Damn. That was good. I close my eyes, my heart racing as I try to steady my breathing. Two weeks ago, if someone had told me that I would be screwing Lexi Driver in an art gallery, I would have thought they were crazy. Not because I thought Lexi was my enemy; I’ve always been wary of having sex in public places I’ve never been. When we did it in the locker room, I knew no one would be coming in. Here, I had no idea who could have come in. That was damn exciting.

“We should probably get going home,” I say once I catch my breath. I pick up my phone from the table. Lexi looks about and begins to pick up some clothes. I spot a gold chain necklace with a horseshoe charm on the floor in the middle of the room. “Did you lose a necklace?” I ask as I pick it up. “No,” Lexi replies as she pulls her dress over her head. I look at it as she walks up behind me, and peers over my shoulder. “Thick chain,” she says. “Looks expensive, wouldn’t want to lose a thing like that.”

“Yeah.” I touched the links. “I don’t know where to take it. Everyone must be gone by now.”

“Leave it on the table.” She squeezes one of her feet into a heel. “I’m sure whoever lost it will be back for it.”

I place it back on the table. I feel uneasy about the necklace. It seems strange that neither Lexi nor myself noticed it when we first came in.

“Let’s get going, baller.”

I follow her out the room and we exit the gallery. There are hardly any cars in the parking lot and it seems that the media has left. Thank God. I look down at Lexi’s heels. “I’ll bring the car up. Your feet are probably killing you by now.” Lexi gives me a warm smile, “You truly are a gentleman, aren’t you?”

I walk into the parking lot, my thoughts on Lexi. She called me a ‘gentleman.’ But I don’t deserve to hear that. Not considering what I had plotted to do since the beginning of this relationship. But deep down, something tells me I never would have. I was bitter, but I’ve never been the type of person to exact revenge on someone. Not even Dion, who, until recently always managed to keep me in my place. Whenever Coach Dietrick had tried to give me extra time on the field, Dion would remind Coach who was the star player. Despite the many setbacks Dion had given me over the past couple years, and all the lies of his double life, I had never tried to out him to his family or the media. I open my car door. It’s not my nature to be cruel. But why did I try to get to know Lexi?

I sit and stare at the wheel, Was I looking for an excuse to get closer to her? My initial impression of Lexi was that she was a little pervert trying to get a peek at me. Had I always secretly wanted her to catch a glimpse? I place the keys into the ignition and start the car and circle around the lot, stopping in front of her. I’m about to get out of the car to open the door for her again.

“As sweet as it is, you don’t have to open the door for me, Brett,” she says, as she opens the door. “What time is it?” she asks as she climbs in.

I look down at the dash. “One in the morning.”

“Oh Christ, what time is practice tomorrow?”

“Later than usual. Don’t worry about it.” Ugh. It’s at seven.

We drive off, “So, what are you doing tomorrow?” I ask.

“Why?” she asks, a trace of a smile on her face.

“Curious.”

“Nothing much.” She looks sideways at me. “I’m going to be doing some research on the players I’ll most likely be interviewing at my next game. I’m going to network with my followers, too. See what kind of questions they want to hear.”

I chuckle, “Actual work, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Make sure you get a time-out at some point.” I give her a lopsided grin. Truth is, I want to ask her out again, but now seems a little desperate. We’re on a date right now. I sigh, looking down at my speed, I’m going a little fast, but then again, I can feel my heart thumping. I’m nervous to ask a woman out on a date. Why?

But I already know the answer; I gave Lexi the impression that this would be a casual relationship. Nothing serious. She accepted those terms. If I show more interest, I might scare her off. There should be a manual on how to take a casual relationship and turn it into a serious one.

I watch Lexi from the corner of my eye, a part of me wishing she would invite me to go out again. She looks away from me and down to her heels. We are both silent until we drive past a local shelter. She mentions that she recently did a fundraiser to help raise money for domestic abuse victims. I arch my brow—she didn’t seem like the philanthropic type. But I love that she is. Most people I work with only do work like that to get recognition. We reach her apartment and I park the car. “I’ll walk you up?”

“Sure.”

I get out of the car and open her door, helping her out.

“Thanks. Getting out of a car in heels can be a pain.”

I don’t know if it’s a joke, but I hold onto her hand while I lock the car door. She pulls away, fiddling her hand inside her purse, biting her lip.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Looking for my keys.” She searches her purse.

Does that mean she can’t get into her apartment? Should I invite her over? My mind races as my lips curve. Having Lexi over would be nice.

“Oh, found them,” she says, pulling them out. Damn. I force a smile, and take her hand again. We walk toward the doors of her building and she keys in a password on a number pad next to the door. I wonder if I should leave it here or take her directly to her apartment door. I figure I’ll take my cue from her. She turns, “Well this is it, Brett.”

Unfortunately. “Guess so.” I gaze at her soft complexion and plump lips. I want to kiss her badly, but don’t know if I should. I feel like a high school boy all over again. Thankfully, she softly kisses me on the cheek, “See ya, Mr. Cockgate.”

“I’ll text you, sports bunny.” I give her a quick peck on the cheek, before I leave.