CHAPTER TWENTY
It’s not a contact sport; it’s a collision sport.
Ana stood with a large group of Shark players in the bar of the hotel and sipped her drink. She couldn’t believe how relaxed she felt, despite the fact that professional athletes had never been part of her friend group, with the exception of Alex. Which told her, the key to happiness was being open-minded, and that’s exactly what she was feeling.
A bubbly, overwhelming happiness.
And the big man standing next to her had a whole lot to do with it.
Something she never would’ve guessed when they met. Which made her feel foolish for not giving him the benefit of the doubt and thinking he was nothing more than a stereotype of an overpaid, over-indulged football player with no moral compass.
The man was decent all the way to his bones, and she knew he’d never lie, even if he thought the truth might be uncomfortable.
“Honey, are you ready to go home?”
Looking up, she smiled and then nodded. “Yes, let me just go to the ladies before we leave.”
“Okay, let me say my goodbye, and then I’ll walk you down there.”
“I can go on my own. There’s no paparazzi around, and nothing’s going to happen.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” She threw him a smile and then winked. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Can’t wait because I’m ready to celebrate.”
“Me too,” she replied before turning down the hall. Following a group of loud, giggly, drunk women down the long hallway, she wondered which players they were attached to.
As they all filed into the bathroom, she noticed one studying her and prayed she wasn’t going to have to listen to the woman’s opinion of her looks. Dipping into a stall, she closed her eyes and told herself it didn’t matter either way because the man she loved thought she was beautiful.
After she was done, she washed her hands and caught the woman she noticed earlier staring at her. She gave her a smile as she pulled out a paper towel. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Not really, the man I’m with told me he wasn’t interested in anything long term.”
Taking her lip gloss out of her bag, she slid some on and then capped it. “That’s never welcome news if you want something different.” Leaning against the counter, she smoothed out her hair. “But on the other hand, it lets you move on and find the one you’re meant for.”
Shrugging, she looked Ana over slowly. “I’ve read about you. You’re some kind of super-smart, fancy doctor.”
She nodded as a lousy feeling bloomed in her stomach and decided to face it head-on. Putting her hand out, she smiled. “I’m Ana.”
“I’m Kiky, and I just watched your boyfriend’s sex tape. I have to say that you’re a lucky woman, and I hope he treats you right.”
The blood left her head, and black spots crowded the corner of her vision. “Did you say sex tape?”
“I sure did, honey.”
Feeling her stomach heave up, she covered her mouth. “Where did you see it?”
“It’s on all the gossip sites.” Patting her arm, she frowned. “When I saw you two at the party, I figured you’d forgiven him, and everything was cool.” Shaking her head, she pursed her lips. “The skank who put it up has been threatening all day to do it unless she was paid. Apparently, your boyfriend didn’t feel like she deserved the money, so she put it up on YouTube. It’s gotten a lot of hits already, and I can see why since that man of yours has a very fine ass.”
Ana doubled over and felt like she had been stabbed and couldn’t decide if she was going to faint or throw up. As she studied the tile floor in the bathroom, she decided that throwing up was going to be her only option.
Twirling, she flew into the closest stall and gave up everything she’d eaten that day, and it seemed fitting since everything Jack had ever told her seemed to be a lie. Maybe this was her body’s way of getting rid of it all.
She slowly stood, took a piece of toilet paper, and wiped her mouth. “Why?” she mumbled quietly. “He could’ve told me what was going on before bringing me out in public and make a fool of me.” Leaning against the stall, she pressed her face into the cold tile. “Get it together and think. Use that big brain of yours and figure a way out of here.”
After several minutes, she unlatched the door and walked back toward the sinks and saw Kiky looking a little worried. “I wasn’t expecting to hear that.”
“Honey, none of us ever are, and that’s why I quit dating basketball players. The pain was never worth it.”
Ana rinsed her mouth and then got a damp towel to wipe her face. “I guess I better see it.”
Kiky handed her some breath mints and then shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
Ana chewed slowly and gave her a hard stare. “I want to face the truth, and the only way I’m going to be able to do that is to see for myself.” She put out her hand as Kiky tapped her phone and then passed it over.
Taking a long breath, she nodded and then watched the video of her Jack having relations with another woman. And it was him because the tattoo on his back showed during one scene. It was very low quality and looked really choppy, but there was enough to see what was going on. Her stomach come up again, and she willed it back down, knowing she needed to see the whole thing.
After that, she could decide how she was going to kill him. The video was no more than three minutes long, but it felt like a lifetime, and once it was finished, she handed Kiky her phone back and nodded. “Thanks for showing it to me.”
“Maybe I should’ve kept it to myself, but I feel like women need to look out for one another more. If we did, then men wouldn’t get away with as much as they do.”
Ana patted her arm. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Get out of here and take a couple of days to plan on how I’m going to kill him.”
“Just make sure you have an airtight alibi.”
“I will,” she replied with a grim smile. “Take care, Kiki.”
“You too, Ana.”
Spinning on her heel, she walked out of the bathroom and knew she never wanted to see Jack again. She made sure to give the bar a wide berth as she walked through the lobby and, once she hit the sidewalk, she hailed a cab.
The moment she closed the door, she gave the driver Ronnie’s address and knew it was the best option because no one would get past her security gates and Gerald. Pulling out her phone, she texted Ella and let her know she was going home, and then texted Jack and told him how much she enjoyed watching his sex tape. The last words she typed told him never to contact her again.
Her phone rang immediately, and she saw Jack’s picture come up and turned off her phone. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back as the cab made its way through the streets of downtown Miami.
So much for overwhelming, bubbly happiness. What a shit show.