by S. J. Bishop
The guard had finally gotten a firm grip on the reporter and was escorting him from the locker room. The other guard had ahold of the photographer. The reporter turned his head back toward me and shouted one final question. "Axel! How do you respond to the charges of steroid abuse?"
The locker room went silent. The guys who had been laughing all turned and stared at me. Coach's mouth formed a long, thin line. Two things an athlete didn't do: fuck another teammate's wife or use steroids. Getting caught at something like that would blacken your reputation. It could get you expelled from the game forever. I had never used steroids and never would. I felt my team's eyes staring hard at me, trying to figure it out. Even Kaitlyn was looking at me funny.
"Who the hell told you that?" I screamed. I knew my face was burning. Anger overwhelmed me. "Who the hell said that?" I repeated, this time running toward the reporter. I grabbed his collar and yanked him away from the guard. My fist landed square against his jaw as a flash went off. The reporter licked the blood trickling from his lip, looking like it was Christmas.
"You get that?" the reporter asked his photographer. The photographer grinned at him and ran out of the locker room before I could break his camera. I'd just given these two jerks the best gift they could have asked for. A tabloid reporter's dream, and it came with pictures.
17
Kaitlyn
I couldn't believe it as I watched Axel slam his fist against the reporter. He'd been so gentle with me when we'd made love. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed that he could act so aggressively.
Steroids make people aggressive.
Oh, please. Axel was not on steroids. That crazy bitch Taylor was almost certainly behind these new charges. She'd do anything to get what she wanted. Still... Axel hadn't exactly denied it, had he? When the reporter had asked whether the charges were true, Axel's response had been to ask who said that, then to punch the reporter in his face.
Can you blame him?
I thought about it a second. If I had reporters hounding me day and night, I was liable to break their faces, too. The team finally went up to start the game, and Axel stayed behind, looking dejected. His face was puffy and his eyes were dark. He was sitting on the massage table.
"Axel?" I asked tentatively.
"Did you see the way the guys were all looking at me?" he asked. He looked so alone and frightened for a minute that my heart went out to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and began to massage it. His tension eased. I pushed the back of his shirt up and rubbed him harder, pressing my hands deep into the knots of his back. His skin was smooth and hot as I worked on him. My body began to tingle.
"I don't normally act like this," he said. I continued moving my hands up and over his bare skin. Finally, I pulled his shirt off. Axel was so wrapped up in his thoughts he barely seemed to notice.
"I swear," he said. "I'm not like this. It's just that reporter... if people think I'm using steroids, I'll never play in this game again. Even if I did, I'd never be trusted by my teammates."
"So," I told him, "talk to the guys. Tell your team that it's not true." I paused. "It isn't true, is it?"
Axel's head snapped around. "Of course not!" he yelled.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling awful. His eyes were filled with sincerity. I pressed my lips to his, hoping to calm him down. He resisted at first, still angered by my question. I pulled my shirt off and took his hands, placing them on my breasts. That did the trick. Slowly, he began to squeeze my breasts. His fingers circled my dark pink nipples. His smooth, thick thumb rubbed gently over my areolas, making me shiver.
"You believe me, don't you?" he asked.
"Yes," I said, without hesitation. The look in his eyes when I'd expressed my doubt had been all the proof I needed. No one, no matter how great a liar, could look so heartbroken unless he was telling the truth.
I still didn't know what it was about Axel that got my pussy so hot and bothered every time I was around him. It was as if he were some magical life elixir, like the Fountain of Youth, and by fucking him, I was renewing my life force.
"Axel," I murmured. He pressed his lips harder against mine. I didn't stop him. I heard the crowd cheering high above us in the stands and hoped the team was doing well. Then all thoughts were pushed from my mind as Axel laid me back on the table and lifted himself on top of me. Our pants were off in a heartbeat, and he was slipping inside me before I had time to take another breath.
There was nothing sweet or sensitive about what we were doing. This was fast and dirty. My desire for Axel overwhelmed my senses. His own need for my body overwhelmed his. We both needed each other more than we were willing to admit. I opened my legs wide for him so he could go as deep as he wanted. His cock moved inside me, filling every inch of me. Sweat poured off of both of us. I panted as Axel pushed himself to the limits.
"Fuck me, Axel!" I screamed. "Fuck me harder!"
He didn't need me to ask twice. He slammed his hips against mine, sending his cock deep into me. My legs clenched. Sweat dripped down my thighs. My pussy had never been so wet. I clawed at Axel's chest with my fingers. I'd never felt so wild or free during sex. We wanted the pleasure of each other's bodies, and there was nothing that could stop us.
Axel breathed deeply, hot, sweet air blowing against my face as he leaned over me, pumping his hips against mine again and again. "You like that, don't you?" he whispered.
"Oh yes," I moaned, barely able to contain the climax I felt coming on. My body began to tingle. Energy surged between us.
"Cum in me, Axel," I whispered.
"Get ready," he breathed. He pumped once, twice, then his face turned red. His muscles stiffened and his eyes grew glassy. He exploded into me as my own body turned to fire. Everything around me went dark for a second as passion overtook us. The world spun and I spun with it. When I opened my eyes again, Axel was laying on top of me, exhausted.
"Does this count as exercise?" he asked.
I giggled. "Most definitely."
18
Axel
Kaitlyn was right. I couldn't leave until I'd cleared the air with my team. They knew me well enough to know that I'd never use drugs. Their reaction to the reporter's accusation had been instinctive. You mention steroids to athletes, and they were gonna seize up over it. It was only natural.
"Thanks for waiting with me," I told Kaitlyn. Her hair had come loose during that wild ride we'd gone on together, and now she was fixing it back up. She pulled it back into a ponytail. It swung around her head, reminding me of a cheerleader. My prick stirred, and I couldn't help smiling.
"What are you grinning at over there?" she asked.
"Nothing," I told her. "Just that I'm ready for another round whenever you are."
She turned toward me, grinning back. "You can't be serious. Twice in one afternoon seems like plenty, doesn't it?" But there was something about the way her eyes shined brightly back at me that made me think she might be into it. Shit, I didn't know what it was about her that made me so horny. If I could have stayed in bed with her twenty-four hours a day, my dick would have been the happiest prick alive.
There was a final cheer before my teammates descended on the locker room again. They came in jumping up and down and slapping each other's hands.
"Fuck yeeeaaahhhh!" someone yelled.
"I guess we won," Kaitlyn said.
Suddenly, I was nervous. What if the guys didn't believe me? What if they didn't want me hanging around anymore? I let them get their champagne and beer and start the celebration. They were still hooting and hollering when Coach strolled up to me.
"Got a minute, Axel?"
I nodded. Kaitlyn shot me a look. Her face was the only thing that could keep me from doing or saying something stupid. I didn't need steroids. Kaitlyn was my drug of choice.
I followed Coach into his office where he shut the door. This freaked me out more than anything. Coach took the open door policy literally. I don't think it had been shut since I'd join
ed the team.
"Listen, Coach," I started, hoping to cut him off before he could say anything that might piss me off. "I just want you and the guys to know that I've never touched steroids. Or anything else for that matter."
I held my breath. Coach stared at me. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "I don't give a shit about that. No one on the team thinks you're using. That's bullshit. We know that."
I relaxed and was able to breathe again. It didn't last long, though. If that wasn't the problem, then why was I in Coach's office? Coach shook his head and made little tsking sounds.
"For Christ's sake, Axel, what are you thinking?" he hollered. I must have looked confused. "You’re fucking the new therapist, aren't you? After I specifically told you not to. Jesus, haven't you learned your lesson yet? Women are your biggest problem. You know that, don't you?"
I grinned, my mind filling with relief. "Is that what this is about?" I asked. He stared at me like I was nuts. "I promise you, Coach. There's nothing going on." I was lying through my teeth, but I didn't want to get Kaitlyn in trouble. I had a solid contract, but Kaitlyn could get fired.
Coach eyed me skeptically. "Don't worry," I assured him. "There's plenty of women for me to go around with." As if on cue, a series of girly squeals erupted from the locker room.
"What the hell?" Coach yelled, walking quickly to his door. He flung it open, and the four women who had thrown themselves at me when I'd gotten here this morning were running topless around the locker room, much to the delight of the players.
The bleach blonde who'd tried so hard to knock my socks off saw me and squealed in delight. She ran toward me and flung her arms around me. I saw Kaitlyn scowling in the background and tried to push her away.
"Oh my God!" the blonde sang. "You guys were amazing!"
"I didn't even play," I told her. It didn't seem to matter. Her arms wrapped tighter around me. She was so dainty; I didn't want to hurt her by pushing her away too hard. Her mouth smacked against mine, loud and wet. Her breasts pushed against my chest. They were like two beach balls, they were so big. They couldn't have been real, but they sure felt real. I gently pushed her away, but she came back at me so fast she almost knocked me over.
She reached down and started massaging my cock through my pants. Heat swelled within me. Before I realized I was doing it, I was responding to her touch. My arms wrapped tighter around her body. One hand reached out and began playing with her nipples. They were definitely fake, but it didn't matter anymore. Her lips were like sweet wine, and her skin was like porcelain.
When I finally came up for a breath, I saw Kaitlyn watching us with an expression of horror. Immediately, my desire for the blonde shattered. Kaitlyn looked like she was about to cry. Her perfect pink lips trembled, and she ran from the room. I pushed the blonde away, harder this time, and she got mad.
"Hey!" she yelled. "Where do you think you're going?"
I ran after Kaitlyn. The last thing I wanted was to push Kaitlyn away. Christ, why was I such a fuck up? I actually meet a girl who's the whole package, and I fuck it up. Couldn't I keep my goddamned prick in line for one day?
"Kaitlyn!" I screamed, her ponytail flying fast in front of me. But Kaitlyn was gone. She wanted nothing more to do with me.
19
Kaitlyn
I couldn't believe I'd fallen for it again. Axel was nothing but a womanizer. What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I insist on jumping into bed with him every thirty seconds? It's not like there weren't other men out there. Maybe my father's death had affected me even more than I'd realized. Maybe I had some sort of sick desire to put myself in bad relationships.
My stomach churned, and I stopped running. I was halfway between the player's entrance and the outside of the stadium in a sort of tunnel mostly used by maintenance staff and the occasional reporter trying to sneak in.
I stopped running and took several deep breaths. I hadn't gone running since... forever. I leaned against the wall and caught my breath. The somersaults in my stomach slowed. I waited for them to come to a full stop before resuming my walk to the parking lot. I just hoped this whole thing with Axel wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass any more than it already had.
"Kaitlyn!" Axel screamed, catching up to me. Even on crutches, he moved faster than I did.
I turned my head toward him. He'd followed me. Of course he had. He certainly was persistent. "Go away, Axel!" I screamed back at him, starting to run again. The second I increased my speed, my stomach churned again. I put my hand on the wall to steady myself and bent over at the waist. I sucked in a huge breath, hoping that would help, but it only made things worse. I threw up all over the ground.
Axel stopped running. He came up behind me and pulled my hair back, placing one strong hand on the small of my back. It soothed me for a moment, until I remembered the fucking blonde he'd been kissing only a few minutes before.
I stepped away from him. "Get your hands off me," I yelled, spitting on the ground. I couldn't believe I'd just thrown up in front of him. I hoped my cheeks weren't crimson. The only thing worse than puking in front of Axel would be letting him know how embarrassed I was by it.
"You're sick," he said, looking concerned.
"Ha!" I yelled. "Nice try. Like you care whether or not I'm sick."
He looked hurt, and for a minute, I felt bad. But every time I started to feel something for him again, the image of that topless blonde grinding against him came back to haunt me.
"I do care," he said.
"Not enough to stop you from making out with another woman two seconds after you finished fucking me."
Axel opened his mouth then shut it again. Apparently, he knew there was no good response to that. My phone buzzed, and I looked down at it, ready to hit ignore. But it was Ethan. A thought occurred to me. Instead of ignoring him, I answered the phone.
"Ethan," I said, smiling. I hoped I sounded happy to hear from him. Ethan sat on the other end, probably startled that I wasn't yelling at him.
"Kaitlyn?" he asked.
"Yes. Hello, Ethan, it's so good to hear from you. I've been thinking about you." I shot a glance at Axel to gage his reaction. He looked pissed.
"You have?" Ethan asked. Clearly, he'd been expecting a different answer.
"Oh, yes. You know this morning when you were over and I was getting out of the shower..." I shot another look at Axel. His face was turning red. Good. "Well, I was in such a hurry, I didn't have time to fully consider your offer. I'd love to go out with you some time."
"You would?"
"Of course. How about my place? Tomorrow night? Say, eightish?"
"Uh, sure. That sounds good. But you know, I think maybe I should clear something up. I'm—"
"Perfect! I can't wait to see you. I'll wear something special. Just for you." Then I puckered my lips and blew a loud kiss into the receiver. When I hung up, Axel was fuming.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Who?" I asked innocently. "Oh, you mean Ethan? Oh, he's just an old friend. Actually," I said, smirking, "Ethan and I were high school sweethearts. He took my virginity."
Axel's jaw dropped open. "You're kidding me, right?"
I shook my head. Axel's eyes darted around the tunnel. His face looked like a beet. Finally, he curled his fist into a ball and hit the side of the wall. Anyone else would have broken their knuckles, but Axel was so strong, he only cut them open. Blood trickled over his hand, dripping onto the floor. He wiped some hair out of his eyes, and blood smeared across his forehead. He looked like a deranged serial killer.
Thank God there aren't any reporters down here.
As if to prove me wrong, an olive-skinned man with closely cropped hair dressed in a brown business suit came walking briskly down the tunnel. He paused when he saw us, surprised, I think, to find us here.
"Axel Cooper?" he asked.
Axel turned away. "Go away," I told the man. "This tunnel's not for reporters." Even as pissed as I was, I didn't want them houndin
g Axel anymore today.
The man smiled at me. "That's good then. 'Cause I'm not a reporter."
Axel turned back to him.
"Who the hell are you then?" he asked.
The man pulled an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Axel. "Axel Cooper," he said. "You've been served."
20
Axel
"What?" I asked. I felt the blood drain from my face.
"You've been served," the man said. He shrugged. "Sorry, man. Just doing my job. I'm actually a big fan of yours."
I laughed and ripped open the envelope. I already knew Taylor was behind this. My lawyer had warned me to expect something like this. The man who'd served me was still standing there, irritating the hell out of me. What was he waiting for, a tip?
"Get the fuck out of here," I growled at him.
"Sure, sure," he said, nodding his head. He withdrew a pad and pen and handed them to me.
"What? You need me to sign something? I'm not signing shit." Kaitlyn stood nearby, looking pale.
"Actually, I wasn't lying when I said I was a fan. I was hoping maybe..." He looked hopefully at me, smiling. Oh Jesus.
"You want an autograph?"
"If it's not too much trouble."
I threw his notepad and pen back toward the exit. He scowled at me and went to retrieve them. "Whatever," he spat. "I guess it's true what they're saying about you."
"What are they saying about him?" Kaitlyn asked. I was both mad at her and glad she was here. I knew that she'd only been talking to that Ethan guy to make me jealous. What pissed me off even more was that it had worked.
"That he's a wife beater and a child abuser," the guy said. "I didn't want to believe it. But, I mean, when three different women accuse you of the same thing, you gotta wonder."
"Three women?" Kaitlyn asked.