Chapter Two
Stryder
Arriving at the set located at the edge of the city, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. It was my first time to do this kind of thing, to actually be placed in the limelight along with the seasoned top football pros of the Windfield Warriors.
Unlike my buddies Alex who played the quarterback and Ivan who was a really good left tackle, I wasn’t used to the celebrity status. While they had been getting invited for TV and print ads, show guestings, and the like, I had been busy working my ass off to get better at football.
Even though I’d gotten in two years ago, it took me a while to move up and become noticed. Just a few months ago, our football center had retired. To my utmost surprise, I was promoted to take his place. My hard work and sacrifice had paid off, much to the delight of my father who’d been a football star in his heyday.
As for the other two guys who were with us, they were probably chosen for this commercial simply because of their good looks. They were both fairly average players, after all, and had not been given much attention in the past. But with this TV ad for the popular energy drink Bolt, we’re all bound to attract greater fame.
Looking at all the fancy camera and light setups and various crew members hustling, I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness wash upon me. This was something else!
“Whoa!” I said, my eyes taking in the entire scene.
Ivan, of course, wasn’t stunned at all. Chuckling, he gave me a pat on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it, buddy.”
Meanwhile, Alex was busy talking on the phone with his new wife Rosie. The other two football players with us, David and Tim, were flirting with the three cheerleaders who had arrived about the same time as we did.
I glanced at the head cheerleader Eve whom I had dated for a while. She was, of course, basking in the attention, enjoying the flirting while being made up by a makeup artist. I suddenly remembered how great she’d been in bed, making me grin and yearn for another pass at her. But she was old news and I was honestly tired of hooking up with cheerleaders and their type.
“So, Stryder, how are things with that girl you brought to the bar the other day—uh, Holly, was it?” Ivan asked, making conversation as we were ushered into a large white tent by one of the crew members.
“Yes, Holly,” I answered, recalling the hot woman I had met during one of my mom’s parties. She was the daughter of one of my mom’s friends. “We had fun for about three days. No strings attached, just the way I like it.”
Ivan chuckled. “Really… I thought she was more special than the others the way you two looked at each other… So you just suddenly stopped communicating?”
“Yeah, I didn’t call her anymore and she never made any effort to contact me,” I said casually. “Just like that.”
We were brought to chairs in front of a huge mirror. All of a sudden, a makeup artist said hello and began putting powder on my face.
“Hey! What the—” I exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes, but didn’t stop.
“Relax, Stryder,” Ivan reassured me. “It’s just makeup.”
“Makeup?!” I asked incredulously. “This wasn’t in the contract we signed, dude! Was it? Man, I don’t want any goo on my face!”
Ivan laughed. “It’s necessary on TV even for men. Just relax and pretend you’re a famous actor or something.”
I leaned back and glanced at the makeup artist who was glaring at me. She pushed on, anyway, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
“You know, Stryder, you’ll meet her someday,” Ivan said with a grin, continuing our conversation.
“Who?” I asked, not catching on.
He laughed, leaning over to slap me good-naturedly. “Man, you’re going to meet a woman that will blow your mind, you’ll see. Someone you’ll want for more than just a day or two, for more than just a hook-up. If it happened to me, it will happen to you, too.”
I laughed. I couldn’t imagine that happening. “That’ll be the day,” I simply said.
As I was heading out of the tent for our call time, I almost bumped into someone who looked a lot like Eve. I did a double-take, our eyes meeting in an intense gaze. This woman was a little taller than the head cheerleader, though. She also had passionate bluish gray eyes instead of Eve’s brown eyes.
“Hey,” I found myself saying, my lips turning up in a grin.
“Hey yourself,” the stunning woman said. She didn’t smile, though. I could sense her strong aura penetrating into me.
“You look familiar,” I said, trying to engage her. For some reason, this lady had me drawn. And when that happens, I never miss out on the opportunity.
She actually scoffed. “Now that’s a very old pickup line, don’t you think? I would have expected something more from a famous football pro.”
I was taken aback, but I still smiled. At least she knew who I was. “I wasn’t really trying out a pickup line,” I said, chuckling. “You look like Eve, the head cheerleader. But definitely a lot more gorgeous and with a stronger punch.”
Finally, she laughed. “Thanks for the flattery but it won’t get you anywhere, Mr. Stryder Cooper.”
Before I could even think of a reply, she went off to join two other women who were dressed exactly like her. She did glance back, which meant that she was interested too or at least curious enough. I gave her a playful wink and my most charming smile before heading out.
My teammates and I passed the cheerleaders doing a dance routine in the middle of the road. Eve tried to catch my eye but I ignored her, which obviously made her pissed. I knew very well that she wasn’t really interested in me anymore. It’s just that she hated the fact that I had been the one to ditch her first. All this time, she hadn’t seem to have gotten over it.
Donning a pair of hiking pants as well as a dri-fit shirt printed with the Windfield Warriors logo and my last name and number, I went over to the wall climbing facility that had been set up beside the road. We were hooked up to the rope quickly.
To my surprise, the woman whom I had talked to a while ago came to join me shortly. She had changed from her rider’s outfit to one that was more appropriate for this activity. It dawned on me then that she was the stuntwoman standing in for Eve.
“It must be my lucky day,” I remarked with a grin as she approached and took her place beside me.
She grinned back at me and said, “It will be your lucky day if you beat me to the top.”
“A challenge!” I exclaimed with a laugh. “I like that!”
“Okay,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Ready when you are.”
The director called out additional instructions. There were no specifications on who should get to the top first, so the race was on between me and the mystery lady.
Once the go signal was given, I hoisted myself up from foot to foot, making sure I had a steady grip on the “rocks” as I went further up. I didn’t dare look down, though I was well aware that we were now a long way from the ground. Fortunately, the wall was just flat, created for beginners. I’d done this several times before so it was a breeze for me, especially given my gym and football training.
I was oblivious to the cameras around us and above us. There was even one strapped on my helmet. All I could think of at that moment was winning the silent race. Glancing sideways, I saw that the beautiful woman beside me was catching up quick. She wasn’t even panting.
Without looking at me, she went to surpass me toward the top. I groaned when she got there first and grinned down at me, mouthing “I win!”
We had to do several more takes after that, which was greatly exhausting. What’s even more frustrating was the fact that she out-climbed me every time. This was no ordinary athlete, after all. She appeared to be a highly skilled and experienced stuntwoman against whom I was no match.
It was certainly damaging to my ego, but nevertheless, I found myself immensely challenged while having fun, too.
When it was finally announced a wrap, all of us sighed in relief. We looked like we’d been to battle. I trudged to the tent to get dressed, but not before I caught sight of the dark-haired woman that had captured my attention from the very beginning. Wearing a sexy black tank top, I couldn’t help but stare as she wiped the sweat off her body. My eyes zoomed in to the flesh on her neck and then glided over to the silky smooth skin showing on top of her breasts.
She suddenly looked up and caught me gaping. She narrowed her eyes at first and then eventually grinned and waved. Something inside me did a somersault. Was it my heart beating so fast, possibly driven by my male hormones? It certainly wasn’t “love at first sight” as others would mistake it to be. But there was just something about this woman that intrigued me. I found myself thinking about her even as the boys and I mingled with the cheerleaders during the dinner treat for the commercial stars.
Unfortunately, the woman was nowhere to be found now. She and the other stunt people had already left. I didn’t even get her name.