I climbed out of the SUV and put on a smile. My body ached in a good way from the brutal practice session. Being used to the first string, I’d been abruptly introduced to the second string practice, meaning that I was actually on the field, throwing the ball as the first string defense practiced. My ribs still hurt from where I’d been drilled into the turf by a quick-footed defensive back. Trey had stood over me with a pleased grin and welcomed me officially to the team. Not even a dip in the ice tub had taken away the sting, and I was sure I would have some bruises blooming in the morning. The experience certainly wasn’t what I was used to, but I didn’t plan on it staying that way for long. Somehow, some way, I was going to get to first string.
Still, my first day had gone pretty well overall. A handful of my new team members, Terrence included, invited me out with them for some much needed downtime. He had been the one to pick me up from the team’s temporary housing, where I was currently based until I could find a more permanent place to live, then bringing me to a local—bordering on fancy—restaurant where the team enjoyed having dinner. They even had a reserved room in the back with a complete buffet and full bar waiting for us on our arrival. That wasn’t the only thing waiting.
“Dude, see? I bet you didn’t have anything like this in Minnesota,” Terrence was saying as we entered the room. Women were everywhere, outnumbering the men two to one. Some had sparkling diamonds on their fingers, and I knew they were off limits, the wives of some of the players who hadn’t fallen victim to the whole family thing yet. But there were plenty of spare women whose ring fingers were unoccupied. I put on my dazzling smile, perfect for the occasion, one that the ladies couldn’t resist. I wouldn’t be going home alone tonight.
Walking over to the bar, I ordered a beer and enjoyed the view, catching the eye of a blonde in the corner who was pretending not to pay attention to me. She was gorgeous, a slight smile playing on her luscious red lips. Every man’s instant hard-on, but for me, well, I really didn’t have a type. I liked them all, regardless of hair or skin color. While I preferred a woman who was shorter than me, my last real girlfriend—a runway model—was a few inches taller, especially when she wore a set of killer heels. Just thinking about those heels being worn to bed and the blonde giving me the fuck-me eyes made the bulge in my pants increasingly hard.
When I thought about it, it had been way too long since I’d had a woman in my actual bed (occasional backseat blow-jobs and quickies didn’t really count). I’d been too consumed with the mess of my professional career that had led me to this place. My ex had split as soon as the waters of my life got rough—another woman looking only for the glitz and glamour of dating a professional athlete. I couldn’t blame her, though. I wasn’t the type to stick around when the going got tough in a relationship, either. I liked the good and fun times but not the emotional side that sucked people into thinking that love was forever and all that shit.
“See? Don’t we get treated good here?”
I looked up to find Terrence next to me, grinning from ear to ear, his eyes on the bevy of ladies that were milling around the room. “Yeah,” I responded, taking a long draw off my beer. “This is good, man.” It was exactly what I needed after this morning’s false start.
Trey joined us, swaying as he walked up to the bar. His eyes were already starting to glaze over. He threw his massive arm around my shoulders, giving me a friendly squeeze. “Dude, I can’t believe I tackled you so hard today. I guess I was pumped. I’m just fucking ready to get this season started.”
I felt the pull of my ribs and smiled uncomfortably, knowing I would remember him for days to come. “Hey, no problem, Trey. It’s a brutal sport.” I doubted the big guy would be apologizing to me if he weren’t already three sheets to the wind, the smell of whiskey strong on his breath.
“I feel so bad, man,” the big guy continued, “Lemme buy you a drink.”
“Better yet, Trey,” Terrence interrupted with a grin, “why don’t you tell Jacob here your favorite number in the playbook. We need to get the new guy laid.”
“The book,” Trey repeated, a similar grin coming over his face as he released me. “Hell yeah, that’s what I can do for you. I can get you someone gooood. That will make up for my hit, though it was a damn fine hit.”
“I… no thanks,” I replied, my thoughts drifting back to earlier in the day. There was only one name that had stuck out to me in that book, the one with the fat red X. A real challenge. I didn’t know why, but I was highly intrigued. She seemed like a woman who was looking to be conquered, and I could be… no, I was that man. Besides, I was perfectly capable of pulling chicks on my own.
“Come on, Jacob,” Terrence said, slapping me on the back with a friendly laugh. “Which one do you want? Red-head? Blonde? There are some real gems in that book, some that will knock your socks off.” He then grinned—toothy and wide—and gave Trey a wink. “Get it? Knock your socks off?” Trey laughed, though I doubted he had gotten the joke; his face was looking pale now. How much alcohol could that man hold, anyway? Eager not to get puked on, I stepped casually to the side… just in case.
“Think of it as our welcome present to you,” Terrence finished, a smile in his voice. “A proper welcome to the team type of thang.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, wishing that I could just get drunk and pound away at one of these women at the end of the night, but my thoughts kept straying back to Madam X, Lucia. Now if she was really an untouchable woman, I wanted to be the one to touch her. These guys would go fucking crazy if I could and I would have no problem gaining their respect. Hell, it might even get me to that starting position in the long run. A man who had the team behind him was a powerful one; a leader they would follow. “I want Lucia then.”
Trey took one look at Terrence and they both burst into laughter. “You want the unfuckable? Terrence, didn’t you tell him about her? Hell naw, man, you don’t want her. Are you crazy? Don’t stick your dick in crazy, man.”
“I did tell him,” Terrence said defensively, giving me an odd look like he couldn’t believe what I was saying. “She’s… not for you. There’s no way you will get within ten feet of her, anyway. She’ll walk all over you in a minute, dude.”
“You wanna bet?” I asked, raising a brow. Hell, there weren’t many women that could turn me down. There had been only one if I was remembering correctly: Sarah from eighth grade, but that was only because she was moving away. I still got a peck on the cheek, though, as my goodbye present. Turning on the Jacob Maddox charm was second nature to me, and now, with a whole new population to tackle, I wanted to start with the hardest one. I wanted a challenge, just like on the field where I performed to my highest caliber. This would get me started off on the right foot here in this town.
“I bet I can get in her bed before the season is over. She will be panting after me like a dog with a bone.”
Trey leaned in close, his eyes looking into mine. “Hey, Terrence, I think I hit him too hard today. You think he’s got a concussion?”
“He’s gonna have one if he goes after her,” Terrence answered. “Face it, Jacob, you will lose the bet before it ever really begins with that one. No one gets anywhere with Lucia except in trouble. She’s a tough broad.”
“A grand says otherwise,” I replied confidently, draining the rest of my beer. “To both of you if I lose. Come on, take a chance. If I fall on my face, you will be a grand richer, both of you.”
“Aw, hell, he’s breaking out the big guns,” Terrence laughed, eyeing me. “Okay fine, I’m in. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.”
“Me too,” Trey said, banging on the bar with his burly hands. “Hey, let’s get a round of shots here! We got some toasting to do!”
I shook my head and looked at my newfound friends. They really had no idea how good I was at winning over women… I had just won over both of them, and the night wasn’t even done yet.
“I tell you what,” Terrence said, throwing an arm over my shoulders after we downed a round of shots. “You should get started tonight. She works late hours at the facility.”
“She works at the stadium? For the team?” I asked, surprised. Was it really going to be that easy? I thought I was going to have to figure out who she was exactly, but a job at the stadium? Hell, that solved all my problems. She would be in close proximity to yours truly, making it even harder to resist me.
“Yeah, didn’t I mention that? She practically lives there,” Trey said, handing me another shot of tequila. “Maybe if you’re man enough, you could win the bet tonight.”
I thought about it for a moment, a wary grin spreading over my face. He was a little too eager, so it was probably too good to be true. But I wasn’t about to back down now. I wanted her. And the idea of knocking it out of the park tonight would truly put me in good stead with them.
She would never know what hit her, and by the time she did, I would be buried so deep that she wouldn’t want me to get out.
“All right,” I said, raising my glass. “Some Dutch courage and I’ll go get her.” This was going to be the easiest bet I’d ever won.