Blitzed (The Alpha Ballers #3) (4 page)

After I had showered and put on my street clothes, I waved to the locker room attendants and left the facility, dropping my backpack into my motorcycle’s saddlebags and starting for home.

The roads were still pretty clear despite people rushing to get home, and I made it home with plenty of time to spare. I loved riding around New England on the back of a bike. I wasn’t from the cold - I was a California kid, born and raised, but 10 years living in the frozen wastes up here had worked its magic on me, and when the season ended I usually gathered up my camping gear and found a nice mountain range to hike all over, just to disconnect from the season, however it had gone, and from the rest of the world.

More and more I was finding that I needed that kind of disconnect, that without it I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.

I parked my bike in the garage of my apartment building and took my stuff inside. I could have afforded something much, much bigger, but I had never been the kind of man who liked to accumulate too many toys. For me, the most important thing was experiencing new things, and sharing those experiences with the right people.

I quickly showered and dressed, putting on my best charcoal suit and tie. When a man was my size, suits all had to be custom and they were not cheap. Sometimes it felt like most of my pro football salary went toward paying to be able to live relatively normally while being a giant.

While I got ready I thought about Lance and Drake. Both of them had met girls in the last few months, and while I hadn’t known Drake before, I had heard stories about his life before Lily came into it, and I knew that if even a quarter of those stories about him were true, he was much, much better off now than then.

And Lance, well, Lance had always been a monk before he met Charlotte. I’d never seen him so energetic, though I didn’t know how much of that was the thought of playing in his very first playoffs, especially after the rough season he had had with his early injury and having to watch while backup quarterback Oliver Lee took over for a few weeks. If you heard Lance tell the story, though, and trust me, I had heard it over and over already, his injury was the best thing that ever happened to him, because it brought him closer to Charlotte.

I dunno if I’d go that far, but I had to admit I was thrilled for my boy, and I wasn’t even jealous that he and I weren’t spending as much time together.

It gave me more time for…whatever else it was I did, which, these days, with all the hoopla surrounding the playoffs, wasn’t much. My own dating life wasn’t anything special - I didn’t have anyone special these days. I certainly attracted women left and right, but I’d never met anyone who rocked my world.

I didn’t think about it too much - I had enough else going on with football and all the charitable work I did, coupled with staying in shape and spending time with my teammates.

Once I was ready to get my party on, I went outside, got back on the hog, and rode out to the hall. It was a big and boisterous affair, music drifting in from everywhere, and flashing lights getting right up in your face.

The theme was Casino night, and everyone was encouraged to bring large bills with them. All of the winnings would go to fund pediatric cancer research, and there was going to be a silent auction with all sorts of prizes donated by the Patriots and local businesses affiliated with the team.

I came into the brightly lit hall through roman arches done gaudily in gold, and I knew this was gonna be a fun night. Sticks in the mud like Lance Parker might rather spend the night with his face buried in a playbook, but we were here to have some fun and help some kids out - what could be better? And in a few days, we’d go out and show the Chiefs who the real chiefs around here were.

The first thing I did was locate the different bars, so I always had a good place to either post up, or escape to if a conversation got too boring. Nothing like planning ahead.

As I looked around the room, she caught my eye. I could only see her from the back, and I didn’t know who it was at first, but whoever she was, she was the only woman in the room.

Not literally, of course; there were hundreds of women already in the room. But she might as well have been the only one. Her dress was dark blue satin, and as she turned slightly, while I couldn’t see her face, I could make out the curves of her body and without willing it, I found myself licking my lips in anticipation.

Fuck, she looked tasty as hell. Whoever that girl was, I had to meet her. Lance and Drake could have Charlotte and Lily, this girl was mine.

And then she turned around, her brown hair moving around to catch up with her as if in slow motion. She looked me right in the eyes, and time and motion stopped in that moment.

My eyes widened.

Oh shit.

Mackenzie Mayfield.

I should have known it would be her.
 

As our eyes locked together and time resumed, Mack noticed me and waved, smiling at me so wide that my breath caught in my throat. She was beautiful, I’d known that from the second I had laid eyes on her years ago, but this time she was on another level of beautiful.

She wasn’t just stopping traffic, she could stop air traffic, holding planes in the sky till she personally approved of their landing.

I was mesmerized. She lingered on me for a few seconds, and I don’t know if she noticed just how discombobulated I must have looked, because she turned away and raised her champagne glass to her lips while talking to the man next to her, blond guy with blue eyes who just screamed finance guy.

That must have been the famous Steve I had heard nothing about till this afternoon.

That run-in with Mack after practice had been both the best and worst part of my day so far.

I wanted to go over there and talk to her, but I knew at the same time that I really did not want to meet her date. Steve could have been the nicest guy in the world, but I knew myself - I would find a way to start some shit with him, and that wasn’t fair to Mack.

“Hud!” I heard my name called from behind me and I shook my head, trying to dispel thoughts of Mack from my mind, but knowing she’d come roaring back to the front as soon as I picked her up in my peripheral vision again. I turned around and saw Drake and Lily standing there, arm in arm, just after they had arrived.
 

Drake looked dapper and trim in his navy suit, and Lily wore a matching navy dress that made her look even more beautiful than she normally did. “Drake! Lily! You made it!”

They stepped toward me, and I cocked my head toward the nearest bar. Drake nodded and we walked there together, passing a bunch of players and their wives or girlfriends, and some coaches too. Of course, Patriots players and employees weren’t the only people in attendance, but the rest of the patrons all gathered together, as if they were scared to mix with the players.

“Where else would we be?” Drake said.
 

“It’s the only place in town tonight,” Lily added, in that way she did. I went back and forth between it being really awesome and totally irritating that they had started finishing and adding to each other’s sentences. Like they were quickly becoming one instead of two distinct people. I felt a twinge of regret, like I was jealous that I hadn’t found someone like that yet.

Drake punched me on the shoulder, bringing me back to Earth. “You all here, man?”

“Wha-? Yeah, I’m good, just something crossed my mind.” I clapped my hands together like we did in the huddle during games to show we understood the play and were ready to go, then I looked around the room. More people were starting to show up, everyone dressed to the nines.

We got to the bar and stopped, a few spots from the front of the line. I grinned. Charity events were some of the best places to keep a steady flow of drinks coming. So many stuffy society types milling around, all trying to convince each other they were somehow more regal and richer than everyone else.

At least it was for a good cause - that was the only reason I came to these things. I would rather spend my dwindling free time doing more direct and hands on volunteering stuff, but even I couldn’t deny that charitable organizations most of the time needed money more than they needed volunteers, and evenings like this had a way of getting rich people to reach deep into their pockets for big checks.

I turned around and looked Lily up and down as respectfully as I could. Drake, of course, noticed me, and I felt him punch me in the shoulder again. “Hud, man, you looking at my girl like that?”

I smiled wider and looked directly at Lily. “You look lovely tonight, Lily,” I did a little bow, and I saw Lily blush as she looked to the floor.

Then I straightened up and focused on Drake. “I’m just giving you props, Drake, and also wondering something.”

“Oh yeah?” Lily said. “What’s that?” added Drake.

I paused for a second to let the point linger, like I was about to say something profound. “I just wondered how lucky a guy like you had to be to get and keep a girl like this!”

“Thank you!” Lily almost shouted, her face overcome with glee. Now it was her turn to punch Drake in the shoulder. “I keep telling him that every day, and he doesn’t seem to believe me.”

I looked at Lily, and pointed to my shoulder. “So that’s where he gets it from!”

Drake rubbed his shoulder. “You’re damn right that’s where I got it from.” He wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist and pulled her in. “Being with this girl is like having an extra shoulder workout every day. She really knows how to hit ‘em hard.”

I laughed. “You seem to be able to handle it. Doesn’t seem to get in your way on the field.”

“Oh man, I make sure it doesn’t. Imagine how much sympathy I’d get from Coach Armstrong if I couldn’t make a catch because my arm hurt on account of my girlfriend hitting me there too much.” He got quieter and leaned in. “Don’t, uh, don’t let any of the guys hear that, yeah? That’s between you and me.”

“What’s between you two?” Lance’s voice pierced the silent moment before I could speak, and Drake and I turned to see Lance and Charlotte walking toward us, holding hands and looking like they belonged on a magazine cover.

Lance wore a dark suit, impeccably tailored, and Charlotte glided across the room like her feet didn’t touch the floor. Her deep green dress looked amazing on her. Heads turned as the two of them stopped in front of us.

“Will you take a look at that,” Drake whispered.

“Fucking quarterbacks, man.” I whispered back. “It’s unbelievable.”

“What are you two gossiping about?” Lily glared at us, reaching back.
 

“N-Nothing!”

“Did we miss anything?” Lance said to Drake and I as Charlotte and Lily gave each other quick hugs, traded kisses, and complimented each others’ outfits.
 

“Nah, things haven’t really gotten started around here yet.” Just as I said it, we got to the front of the line at the bar and I ordered 5 drinks, remembering what everyone liked. The bartender got to work and I turned back to the group.

“You guys gonna be ready for the Chiefs on Sunday?” This was a Wednesday evening, so we still had plenty of time to prepare, but it never hurt to start early. Whatever illusions I might have had about over preparation being possible had been shattered by experience long ago. We could always learn more, study more; we could always get stronger and better.

Lance and Drake looked at each other, before turning to me. “Ganging up on me now, eh? Just like you offense guys. Can’t fight any of your battles alone.”

“A united front is usually the best way,” Lance started.

“Yeah. I make him look good,” Drake said, pointing at Lance. “And he makes me look good.”

“To answer your question, though,” Lance said as I handed out drinks to everyone and we all took long sips, “yeah, we’ll be ready for the Chiefs on Sunday. Your defense gonna keep us on the field?”

“You know it, brother, we got them figured out. Think you can score more than 10 this time?”

Drake smiled. “I think we can make that happen. You gonna hold ‘em that low?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Why 10? Why not 3? Or 0?”

I shrugged. “Don’t want to put everything on film for the next guys. We got 4 more games to win, guys. Gotta keep some special stuff in the holster for the future.”

Lance stepped in, pushing his finger into my chest, suddenly a little more serious than the rest of us. “Every game is an elimination game, Hud, you know that. The playoffs are no joke. We win or we watch the rest from the couch. I don’t plan on sitting on the couch.”

I held up my hands. “Chill, Lance, chill. Don’t forget, of the three of us, I’m the only one who’s actually played in a playoff game, remember? I know a little bit about how this works. Blowing people out isn’t the way to go now. We’ll do exactly what we need to do in order to win. Nothing more.”

“Ahem.” The three of us turned and we realized all at once that we’d forgotten there were two other members of our little circle. Charlotte and Lily stared at us with alternating looks of wonder and dismissal.

“Can’t you boys leave that stuff in the locker room, or the field, for just one night?” Charlotte asked. She pointed down at her dress. “Look at this!” She pointed at Lily. “Look at her! Come on, you guys, we got all dressed up, how about no more football talk? For at least an hour?”

Lance and Drake both smiled at their respective girlfriends. “Yeah,” they said in unison. “One hour,” Lance continued.
 

Drake eyed Lance and I. “I think we can do that, right guys?”

I held up my hand. “No complaint here.” I took another long sip of my drink, looking around the room again. I saw Mack off to one side still talking to that guy she was with, Steve. This time she didn’t turn around to look at me.

We moved away as a group to find one of the free standing tables and gathered around it. None of us said anything. It was just about to start getting awkward when Charlotte broke the silence, touching me on the arm. “No date tonight, Hud?”

“Nah, not tonight?”

“What happened to that girl you were seeing? Ingrid?”

“Oh, yeah, her. It wasn’t that serious.”