RUNNING GAME (A SECOND CHANCE SPORTS ROMANCE) (87 page)

W
hat the hell
am I doing?

My legs chewed up the pavement on the way up heart-rate-hill. I always trained better when I was mad.

This is the reason they tell you not to get involved with anybody before a big fight.

After I left Bria’s office I went straight back to the gym. The guys started to bug me with questions.

Why you back so soon?

Thought you and your little hottie were getting lunch. What happened?

I made up some bullshit about her not being able to get out of work. I hated making excuses.

So I went for a run to clear my head.

Did she really tell me to never come back?

But why? That guy was a douchebag. It had to be her ex. Kevin was his name. The guy took a swing at her. What did she expect me to do, sit there and watch the show?

I didn’t give a fuck about him talking to me that way. I had no reason to. People try to get me to react all the time. I was used to it. Something about running your mouth to an MMA fighter made little pussies like him feel strong. I was above all that bullshit…

But there was no way I could let it slide when it came to my woman. Anybody who wanted to lay a finger on her could expect to lose a few teeth.

So why the hell did she freak out like that? I thought she was over that god damned job anyway.

I had crested the hill and started on the downside without even realizing it. It was my second run of the day and I seemed to be going at a faster pace. My opponent was gonna have to deal with the consequences of all this work. On fight night I’d be as lean as I’d ever been.

I sprinted through the business park, my anger fueling me just as much as my desire to win. When I made it back to the parking lot I felt like I had enough energy to do the whole thing again. I almost did, too, if not for my guy Nick waving me over. I coasted to a stop and leaned on his pickup to stretch my hamstrings.

“God damn, Luke. You’re gonna run some holes into those fuckin’ shoes.”

“What the hell are you eating?” I asked.

He was shoving some kind of chocolate mess into his mouth.

“Protein sandwich,” he said.

“A… what?”

“Protein sandwich.” There was a glob of goo on his chin that made him look like a two-year-old.

“I take two protein bars and use them as ‘bread’ for my peanut butter.”

“You’re fucking gross,” I said, shaking my head. Nick had a way about him that always worked to lighten my mood.

A long-legged brunette with bouncing tits ran up to his side. He ignored her.

“Naw,” he continued, “It’s the easiest way to hit my macros. I can’t get huge unless I’m stuffin’ the protein.”

“Why don’t you take me back to your place and stuff me?” squealed the brunette.

He shot me a look that I’d already seen too many times.

“Whaddaya say big man? I bet she has a friend.”

The girl puckered her lips and gave me a pouty stare. I’d seen that look too many times as well.

“I think you already know the answer. But hey, I can’t fault you for trying.”

“Aww,” whined the girl. “Why not? It’ll be a lot of fun.”

I nodded at Nick and turned to the gym. As I walked away I could hear her start to argue with him. It was something about him not remembering her name. If I heard right, he told her it didn’t matter. Apparently he was right because she still left with him.

I tossed my shirt in the hamper as the office door swung shut behind me. There was a stack of promotional posters on the desk that I was supposed to sign and return to the promoter. Until you sign two hundred and fifty posters, there’s no way you can understand just how bad it hurts your hand. If they were for kids or charity or something, I’d already have done it. But the promoter just gave them out to sponsors and his connected friends so I didn’t really care.

Running the hill gave me time to calm down a little. The aggression I was feeling earlier had faded to a dull roar in my chest.

When I checked my phone and saw there were no messages from Bria it hurt more than I would have expected.

She’s so much better than that place. Why did she get that upset? I get that she can’t be in the middle of stuff like that at her workplace. It doesn’t look good. But why couldn’t she just explain the situation? That guy was a fucking creep who
needed
to have his jaw broken. They can’t expect her to put up with his harassment.

Maybe we’re not as perfect of a match as I thought we were. It all sounded good in theory, but how the hell did she expect to maintain her current lifestyle when she’s with a guy like me?

Maybe she didn’t mean what she said. But that didn’t seem like her either. Did she just need some space?

I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

“
I
t’s already been
ten days,” I whined to Kaitlyn over my vanilla ice cream.

“So why don’t you call him? You have his number.”

“Because he’s the one who screwed up. It’s on him to make the move.”

“You’re the one who’s always telling me to grow up, Bria. And here you are acting like this is high school. Just call him and have an adult conversation.”

“It’s different with him. He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to change. He’s too much of a prick.”

“Wow. That’s kind of rude to say about the guy you’ve been talking about starting a life with.”

“It’s true though. He acts like he owns every room he walks into.”

“But I thought that’s what you liked about him.”

“It is. It makes my knees weak. But I don’t know if I can deal with the fallout.”

“You mean like when he beats the shit out of your unstable ex-boyfriend and saves the day.”

“He didn’t save the day. I was fine. He just took things too far.”

“Well, all I know is that I would have paid a lot of money to see it,” she giggled. “I’ve been hoping for someone to smack the smug look off Kevin’s face for years.”

“You don’t even know what it’s done to me at work,” I said. “Ever since it happened things have been so much different.”

“Like how?”

“Like everybody avoids me now. Nobody wants to be seen talking to me because Jones is so pissed off.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“Not really. I mean, I went up to apologize to him but he wasn’t hearing it. He’s really good friends with Kevin’s dad I think…”

“So what,” she said.

“So, right before I went on vacation he was telling me about how great I was doing. He wanted me to take the bar so he could bring me on as a lawyer. Now, all he says is that I need to re-evaluate my priorities and decide if I have what it takes to represent his firm.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“I know. It’s like the whole thing has sent me back to square one. He’s taking me off the projects I was working on and giving me busy work. It’s like he doesn’t care anymore if I get any solid experience. That’s why there’s no way I’m calling Luke. This is all his fault.”

“Maybe…”

“What?” She was doing that thing again where she hesitated before telling me something I probably didn’t want to hear.

“Maybe Luke did you a favor.”

“I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but all Luke did was get me shoved into the dog house.”

“You were miserable at that place before you guys took the vacation. Then, because your boss sweet talks you one time and you get away for a little bit, everything is good? I don’t think so. The fact is, whether you are a paralegal or a lawyer, you’re still going to be unhappy there in the long run. It doesn’t matter what title they give you, they’re still going to work you like a dog because they know they can abuse you.”

I hadn’t thought about that. I was so excited about getting the approval to take the bar that all I could think about was getting my license.

“And was what he did really that bad? Yeah it was probably bad timing, but he was trying to protect you! All he was thinking about was you.”

“I guess you’re right. I just wish he would have gone about it in a different way. He looked like he was going to kill him.”

“What’s up with Kevin anyway? Have you heard what happened after the fight?”

“I don’t know. I ran down stairs after Luke left but word around the office is that he had to go to the hospital for his broken ribs. I’m sure he needed stitches, too.”

Kaitlyn tried to hide an evil grin behind her hand.

“I know, I know, that’s what he gets. You’re right too, but that still doesn’t make it okay for Luke to go all barbarian in front of all my coworkers. Jesus, you should have seen the look on our clients faces.”

“It was that bad, huh?”

“I think some of them were traumatized…”

“So, are you worried about Kevin anymore? That thing with the gun really freaks me out.”

“I don’t think he’s a problem anymore. The next time he thinks about trying to get in touch with me, I’m sure he’ll feel his ribs and use better judgement. There’s no way he wants to cross Luke again. Anyway, he’s probably going to be all whacked out on pain pills for the next month or two. He kind of had a problem with that stuff in college, remember?”

“Yeah, they turned him into even more of a loser.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Okay, I need to get out of here,” Kaitlyn continued. “If you need anything, though, call me.”

“What are you up to tonight?”

“The bar.”

“Like always,” I said.

“Yep, like always. And you need to call Luke as soon as I leave. Try to fix things because there’s no way I’m going to deal with you moping around this place for the next six months wishing things would have gone differently.”

“It won’t do any good right now. He’s in Vegas for the fight already. They go a couple of days early to get situated.”

“Oh yeah, when is it?”

“The day after tomorrow. Saturday night, probably around nine.”

“Alright, well if you’re not calling him now, you’re definitely coming to the bar with me to watch it on Saturday. Maybe that will light a fire under your ass.”

Kaitlyn gave me a goofy thumbs up before walking out. I set my bowl of ice cream on the couch cushion and let my weary body slide to the floor.

It didn’t take long for me to fall into a fitful sleep in front of the tv. The combination of the stress at work and the personal drama had been taking a toll.

What the hell was I doing?

When the early morning sun cut through my living room blinds it hit me square in the face. It felt as if the sun had some kind of personal score to settle with me.

I felt around on the floor for my phone, hoping against hope, that there would be a text from Luke. But there wasn’t. I don’t know why I kept getting my hopes up. Each day that passed brought with it the same disappointment. Maybe he wasn’t the guy I thought he was.

Could he give up on me that easily?

That morning at work started out the same as each of the others over the past week and a half. As soon as I walked in, Clara bombarded me with files from Mr. Jones’s office. He didn’t even want me going up to get them myself.

“Here you go honey,” said Clara as she shoved a big stack across the counter.

She could see the disdain on my face.

“More busy work?” she asked.

I thumbed through the folders praying that he would throw me a bone. Something, anything, from one of the old projects I was working. Just to let me know that I still had a future here. It was all junk.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “More work to keep me downstairs, out of sight, and out of mind.”

“Well, if I had any say in the matter, you’d already be in one of those big offices upstairs, young lady. Sometimes I wonder if they even know what they have in you.”

“Thanks Clara.” It was the first time I’d smiled in ages. It felt strange.

“I’ll tell you something else, too,” she leaned close to me, keeping her voice low.

“I was happy to see that little weasel get his nose broken. He seems to have everyone else around here fooled but not me. I say he got what was coming to him.”

“He deserved it. That’s for sure. I just wish it wouldn’t have happened at work.”

“What was his name?” she asked.

“Who?”

“What do you mean ‘who?’ I’m talking about the strapping young guy who smacked some sense into the boy. I like him.”

“His name is Luke. But I’m not really sure if we’re going to work out...”

“Mmm. I don’t know why. He seemed absolutely crazy about you. The only time a man reacts like that is when he has something important to protect. Plus, he had that great butt.”

“Clara!” She had me laughing now.

“Listen, I may be old but I still know a good man when I see one. And
that
was a good man… And a
great
butt. You need to patch things up!”

“Thanks, Clara. I’ll think about it. For now, I better go down stairs before I get myself into more trouble.”

She waved me off, returning to her crossword puzzle.

My foot barely hit the last concrete step before the records room phone started to ring. I hurried over to it.

“This is Bria Hudson,” I answered.

“This is Christine Soto with Mr. Jones’ office.”

I hated that she started all of her phone calls that way.

“Mr. Jones would like to see you in his office this morning.”

“Oh… okay.”

I’d been wanting another chance to talk to him but now that the opportunity had presented itself, I wasn’t so sure.

“Did he say what time? Or…”

“If Mr. Jones had specified a time, I would have told you,” she said, rudely.

“Oh. So, I guess I’ll come up now.”

“No, no, no. That won’t do. If you had read your email as I’ve asked of you multiple times, you would know that Mr. Jones is in a partner’s meeting until nine-thirty.

“Oh. Is his schedule open after that?”

“Mr. Jones’ schedule is
never
open. He’s a very busy man. I would have thought you would have realized that after spending so much time here.”

“Uh…”

“Yes. Nine-thirty will be fine. He said he wouldn’t take much of your time.”

“Okay.”

“Also, I’d like to remind you,
again
, that it is company policy to familiarize yourself with all work related emails and memos. It is very important for the efficiency of our practice that each and every team member utilize their time and resources effectively. Please take the opportunity to get with a senior team member so you can have them show you how to properly use the email system.”

“Uh, sure.”

Was this bitch serious?

“And Miss Hudson, one last thing… Mr. Jones requested that you bring all of your personal belongings with you to his office.”

The phone clicked and she was gone.

What the hell?

He wants me to bring all my stuff with me?

This couldn’t be happening.

There’s no way he would fire me after what he’d put me through. I wonder if Kevin’s family had leaned on him to do something about me. I wouldn’t put it past that sniveling little jerk to have his daddy swoop in and exact some revenge.

I couldn’t think straight. The anticipation was going to kill me before I even made it to his office. The big mechanical clock ticked on the wall. I sat there and stared at it for the next hour and a half.

When nine-thirty finally hit, I scooped up my things and ran back upstairs. There was nothing worth keeping from my desk. The only picture I’d had was one of me and Kevin at some street fair a couple of years back. I’d already trashed that thing months ago.

Christine’s beady little eyes peered over the monitor at me as I ascended the last few steps. There was no doubt in my mind she was enjoying this.

“Miss Hudson, please have a seat over there. I’ll call you when Mr. Jones is ready.”

I blew past her without a second thought. I threw the door to his corner office open and marched inside.

“Miss Hudson, he’s not ready for you yet.”

I slammed the door just as she was about to follow me through the door.

Jones had the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear. There was a look of concern on his face.

“I’ll have to give you a call back,” he said into the receiver. “Something just came up.”

He hung up the phone and made a motion with his hand for me to have a seat in the chair opposite his desk.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll stand.”

“Have a seat Bria, there’s something we need to discuss.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“So be it. Well, I suppose you already have some idea what this is about.”

“Nope,” I said, defiantly.

He let out a long sigh and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“You understand, Bria, that we here at Jones and Schreiber have a certain image that we must uphold at all times.”

I stared, deadpan.

“And there are absolutely no circumstances in which we can allow incidents like the one that occurred a couple of weeks back to transpire.”

“I understand that sir, but my friend was only being protective.”

He put his hand up to stop me.

“You need to know that we lost a major client over your little melodrama out there. It was a huge account.”

“I’m sorry that happened Mr. Jones, but like I said-”

“For God’s sake, Bria, Kevin had to be hospitalized! The poor man probably won’t be able to return to work for at least another month.”

“But-”

“And you know how word gets around in these circles. We’re being ostracized. This couldn’t have come at a worse time, either. What in the world was that man doing? How could he even think it was remotely okay to attack someone like that? Especially a lawyer from another firm!”

“Kevin was about to hit me… He was harassing me and-”

“That’s just not going to be a good enough explanation.

He shook his head.

“I’ve taken the time to get all of the necessary documents in order. I’m informing you that as of this moment, you are being suspended indefinitely for being party to that disturbance and conducting improper fraternization in the workplace.”

“That’s not fair! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“I know it’s a tough pill to swallow, Bria. Maybe we jumped the gun a little bit when we talked about you taking the bar. It may serve you well to hold off for a little while to get your personal affairs in order. There isn’t a firm in this city who is going to put up with that kind of behavior from its employees.”

I sunk back against the wall. I felt six inches tall.

“Besides, as a paralegal, you can do very well for yourself. You can make a respectable career out of it.”

“Yeah…” I wasn’t even looking at him anymore. Everything had come crashing down around me.

“Mr. Jones,” I whispered, “How long will the suspension last?”

The big picture of losing my dream briefly gave way to my short-term survival needs.

“You’ll be informed if we would like you to come back as soon as our Human Resources department concludes their investigation. At this time, I’ll need you to drop your badge and building keycard off with Christine and exit the building.”