by Garnet Hart
“Did you watch the news this morning?” Jeremy asked.
“No. What’s it about?”
“Some groups of the Pats fans have joined the protest against you. They want you out of football. Aside from your crime, they cited gross immorality to brand you unfit to play in the nation’s most prestigious sports.”
“What do they mean gross immorality?”
“Your womanizing habit, man,” Jeremy explained.
“I never had a woman since the accident.”
“Before that. They’re digging out every single dirt in your life now, including your parents’.”
“I hit a woman. I took responsibility over it. I’m facing all possible charges against me. Why did they have to throw in my family’s trash into this?”
“To the Pats fans, you’re a hero. You know that. But to some, you’re an annoying boulder along their way, and if they can’t push you away, they’d have to put dynamites under you and shatter you to bits.”
Troy took a deep breath. He understood what Jeremy meant. Since his rise as the starting quarterback of the Patriots, he’d gained notoriety as well. Some people were just not happy with his presence in the league. They were only waiting to shoot him down when given the opportunity. They had paid paparazzi and the press to expose his womanizing habit. They had been doing so for years.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to ruin him completely. His general manager, Hal Carter, continued to defend him.
Now, they’d gotten the perfect opportunity to finally put an end to his career. They wouldn’t stop using the accident to make him look like a spawn of hell.
He knew who they were. Logan knew it too. They were within the league. Owners of rival teams, general managers, coaches, or simply haters. In fact, even those protesters were being paid generously. They wouldn’t mind spending that much for that sole purpose. They saw it as an investment. If they succeeded, it would be for their own benefit.
Hal was under too much pressure, as well. His general manager had called him to his office the other day and expressed his regret that if he could not fix this mess, Hal had no choice but to concede the disciplinary officer’s recommendation to suspend, or even terminate, his contract.
“I think your coach’s suggestion is perfect.”
Troy drew his brows at the center. “What suggestion?”
“Marry her.”
He chuckled and shook his head. He wasn’t really serious when he said yes to Zoey. He knew she wasn’t either.
“Right now, people are talking nothing else but shit about you,” Jeremy said. “You can turn the table around, if you want to.”
“By marrying her?”
“And shock the hell out of them. Who would expect that the most elusive bachelor and legendary quarterback will finally settle down with an ordinary woman who happens to be his victim? It’s a Cinderella story, a fairy tale that everyone would rather be talking about.”
Troy smiled. He had to agree that was really something. “Don’t you think people will say it’s just a show?”
“Some people will definitely not be pleased, but who gives a damn? It’s not everyday that a fairy tale romance happens in the field. Women are crazy about those shit. “
He nodded. This was turning out to be a perfect plan. “Then I can say that if not because of the accident, I wouldn’t have met my Cinderella.”
“Precisely,” Jeremy growled.
Troy laughed deeply.
“And not only that,” Jeremy continued. “We have a law that a spouse should not be forced to testify against the other spouse.”
“I know that, but now that she’d changed her statement, she’d be testifying on my behalf.”
“That’s for certain. The problem is… she will be cross examined by the prosecution, and believe me, they could wring the truth out of her mouth in any ways they can think of. So your best option is to eliminate her from the set of witnesses.”
Troy nodded. It was indeed a perfect plan. But a marriage?
He couldn’t imagine himself getting married, not for any reasons. He’d rather go to jail, that was if it had no repercussions.
He was on a hot seat. The NFL Commissioner had given a final warning, that if it turned out he was to blame for the accident, his contract had to be terminated to save the reputation of the league.
“You’ve got to propose to her on the field,” Logan’s voice suddenly interrupted them.
They both turned around and found the coach standing behind them. This old man had been listening to them all along and they didn’t even notice him.
“It has to be spectacular,” Logan continued. “Maybe after the game, but you’ll have to win, of course.”
Troy raised an eyebrow. “In the Jets’ home field?”
“Yes, so you’ve got to win that game for her.”
“I agree,” Jeremy nodded.
Troy chuckled. “Don’t you think that’s too cheesy?”
“Those creamy cheese will save your ass, dickhead,” Logan said. “You’d better start looking for a ring, and tell your secretary to write you a cheesy script.”
“I don’t have a secretary.”
“I have,” Jeremy said and looked at the field. He suddenly nudged Troy. “Talking about the she-devil.”
Troy followed the lawyer’s gaze and saw Zoey walking, or leaping towards them. She only had one crutch now, on her left hand, and she was holding Bessie on her right. Again, she was wearing a long, cream skirt and a red fitted topper. Unlike the last time, she looked good on it. It emphasized her feminine curves—her breasts and narrow waist, particularly. He didn’t think she could beat the D-sized women he had always preferred to sleep with, with breasts as huge as football, but even if she were a C or a B, her breasts looked too large for her slender figure.
He found himself licking his lips. It had been two long weeks since he’d last sucked a pair of tits. His testosterone was in overdrive. That pair of appetizers would do just fine right now.
“Troy!” Bessie yelled as she ran to him.
He had to take his eyes off Zoey’s breasts and caught Bessie in his arms. “Hey. How’s my pretty girl?”
“Zoey wants to see you.”
“She does? Did she miss me?”
Bessie grinned and looked up to his companion. “Good morning, uncle Logan.”
“Morning, kid. No school today?”
“My teacher’s sick. She can’t come to school.”
“Oh, I see.”
Troy kept glancing at Zoey while Jeremy introduced himself to Bessie. He felt bad for letting her walk all the way around the field in her condition. Whatever reason she had for coming to Foxborough, he was interested to know.
“You stay here for a while, okay,” he told Bessie and put the girl on Jeremy’s lap. “I’ll go get your mama.”
“She’s not my mama,” Bessie argued. “And she said you’re not her boyfriend.”
“She said that?” Troy leaned closer to the little girl. “She’s lying. I am her boyfriend, and soon we are getting married.”
Bessie’s jaw dropped. “Really?!” she shrieked in surprise. “But she said she doesn’t like you.”
“They just have this little quarrel, you know,” Jeremy said. “Troy has done something really bad to her.”
“What did he do?”
Troy stood up. “Watch me. I’m going to kiss her,” he said and turned away.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Logan reminded him as he ran to meet Zoey at the corner.
“Hi,” he said and stole a kiss on her cheek. Startled, she lifted her fist to slap him. He caught her wrist before her palm hit his face. “Not in front of the kid. She thinks I’m your boyfriend.”
Exasperated, she pulled her hand off his. “Why do you always act like a prick every time we meet?”
He spread his arms. “A prick? Am I that bad to you?”
“Ah, forget it. I’m leaving Bessie with you and Mister Norris for a few hours.”
He frowned. �
��Why?”
“Why? Because I have a job interview. I can’t take her with me.”
“Why didn’t you just bring her to my mother?”
“It’s too far. I don’t have time to go there.”
“It’s only thirty minutes away from your place. You think that’s too far away while you did not mind driving for two hours coming here?”
“I did not come here specifically to see you. My interview is somewhere around this area, and they told me I can’t take a child in the building so I decided to bring her here.”
“Alright,” he nodded. It made sense now. “So you want to relocate to Foxborough?”
“Not necessarily.”
He laughed deeply under his throat. “I can’t look after her. We’re practicing.”
“That’s your problem. I’ve done you a favor. You pay me back in kind. Just babysit for me until three PM. I may come back earlier.”
“What favor?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”
He nodded. She must be referring to the change of her statement. “Alright. I appreciate what you did. So which of the offers would you like to take?”
“I’m still not sure, but if I don’t pass this interview, you have to help me find a job.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself? There’s four million dollars just waiting for your approval. I’ll deliver it to you in cold cash. Not through bank, okay. It’s not safe.”
“You think they wouldn’t suspect if you withdraw four million dollars?”
“I’ll pay you in installment, or I can borrow from my colleagues. That will be my problem. Rest assured you’ll get your four million within a month.”
She sighed. “I’ve got my pride, Troy Myers, and I don’t want to be involved in your mess any longer. Just help me find a job. That’s it, and we’re even.”
“I can replace my accountant with you.”
“Not that. I’m not an accountant.”
“So what job would you like?”
“What job can you offer? But don’t fire any of your employees for me.”
He shrugged. “Maid?”
She grunted. “You’re wasting my time.” She was about to turn away when he grabbed her arm.
“Just one more thing.”
“Get your filthy hand off me,” she demanded.
Quickly, he dropped his hand.
“You have two minutes.”
Oh, Christ. This woman is utterly boring.
“So?” She shot him a demanding, impatient stare.
He took a deep breath to prepare himself. Shit, this was totally new to him. He’d never proposed to any woman before. “Last time we met, were you serious when you asked me to marry you?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Do you think I was serious?”
“Well, I can’t stop thinking about it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not my type, Troy Myers. I’m a Mason girl.”
He narrowed his eyes as he studied her face. Boring and lifeless long brown hair. Boring brown eyes. Arched eyebrows that made her look like a snob. Freckles across the bridge of her nothing-special-about nose. Boring pair of thin lips…
Her face was a sight of complete boredom. It bored him just looking at it. It’s not that she was ugly though. She was just plain boring. Thank goodness for her pair of tits. At least there was one interesting thing about her.
“You’re not my type either,” he returned. He did not want to comment about her boring face though, so he thought about something else to say to counter her offensive remark. “I don’t usually prefer skinny women.”
“I’m not skinny. You just have this obsession over voluptuous women.”
“Oh yeah? How did you know?”
“They’re all over the tabloids, dumbass.”
“You read tabloids?”
“I wouldn’t be reading them if I didn’t lose my job.”
He chuckled. “Alright. Understood. It all goes back to me.”
“I’m glad you realize that.”
“So what about if we get married for real?”
She froze. For a few seconds, she stared at him with her mouth open. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not at all.”
She looked away and scratched her forehead. “Troy Myers, whatever trick you’re playing, leave me out of it.”
“Are you sure it’s a trick?” He leaned closer to her face. “What if I say, I’m in love with you?”
Fuck! Did he just say that? He wanted to puke right in front of her face.
Her brows met. He had expected her to flush, or be caught in surprise, but she just glowered at him—unaffected, unconvinced. “You make the word love sound like a curse.”
He could not say anything. He was really rusty, no, dumb, in this department. Or was this woman just being too difficult?
“I’ll come get Bessie back this afternoon.”
“I won’t be here. I’ll ask Jeremy to take her to my mother. You drop by in Hudson on your way home to get her.”
She nodded. “Sure,” she said and walked away.
He crossed his arms. He just messed up his opportunity. Perhaps he’d have to do as Logan had suggested—a spectacular proposal.
“No way.” He shook his head. That was way too cheesy for him. He’d better try one more time, with a different approach.
“Hey.” He ran after her.
She stopped and turned to him. “What?”
He sighed. He’d just have to be straight with his intention now. “I’m serious about what I said. I want to marry you.”
Again, she was frozen, but this time, she didn’t dismiss it as a joke. “Why do you want to do such a stupid thing? And don’t tell me it’s love. You’re not capable of that.”
He shrank back. Whatever made her think he was incapable of love? There were a few special women in his life. It just did not work out.
“Is that your lawyer’s suggestion?” she suspected.
He sighed again. He’d rather be very honest with her. It seemed to work better all the time. “Zoey… I won’t lie to you. Yes, I’d like to marry you more for my benefit than yours. I just got… fucked up, you know. This is the only way I can think of to redeem myself.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, Troy. I can’t do anything more for you. I don’t want to be a part of your game.”
“You can walk away anytime you want.”
“No.”
“We will sleep in separate rooms.”
“Shut up, Myers.”
He grabbed her arms to get her full attention. “At least tell me that there’s a chance you will consider my proposal.”
She took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance.”
His world suddenly turned bright. “Really?”
She nodded. “I will marry you… in three conditions.”
“Anything.”
“First, your team must beat the Jets, which is of course impossible since you’ll be in their home field.”
He rolled his eyes. That was insulting, but it can be done. “What else?”
“You have to score at least two touchdowns.”
“Passes?”
“Runs.”
“Oh, I can’t do that. I don’t run, I throw.”
“Then you’d better change strategy.”
He groaned his frustration.
“And third, you have to sack my darling Wayne… twice.”
Sack Mason Wayne? The fastest running back of the decade? “Why don't you just tell me to throw myself down the cliff instead?” he said.
She smiled. “As you can see, I’m not cheap. You’ll have to earn me,” she said and walked away.
Fuck! So what’s too precious about her?
“What about dinner tonight?” he asked aloud. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I’m busy.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She didn’t answer him.
He
stood right where he was, watching her walk away.
“You’re a piece of work, aren’t you?” he uttered under his throat. He’d never met a woman more difficult than this one. She wasn’t even a beauty… except for her breasts, probably. They’re the only part of her that he couldn’t get his eyes off.
But the hell… He wouldn’t have to go through all of these if it were another woman. She’s quite a challenge.
*****
Zoey peered at her reflection in the mirror and pressed her lips together. The red lipstick perfectly matched her dress.
“You changed your dress?” Bessie asked.
She turned to Bessie, who was standing at the door of the bathroom. She was wearing a different dress earlier, but Bessie suggested she’d wear this instead. And boy, how right the kid was. Although it was a knee-length dress, it covered most of the bandages on her upper thigh. Those around her knees were visible, but it didn’t look that bad to her. People might not even notice it at all.
“Because you told me so,” Zoey replied.
Bessie grinned. “It’s seven. Why is he not here yet?”
“He might be a little late,” she said and walked out of the bathroom with her crutches. “But he’ll come.”
“Can I come with you?” Bessie followed her to the living room.
“Oh, we might go to places where kids are not allowed. We’ll drop you to your Aunt Paula’s house, and I’ll come get you back before midnight. Is that okay?”
“Okay,” Bessie said and sat on the couch to play Angry Birds on her phone.
Zoey glanced at the wall clock. Troy was fifteen minutes late. He said he’d come pick her up at seven.
She looked through the window and imagined Troy getting out of his expensive sports car with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates for her. How romantic. It sent tingles down her toes.
“Silly me,” she whispered to herself. She felt like a teenager once again—dreaming of a handsome prince to knock on her door and sweep her off her feet.
She wasn’t even sure why she suddenly decided to go out with him. All the while, she thought she hated him. But she was just a woman, and no woman could possibly let go of an opportunity to date the most craved for two-time athlete of the year, two-time Superbowl MVP, and two-time NFL MVP.
It wouldn’t mean she’d convert to the Patriots though. She’d remain a loyal Jets fan until her death.