ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: Bad Boys of Sports: A Complete Collection (Alpha Male, Football, Hockey Secret Baby Romance) (Contemporary Sports Romance) (6 page)

CHAPTER TWO

The club was loud. It was a fancy place, the kind of spot you’d expect a model like Alyssa to frequent, but still, loud. Janie followed Alyssa and took a seat at the bar. The whole place was white, the only color coming from the DJ’s stand of blue and green strobe lights. The bar was no exception, with its sleek white stools and silver tabletop. 

“I’ll have a number six and number twelve, and she’ll have what I’m having!” Alyssa yelled over the music. The bartender, a thirty-something in a black suit jacket with a black necktie, nodded.

“It’s so loud,” Janie complained, wishing desperately she could put her head in her hands.

Alyssa laughed. “That’s the whole point! You can do anything!” And then, for no good reason, she raised her arms and shouted, “Fuck yeah!”

“What the hell?” Janie asked, wincing.

“Exactly!” Alyssa grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “It’s a ‘what the hell’ kind of night!”

“Here you are,” the bartender pushed four drinks in front of them. Janie had never seen anything like it–two of the drinks were in thin, tall metal cups with a sparkler sticking out, already lit. The other two were in white, short cups, and a green liquid smoke was bubbling inside of them.

“Uh, Alyssa,” Janie reached for the white cup. “What is—”

“No, no, no! Drink this one first!” She snatched the white one away and thrust the silver cocktail into her hand. Janie avoided the sparkler to peer inside, frowning at the black liquid she found. “Here,” Alyssa picked up the sparkler and turned it upside down, dropping it into the liquid to use as a stirring stick. As it hit the water, smoke started wafting up from the cup. “Breathe it in! It’s the best part!”

Janie edged away instead. Alyssa just laughed some more and stuck her face in it, inhaling through her nose. Motioning to the bartender, Janie asked, “You wouldn’t happen to carry something normal, would you? Like a shot of Jack?”

The bartender’s face broke into a grin, and he produced a bottle from underneath the bar. He gave the shot to her in a metal cup, and she downed it fast. “Another,” she slid money his way in thanks.

“Janie, you have to try this one!” Apparently, Alyssa had finished off both of the sparkler drinks by herself, and now she was shoving the white cup toward her.

Janie took it from her, looked at her pleading friend, and mumbled, “What the hell?” She threw it back, but almost choked on the fruity flavor. It wasn’t a bitter, burnt taste as she had imagined but blueberry syrup, sickly sweet. “Wow,” she said.

She looked up to tell Alyssa how much she didn’t like it but was surprised to see her friend bending over the next seat to talk to someone else.

“Oh, Janie! This is Richard—”

“Rich, please,” the man said, flashing a smile as he got up and moved closer to sit beside Alyssa. Janie smiled back in the automatic, professional way she had with strangers.  She almost looked away immediately too just as she was prone to do, but did a double take noticing that the man was gorgeous. He was tall and well built under his dark suit pants, an elegant, crisp white shirt, and slim necktie.  And those incredibly, piercing hazel eyes and dark brown hair…Janie blinked rapidly and forced herself to stop staring.

“Don’t you recognize him, Janie? Rich plays for the LA Barracudas.”

“The who?”

“The Barracudas.  The hockey team. Don’t you know they won the Stanley Cup last year?”

“Oh, those Barracudas. Right.” Janie politely nodded, hoping it wasn’t too obvious she didn’t know a thing about hockey. Or any other sport for that matter.

“What are you drinking?” Rich asked her.

“Uh, a number twelve, I think?” she glanced down at the cup in her hand.

“No, that’s a number six. Twelve was the one you didn’t like,” Alyssa told her.

“So you like six?” Rich asked. Snapping his fingers for the bartender, he ordered, “Two sixes for the ladies, please.”

“I prefer sixty,” Alyssa whispered to him. “Especially when there’s a nine after it.”

Janie’s ears burned. She was certain she wasn’t supposed to have heard that, and she wished she hadn’t.

“Uh, thanks,” Janie blurted, rising from her stool, “But I’m gonna…yeah.” She pointed in a random direction and started walking off to what she hoped was the ladies room.

“Did I scare your friend off?” Rich asked, his eyes following her.

“Nah,” she purred, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “It might’ve been me that scared her off.  She’s not much of a scene-y type.  I’ve officially taken on the task of lightening her up several notches.”

“So she’s your new project then?”

Alyssa pouted at him. “No, she’s my good friend–my roommate in fact.  She’s my new best friend.”

“Aren’t you a little old to have a ‘BFF’?”

Alyssa didn’t like the turn this conversation was taking.  

“I really love this song,” Alyssa smiled.

“Is that your new pick-up line?”

“Oh, I think we both know the answer to that.” Alyssa moved in closer for a kiss, but Rich pulled back slightly.

“I don’t know, my type isn’t nearly so pushy,” Rich took one of the white drinks he’d ordered and sipped it.

“I prefer to think of myself as persuasive.” She put her hand on his thigh, inching it further up. He put his hand on hers, stopping it.

“You do make a strong case,” he said, staring straight ahead.

“I’ve got a one to nothing winning average,” she moved her fingers under his hand so they linked with his. As a new beat started booming in the background, she asked, “Wanna dance?”

Rich’s eyes flashed. “And just what kind of dancing did you have in mind?”

Alyssa smiled with just the corner of her lips, and without taking her eyes off him, slid off her barstool.  She took him by the hand and led him onto the dance floor. They entered the mindless sea of bodies, all moving and rocking to the same beat. Alyssa tried to step in close to face Rich, but he spun her around, putting her back to his stomach. He gripped her hips and began to move.

The music didn’t have lyrics, and if it did, it couldn’t be made out over the deep thrumming of the bass. Each beat vibrated through them, and the heat of the crowd was making them sweat. Alyssa arched her back, grinding on Rich. He met her efforts, grinding back in earnest.

He stared down at her, removing a hand to trace the curve of her back. She was beautiful, just like all of them. Her blonde hair was too perfect to be natural; her ass was too round not to have a strict gym routine. She was stunning because she had made herself so, and there was a beauty in that. But there was also a harsh reality that women like her lived in beauty and valued it above all else. She was just like his ex-wife Leanne.  He was also acutely aware of the fact that him being a successful hockey player was the only reason she was interested in him.

Well, that and he wasn’t so bad on the eyes either.

Bending forward to meet her curve, he whispered in her ear, one of his arms coming around to squeeze her left breast, “I heard you left your husband. He couldn’t satisfy you, could he? What didn’t he have…?” Rich paused for a moment, trying to remember her name. “Alyssa. What didn’t he have?” He pulled her back to rock hard against her, kissing her neck.

“He wasn’t you,” she moaned, leaning into his ministrations. He chuckled softly. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that empty line.

“Beautiful women like you could very well be the bane of me, babe,” he said giving her a kiss on her temple, “but not tonight, I’m afraid.”

***

Janie had decided this was the worst morning of her life.

After realizing that she was not, in fact, in her own bed, she forced herself to get up, despite an ungodly headache pounding behind her right eye. Then, after she found her clothes, she took one look at the (admittedly, cute) guy she had woken up next to, and quickly left the apartment.

The taxi was a whole other mess, but now she was home, using the key Alyssa had given her to let herself in after a one-night stand with a complete and total stranger. He was cute, but let’s face it, he might have herpes.

After calling into the school to have the substitute teacher come in because she’s ill, she almost tripped over her own moving boxes once she let herself in. She’d been so focused on moving out the day before that she’d just piled them in the hallway, not even having a chance to explore the condo until Alyssa had given her a tour after her final trip.

“Janie?”

She groaned. The last thing she wanted was for Alyssa to see her like this. She tried to avoid her by making a beeline for her bedroom, but that was through the kitchen, which was exactly where her roommate was.

Alyssa looked perfect. She’d obviously had a shower since last night and was making coffee, already dressed with her hair up and makeup on. Janie wanted to disappear in comparison.

“Oh good, I thought I heard you. Here,” she placed a cup of coffee in front of her, which she gladly took. She decided it would be rude to make a run for it to hide in the privacy of her new bedroom, so she sat and sipped her coffee sheepishly. After a few tense seconds of silence, Alyssa couldn’t seem to help herself. “So? Where did you go last night?”

Janie sighed. “I did something stupid.”

“Something?” Alyssa asked, a twinkle in her eye. “Or someone?” Janie choked on her coffee, and Alyssa laughed. “I knew it! I
knew
it! Spill it, girl. I need the details!”

“I mean…” Janie took a seat, nursing the cup in her hands. “I left you because I didn’t want to be a third wheel while you were hanging out with that friend of yours. And I figured, hey, I’ll try to have some fun, but either way, I know the way home, right? But then I bumped into this guy.”

“Ooh, what’d he look like?”

Janie thought about it, recalling the man she’d met last night and the guy she’d glanced at this morning. “Tall. Broad shoulders. Light hair, blue eyes. Square jaw.”

“Jesus, don’t exaggerate on my account,” Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.

“He was a guy,” Janie shrugged. “He seemed sweet. We talked about Oscar Wilde—” Alyssa made a gagging noise, “—and I went home with him.”

“Oh, come one. I’m not one of your students; I want the dirt! What happened? You never go home with people!”

Janie nodded but didn’t say what she was thinking–that this guy was the first random hookup of her life. It wasn’t like Andrew was the only man she’d ever slept with, but everyone else had been a boyfriend at least. In a way, she was shocked, and nothing short of repulsed at what she’d done. But there had also been something surprisingly freeing about surrendering herself to someone she barely knew, someone she didn’t care to hear promises from and someone who she didn’t have to give promises to. It was nice.

“He invited me back for tea. No offense, but the music at that place was so loud, and it was starting to hurt. He noticed and asked if I’d just like to talk, to relax.”

“Oh, sure,” Alyssa rolled her eyes. “I’m sure all he intended to do was ‘talk’ with you.”

“It’s not like I didn’t think something would happen,” Janie shrugged. “It’s just that I didn’t try to stop it. It was our ‘what the hell’ night, remember?”

Alyssa stared at her for a moment, then walked around the breakfast bar and hugged her. “I’m proud of you, Janie.”

“Um, thanks?” Alyssa patted her head and took the seat next to her, propping her head up in her hands with avid interest. “Let me guess, you still want details?” Alyssa bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically.

“It was…” Janie thought about it, about him. His name was Chris, she just recalled. He was all subtle touches at the club–a hand on her arm, fingers brushing her hair back from her face. It felt nice, to be touched like that. Andrew hadn’t given her that kind of simple attention in years. She went back with him in his car, and he led her up to an apartment on the second floor. It was brimming with papers and books, but it was altogether an organized mess. She spied Shakespeare on one of his bookshelves.

“He did make tea,” she said, remembering the old dented kettle he put on to boil. They got caught up in conversation, laughing and enjoying each other’s company while waiting for it. It was another one of those touches that made her unwind, let her approach it one minute at a time.

“I didn’t think too far into it. I asked myself, do I feel like kissing him right now? Yes. So I did.” He brushed his hand against her face, rubbing his thumb against her cheek before he gently seized her chin and lifted her face to meet his. His lips were soft, and his tongue crashed into hers. 

The kettle screamed, making them both jump. He cracked a smile, laughed, his breath puffing against her face and making her bangs move. She laughed back.

“You know how it goes,” Janie said, assuming that Alyssa very much did. “One thing led to another…”

She and Chris had blindly moved to the bedroom, helping each other out of shirts and shoes. When he got down to her bra, he looked at her breasts and palmed them until he finally shoved the bra up, freeing them. She moved her hand into his underwear, stroking the hardness she found there. He groaned, moving to lay her on her back, and unclasped her bra to remove it completely. He tugged off her underwear, using his hands to help spread her legs. He kissed her when he slid inside.