Player (10 page)

“From a guy?”

I nodded sheepishly.

“From
the
guy?”

Lana had told me how James had come in and pestered her into telling him where I was. But she hadn’t caved. I knew I could trust her.

“Yeah. James. He’s… really nice.”

“Nice?”

She laughed at me.

“He’s not nice. He’s FINE. And he’s going to be rich as fuck when he gets signed. Just you wait.”

I stared at her. I hadn’t thought about that. He was a senior. I was just a freshman. That meant… Fuck. That meant I was really stupid.

Really, really stupid.

“Anyway, you got a table. They seem kind of rowdy but they asked for you.”

I glanced over to my section. There were a bunch of guys over there. I recognized them. They were local. A little older than the college crowd. They worked at the mill. They came in here a lot. They flirted pretty heavily but they tipped well. I did my best to ignore it.

I grabbed my pad and walked over to them.

“Hello sunshine.”

I smiled impersonally at Dewy. His buddies Cadence and Al were smirking at me. No, not me. My tits.

I hid my distaste and took their orders. They always started with beer before moving on to food. Lots and lots of beer.

When I bent over to put the pitcher down, Dewy’s hand slid across my ass. I jumped back, glaring at him.

“Don’t do that!”

He held his hands up.

“Oh oh oh, sorry young lady! No harm, no foul.”

I stared at him, at his greasy smirk, feeling sick to my stomach. I shook it off, walking back to the bar to watch the rest of my tables. I heard Dewy say something about tenderloin.

I knew he was talking about me, not the daily specials.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, those guys just got handsy with me.”

“You want me to take over?”

“Would you? I can’t deal with them today.”

Lana smiled and winked.

“I don’t mind a little handsy now and then. From the right guy of course.”

I laughed and leaned again the bar. I was tired. I couldn’t wait to go home with James. I checked my tables. Nobody need anything so I decided to get some fresh air.

I walked out front and inhaled deeply. It was chilly out but the air felt fresh and clean. I had my eyes closed when I felt the hand close over my mouth.

I struggled as I was dragged backwards towards the alley. I kicked out. I heard someone curse.

It sounded like Al. Rage and fear filled me as I realized what was happening. My own customers were doing this to me.

Motherfuckers!

It was dark but I could see Dewey standing in front of me. My arms were held by his buddies. I stared in horror as he reached for his fly. He pulled out his cock and started rubbing it grotesquely.

“What’s the matter sunshine? We’re not good enough for you? You can’t even bring us beer?”

He spit on his hand and started stroking himself.

“I’m about to prove you wrong on that, you little cock tease. Get her pants down.”

The hands on my shoulders let go, grabbing my hips. I knew it was now or never. I brought my elbows down on their backs, hard. I heard them cry out in pain.
 

They didn’t let go though.

“Oh you are going to pay for that little missy.”

I was shoved against the cold brick wall. My head slammed backward, making me see stars. I tried to fight them but one held my shudders while the other worked on my pants. I felt the cool air on my skin as they pulled my jeans down.

“No… please don’t…”

I hated the weakness in my voice. I was helpless. I started to cry in terror.

Dewey stepped closer, reaching for me. Then his head jerked to the side, distracted by something coming towards us. Something large.

A shadow fell over us.

“What the?”

And just like that, he was gone. I heard two thuds and the hands holding me let go.

“You okay?”

I nodded shakily.

James. It was James.

He’d saved me.
 

He was pulling my pants up as I trembled in his arms. I saw a shadow move in the darkness behind him.

“Behind you!”

The guys jumped him from behind and James peeled them off of him one by one. He was throwing punches left and right. I watched it awe as he took on all three men. He was younger, and stronger, but I knew he could still get hurt.

“Stop!”

Al landed a punch to his belly. James didn’t even flinch as he turned to drive his fist into Al’s face. He went down and stayed down.
 

Now it was just Dewey and Cadence against Fitz. I exhaled, knowing James had this covered. He twisted and turned, driving them back. I saw Dewey fall. He came back up with a piece of wood. He lifted it like a bat.

“James, look out!”

He turned, ducking just in time. My blood went cold. Dewey could have killed him.

James went insane then, grabbing Dewey by the shirt and driving his fist into his face again and again. Dewey slumped, losing consciousness. But James kept hitting him.

Al was on his back, trying to drag him off.

“Stop! You’re killing him!”

He shrugged Al off. Al stood back, clearly not willing to continue the fight. Then he turned tail and ran, leaving his friends laying unconscious on the ground.

James pulled me into his arms, his bloody hand cradling my face.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded shakily. He slung his arm over my shoulder and we walked slowly out of the alley. In the light of the street I could see he was in bad shape. He slumped against the bench that was outside for smokers.

“James… Oh God. You’re hurt!”

Lana ran outside.

“Holy shit!”

“Lana, we need an ambulance!”

She nodded and ran back inside. James tried to stand up.

“I’m fine. Let’s just go home Deanie. You promised…”

I shook my head, pushing him back down. His hands looked like bloody messes. His cheek was swollen and his lip split.

“Oh James…”

Lana was back in a minute with my backpack.

“They’re on their way. What happened?”

“Those guys jumped me.”

Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Where are they?”

I jerked my head.

“In the alley. One of them got away. That guy Al, I think.”

She nodded.

“Let me know what happens, ‘kay? Hope the big guy’s alright.”

“I will.”

She stood up straight and winked at me.

“I’m going to go tell Casey and the guys to take out the trash.”

I would have laughed. But I was too scared. James was hurt bad.

And it was my fault.

I heard the sirens approaching and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He grinned at me, his lips red with blood. James tried to grab me, to pull me in for a kiss and I laughed. He was incorrigible.

I laughed. But inside, I was crying.

Chapter Sixteen

James

I stared at Nadine across the ambulance as the EMT’s gave me the once over. They were afraid that my hand might be broken. My ribs too.

I didn’t care though. I was still furious.
 

Someone had tried to touch my woman.

To hurt her.

She looked so small. I knew she was strong even being as tiny as she was. But I didn’t want her to have to be.

I wanted to be strong for her.

What kind of fucked up world was it where men would just try hurt someone like her? To take what wasn’t theirs? To hurt something so beautiful and pure?

I clenched my fist, wanting to go back and hit those guys again.

Nadine had her arms wrapped around her. Her pretty face was puffy from crying. Her new jeans were torn from being pulled off of her.

I growled, trying to sit up.

Immediately the EMT’s held me down, strapping me to the gurney.

“Easy, easy.”

“Nadine…”

They stepped back and signaled her over. She sat on the edge of the gurney, staring down at me. Her hand brushed my hair away from my face.

“Oh James… I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“You’re my woman. I will always protect you, Deanie.”

She closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“You know that, right?”

She nodded.

“Come here.”

She leaned down and brushed her lips across mine. I tried to grab her but I couldn’t. She pulled back too fast.

“You remember your promise from this morning, don’t you?”

She laughed through her tears.

“I don’t think that’s happening tonight, James.”

I let my head fall back.

“Maybe not. But I am taking an IOU.”

She nodded and smiled.

The ambulance stopped then. The siren stopped. The doors opened. The gurney tilted and was lowered to the ground. Then they were rolling me away. I could see Nadine standing in the parking lot filling out a clip board.

She wasn’t leaving.

She wouldn’t do that.

I knew it.

But for some reason, a terrible feeling came over me.

I needed her dammit.

The rushed me into the ER and started poking and prodding me. It hurt like hell. Then one of the nurses recognized me.

“Holy shit, it’s Fitz!”

I made a up thumbs up and grimaced. Even that hurt. Maybe I had overdid it with those scumbags in the alley…

Nah.

“Do you have his paperwork?”

“Here.”

“You the girlfriend?”

“Yes, I am.”

I heard Deanie’s voice in the background but I couldn’t see her. She must be behind the sheets.

“Any allergies? Underlying physical conditions?”

“Not that I know of.”

“We’re going to give him something for the pain and get some x-rays. Do you know what happened?”

“Three guys… they jumped him. He was protecting me.”

“Okay. You can wait in the waiting area. Is there someone you should call?”

“The school I guess. His coach.”

A nurse bent over me, injecting something into my arm. A warm feeling filled my body. My eyes fluttered shut. I wanted to see her. To tell her not to worry, that I was tough.

But instead, I just sunk deeper and deeper into the bed.

Light out.

Nadine

I paced back and forth, hugging my backpack against me like a teddy bear.
 

Not that I’d ever had a teddy bear. Not that I could remember anyway.

It seemed like I’d never held anything until James and Honeysuckle. But right now, I felt like I’d lost both of them. Everything that mattered. Call it intuition. But it felt like my dreams had been stolen in that alley way.

Dreams I hadn’t even known I had.

Dreams I hadn’t even dared to indulge in.

A future. With James.

A life together.

I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away. All that mattered right now was that he was okay. Nothing else. Not me or my silly schoolgirl obsession with him.

Or whatever it was now…

“Miss? He’s asking for you.”

A nurse stood in front of me.

It had been hours since we’d gotten here. I hadn’t sit down once. They wouldn’t tell me anything specific about his condition since I wasn’t related to him. But they couldn’t stop me from seeing him.
 

I followed him upstairs to another waiting room. They must have moved James. The nurse led me to a private room. James was laying there with his eyes closed and his hands wrapped. He looked awful but at least the blood was gone.

“Is he awake?”

“He’s in and out of consciousness. But he keeps asking for you. Just stay with him until his family gets here.”

“Oh I should have called his mother…”

“That’s been taken care of.”

“How bad is he?”

“I think he’ll be alright. I can’t really discus it with you.”

I nodded and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed. The nurse had been kind enough to throw me a crumb of reassurance. That would have to be enough.

I sat down and reached for his hand, sliding mine underneath it. No cast. Hopefully it wasn’t broken. I knew how important his hands were for football.

I stared out the window and prayed. I felt sick at the thought of him ruining his career for me. I wasn’t worth it.

I felt him squeeze my hand and looked up.

James was smiling at me goofily. He looked ridiculous. Like he was in love with me.

I tried to keep a straight face.

“God, you’re beautiful Deanie.”

I leaned up, brushing his hair back.

“I told you a hundred times, call me Nadine.”

He reached up, trying to drag me into bed. Then he grimaced in pain.
 

“Be careful James! You’re injured!”

“I don’t care. Kiss me woman!”

I gave him a quick peck and then scooted the chair back, folding my arms over my chest. He frowned at me.

“Come back here.”

“No.”

He scowled, looking like a little kid who wanted some candy. Or a toy. I guess in his drugged mind, I was both.

“How do you feel?”

He grinned at me dopily.

“Horny!”

I laughed. He really did have a one track mind.
 

“That’s too bad because I’m pretty sure you are too high to get it up.”

“I am not!”

He tried to sit up, pushing the blankets aside. I rushed to his side.

“James! I’m just kidding. Here, let me help you.”

There as a little button to lift his head. I pressed it and he smiled at me as the bed folded into a lounge position. As soon as he was upright he tried to grab my boobs.

“Gimme.”

I stepped back again.
 

“Be serious James. You’re injured. They need to do tests.”

He shook his head.

“I’m fine. Nothing broken.”

Relief flooded me.

“Oh good. They wouldn’t tell me anything because we aren’t related. I was so worried.”

“I’m going to marry you. Then we’ll be related.”

“What?”

James was staring at me, his eyelids slowly drifting shut. He must have over exerted himself. I thought he was asleep until he said one more thing. His eyes opened to half mast as he grabbed my hand.

“Don’t you love me, Deanie?”