The picture splayed out across the entire page was of my back, standing at Sadie’s hotel room door with her dressed in that see-through lingerie. “Motherfucker,” I growled. What made it even worse was reading the trash below the headline.
Jaxon Reed is known for his playing time on and off the field. Being one of the best kickers in the NFL, it’s no secret he has women falling at his feet. However, it looks like this sexy, young bachelor is off the market now. Sources say the young lady in the picture is his new love interest and it’s going to stick. We all know Reed is famous for having a different woman every week, but this special girl has been seen with him on numerous occasions. Could this be the one for him? Will Reed finally settle down and crush the dreams of every woman out there? Find out more next month.
Anger boiled in my veins and I had no doubt Sadie was the one who staged that whole thing. I barely knew her, but when I left her that night, it was sure to have pissed her off. What better way to get me back than to fuck with me. Grabbing my bag, I hurried out to my car so I could stop at the Caramel Café before practice. When I got there, I ordered my usual, a coffee with hazelnut creamer. It was what my mother always drank and it stuck with me over the years.
I rushed out to my car, but stopped short when I caught a glimpse of someone standing beside it. It wasn’t just anyone…it was Sadie, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a tank top. “Hey, lover,” she called out.
I marched up to her, my whole body tense. “I’m not your goddamn lover, Sadie. Did you think pitching that ridiculous-ass story would change that?” She smirked, and it confirmed what I already knew. It was her who set it up. “Get the fuck out of my way.”
When she didn’t move, I was half tempted to push her out of the way, but I couldn’t do that. I was brought up never to hit a woman, but so help me God, Sadie was pushing my buttons. If she were a man, I would have already beat the shit out of her.
“What do you want?” I growled.
She pressed her body against mine and it only fueled my anger more. “I want you, Jax. One way or another, you will be mine. I don’t care what I have to do.”
I stepped back, disgust written all over my face. “Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you get it through your head I don’t want anything to do with you? I don’t want to see you or talk to you, much less fuck you again, crazy stalker bitch.”
Gaze narrowed, she moved out of my way. “You’ll change your mind—I’ll make sure of that.”
I got in my car, tires squealing as I charged out of the parking lot. What the fuck was going on? I’d never had a problem with a girl like that before. I was starting to think a restraining order would look good right about now. However, my main concern wasn’t dealing with Sadie; it was what was going to happen if Bristol ever found out what was going on. It would ruin any chances I ever had with her.
—
“Dude, what the fuck’s wrong with you?” Derek asked, slapping me on the shoulder. I was almost late to practice, thanks to Crazy Eyes Sadie.
Huffing, I tied up my shoes and grabbed my phone. “Did you happen to see the latest tabloid floating around the Internet?”
“No, what happened?”
I clicked on the link and passed him my phone. “The stupid bitch is trying to fuck with me.”
Derek’s eyes went wide, and so did Aaron’s when he peeked over his shoulder. “Damn, dude, what’s going on? Was that in Seattle?” Aaron asked.
Derek handed me my phone back. “Yep, some girl he fucked the other weekend followed him there.”
“And that’s not the only place she followed me to,” I told them. “She was standing by my car at the café this morning. I’m telling you, this girl is messed up in the fucking head.”
Some might find the situation funny, but this girl could seriously fuck with my career if she was psycho enough. “What did she say?” Derek asked.
I shrugged. “That one way or another I was going to be with her. I swear, this girl needs help. She’s literally insane.”
Aaron bit his lip, concern etched across his face. “Dude, this sounds serious. If she keeps following you around, you might have to get a restraining order. Did you ever hear about Nate Bryson and his wife? He was a baseball player for Atlanta.”
“I think so,” I said, trying to register the name. I never kept up much with baseball. “Wasn’t he killed in an accident?”
Aaron shook his head. “Murdered is more like it. His wife was killed too, both shot in the head. I’m from Atlanta, so I followed the story. Anyway, Nate’s family had mentioned to the press about a stalker who wouldn’t leave him and his wife alone. No charges were ever filed, so no one ever knew who the person was.”
I snorted. “Well, Sadie might be psycho, but if she tried to kill me, I’d take her down.”
Aaron rolled his eyes. “Not if she has a gun. I’m not saying she’s a killer, but to be on the safe side, you might have to take precautions. You need to stay as far away from her as possible. She could yell ‘rape’ and your career would be over in a heartbeat.”
The thought made me sick. Derek clapped a hand over my shoulder. “He’s right, man. I’ve never had a girl go crazy on me like this, but you might want to bring it up with Avery. He’ll document everything and if anything were to arise, you’d have the legal backing.”
Jason Avery was an undercover cop and one of the best around. He was also one of Evan’s good friends, so I had no clue if he’d help me or not. But it was worth a shot.
“All right,” I agreed. “I’ll talk to him soon.” We started toward the door. “In other news, I have a date tonight.”
Both of them paused and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “A date?” Derek asked. “You can’t be serious. I didn’t think you did dates.”
“Yeah, seriously,” Aaron said with a laugh. “Isn’t your motto ‘pump and dump’?”