Hard Tackle: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (8 page)

T
he only time
I wasn’t thinking of Kristi was when I was throwing the football. Scratch that, I often pictured her on the sidelines cheering me on, and imagined how she would react to every touchdown.

She’d ingrained herself deep into my life. Every time I interacted with fans, I took her advice on board.

Be enthusiastic. Imagine that this team is the only one in the country that matters. Oh, and you don’t have to screw the female fans.

My manager called me in after training, and expressed his delight at how I’d turned my image around in such a short space of time. In his words, “I’ve not been informed of one single fuck up. Well done.”

To top it all off, my best friend was dating her sister. There was simply no getting away from Kristi, and I didn’t want to. But was the feeling mutual?

Kristi had barely replied to my messages since the night of the kiss, and when she had, the messages had been formal and dry instead of sexy and witty. She’d changed the way she spoke to me just like I had changed the way I interacted with my fans. That couldn’t be good.

I checked my phone after training. My mood perked up when I saw a couple of missed calls, but then it quickly went back down when I saw they were from my sister. She wasn’t the woman I wanted to be talking to right now, but I called her back anyway. The longer she waited to talk to me, the more she insisted on talking. Short but sweet calls were the best way to deal with her.

“Hey, sis, what do you want?”

“I just want to catch up with my brother,” May replied defensively. “According to Lance, the season starts soon, so I imagine you must be nervous.”

“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just getting my head down and focusing on training.”
And Kristi. Mainly Kristi.

“Yes, I’d noticed an absence of scandal lately. Have you been ill?”

“No, I’ve not been… May?”

“Yes?”

“Tell Lance I’m just fine, so he can go ahead and put me in his fantasy team.”

May laughed, and I heard a “thanks, Barton,” from Lance in the background, confirming that I’d been on speaker the entire time.

“He was worried about you,” May explained.

“So just because I wasn’t photographed with half-naked women, he thought I might be ill?”

“I did, too. It’s not like you. And it’s not just that. We saw you pictured with a young lady the other night. That wouldn’t be the one helping you with your image, would it?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” I admitted.

“She’s pretty.”

“And you’re not at all subtle.”

“It looked a lot like a date.”

“It was,” I replied. “But not for us. We were just there to support Clyde. He’s dating her sister.”

“You two make a cute couple,” May said. “And she looks a lot nicer than the girls you usually ‘date.’ ”

“You mean the ones I usually fuck. I don’t date.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that little brother, but the kids are listening. So you don’t have any feelings for this woman at all?”

“No,” I said defiantly. “Not unless you count the feeling I get in my pants when she bends over in those tight little—”

“Alright, alright, I was just asking.”

“Well don’t. Look, I know you want me to have settle down somewhere with a white picket fence, but that just ain’t happening. I’m not the type. Sorry, but Tommy and Darren aren’t going to have any little cousins to play with just yet.”

Tasha sighed, but gave up the argument. “Speaking of the kids, they want to see their favorite uncle. Can we come and visit?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.”
Because you’ve put me on the spot and I can’t think of a decent excuse.

“Excellent. We’ll pop down tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice, Barton. My kids are angels; I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”

“They’re little shits,” I replied.

“Yeah, I know, but I gotta love ’em. See you soon.”

Those kids were a handful, but I could take them along to training. That would keep them occupied for a bit.

Tonight I had my first proper interview since I started working with Kristi. I hadn’t given an interview since my promotion to first team quarterback. The last time I’d done a one-on-one interview with a reporter, I’d shown up with my fly still undone from having been sucked off just before it started. Turned out the little lovely in question was the reporter’s sister. He didn’t go easy on me after that, especially after I’d referred to her as ‘an average pair of lips, at best.’ At least this interview couldn’t possibly go any worse.

The doorbell rang when I was buck-naked, getting changed for the interview. The old me would have gone down there with it all hanging out. If it was a woman, I’d end up getting laid. If it was a guy, I’d give him a story to tell his friends.

That was the old me. The new me got dressed first. I shouldn’t have bothered.

“Kristi? Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I just came by to wish you luck.”

“You came all the way to my apartment just to wish me luck?” The interview started in less than an hour, but there was just time….

“I need to tell you something.”

Kristi had the look of someone about to deliver bad news. She came inside and walked silently over to the apartment. It probably looked very different from the last time she’d come here. There were no half-naked women for one thing. It was also tidy—kind of. “Man tidy” as my mom used to call it.

“You want a drink?” I asked.

Kristi shook her head. “I’m not staying. I wanted to wish you good luck for the interview tonight.”

“You’ve already said that.”

“Oh. I need to tell you something.”

“You’ve said that too. What is it, Kristi? I’m starting to get a little worried here.”

“I’m quitting. I can’t work as your advisor any more, and I don’t want to work anywhere near Leona.”

“What the hell’s brought this on? Kristi, I need you. You’re the reason I’m still on the team. If it weren’t for you, I’d have been given the boot by now. Is this about us? I’m not going to tell your boss that we’re fucking.”

“We’re not fucking.”

“We will be soon.”

Kristi shook her head, but I caught a glimmer of a smile. She hated and loved my arrogance at the same time.

“I’m leaving now,” she said. “I really did just want to wish you good luck and give you the news in person.”

Kristi stood up and walked quickly towards the door. I couldn’t let her leave—not like this.

“Bullshit,” I called out.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. This is bullshit. You don’t want to quit your job, you’re just doing it because you think it’s the right thing to do. You have feelings for me, and it scares you.”

“No, I came here to say goodbye.”

“You came here to fuck me.”

Kristi let out an exasperated laugh. “How are you this arrogant? I’d hoped you might have come back down to Earth in the last couple of weeks, but you’re worse than ever.”

“You didn’t deny it.”

“I shouldn’t have to.”

“Still not denying it. You came here to fuck me, you just can’t admit it to yourself.”

I narrowed the gap between us one foot at a time, as if I were hunting an animal that might run at the slightest sound.

“I have more self-respect than to fuck someone like you,” Kristi replied. Her words were vicious, but her voice didn’t carry any anger or venom.

“Someone like me? You mean someone with a huge cock, who could make you come over and over again until you beg me to stop?”

She stared at me sternly as I came within touching distance. “Yes,” she said softly. “Someone like that.”

“We could do it right here, right now.”

“I’m not going to beg you,” she replied.

“You are, Kristi. I guarantee it.”

I
stood
in Barton’s apartment with my feet rooted to the spot. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to.

Barton had been right. I hadn’t come here to quit and wish him good luck. That was a lie I’d told myself and him. I’d come here to see him. To see him and to…
God, I don’t even know.

Why do I want a guy who drives me up the fucking wall?
He hadn’t changed since we’d met—he was still the same cocky, arrogant asshole he’d always been. He was just better at hiding it now. And I still wanted him.

He wanted me to beg him, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even admit that I had feelings for him, let alone beg him for sex. Barton turned away and walked back to the sofa, sitting down with his legs spread wide, and his eyes looking up at me.

“Come over here,” Barton commanded.

“I thought you weren’t going to ask me for sex.” I took two steps towards him anyway, but I was still closer to the door than to him. I could leave whenever I wanted. So why didn’t I?

“I’m not. Like I said, you’re going to beg for it. Maybe not now, but you will. Now, come over here.”

I walked towards the sofa and went to sit next to him. He lifted up his hand to stop me.

“Take off your clothes.”

I laughed awkwardly. “You’re joking?”

“I’m not joking, Kristi. Take them off.”

I’d never stripped for a guy before. I’d gotten naked with a guy, but I’d never stripped for them. I’d certainly never been naked with a guy like Barton.

Nerves filled my stomach. Would he compare me to all the other women he’d seen naked? I had a nice enough figure, but I wasn’t exactly a calendar model either.

I slowly opened three buttons on my blouse. Barton sat there captivated as I revealed the top of my lacy white bra. I shifted awkwardly on the spot, as I opened the rest of the buttons while keeping the top held together with my hand.

“Let go, and take it off,” Barton commanded.

I did as he ordered, and dropped the bra to the floor. I shivered, despite the warmth in Barton’s apartment. My skin exploded in tiny goosebumps, but I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around my chest.

“Now the skirt,” Barton said, his eyes transfixed on my chest, still encased in the bra.

I unzipped my skirt at the side and then slid it down past my hips and let it drop to the floor. Barton eyed me up and down, but didn’t give me any more commands. I stood there for a minute while he looked at me, and examined every inch of my skin visible to him.

I was still nervous, but not about being half-naked. I was nervous about what would happen next. No amount of nerves could quench my desire. The throbbing between my legs became more and more powerful with every second that passed. I had to have him. It was only a matter of time before I begged for him.

“Drop to your knees,” Barton ordered.

I did it instantly, as if I were under hypnosis. I was certainly under his spell. I rested the palms of my hands on his thighs and watched in awe as he unzipped his pants and whipped out a massive piece of man meat.

My eyes opened wide as I contemplated trying to do anything with that thing. Barton was right—vibrators hadn’t prepared me for him.

“Suck it,” Barton commanded.

I licked my lips slowly as I took hold of the base of his shaft between my fingers and thumb. Blood pulsed through the vein and he throbbed in response to my touch. My mouth salivated as I imagined getting this meat inside me.

Slowly, and a touch nervously, I stretched out my tongue and licked from the base all the way up to the tip, until I tasted the light saltiness of the precum glistening on the head. I gripped his cock harder, wrapping my fingers around it, and squeezing out a little more precum. I was already hooked on the taste; I knew how I wanted this to end.

My tongue licked the tip once more, but this time I opened my mouth wide and took his head inside. I sucked hard and flicked my tongue against the opening at the top, eager to get any taste of him I could.

Then I went down. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fit the entire thing in my mouth, but I would give it a damn good go. I plunged my lips down his shaft until the tip made me gag. I pulled back up, gasping for air and then went back down again. It might not look pretty or elegant, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t care.

“Shit, Kristi,” Barton moaned. “Your mouth feels so fucking good on my cock.”

He wove his fingers through my hair and pulled me deeper down his shaft until I was nearly at the base. When he let go, I burst up for air, with a thin trail of saliva dripping from my lips to his tip, and went straight back down.

I sucked until I could barely breathe. Barton was close. He kept groaning with pleasure, and I knew he wanted to grab my head and fuck my mouth. Maybe I even wanted him to.

My hand took over some of the work, as I slowly stroked his cock just an inch from my face.

“I’m going to blow, baby,” Barton warned. “Fuck, I can’t hold it in.”

“I want to taste it,” I said, jerking him faster and squeezing harder. I opened my mouth wide and looked up at him as he tried to hold off.

“You sure?” he asked, between heavy breaths.

I nodded, still stroking him. “Give me all of it.”

“Fuck,” he moaned. “That’s so sexy.”

“Come in my mouth, Barton. Fill me up.”

He grabbed hold of his cock and aimed it towards my open and eager mouth. The first burst went straight in, but on instinct I closed my mouth to swallow and the second one hit my lips. More cum came out, landing on my chest, until I quickly got my lips around his head and sucked the last drops from him.

I scooped up the cum dripping down my chin and slipped it between my lips. I couldn’t get enough.

“That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Barton said. He sounded genuine, but he must have had girls do that before. For me, it was my first time. Hopefully not my last.

“
H
ow did it go
?” Tasha asked, the second I had stepped through the door.

“Fine. I told him I wasn’t going to work for him anymore.”

“And he just accepted that?”

“Not exactly, no.” I kicked my shoes off and headed towards my bedroom. I didn’t want an inquisition from Tasha right now. Mainly because she’d uncover what happened in about five minutes. She had a knack for that.

“But you did quit?”

“I quit, but then we agreed that I would keep working for him.”

Tasha laughed. “I knew you wouldn’t do it.”

“I did quit,” I protested. “I just happened to change my mind.”

“Yeah, I imagine a guy like Barton can be very persuasive.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, sis.”

I looked into the living room and saw my laptop on the table. Shit. If I was going to hide out in my room, I’d need my laptop to stop me from going insane. I slowly walked towards the table, grabbed, the laptop, turned around, and—

“Wait,” Tasha snapped. She eyed me up and down in an entirely more suspicious way than Barton had done earlier. “You look different.”

“What do you mean?”

I’d put my blouse back on carefully, and had been careful not to miss any buttons. I might still be blushing a bit, but I could blame that on a brisk walk home.

“Stand and face me,” Tasha said.

What was it with people bossing me around today? Tasha stood up and walked over to me.

“You have a glow about you.”

“Thanks. I think.”

“Hmm.” Tasha paused, looking me over one last time. “You had sex,” she declared loudly.

“What? No I didn’t.”

“You totally did. I can tell.”

“This is ridiculous. I went to see Barton, we talked, and that was it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” I insisted. “It is.”

“Then why do you have cum in your hair?”

“Oh my God!” I ran to the bathroom to loud laughter from Tasha. “Where? I can’t find it.”

Tasha stood by the bathroom door practically doubled over with laughter. When she’d finally calmed down enough she blurted out “there isn’t any.” More laughter followed. “You should have seen your face though. Talk about a guilty mind.”

“Fine, we fooled around a bit,” I admitted sheepishly.

“It’s okay, sis,” Tasha said, putting an arm around me. “I can’t blame you in the slightest. I’m just amazed you managed to hang on for this long.”

“I feel a bit….”

“Slutty?”

“I was going to say dirty.”

“Dirty is good. Now, tell me all about it. Start with a vivid description of his cock.”