ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: The Playmaker (Bad Boy College Football Romance) (New Adult College Alpha Male Sports Romance)

by Carly White

  “I don’t have one. Cindy used to take care of it, but that didn’t work out. I am looking for another assistant.”

  “I do PR, not schedule your STD check-ups, keep looking.”

  “Are you always this rude in the morning?”

  Ashlea bit her tongue to stop the rudeness that was dying to seep out. She didn’t want to be there and the fact that her whole life had been upended because of him, made her less inclined to want to be in his presence. “Well I need to know your schedule. We will need to spend the next few weeks together, all of it.”

  “All of it?” His brown eyes twinkled and the look on his face became suggestive.

  Ashlea made an aggravated sound in the back of her throat and started to walk out of the room. He was just as bad as he was in the videos and matches. Jesse was not a bad boy. He was quite simply an ass. It was a shame too she thought. He was so damn cute and had the body that could make a girl wet in seconds. Well not any girl, but most she assumed. But as soon as he opened his mouth, the over-confident swag ruined it. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about anything romantic with him. He wasn’t her type at all and though he was gorgeous to look at, Ashlea needed more than a pretty face to get her hot and bothered.

  Jesse tried to push her to that state several times in the kitchen. His eyes held hers for moments and he brushed against her backside one too many times and she finally took a seat to save herself from his onslaught. It was more than she had anticipated.

  “We need to get serious. Some of us at the firm think that you should do a couple of interviews to tell your side.”

  “You really think it is wise to put my side out there. Wouldn’t that just give them evidence for leverage?”

  Finally he moved to the other side of the table and no longer towering over her. She could sigh with the loss of his presence that was playing tricks on her psyche. “Well not your truth but the truth that needs to be said.” She paused, not sure how to broach such a sensitive subject. “You could say something about the emotional pain caused from the verdict, how you just kind of lost it for a minute.”

  He stopped eating the pile of eggs on his plate and looked up at her. “I am not going to bring that up. He didn’t have a right to bring it up. If I wasn’t with the MMA, there would be no way someone would have that right to walk up to me and say it. Just because I have money, shouldn’t make me a target.”

  It was not what she had expected him to say. She had expected some of the same cockiness from before, but mentioning the court case seemed to affect him more than she had thought it would. He really did care. “As true as that is Jesse. We have to get you out of the criminal charges and he is willing to drop them if you can come to an agreement. This is what is best for everyone. You know, I am just here for damage control, so the quicker this is resolved, the quicker I can go back home.”

  “To your family?”

  She was taken aback by his question. “No, um I have a cat.”

  “Sounds intriguing.” His eyes roamed over her again and she crossed her arms over the breasts he seemed fixated on.

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters is you play nice, act like you have some sense for a few weeks and we can all go on with our lives. You will still have the civil to worry about later, but that won’t be my worry. I just have to keep you out of trouble for now.”

  “How old are you?”

  Ashlea was exasperated. “Twenty-six, what does it matter?”

  “Just wondering, you seem so much older. Is this how the week is going to be?”

  She sighed and picked at her eggs. “We have a party later this evening and some shopping to do before that. That is the schedule. Tomorrow? I will let you know when I know.”

  “Thank you. That is all I ask.”

  Ashlea didn’t even look up for the breakfast and neither one said another word. There was a line drawn in the sand that each of them was toeing.

  Chapter 3

  The party was actually at ten at night. It was also at one of the largest estates in the area. When she came out in a small black dress, he sent her back up to put on a bathing suit. “It’s a pool party. You don’t want to be the only way without a suit, do you?”

  She didn’t care, but in the sake of blending in, she did. Ashlea had hoped to find a few moments away to do some swimming, but he kept her going most of the day looking at cars. She was bored to tears and with only a few hours of sleep in a cold tub, she was ready to go to bed. Ashlea went back down and he grabbed her arm in his. Bending down he whispered in her ear. “You look very nice tonight Ashlea. I think you are going to be a good companion to be around.”

  “I’m here on business, not pleasure Jesse. Just keep your hands to yourself and we will be fine.”

  He chuckled and stood up. “As you wish. Though I would like you to know it would be pleasure. If you ever decide to come to the dark side.”

  The dark side looked good to her and he had flirted with her most of the day. To have all of that charm turned on her, was certainly a challenge, but she just reminded herself of all the things she had learned about him in the last week. He was not someone to get involved with, no matter how pretty he was.

  The ride to the party was quiet and she looked out the window at the lights below. It was a beautiful night and she liked the idea of getting in some swimming. He wasn’t near as bad as she thought and figured she could sneak in a few laps while he chatted up the women.

  She did just that and instead of hitting the pool, she grabbed a drink and headed towards the quieter beach. Ashlea may have a job that puts her around people all the time, no matter how A-list they were, she still needed that time at the end of the day to just unwind. She could still hear the roar of people from the party, but the waves were almost loud enough to drown it all. Only a few times would there be a high-pitched laugh that broke through the steady rhythm of the ocean.

  Moving into the dark water, she swam for a while, until her limbs ached. She floated for some time, the moon and stars her only company. Then she moved back towards the shore. It had been a hell of a first day and she hoped that he would be as tired as her. Maybe he was already looking for her so he could leave? It was the hope when she dragged her dress back on and walked towards the house with her bare feet. The small heels in her hands and she put them on when she hit the sidewalk leading to the pool area. Her intentions were to find him and persuade him to go home.

  As she walked around looking for him, it was clear that she had been gone too long. The party had taken a turn for the worse and the people around her were in a far bigger state of drunkenness than when she had stepped out back. Ashlea didn’t see him at first and she started towards the upstairs where there were even more people. Her ass was grabbed twice on the way to the stairs. She needed to get Jesse out of there before something bad happened.

  The top of the stairs were filled with people and she had to excuse herself around a more arduous couple that was blocking the way. There were noises coming from the rooms and it set her body a buzz with the energy. She could almost forget that the cops would be called soon from the barely-contained people downstairs. Passing through the entangled couple, she passed the first door and pushed it in slightly. There was another couple going at it and she realized quickly it wasn’t Jesse from the color of the man’s dark chocolate skin.

  Stepping back she continued her search and between drugs and sex, she was quickly turning herself on and really needed to get out of there. The second to last door far back in the long hallway produced the target. She could hear his muffled voice before she even opened the door and a loud smacking sound. It didn’t take much imagination to know that it was flesh on flesh. She pushed it open gently and her eyes narrowed to the scene ahead of her.

  There was a tall blonde woman bent over the bed and Jesse was rutting into her like a wild man. His hands were in her hair, holding her up as he pounded into her body from behind. Ashlea got to see the strong muscles bunch and lurch as he moved forward ove
r and over again. The vibrations in her body turned to wetness in her lips.

  She was supposed to say something. Ashlea knew that, but she didn’t want to disrupt him. They both seemed to be enjoying it so much and Ashlea herself could not take her eyes from the scene. Another step into the room and Jesse turned to her, like he had known she had been there all along. Their eyes met and she had to fight with herself not to turn away from the look in his eyes.

  “When you are finished, we need to leave. Cops will be here soon and you don’t need to be, so can you wrap it up?”

  His hips never stopped and she was saddened to have to turn away. She waited outside of the room for another couple of minutes. The sounds got louder and higher pitched and she had to bite her bottom lip to ignore it. There was a moment of quiet shuffling and he came out dressed, with a grin on his face. She tried to make it seem as if she wasn’t amused, ignoring the slippery lips rubbing back and forth against each other as they made it to the car.

  “I’ll drive, you relax.”

  Jesse looked like he was going to refuse, but instead handed the keys to her and got in the passenger seat. Ashlea had never driven such a fast car, but after a mile or so, she enjoyed the way the car hugged the curves and the man hugged the bitch bar on top. It was the first time he had seemed out of sorts and she liked it.

  “So there will not be any more of those parties for now. I guarantee there will be arrests and you will be mentioned as being in attendance. This was the kind of thing that you need to stay away from. If you need fulfillment, I am sure we can find you someone to bring over or meet at a less unsavory venue.”

  His dark eyes watched the expression on her face. She didn’t look at him, her gaze straight ahead on the winding road. The drive back was just as quiet as it was going in after she laid down the law. He didn’t comment on what she had said and she figured he was upset that anyone said anything to him. Jesse was not the type to take orders well, but they both knew that she was only there to save his career. While the company had hired her because they had their own investments to cover, the purpose was still the same. Her sole purpose was to get him back in the ring and to keep as much of his money in pocket as possible.

  When they got back to his house, he bid her a goodnight and was gone. Ashlea was left wondering what he was thinking and a painful need from the visions and live porn that she had witnessed in the house. She shut her door and was quickly in bed exhausted, but the need for release was greater than all else. It didn’t take long, her own touch was all that she could manage where she was. Ashlea bit her lip hard to cover up the sound that was begging to come forth. It was not lost on her that the very person she thought of was the one that she could not have.

  His bare back and rutting hips was what had flashed in her mind. He was magnificent, his strained muscles what every woman dreamed of, when they had those naughty ones that would wake them up horny. Shaking her head of the thoughts, Ashlea was quickly asleep and unprepared for the next day.

  Chapter 4

  Jesse knocked on her door early. They had to leave in a few moments and like her, he had slept in. If it hadn’t been something he really had to do, he would have just ignored it. She didn’t answer and because her door was unlocked, he just pushed it in. He was saddened to see her covered, but he knocked louder on the inside of the door. Ashlea moaned and went to her side.

  He moved forward and shook her gently. “Come on we got places to go today. Get up sleepy head. I thought I was the one that needed to be watched. You are turning out to be a lush.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she opened them. “You are not what I want to wake up to is all.”

  “Oh really? So who is then?”

  “My boyfriend Rick.”

  “Oh.” Jesse didn’t have a comeback and he was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. He had imagined her single and more importantly, available. For what, he still wasn’t sure, but he did like having her around, even though she looked at him in that judgmental way.

  “Mind getting out so I can get dressed?”

  “Why? You have seen everything I have. Only seems fair.”

  “I didn’t see everything and what I did see was mediocre at best, but whatever. I need coffee.”

  She pushed the sheets back and she was still in her bikini from the night before. His eyes took her in as he hissed and Ashlea couldn’t be bothered. He wasn’t the first one that had tried to seduce her. She poised a challenge to men like Jesse, the ones that had never been told no in their lives. Ashlea had no intention on playing games with him, though if she was honest, he was the only one of her clients that she had ever considered it with.

  Ashlea didn’t change her bottoms until she had a dress on and he was only privy to a few flashes of her thigh. She shocked him by taking off her top and not putting anything else on top. He never got to see anything, but her hard nipples pressed against the dress, slightly jiggling as she moved. She waited at the door, “You coming?”

  ***

  The place that had her up far too early, turned out to be some kind of charity work. He failed to mention that they would be helping to construct a house and when she got to the site and seen all the men, she groaned inwardly. Her defiance had seemed to backfire and her skin was hot most of the day from the looks. Grumbling to herself, she blamed her boss Neil for putting it in her head that she needed to get out of her comfort zone. Reminding herself of the bonus at the end, she sucked it up.

  When Jesse took his shirt off, she grabbed it and pulled it on. There were less looks, but that action also backfired because then she was surrounded by his manly scent and her eyes took in his muscular torso. The added clothing made her hot and by the time the day was done, she was too. Not only did her muscles ache, but she felt needy again. It was becoming a pattern with him and though she wanted to hide in her room for a while, he had her get ready to go out. His life was too fast-paced for the woman, but she knew that she had to stay with him, to keep him out of trouble. They had meetings tomorrow with the man in the video getting stomped and she was curious to see how it all would turn out. The faster the lawsuit was settled and over, the quicker he could get back to work and she could get back to her much quieter life in New York.

  “Come on, we are already late.”

  Ashlea sighed and met him in the hallway outside of her room. He looked dashing in his sports coat and though she knew he was a mess, he cleaned up well. His hands were gentle as he helped her into the car and she realized quickly that he had seduction in mind. The way he looked at her and asked how her day was, was out of character. He wanted more and the look in his eyes told her what it was he was wanting.

  “So, do you think tomorrow we will get a settlement?”

  “You were supposed to do a couple interviews, remember?”

  “I just don’t want to. Why do I have to tell my personal life to appease people?”

  “Because you can’t get physical with people out of the ring. You are huge and people see you as a weapon out of the ring. Cameras are going to be on you the rest of your life. You knew what you were signing up for.”

  “No love from the ice queen I see.”

  His tone changed and so did his eyes. She sighed and tried not to rile him up anymore. He seemed in a dark mood and after a few drinks, Jesse’s dark side started to seep out. It was pointed towards her and when she got up to dance, she hoped that he would simmer down. She tried to think of what set him off, but it was probably the interview suggestion. He didn’t want to talk about his personal life and though she knew most of it, she couldn’t understand what enraged him so much.

  Her thoughts left her sidetracked and before she knew it, she was dancing with a man. He was kind of cute, but kind of young for her. Ashlea smiled at him and he held her closer. It was a long song and by the end of it, she was breathless from the man’s advances. Sitting back down, Jesse’s look was even darker and she tried to lighten the mood.

  “So were we meeting someone here?”
r />   “No I was hoping to get you drunk, but you’ve only had a couple.”

  She laughed for a moment. He was being serious, but it was the way he had said it. “I am not here to have sex with you Jesse. As hard as that may be for you to understand, there are plenty of girls that will fit the bill.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you?”

  She nodded. “No, why should it?”

  He didn’t answer, his eyes meeting her clear blue ones. Jesse was not immune to her body and she had been turned on more than once by him. He still remembered vividly the way she had watched him fuck the blonde at the party. Did she even realize that the girl was as close to her as he could find?

  “You need to leave and I will be back in a bit.”

  Ashlea started to protest and argue with him, but by the set of his jaw, she figured she wouldn’t. Something was going on in that head of his and being away from it would be refreshing after days of his moodiness. “Fine. Stay out of trouble please. The deposition is set for nine, so make sure you are available then.”

  She stood up and walked away. He was infuriating and though she was supposed to stay with him, she needed some space. Ashlea hailed a cab and went back to his house. It was empty when she got there and there were flower petals in the hall. The petals went to his room and she pushed it open to see lit candles and low music playing.

  Ashlea closed it up quickly and wondered what it was all about. Had that been his plan all along? She moved to her room and locked the door. She didn’t even want to think about what a night with him would be like. She had wished more than once that she had been the girl at the party, accepting every slam of his hips. But she wasn’t. She was there to complete a job, not the client.

  Chapter 5

  Ashlea woke up with her phone’s alarm at eight. She laid there for a time, trying to see if she could hear the man in the other room. After making a phone call to Rick, she had gone to sleep. Getting up and getting dressed, Ashlea went to knock on his door and it came open with the pressure. The bed was empty and the candles had burned out. Grabbing her phone, she realized she had several missed calls. Not recognizing the number, she dialed it and waited.