by Hannah Ford
Chase elected to wait in the car, and so she had some time to think while she packed.
Part of her wanted so badly to believe that what they were sharing together right now was real. Wanted to believe that Chase Winters truly valued and cared for her the way he’d claimed to at the bar, and the way he seemed to be continuing to prove to her since then.
But how could she trust someone with such a checkered past—someone who’d kept important information from her recently?
The more Faith thought about it, the less reason she had to trust Chase.
You only think you can trust him because you want to so badly, she told herself, as she zipped her small suitcase shut and then grabbed the handle and got ready to leave her apartment.
It was true. She wanted to believe in him. Her heart told her that Chase was worth it, but her intellect told her that only a fool would trust herself to a man with Chase’s history and his recent behavior.
He’s a liar, a criminal, and he’s self-protective above all else.
Be careful.
The words came unbidden, throwing cold water on all of her fantasies.
She brought the suitcase down to the car and threw it in the trunk, which Chase had popped open for her.
After slamming the trunk shut, Faith went and got into the passenger seat once more.
Chase glanced at her with his dark eyes, seeming to instantly register the change in her demeanor. “Everything okay?” he asked, as he put the car in gear and started driving once again.
“Yeah,” she lied, smiling, but unable to look at him.
He glanced over again. “I’m glad you’re coming with me,” he told her, before looking back at the road.
“Me too.” She kept the smile on her face.
He hasn’t done anything wrong, she argued in her mind. Why are you judging him so harshly?
Faith wanted to tell him her concerns, ask him to reassure her that her fears were unfounded. But she wasn’t sure that Chase could do it, or that he even wanted to reassure her about anything.
And besides, he had a big game to think about. The last thing Faith wanted to do was distract him from focusing on the game tomorrow.
Whatever was happening between them would have to wait, as would the conversation with Chase about her fears.
Reasonable or not, she was going to push those negative thoughts and worries out of her mind and just do her best to enjoy spending time with this man.
She smiled for real as he reached out and took her hand, squeezing gently.
As if he knew, as if he knew and understood everything.
They drove to the hotel by the stadium, and Faith watched the traffic and scenery pass by outside the car and it was dreamlike and surreal, while Chase played a low, thumping hip hop with mellow lyrics that was somehow soothing in its simplicity.
It was like they were in a movie together, and the music filtering out of the car speakers was the soundtrack, and when Faith turned her head to look at Chase, he would glance over and smile at her.
Once again, she felt the shock of complete connection and understanding that passed between them.
They didn’t talk much, but the silence was comfortable, maybe even preferable to chitchat or small talk.
They both had things to think about. Chase had his game to consider, and Faith knew that with a short season like this, every single game had enormous ramifications.
On top of that, the robbery and threat of exposure by Chase’s old friend had to be on his mind, even if he tried to put it out of his thoughts.
Faith, for her part, wondered what the people in her life were going to say to her about this crazy turn her life had taken. How would they react to her? Would everything change?
Was her life truly going to be forever unrecognizable because she’d met Chase Winters? And was that a good thing, or bad?
Her brain buzzed with questions nearly the entire ride to the hotel.
Finally, they pulled into the parking lot and Chase got out, unloading their few pieces of baggage. Then the two of them walked into the hotel lobby together, as a couple.
Inside the hotel it was modern, spacious, with a sleek look and very professional looking staff that immediately greeted them, some of whom clearly knew Chase by reputation and also by having seen him previously at this hotel.
“Good to see you again, Mister Winters,” a gorgeous woman said to him from behind the concierge desk. She had dark, flowing hair and almond shaped eyes, with a shapely figure that Faith immediately felt intimidated by.
Her blouse was low-cut enough to show off the woman’s ample cleavage, and she wore a pendant that hung between her breasts, as if to draw the eye there intentionally.
This was the kind of woman that Chase Winters was expected to be with—an exotic beauty.
“Hey, Lin. Good to see you,” Chase said, his voice taking on a tone of familiarity that made Faith’s stomach tighten with jealousy.
Lin’s dark eyes flicked to Faith and back to Chase, as she gave him his room key. As he turned, Faith felt her lips form a frown. “There’s only one room key,” Faith pointed out.
He glanced down as if noticing that for the first time. “Yeah, you’re right.” He turned back to the exotic concierge. “Hey Lin, I need a second key, hon.”
Lin flashed Faith an enigmatic look and then bowed her head. “Oh, sure. Just one sec.” A moment of activity later, and she’d produced a second key, handing it off to Chase with a seductive smile and batting of lashes.
Was it Faith’s imagination, or did the young woman let her hand linger on the plastic key a bit longer than necessary when giving it to Chase?
Faith felt her breath coming quicker, and her pulse starting to race, as she walked away from the two of them and headed for the elevators.
“Wait up,” Chase said, catching easily up to her as she got to the elevators. “What’s the rush?” he asked, trying to press the room key into her palm.
Faith took it and stuffed it into her purse without looking at him. She breathed out impatiently through her nostrils, then folded her arms, waiting for the doors to open.
When they finally did open, she stepped in and pressed her back against the wall, as Chase came inside, watching her with a bemused expression on his face. He turned and hit the third floor button. “I don’t get you, Faith. One second everything’s fine, and the next you act like I threw you over my shoulder and brought you here against your will.”
“Did you sleep with her?” she said, her voice sounding strangled.
“Sleep with who?” he asked, his expression puzzled now.
“You know who. Little Miss Friendly at the front desk.”
His puzzlement turned to surprise, and then absolute hysterical disbelief. He started laughing and laughing, shaking his head. “That’s what you’re pissed about?”
“It’s not funny. And you didn’t answer my question.”
“First of all, what if I did sleep with her? It would’ve been before you and I were exclusive.”
“Are we exclusive?”
He stopped laughing. “You better decide which question you really want an answer to, because I’m not going to be interrogated.”
Faith felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. “I hated watching her flirt with you,” she admitted.
“A lot of women flirt with me,” he said without apology. It was just a statement of fact.
“I know.”
“If we’re together, you’re going to have to find a way to deal without freaking out on me.”
She realized then and there that she was being ridiculous. She couldn’t expect Chase to be a choir boy or somehow prohibit women from flirting with him. And with that, Faith let out a breath and let the jealousy die.
At least for now.
The elevator doors opened and Chase got off, hefting both their suitcases as if they were nothing but a couple of feathers. When they got to the room, he put one suitcase down and grabbed the key from his pocket.
“Hey, Winters,” a gravelly voice called from down the hall.
Chase and Faith turned to look, and there was a short, round figure approaching. He was dressed in ill-fitting slacks and a sweater with the New England logo embossed on the front of it, and his potbelly protruded down below.
“Hey Coach,” Chase greeted the man.
As he got closer, Faith realized it was the head coach of the team, William Hugo. William “Willie” Hugo had coached the team for the last couple of years, and was now under intense pressure to rebuild the team or be fired. All of the news media constantly speculated on whether or not he’d be replaced if the team didn’t make the playoffs this season.
“Everyone’s going to be eating in the hotel restaurant in about an hour,” Coach Hugo said, his trademark gravelly voice sounding even lower and more intimidating in person.
He didn’t even look at Faith.
“I was thinking that I might just hang in the room, focus on the game,” Chase said.
Coach Hugo’s furry brows dipped and his jowls shook a bit. “This isn’t the time to hole up in your cave,” he growled. “The team needs to be like a family. We eat together the night before a game. I made that clear last week.”
“Yeah, I know,” Chase muttered. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll damn well do it,” the diminutive coach barked. For a moment, his cheeks were purple and a vein pulsed in his neck, and then, just like that—he gave a quick grin. “See you in half an hour with your beautiful young lady friend.” He turned and walked away.
Chase opened the door to the hotel suite and let them in.
The room was gorgeous and state of the art, with a wonderful view of the stadium nearby.
But Chase wasn’t interested in the beautiful room or the view from its window. He threw his suitcase halfway across the room, where it collided with a small footstool.
“Fucking asshole,” he swore.
Faith drew in a breath. Even when it wasn’t directed at her, Chase’s intense physicality and anger were frightening.
“He just wants you to eat with the team,” she offered.
Chase nodded. “Sure. Just eat with the team like a good monkey.”
“It’s his job,” she said. “Isn’t it? To make you guys into a tight unit?”
Chase laughed at that. “They like to spout that line, about us all being a family. They try and play it up, act like we’re all in this together. But the truth is, it’s a bunch of professional athletes fighting to survive. Some of us are in direct competition with each other. Some of us even hate each other. Next year, half of us might be playing for totally different teams. This ‘aint Pee Wee football, Faith.”
She knew he was right. He was living this life and she’d only just been introduced to his problems. “Sorry,” she said. “I have no right to judge what’s going on. I was just trying to help.”
He smiled at her, his dark eyes softening. He put his hands on his hips and sighed. “It might be a bunch of crap, but you’re right that it’s still Coach’s job to get us to act like we give a fuck about each other. So I suppose I should go down and eat with the team.”
“I’ll stay here and make myself comfortable,” she said, walking over to the soft couch and sitting down, her butt sinking into the material.
“Hell fucking no,” Chase chuckled. “You’re not getting off that easy, girl. If I have to go, so do you.”
“Wait,” she said, nervously. “Your whole team’s going to be there. This is for you guys, I’m not invited.”
“You didn’t hear Coach specifically say he’d see you there?” Chase prodded, walking closer to her.
“Well, he was being nice…”
“No, he was serious. All the guys who are married or engaged or have girlfriends bring them to the pre-game dinner.” He reached down and extended his hand to her. “Come on, Faith. Time to practice what you preach.”
She sighed, letting him pull her to her feet.
“I guess we’re in this together,” she said, looking up at him and smiling.
He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, and then stared into her eyes. “Yeah, we are.”
* * *
Not long afterwards, they arrived at the hotel restaurant.
There was a large buffet set up in the hotel restaurant, and it looked to Faith as if it would take a minor miracle to keep the buffet stocked with food. The room was filled with gargantuan men filling their plates with piles and piles of steak, chicken, pasta, and the line to the tables stretched almost to the door.
When Chase and Faith walked in together, she expected people to at least acknowledge their quarterback’s presence.
But the few stray glances from his colleagues seemed to look completely through them, as if Chase didn’t even exist.
Nobody said hello to him.
Nobody waved.
Guys and their wives and kids walked right past him without so much as a glance or a word.
She shivered a little as Chase sized up the room and then sighed. He glanced down at her. “Isn’t this fun?” he said, raising his eyebrows sarcastically.
“I’ve felt more welcomed at the DMV getting my license renewed,” she said, and then she grabbed his hand. “But who cares? We’re together.”
He smiled at her. “I like your style.”
“What now?” she asked, still looking around nervously.
“Let’s get ourselves some grub before these animals leave us with nothing but scraps.” He walked forward and she let him pull her along.
They got into the line behind two enormous black men that were even bigger and wider than Chase. One of them leaned towards his buddy and whispered something in his ear, and the guy started laughing, turning his head just enough to glance at Chase and Faith.
He turned back, whispered a return comment, and now both men were laughing so hard their enormous shoulders were shaking.
Faith didn’t know what the joke was, but she couldn’t escape the uncomfortable feeling that it was about her and Chase.
She looked at Chase to see his reaction, and although he appeared not to be noticing what was going on, his jaw was tight and his eyes were cold. She could sense that he was upset, but he was trying to stay calm.
The line inched forward, and Faith started to wish she hadn’t pushed so hard for Chase to come to this dinner.
Why did she care whether he listened to his coach or not?
“Hey,” she said to him.
He looked at her quizzically. “Yeah?”
“I get it now,” she said, grinning a little bit.
“You do?”
“Yeah. Totally.”
He laughed and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “This is nothing.”
“No, it’s definitely something,” she replied, as she noticed more eyes upon them now, and players exchanging comments and glances from around the room.
Why did they hate Chase so much? She wondered.
He was their teammate, their quarterback. She had always been under the assumption that players revered their quarterback and considered them leaders, almost as important as the team’s coach.
But maybe the reality was different than the way the media portrayed things.
It certainly was in this case. None of the articles she’d read or shows she’d listened to had ever painted a picture of Chase Winters being so despised by his teammates.
But now that she was in this restaurant with him and feeling the icy response to his presence, it was clear that there was no love lost between him and any of the other men who were his colleagues.
They don’t just not love him.
They hate him.
It made her sad to know that this was what Chase was dealing with at his job, on top of all his other pressures.
Finally, they got up to the buffet table for their turns. The restaurant had servers refilling the hot trays as fast as they could manage, and still it wasn’t enough.
The two large men just in
front of them piled food high on their plates, chattering about how hungry they were as they took every last bit from at least four or five different trays.
Really nice, she thought. Talk about being greedy. Didn’t it occur to any of them that there were other people who were trying to eat?
Her annoyance was turning into something like rage at the attitudes these young, wealthy athletes displayed. They were simply rude. They ignored the servers, took food without noticing whether anyone else might want any or not.
And they made a mess doing so.
They simply expected that others would pick up after them.
Faith knew she was being a little ridiculous to be so upset about a buffet and how these men ate, but she couldn’t help it. Everyone in the room just seemed rude and arrogant.
And they hate the man I love.
That was the part that really got to her. Did they even give him a chance? Did they even know a thing about him?
Chase pointed out certain dishes that he said he’d eaten previously, and then used the tongs to give her some of what she indicated interest in. He was acting so kind, so chivalrous and romantic.
Tomorrow was one of the biggest games of his life and he was focused on her.
After they’d both gotten food (Chase of course had taken about ten times as much onto his plate as she had), they stood awkwardly near the buffet table and looked out at the restaurant for a place to sit.
His fellow teammates were all sitting together, some with wives, girlfriends and young children.
There weren’t any free tables left, but there was one table with some open seats and just three players eating. They had no wives or girlfriends sitting with them.
“Let’s go sit there,” Chase said, leading the way towards that table.
Faith felt distinctly nervous in a way that reminded her of junior high or high school when the pressures of being accepted and fitting in had been at their highest levels.
She hadn’t felt that feeling in a long time, but here it was again.
The three players looked up with expressions of disgust and derision plain on their faces as Chase and Faith approached.
Chase pulled out a seat for Faith and then he sat down, dropping his tray on the table with a clang.