by Aja Cole
These women knew every face on the team. They knew the people on the reserve teams. They knew the up and comers and the potentials. They studied us like we were courses in uni, and it was a special sort of scary.
It didn’t matter that I was only recently coming into my own with the team at 20, they’d clocked me early and I often saw the same women pop up where I was. I had no idea how they knew, but I felt stalked.
I would’ve been content going to a restaurant with the guys. La comida…food… it was always something I could get behind. The moment we walked into Panacea and went to a private booth, I knew what type of place it was and I knew what the guys were doing.
“I’m not taking a zorra home,” I leaned back against the booth, nursing a beer.
“Oh come on mate, it’s not nice to call these hard-working girls sluts. They try so hard to win us over,” Gerard laughed, twisting his hand in the hair of one of the girls that was draped over his lap. She was so starry-eyed that I doubt she cared about what we called her. I grimaced, looking away when he dug his tongue into her mouth. In two seconds, her dress would be hiked up under the table and he’d be pretending he was going to call her after he took her home.
I liked fucking, liked playing with women- but I didn’t want or need an audience. Manuel and Bakker came back to the table. How fucking sad was it that we resorted to the buddy system if we didn’t want some woman to accost us in a stall or some shit. The stories they’d spin just to have their names linked to ours – we walked a thin line if we cared about a good reputation.
I cared about a good reputation.
“We’re here tonight for the express purpose of finding you a nice puta, so suck it up.” Manuel was my cousin, older by a few years and dating some Italian model. I didn’t know her name; she was one of the many.
“It’d have been nice if someone asked me. Es mi vida.” I tipped the bottle, finishing it, and there was another at my side before I even put it down on the table.
Alright, this life had its perks, I’d admit.
“If we asked you, it’d be another ten years before you shagged someone.”
“I’m not a nun. I just don’t need to tell any of you about every woman I bed.” I gestured with my bottle at the girl writhing in Gerard’s lap, “Not my style.”
“Hey, she’s offering it up, it’d be rude to not take it.” He pulled the girl away from where she was licking at his neck and prodded her off his lap. “Go get a friend or two, sweetheart. A man’s got needs.” When he winked at her, she ran away like an eager child.
It was so fucking easy; it wasn’t even appealing. No fight, no passion – just compliance. That kind of submissiveness screamed boredom.
I wanted the push-back. I wanted to work for it, wear her down, and feel the satisfaction when she inevitably succumbed to what I wanted. Otherwise, what was the point? I wanted la fuego.
“What about that girl over there? I don’t recognize her.” Manuel tilted his head towards some girls dancing near the edge of the floor. They were all dressed skimpily, but I knew immediately which one he was talking about.
The light sheen of sweat made her smooth brown skin look like it was dusted with gold under the lighting.
She looked like she was having fun dancing instead of trying to give the illusion that she was having fun.
“Me neither,” I murmured, dragging my eyes down her lithe body. She looked real and sensuous, womanly. The kind of curves I loved to fill my hands and mouth with. The deep ochre of her silky dress slipped over her body as she moved to the beat of the song, a slit teasing me with glimpses of her thigh. It was the kind of dress that left little to the imagination, that she probably couldn’t wear anything underneath.
One touch would confirm if there was an extra barrier between her skin and the fabric. I could find out, easily. She was with women with an agenda…surely, she was the same.
Maybe one woman was okay. It was mi cumpleaños, after all.
She looked like the perfect birthday gift to un-wrap.
“I’ll be back,” I got up, ignoring the whoops and catcalls. If there was anyone in my way, I didn’t see them. I had one destination in mind. One goal.
Her hands went over her head and she shook her distracting ass, giving me the perfect opportunity to step up behind her and lace my fingers through hers as she brought them down.
“Bailar conmigo,” I murmured near her ear and a rush of satisfaction went through me when she shivered. She tried to turn, but I held her hands captive, moving her deeper into the crowd and away from her friends. “Dance with me,” I said again, loosening my grip and letting her know that she could move away if she truly wanted to.
She didn’t.
The familiar adrenaline rushed through me, the feeling of having something so soft in my grasp. The possibilities endless, her ending the night in my bed inevitable. The only question was who she would be. Would she be shy? Would she turn into a hellcat?
Lie by Roya began to play and she relaxed against me, her movements slowing to match the beat as she pressed her body back into mine.
Fuck.
Songs blurred and time passed, and my cock was growing painfully hard with every gyration from her. She’d reached her hands up and back to circle my neck, and my hands were on the front of her hips, dangerously close to her almeja. As tempted as I was to touch, I didn’t want the hassle of the public. I turned her around to face me, keeping her hands around my neck.
Her brown eyes were bright and she was obviously a little tipsy, but not drunk. It was the first time I saw her face and I couldn’t look away. She wasn’t wearing much makeup and her skin was clear and smooth, small beads of moisture on her forehead.
“I don’t even know your name,” she leaned up to me, moving in even closer.
American. Interesting.
“Luciano.” Her lips were distracting. Everything about her was distracting. I felt compelled to keep looking at her, touching her.
“I’m Thea,” she smiled big, and unable to stop myself, I dipped my head down to her neck, taking a deep breath. She smelled sweet, like the chocolate turrón I ate as a child on holidays.
I was caught.
She clutched at my shoulders, moving her head aside for easier access and my lips curved against her skin. We were on the same page.
“Spend the night with me.” I demanded, pulling back and sliding my hands to her waist. The thought of her saying no didn’t even cross my mind.
“I’m not that type of girl.” She bit her lip, retreating a bit, but I kept her in my grip.
“What type of girl?”
“The type that sleeps with random guys.”
“Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“I’m here to have fun, not find a guy to take me home,” her brow wrinkled and slight annoyance lined her voice. Hm. New approach, since she didn’t seem to know who I was.
“Lo siento,” I murmured, spanning her back with my hands and resting them just above her ass. I stroked my fingers lightly, hearing her little gasp and acting as if I wasn’t doing anything. “I thought you were looking for a footballer, the same as your friends.”
“They’re my roommate’s friends.” She muttered, but I knew she was distracted by my hands. The subtlest touch could cause the most interruption. “You play soccer?”
“Futbol,” I corrected, winking.
“I don’t follow it. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it makes you more perfect than any woman in here. It means you’re attracted to me and not my career.”
“I’m sure they’re still attracted to you.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” I wanted her to say it, even if I wasn’t lacking any confidence.
“I mean, you’re...like, have you looked in the mirror?”
“I haven’t, you should tell me what you see.” I told her that, but I didn’t intend to let her continue speaking.
I wanted to know what her lips tasted like.
7
Theodora
6 Years Ago
I felt it, the moment he decided to kiss me.
Everything else faded away; the other people dancing, the music, the uncertainty.
In the few seconds I had to think before his mouth touched mine, I felt the sharpest longing and need I’d ever felt in my life. I never wanted it to end.
His kiss answered questions I didn’t know I had, fed fires I never knew existed. I gasped hard and he captured it, tangling his tongue with mine slowly, seductively. He kissed like a conqueror, swift and confident. When he pulled back, it took me a few seconds to open my eyes and when I did – the desire in his deep blue gaze sent a jolt through my body.
“Spend the night with me,” he repeated, voice rasping seductively across my nerves in that amazing accent of his. It was clear that he was Spanish, though he must’ve been in England for a bit, because his speech was clearer than I imagined it would be if he was only visiting.
I blinked at him, the last bit of effects from the drinks I’d had seeming to fade away in the face of what felt like a monumental decision.
I was a virgin.
He was a freakin’ god among men, or that’s the way it seemed when the girls talked about “footballers.” I knew how people revered American football players back home, and it was most likely the same there.
He was smooth, just the right amount of cocky. He would expect sex.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to go that far…but I didn’t want my time with him to end.
“There’s no guarantee that we’re having sex,” I started, tipping my head back to look at him. He had to be 6’3” at least. I had on heels. “I need to tell my roommate where I’m going and with who…and text a friend back home.”
“Do whatever you need to do to feel safe,” he brushed a wayward strand of hair off my face, and whispered in my ear again. “We’ll only go as far as you beg me to.”
Wow. Instant lady-boner.
“Okay,” I moved away from him and immediately wanted to backtrack. There was just a pull there. Like a magnet. “I’ll be back.”
He nodded, his eyelids lowering and hooding his eyes some, giving him a drowsy and almost predatory look. It called to me.
The man was dangerous.
I made myself look away and searched for Kimmy, eventually seeing the brightness of her dress first. I hurried over, tapping her on the shoulder, even though I was interrupting a heavy make-out session with a large blonde guy.
“Come to join us, sweetheart?” Obviously English, the blonde leaned back against his booth and surveyed me.
“I don’t share,” Kimmy laughed, “And I think Thea’s too much of a prude for that. Right, Thea?” I couldn’t tell if her smile was forced or not, but I didn’t have time to think about it.
“I’m leaving with someone. Just wanted to give you his name. Damn, I didn’t get his last name.” The realization hit me and I mentally smacked my head. Good going!
“Who is he?”
“His name’s Luciano. I’ll get his last name and something else identifying quickly,” I turned to leave, but she gripped my wrist at the same time as the blonde guy gave a shout of laughter.
“That’s my mate. I can vouch for him. Better make it good, love, it’s his birthday.”
“Everyone knows who he is, don’t worry about it. He won’t kill you or anything.” She leaned closer to me so the guy couldn’t hear us, “Hey, I’ve got a few special condoms in my purse if you want one.” She winked, reaching for her side, but I shook my head.
“It’s okay.”
“Ooh, no condom? Even better, doll.”
Why wouldn’t I protect myself? That’d be stupid. I had to go back home to start school, and I couldn’t do it pregnant. I brushed away her comments.
My mom and dad would disown me. The only reason they hadn’t freaked out about me being halfway across the world was because I didn’t care for all the craziness that my friends did.
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Good luck!”
I grabbed up the jacket I’d discarded and made my way to where Luciano was standing. He seemed to be ignoring a group of women that were obviously waiting on him to acknowledge them. When he looked up and saw me, that dark look came to his eyes again and my heart jumped into my chest.
Why did this man who I’d just met make me feel this way?
“Estas bien?”
I knew what that meant!
“Everything’s good. I just have to text my friend back home, but I can do that uh…on the way.” I stammered. I assumed we were going to his place.
“Good. There’s a car waiting.” He took my hand in his, leading me, and I followed.
I didn’t know what the night would bring, but I wanted to find out.
I wanted him.
8
Luciano
Present
What made me think that getting Thea to help me was a good idea? That’s what I got for listening to my publicist.
She had the stubborn set to her chin that let me know whatever I said was going to be taken in the worst manner possible. There would be no winning with her.
But I didn’t have a choice.
The allegations involved her, and I knew she hadn’t made them – so we had to figure out who did, and why they were bringing it up five years later. While that happened, we needed to put on a good enough façade that if we were not able to contain the information, there wouldn’t be any fuel for the fire.
“What was that bullshit you spun for Matthew?”
“You mean my biggest fan?”
“Whatever,” she slapped her hands on the counter, jaw tight. Rich brown strands were slipping from her haphazard bun and curling around her face. “Why are you here?”
“I need your help, and only yours.”
“Tell me with what,” she commanded like a little general, and I hid my amusement.
If she were still mine in more than name, I’d remind her of the futility of demanding things that way. I would tell her because I wanted to, not because she thought she could control it.
I wasn’t that little fan-boy of hers. I could already tell she walked all over him, and he let her.
She’d apparently forgotten that she knew better, with me.
“Do you remember when the police came? When the neighbors thought there was violence happening?”
She nodded slowly, “Yeah.”
“Someone’s pitched a story saying that I did assault you. Only, they don’t make any mention of you being my wife. Or that it was a false alarm. They do say you were an American student and that I abused you while we were together, citing that one incident as one of many.”
Her mouth dropped and I could identify with her shock. Her expression was the same one I made when my team told me about it, tipped off early by someone in the press that they had good relations with.
The thought of me putting my hands on her in anger was one that made me uncomfortable. It never crossed my mind, nunca.
No matter what grievances she’d built up in her mind about me, that would never be one of them.
“But that’s something that can be verified. There wasn’t a police report filed, and by the time they got there, we were…” she looked away, rubbing an arm, “occupied.”
Occupied, yes. We’d moved on to a more productive activity than arguing. I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face, even as she narrowed her eyes at me. It’d been magnífico angry sex.
She was most certainly a hellcat, una leona.
“With the media, it’s all about the narrative. What it seems, not what it is or was, if the truth isn’t as good of a story as the lie. They are like la buitres, vultures. We can go for libel once it’s printed, but the damage will already be done.”
“I don’t disagree,” she murmured. “But why are you here? Why aren’t you in England? I could just give a statement or something.”
“We’re in talks about endorsements right now, here, and if ther
e was even a hint of scandal – they would start to back away.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”
Sometimes, she was like a bloodhound.
“Dios, I have a bit of a concussion and it’s been recommended that I take a breather, si? Are you happy to know that now?” I was frustrated because I hated admitting that. Hated admitting that I’d taken a hit bad enough that it still impacted me, and took me away from the game. We were keeping it out of the public, and since our season ended earlier than expected, it wasn’t far fetched that I was taking the time to spend with my woman. We hadn’t decided if we would let it be known that she was my wife, still.
It was something else I would need to discuss with Thea.
Right after I convinced her to pose in public with me as a couple.
One battle at a time.
“But you’re okay though?” Was that worry in her voice? I was a little touched.
“Yes, I am fine. Mild headaches, but nothing serious. The serious issue is this. Will you help me?”
“What exactly would I need to do?” She sounded resigned, and I perked up a little. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.
Whatever she thought I’d done to harm our relationship, Thea wasn’t malicious. She wouldn’t want me on the hook for something I would never do.
“I need you to be my girlfriend, for press events and to give a general image of me as a devoted boyfriend. I’ve never been seen with one woman, and we haven’t heard yet about whether they have your name. If they do, it’ll go a long way to diminishing the effect of the accusations if the woman the article mentions is smiling and okay by my side. It would help refute the false information.”
“Let me get this straight, you want me to turn my life upside down to make you look good? Is that what I’m hearing?” I can’t read her facial expression anymore. It’s completely neutral. I’m back to not having a clue what’s going through her head. At least this time, I’m not an entire ocean away.