Escorting the Player (The Escort Collection Book 3) (7 page)

"So, that's good," I offered.
Except for the part where your wife's sleeping with your teammate and posting it all over social media. And the fact that you're going back to practice with him in a couple of days.

"Hiring you is working out better than I thought." His face reddened when he realized that there was a double meaning there. "Seems like we're making the best of a bad situation," he coughed.

"Good," I said, trying to soothe him. "I'll be so happy if I can actually help."

Chase coughed again, still red, and turned back to the bookcase. "I've always wanted a house like this. It would be a dream come true."

We went into the kitchen, and he inspected each item, finally stopping at the refrigerator. "This is the biggest refrigerator I've ever seen. I think this could be the house for me." He looked at me. "By the way, Avery, can you cook?"

I nodded. "Nothing too fancy, but I can make the basics. I did all the cooking in my house growing up." I decided not to mention why that was, or that for the last three years, my diet had consisted largely of Ramen noodles, fast-food cheeseburgers and crackers stolen from the
Sizzling Ranch
.

"Can you make lasagna?" he asked hopefully.

I smiled at him. "I can make a pretty mean lasagna."

"That's awesome. I've been eating nothing but takeout…" His voice trailed off longingly.

"I'll make it for you."

"Soon?" His eyes glittered with excitement.

I laughed. He was a big, tough quarterback, but he was really being a baby about a lasagna. "Sure."

We continued with our tour of the home. We went up the grand staircase, and a chill went through me. I could picture kids playing up here, looking through the rails down at their parents. Each bedroom we entered was sunny and perfect.
What would it be like to live in a house like this?

I was never going to find out, and I knew it. This was a different world from mine. A mere fifty-thousand dollars—more money than I'd ever had in my whole life—wasn't going to bridge the gap.

We went outside and found Jackson and Eric seated on the steps, enjoying the sun. "We'll take it," Chase told them.

We'll
take it
.
I shivered. Chase sure was good at putting on a show.

Jackson clapped him on the back. "I
knew
this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

C
HASE

Jackson and I settled on a preliminary offer. He said he'd get back to me soon, and if everything went smoothly, we could probably close in a few weeks.

Things were moving fast, but that was fine by me. Onward and upward.

Eric paced down the sidewalk nearby, on a call with a client. I looked at the sun glinting off Avery's hair as she peered around the neighborhood. "It's such a great day," I said. "Do you want to go to the park?"

She turned to me and smiled. Which for some reason felt like she was punching me in the gut—in a good way, if that was possible. "Sure. That sounds nice."

"Then right this way, milady."

I jerked my chin at Eric. "We're walking. Take the car if you want. Catch you later."

He gave me the thumbs up and kept pacing.

One of the great things about this neighborhood was that it bordered the Common, which was the main park in Boston. It was filled with flowering trees and kids running around. The Common was centrally located in the city, close to Newbury Street's shops, restaurants and hotels, as well as the State House and the Freedom Trail. People didn't know it, but Boston was a walkable city. I'd be able to get to about a thousand restaurants from my new house, including my favorites in the North End.

The press had come, taken some pictures, and gone. Civilians might be snapping pics of us on their cellphones, and that was fine. I laced my fingers through Avery's as we walked to the park. Eric had mentioned that there were new pictures of us being posted, but I didn't want to think about that now. I wanted to enjoy the sun. My limbs felt loose and relaxed.

It was because I'd finally gotten laid. And because it had been awesome.

"It's so beautiful," Avery said, taking in the purple, flowering trees. "I never come here."

"Me either. But that's going to change." I spotted something I'd forgotten about: the Swan Boats. "Do you want to take a ride?"

She looked surprised. "On the Swan Boats? I never have."

I squeezed her hand. "Let's do it. They don't do much—they just go back and forth, real slow."

"Perfect," she said.

We waited in line. A mom with two boys was in front of us. She kept trying to get them to stop staring. "Give them some privacy," she hissed.

One of them, who was probably eight, kept looking at me with big eyes.

"It's okay. I love kids," I told the mom.

"That's awfully nice of you." She beamed at me and turned to her son. "You can say 'hi'."

"Hi." The kid whipped off his baseball hat and held it out to me. "Will you sign my hat?"

"'Course, buddy," I said. "What's your name?"

"Tyler," he said, still staring at me. His eyes were huge in his face. "You're really big in real life, you know that? I have a lot of football cards and I watch all the games—and NFL Network—but I can't believe you're so
big
."

Avery smiled at the boy. "He eats a
lot
."

I smiled and handed him back his hat. "It's true. I do."

Tyler nodded. "I do, too."

"Do you drink milk?" I asked.

He nodded solemnly. "I love milk."

"I love milk, too. You wanna take a picture?"

"Yes." A huge smile broke out over his face. He came over, pulling his younger brother next to him and their mom snapped pictures, grinning the whole time. "This is so awesome," Tyler said. "This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."

"This is cool for me too, buddy. Thank you for making my day."

The mom leaned over to us. "You're very kind," she said. "Both my boys worship you. I love that you're a nice person in real life. Thank you again."

"It's my pleasure." I meant it.

I felt like I was on a high as Avery and I climbed onto our swan boat, which was a glorified pontoon boat decorated with large swans on the front. The sun dappled the water as the boat meandered around the park.

"This is fun," Avery said. She sounded a little shocked.

"You didn't think you'd like the
swan boats
? Everybody likes the swan boats."

She shook her head. "No. I meant being with you."

"You didn't think you'd like
me
? Everybody likes me." I pretended to pout.

"You weren't exactly nice when I showed up," she pointed out.

That humbled me. "I know. I'm sorry. But I wasn't expecting to like you, either."

"S'okay. We're making the best of it."

I grinned at her and squeezed her hand. "We sort of are, aren't we?"

"
A
re
you buying this house for you, or are you buying this house for Avery? Or to shove it in Jessica's face?" Eric asked me. "Not that there's anything wrong with that—the last option, anyway." We were sitting on my back deck, each of us nursing a Bloody Mary. My agent was studying my face again, searching for clues about my emotional state and annoying me.

I took a sip of my drink and scoffed at him. "I'm not buying a house for Avery. That might be the stupidest thing you've ever said, and that's really saying something."

Eric regarded me calmly. "I know you slept with her. I won't ask you for details, although I'm sure it was awesome. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been mooning over her all day, holding her hand and asking her if she got off on the wainscoting as much as you did."

"Why're you being a dick, Eric?"

"I'm not. I'm protecting you. Which is my job, if you'll remember." He sighed. "I wanted you to have fun the other night, and I'm glad you did. She's a nice girl, Chase. But she
is
also an escort."

"What are you really saying?" I asked.

He shrugged and looked out of the pool. "I want you to have fun, and I want you to be nice to this girl—but you can't run the risk of actually falling for her."

"There's no risk." I looked at my friend, my brow furrowed.

"We both know there's no future there," Eric said calmly. "That's all I'm saying."

I grunted in exasperation. "First, you yell at me for being a dick to her. Then you lecture me because you think I'm being too nice. Which is it?"

"It's neither. But I saw the look on your face today." He pursed his lips. "I know that Jessica wasn't the right person for you. And I would like my best friend to be happy at some point."

"Then let me figure out what that means for myself."

"I'm just looking out for you, buddy. I know you—and I don't want to see you get hurt again," he said.

"Chase Layne's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

He groaned.
"For the love of God, stop talking about yourself in the third person."

"Eric?" I asked, changing gears. "You think that maybe you want to buy that loft in the Leather District?"

Eric looked surprised. "I don't think I need a place up here. I can always crash with you."

"That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about…"

E
ric moved
out a few days later. Jackson Pryce was able to convince the sellers of the loft that a short-term rental was in their best interests given the current market conditions. I was pretty sure he was doing me a favor, but as I was buying an eight-point-five-million-dollar home from him, he sort of owed me.

Eric slapped me on the back as he was leaving. "I'm staying up here for the next couple of months," he said. "I can work remotely for my other clients, and
you
are my top priority right now. Anytime you want to go out, or need a photo opportunity or press conference, just call me."

He leaned in closer. "Are you kicking me out so you can play house with Avery?"

I patted him on the back. "You know you're welcome back anytime, brother. Just no shots."

"A Kick in the Crotch seemed like it served its purpose. It certainly worked out all right for you,"
Eric said, training his eyes on me. "And you still didn't answer my question."

I smiled at him tightly. "No, I did not."

Avery came out and hugged Eric. "Bye," she said, looking sorry to see him go. "Are you sure you're going to be okay without us? What're you going to do without anyone to bully into binge-drinking?"

"I'll think of something."
Eric smiled at both us. "I feel like I'm a parent about to go on vacation and leave my teenagers at home."

I shook my head and noticed that Avery was blushing. My dick hardened at the thought of being alone in the house with her.
Down boy.
Jesus, that thing was going to get me in trouble.

But that wouldn't be the worst thing…would it?

A
VERY

It may have been mean, but when Chase asked me to go swimming the next day, I chose the sexiest bikini I had. It was black with strings and that was pretty much all there was to it. I looked at myself in the mirror, approving of how I looked even though I didn't approve of my motivations.

He'd asked Eric to leave for a reason. Seeing as I couldn't stop thinking about the other night, I was curious to find out what it was.

I threw on a cover-up and headed out back. It was a gorgeous day, warm without the typical New England humidity. Chase was already in the water, his massive shoulders bobbing in the aqua pool. I took a deep breath as I checked out his muscles. Good Lord, this man was turning me into one of Pavlov's dogs. I was looking at his naked chest and salivating.

No good could come of this.

"Avery, grab two beers." Chase grinned at me from the pool. "It's the nicest day ever. The water feels great." I went to the outdoor fridge and grabbed two IPAs. I brought them over and handed him one, threw off my cover-up, and proceeded to jump into the pool.

Chase's grin had turned appreciative. "You look pretty good in that suit. Did you put that on for me?"

Electricity crackled through me, but I just shrugged and stayed on my side of the pool. "I wear what they packed for me." A silence fell between us.
Great.
Way to mention the escort service and kill the mood, Avery.

"You haven't told me much about yourself," he said. He grabbed a floatie and hung onto it as he took a swig of beer. "It doesn't seem fair—you know I love old houses, football and beer. And you know about my ex and my douchebag of a cornerback. But what about you?"

"Oh. Huh. There's really not that much to tell…" I decided this was a good time to go underwater. Maybe if I stayed there long enough, he would forget what he'd asked me.

I came up for air and he was still there, floating calmly. "Are you avoiding the question?" He swam over to the side, grabbed the other beer, and handed it to me. "Drink. Drink some more. Then speak."

I sighed and did as I was told. The man was a quarterback. He wanted me to follow the play, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Omaha. Tell me about your life. Two, four, six, hike!

"I'm originally from Rhode Island. My sister and I live in Somerville now. I'm a waitress at a lovely buffet-style dining establishment, the
Sizzling Ranch
. You ever heard of it?"

Chase grinned at me. "I'm a big fan of their wings."

"No you are not," I said.

"Oh yeah. I am. And their buffalo dip."

"I manage the dip—I fill all those containers," I said, mock proud.

"That's hot," Chase said, flirtatiously, and took a sip of beer. He floated closer and a little thrill went through me.
So many muscles.
I watched as water beaded on his massive chest and ran down his pecs in rivulets. He looked like a Greek god.

And he was looking at me as if I were a mere mortal…that he was about to plunder.

"You know, I've been thinking…" he said.

I shivered. "About what?"

"About… Food."

I felt deflated but I laughed. "You want that lasagna, don't you?"

"Will you
please
make it for me tonight? I can have my service pick up any ingredients you need. Just make a list, babe."

Babe.
I loved it when he called me that. "Of course I will." Like I could say no to those pecs or those big blue eyes.

"You're the best. I mean it." He floated closer and I held my breath. I really wanted to give him something more than just lasagna.

"There's something else I'm thinking about." His eyes locked with mine. "And that's you and what we did the other night. I can't stop. And that bikini's not helping."

I smiled at him, but my heart was beating wildly in my chest, and a fluttering, nervous little bird of hope rattling around in there.

"What I said before…after we,
you know
… About not wanting you to service me…that was true. I meant it." He came closer and I noticed I was shaking, probably from restraining myself. I wanted to feel those muscles. I wanted those lips on mine, and I wanted to trace the scruff that was growing in on his handsome face.

But I wasn't in charge here.

"I don't want to do anything that's going to hurt you," he said softly. He was close enough for me to touch him, but I didn't dare. "I don't want to take advantage of you, babe. I couldn’t live with myself."

I swallowed hard. "What
do
you want?" I asked.

His eyes burned into mine. "I want to service
you
. I want to make you come again. I want you to scream my name, like you did before." He searched my face. "But I feel like I'm being selfish."

"That doesn't sound selfish to me at all," I blurted out.

Chase laughed, his eyes twinkling, the tension subsiding between us a little. "Do you know what I mean, though? You're here because I'm paying you. But I don't want you to feel like you have to be with me like
that
. Like it's part of your job." He swallowed, and I could see the muscles in his throat work. "I wouldn't feel right about it."

I nodded. "I know. I respect that."

He threw up his hands. "So what am I going to do with you?"

Make me scream your name again? Please?

I smiled at him. "I'm sure you can think of something." I never, ever let myself indulge. Not in anything. I left that to Lila—the clothes she pined for, the booze, the weed. I couldn't even remember the last time that I actually
wanted
something. I was too busy worrying all the time.

But I wanted Chase. I looked at him floating in the water nearby, his hulking shoulders and killer body contrasting with his kind eyes. I wanted to kiss him, to feel his hands all over me. I wanted him inside me again. I wanted it
bad
.

And for once—even though it was for just right now—I was going to let myself have something. Something perfect.

C
HASE

On those
Viagra
commercials, they say that if you have an erection for more than four hours, you need to call your doctor.

I was going on days. And I was pretty sure if I called the team doc and told him about it, he'd laugh at me and tell me to go jerk off.

But I had. Multiple times. And here I was, tenting my swim trunks.

I'm sure you can think of something,
Avery said. All I'd been doing was thinking of all sorts of things, all of which involved her in different positions, some of which imaginarily had taken place in my pool.

Because…pool sex. Enough said.

So here we were. Game time. Avery came over and put her hands on my floatie, looking up at me. I noticed her pupils were dilated. "I can probably come up with something if you can't," she said.

And then she put her lips against mine, kissing me tentatively.

I groaned in pleasure as I kissed her back, my tongue seeking hers.
If she started it, maybe it's really okay…

But I pulled back. "Avery—"

"You're not taking advantage of me," she said breathlessly. "Probably the opposite's true. But I can live with that if you can. Can you live with it?"

"Totally," I said at once.

"Good." She nodded. "Now, no more talking."

"Okay. And I can live with no more talking—until you scream my name," I said, pulling her back to me. I'd already waited for this too long. I ran my arms down her sides and she shivered. I crushed my lips against hers. She moaned as our tongues connected. I put my arm around her waist and kicked over to the shallow end, so I could concentrate on her body without both of us drowning.

She ran her hands over my face, softly exploring the beard that was growing in. She rubbed her tits against me as I deepened the kiss. I groaned, forcing my cock against her. She responded, brushing up against it, raking her hands down my back.

Oh fuck. I've been waiting for this.

My heart was hammering in my chest as I lifted her up by her ass and secured her legs around my hips. I headed for the stairs. I placed her gently on the side of the pool. She never broke the kiss and she kept her legs wrapped around me, drawing me against her. I undid her bikini top and tossed it to the side, pulling back long enough to see her in the sunlight. Her long blond hair hung over her shoulders, the golden strands glinting in the sunlight. Her blue eyes gazed up at me from underneath long lashes.

She was so pretty it hurt. "You're fucking gorgeous, babe," I said. I was breathing as hard as if I'd been doing wind sprints.

She smiled at me, clearly delighted, before pulling me back in for a sweet kiss that deepened with longing. I rubbed her nipples, which were hard and elongated, rising out of her perfectly round, luscious tits. I leaned down and took one bud in my mouth, sucking it until she moaned and arched her back. I flexed my hips and thrust my cock against her bikini bottom then, and we both sucked in a breath. I had to be inside her.

I pulled off her bottoms and parted her legs a little, looking at her naked sex in the sunlight, reveling in it. I leaned down and kissed the insides of her thighs, working my way over to her clit. She was already wet for me, and it wasn't just from the pool. I could tell. She cried out as I lapped at her, her muscles clenching. I tentatively stuck a finger inside her, then two, making sure she was ready for me. Her hips bucked as she tried to get my fingers to fuck her.
She was ready all right.

I took her clit in my mouth and she cried out. That was it—I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled my bathing suit off and fisted my cock, looking at Avery as she sat there, visibly panting. And then she stood up, turned, and bent over the side of the pool, ass positioned right over the edge, legs spread apart, her sex glistening with moisture, ready for me.

Holy fucking fuck.
That was so hot. She really might be the perfect woman.

I rubbed my cock against her slit, causing shockwaves to go through my body as I lubricated myself with her wetness. Then notched the tip against her opening. I inched myself into her slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate my girth.

I might be a cocky son-of-a-bitch, but I had an objectively huge dick.

She cried out in pleasure as I filled her, but I took it slow. I wanted to savor the feeling of being inside her.
So fucking tight.
I tentatively flexed my hips and she looked back over her shoulder at me. "Oh
fuck
, Chase," she said. "That feels so good."

That was all the encouragement I needed. I couldn't stop myself from thrusting into her then, over and over. She cried out every time, her body vibrating and rocking against me in pleasure. I was in deep. My balls were heavy, slapping against her.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck, please don't let me come first—

"Chase!" she screamed, loud. She shattered around me, her whole body shaking, and that was all it took to push me over the edge. I came in her, hard, gripping her hips and spending myself into her.
Holy fuck.

Our bodies rocked together, shaking in the last throes of our orgasms.

I lay down next to her, careful not to put my weight on her. She looked at me and grinned, looking happy and dazed.

"I knew you'd think of something," she said.