Big Baller: Bad Boy Sports Romance Read online

  “There,” she said. “Don’t tell Ugly Stan, okay? We’re not supposed to date people from here.”

  “We’re dating now? Maybe you’re the one who’s moving this along too fast.”

  “I just meant…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just teasing you.”

  She stared at me with this intensity in her eyes I found hard to comprehend.

  “Let’s save the teasing for when we’re alone and out of this place, okay?”

  I stepped forward, standing mere inches from her bare breasts.

  “Until tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.”

  I leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. She didn’t complain. As I walked away, back into the club to leave, I marveled at her soft, silky skin.

  On the way out, I paid no attention to the other dancers or anyone else. My thoughts were wrapped up in Heidi, wondering what it would be like to fuck her.

  Back in my car, driving toward Cleveland, I wondered why the petite yet full-figured woman had captivated my mind. What was it about her?

  The answers did not come, but the anticipation of our first official date made me feel like I was back in high school and taking a girl to a dance for the first time.

  SIX

  Tony

  “You know, I’ve never even been here before,” Heidi said as we pulled into the parking lot of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

  “Get out of here. You’re kidding. It’s one of the few cool things about Cleveland.”

  I parked the car and turned to see her beautiful face. She had on black jeans and a white blouse, looking so punk in a good way.

  “Well, I don’t get up to the city often. Most of the time I’m working or studying.”

  “You’re the first person I’ve ever met who studies before they get enrolled in college.”

  “I’m serious about my future,” she said, not looking away.

  We stared at each other a moment. I had to resist the urge to lean forward, put my hand on her shoulder, and kiss her on the mouth.

  “Let’s go,” she said, opening her door.

  I got out of the car and waited for her to walk around. We headed to the entrance of the museum side by side, me slowing my steps for her.

  She’s so damn small.

  “I hope it’s not crowded today,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  I stopped and opened the glass door for her.

  “At work I’m always around people, and I’d like some time alone with you.”

  She stepped past me and into the building. I had been to the museum plenty of times before, but I’d never brought a woman. It had always been my place to get away by myself.

  Inside, I saw her glancing around, trying to take it all in.

  “Wow. This place doesn’t look so big from the outside, but it’s huge in here.”

  “Right? More than you could get through in a day. Any type of rock music you enjoy?”

  She put her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want to tell you because it’s embarrassing.”

  “Come on. Tell me, and I’ll owe you an embarrassing story.”

  “I love boy bands, especially the Backstreet Boys.”

  “That’s it. Date over,” I teased.

  Her hand dropped, and I saw that beautiful smile of hers.

  “I think they have a boy band exhibit.”

  “We have to go see.”

  She walked toward a map on the wall showing all the current exhibits. I stepped beside her and touched her back briefly.

  “There it is,” she said, pointing.

  “Lead the way.”

  As we headed toward the boy band exhibit, I marveled at the way she wasn’t asking about my money or begging me to buy her something.

  “OMG,” she said, spelling out the letters.

  “What?”

  “Over there. The Backstreet Boys and American Greed.”

  “What do those two things have in common?” I asked.

  “Their manager screwed them over big time. He was the subject of an American Greed episode.”

  “You do love that show, don’t you?”

  “It’s not all I watch, but yeah. Since I know I’m going to be earning more money someday, I want to be sure I’m ready to handle it and not get too greedy, you know?”

  She stopped in front of the glass display case with photos of the manager and items of interest from the band. I put my hand on her back again, keeping it there.

  “I know what you mean about getting greedy. After college, it took me a while to get used to all the money I suddenly had.”

  “Did you blow a lot of it?”

  “Oh, I spent some, but I bought a house and the car. Not too crazy.”

  “I’m living in a small studio apartment right now to save money.”

  “That’s smart. It’s not like you can dance forever.”

  She turned to stare up at me, her green eyes sparkling.

  “Well, I could dance into my forties if I wanted, but as I said, I have other plans.”

  I raised my hands in the air.

  “Whoa. Calm down.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so defensive.”

  “You’re fine,” I said. “Did you like the New Kids on the Block too?”

  I nodded toward the next display case.

  “They were okay, I guess. What type of music do you listen to?”

  “Anything but country.”

  I grinned.

  “Yeah, I’ve never got much into country music either.”

  “Not really good music for the club, is it?”

  Her smile faded.

  “Not everything in my life is about that damn club. Would you like me bringing up football all the time?”

  “Fair enough. Let’s keep walking. I don’t want to ruin our first date.”

  “You’re getting close, buster.”

  She turned and walked further into the room, checking out some clothes worn by The Beatles.

  “I can’t stand the Beatles,” I said, feeling at ease enough to tell her anything, my secret most thoughts.

  “What? No way. You can’t hate the Beatles. They were one of the first boy bands.”

  “Yeah, sure, but give me some classic rock like Jethro Tull.”

  “Who? I’ve never even heard of them before.”

  “It’s a single person. He did Aqualung. You’ll have to listen to it sometime.”

  “Only if you listen to the Beatles with me.”

  I grinned.

  “We’ll see.”

  As we made our way through the museum, getting to know each other, I found myself genuinely attracted to her. The desire to kiss her overwhelmed me. I fought the urges.

  * * *

  By the time our first date was almost over two hours after arrived, I was unable to resist any longer. In the parking lot, I put my hand on her waist and moved in for a kiss.

  Our closed lips touched briefly. I needed more, so much more. I pulled her close, wanting the kiss to continue, but she pulled away and smiled.

  “I should get going. We have a long drive back to my apartment.”

  “Sure,” I said, opening the passenger door.

  After she got settled in, I shut the door behind her. Walking around the car, I wondered if she would invite me in at her apartment.

  I thought we were hitting it off wonderfully, but she was holding back, so unlike all the other women I’d dated since college.

  “Thanks for bringing me,” she said after I sat down in the driver’s seat. “I had fun.”

  “Me too,” I said. “We should go out again. Once the season starts I won’t have a lot of extra time on my hands, but I’m free all summer.”

  “All I have is work,” she said quietly.

  I started up the car.

  “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I said, backing out of the parking spot. “Wha
t’s up?”

  “I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to blurt it out, okay?”

  “Whatever it is, I don’t think you’re going to shock me.”

  I put the car in first gear and headed toward the road.

  “Well, it’s just that we met at the club. I don’t want you to think I’m a whore…”

  “Whoa,” I said. “Hold on a second. I never called you that.”

  “No, you didn’t, but most guys assume that because I’m a stripper I’ll sleep with them.”

  I glanced over and grinned.

  “You know I’m not most guys, right?”

  She smiled.

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, cutting her off. “It’s all good. We have chemistry, but we can take it slow.”

  “Are you sure? I know you’re this big time football star, but I don’t want to rush into things, you know?”

  “It’s fine. You don’t think I’m just looking for a lay, do you? I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but there’s plenty of women I could call right now who would sleep with me if that’s all I wanted.”

  “Ugh. I’m making this so awkward, aren’t I?”

  “You worry too much,” I said as we made our way to the highway. “Relax. Enjoy the ride.”

  “I think it’s because I don’t have any real family,” she said, the words hitting me hard.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “It was a long time ago, but I still think about them all the time.”

  “Are you hungry?” I asked to change the subject. “Want to grab something to eat on the way back to your place?”

  “Sure. I could really go for a Mr. Hero right now.”

  “Get out of here. They are my absolute favorite. I can’t eat there often, but when I do…”

  I let my voice trail off.

  “You like the Roman Burger or the Philly Cheesesteak?”

  “Philly all the way.”

  “That’s my favorite too,” she said.

  I glanced over and saw her smiling again, which made me happy. Unlike a lot of the women I’d dated, Heidi had a brain and knew how to use it. I loved her complexity.

  We stopped at a Mr. Hero in Brunswick and brought the sandwiches out to the car.

  “You don’t mind us eating in here?” she asked. “It’s a fancy car.”

  “We’ll be fine. I have it cleaned every other week.”

  She unwrapped her Philly Cheesesteak and bit into it, her eyes closing in ecstasy.

  “Mm,” she moaned.

  “You’re going to turn me on with all that moaning,” I joked as I opened my sandwich.

  Her eyes opened and stared into mine briefly.

  We ate in silence. The food was great, but sitting in the car with her while eating it was even better. After a few minutes, we had both wolfed down our food.

  “That hit the spot,” she said, crumbling up the paper and putting it in the bag at her feet.

  “I agree. Much better than one of those fancy restaurants.”

  “You can take me to one of those sometime too,” she teased.

  I smiled, falling for her so hard and fast it scared me. Very few things in life frightened me.

  “We should get you home,” I said, starting up the car. “You’ve probably got some pre-homework, right?”

  She laughed.

  “I’m just playing. Like I said, I think you’re smart about preparing before you enroll. You should definitely keep going to get a law degree and not become a cop.”

  “You don’t think I would make a good police officer?”

  “No. You’d be too damn sexy,” I said.

  The joy between us in the car multiplied as I drove her home. When I reached the house where she stayed in an attic room, I turned to her.

  “Thanks again.” She leaned over and kissed me on the lips. “Call me soon, okay?”

  “You can count on it,” I said.

  She got out of the car. I watched as she walked away, still not believing we weren’t fucking already. As I pulled out of her driveway and headed toward the interstate, I fought to keep thoughts of her out of my mind. It was a long damn drive home.

  SEVEN

  Heidi

  Tony called the very next day to set up another date, surprising me. After not inviting him into my tiny apartment and fucking his brains out the night before, I never thought I’d hear from him again.

  I agreed to drive to Cleveland and visit him at his house. As I drove north on the interstate toward Lorain County, I wondered about letting him get my panties off. Was he even interested in me?

  By the time I pulled onto his long, winding driveway, I still had no idea how the evening would progress. Ugly Stan wasn’t happy I’d taken off work, but I found Tony intriguing on so many levels.

  This house is huge, I thought as I parked next to his Mercedes. He came out of the front door wearing khaki cargo shorts and no top. Those arms. I got out of the car and walked toward him.

  “You made it,” he called. “I was beginning to think you changed your mind.”

  “Sierra started to overheat, so I had to stop and let her cool off.”

  “Sierra?” he asked as I made it to the porch.

  “Yeah, my car, Sierra the Civic. Don’t you name your vehicles?”

  “No, but I named my arms Milo and Otis.”

  I smiled.

  “You going to invite me in or what?”

  “Come in,” he said, stepping aside.

  I walked past him and into the open front door. The foyer was bigger than my entire apartment.

  “Let’s go out back.”

  He came inside and put his hand on my back.

  “You down for a swim?”

  “I didn’t bring a suit,” I said quickly. “But I’ll watch you.”

  “That’s no fun.”

  “It’s fun for me.”

  “Maybe I’ll give you a lap dance.”

  I stared straight ahead as my heart beat faster.

  We reached the kitchen in back of the house. A sliding glass door led to a cement patio with an in ground pool filled with glistening blue water. Behind it, Lake Erie stretched across the horizon.

  “That’s quite a view,” I said, opening the door and stepping out.

  He followed close behind.

  “Yeah. I like it. Do you want a drink? I’ve got fresh sun tea.”

  “That sounds great. You working on your tan?”

  I took in all of his marvelous body.

  “What? Oh, the missing shirt. I was about to hit the pool and the alarm beeped to let me know you’d finally showed up. You mind?”

  “No. Are you kidding? You remember I’m a dancer, right?”

  “Feel free to strip your own clothes off,” he said, which turned me off.

  Is he really like most men after all?

  “Come on, I was just joking. The tea’s right here on the table.”

  As he stepped toward it, his phone rang. He dug it out of one of his front pockets.

  “I’ve got to take this.”

  He put the phone to his ear and stepped away, walking to the far end of the pool.

  I poured myself a glass of iced tea, hoping it didn’t have too much sugar. It didn’t. As an athlete, he was probably as obsessed with his weight and health as I was as an exotic dancer.

  When he walked back over, I studied his face.

  “You plan another date when you didn’t think I was coming?” I teased.

  “No,” he sighed. “It’s my money guy. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I set my tall glass down on the white metal table.

  “Even if you’re the best dancer in the world, I’m sure you don’t have the type of money I do.”

  “Wow.” I shook my head. “You’re something else.”

  “Because I tell the truth? I’m not trying to hurt your feelings.”

  “Well, you’re d
oing a really good job.”

  “Hey…” He stopped in front of me and put his huge hand on my arm. “Calm down, okay?”

  “Why do you always say that to me?” I asked, suddenly irritated at him.

  “Calm down? Why are you tripping?”

  “I’m not tripping,” I said defensively stepping back.

  Part of me wanted to shut the hell up and wrap my arms around that hunky body of his while my brain told me to run away before I fell into a relationship.

  Men were distractions that would keep me from my goal of finishing college with at least a four-year degree – even a damn near perfect guy like Tony.

  “I’m going to jump in the pool. When I get out, if you’ve calmed down, we can fire up the barbecue or something. Sound good?”

  He stared into my eyes. I nodded silently, watching as he took off those cargo shorts and revealed a pair of very tight bikini briefs. He’s huge!

  I glanced away but not before he noticed I’d noticed and smirked at me. As he dove into the water, I stared into the pool, my ego, heart and loins all fighting for dominance.

  You don’t need this, I told myself, turning and walking back into the house before he came out up out of the water. As I closed the sliding glass door, I heard him call out.

  “Heidi! What’s wrong?”

  I ran through his house, not looking back. Coming to see him had been a mistake. He was just another guy who came into the club. That was it.

  He didn’t chase after me as I sat in my car and waited a moment, breathing to calm myself. Why the hell am I so upset? He’s just another guy to manipulate and drain dry of money.

  No matter how often I repeated my mantra of money over everything, I couldn’t stop thinking about a genuine relationship with Tony. That terrified me to the core of my being.

  I started up my car and pulled out of the driveway. As I reached the street, I saw him, soaking wet, come out of the front of the house. I punched the gas and took off toward the highway.

  My phone rang a few seconds later, but I ignored it, tears streaming down my face as confusion, love and fear all mixed in my mind, creating an emotional cocktail I wasn’t ready to handle.

  When I reached the highway onramp, heading south, I picked up my phone and called Jessica. She answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath.