  She squeezed his hand back before pulling away. “I’m not giving up on you, but I guess I’ll move on. I think you should consider placing some of your organic products at the new State Farmers Market.”

  Jared sat back. He jerked at the tie he’d worn for the inspection and hastily untied it. “Really, why?”

  “I’ve been working and I finally got the Department of Agriculture to award your products with the Certified South Carolina label. Since you use products grown in South Carolina, it was a no brainer. With that certification, placement at the Farmers Market will introduce you to a line of customers you haven’t reached before.”

  Jared threw the tie over the back of the chair and relaxed as he undid the top buttons of his shirt while considering Cassandra’s suggestion. Since his facility was in an agricultural county, he had insisted on using products grown locally whenever possible. It not only saved on shipping costs, but the quality was better. The fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients were fresher since they weren’t shipped half way across the country. It was a smart move on Cassandra’s part to get the certification. He wished he’d thought of it first.

  He nodded. “That’s a good idea, Cassandra. Now I know why I hired you for PR.”

  Cassandra sucked her teeth and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t play. You know I’m great at what I do.”

  Jared reached over and playfully tapped her chin. “Yes, you are.” He stood, walked to the desk, and pulled out his duffle bag. He’d missed his morning workout due to the inspection and was anxious to change and get to the gym. He preferred working out in his personal gym, but since he was making rounds, it wouldn’t hurt to combine his visit to his local franchise with his workout.

  He pulled his shirt out of his waistband and finished unbuttoning it. When Cassandra whistled appreciatively as he pulled it off he gave her a grin. “Cut that mess out, girl. I don’t need your jolly green giant to come after me.” Jared referred to Cassandra’s boyfriend, a defensive end for the L.A. Raiders.

  Cassandra stood. “Please, Ramon is the least of your worries.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I’m finished with him. It was fun while it lasted, but I’d rather be with a man who can talk about something other than Saturday morning cartoons.”

  Jared laughed. “What, all muscle, no depth?”

  “Exactly.” She walked over and ran a hand over his arm. “I need beauty and brains.” Her eyes hinted he could fit the bill.

  A few years ago he would have accepted her invitation, but he knew Cassandra too well. Beneath all of her gloss and sophistication, she was a woman looking for a stable relationship. She was his friend and he wouldn’t take her up on that offer. Besides, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that no one other than Tasha would satisfy him right now. He didn’t want to think about why.

  When he didn’t reply she smiled slightly and let her arm drop. “I better go and get ready to catch my flight. I can work on placing your products in the Farmers Market from L.A., but I’ll call if I need you to do anything on this end.”

  Jared was glad she didn’t say anything about his brush off. “I can handle that. Call me when you land.”

  “Will do. Bye, lova.” She’d been calling him lova since their affair broke off years ago. She waved as she went out the door.

  Jared hurried and changed, feeling much more relaxed and himself in basketball shorts and a cutoff t-shirt. He searched out Barry and thanked him for another job well done before going to his gym, Red Fitness.

  When he’d first moved back to Columbia the local franchise was the first thing he’d overseen before plowing full steam on his production facility. Before Cassandra, his health food products were just a side hustle while he concentrated on building a name for himself as a personal trainer and fitness expert. He’d only been selling them to celebrities and a few health food stores, but she’d pushed to get them into Wal-Mart and Target. Once the big boxes placed his products, he’d quickly decided it would be smarter, and cheaper, to open a production facility in the south.

  At Red Fitness he went straight to the general manager’s office. The gym was busy for a Wednesday afternoon. He looked at his watch and saw it was lunchtime, which explained the crowd. He met briefly with the general manager before starting a circuit around the gym.

  Halfway through, he noticed a middle-aged man struggling with the equipment. Jared stopped his workout and went over to assist. Someone struggling with a workout today was the same person who gave up working out tomorrow. After five minutes he’d introduced himself, learned the man was trying to lose the weight he’d put on after getting married a year ago, and hadn’t worked out regularly since college. There was always an underlying reason why people either gained, or tried to lose, weight. Learning that reason was the key to ensuring his clients stuck to their goals.

  Jared spent the rest of the hour working with him. During the course of the workout he’d discovered that the guy’s wife had lost interest, something Jared wasn’t surprised about. He hadn’t come across a faithfully married woman in years. When they finished he offered the guy six weeks of free personal training. Despite his belief in the stupidity of marriage, the guy wanted his wife’s attention again and Jared would help him try.

  After he showered his phone rang. It was his friend Devin.

  “What’s going on, man?”

  Devin groaned. “Nothing but a long day with no end in sight.”

  Jared laughed. “Why complain, doctor? Busy days mean more money.”

  “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to see half the black population in this town.” Devin was the only black doctor in Helena, a town on the outskirts of Kershaw County. It was where Devin had grown up, and he’d gone back to practice medicine after graduating from med school. Jared admired his friend for his dedication to his hometown, because he would avoid moving back home like the plague.

  Jared waved bye to his general manager and headed for the front of the gym. “You chose to practice in Mayberry, so don’t hate on the popularity.”

  Devin laughed. “Never that. Look, I only have a minute before my next patient, so I’ll get to the point. I just found out about a basketball tournament in Columbia this weekend. One of my patients is trying to put together a team and I thought you, Malcolm, and I could play.”

  Jared rubbed his jaw. “I’m not sure about a team that one of your patients is putting together. Can the brotha even play?”

  “He’s not sick.”

  “Then why is he seeing you?”

  Devin chuckled. “For reasons I can’t say, but know this, I wouldn’t be playing with him if I didn’t think he could win. He played for Carolina back in the day. He’s good.”

  Jared scoffed. “Now I know he’s sorry.” He was a strong Georgia Tech fan, having received his undergraduate degree from that very school.

  “Blow that crap out your ass another day. You in?”

  He would have usually jumped at the opportunity to play in a basketball tournament, but he didn’t want to cancel his w
eekend with Tasha. He was looking forward to it too much.

  “It sounds like fun, but I have plans this weekend. I’ll have to catch y’all later.”

  “Okay, I get it. What’s her name? Never mind, because I’ll never even meet her. Just cancel and tell her you’ll catch her after the tournament.”

  Jared smiled. “I can’t cancel on this lady, Devin. It’s going to be a special weekend I don’t want to miss.” He looked at his watch again. “In fact, I’m on my way to take her flowers now.”

  There was a silence on the other end of the phone and Jared called Devin’s name to be sure the call wasn’t dropped.

  “Yeah, I’m still here,” Devin answered. “I just thought you said you were taking a woman flowers.”

  Jared frowned. “It’s not like I’ve never given a woman flowers.”

  “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never taken a woman flowers. You’ve already got a weekend lined up with this one, so why flowers? Are you getting serious?”

  Jared laughed out loud. It drew the attention of a few people in the gym so he quickly exited and walked to his car. “Man, the day I get serious about a woman is the day you can call a psychiatrist to come and take me to the nut house. I’m just making it special for her.”

  “Why? You’ve never cared before.”

  Jared’s laugh died and he frowned. It wasn’t as if he’d been truly uncaring with the women he’d been with in the past he just made sure they understood he wasn’t looking for any commitments. Devin talked as if he was cold blooded. He had been pretty cold to Monica, but she’d crossed the line. But he liked Tasha, and respected her. He couldn’t treat her like any other chick off the street.

  “Tasha’s cool. She’s not like the usual ladies I deal with, so she gets a bit more respect.”

  Devin didn’t immediately respond, but Jared could picture his friend with his brow furled as the considered that. “This should be interesting to see pan out.”

  “Excuse me?” Jared asked.

  There was rustling on the other end of the line. “Nothing, man. Handle your business. Look, my next patient has arrived. It seems like it’ll just be me and Malcolm this weekend. Holla at me when you get time.”