Hidden Gem Short Story Collection (9781301405985) (22 page)

Since parting ways with
his college sweetheart, Evans has been seen out and about with
swimsuit model, Aubrey Gracielle among, oh, let’s say about
three dozen
others.
No joke. The man has
literally dated over a third of
Maxim’s
Top 100.
But there’s one lady at the top
of that list that he has yet to get to, and she’s wondering what’s
taking him so long. In an article accompanying her seductive photo
shoot, the shapely one-named songstress, Azura, was quoted saying,
“Damian Evans is my absolute dream man – and I called it from the
beginning that he would have a wild side. I’d love a chance at
taming him.”

We bet you do, Azura. And
maybe when you succeed, you can finally write a song that isn’t
about pill-popping heartbreak!

So. You ready for that
list of lucky ladies? Stay tuned…

Damian could barely hear over the sound of
his heart pounding in his temples. It didn’t help that his own
voice was coming at him from every corner of the arena, amplified
for the crowd through the well placed speakers. Luckily, post-game
interviews were automatic to him now. He knew exactly what
questions were going to be asked and exactly how he would answer
them. His team had played a great game – won, actually – despite it
being too late to get into the playoffs. The Warriors’ season was
coming to an end and that big decision that he had yet to make was
weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Someone handed him a towel as the reporter
pulled away. He took it, throwing a quick “thank you” into the
crowd behind him, unsure of whose hands he had taken it from.
Damian covered his face, taking long strides towards the locker
room. He wanted nothing more than to clean up and get back to the
hotel before his teammates got to him. He had been keeping his
distance, but not for the reason they thought. They wanted
confirmation that it was true – that he was leaving Golden State
after years of never quite getting the team far enough. They wanted
to know if they were about to lose not just their star player but a
close friend.

“Damian,” a familiar voice lilted from
courtside. He pulled the towel from his face and looked over to see
Aubrey wearing a white wifebeater over a slouchy, low-slung pair of
cargo pants. Her hair and makeup-free skin looked perfectly
sun-kissed, as if she had taken a nap on the beach before rolling
into her car and making the drive to Staples Center. Somehow, she
still looked incredible.

“Aubrey. Welcome back,” Damian smiled,
walking over to give her a big hug, despite being drenched in
sweat. She flinched only slightly in his grasp. He laughed, holding
her even tighter and nuzzling his sweaty face into her shoulder.
Aubrey was never one to show any sign of distress or demonstrate an
emotion that wasn’t totally positive. Any time Damian was able to
bug her a little felt like a small victory.

“I wouldn’t care,” Aubrey said, as if he
knew what he was thinking. “But my top’s white and you might just
be gross enough to turn this into an impromptu wet t-shirt
contest.”

“Isn’t your whole career just a wet t-shirt
contest?” Damian smirked as he pulled away from her.

“Yeah, but I’m not being paid for this
moment.”

“Can I get a hug too?” a voice said from
behind Aubrey. Damian tilted his head to look over her shoulder.
Aubrey had apparently come to the game with a friend. A very
famous
friend. Damian recognized her signature figure
immediately, bent over to sign autographs for the small crowd that
had flocked to her. She didn’t look up before she continued. “Or do
I have to put my name on the wait list?”

Damian bristled at the comment. He was
somewhat aware that there were some rumors going around about him,
but he hardly had the time or desire to investigate. But the
cryptic allusions to them had grown in recent days and with the
general silence he had adopted since the approaching free agency,
he figured many would just assume them to be true.

“Since when were you friends with the
legendary Azura?” Damian whispered to Aubrey, smirking despite
himself.

“Since last week,” Aubrey replied. “We met
in Tahiti, at the shoot.”

“I thought she was a singer, not a swimsuit
model.”

“Not a professional one, maybe,” Aubrey
smiled. “But she sure as hell rivals the rest of us in a
two-piece.”

Azura took a few quick pictures with her
fans before returning to her feet, staying perfectly balanced on
her skinny, silver stilettos. She turned to Damian, her
raspberry-glossed lips curling into a mischievous smile before she
looked up at him through a cloak of dark lashes.

“Might I just say,” Azura began as she
slinked towards him. “That you are absolutely a
thousand
times more gorgeous in person.” Damian laughed, looking over his
shoulder to see if any straggling teammates or press had caught the
exchange. Thankfully, they had all left. He didn’t need to give
them any more fuel.

“Thank you,” Damian replied. “I can say the
same for you.” He allowed himself a quick onceover. Azura was
famous for her petite frame and her rather
serious
curves.
Her looks were often a source of tabloid fodder, but whether her
figure was a gift of nature or a very skilled plastic surgeon, it
was hard to deny what a jaw-dropper she was in person. Her
crimson-dyed hair was cut into an asymmetrical bob, the longer end
brushing against the shoulder strap of her tight, white leather
mini-dress. Her getup was carefully constructed, a stark contrast
to Aubrey’s absolute lack of regard for makeup or clothing outside
of work.

“Azura is a big fan,” Aubrey explained. “She
wore a Warriors t-shirt with your number on it while we were in
makeup.”

“A Warriors fan, huh?” Damian asked,
surprised. “Aren’t you a Lakers season ticketholder?”

“How
adorable
,” Azura purred, peering
over a shrugged shoulder to give Aubrey a wink. “This is just an
act right? Are you really so humble that you’d think I was wearing
that shirt for the
Warriors
and not because I liked having
your name wrapped around my body?”

“Alright,” Damian laughed, a bit awkwardly.
He raised an eyebrow at Aubrey, in hopes that the motion was enough
to cue her aid in getting him out of the conversation. Aubrey
smirked, resting a friendly hand on Azura’s shoulder.

“Let’s let him get cleaned up before he
tries bathing us in his sweat again,” Aubrey said, pulling her a
step back away from Damian. Azura bit her lip, not once breaking
eye contact with him.

“I wouldn’t mind bathing in his sweat,” she
said, her voice low and husky.

“Well, you don’t miss a beat, do you?”
Aubrey’s eyes widened, shooting Damian an apologetic look. She took
Azura by the hand and led her away, walking into yet another group
that was waiting for the famous singer’s autograph. Damian cracked
a tired smile, ducking into the tunnel towards the showers.

~

“Sorry about that whole thing before,”
Aubrey said as Damian got into the passenger seat of her car. It
had been some time since he’d seen Aubrey and it was a rare
occasion that they were both in the same city at once. He watched
her as she pulled out onto Pico, driving him away from his hotel
and back towards her Miracle Mile apartment.

“What’s there to be sorry about?” Damian
smiled. He leaned his head back against the headrest, feeling the
soreness and fatigue set in.

“Azura creepin’ on you before. She said
she’d behave, but clearly she lied.”

“It wasn’t so bad.”

“Okay, good. Because I kind of thought it
was hilarious. And look, I know that everyone has this impression
of her, based on her songs and the tabloids and her relationship
history,” Aubrey rolled to a stop at a light, turning to look at
Damian. “But I got to know her while we were on that shoot and
she’s really such an awesome person. Like, seriously – so sweet and
kind. And say what you will about her tendency to maybe share too
much about herself but she’s really just totally genuine, you know?
You know how you’re always complaining that you hate how your dates
are being real with you, just ‘cause you’re in the NBA.” Damian
furrowed his brows, sitting back up and looking hard at Aubrey. She
pursed her lips and averted her eyes, turning back towards the road
as the light turned green.

“Aubrey, what is this?” Damian asked.
Aubrey’s eyebrows were raised as she pretended to focus on the
road. “Are you trying to set us up or something?” He had been
friends with Aubrey for three years now, ever since their managers
set them up as dates for the Thierry Marc event, back when Damian
was still modeling for his line. Aubrey was an up and coming
swimsuit model whose picture was torn from sports magazines and
pinned up in men’s bedrooms across the country. She seemed like the
appropriate match for a young NBA star, which was why he suspected
they were paired to begin with. Aubrey was effortlessly beautiful,
remarkably intelligent, and easily one of the kindest people he
knew. She was somehow simultaneously the ultimate sexual fantasy
and the girl a guy would want to take home to meet the parents.
Which was why Damian understood when no one around them, not even
his family and closest friends, believed him when he said that the
two were just friends. He had recognized that dating Aubrey would
be like a relationship jackpot, yet the two never quite clicked
that way.

“I’m not… trying to set you guys up,” Aubrey
started. “I know you don’t like that. But I did promise her that
I’d introduce the two of you and she really is nothing like the
media kind of makes her out to be.”

“But she
has
made a career out of
breakup songs and there’s no denying that,” Damian replied. “And
she does nothing to hide who the songs are about.”

“I know, but I’m just saying. She’s actually
a really cool girl. And she’s currently single. And she likes
you.”

“We only just met. Whatever she likes about
me, she got from what little she’s seen of me through the media.
And we all know how accurate those guys are.” They pulled into the
parking lot of Aubrey’s apartment complex and parked in her regular
spot. Aubrey stepped out of the car, gesturing for Damian to follow
her into the common area where there was a pool.

“You played a great game tonight,” Aubrey
said.

“Are we changing the subject?”

“Not quite,” she said as she sprawled out
onto an open poolside lounge chair. Damian sat beside her. “I just
always thought, if I were a dude and I was in the NBA and I had all
this testosterone coursing through me and I just won this
incredible game, that the first thing I’d do when I got out of the
arena was bring home a bunch of girls.”

“A bunch, huh?” Damian smiled. “That’s the
type of guy you’d be?”

“Yep.”

“Sounds about right,” he nodded. “So what
are you saying about me then? That I’m weird for
not
bringing home a bunch of girls?”

“I’m saying you’re weird for not bringing
home even
one.
I mean, I just introduced to you one of the
hottest women on this planet and you showed zero interest.”

“I was tired. And I’ve had a lot on my
mind,” Damian felt his face heat up. “And what, just because I’m in
the NBA means I can’t be monogamous?”

“You’re not even monogamous,” Aubrey
challenged. “You’re zero-nogamous.”

“I’m what?” Damian laughed, feeling his
momentary anger and embarrassment dissipate.

“You don’t find it
kind of
hilarious
that you have this reputation of being a megastar baller whose
dated a third of the Maxim 100 when in reality you’re closer to a
chastity ring than you are to a championship ring?”

“Whoa,” Damian exhaled. “Don’t hold back or
anything.”

“I think you’re a great guy and I love that
you respect women enough not to dick them around just because
you’re able to, but I also kind of feel like you’ve been kidding
yourself. I know you’re the relationship type and that you want to
be with someone special, but it kind of feels like you’re not even
trying.”

“That’s not true.” Damian looked out at the
empty pool, watching the dark, glassy surface skip under the night
sky.

“It kind of is.”

“Well,” he rubbed his chin, trying to think
of something to rebuff Aubrey’s insistence. But he was exhausted.
His mind was as fatigued as his body. “I think you only want me to
date Azura because you secretly love the idea of me being
immortalized in the Top Forty as another one of her
heartbreakers.”

“That
would
make my life,” Aubrey
nodded. “But contrary to your beliefs, it’s not because I get
pleasure out of seeing you unhappy.”

~

Damian sat in the dark of Aubrey’s living
room, staring at his phone’s screen and the near empty email that
had been saved to his drafts for nearly a year now.

Dear Gemma,

I’m writing because I wanted to say…

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, just
like he wasn’t sure of just about anything lately. He hated the way
the beginning of that sentence sounded but he had deleted it and
retyped it so many times that he figured he’d just leave it there.
There was probably a reason why he kept typing that same thing out,
just like there was a reason that he couldn’t seem to throw the
message out.

Since she moved back to New York, Damian
hadn’t seen Gemma nearly as much as he would have liked. But he was
used to it. They had been close friends for nearly six years but
the nature of their jobs and their individual relationships limited
the time they spent together. They kept in contact through the
occasional text message, usually something that one of them saw
that reminded them about the other. It took restraint on Damian’s
part not to text Gemma
every
time he saw something that
reminded him of her. He had a strange ability to draw thoughts of
her from just about anything.