Bedding the Bad Boy (Bad Boys of Football Book 1) (7 page)

I’
d
managed to avoid him all week long. I made sure to not be in the office when he had practice. I sneaked in early, before any of the players would even think about rolling out of bed and off their latest conquest. I wrote press releases. I fielded calls and questions. I ignored all text messages, emails and phone calls from Beck. It was easier that way. He had a lot of nerve assuming I’d give up my life to have his baby and save his ass. Nope. No can do. Today, I wouldn’t be able to avoid him. The team had a charity event today -- one I’d scheduled to improve their image. Everyone had to be in attendance. Everyone, including Beck.

It took me two hours to pick out the right outfit. It’s not like I had many to choose from, but I needed to find an outfit that wouldn’t send out the wrong message to the media or to Beck -- my fake fiancé. I had to look professional and also give off the appearance of a woman in love. Whatever that meant. So, I chose a form-fitting, gold dress with a decorative collar, low enough to give off sex appeal, but high enough to keep my tatas from popping out on camera or in front of Beck.

“Good morning, pretty lady,” Beck’s voice purred like a lion in heat.

Why is he here this early?

“Good morning,” I said dryly.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said.

So he noticed?

“I needed some time to wrap my heads around things,” I lied.

True to form, he replied, “I have a head you can wrap something around.”

I didn’t have time for this. I agreed to pretend to be his fiancée, but I never once agreed to do anything more. What happened between us last week was a weak moment. It had been a long time since I’d been touched by a man. I had a moment of insanity. That wouldn’t happen again. From now on, our relationship was only for the cameras. I wanted my boring life back.

“You are a pig. Since you’re here, let me explain how things are going to work between us from now on,” I started, stopping as the corners of his mouth curled up in a sinfully sexy manner.
What was he
trying to do to me? Sabotage me?

Putting his hands up in a defensive position, Beck pretended to be afraid of me. “Yes, oh mighty Nubian princess. Your wish is my command. I bow down to you.”

I had to laugh. He was so ridiculous. “Stop. It’s not that serious. Well, it is, but this isn’t about me. Not right now anyway. This is about the children. These kids are coming to see you – the players. You and your teammates have to be friendly and engaging. And, not because there are cameras there.”

Beck smirked.

“I’m serious. You’re the team captain. Talk to the team and let them know this is a big deal and if they blow it, we’ll never recover,” I said.

“Got it, now, let’s talk about your dress. Damn, girl!” His eyes traveled up and down my body.

Well, his ‘yes, ma’am’ routine didn’t last long.

I moved around my desk to stand in front of him and look into his eyes.

His eyes lit up the closer I got to him.

“Understand this; we made a deal. A business deal. An arrangement. Nowhere in this arrangement does it state you can ogle me or make lewd remarks. And, so you know, saying, ‘Damn, girl’ doesn’t make you black. It doesn’t make you sound hood. It makes you sound like an ass,” I said with a satisfied smile. He needed to be put in his place – off the pedestal America put him on and back to ground level with the regular people.

He leaned forward, his lips almost touching mine. “Understand this; you want me as much as I want you and none of the temper tantrums you throw are going to change it. As for me and my teammates, this isn’t our first rodeo. We know how to conduct ourselves like human beings. We might be football players, but we’re also business men. Shrewd business men, so we don’t need your etiquette classes, Miss Johnson.”

Well, excuse me.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to my cage with the rest of the animals. Stay sexy.” He winked and walked out the door.

That gave me exactly one hour to prepare for the big event. I had to make sure the conference room was prepared and security was in place. Not to mention, corralling the team and their coaches.

“Johnson, get in here!” Cole screamed from his office.

So much for taking some time to get organized. Now what?

“Now, Johnson!” Cole bellowed.

I shouted back. “I’ll be right there!”

Without so much as a second to clear my head, I was back in crisis mode. “Yes?” I asked as I poked my head in his office.

“Do you have this shindig in order? Is everything under control?” He asked, not bothering with niceties.

I didn’t want to tell him I was terrified. Who knew what these self-obsessed football players would do when all the attention was on them? “It’s all taken care of, sir,” I lied.

“Good. Now, what are you doing about our other problems? Alexander has a court date coming up soon, doesn’t he?” Cole asked.

I’d forgotten all about it. Of course, Beck would have a court date. Why didn’t I think about that?

“Yes, I have it under control.” Lie number two for today.

“When is it? It’s not going to interfere with practice, is it?” Cole scrolled through the team schedule on his desk calendar.

Oh, I forgot to update my schedule! Please, don’t ask to see my schedule. Please, don’t ask.

“What else do you have on the schedule?” Cole asked.

My mouth went dry. “Oh, plenty,” I lied for the third time today. I had a feeling there would be plenty of other lies before this day was over.

“Well, show me. I need to know what you’re doing. What are we paying you all that money for?” Cole was relentless in his pursuit to make me feel like a failure at my job.

I took a deep breath, tempering my words. “I am really busy. You’ll see how much time and effort I’ve put into making things run smoothly for you and the team. If I don’t get to the conference room quickly, we’re going to be off schedule and it will put a kink in all the other things I have planned for the team.” Lie number four or was it five? I couldn’t keep track anymore.

“Alright. Good. Now, go. After this thing today, I’m going to need you to fill me in on what else you have planned. Don’t let me forget,” Cole said as he waved me off.

“Oh, don’t worry; I won’t.” The lies were getting easier and easier to tell.

By the time the children and their families arrived, everything was set in place. The players knew what they were supposed to do, the media was standing in their assigned places, and the executives from the children’s charity were thrilled. Things couldn’t have been more perfect.

“When do we get to see the players?” A gorgeous child with giant blue eyes asked.

I smiled, saying, “They should be here any minute. They’re so excited to meet you.”

“Awesome! I can’t wait to see Beck again. He’s my favorite and he’s kind of cute too,” she exclaimed.

Poor thing. Little did she know, her Prince Charming was an egotistical man whore. “You’ve met him before?”

“Oh, yeah. Lots of times,” she said, beaming from ear to ear.

I figured she was trying to impress me, so I went with it. “Isn’t he great?”

Her mother interrupted. “Beck is fantastic. He’s been so kind and generous of his time. I can’t tell you how touched we were when he…” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Um, what did he do?” Surely, she must have been confused. Beck didn’t do anything that didn’t somehow benefit him.

Cole signaled for me from across the room.

“Sorry, but I think the team is ready. Nice talking to you,” I said, offering a smile.

“Yeah, I hope he’s wearing the bracelet I made for him.” I heard the little blue-eyed girl say as I walked away.

“Go get them. Let’s get this show on the road,” Cole growled at me behind the fake smile he’d plastered on his face for this joyous occasion.

The team was laughing and joking in the team lounge. They hushed as I entered the room. On any other occasion – under different circumstances – I’d be pleased they were actually willing to pay attention to me, but something told me their silence had more to do with some kind of inside joke I wasn’t privy to than them attempting to show me some respect.

“Gentlemen,” I started. “You have a room full of eager children and their families waiting to meet all of you. Reporters are there too. Be prepared to pose for some photos and sit and chat with families, especially the children. I ask that you make the most of this. It will help your image. Remember, these families have had a difficult time. They are single parent homes and struggling to get through, so be kind. Remember they are…”

Beck stopped me. “Baby, we got this. We’ve done this before. We don’t need a reminder. We’re not animals.”

The team took the opportunity to start making animal noises.

“Alright, let’s go.” I turned on my heels and led the way. Bad idea because behind me, I could hear Beck making comments about my dress, my legs and my ass.

“May I have your attention, please?” I held the microphone. “I’d like to introduce the team.”

Everyone in the room clapped their hands. I glanced out toward the hallway, where the team was lined up, ready to make their grand entrance.

I had to say, I was impressed with how eager they appeared to be too. Maybe I was wrong about them. Maybe they could actually pull this off without making a mockery of me or the team.

“Please welcome your favorite team and players. Ladies and gentlemen, meet team captain Beck Alexander,” I announced.

Beck walked out, looking more handsome than I remembered. Through the fog of all that had gone on between us, I’d somehow forgotten how beautiful he was. He was movie star handsome with the body of a body builder. It should have been illegal to be so damn good looking.

The crowd cheered like he was the second coming.

Beck immediately walked into the sea of children and their families and lifted children into his arms, hugging them like a gentle giant and kissing the tops of their heads. I was in shock.

I was so stunned by his sweet demeanor, I forgot to introduce the other players.

Cole was there to remind me, though. “Hey, wake up in there. Let’s keep going.”

I shook the cobwebs out of my head. “Yes. Yes, of course.” I introduced each of the other team members, but they didn’t receive quite as much fanfare as their team captain. He was the real star of the show. No one could deny it.

I watched in awe as each of the team members engaged with the children, taking the time to get down on the floor to play or tell stories. It was heartwarming. This is exactly what the team needed to make them look good. The reporters were eating this up, photographing their every move. But, like me, most were more interested in the way Beck interacted with the children. He was a natural. This was his element. I couldn’t believe it. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it was possible.

“Hey guys,” Beck beckoned to the children. “I have a secret I want to share with you, but before I do, you have to promise me, you won’t tell anyone. I mean, no one. This will be our secret.” He winked at the children, then back over his shoulder at me.

My heart nearly melted. This guy really did have a heart after all.

He continued, “I’d like you to meet the future Mrs. Beck Alexander. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my fiancée, Isla. Isn’t she gorgeous?”

I blushed like I’d never blushed before in my life.

The stunned looks on the children’s faces made me self-conscious for a moment before the room erupted in applause once again.

Beck reached out his hand for me to take and step down with him. “Be cordial. Remember what these children are going through…” he started, mocking my speech.

I narrowed my eyes at him, before flashing a smile for the cameras. “Hi, everyone! It’s so nice to be here with all of you today.”

A pregnant woman interrupted the moment. “Mr. Alexander, I want you to know, I plan on naming my baby after you. You’re my all-time favorite player. My little boy is going to be named Beckham Alexander,” she paused, blushing. “His last name will be Juarez, but you get it. I’m naming my baby after you.”

Beck smiled, coyly, “That’s sweet, but so you know, I fully intend to name our baby boy Beckham Alexander too.”

The woman’s eyes went wide. To me, she asked, “You’re having a baby?”

The reporters pushed their way through the crowd to take photos of my belly. A belly that in no way, shape, or form was carrying a baby.

“Wait, let me explain,” I begged.

Beck wrapped his arms around my waist. “Settle down, guys. We’re not pregnant yet, but we’re definitely trying, aren’t we, baby?”

Someone kill me now! I’m begging you.

More camera flashes and the next fire I’d have to put out was flaming wildly around me.

I
woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. Better than if I’d banged two hot, horny groupies. I finally had a solid plan in place and a hard-on the size of a skyscraper. All I had to do to save my career and my ass from the D.A. and his team of goons was knock up the pretty public relations woman. How hard would it be? In some circles, my seed was like gold to people; Isla would be pregnant before she knew what hit her.

Yup, that’s how this was going to go down. The night of her life and bam, she’d be pregnant and I’d smile for the cameras, looking like a proud daddy-to-be.

Now, all I had to do was use my stellar art of persuasion and my not-so-mini-me to sway Ms. Uptight-I-didn’t-sign-up-for-this on board. Oh, she’d be on board alright. On my board and loving every inch of it. I’d already proven my special brand of magic worked wonders on people.

I had to admit, Isla was tough or she pretended to be. All women tried it in the beginning. They want to be the one who will win me over and lock me down for good. Eventually, that side of Isla’s personality would come out. At least, it had to because this nice girl routine was getting old. If she didn’t get with the program soon, I’d have to cut her from my team.

With the matter semi-settled, I could move on with the rest of my day. My plan for Isla would come to fruition later. I figured I’d let her get through her day and do whatever it was she did all day long. After my morning run, I had to check in with my manager, make some phone calls, pose for some photos, then, deal with this damn court appearance. Hopefully, by then, Isla and my attorneys will have completed the grunt work and I could get on with my life. I didn’t need this headache.
How did I go from being minutes away from banging two women to having to face off with the district attorney in court?

I tried to push the nonsense out of my mind so I could focus on the road under my feet and the air on my face. I loved the freedom. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a whole lot, but I had my mother and grandmother and the freedom to run around. We didn’t have money to buy fancy shoes or fancy clothes or toys, but running outside was the ultimate reward for the kind of life we lived.

“Heading out?” Frank tipped his hat at me.

“Time for my morning run. Where’s Hannah?” I asked, referring to my assistant.

I could always tell when Frank was hiding something. Most of the time, it had something to do with my dense assistant. She was good for signing my name on fan photos or footballs, but her promptness left a lot to be desired. Sometimes I wondered why I bothered to keep her on the payroll, then, I’d see her and those massive boobs shelved on top of what I used to think was the best body in the world, and I’d remember exactly why I kept her around. I’d never slept with her, but I had thought about it – a lot. 

“Let me guess, she’s not here again,” I said, shaking my head.

Frank nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

We paused for a moment before busting out laughing. We both knew Hannah had no intention of showing up any time before noon. That’s how she operated. From what I understood from the team, she was Jared’s latest regular. I didn’t know and didn’t really care. All that mattered was, I was paying her to be here and she wasn’t.

“Should I call her?” Frank asked.

I slipped my shoes on. “You might want to call Jared. I can almost guarantee that’s who she is with.”

I left Frank to it and went outside for my run, glad to not have to deal with the domestic stuff. I had people for those sort of things.

Two blocks from home, my Bluetooth pinged. Annoyed by the interruption, I answered, “What?”

There was a long pause.

“Hello?” I yelled.

“Hey, are you busy?”

I didn’t recognize the voice on the other end. “Who is this?”

“It’s Cassandra,” the female answered meekly.

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d heard it before. “The waitress at the tittie bar?” Visions of the buxom blonde flashed in my mind.

She cleared her throat. “Um, no. I’m the one who might be able to stop my dad from prosecuting you. Can we talk?”

Oh, shit!

“What the hell? I mean, how you been? What’s going on?” I stopped running.

“I need to see you. It’s important,” she answered.

Didn’t she know we’d see each other in court later? Why did I need to see her now?

“We have to be in court at two this afternoon,” I reminded her.

She sighed. “Meet me at my apartment in an hour.”

I wanted to protest, but my curiosity got the best of me. “What’s your address?” I asked as I turned to run back toward the house.

When I got home, I didn’t bother to change. I was more concerned with why she needed to see me. The last I knew, Isla was in talks with my attorneys and the D.A.’s office to try to work out some kind of deal. What did this girl want to talk about?

I scrolled through my phone as Frank pulled the car up front. I had three text messages from Isla.

“How did I miss these? Why didn’t she call?” I read through them, but none of them gave me any clue as to what the emergency was. They were messages asking me to call her as soon as possible.

Frank parked and stepped out to open the door for me.

“Hold on; I have to make a phone call,” I said as I dialed Isla’s number.

“Where have you been?” Isla sounded angry.

“Thinking about you and your sexy ass, of course. Where else would I be? I mean, have you seen your ass?” I teased.

“You’re an idiot. Stop whatever or whoever you’re doing and meet me at the courthouse. It’s important,” she demanded.

“Why? Do you have a justice of the peace waiting to marry us? Damn, you move fast,” I teased her some more because it was so much fun. She made it easy for me.

She groaned, but not in the manner I wished I could have heard her moan at this hour of the morning. “Stop it, pompous prick! If you want me to save your ass, you better get down to the courthouse right away. And, I shouldn’t have to say this, but because I
am
dealing with a narcissistic jerk, I’ll say it. Absolutely no fanfare. No drama and zero attitude when you get here.

Wow, she was serious! I
knew when enough was enough. I wasn’t a total jerk all the time.

“I’ll be right there.” I hung up and raced to change into something courthouse appropriate, completely forgetting about my urgent meeting with Cassandra.

Frank waited patiently for me while I got ready.

“You know what; I think I’ll drive myself this morning. I haven’t driven since,” I paused, stifling a chuckle. “Well, since
the
night.”

He understood what night I was referring to. “Do you really think it’s a good idea?”

“No, but since when did I do anything you’d consider good for me?” I winked at him and went in search of the keys to one of my other cars. 

As I drove into the city, fighting the traffic, my mind wandered to Isla and her knee-jerk reaction to my proposal. I wondered why? Most women would kill for the chance to have my seed. Why did she act like she wasn’t one of them? Everything about her was different and it both annoyed me and turned me on. I wasn’t used to women turning me down and acting like I wasn’t the best football player in the country. I mean, all the magazines and experts talked about was how I was beating records all the time. Why wasn’t Isla impressed? Everyone else was.

When I finally arrived at the courthouse, I instantly regretted not having Frank drive me or not inviting my security team to tag along. Press lined the streets for blocks. I was a spectacle and I hadn’t even parked the car yet. If they’d get out of my way, I’d have a better chance of parking this car, but as usual, a photo of me was worth far more than their lives to them.

“Get out of the way,” I grumbled under my breath. For the cameras, I smiled and winked like this was another day in the life. Sometimes I hated my job. Sometimes when life got chaotic, like it was now, I wanted to pack it all up and go home, back to the place where I’d become a superstar.

With cameras flashing like lightening in a brutal storm and reporters fielding question after question at me, I could barely hear myself think. Pushing through them was like pushing through a line of four hundred pound linebackers.

Finally, law enforcement figured out it was in their best interest to corral the media and usher me in. “Out of the way! Out of the way!” Officers pushed their way through the throng of reporters and eager fans to make a path for me to enter the downtown courthouse.

“Go ahead, sport,” an officer said, offering a toothy smile.

“Thanks, man,” I said, as I yanked my arm out of the death grip a female reporter with sex in her eyes had on it.

The police and courthouse security managed to keep reporters out of the building while someone from my legal team escorted me through the building and into a conference room, where Isla stood, bent over a pile of paperwork, biting her lip as she concentrated. Even stressed and nervous, she was more beautiful than any woman I’d ever met. How did she pull it off without even trying? She wasn’t covered in makeup and didn’t look like she tried too hard; she looked this good naturally, like a real woman should. It amazed me more and more every day.

She looked up at me, a mixture of relief and fear in her eyes. “Finally,” she said.

“I missed you too,” I said, moving toward her to hug her like a proper fiancé would. “What’s all this about? I thought court was scheduled for this afternoon?”

“There’s been a change,” one of my attorney’s chimed in to explain. “We’ve received some information that may change everything.” He looked at the other attorneys.

The room suddenly felt heavy.

“What information? What are you talking about? Am I going to jail?” I started to hyperventilate. I’d worked too long and too hard to have it all disappear because I gave some drunk, horny bitches a ride.

Isla placed her hand on mine. “No, you’re not going to jail. At least, your attorneys don’t think so.”

The warmth of her touch threw me off balance. I couldn’t focus. This woman was poison to me. She made me lose my head and I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from her. I took a deep breath and forced myself to keep things together as much as I could.

Paul, one of my attorneys, motioned for me to sit down. “Let me explain.”

I sat down, thankful Isla didn’t remove her hand from mine. Instead, she laced her fingers with mine and took the seat next to me.

“It seems Cassandra and her cohorts were paid a hefty sum of money to set you up,” Paul explained.

I was confused. “What do you mean? She called me and said she wanted to talk to me. That was a set up? How?”

There was an audible gasp in the room. It was obvious they didn’t know anything about the phone call.

“She called me about an hour ago and asked me to meet her at her apartment. I was on my way there when I saw Isla’s messages,” I said.

Isla squeezed my hand. “I wish you had told me. They found evidence someone paid the girls to party with you. They were supposed to take some photos of your… ahem… escapades,” Isla’s voice shook as she spoke.

“Who? Why?” I asked, shocked this was happening to me. “Why would someone want photos of me banging two chicks? Well, I’d want it, but who else would want to see it?”

“We don’t know yet. The police are trying to figure that out for us, but in the meantime, why don’t you tell us about the night you met these women?” Paul laughed at the word women. We all knew those two bimbos were hardly women. They were groupies. They came a dime a dozen in my world.

I filled them in on the details I could remember. Isla filled them in on what she knew. After our discussion ended, detectives filed in to listen to me tell them the same thing again.

“Now what?” I asked when everyone was up to speed.

“What time were you supposed to meet Cassandra?” Isla asked, her eye twitching.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked. “Jealous?”

She stepped on my foot with the heel of her shoes.

“Oh, I see how it is,” I whispered. “I’ll remember that when we’re making Beckham junior.”

“If you two are done playing house, we’re going to need you to call Cassandra and tell her you were held up with a team emergency, but you’re on your way,” the female detective said.

“What? Why? I thought you said she set me up. Why would I want to see her?” I asked.

My attorneys exchanged glances. “Well, since time is of the essence here, we don’t have time for a long, drawn out investigation. We need you to work your magic – the good old Beck Alexander charm – and find out who hired her and why,” my senior attorney Paul said.

“How am I supposed to do that?” I didn’t like where this was going.

He patted me on the back. “I think you’ll figure something out all by yourself. Use your killer smile and whatever other part of your body you believe might persuade her.”

Isla released the grip she had on my hand.