Win Big: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (18 page)

I
was so damn
nervous I thought I might hurl. Three hundred and thirty-one college players, all in one place. I glanced to my left and then to my right. Slade, Mo, Chris, Chad and I were on the field with the other players. Only college seniors were considered for the invite to each year’s combine, and it worked out that we all made the invite list. Clive and Tre were sophomores, and a lot of our remaining team members were either juniors or sophomores. They couldn’t play with the big boys this year. Clive and Tre came anyway, as fans. Pat had flown in with the two of them. The squad was all here. This was it. We all wanted the same thing—to impress the hell out of the scouts, agents and analysts in attendance. Every one of us was chomping at the bit for a place on a pro team, and this was another opportunity to show them what we were made of.

They put us through our paces. We were measured, clocked, scanned and inspected. They assessed our injury histories, which of course, I was nervous as hell about until the medical staff gave me the all clear. We sat through the Wonderlic test for cognitive ability, basically to determine our intelligence. The goal of that test was not about trying to ace it. People who did too well could come off as too smart for coaching staff to handle, and in the same vein, those in the bottom twenty-fifth percentile were assumed to be illiterate, simple, or not all there.

After that, we were interviewed by reps from different teams. I had interviews with the Lions, Ravens, Saints, Jaguars and Panthers. I was my usual self, and may have mentioned on a couple of the interviews that I wasn’t sure I could play on a big cat team unless they were planning on making me a wild offer. They didn’t quite get the humor in that.

Oh well.

We did a series of fitness tests for the rest of the weekend. From position drills and bench press strength tests to jump circuits and best times on the forty-yard dash. It was a whirlwind of activity, and by Sunday I was exhausted. On the field, I put in my all, and was performing at my best. Thanks to Sam, all my times were almost right on par with my pre-injury tests. It was like I’d never been hurt at all. Every once in a while I’d catch a glimpse of Slade as he went through his drills, and we’d exchange a nod. This was what we’d worked for our entire lives.

Because Pat had scored tickets, we had invited Sam to come along. She was adamant when she turned us down, and now that we were here, I understood why. Sam and I would have been fucking each other senseless and spending an inordinate amount of time together. My performance would have suffered for it. I wouldn’t have been as laser focused on leaving it all on the field. I needed to be the old Evan here, the asshole wide receiver who left the defense in the dust.

Before I left for Indianapolis, I was already addicted to Samantha. My gut told me she felt the same, except we still continued to pretend that we were just sleeping together and nothing more. Neither of us cared to address the elephant in the room. The fact was we’d gotten closer, and in just over two months, we would say our goodbyes and move on to the next stage of our respective careers.

I was sure there’d be random girls after Sam. Chicks who didn’t stand out and meant nothing to me. There were all sorts of them hanging around the players all the time. Before I started spending with Sam, I had taken enough of them home, fucked their brains out, then sent them packing with shoes in hand. There were also the types who wanted an NFL paternity suit for Christmas. We all tried to steer clear of those ladies. That was the not so romantic future that went hand in hand with life as an NFLer. That reality was lurking on my horizon.

I had sent Sam a few texts over the weekend, and her replies were all questions. How was I feeling? Any tightness or soreness? Weakness? Any swelling? How was my speed? I assured her that I was fine. We kept it all performance related, but anyone could read between the lines. She cared for me. I’d fallen for her. And we kept those details to ourselves. Why didn’t I have the balls to tell her? Probably because I never expected I’d ever say such a thing to anyone.

Sam phoned me on Sunday night.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” I told her. It was as close as I would come to telling her that I’d missed being away from her.

“Me too.” she said. “So you’re all done?”

“Yeah. I’m flying out tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good. Congrats on a great performance. I’m really proud of you. Pat was sending me updates on your times all weekend.”

“That’s cool. Thanks. So where are you?”

“Just walking from the dorm to Nick’s car. We’re going to grab dinner with Kristy.” I heard a loud voice overlap with hers on the other end of the line, then she said, “Austin, what the hell are you doing here?”

What the fuck was Austin doing coming around when we were all still out of town? “Sam, are you okay? Is he bothering you?”

“I’ll take care of this. Hold a sec.” While I waited, their voices were muffled, but it sounded to me like she and Austin were arguing. A few seconds later, the tone of her voice changed, then I heard her say, “Austin don’t you dare come any closer…get your hands off of me… Austin, no!”

My stomach rolled when the phone went dead. “Sam?” I shouted into my phone. “Sam? Sam!”

I tried phoning her back. It went right to voice mail.

This was not good.

Not fucking good at all.

I tried her number again and waited.

I had come right back to the hotel, so I was sure Pat and the guys were still out drinking. Right back to voicemail. I hung up and sent a text to Pat.

‘Hey. Where are you? Didn’t you leave a guy on Samantha?’

I paced around the room, wondering who to call to get her some help.

Pat replied a few minutes later.

‘Yes. My best guy is there.’

‘It didn’t sound that way when I just talked to her. I think Austin just attacked her, man. Get your boy on it or I might need to call 911 or campus security.’

‘Shit. Okay calling him right now.’

E
verything was going great
.

Until it wasn’t.

I’d just finished catching up on a project assignment with Nick at the athletic center. We had planned to meet with Kristy at the dorm so all three of us could go to dinner. Nick was in the car, waiting for me to run up and change. Kristy had sent me a text to let me know she would meet us at the seafood restaurant.

I’d phoned Evan to give him my congratulations after I left the dorm room. I didn’t get to finish my quick chat with him. A deranged noise got my attention the second I stepped out the front entrance. I whirled around, startled.

Austin was standing a few feet away. I tried to conceal my displeasure. We had not spoken in over a month, and he even stopped sending me texts. I thought it was over and he’d finally moved on. I had assumed my obnoxious ex was off licking his wounds. I didn’t expected him to show his face again.

“Austin, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked while Evan was still on the line. Where was Nick? He must have seen Austin walk up, so why didn’t he step outside of his car to tell Austin to back off?

“Sam, are you okay?” Evan shouted into the phone. “Is he bothering you?”

“I’ll take care of this. Hold a sec.”

I put my hand over the phone speaker and took a step away. Austin took two steps toward me.

“What do you want?”

“You’ve been avoiding me, Sam. We need to talk.”

“No. We don’t need to do anything. There’s no we, Austin.” He took another step toward me and was now dangerously close to crowding my personal space. “Austin don’t you dare come any closer.” He grabbed my wrist, and I jerked it hard to pull away from his punishing grip. “Get your hands off of me!”

I should have been ready for anything, but I didn’t expect him to go off the deep end after leaving me alone for well over a month. He put his other hand at the base of my neck and started dragging me to God knows where.

“Austin, no!” I shouted.

When he noticed my phone was still on, he ripped it from my hand and crashed it down to the concrete. “I’ll get you another one…something sleeker and more expensive…something that Evan Marshall prick won’t be able to phone.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I struggled against his grip on my neck, glancing back to where Nick was parked. Where was he?

“Looking for your douchebag athletic trainer bestie?” He let out a cunning laugh when I didn’t answer. “I’m afraid the ole Nickster is indisposed at the moment.”

“What did you do to him?”

He opened the passenger door of his car, shoving my head down to get me inside. I fought hard to get him to let me go, but he was way too strong. I was not getting in his car though. I had to get away somehow, so I tried begging.

“Why won’t you leave me alone? Please, Austin, just let me go. I don’t want you to lose everything you’ve worked for, but this has gone too far.”

“What are you going to do about it? Call the cops? Try your luck with campus security?” He straightened up behind me. “We own them. They won’t touch me. So, what else, Sam?”

Begging didn’t work. I went with low down, dirty, street-fighting self-defense. Lowering my head forward, I shot it up and back with all the force and speed I could manage, catching Austin hard in the chin, mouth and nose.

“Fuck!” He reared back, cupping his nose, which I hoped I’d broken. Some blood trickled down one nostril, and I didn’t wait to find out what other damage I’d done. “Get back here, you fucking bitch!” he shouted, stumbling after me.

I ran to Nick’s car. He wasn’t in the driver seat where I’d left him. I ran around the back of the car to the driver side. That’s when I saw him sprawled out on the sidewalk with a bloody forehead. “Nick? Oh God. Nick?”

He didn’t respond, but I couldn’t stop to help him. Austin was still trudging over to us. If he had done this to Nick, there was no telling what he’d do to me. Kicking off my heels, I started running away from the area toward the student center a block away. College kids studied, ate and socialized there. Someone had to be around.

Before I could get half a block down the street, Austin caught up to me, grabbing me by the hair and roughly jerking me backwards. I screeched out in pain and shouted out. I begged him to stop. I begged the empty Sunday night streets for someone to get help. Tragically, no one was around.

Austin started babbling on almost incoherently about something. I wish I understood what he was talking about. Maybe he was high, or off some vital meds, or drank too much…or all three. Or maybe it was the pulsing under my scalp from his tight hold on my hair that took away my capacity to focus on his words.

“Please. I don’t want to fight. Please stop.”

“You’re. Not. Listening. There’s something you ought to know. Your Evan let the word get out that you were still a virgin when he met you.” He shook at my hair. “Do you fucking know how humiliated that was for me? You had to go and fuck him, then sit back and let him drag my name through the mud every time he broadcasted that I didn’t score with you.”

“None of that is true, Austin,” I lied, hoping he would believe it long enough to release my hair.

“Lie all you want. Everyone knows. Ask any guy on any athletic team. Actually, just ask Nickster when he wakes up… if he wakes up. Anyway, the damage is done, Sam. Now the only thing left to do is make you pay…make Evan pay.”

He must have lost it. “You’re not well. You should let me go now. Please, Austin. I promise, I’ll act like none of this never happened.”

“I’m as clear headed as I’ll ever be,” he growled, his voice thick and condescending.

“What are you going to do?”

“Whatever the hell I want to, princess.” He put his lips to my ear. “And when I’m done with you, no one will want you.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack.”

Out of nowhere, Austin yelped, and his grip in my hair loosened. I looked back for a split second before running like hell to find someone with a phone to get some help and make sure Nick was okay. All I could make out was a dark figure tackling Austin to the ground. That was help enough for me. Finally back to Nick’s car, I tried the driver side door. It was unlocked, and Nick’s phone was in the cup holder. I was about to jump inside when someone touched my shoulder.

“Stay away from me!” I screamed out, turning slightly so I could find just enough space to open the door and jump in.

“Hold on, ma’am,” the person said calmly.

I turned the rest of the way. It was not Austin. Thank God. It was Pat’s bodyguard, Logan De Luca, the one who had given me his card weeks ago.

“Thank you!” I could almost hug him, but I crouched to the ground beside Nick. “We have to help my friend. Can you call 911?”

“Yes.” He pulled out his phone and dialed while I tried to wake Nick. His pulse was strong, although he was still unconscious.

“Nick? Can you hear me?” He was unresponsive. I looked up at Pat’s bodyguard. “Was it you back there?” I asked after he hung up. “Did you stop Austin?”

“Yes, ma’am. I did.”

“Where is he now?”

He looked around to make sure no one was there before saying, “At the moment, locked in the trunk of my car. Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt him. He’s sleeping it off. I’ll take him back to the Grant residence shortly.”

“God, I can’t thank you enough.”

“That’s my job… I’m sorry I wasn’t here to make sure this didn’t happen in the first place.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I’m responsible for you, so it is. That Mr. Grant is a smart one. He had someone on his father’s staff call me away so he’d have an opening with you, but Mr. Salvatore, my boss, set me straight.”

“I’m glad you showed up when you did.”

The sound of ambulance sirens pierced though the air. They couldn’t be more than six or seven blocks away.

“I’ll be leaving now,” Pat’s bodyguard announced. “I’ll need to get Mr. Grant home before they arrive. We don’t want to attract any unnecessary attention.”

I was confused. “You’re…protecting him? After he attacked me like this?”

“It’s more like saving him from himself while safeguarding my employer. Mr. Grant is under our…organization’s protection. If you’d like more details, you should speak with Mr. Salvatore.”

“Okay…so are you asking me not to tell the cops or ambulance exactly what happened? Because I don’t see how that will stop Austin from trying this again.” I shook my head. Pat and his people were a complicated bunch.

“You’re free to do as you please when the authorities arrive. I’ll make sure your concerns are heard. Have a good night, ma’am.” He left promptly, disappearing in the darkness just before the ambulance van rolled up bedside Nick’s car.

The paramedics gave us first aid and took Nick and I to the nearest hospital emergency room. I was treated and released right away. My only injury was a small cut on the back of my head where I’d head-butted Austin. Nick had a moderate concussion, so they were holding him for observation. The police also came on the scene. They took my statement of what happened. I told them everything. The officer took detailed notes, and informed me I could file a formal complaint whenever I could come down to the station.

I was too numb to think of anything when Kristy finally came to the get me home. My throbbing head hit the pillow, and I was sure sleep would kick in to help me rid myself of the memory of such a wretched night.

* * *

K
risty
and I sat in the hospital’s emergency room waiting area the next morning. I didn’t sleep a wink overnight. Every time I closed my eyes, I’d see Austin or hear his sickening voice as he threatened me, or relive seeing Nick passed out on the sidewalk. Which was why I convinced Kristy to go back to the hospital with me so we could be there when Nick was released. I didn’t message Evan to tell him I was okay. I figured Pat would, and honestly, I didn’t to speak with him after my talk with Nick.

He woke up while he was being treated in the emergency room. They’d wheeled him into a recovery room, and by then, Kristy had arrived at the hospital. Nick had confirmed that for all of Austin’s crazy talk, the part about Evan bragging about taking my virginity—or at least planning to take it—was true. It was the big rumor around. It was the topic of several athletic teams, and even some staff and trainers at the athletic center rumbled about it.

I was too dazed from the surprise attack and lack of sleep to be angry or hurt, but all that haziness and numbness changed when Evan walked into the emergency room waiting area.

His face was awash with relief when he saw me from across the room.

“Samantha. Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said to me. Sitting in the empty chair beside me, he reached an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. “Pat told me what happened. I changed my flight right away, but this is the soonest I could get back here.” Kissing my cheek, he pulled back and looked me over, probably doing a visual inspection for any sign of injuries. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I was so worried.”

I shook my head and pulled from him, bumping into Kristy’s shoulder. “I’m fine,” I told him in a voice that was unfeeling and emotionless. Pushing his arm off my shoulders, I got to my feet. “Let’s go outside. I have to talk to you about something.”

Confusion registered on his face. “What’s this all about?” he asked while following me.

When we made it outside, I hardened my heart and turned to him. “You know, you never tried to fool me into believing you were anything but a smug, obnoxious asshole, but I didn’t think you’d stoop this low.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t act all innocent, you pig. You went around telling people I was a virgin, and if that wasn’t bad enough, you told them you’d be the first one to score with me. For Christ’s sake, Evan…how could you do that?”

He turned white as a sheet. “Let me explain.”

“Don’t even bother.”

“Samantha, please. It didn’t go down like that.”

“That’s the Evan I know, thinking you have the right to explain yourself. You have no right to do anything. I can’t believe I trusted you! I should have known better.”

I heard the quiver in my voice. If I didn’t end this conversation right now, I’d end up screaming and ugly-crying right here outside the emergency room.

“Would you please listen to me?” He put a hand on my shoulder, but I shook him off.

“Don’t you touch me!” I spat, turning to go back inside.

“Please, you don’t get it.”

“I get it just fine. I was an idiot to think I could trust you. You probably fucked a bunch of women while we were sleeping together too, didn’t you?”

His composure change then. I must have hit a nerve. He was angry now. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and how fucking dare you? You don’t know shit about what I did or didn’t do. For the record, I haven’t slept with anyone but you since I got injured… but you know what? Believe whatever the fuck you want.”

I didn’t get another word in. He stormed off toward his car, and did not hazard a glance back to me. A bitter, vile pit formed in my stomach. I returned inside and sat next to Kristy.