“Fine. I understand. And for what it’s worth, I apologize for bringing up the draft again, I’ll try not to. Why dinner?”
Drake pulled himself back and smiled, standing taller and broader than before, showing off the physique that had stubbornly refused to leave my fantasies since I had first seen him on campus a couple years ago. “Because I’d like to get to know the girl who’s using me to further her own career. That good enough?”
I was dumbfounded. Of course, I’d forgotten how brilliant Drake Rollins was. Of course, he’d given this whole thing some thought and figured out all the angles. He knew my motives, he knew them just as well as I did. He knew I needed him.
“Dinner. Fine. At the cafeteria?”
Drake laughed, a roar of a laugh that got some heads turning. I knew I was turning bright red, but Drake paid them no mind. “Of course not, come on. We’re going out, in style.”
I raised an eyebrow, skeptical but rapidly warming up to the idea of going out with Drake. “You’ve got that kind of time?”
Drake stepped in, getting really close so only I could hear him. “Lily, you find the right dress and I’ll find the right time.”
Before that moment if you had told me it was possible for a girl to have an orgasm with absolutely zero touching I would have laughed in your face. After that moment, I might nod sagely and remember that moment.
“Oh-OK, yeah,” I said when I had finally found the English dictionary in my head. I stepped back, creating more space between us despite that being the exact opposite of what I really wanted to do. “I think we can work something out.”
“Great. Not today, cause I got stuff to do. Tomorrow’s the first day of practice and they’re going light on us just in case some guys came in from the off season a little out of shape.”
I picked it up. “Tomorrow night, then?” That was enough time for me to find a dress. I’d packed something formal for any team special events, but this didn’t qualify as one of those.
“Yeah. Tomorrow night.” He looked around. “Alright, I gotta get back and get ready for meetings and then lunch before afternoon practice. You good here?”
You could knock me over with a weather, but sure. “I’m good,” I said, nodding. “I’ll see you after practice. Good luck.”
Drake chuckled as he walked away. “I don’t need luck, Lily. I’m Drake Rollins. Once I’m in the building they can’t help but fall in love with me.” He waved jauntily behind him toward me as I watched him disappear.
I sat down on a bench nearby to where we had been talking. My head was spinning. I was just glad no one had paid attention to us.
How was I going to survive training camp with this guy? I could barely hold it together around him, and now spending time with Drake Rollins had become literally my job. If I wanted to get anywhere in this business, besides running home with my tail between my legs, I had to make this work.
And to start, that meant dinner.
Shit.
CHAPTER 12 - DRAKE
The first couple days of training camp just zipped by, so fast that my head was spinning. I thought I knew why that was, but I was still surprised.
After I left the oh-so-sexy looking reporter Lily Pearson in the foyer, I headed back to my room, found the team-issued iPad there waiting for me and went to the first of many wide receivers meetings.
Everyone else was already there when I arrived at the small meeting room. One wall was obviously for watching film and all the seats were facing in that direction. I sat in the first row while everyone snickered at me, until the wide receivers coach suggested I “move my ass to the back of the room where the rest of the undrafted shit sat.” Redfaced, I did what he said, and stayed quiet for the rest of the meeting, my anger seething and threatening to get the better of me.
Fuck that guy. I’d seen the highlights from last year, this sorry bunch of receivers. None of them were on the same level as me, and they must have known that. Bunch of haters, scared of some young kid coming in and blowing up their spot.
I’d show them. They’d know my name soon enough.
After the meeting got out we all had lunch. I tried to sit with Lance Parker and Hudson Asher, but they looked at me like they didn’t know me, so I ended up setting with a couple other undrafted free agents. The rest of the wide receivers had their own table.
It was like fucking high school, only for the first time in my life I was one of the uncool kids. Oh, and everyone weighed at least 180 pounds and was in crazy good shape. That part was different too.