Pinned Down: A Triple Threat Sports Romance (17 page)

Kendra

I had only been inside a Waldorf Astoria for charity events, and for those I was usually speaking or presenting a speaker. I hadn’t been inside the local Waldorf Astoria before, but I had been inside the one in New York on several occasions. I had never dined there, but I knew it was supposed to be elegant and prestigious. Just the name felt rich rolling off my tongue.

I met my parents outside, both dressed in formal wear. My father wore a tux. His curly salt and pepper hair was cropped short. He looked like he’d been off the road for a while. He sometimes let it grow out while they were touring or sitting in for extended studio sessions. He always kept himself
presentable
—his word—whenever they were home for a while.

My mother wore a black evening gown, not very different from mine. She had her hair swept up from her neck, allowing for a good view of her pearl necklace and diamond earrings. In my mind, my mother was the perfect image of feminine beauty. She carried herself like a goddess, always ready to be worshipped and adored by her subjects. And we were all her subjects.

It occurred to me that I had no idea what they had been up to. I didn’t know how long they’d been home from the road. I didn’t know who the last artist they’d been employed by was. I had no idea. It had been years since the last time we even so much as spoke to each other. It had been longer since the last time I saw them. And they didn’t look a day older than I remembered. Of course, my father’s hair had aged a bit, but the rest of him didn’t seem to.

We embraced with smiles and hugs. I choked back my tears, reminding myself there was no time to get emotional. I wasn’t really meeting them for dinner. I was there to talk to them about money. This meal was a business meeting, just like so many others. It just happened to be in a much nicer setting than normal.

We walked inside, and I was floored by how beautiful the dining room was. It was a large ballroom, just like the ones in fairy tales. Tables were placed in the middle of the room, each with a white cloth draped over it. We were seated and given menus.

I had no idea what I wanted, and honestly, I wasn’t that hungry. I was too nervous about being there with my parents to eat. We hadn’t been a part of each other’s lives in so long that it just seemed foreign to have them near.

It was surreal. I always thought of my parents as part of my childhood, not part of my adulthood. They hadn’t been a part of my adulthood since I left home.

“You look good,” my mother said after we sat down. She had the same distant, confused look in her eyes I was sure I did, like she couldn’t believe it was actually happening and not just another dream.

“Thank you. So do you. You both do,” I said.

“We’ve been off the road for a while now,” my father said absently. He propped the menu up on the table and looked over it like he was reading the paper.

“I was going to ask,” I said.

“You look like you’ve been managing to take care of yourself pretty well,” my mother added.

“I’ve been trying to,” I told her.

“It has to be hard when you’re busy trying to rescue charities,” my father said with a hint of condescension in his tone. I could tell he still wasn’t happy about my career choices.

“Well, I do get treated to good dinners a lot by donors and local politicians,” I said, joking a little. But only a little. It did happen from time to time.

“What about this rich boyfriend of yours?” my mother asked.

“He helps me out, too,” I answered.

“Yeah, where is Lucky? I was hoping we would get the chance to meet him.” My father set his menu down on the table and looked at me with his hard, authoritarian eyes.

“Well, we’re not getting along right now,” I said.

“You can’t be mad at him for calling us, honey. It was the right thing to do,” my father said.

“And you know he was just doing it because he cares,” my mother chimed in.

“I wanted to be able to thank him for getting us all back in touch. I’m sorry to hear that you’re having problems, but I get it. You didn’t want anything to do with us, and he had to go and mess that up, huh?” He laughed. It was a harsh, humorless laugh. He wasn’t amused.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on asking for your help,” I protested. “I didn’t ask him for his. He just took it upon himself to reach out to you.”

“Even more reason to thank him,” my father insisted.

“How about this? After dinner, I’ll give you his number. You can call him and thank him yourself. Maybe he’ll even be around for you to meet up with him and have a few after dinner drinks.”

“I already have his number,” he reminded me. “It’s not a big deal, but you might want to think about where you place your loyalty. He’s a good guy. He obviously thinks highly of you and cares a lot about you to stick his neck out like that.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. I felt like he was already trying to take charge of everything. I hadn’t even agreed to take any money yet. I looked down at the table and took a few slow, measured breaths to keep my nerves steady. I didn’t want to make a scene right there in the middle of that ballroom-style dining hall.

Then, my mother’s hand touched mine. As always, my worries melted away at her touch. I looked up, and our eyes met. She was much softer and gentler than my father. A lot of times, though, she took a backseat to him, especially when it came to family matters. That was probably when I needed her to be up front most often.

“We’re here because Cade called us, dear. We want to help you. We want to make sure you don’t have to give up on your dreams,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Lucky had tried to get me to think about it from their perspective instead of looking at their attempts to help me as attempts to control me. I tried. My mother’s gentle voice and teary eyes helped me understand what he meant. They really weren’t trying to take charge. They were just trying to help me.

“I’m not here to tell you what to do, baby,” my father said, softening his tone and sighing. “I’m here because you’ve done a great job on your own all these years, and you’ve
earned
our help, when you never had to earn anything from us. We would have given it freely.”

“At this point, it’s an honor to help you,” my mother added.

“We’re proud of everything you’ve done,” my father confessed.

I wiped a tear from my cheek. Who the hell were these people and what had they done with my parents? They were saying all the right things, all the things my parents never would have said to me. I wanted to ask them what had happened, but I figured it was best to take them at their word and just roll with it.

“Everything?” I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make a joke out of it and lighten the mood.

“Well, not
everything
, but you know what I mean,” he said with a laugh.

“I guess so. Thank you.” I could feel my face beaming across the table at him.

“Now, about this money,” he said, and we started talking business.

We talked over our food. He was pretty straightforward about the whole thing. He told me he didn’t expect anything in return, and I made him promise that he wasn’t going to try to start making demands on my time and my actions.

It was a good talk, and in the end, I was glad that Lucky had reached out to them. It was nice to talk about money without mentioning contracts or having to figure out ways to move it around without anyone seeing what we were doing. Accepting help from my family meant not doing anything that would create a moral or legal conflict with the charity, or with myself.

“I’m prepared to offer you three million for the charity and as much personal money as you need until you can get this organization back off the ground,” my father said near the end of our meal.

The donation was the same amount I had been kicking around with Tommy and Lucky. I knew my father would live up to his end of the bargain on the personal amount as well. He had no problem supporting me as long as I stuck with Older Brothers.

“I think what you’re doing is noble,” he added. “Older Brothers is a great foundation. They’ve done a lot of good things in the communities where they’ve been successful.”

“I know. That’s one of the things that attracted me to them. I didn’t want to work for someone who wasn’t actually doing something,” I said.

“Yeah, that sounds like you. You’d do it for free if they let you,” he said, cutting his eyes at me.

“As long as I could help someone, I’d be alright.” I gave him my winning smile.

He sighed. “Will you accept our help?”

I thought about it for a moment. I could still feel the weight of my phone even though it sat in my purse. I felt it pulling on me, begging me to check it because Tommy had surely continued calling and texting while we were at dinner. I felt pretty certain that Lucky hadn’t called me even once.

I knew I was going to have to face an angry, horny donor when I got out of the restaurant and back into the night. I wasn’t looking forward to it. I wasn’t excited about accepting their money either. Part of me was just too damn proud and stubborn to let my parents help me.

I knew that no matter what, I was going to have to face the boyfriend I had wronged as well. I had turned my back on him, the one person I needed the most after my family. And probably the one person who needed me the most. He was going through a lot, and I was so focused on what I was dealing with that he was trying to help me and not himself.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, bringing myself back to the table. Once I got the money out of the way, I was going to focus more on helping him at least present a positive image to the press. Hopefully, a positive image would help him through his litigation.

“I’ll do it,” I told my father. “I can’t afford to keep being stubborn. They’ll be kicking me out next week if I don’t do something now.”

My mother clasped her hands together over the table. I thought she was going to start clapping out of joy over my decision. Instead she took my face in her hands and kissed my cheeks.

“When we get out of here, I’ll transfer the money to you,” my father said.

It shouldn’t have shocked me that he already had the money ready to move, but it did. My father was a very efficient man when it came to money. He handled his whole life like it was a business.

I just wanted to hug his neck and thank him, just like I did when I was a little girl.

Lucky

Dinner was mostly quiet. There wasn’t much to say. The only things left for us to talk about were whether or not I was going to accept her terms and when it was all going to go down. I was already thinking about getting a hotel room and spending all night taking her again and again, just like old times. Just because the contract said we were going to sleep together once a week until she got pregnant didn’t mean we couldn’t sleep together as many times as possible on those nights.

The awkward tension between us was almost painful, though. I could tell she just wanted me to accept her terms so we could get on with it. Meanwhile, I just wanted to get down to business with her. I wanted to take her even without the agreement. I was trying to figure out how I was going to convince her to get a room with me that night so we could go ahead and get started.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking up the tension for me.

“I’m sorry,” I said nervously. “Let me turn this thing off.”

When I pulled it out of my pocket, I didn’t look at the screen. I didn’t want to see who was calling me, because I knew it would probably make me want to answer. I silenced the ringer and set it on the table, letting it finish ringing in silence until it went to voicemail.

It started buzzing again. I silenced it again, letting it ring through.

On the third call, Raven looked at me.

“Maybe you should answer it. It sounds like they want to talk to you,” she said. “I’ll be quiet.”

I picked it up to see who it was. It was my defense team. I looked at the phone and then up at Raven sitting across from me. I had to take it. It was obviously important, but I put my finger over my lips first to let her know I needed absolute silence.

“Hey,” I answered with a surprised tone.

“Mr. Hendrix, we need to meet with you up at the office. We’ve got good news,” the lead attorney said.

“Sure. I’m eating dinner with a friend right now. Do we have time to finish up? I can be right up there once we’re done,” I said.

“Yes, but you don’t want to take too long. The legal team is here, as well as Stevens and Anglin. It’s pretty big news. Also, don’t let on what you’re doing. We don’t want any news getting out,” he said.

While we were talking, I heard Raven’s phone ring as well. She fished it out and took the call, keeping her voice down.

We hung up at the same time and looked at each other. Whatever the news was, it seemed to have reached us at the same time.

“I’ve got to go,” we said in unison.

I threw some money down on the table to cover the bill as we both got up and walked to the door.

“Hey, Raven,” I said, grabbing her arm, as we stepped outside.

“What?” she almost growled.

“I just want to say that no matter what has come up, I was actually looking forward to agreeing to your terms once you put something about dropping the charges in there,” I told her.

“I bet you were,” she said with a smile.

I really wasn’t.  I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a stab at her.

“Maybe some other time, then,” she said, flashing me a spiteful grin to let me know my little jab wasn’t lost on her.

“Maybe. We’ll see.” I felt confident that I wasn’t going to have to deal with her anymore after this.

She pulled away and disappeared down the street. I hurried to my car and rushed to the practice facility to see what was so important that they had to interrupt my dinner. The evening light was already starting to die out. Before long, night was going to take residence over the streets. The streetlights were already coming on in anticipation of the coming night.

Normally, early evenings were exciting for me. It meant football. And football meant groupies. It meant taking the field with the guys and doing what we did best. Unfortunately, it seemed that the game and everything else was all being taken away from me. I hoped that the good news would be that the trend would be reversed soon.

I parked the car and rushed into the facility. I hurried to the boardroom where we usually met, and I found everyone waiting for me at the table.

“We hope that your dinner went well,” Coach said as I walked in.

“I just hope you’re about to tell me I’m coming back into the game,” I told them.

“Take a seat,” Mr. Stevens said.

“Yes, sir.” I pulled back one of the leather office chairs and sat down.

“Like we said, we have great news for you,” the lead attorney said. He passed a sheet of paper across to me. It was obviously a print-out from a copier. It had the smudgy black lines around the edges where the sides of the original had been.

“What’s this?” I asked, picking it up. I tried to read it, but I was so excited and nervous that I could barely make any of the words out.

“You are looking at the statement made by a witness to what actually happened to your friend, Raven,” the attorney said.

“Okay, how is this
good
news?” I asked. I figured that if any witnesses came forward, they would have been vouching for her, saying exactly what she wanted them to, and that wouldn’t have been good news for me.

“Well, read it. Someone else beat her,” the attorney said.

I glanced down at the paper and read over some of what was written there. According to the witness, she was seen joking with her alleged attacker beforehand. They even said it looked like she already the bruises and wounds in place when she came down.

That explained why she hadn’t had any bruises when we met for dinner. I wasn’t going to bring that up, though. Not with my lawyers.

After staging the attack, which the witness assumed was just to attract attention, Raven’s supposed attacker took the photos of her that ended up in the papers. It was the best news I could imagine them giving me. According to the witness, it was all just for show.

“Alright, so what does this really mean?” I asked.

“It means we just got off the phone with the other legal team, and the case is being dropped. They’re dropping charges and everything. This statement was made directly to police,” the attorney said.

“So, that’s it?” I let out a sigh of relief. I had been so close to fucking everything up royally by sleeping with her just a few minutes prior to getting the news they were giving me.

“That’s it. They’re going to make an official statement tomorrow.”

I looked at Coach and the owner.

“Sounds to me like someone’s looking out for you, kid,” Mr. Stevens said.

“Yes, sir,” I said, nodding and unable to hide the smile spreading across my face.

“Looks like your luck has returned,” Coach said.

“Indeed.”

“Well, that’s not all,” Mr. Stevens said, sitting forward in his chair.

I looked at him and tried to maintain my composure. I had no idea what other news they could possibly have been sending my way.

“We can’t do anything until the press conference, but we’re going to lift your suspension as soon as they announce they are dropping charges. That means you will be allowed back to practice, and you can come back on the field as soon as this weekend if you feel like you’re ready,” he said.

Just like that, it was all over. I hadn’t had to do anything at all. I didn’t have to give in to temptation and sleep with Raven. I didn’t have to jump through any additional hoops or anything. That was it. All we had to do was wait for the prosecution to drop the charges against me, and I would be back on the team.

“Now, this does
not
mean that you can go back to your old ways,” Mr. Stevens said.

“Right,” I agreed, nodding.

“No, I’m not sure you completely understand, Cade. You cannot turn around, walk out of here, and find some little groupie to enjoy the night with. You can’t leave here and let the tabloids pick up the story as you go home. You have got to set the example, just like the rest of your teammates. This is not just a sport. You’re not just a celebrity. You are a role model for that kid living above his parents’ garage. He’s got your picture on his wall. You are the kicker for his favorite team. You’re not as big as the other guys, and neither is he, but you’re still a badass. You still win games. You tell him that he can, too, every single time you take the field. Now, you’ve got to go out there and show him how. You don’t win games by sleeping with every loose-lipped floozy who wants you to sign her tits, right?”

Everyone else shifted uncomfortably in their seats while Mr. Stevens talked. He stood with one finger pressed firmly on the table while his eyes burned holes into my face.

“In fact, this last one almost cost you your career, didn’t she?” he asked.

“Yes. You’re right. I’m going to have to keep it together after this,” I said.

“You’re damn right you are,” he continued. The only other person who had ever talked to me the way he was had been a coach, and I wondered why Mr. Stevens wasn’t sitting in Coach Anglin’s spot. Coach Anglin sat quietly while his boss talked for him.

“Alright, I think he’s got it,” Coach said when Mr. Stevens was done.

“I do,” I assured them.

“We’ll call you as soon as the announcement is made, and we expect to see you back here then,” Coach said, standing to shake my hand.

I stood up and looked around the table. “Is that it?” I asked.

“That’s it. Continue enjoying your evening, and we’ll see you back here soon,” Coach said.

I shook everyone’s hand and turned to leave. The lawyers were packing up as I walked through the door. I couldn’t wait to surprise Kendra with my news. Once I was back out at my car, I tried to call her but she didn’t answer.

“Still not answering my calls,” I said to the phone as the screen went dark again. It didn’t surprise me.

I put the phone down and pulled out of my parking spot. I was ready to get home and tell her that I was being cleared of all my charges. I wondered if she would let me go ahead and remake my donation once the news was announced. I also wanted to be an Older Brother for the program.

Being an Older Brother for her hadn’t seemed like a great idea at first. It was just something I had agreed to do to get closer to her. I hadn’t been interested in doing it, which was why I never really pressed the matter with her.

After coming dangerously close to losing everything, though, I really wanted to look into giving back to the community with her, as part of our own team. It was definitely something I was going to bring up once we had a chance to sit down and talk.

I had definitely lived up to my name. I was starting to feel lucky all over again, just as I had begun to think my luck had run out completely.

On the way home, I kept expecting my phone to ring with a call from Raven. I expected her to call raising hell and accusing me of putting someone up to making a statement against her. The thing was, I never even called the guys about it, so there was no way I was involved at all. And if they were going to be dropping the charges, that meant they had very good reason to believe the person was telling the truth.

I couldn’t contain my happiness as I drove back to the house. Even though I was thrilled to be getting back on the field, I was overjoyed to know that my chances with Kendra had been saved by all of this. All I could think about was our future as I drove home toward it.