My mind was still on Taylor as I got back to my apartment that night after the game.

I should have been thinking about how well Kennings had played. I should have been worried about my job.

Instead, I just thought about her. The way she moved, the way she pushed against me, moaned for my cock, begged for me to fuck her. The way she moaned louder, got wetter when I told her that she was my slut, that I owned her.

I’d never been with a woman who got me so fucking hard and who got so deep into my brain. I’d fucked plenty of girls in my time, but never one who made me want to come back again and again because it got better every single time. She knew just what to say to me and just how to move with me.

Taylor was fucking everywhere in my mind, and for the first time in my life, I thought that was a good thing. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, because I didn’t want to stop thinking about her. She made me feel good, better than anything else in my life. Better even than football, and that was saying a lot. I’d never wanted a woman more than I wanted to play ball before, never even close.

But Taylor made me feel something more.

I stretched out on the couch, ice on my knee, and absently stared at the television. It was some sports documentary and I was barely paying attention. I was too busy reliving that sex in the closet with Taylor, that hot, dirty fucking sex. We didn’t make love, we fucked, and we both knew it and loved it. It was that sort of understanding that made me feel something else, something extra, for Taylor. She seemed to understand me implicitly, and she even was willing to forgive me for the biggest sin in my life.

She was impossible to forget. I leaned back and considered sending her a text, but I didn’t want to seem fucking desperate. Besides, I’d see her early the next morning.

As I relaxed and decided to call it an early night, there was a knock at my door.

I wasn’t expecting anyone. A few guys from the team lived in the building, including Raylon, so I figured it was one of them.

“Coming,” I called out and slowly got up. My knee was a bit stiff from the ice, but there was no pain anymore.

The guy knocked again. “Be fucking patient,” I said loudly. “I’m coming.”

I pulled open the door.

Tony grinned in at me.

“What are you doing here?”

“You look surprised to see me.”

“I am surprised.” I blocked the entrance to my apartment. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Let me in, kid,” he said. “We have to talk.”

I stared at him for a second and then sighed, stepping aside. He walked into the room as I shut the door and locked it.

“Nice place,” he said.

“Glad you like it. Tell me why you’re here.”

“You know, every time I see you, you’re very rude to me.” He walked into my kitchen and began looking into the cabinets. “You got anything to drink?”

“Bottom right cabinet. Get two glasses.”

“That’s my boy.” He found a bottle of whisky, and I watched as he poured two drinks. He slid one across the kitchen table to me as I sat down at one end. He sat down at the other.

“Salut,” he said. We clinked glasses and drank.

“You have a habit of showing up unannounced. I don’t like it.”

“That’s fair. You’re not supposed to like it.”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?”

He smirked at me, and I hated that stupid fucking smile. I wanted to smash it off his face.

“You’re trying to set me off balance so I’ll do something stupid.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe that’s it,” he mused, “or maybe I’m just impulsive.” He poured us both another drink. I sipped mine.

“You people play games. It’s what you do. You’re a bunch of parasites.”

“I’m just a man trying to make a living, just like you.”

“Well, I’m not making much of a living.”

“I saw. Your replacement played pretty good, minus that fumble.”

“You came here to talk ball?”

He sighed. “Always trying to get down to business. You know you suck at small talk, right?”

“I don’t have time to waste on you, Tony. Plus, if anyone sees us together, it could be bad for me.”

“Fine. I’m here about the money.”

“What about it?”

“We’re square now, nice and even. Funny how that works out, right?”

“Good,” I said. “And I’m done placing bets.”

“That’s okay,” he said, smiling. “We don’t want you to place bets for us anymore.”

That surprised me. For as long as I had known Tony and the mob, they were constantly trying to get their claws deeper and deeper into me. I narrowed my eyes at him, watching him carefully, trying to catch some sign of what he was up to. He was looking at me with an easy smile as he sipped his drink.

“What do you want then?”

“We want a simple favor, and then you’ll be done.”

I raised my eyebrow. “I’ll be done?”

“Sure. We’ll let you go.”

“Why?”

“Frankly? Because you’re a fucking pain in the ass. You’re just not useful to us anymore, and I decided to cut you loose. I don’t feel like chasing you down anymore.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“What do you want in exchange for this?”

He smiled and leaned toward me. “Simple. I want you to recruit Kennings for me.”

I leaned back and sipped my drink. “Recruit him how?”

“Get him to bet with us. That’s all.”

I shook my head. “No way.”

“Why not? He’s your replacement. You must hate him.”

“He’s not replacing me. He’s just a backup that had a good game.”

“Maybe.” Tony shrugged. “Or maybe you’re finished, kid.”

“Is that it? You’re betting on Kennings to take over my spot and letting me go before I’m all washed up?”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t put it that way, but yeah. That’s exactly it.”

“You motherfucker.” I clutched my glass.

“Isn’t this what you want? You get to go free. Maybe we’re wrong and you end up as the starter again.”

“Or maybe I’ll be shooting myself in the foot by recruiting Kennings for you. Maybe you guys are more connected than I know.”

He smiled at me. “Smart kid.”

“Asshole.”

“Anyway, that’s the deal. You do that for us, we let you go.” He finished his drink and stood up. “Any questions?”

“No.”

“Good.” He started walking toward the door.

“I mean, no, I won’t help you.”

“Yes, you will,” he said, unlocking the door and opening it. He paused and looked back at me. “Because you’re smart and you know what’s best for you.”

He left my apartment, shutting the door softly.

I stared down at the drink in my hand, finished it, and poured another one.

What the fuck was I supposed to do?

On the face of it, this was my opportunity to get away from the mafia. I’d been wanting that for as long as I could remember.

But at what cost? Kennings was a decent guy. I had nothing against him. Could I really trap somebody else in my place?

There was no real guarantee that they’d leave me alone if I convinced Kennings. The mafia would still have everything on me that they’d had before, and nothing would ever change that.

Either way, it was a huge risk. I could remain stuck under their thumb, placing bets and getting screwed, or I could throw an innocent guy under the bus and still maybe end up fucked.

I sat there at the kitchen table, trying to decide what I should do. By the time I decided to head to bed, the bottle was half empty.