All In: Playing to Win (Gambling With Love Book 5) (10 page)

"Yeah, but then Zack sort of distracted me for the rest of the night."

"That is one decision between two sexy men I'm glad I'll never have to make. So, when are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know yet."

"Have you heard from him since last night?"

I smile thinking about the photo he sent me this morning. I grab my phone and pull up Zack's selfie to show Rachel.

"Yeah. He texted me this picture with a message that said,
Aren't you glad you didn't have to wake up to this?
and his hair is all messy." I flip my phone around to let her see it.

"Son of a monkey's whore," Rachel gasps, clutching her chest in awe, and making me giggle. "That man is too pretty to be real."

"I know, right? I mean, even with bed head he's still magazine cover gorgeous."

"And those shoulders and pecs...damn girl. Did you send any pics back?"

"No way. He probably has pictures of naked models on his phone. I don't want my mugshot lined up next to all them."

"You have issues, and one day soon I hope you get the hell over them. You are beautiful, and don't just take my word for it. Zack Bradford and Cain Blevins think so, too."

I roll my eyes and then we stop gossiping to discuss actual work, including the ideas I got from last night's concert to possibly host our own in the future. 

A half an hour later my cell phone vibrates across my desk with an incoming call from an unknown, out of state number. Rachel stands up to leave and give me some privacy.  

"Hello?" I answer right away, wondering if it might be...

"Natalie, hi. It's Cain."

"Cain," I repeat, glancing up at Rachel who's standing in the doorway. She fans her face with her hand and then drops dramatically to the floor, making me giggle into the phone. "My coworker just fainted hearing that it was you on the phone."

He gave a masculine chuckle. "Well, good to know
someone
swoons for me. I take it you and Zack Bradford, ah, kissed and made up?"

"Um, yeah. I guess you could say that."

"Well, my offer still stands. If you give me your address I'll head over with a couple bags full of items signed by all three of us."

"Wow, that would be great! We're at 1477 Trade Street in downtown."

"Oh sure. We're staying at a hotel about a block away from Trade. I'll see you in a few."

"Thank you so much, Cain!" I say before hanging up. "Cain Blevins is on his way here!" I tell Rachel.

She jumps up from where she'd dramatically fainted and starts running around the office, notifying Tracy and Amanda who join her in celebration. Cain is going to think we were all lunatics in North Carolina.

Before he arrives my cell phone rings again. My mom. It must be important since she never calls me while I'm at work.

"Hey, Mom," I answer. "Is everything okay?"

"Why didn't you tell us you were going out with Zack Bradford?" she exclaims.

"It's just a few dates, no big deal-"

"No big deal? This is a huge deal! Going out with the guy you fell in love with in college and have crushed on ever since!" she says, making me cringe with embarrassment.

"I didn't love him, it was just a silly crush."

"Uh-huh," she says, disbelieving. "If I remember correctly, that video of you two helped get you through your worst days after chemo. No matter how bad you felt, it always put a smile on your face. And now you're dating him?"

"Seriously, Mom, everyone knows what a player he is. I'm not getting my hopes up that I'm any different."

"Oh, but, sweetie, you are different, and after seeing the photos of you two last night on the Internet, I think Zack Bradford agrees."

"Whatever," I say, waving off her enthusiasm.

"How have you been feeling?" she asks, and I know exactly what she's referring to. My family worries more about recurrence than I do, which is really saying something.

"I feel great."

"Thank goodness. You're only a few weeks away from your semi-annual checkup. Have you already scheduled your appointment with Dr. Turner?"

"Yep, I go back to see him on November twenty-ninth, right after Thanksgiving."

"Great. I'll plan to take the day off to go with you and celebrate."

"You know I won't have the blood work results back until a few days later."

"I know, but I'm feeling optimistic."                                                                  

The front door jingles and then Tracy squeals, making me groan. She could at least try to find some composure now that he's in the building.

"Sorry, Mom, but I've got to go. Cain Blevins just walked in."

"Cain? Cain Blevins?" I hear her gasping over the line.

"Talk to you later. Love you, Mom," I laugh before hanging up on her stuttering.

I quickly roll my chair back from my desk to go save the famous singer. In the front lobby dressed in plain jeans and tee he's surrounded by my starstruck coworkers.

"Um, ladies, let's give Cain a little room to breathe, okay?" I ask them.

He smiles at me, holding up the two big bags. "Hi, sweetheart," he says in greeting and the three women whimper. "Sorry, but this was all we had with us."

"No, this is great. Seriously. We really appreciate it. I'll get it up on the auction in a few hours and then let you know how much we raise at the end of the month."

"Great. Save my number in your phone," he says, making Rachel squeak, and drawing his attention to her as he heads to the front door to make an escape. "Is she the one that fainted?" he asks me gesturing to her with his thumb.

"Um, yes."

"Then text me her number." He chuckles when Rachel squeaks supersonically again.

"Absolutely," I promise.

We all shout goodbye as he walks out of the building.

"Natalie, I swear I think you're a freaking hot guy magnet," Tracy says, making us all laugh.

Zack

Friday after practice I shower and get ready for my and Natalie's third date. Only one more after tonight. I have to figure out a way to convince her to keep seeing me.

The press from Wednesday night had been insane with headlines like, "
Who's the mystery woman who wrapped Zack Bradford around her finger?
" Dean says Satan and Jerry are happy, which means I can't do anything to fuck this up with Natalie. I need her to keep going out with me, so I can keep my contract. I also
want
to keep seeing her.

There's something about her...and kissing her, well, it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. The exhilaration, the heat, it reminds me of my first kiss as a teenager. Feeling that amazing tingling sensation and connection with someone for the very first time...only with Natalie, it happens every single time.

And of course I want a helluva lot more than to just kiss Natalie. I mean, who wouldn't? She's gorgeous and just so damn adorable. There's also something about her that draws people in, like my teammate and that fucker, Cain Blevins. Thinking about how he'd tried to make a move on her, and hell, now had her phone number, has me so enraged I want to break his jaw. And the part I can't figure out is I actually liked the bastard and had been a fan of his until he made a move on Natalie.

I'm still not sure why I got so fucked up about her and him that night. She's just the saintly woman I need around me if I want to keep playing football, nothing more. But I can't afford to have her fall for someone or even agree to date someone else. I'd be screwed if the press found out we were no longer together. And fucking her, well I'm telling myself that would just be an added benefit. Although...something about that has my stomach in knots.

I pull into her apartment complex, turn off the car off, and head up to get her. I still can’t believe I'm actually going to comply with her spending limit rule. I've never had a woman tell me to
not
spend money on her.

After my knock, Natalie answers a second later, wearing a sleeveless black dress that hugs her curves and ends just above her knees. Again, she's wearing a pair of black, fuck-me heels.

"Hey," she says, sounding out of breath.

"Hey. You look great," I tell her, unable to hide my smile.

"You, too," she says with her own wide grin.

Pulling the door closed behind her, she locks the door then throws the keys into her little purse. "So where are we going? The
Rinky Dink
?" She giggles.

"Not tonight," I respond. "The Comedy Zone."

"Sounds fun. I could use a few laughs," she says as we head for the parking lot.

"Me, too," I agree. "So how was work this week?" I ask, opening the car door to help her into the passenger seat.

"Great," she replies, sliding in without another word.

I want to know if that punk rock fucker made good on his offer. "So did you hear from Cain Blevins?" I ask, needing to know for whatever reason. Oh, to make sure she wouldn't be seen in public with anyone else. Yeah, that’s it.

"I did. He came by with some signed hoodies, shirts and posters yesterday morning. We sent out notices on all our social media sites and email list, and I've already added everything to the auction site."

"That's good. Did he flirt with you when you saw him?" I ask.

"Um, no," she smiles. "He actually wanted one of my coworker’s number, so I texted it to him."

"Oh really?" I ask in relief. I don't want to date the woman who’s also dating that fucker. Now I hate him a tiny bit little less.

"Yeah, but I don't think he's called her. She's still taking her phone with her everywhere just in case. Her and my other coworkers are freaking out that they met him, and they're pissed they didn't think to get any pictures with him while he was there."    

"You ready?" I ask as soon as I park outside the club. I really didn't want to hear any more about that jackass.         

"Sure," she says.

I jump out of the car and go around to open the door for Natalie. When she takes my hand and stands up, I lean down and cover her shimmering pink lips with mine. I'm hoping to loosen her up and maybe have a few pictures snapped. But hell, really I just want to taste her again.

I moan against her lips which are the same delicious flavor as before. "Mmm. You taste like cupcakes," I tell her after I straighten back up and lick my now moist lips.

"It's vanilla, and you're not going to make this easy, are you?" she asks breathlessly.

"Of course not." I smile at her lustful expression. Now, I know better than to anticipate anything happening at the end of the night, but a man can wish. "Come on, let's go in."

We walk through the entrance of the comedy club, and once we're inside with other people around, Natalie tries to pull her hand away from mine. I hold it firmer just to aggravate her.

She’s the opposite of every other woman I've ever dated. In public most women latch on to me like we're Siamese twins and can't wait to have their picture taken. Even Lacy was clingy the few times we were out in public together, although hers was more of staking her claim than affection, since she knew I’d cheated on her. I've never had a woman try to pull away from me. Natalie really is rough on my ego.

"Table for two reserved under Bradford," I tell the hostess.

The woman bites her lip and shamelessly looks me up and down for several seconds before she gasps. "You're Zack Bradford! Oh my God, it's really you!"

I hate when people do that shit, tell me my own name. I squeeze Natalie's hand and look over to see how she's holding up. She looks amused, but happy at least.

"Yep, it's me. Is our table ready?" I ask trying to move the hostess along.

"Sure, right this way," she says as she finally walks us over to a semi-circle booth in the back. Perfect. I can sit beside Natalie and keep my hands on her.

Once we both slide in, we meet in the middle with our thighs touching. I put an arm over the back of the booth, and give Natalie's shoulder a squeeze. I know I'm probably sitting closer than she likes, but she's too nice to say so. And I'm going to take advantage of that.

"You're server will be right with you," the hostess says. I'd forgotten she was still standing there.

"Thanks," I tell her so she'd know she's free to go.

"Everyone's looking at us," Natalie says softly while her eyes sweep around the room. This date will be different from Wednesday night since all those uppity people at
Chemistry
didn’t gawk at us. Now that we're out in the general public, well, that's a whole other ballgame.                  

"Probably talking about us and taking pictures, too." If we're lucky.  "Welcome to my life," I whisper against her ear.  "I've forgotten what it's like to have any privacy, and I swear it's getting worse."

"Because you're getting better," she says, and I lean back to see her face.

"Wait. Was that, was that a
compliment
?"

She squares her shoulders and straightens her back while looking away. "Maybe."

"You act like it causes you physical pain to admit that."

"It wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so damn smug."

"So I'm not supposed to be proud of all the years of hard work I've put in to become one of the best quarterbacks in the league?"

"I didn't say that."

"Is it my fault I was voted Sexiest Man Alive two years in a row?"

She shakes her head and smiles.

"I know I'm good at the sport I love and that I'm attractive, but that doesn't mean I don't have insecurities like everyone else."

"So what are your insecurities?" she asks, tilting her head up. After a moment of looking into her beautiful jade eyes I decide to tell her the truth.

"I'm scared of being the best."

Over the years, the pressure on my shoulders keeps growing instead of getting easier. I can't ever actually enjoy being successful before I have to strive to hit the next milestone. In high school it was to be good enough to get a scholarship. In college it was to be better than the other quarterbacks on our team. Once I made first string I had to play my best so I'd get selected for the draft. After being the first round draft pick for the NFL it was the pressure of proving I could succeed in the big leagues, which is not the easiest transition to make from college. Now that I won the Rookie of the Year award I have to show everyone I can perform even better than I did in my first year.

"Because after you become the best, there's only one direction to go? Down?" Natalie asks quietly. "You can't let that hold you back. Who's to say where the top really is? As long as you have your own goals to keep reaching for, you won't ever fall."

I smile in surprise when she actually understands exactly what I mean. And I know what she's trying to tell me, that as long as I keep striving to make improvements to myself, who cares what everyone else says. Easier said than done with it feels like the entire world is watching and judging my every move.

"Maybe you're right," I concede and then decide to lighten things up. "And how about helping me with this other insecurity. My ex says I need to learn a few things in the bedroom. You're an older woman, you want to be my teacher?" I ask, and her jaw drops.

"I'm only a month older, and I'm sure you're fine in the bedroom. When you hurt a woman her first knee-jerk reaction is to attack a man's masculinity."

"I think she was pretty serious, and I can admit that her calling me a selfish lover was warranted."

"Well then that's something you can easily fix."

"Maybe so, but I think I need some practice. Especially with oral," I tell her. She barks out a laugh and blushes right as our waitress comes up to take our order. I nod for Natalie to go first.

"I'd like a strawberry daiquiri," she tells the waitress, but I have a feeling the woman isn't paying attention since she's staring at me. I'll remember since that's what Lacy always ordered too.

"And let me get a bottle of Daughtry's."

"Sure thing, Mr. Bradford," the waitress says. Her tone sounds breathy like Marilyn Monroe saying "Mr. President." "And what was it you wanted?" she asks Natalie again.

"Strawberry daiquiri," I repeat, thinking she’s more likely to remember it if it comes from me.

"I'll be right back." 

"You distracted the poor woman." Natalie says with an amused smirk.

I run my hand up and down the side of her arm and feel chill bumps raise along my path. "You're the only woman I want to distract," I tell her, pressing my lips to her neck. I can't help but notice when her sexy little body shivers against mine, along with her sharp intake of breath.

"Are you hungry?" I ask, grabbing the menu and holding it out in front of us so we can both see it. Food is the last thing on my mind, but I figure Natalie might want to eat something.

"I don't want much."

"Good, since I can't afford much with your spending limit in place," I tease. "Split a pizza?"

"Sure."

The woman is spoiling me. I'm used to the women I date wanting expensive restaurants and for me to buy them extravagant shit. Natalie just goes with the flow, and I'd almost bet she would never ask me for anything of material value.

"So tell me something about Zack Bradford that has nothing to do with football," Natalie says after the waitress returns with our drinks and leaves with our food order.

"Something not about football?" I repeat. "That's tough since football's basically been my life since I started playing when I was six-years-old. I figure it's the sacrifice for getting to the NFL. During the season I play and during the off season I train to get better."

"But there has to be more to you than football. Oh, and women, of course."

"I eat, sleep, and even dream of football. I get up early and workout with my trainer most days. Go to practice. Watch tapes and study the playbook at night. In my free time I watch college or other NFL teams play on TV."

"Okay, that's kind of sad," she says, twirling her red straw around in her girly drink. "So let me ask it this way, if you weren't a football player, what would you be doing instead?" 

"Easy. I probably would've tried to go to medical school. Tried being the keyword."

"Medical school?" Natalie exclaims so loud even more people turn to look at us. She covers her mouth and blushes. "Sorry, that was just...unexpected."

"Why, because I'm a dumb jock?" I chuckle.

"No! That's not what I meant at all."

"Sure," I tease her. "But seriously, my dad's a doctor. A pediatrician, actually, so that was my backup plan. Thank God football worked out! Struggling to get in and get through medical school would've sucked."

"Wow. That's...I had no idea."

"What about you? What would you be doing if you didn't work at the foundation? What was your major at Carolina?"

Natalie fidgets with the pink breast cancer bracelet on her wrist like she's nervous. "Don't laugh, but I was an art major. What a waste, huh?"