Chapter8
“What’re you gonna do, Jared?” Matt asked expectantly. “You’ve got a contract.” Of course, as his attorney that would be the first concern.
“That’s why I’m talking to you, man.” Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “Derek has gone too far. He ambushed me, forced me to fly back here today, and now he’s holding my phone hostage. They fucking auctioned me off as a charity prize without my knowledge. How is that okay?”
“It’s not,” Matt agreed. “I had no idea you didn’t know. Neither did Amanda. They forbade her from entering, only the single cheerleaders were allowed to compete.” As an afterthought, he added, “At least it wasn’t publicized at all. Only those involved knew about it and we were all told to keep it quiet.”
“That makes me feel soooo much better,” Jared said dryly.
“C’mon, man, I’m just trying to help,” Matt pleaded with him. He considered them friends but Jared had always tried to keep a little distance. “I think you’re only option is a trade at this point. But I don’t know how you are going to make that happen. You have to prove you’re still able to play and if you put up the usual numbers, it’s going to be tough to get the Panthers to agree to trade you.”
“So, I’m up shit creek? Is that what you’re telling me?” Jared asked.
“Unless you retire.” Matt shrugged. “But this all goes away. I don’t know that you have enough put away to walk away and live comfortably.”
“I can work, Matt.” Jared downed the rest of his whiskey. “I’m not afraid of work. I just don’t know if I want this anymore.”
“Is it your leg?” Matt asked plainly.
“No. My leg is great. I just realized that I really don’t like being controlled. I’m not a puppet,” Jared pushed off the bed, “and I feel like there are more and more strings attached to everything I do.”
Matt clapped him on the back as they walked out of the room to join the ladies. “You’re definitely not a puppet. Let me look into some things and see what I can find out, okay?”
“Yeah, Matt,” Jared agreed, “I’d appreciate it.”
“Appreciate what?” Amanda asked as she and Kyra walked out from the bathroom together. She’d been kind enough to drag Kyra off to do whatever women do in bathrooms so that Jared could speak privately with Matt.
“Just looking into some business stuff for me,” Jared answered casually and offered his arm to Kyra who practically bounced over in her barely-there spandex cocktail dress. Her blonde hair flowed free and she wore far too much make-up for Jared’s tastes. “Shall we go?”
Kyra giggled. “You’re such a gentleman, Jared.”
“Not really.” Jared gave her a naughty look and pretended to nip at her. He felt like a fraud, but this was what they expected. This was the way it had to be. Just a show, just a puppet.
They piled into Matt’s car, naturally an SUV. He’d refused to give in to the pressure to purchase a sports car in an effort to cling to his outdoorsy roots. Jared respected his willpower. “So where are we going?”
Kyra giggled, again. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” Jared teased.
“You’ll like this one,” Kyra promised. Her eyes sparkled as she scooted closer to him in the backseat and put a hand on his inner thigh. She marched her fingers slowly up toward his crotch and pouted when he picked up her hand and held it instead.
“So, what else have I missed?” Jared changed the subject, hopeful that Matt and Amanda could occupy them for the duration of their trip.
“Not much. No other engagements, no babies, no trades.” Amanda half-turned to look at him from the front seat. “Trey is looking for more money but I doubt he gets it. It’s actually been pretty quiet.”
“They were waiting for you to get back,” Matt added. “Honestly, I think they were on pins and needles to see if you would be able to play again. When that doctor called to tell them you were cleared it all changed.”
“What?” Jared leaned forward. “When did that happen?”
“Hm, about two weeks ago,” Matt said. “Why?”
“He just cleared me yesterday.” Jared thought back to the conversation with Dr. Radlinski. He’d asked for a few more weeks but the guy had already told his team. What a dick!
“Maybe it’s only been a week…” Matt trailed off, uncertain.
“No, they knew before we had our contest,” Kyra reminded them. “That’s why they added it to the charity event.”
“How did they clear me two weeks ago if the doc only told me yesterday?” Jared asked to nobody in particular.
Amanda looked back at him, worried. “Don’t do anything rash. We’ll sort this all out.”
“You don’t understand.” Jared looked out the window and clammed up for the rest of the trip. Did A.J. know? He really wanted to hear her voice. He tried to call her from his landline but, surprise of all surprises, it’d been disconnected. The pieces were falling into place as Jared realized how much he’d been manipulated over the past few months.
If they knew he was cleared two weeks ago, did they know about him and A.J., too? That would explain the ambush and taking away all forms of communication. He could ask Matt or Amanda to use their phones but then they would have questions and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell anybody about A.J. Not even them.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the drive but it didn’t take long for Jared to realize where they were going. Jared cringed, nothing about this would be small or intimate. The Novo accommodated a few thousand people. Dammit.
“Wow! Look at all the people!” Kyra exclaimed. She looked like a child bouncing in her seat. “Hey! Put the windows down, let people see us! They're here for Jared!”
“No, the windows stay up,” Matt told her firmly.
“There will be plenty of opportunity to see Jared when we get out,” Amanda coaxed. “You don’t want somebody throwing something in here that could ruin your dress, do you?”
Kyra looked at her, horrified at that thought. “No! I don’t!”
“Okay, then,” Amanda continued, “just pull up to the front, Matt. They’ll have valet and I think we should go in together.”
Hundreds of people had assembled on the sidewalks, many holding signs professing their love for Jared or the Panthers or both. He watched with awe as they rolled slowly past the people screaming his name. Obviously, this had been publicized. News vans flanked the street with reporters and cameras rushing each vehicle that pulled up to unload.
Jared watched his teammates and their dates climb out of cars and trucks to enter the venue. Several stopped to answer questions, smile, and even sign autographs for the lucky fans who were close to the walkway.
Jared reached deep inside to the part of him he’d suppressed for the past several months. The smile, the walk, the easy confidence, and his trademark smile still fit, even if they were a bit uncomfortable.
He slid out behind Kyra and the cameras flashed immediately. Jared ran his fingers through his curls and was rewarded with shrieks from the crowd. The foursome made it to the main walkway before the first mic practically smacked him in the face.
“Jump! How’s the leg? Are you going to be ready for the season opener?”
“Hey! Jump, welcome back, how’s the leg?”
“Who’s your lady friend, Jump? Pose for us?”
“Hey Jump! Is it true you’ve been hiding out in the sticks?”
It went on and on as they walked only a few steps before the next question or photo op. He only got to sign a few autographs before they were ushered into the building where Jared was welcomed with thunderous applause. Teammates mobbed him, shaking hands and welcoming him back to L.A.
The crowd pushed him forward, toward the middle of the room where he came face to face with his head coach, Jon “Whitey” McDonnell. His face was just a bit redder than usual, a stark contrast to his bright white hair, curiously not the reason for his nickname.
“Welcome back, Jump.” Whitey extended his hand.
“Thanks, coach.” Jared shook hands and nodded respectfully to his coach.
“Been ignoring my calls?” Whitey didn’t pull punches – ever.
“Nah, coach,” Jared lied, “my phone died and I lost my charger somewhere. Derek’s holding onto it now and apparently my landline was disconnected while I was gone.”
Whitey studied him for a long, awkward moment. “Get your phone back and charge it up. I’ll see you at the practice fields tomorrow morning. I want to see how much work we have to do.”
“Coach, I’m good,” Jared assured him. “I’ve been working hard and with a few more weeks, I may be in the best shape of my life.”
“That remains to be seen, young man.” Whitey looked him up and down. “You look pretty good though, not all withered like I expected. But we’ll see tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there, Coach.” Jared nodded respectfully.
Whitey turned to walk away but looked back. “Don’t show up hung-over either.”
“I won’t, Coach.” Jared promised.
The older man seemed convinced and disappeared into the crowd. Kyra popped up beside him with a glass. “Here, Jump. I heard you like scotch.”
“Uh, thanks,” Jared muttered as she latched onto his arm again. “Have you seen Xander, by chance?”
“Tate?” Kyra asked.
“Yes.”
Jared surveyed the crowd fearing he’d have better luck finding the cornerback on his own, knowing that Trent wouldn’t be far away. As two of the only family guys on the team, they were often together.
“I think he’s at a table in the corner with his wife and Trent Roberts.” Kyra shrugged and pointed toward a table near the back of the room, “Did you hear that Trent’s wife left him to go back home? She took the kids and everything.”
Jared took a drink of his scotch, not bad, but he really wanted a beer. “That’s rough, I think I’ll go talk to them and share a drink, offer my condolences.”
“Oh.” Kyra looked bored.
“You don’t have to go with me, I can catch up with you later,” Jared offered, desperately hoping she’d go along with it.
Kyra waved at a group of cheerleaders. “Um, okay. Just don’t leave without me, Jump.”
She leaned up and threw her arms around his neck. Before he could react, Kyra’s lips were on his and her tongue was working into his mouth. Jared lazily kissed back and ended it as soon as he could without making a scene. Kyra gave him a devilish grin and practically skipped off to join her friends. Jared downed the rest of the scotch and made for the bar.
“Gimme a beer, please,” Jared asked the bartender who automatically obliged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash for the tip jar. “Thanks, man.”
“Hey, Jump.” Xander and Trent greeted Jared in unison, almost as if they rehearsed it. The pair could not have looked more uncomfortable and seemed to be waiting for the right time to leave.
“Xander, Trent.” Jared dipped his head toward his teammates before addressing Xander’s wife. “Nice to see you, Alicia. You look lovely this evening.”
In all honesty, he couldn’t believe this woman had three children. She didn’t look a day over twenty and her body curved in all the right places. Jared always found her attractive but the delicate blue gown made Alicia Tate look like she belonged on a red carpet somewhere.
“Thank you for coming tonight.”
“Sure, Jump,” Xander answered blandly and gestured for Jared to join them.
“It wasn’t an option, was it.” Jared settled in the chair nearest Xander and leaned forward.
“Not really,” Xander studied him, “why does it matter to you?”
“I want to do things different now.” Jared held his teammate’s gaze. “I want to talk to you about what you two do and how you do it. Now’s not the time, but I have some questions and I need some help.”
“I see.” Xander’s guarded response betrayed his mistrust but Trent seemed engaged.
“What do you wanna know, Jared?” Trent took a drink from his beer.
“I really don’t know. I just don’t want to be a puppet anymore. I want….” He trailed off as Xander and Trent looked past him at somebody.
“Hey, Jump.” Derek, the last person Jared wanted to talk to.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Jared covered quickly, “thanks for coming out tonight. It means a lot.”
“Bright and early,” Trent answered dismissively. His face turned cold as he looked out over the room.
“Sure, Jump.” Xander leaned back in his chair and put an arm around his wife. “Glad to have you back with the team.”
“Nice seeing you, Jared,” Alicia said politely before looking away.
Jared stood to face his agent. “What’s up, Derek?”
“It’s not polite to leave your date,” Derek chastised.
“She disappeared with her friends, I was just thanking Xander and Trent for coming out. I know this isn’t usually their scene and I was really surprised to see them here,” Jared answered smoothly.
“I see.” Derek didn’t see. “Just make sure you are convincing everybody that you’re the same old Jump. They need to know you are fully committed to this team.”
“Done and done.” Jared clapped his hands together. “Now, how’s about you give me back my cell.”
“I had it messengered to your house.” Derek’s too-cool response betrayed his lie. “Should be there already.”
“It wasn’t there when I left.” Jared fixed an easy smile on his face to hide his fury. “But I can always get a new one, right?”
“Sure,” Derek said smoothly. “Whatever you need, Jump.”
“Have fun tonight, Derek.” Jared slapped his shoulder and took off in the opposite direction. He needed to keep as much distance between himself and his agent as he could.
Jared sought out Kyra and ended up on the dance floor, almost the last place he wanted to be at the moment. Unfortunately, once they started dancing, the team and their dates joined in so there was no place for him to run until the music stopped. Thankfully, Whitey took the mic at eleven and told them all to wrap it up and head out. Most of the team groaned but Jared felt nothing but gratitude for his coach. He pulled Kyra after him to locate Matt and Amanda so they could get out of there.
“Are you sure you’re clear to go?” Amanda asked as they climbed into Matt’s SUV.
“You heard Whitey,” Jared pointed out. “Besides, I’m exhausted. Jet lag and all that shit.”
“Oh, I hope you’re not too tired, Jump,” Kyra teased, clearly drunk and having trouble sitting up.
“I really am, Kyra,” Jared assured her, “I just want to curl up in bed since I have to be at the practice field early.”
Kyra pouted. “But I wanna have some fun, Jump.”
“Sorry, I just don’t think I’m up for it tonight,” Jared apologized.
“I’m not ready to go home,” Kyra leaned over and whispered in his ear, “at least not my home.”
“I’m really not up for it,” Jared told her again.
“What the hell, Jump?” Kyra exclaimed, a little too loud.
“I’m jet lagged, Kyra,” Jared soothed, “I just flew back today, seriously, it’s nothing against you, I’m just tired.”
“This was supposed to be my night,” Kyra’s complaint slurred and her head bobbed a little as she tried to stay awake.
“And it was, Kyra.” Jared tucked a hair behind her ear. “I had a great time with you.”
“Yeah you did,” Kyra mumbled as they pulled away. She passed out before they reached her house so Jared carried her in and put her to bed – fully clothed.
“That was interesting,” Matt said as Jared settled back in the SUV.
“It was another ambush,” Jared grumbled. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe coach was in on it.”
“He may not have had a choice,” Amanda countered. “Nobody really did. The Panthers have a lot of money invested in you, Jared. This is a business above all else, you know that.”
“I know. Believe me, I know.” Jared looked out the window, watching L.A. speed past as they drove to his house. “I liked it in the Midwest. I thought it would be hell but it was nice. Quiet.”
“I see,” Amanda said. “And was there, by chance, a woman?”
Jared startled. Damn. “What makes you ask that?”
“You’re different,” Amanda replied simply. “You’ve been different since you landed. Normally, you wouldn’t have thought twice about Kyra or any other women at that party.”
“So? I’m tired. Jet lag, remember?” Jared tried to cover.
“Right.” Amanda chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Would it be so bad if there were a woman,” Jared asked, “hypothetically speaking?”
“If this hypothetical woman is okay with you having a blonde cheerleader draped all over you and practically sucking your face off in the middle of a high profile party, then no, probably not a problem at all,” Amanda said.
Shit. How would he explain all of this to A.J? He needed a phone to be able to do that and it would take some work to make that happen. Jared fell quiet and brooded the rest of the drive home. Amanda and Matt respected his silence and chatted quietly in the front seat. He thanked them but didn’t invite them in when he got home.
“Jared,” Amanda called after him from the window of the SUV. He only half turned toward her, “just call her and explain. If she loves you, she’ll understand.”
She put the window up and they pulled away leaving Jared alone, again. He climbed the steps to his front door and let himself in.
A package awaited him on the round glass table in the middle of his foyer. The attached note from his housekeeper told him it was dropped off just before she left for the evening. Jared ripped the package open and his cell phone fell into his hand. He tried to turn it on but it really was dead. Dammit.
Jared sprinted to his bedroom and tore his bags apart until he found his charging cord – the one he actually hadn’t lost – and plugged the phone in. Nothing happened. He’d have to take it in to the dealer tomorrow after practice and figure out what was up. Jared peeled off his clothes and crawled into bed, the sheets smelled clean but not quite right.
He missed A.J. The sheets at his rental smelled like her and he wanted that back. Sweet and spicy, and her skin was so soft, silkier than his sheets. Jared thought of her, pictured her face hovering over his, the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and the warmth of her body on his. He got hard just dreaming of her. Jared reached down to touch himself, imagining her hands on his shaft as he massaged.
He imagined her mouth on his, the feel of her tongue, how she tasted. Jared stroked his shaft with images of A.J. in his mind, her bright, brown eyes, the way she bit her lip when she was close to climax, the smell of her sex and how she writhed beneath him when he went down on her. He cried her name as he came hard and fast to the memory of A.J. riding him, her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
**
A.J.’s phone buzzed. She checked the screen, Ally again.
“You should just call him,” Jaida said quietly.
“He left, Jaida. He said good-bye to Rick and the guys at the rec center but not me.” A.J. tried not to sound wounded but emotion colored her words. How could he just leave?
“You don’t know what happened,” Jaida reminded her.
“Always the optimist, Sis,” A.J. teased. She felt like a fool. She’d actually believed he was different. The first time in years that she let somebody in and it turned out to be a huge mistake. He’d even met Jaida and she’d liked him, too.
“Alex, you like him.” Jaida threw it in her face, not teasing her, just a statement of fact. “And, he likes you. He really does. He wouldn’t have done all of those things for you if he didn’t.”
“Jaida,” A.J. warned. Her sister didn’t understand how the world worked. Maybe she’d been wrong to protect her so much after the accident. But Jaida’s kindness made her who she was. “Sometimes people can act one way when they are in a special situation but when they are taken out of that situation they go back to what they were before.”
“I don’t think that’s Jared,” Jaida said simply. “I think he loves you.”
“He hasn’t called,” A.J. reminded her.
“So, he had to go on a plane and you can’t have phones on planes,” Jaida countered.
“You’re getting really good at this,” A.J. complimented her, desperate to change the topic of conversation. “What do you want to do for dinner?”
“Call Jared,” Jaida shook her head, refusing to let it drop.
“No,” A.J. answered firmly. If he reached out maybe she would respond but right now, she just wanted to carry on with her life like Jared had never come into her life.
“You’re very stubborn, Alex,” Jaida pushed off the couch and glared at her sister, “and that’s not a compliment.”