Off the Field: Bad Boy Sports Romance (25 page)

“What’s this?” I asked as I opened it up and looked inside at the thick stack of papers.

“A pre-nup.”

“Okay…” I wasn’t sure how to respond. Is he serious? Doesn’t he trust me?

“Take your time, but it’s all pretty basic. My attorneys are insisting on it.”

“Your attorneys, huh?”

“And my money guys, but like I said, it’s all standard stuff.”

I stared at the envelope a moment longer then lifted my head to look him in the eyes. He tilted his head to the side.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Are you fucking serious? You just handed me a pre-nup when we’ve been talking about love and forever for the last couple days.”

His face scrunched up in confusion. “You’re upset?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m upset. Think about it from my perspective for a moment.”

“I have…”

“You just said it was your lawyers and money guys,” I interrupted as my anger boiled up inside me.

“It was, but…”

“I knew it was too good to be true. I’m just a trophy wife for you.”

“What? No! That’s not it at all.”

He tried to put his arms around my waist, but I pulled away.

“Don’t. I need some time alone.”

“Seriously? Can’t you see this from my perspective?”

I walked around him and headed to one of the thirteen extra bedrooms in the house. While I couldn’t kick him out of his own bedroom, I didn’t have to sleep with him. I needed time to think. Once curled up in bed, I stared at the envelope on the nightstand. I sighed and picked it back up, taking out the papers. Read them at least before you get too upset, I thought to myself as I read the first page.

Nikki and the Prenup

When I woke up the morning after Steven sprung the prenuptial agreement on me, I acted as normal as he could until he left for work. He was focused on business, as usual, so he didn’t notice anything odd at all. After he was gone, I returned to the master bedroom to think. Part of me wanted to go downstairs and spend time with George and Anne, but I wasn’t sure if I could marry Steven if he wanted a prenup.

The whole idea of signing a piece of paper saying he didn’t owe me anything if the marriage didn’t work out sounded horrible to me no matter how I looked at it. As I got out the actual document and read it, I became even more confused. Surely a team of crack attorneys had written the miserable fourteen pages of clauses and rules of the marriage. Does Steven love me?

I tossed the stack of papers on the bed and walked over to the desk with a laptop. Usually I avoided Facebook and all the drama that came with it, but I wanted to check on Maryanne. We’d been so close before I left Maine and Steven behind after the crazy orgy party at some random millionaire’s mansion. When I pulled up her profile page, I saw the last time she’d posted was the night of the party.

Nikki: U around, bitch?
Maryanne: Nikki! Finally! Fin-ally!
Nikki: Hey, I’m getting married.
Maryanne: Him?
Nikki: Yea. Can I call? I hate this chat thing.
Maryanne: Sure

“Nikki-bitchie!” she said a minute later.

“Hey, Maryanne. How you been?”

“Well, after losing my best friend, it’s been kinda tough.”

“I noticed you haven’t posted anything on Facebook.”

“Stalking me, huh?”

I smiled. “No. Not at all. It’s just…”

“You’re getting married.”

“Yeah. And I wanted to talk to you about something and get your opinion.”

“What?”

“Can we do it in person?”

“Sure. Where you at?”

“I’m at Steven’s, but I need to go interview bartenders for the wedding.” She didn’t say anything. “You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m just waiting for you to ask me to be your bridesmaid, bitch.”

“We’ll see. I have a lot to do. When can you pick me up.”

“How about now?”

“Still don’t have a job, huh?”

“Hah. Same old Nikki, I see. I’ll be over in about twenty.”

“Minutes? Hours?”

“Very funny. Bye.”

I disconnected the call and stared at her photo for a second before the screen went blank.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The sun was out, occasionally hid by white, puffy clouds, as I waited for Maryanne to arrive. She pulled up in a bright yellow Jeep Wrangler with no top or doors. So Maryanne, I thought and took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for bringing her back into my life. What made her so interesting to me was what also made her dangerous and not trustworthy.

I walked over as she parked. She saw me, but she still honked the horn twice. I climbed in and immediately put on my seatbelt. We made eye contact. In just a few seconds, I saw she was the same Maryanne I’d left behind. Still, she was the best person in my life to give me advice about the prenuptial agreement Steven wanted me to sign. An attorney would be better, but I wanted her street wisdom.

“Cut it with the horn, okay?” I said, not afraid to resume my role in the relationship and start scolding her.

“Why? I haven’t talked to Steven since the party.”

“The children. I didn’t want them to see me leave because I’m still not entirely sure I should marry Steven.”

She put the Jeep into gear. It lurched forward. I grabbed the dash and held on for dear life.

“What? You still haven’t decided? I didn’t even know you were back in Maine.”

“Yeah, I have to fill you in on everything that happened,” I said excitedly.

Even with all her faults, I valued my friendship with Maryanne. She had forced me out of my shell in many ways, changing my entire outlook on life. She’s going to freak when I told her I had a magic mushroom phase in Cleveland, I thought as I looked at her.

“Well,” she said after a pause. “Go ahead.”

“I need a drink or two first,” I said. “And it’s kinda windy.”

“What?” she yelled, holding her hand behind her ear.

I waved her nonsense away and looked out the windshield. She’s going really fast. Or does it just seem faster because there’s no fucking roof or doors? About a mile down the road, she pulled into a gas station parking lot.

“So, where the hell are we going?”

“Oh, that’s right. We can use the GPS on my phone if you want. I have this app that finds all the places you need to go to when planning a wedding.”

“Sweet. And the bartender is number one?”

“Well, no.” I smiled. “But I need a drink or two before I tell you what happened to me.”

“Okay, but first you have to tell me why you’re not wanting to marry him this time. He’s a good guy. And like I said, we haven’t seen or even talked to each other. I think he really loves you.”

“He asked me to sign a prenup.”

She laughed. “What? That’s it? You’re serious?”

“Yeah. It just makes it seem…”

“Like he’s smart and protecting himself?” she interrupted.

“No, like it’s just a business merger or something.”

“What’s it say?”

“I don’t know. It’s long. I should have someone look at it probably.”

“Probably,” she said with a slight tinge of sarcasm.

“Okay, let’s go. I’m thirsty.”

About ten minutes later, we stopped at the first banquet room. They were rated the highest in the app I’d found. Even better, they offered a bartender, waiters, and other staff to really make the wedding day a special occasion. Three other locations were available, but I wanted to start with what others thought was the best before I made a decision.

The building was huge. We walked in the front doors and was met by a receptionist. I’d used the app to let them know we were coming to ask questions and see their facilities. As I stood next to Maryanne, I still couldn’t believe we were talking again. I expected her to do something silly and crazy at any moment.

“Are you Nikki?” she asked Maryanne.

“That would be me,” I said, raising my hand.

“Welcome. If you want, we can start our tour…”

“Actually,” I interrupted. “I love the building. Can we skip to the bartenders and drinks?”

“Sure. Our basic package allows for two custom drinks for the reception.”

“Great. I’m not sure if we want the basic package or not, but we’d love to try some drinks.”

Maryanne giggled. I elbowed her as I smiled at the receptionist.

“Okay, okay, we can do that. We do, of course, have a two drink limit for the complimentary tasting.”

I pulled a hundred dollar bill out of my purse. “Maybe we can get that raised?”

Steven would have shuddered if he saw me flaunting money, but he wasn’t around. The crisp bill certainly got the receptionist’s attention. Her smile increased about a hundred times. Maryanne and I followed her down a long hallway, through a banquet room, and into a small room with a bar set up.

“Here you go. Just holler if you two need anything. You’re so cute together.”

“Oh, no, we’re not…” I started.

“Thank you so much. She’s the love of my life,” Maryanne said as she put her arm around my waist.

The receptionist’s face scrunched up in delight. She waved and disappeared. As we turned around, a shirtless beefcake of a man walked through a doorway and stopped behind the bar. He stared at Maryanne then to me then back to her. I walked forward and sat down on one of the bar stools.

“How can I help you, ladies?” the guy said.

He was in his early twenties and looked absolutely scrumptious. I was madly in love with Steven and about to marry him and have a child for him, but I liked looking at the perfectly sculpted chest and abs.

“What’s your name?” Maryanne asked as she sat down next to me.

“I’m Mark. Are you wanting to try a few drinks for the wedding reception?”

“Very much so,” I said. “What do you recommend for us?”

“The Wedding Crasher is a good one.”

“Bring it on, barkeep.”

After he made us two orange drinks heavy on the alcohol, he watched with obvious pleasure as we took our first taste. It was actually pretty good, which surprised me. We each took a few drinks while he prepared another sample for us to taste. I should have been writing down my choices and thoughts, but being around Maryanne made me want to break the rules and get drunk during the day.

By the time we were on our fourth drinks, I had a nice buzz built up. Mark suddenly announced to us that he was also the company’s exotic male dancer and available for bachelor parties. This knowledge caused Maryanne to scream in approval. He gyrated in his jeans for a moment or two, showing off his skills and his practically perfect body.

“Would you ladies like a sample dance?”

“Would we?” Maryanne said, jumping up. “You’re dame straight we do. We have dollar bills too,” she said, reaching into her purse to pull some out.

“Follow me, ladies,” he said as he lifted a small section of the bar so we could walk behind.

In the room he’d entered from originally, a bench ran along each of the four walls. The carpet was purple and plush, like something left-over from the 1970s. Mark walked over to a stereo built into one of the walls. A moment later, loud dance music poured out of hidden speakers. As he danced, Maryanne and I sat down next to each other on one of the benches.

I laughed, at first, but the sexual tension in the room soon rose. Maryanne stood up and danced with him. They pressed their bodies together, bumping and grinding to the music. When he took off his jeans, I suddenly realized where I was and what I was doing. Steven popped in my mind. The twenty-something hard-body dancing in front of me was hot as hell.

Many of my fantasies involved a guy like him taking me hard, fast and without protection, but after all my travels and experimentation, I stopped myself. In the past I would have jumped in and had a threeway with Maryanne and Mark. Something had changed in me over the last few months. All I wanted to do was get back to Steven.

“Come on,” Maryanne said, giggling, “It will be fun. Let’s have one last bang before you get married.”

As they danced and gyrated against each other, I stood up and walked back into the bar.

“Come back,” Maryanne yelled.

I ignored her, continuing back into the banquet hall. While walking, I pulled out my phone and used the app Steven had setup for me to call a Town Car. Miraculously, by the time I made it outside, one was waiting. The driver was even out of the car and had it open for me. After I turned and didn’t see Maryanne following me, I got in and closed the door.

“Take me home, please,” I said as soon as the driver got back in.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, knowing my identity and the fact I lived with Steven.

The car drove away from the banquet hall. I’m definitely not going to be using them, I thought as I took a deep breath. Part of me had wanted to stay and have sex with the stranger, but I’d been through all of that before and it just wasn’t satisfying in the long run. Steven was the man I loved, and I desired nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him.