‘Come over here,’ he says.
I take a single step forward.
‘Closer,’ he hums.
I take one more step, willing this moment to be over.
‘You’re beautiful. You got a guy waitin’ on you at home?’
‘No.’
‘That just Brandy answerin’, or the real you?’
‘I don’t have a boyfriend, no.’
‘If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you outside the house.’
I stay quiet, questioning what he wants my response to be.
‘Turn around,’ he says.
I do as I’m told. Tears prick my eyes. I want this to end.
I flinch as his hand grazes my hips. He tugs me backward, and within a moment I’m in his lap, facing away from him.
‘Mmm,’ he hums quietly as his palms snake from my hips up to my rib cage, and a moment later, cup my breasts, squeezing the nipples between his fingers. I feel his reaction under my thighs. I close my eyes as his fingers mould and squeeze my skin.
‘No enhancement,’ he comments in my ear. ‘I would have sworn they would be. Makes you even more irresistible.’
His breath rasps against my ear, the sensation giving me chills. When his teeth nip my earlobe, it’s enough to send a tear sliding down my cheek.
His hands are on the move again, sliding down the plains of my belly and coming to rest on the tops of my legs. I glance down. His fingers are long, his palms moist against my skin. Then he does something I don’t expect, he pushes at the inside of my thighs, willing them to part.
The urge to run is almost overwhelming, but I’ve seen evidence of what happens to people who defy Kale McCoy. And so I let it happen.
My entire body tenses as the same long fingers trail a path along my flesh, inching toward my most intimate part. I squirm, then, because fear takes over me, my ass grinding into him. As I do, I feel him tense up, his nails digging into my thighs. Then he hunches over me as a low, guttural groan escapes his lips. I remain still for a moment and he’s breathless, but his fingers have come to a halt.
In the next moment, he pushes me off his lap.
‘Thank you, Brandy, you can go now,’ he says in an even tone.
I get dressed faster than I’ve ever done in my entire life.
Chapter Five
Jake
Tuesday night, I got a belly full of beer, tequila and Mexican food, and I’m not even sure I can see straight.
There are fifty players on the roster for the Mutineers. We filled out the entire restaurant. I’m slowly getting to know my team, and they’re all good guys. More than half of ’em are married with kids, or in steady relationships. Family men, guys who know that, if they get injured, their football career could be over in a heartbeat. For that reason, they’re passionate about bringing their best performance to every game. They know as well as I do that this life is only temporary, but family is forever. So, they savour every minute of this opportunity.
There are two types of guys on the team. The ones who don’t drink, who – like all professional athletes should – look after their bodies, keep healthy, work out, stay in peak physical condition. Those are the guys who still have at least five or six years left of their pro careers. Then there are the older guys – the ones edging closer to retirement. Tonight, it’s those guys who seem to wanna let off steam and have a little fun.
Us rookies? We’re just here for the ride.
From fifty, we’re down to ten as our cars pull up outside a bar called Surly’s Tavern. It’s a red brick building with a big, red neon sign and its own parking lot. I got no idea where I am exactly, only that we’re somewhere on the west side of Canyon. Hud Briar has us a couple of tables booked. Mostly, we’re the single guys on the team, other than Dalton, who reportedly is allowed a very limited number of passes per year to go on wild nights out with his brother.
On entry, I look around. Inside, there are a lot of neon lights, a stage with a dancing pole planted in the middle, where a topless woman writhes around for some guys who look like truckers staying in town overnight. They’re on bar stools facing the stage. More widely, there are other occupied tables.
