“Todd,” Kat called out, standing and moving toward me.
Suddenly, my feet broke loose and I turned. There was no way in hell I was ready to listen to anything she had to say.
“Todd!”
Her voice echoed down the corridor as I rushed to the exit. I didn’t turn back. What a fool I’d been.
The Florida sun was hot, beaming down on my face as I made my way to the parking lot. One of the shuttles had already arrived, and I started to climb aboard as my name was called out once again. Luke waved furiously in the air to get my attention as I turned toward him. “Over here,” he motioned to the black shuttle pulling into the lot.
“Nah, I’m good,” I said as he approached me.
“You look like you can use a drink. Everything okay?” he asked.
No, it wasn’t fuckin’ okay, but I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t tell anyone. “Yeah, I’m great. A drink would be nice.”
A smile spread across his face, his hand slapped my back. “Good.”
The black shuttle pulled up behind the other, opened its doors, and Luke pushed me toward it with his hand on my back. Inside, the set up was much different than the one we used daily to get back and forth from practice. Tables with booths lined each side, one large circular sofa curled at the back of the bus, and bright blue lights lined the walkway.
“A party bus?” I asked, grinning at Luke, who I knew was a notorious party boy.
“We’ve got a day off tomorrow.” He laughed, still grinning from ear to ear.
I sat down at the first table as some of the other players came aboard. Blake sat down beside me, Kane moved toward the back with Luke, and everyone else just spread out around us. “It was good to see ole Spaceman,” Blake said.
That name wasn’t one I wanted to hear. In fact, it sickened me. Fuck Spaceman, and his daughter.
Calvin popped his head in the door of our shuttle, grinning. “Have fun fellas,” he said.
“Malone… come with us,” Luke shouted from the back of the bus.
He shook his head, chuckled, and then disappeared. Ace jumped up the stairs, let out a roar, and the guys all went wild. “Wild man, let’s go start some shit!” Luke shouted.
“Oh no, boys. My days of partying like a fool are over. You all enjoy, and don’t do anything I’d do.” He laughed, mussed Blake’s hair, and then followed Calvin to the other shuttle.
They were both happy. Their girls were waiting on them, and I was being carted off to some bar, Lord only knows where, in a damn sausage mobile.
How could I’ve been so stupid? She was good, I’d give Katrina Delaney that much. My mind spiraled out of control, wondering how I didn’t see any of the signs. Of course she was broke. She didn’t have a car, ate cheap pizza, never paid for anything, and had no apartment in New York. Her dad was loaded and had several nice places around the city. Hell, Katrina Delaney wouldn’t stay in a player’s condo if she didn’t have to. She’d be at the Ritz, ordering up room service and enjoying the day spa. Yeah, it was official, I was a fuckin’ idiot.
Was she even afraid of heights? Maybe that was just a ploy to get my attention. It was no secret I was an adrenaline junkie, so what better way to get under my skin than to act like a frightened little girl who’d never experienced anything? Yeah, right. Bobby Delaney was a wild man. No way would he raise a kid that scared of life.
The shuttle stopped in front of a bar with rounded green shutters over the windows and door. It was a relief to get a drink in my hand, but the guys just wanted to talk about Spaceman’s visit. I ordered a shot, sat at the table with Luke and Kane, who seemed more interested in the bartender’s tits than Spaceman.
“How you like the team so far?” Kane asked, eyeing the bartender over my shoulder.
“I’m looking forward to kicking the Mets’ ass during regular play,” I said, lifting the shot to my lips. That first drink was rough, and it burned like hell going down. I knew the rest would be much smoother. I was lookin’ forward to that.
“Oh shit, babysitter alert,” Luke mumbled, motioning toward the door.
“At least she’s sweet to look at,” Kane said, a smile forming slowly on his face.
I didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to see her.
“Yeah, maybe she’ll spank me if I’m real, real bad.” Luke laughed.
My body tightened at the memory of her red bottom during our first night together. I shifted in my seat to adjust my jeans after my dick started to swell. Fuck her, it was all just a game.
“Todd, can I talk to you?” Katrina’s voice was soft and very close.
I didn’t turn around. I sipped my beer. “I’m busy.”
She walked in front of me, standing there with her big tender eyes, red cheeks, and pouty lips. God, she was beautiful.
“I just need to talk to you,” she said softly.
“So, talk.”
“Alone?” she whispered.
I laughed. Little miss perfect didn’t want to look stupid in front of the players. The players she was supposed to be making look good? Ha. How was she gonna spin this?
“Anything you need to say, you can say right here.”
She cleared her throat, shifted her weight to her left leg, and fidgeted with her hands. I wasn’t budging, no matter how fuckin’ cute and irresistible she was.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my dad,” she said sternly.
The table was already quieting with her presence, but now, it was silent. She stood there, nervous. Her voice was cracking as she cleared her throat.
“You mean lied. You lied to me about your dad. And you.”
The guys were staring, Kane especially. It was obvious this wasn’t work related. He winked at me over his bottle as he tipped it to take a sip. I was shocked that Katrina was outing herself in front of the players. Wasn’t she worried about her job? I knew how much she needed it now.
“I didn’t officially lie. My parents didn’t want their misfortune in the media. They didn’t want anyone to know,” she said as her eyes began to well up with tears. “He lost everything. My dad is a great man, but he’s an idiot when it comes to gambling. Always the next big payout, that’s how he lived, what he lived for. He lost it all, but it wasn’t my secret to tell,” she stammered as she gathered herself.
The woman who strived to appear perfect, who worked to hide any imperfections, not only in herself but others as well, stood here, imperfect, bearing it all freely. My heart ached for her. I wanted to reach out and hug her, pull her into me and kiss her soft lips. I needed to wipe away her tears from those beautiful reddened cheeks, lay her down, and make sweet love to her.
“What he said was out of line. I never had intentions of falling for anyone while here. I was here to do a job, that’s it.” She sniffled, wiped her tears, and waited for my reaction.