Razor's Edge: A Bad Boy Romance (Bad Boys of Football Book 2) (4 page)

I
 
didn’t recognize the number, but I figured if they were calling my private female only line, then, it was worth answering.

“Who’s your daddy?” I answered, chuckling at my cheesy greeting.

“Seriously? That’s how you say hello?”

I sat up straighter, unsure of who I was speaking to. “Why do what everyone else is doing? Different is fun. How are you doing tonight, sweetie?” I figured the answer she gave me would give me a clue as to who she was. I ran my mind through my mental Rolodex as I listened for the woman to respond.

“You have no idea who this is, do you? What if I was a casting director calling with a job offer or some advertising executive trying to vet you for a sponsorship?” the woman asked.

Now, I knew who it was, but it didn’t stop me from saying what came naturally to me. “You wouldn’t be calling me on this line if you were. Business calls go to my other line. The fun stuff goes to this phone.”

“Fun stuff? So, your son’s teacher is someone you consider fun? Wow, I feel special now. You asked me to call your fun line? I’m so flattered,” Hillary said, sounding annoyed with me already.

It was time to smooth things out. I didn’t ask her to call me because I needed a new woman to argue with. I had a legitimate reason for wanting to speak with her. All I had to do was figure out a way to convince her, I was being sincere, even though I knew I wasn’t.

“Well, since I have you on the phone, I do have some questions for you. They’ll help me figure out how to reach Edge,” she explained, but based on her tone, I got the feeling, the questions had a lot more to do with wanting to get to know me better and not because it could actually do anything to prevent my little guy from picking on her or the other kids in her classroom.

“Ask away,” I said, prepared to give her the rote answer I’d given dozens of other people over the years.

Hillary dove right into the first hard-hitting questions. “Does your son have a relationship with his mother? Are they close?”

Oh, she wanted to go there. I knew she was more interested than she was letting on.
“Nope. Their relationship ended the day she walked out the door. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure she walked out. I think her drunk ass crawled out of here on her hands and knees like the piece of--”

“Whoa! Stop right there. You’re giving me way more information than I asked for. A word of advice, you might not want to speak badly of his mother. It’s bad form. Isn’t that what you were saying to me earlier today? He can end up being hurt by your words,” Hillary warned me. It’s not something I hadn’t heard before, but the fact of the matter was, I was mad as hell and I had to vent to someone. It might as well have been her.

“Sorry, but we’ve been through a lot. It might not look like it, but we are barely beginning to get over some of it now. Anyway, you don’t want to hear about my problems. Why don’t you tell me something? You said, you were teaching in Spain. How did you end up there?” I asked, partially curious, partially anxious to change the subject. If two shots of Jack Daniels weren’t going to do it for me, then, maybe this pretty teacher could do it instead.

When Hillary spoke again, her tone had changed. Had my little tirade scared her? “Edge is a good boy. I know, I haven’t known him very long, but I can tell, he’s the sweetest child. What I’m concerned with is how all that is going on in your lives right now is affecting him. I spent the evening catching up on the news about your custody issue and your career. I guess, I was out of the loop in Spain. I didn’t realize you were a household name or you were named the Sexiest Man Alive last year. I apologize for my ignorance on that front.”

She researched me?
“I’m flattered. You cared enough to do a little digging. See, I didn’t turn out so bad for a white boy from the South side of Chicago, did I?”

Hillary laughed. I thought I remembered hearing her laugh before. Maybe I was imagining it, but it seemed comfortably familiar. “You were a white boy; that’s for sure, but you’re acting like you were the only one from Chicago; you’re not. I seem to remember there were a lot of white girls and guys besides you. You were just the loudest.”

I had to laugh. I was pretty loud back then. I craved attention and would do anything to make sure I got the right amount. “And the most unforgettable. What else do you remember about me?”

I thought back to what life was like for me as a kid. I was all over the place between football, girls, parties, and street fights; I could barely keep my head above water.

“Did you hear me?” Hillary asked. I hadn’t even realized she was still speaking.

“Yes, I heard you,” I lied.

She called me on it right away. “No, you didn’t. Listen, I wouldn’t normally say this to a student’s father, but--”

It was time to swoop in and calm the situation down, otherwise my plan to get Hillary to work with me, would blow up in my face. “You love me? Well, that’s so sweet. I’m flattered, but I think, it’d be better if we started with dinner first. How about tomorrow? Does tomorrow night work for you? I can pick you up around six. Don’t worry about getting too gussied up. It will be semi-casual.” I thought that would do the trick because I didn’t let her get a word in edgewise. There was no time to protest or try to talk me out of it.

“What? Dinner? Love? I love you? I never said those words. Where are you getting them from?” Hillary was so confused, I knew there was no chance, she was going to pull it together fast enough to refuse my generous offer.

“So, six, right?” I tried again.

“No. Yes. Wait, what is happening here?” Hillary was still struggling to wrap her mind around my invitation.

“It’s dinner. I’m not asking you to marry me,” I joked. Not yet anyway. I hoped it wouldn’t have to go that far, but if it did, I’d figure something out.

It took some convincing, but after fifteen minutes of some back and forth, she finally agreed to have dinner with me. Now all I had to do was drop a few hints on social media that I was going to be out with a special lady friend -- an elementary school teacher, no less -- and then the plan would be set in place. Kelly would be so proud of me for taking the initiative and doing something to make sure I got to keep my son.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, and then I promise, Edge won’t be a problem in class from this point forward,” I said, not completely confident I could pull that part off.

After we hung up, I made a few key phone calls to get the media ball rolling, then I made a quick call to Kelly.

“Please, don’t tell me you’re in trouble because I don’t have time to kill you today, but I will if I have to,” Kelly answered the phone with a well-placed warning.

I laughed. “No, of course not. I told you, I’d stay out of trouble. I’m calling with good news.”

“Uh-oh, what are you up to now?” Kelly asked.

I boasted about my huge achievement, convinced my plan was foolproof. “What do you think?” I asked.

“You are such a jerk!” she scolded me. “I didn’t tell you to lie to some innocent woman! All I said was, you needed to settle down, not b.s. your way to full custody. I can’t believe this. You have to break this off. Cancel the date.”

Well, that didn’t go as well as I’d expected it would, but I didn’t let Kelly’s heated reaction dissuade me. I was confident my plan could work. Hillary was a teacher. It was her job to do what was right for her students. Surely she’d see that by helping me keep Edge, she would ultimately be doing the best thing she could for him. I mean, it’s not like I wasn’t a good catch. Women would kill to be my girl. Eventually, she’d see that and want to do her part. Hell, I’d even spoil her with some nice stuff just to sweeten the pot. All I needed was for her to go along with it until this court case finally fizzled out. How difficult would that be?

I sat back in my seat, glad my fake date or unsuspecting wife-to-be was drop-dead gorgeous. I don’t know what I would have done if she wasn’t so hot. I suppose, I wouldn’t have ceased on her as my suitable companion. Those curves and pouty lips were enough to make me wish she was mine, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me to pretend like she was someone I wanted. If she played her cards right, she might end up with all the benefits many satisfied women before her had received and none of the long-term commitment.

“I can’t sleep, Daddy. Can I stay in here with you?” Edge walked into my room, rubbing his big blue eyes. They reminded me so much of his mother’s eyes, minus the dark circles she usually sported under hers.

“Sure thing, little man. Come here. You can hang out with me for a little while.” I looked at the time. It wasn’t quite eight o’clock yet, so I figured I’d allow him a few minutes to hang out with me. “Hey, you can help me decide where to take Ms. Jackson for dinner.”

“We’re going to take my teacher out for dinner? Daddy, are you crazy? I can’t eat in public with my teacher!” Edge protested.

“Why not? Don’t you think she’s pretty?” I asked, remembering how pretty she was.

“Girls are dumb,” Edge said.

It was time to man up and set him straight. “No, they’re not. I bet Ms. Jackson is pretty smart. That’s probably how she knows you are dealing with some stuff right now. She cares about you.”

Edge considered my words for a moment. “Does she care about you?”

I kissed the top of his head. “Not yet, big guy, but she will. She will soon enough. So, where should I take her?”

“Bring her here. You can make pizza and French fries for her. I heard she likes those things,” Edge said, trying to be as slick as I thought I was.

I rubbed his head. “So, your teacher likes the same food you like? Interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.” I thought he might have been onto something. Maybe, the way to Hillary’s heart was to use an approach I’d never used with any other women before her.

“If
 
you don’t get up off my bed, I’m going to--” Felicia started.

Interrupting her, I whined, “Girl, what am I going to do? Do you know how wrong this is? I can’t date a student’s parent. That’s not right. The school board will be all over me. Now, the media has pictures of me at his house. What was I thinking?”

Felicia assessed her new do in the mirror. “How do you like this? I think it looks better this way, don’t you?”

I tossed one of her eight gazillion throw pillows at her. “Will you pay attention to me? This is serious. What am I going to do? Should I tell him I can’t see him again?”

“You should do what feels right to you. Look, you said you had a good time. This boy made you dinner. At his house! How romantic is that? So what if he’s Edge’s dad! Who cares if some photographers took your picture! It’s not like you’re going to marry him. I would try to keep it hush hush, though. Don’t go trying to act like a little family and make Edge tag along. Don’t take E.J. to school functions. Keep it cool. Keep it private and move on. Have some fun. You deserve it.”

I thought about it for a moment, imagining how nice it would be for us to be a couple. Despite what I thought I knew about him, he did turn out to be a really nice guy. Dinner was great. We made pizzas of all things. How cute is that? There was something romantic about it. Edge was with a sitter. It was just the two of us alone, talking, reminiscing about our childhoods and school days. It was funny because almost none of our good memories involved each other. It was like we’d grown up in different places at different times. While he was busy being the life of the party, I was off somewhere alone with my nose in a book.

“I don’t think I’m ready to do this,” I said. “I think; I need more time.”

“More time for what? What do you think is going to happen in a few months? I’m not saying to date this guy -- although you’d be crazy if you didn’t. I’m saying date
someone
. It’s time. Sam wouldn’t want you to live like some kind of an old maid. Girl, you’re almost thirty-years-old. You don’t have much time left,” Felicia said. “It’s time to get yourself some. Please, for the love of God, get yourself some.”

Whether or not I was truly ready, I wouldn’t know, but I did, at least, know I was ready to have some fun and stop crying. I’ll never get over Sam. I’ll never forget the way he made me feel. He was the love of my life, but it was time to move on. It was time to let go.

“Why are you crying? Things are going to be okay,” Felicia consoled me, rubbing my back. “Sam wouldn’t want you to turn into some old fuddy duddy spinster.”

That made me laugh. Felicia could always be counted on for a good laugh. We’d known each for so long, she always knew what to say or do to make me stop feeling sorry for myself. When we were in college together at Northern Indiana University, she was the first person who spoke to me. I used to think she was too much for me. Too fast, as my mother would readily remind me, but I saw something more in her. She was worldly where I was much more local in my thinking and in my actions. I was from the heart of the city of Chicago; she was the child of two soldiers who gave their children as many experiences around the world as possible.

When she forced me to meet her brother Sam, I expected some loud, boisterous hooligan, but instead discovered the most handsome young man I’d ever met.

“Are you thinking about my knucklehead brother again?” Felicia didn’t expect an answer when she phrased it that way; she knew when Sam was on my mind.

I shrugged. “Remember when you first introduced me to him? I thought there was no way we’d ever end up together. He was all into cars and computers and I was just trying to make it through Professor Schneider’s class. Can you believe how things ended up?”

Felicia’s eyes welled up with tears. “The boy was so in love with you. He fell hard. I swear, all he used to talk about was you. He’d get all hot under the collar if some other guy said something about you or if he didn’t hear from you for a few hours. He used to drive me crazy with his nonsense.”

I loved talking about Sam, especially with someone who loved him as much as I loved him, but at the same time, it made me feel sad all over again. It’s like I couldn’t get over him. “Do you really think Sam would be okay with me having dinner with E.J. again? I’m thinking, it would make him nuts. E.J. isn’t exactly a settle down kind of guy. Although, you should have seen him with Edge. The way he acted with him at the school was precious. Did you know his whole house is filled with pictures of the two of them together? There were pictures of them in New York City, pictures of them at different amusement parks, and all kinds of pictures of them out on the town at events and stuff. It was amazing!”

Felicia smiled at me, her eyebrow popping up. “You like him? I can tell. Your whole face lights up when you talk about him.”

Maybe she was a little right, but I certainly didn’t know him well enough to know whether I liked him or not. “I think, he’s interesting. I never said I liked him,” I answered.

“You’re crazy if you don’t. Did you see those muscles and those eyes? He’s a walking sin so you definitely have to get to know him better. I bet he’s got all sorts of tricks to show you. All those years on the football field. I’m sure he knows all kinds of interesting positions. Look at him. If you’re not going to do him, I will,” Felicia threatened. She loved men in all shapes and sizes.

I tried to act like I hadn’t thought of those things, but the truth was, they were almost all I could think about. I wondered what it would feel like to have those big, strong arms of his around me. His lips were practically begging me to kiss them. I don’t know why I didn’t kiss him. It’s not like he wasn’t giving me hints. The way he looked at me, made my panties almost come sliding right off by themselves. And his voice -- good God, his voice! If butter had a tone, that’s what it would sound like. His words rolled off his tongue seductively. It’s like everything he said sounded dirty.

“I’m not talking about sleeping with him!” I protested. “I was asking if you thought it was a good idea to go out with him again.”

“Did he ask you out again?” Felicia asked.

I shrugged. “No, not yet, but what if he does?” I asked.

Felicia laughed. “You know; you don’t make any sense. First, you start talking like he asked you to marry him. Now, you’re saying he hadn’t even asked to see you again. What is wrong with you? Is your head not screwed on tightly enough?”

My cell phone rang, distracting me. “Hold on. Let me see what this is all about.” I walked out of her room to grab my purse off the kitchen counter. “It’s E.J.!” I yelled down the hallway, but Felicia was right behind me.

“Don’t yell. I’m right here. Are you trying to kill me? Answer it. See what he wants.” Felicia picked the phone up and put it in my hand.

“Hello?” My voice trembled as I answered.

“Are you busy?” E.J. asked. “I can call you back another time if you are.”

“No, no. I’m not busy. I was just talking about you.” My words came out faster than I wanted them to. I instantly regretted sounding so eager.

He moaned low. “Oh, really? Tell me what you were saying. Were you talking about my biceps or my abs?” he teased.

Felicia covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle her laughter.

“Neither. I was just… I… How are you?” I tried to change the subject, but I got the feeling he wasn’t going to take the bait.

“Since we’re being honest, I was talking about you today too,” he said.

My heart started to quiver in my chest. “You were?” My voice cracked. “What did you say about me?”

Felicia put her head next to mine to hear his end of the conversation. I tried to shoo her away, but it made her laugh.

“Oh, you’re out? Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” E.J. apologized.

“No, I’m not out. That’s Felicia. You remember her, don’t you? She’s the school secretary,” I explained.

Why did I sound like a nervous teenage girl? I barely knew this man. I’d spoken to plenty of men in my lifetime. Why would this one be any different from the rest?

Felicia sat down on a stool, offering me the one next to her. “Hi, Mr. Razor,” she said loud enough for him to hear.

“Tell her, I said hello. When you’re done, why don’t you give me a call?” he asked, sounding like he was eager to end the call. “It’s not a big deal, just a quick question, I hope you’ll answer in my favor.”

Now that sounded intriguing. I wasn’t exactly known for my patience, so I asked him what the question was.

“Okay, well, I was wondering if you’d like to go on an official date with me? I’ll try to keep the media away. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try. Sorry about the debacle you walked into last night.”

He didn’t have to apologize. I found it kind of fascinating actually. I’d never had people so eager to take my picture. “It’s fine. They didn’t bother me,” I said.

“They will. Trust me. The media is like a group of crazy vultures. They are out for blood. I’ll see what I can do to keep them away from us. It seems like they love taking up real estate in front of my house. Don’t worry. I’ll come up with something,” E.J. promised me.

I hated to bring this up, but I had to. “I want you to know something. I’m not very good at this dating thing. It’s been a long time since I dated anyone and…” I let my voice trail off, nervous about how to broach a touchy subject. “I’ve never dated a famous football player before.”

There was a long silence on his end of the phone. On my side, Felicia was jumping up and down in her seat, flabbergasted that I thought it, let alone said it. The truth was, I’d never dated a man who wasn’t black. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to dive back into dating with a man I didn’t know anything about and who was so far removed from the world I was used to.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but why does it matter to you? You’re a woman -- a sexy ass woman -- and I’m a man. I guess, I don’t see what the problem is. Do you mind explaining it to me? So what if I play football! That’s what I do, not who I am. Call me crazy, but I think your problem with me has nothing to do with what I do.” He sounded like I’d offended him.

“All I’m saying is, it’s been a while since I dated. I’m a little out of practice. I don’t want my first step back into the dating world to be more complicated than it already is. Can you understand that? I mean, I was with my husband since college. He was everything to me. He also happened to be a regular, working class man, so we could relate to one another without any problems,” I explained.

E.J. laughed. “You were a woman; he was a man. End of story. I’m not asking you to marry me yet. I want to spend some time with you. I want to see where this could go. You’re obviously attracted to me and I sure as hell am attracted to you, so why create a problem where there isn’t one?”

My voice caught in my throat. Did he say the ‘M’ word? “Who said anything about marriage?” I asked.

“Believe me, after you spend some time with me, you’ll be begging me to marry you. Trust me; I know what I’m talking about. I’d like to think I know women pretty well,” he said, oblivious to how full of himself he sounded.