The only time I wasn’t thinking of Kristi was when I was throwing the football. Scratch that, I often pictured her on the sidelines cheering me on, and imagined how she would react to every touchdown.

She’d ingrained herself deep into my life. Every time I interacted with fans, I took her advice on board.

Be enthusiastic. Imagine that this team is the only one in the country that matters. Oh, and you don’t have to screw the female fans.

My manager called me in after training, and expressed his delight at how I’d turned my image around in such a short space of time. In his words, “I’ve not been informed of one single fuck up. Well done.”

To top it all off, my best friend was dating her sister. There was simply no getting away from Kristi, and I didn’t want to. But was the feeling mutual?

Kristi had barely replied to my messages since the night of the kiss, and when she had, the messages had been formal and dry instead of sexy and witty. She’d changed the way she spoke to me just like I had changed the way I interacted with my fans. That couldn’t be good.

I checked my phone after training. My mood perked up when I saw a couple of missed calls, but then it quickly went back down when I saw they were from my sister. She wasn’t the woman I wanted to be talking to right now, but I called her back anyway. The longer she waited to talk to me, the more she insisted on talking. Short but sweet calls were the best way to deal with her.

“Hey, sis, what do you want?”

“I just want to catch up with my brother,” May replied defensively. “According to Lance, the season starts soon, so I imagine you must be nervous.”

“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just getting my head down and focusing on training.” And Kristi. Mainly Kristi.

“Yes, I’d noticed an absence of scandal lately. Have you been ill?”

“No, I’ve not been… May?”

“Yes?”

“Tell Lance I’m just fine, so he can go ahead and put me in his fantasy team.”

May laughed, and I heard a “thanks, Barton,” from Lance in the background, confirming that I’d been on speaker the entire time.

“He was worried about you,” May explained.

“So just because I wasn’t photographed with half-naked women, he thought I might be ill?”

“I did, too. It’s not like you. And it’s not just that. We saw you pictured with a young lady the other night. That wouldn’t be the one helping you with your image, would it?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” I admitted.

“She’s pretty.”

“And you’re not at all subtle.”

“It looked a lot like a date.”

“It was,” I replied. “But not for us. We were just there to support Clyde. He’s dating her sister.”

“You two make a cute couple,” May said. “And she looks a lot nicer than the girls you usually ‘date.’ ”

“You mean the ones I usually fuck. I don’t date.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of that little brother, but the kids are listening. So you don’t have any feelings for this woman at all?”

“No,” I said defiantly. “Not unless you count the feeling I get in my pants when she bends over in those tight little—”

“Alright, alright, I was just asking.”

“Well don’t. Look, I know you want me to have settle down somewhere with a white picket fence, but that just ain’t happening. I’m not the type. Sorry, but Tommy and Darren aren’t going to have any little cousins to play with just yet.”

Tasha sighed, but gave up the argument. “Speaking of the kids, they want to see their favorite uncle. Can we come and visit?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Because you’ve put me on the spot and I can’t think of a decent excuse.

“Excellent. We’ll pop down tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice, Barton. My kids are angels; I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”

“They’re little shits,” I replied.

“Yeah, I know, but I gotta love ’em. See you soon.”

Those kids were a handful, but I could take them along to training. That would keep them occupied for a bit.

Tonight I had my first proper interview since I started working with Kristi. I hadn’t given an interview since my promotion to first team quarterback. The last time I’d done a one-on-one interview with a reporter, I’d shown up with my fly still undone from having been sucked off just before it started. Turned out the little lovely in question was the reporter’s sister. He didn’t go easy on me after that, especially after I’d referred to her as ‘an average pair of lips, at best.’ At least this interview couldn’t possibly go any worse.

The doorbell rang when I was buck-naked, getting changed for the interview. The old me would have gone down there with it all hanging out. If it was a woman, I’d end up getting laid. If it was a guy, I’d give him a story to tell his friends.

That was the old me. The new me got dressed first. I shouldn’t have bothered.

“Kristi? Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I just came by to wish you luck.”

“You came all the way to my apartment just to wish me luck?” The interview started in less than an hour, but there was just time….

“I need to tell you something.”

Kristi had the look of someone about to deliver bad news. She came inside and walked silently over to the apartment. It probably looked very different from the last time she’d come here. There were no half-naked women for one thing. It was also tidy—kind of. “Man tidy” as my mom used to call it.

“You want a drink?” I asked.

Kristi shook her head. “I’m not staying. I wanted to wish you good luck for the interview tonight.”

“You’ve already said that.”

“Oh. I need to tell you something.”

“You’ve said that too. What is it, Kristi? I’m starting to get a little worried here.”

“I’m quitting. I can’t work as your advisor any more, and I don’t want to work anywhere near Leona.”

“What the hell’s brought this on? Kristi, I need you. You’re the reason I’m still on the team. If it weren’t for you, I’d have been given the boot by now. Is this about us? I’m not going to tell your boss that we’re fucking.”

“We’re not fucking.”

“We will be soon.”

Kristi shook her head, but I caught a glimmer of a smile. She hated and loved my arrogance at the same time.

“I’m leaving now,” she said. “I really did just want to wish you good luck and give you the news in person.”

Kristi stood up and walked quickly towards the door. I couldn’t let her leave—not like this.

“Bullshit,” I called out.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. This is bullshit. You don’t want to quit your job, you’re just doing it because you think it’s the right thing to do. You have feelings for me, and it scares you.”

“No, I came here to say goodbye.”

“You came here to fuck me.”

Kristi let out an exasperated laugh. “How are you this arrogant? I’d hoped you might have come back down to Earth in the last couple of weeks, but you’re worse than ever.”

“You didn’t deny it.”

“I shouldn’t have to.”

“Still not denying it. You came here to fuck me, you just can’t admit it to yourself.”

I narrowed the gap between us one foot at a time, as if I were hunting an animal that might run at the slightest sound.

“I have more self-respect than to fuck someone like you,” Kristi replied. Her words were vicious, but her voice didn’t carry any anger or venom.

“Someone like me? You mean someone with a huge cock, who could make you come over and over again until you beg me to stop?”

She stared at me sternly as I came within touching distance. “Yes,” she said softly. “Someone like that.”

“We could do it right here, right now.”

“I’m not going to beg you,” she replied.

“You are, Kristi. I guarantee it.”