The Balled And The Beautiful: A College Sports Romance Story (14 page)

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Chance Is Everything

By Nicole Chance

Trevor McGill….

His name echoed around as the limousine stopped at the curb and the chauffeur opened his door for him. The crowd of paparazzi went berserk as the six foot two, intimidating and famous industrial magnate stepped out. Trevor McGill had become a billionaire at the young age of twenty-five due to his genius investments and smart decisions. He was popularly spoken of as a man with a golden hand. He always seemed to know the company whose stocks were going to climb higher and was there to buy and profit quickly.

He was famous among the ladies due to his dark and mysterious looks. He wasn't what a person would call gorgeous with his harsh and serious features but his tall frame was rock-hard muscle and his stride nothing less than predatory. At thirty years of age, he was the owner of a highly successful telecommunications company, a chain of five-star restaurants and clubs and other businesses spread all across the United States, with their primary headquarters located in Chicago.

Trevor looked around as the journalists asked him meaningless questions while snapping photographs from every angle possible. He never brought a date to any of these functions as the women seen publicly with him inevitably tried to manipulate and hound him for more than he was willing to give –whether it be his money or his time.

He had had no intention of attending the event until his sister had called him to ensure that he came. He had just wrapped up a meeting with his financial advisor who had been involved in stealing small amounts of money from him at different instances. The pattern had been really vague and if it hadn't been for him checking out the transactions closely, no one would have been the wiser. Trevor was disgusted by the man; he had liked him at one point, and thought of him as trustworthy.

He could anticipate the stress of going through all the accounts and finding out how much of the money had actually been stolen. The board was to be informed of the progress and the issue. Trevor loathed board meetings. He cursed the man while surveying the ballroom looking at nothing in particular.

He was just about to go find his sister and tell her that he was leaving when his eye caught a woman standing near the bar. She wasn't model-thin as most women nowadays but was as voluptuous and curvy as they came. Her lush figure was encased in a black gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. She had perked up and ample breasts that were followed by a trimmed waist and wide hips. She made a perfect hourglass and Trevor suddenly developed a great interest in her. As his eyes moved up to her face, he suddenly had a feeling that he had seen her before.

Her heart shaped face with plump lips, a symmetrical nose and large, green eyes were oddly familiar to him. Her midnight black hair cascaded down to her waist in waves while a few smaller strands caressed her neck and cheeks. She looked picture perfect standing there with a glass of wine in one hand while a satisfied and contented smile graced her lips. Trevor was unable to move his eyes and was about to walk up to her when a hand on his shoulder stopped his movement. He looked down to find his sister looking at him with amusement and a giddy happiness.

"You came!" she exclaimed, smiling widely.

"Yeah well I couldn't exactly ignore the death threat you gave me on the call." he replied in a bored voice but couldn't help an answering smile from forming on his lips.

His sister, Olivia was a small, perky and beautiful woman. She was too kind and often emotional. He was glad she had found her perfect match in Jade Hemming who was the owner of a successful shipping company while also being a very loving and doting husband to Olivia. Ever since Olivia had married, she sought to set him up with one woman or the other. That was the reason why she was always complaining about his absence in many of the functions–where he could find a potential bride for himself.

Trevor rolled his eyes at the thought. All he ever found at these events were needy, clinging and money hungry women who got dollar signs in their eyes as soon as they saw him. He knew he would die before ever getting in a relationship or marrying one of them. The thought of the women brought his mind back to the gorgeous lady he had been eyeing a few moments ago. As he turned to look for her, toward the bar again, she was gone. His eyes did a quick sweep of the ballroom but to no avail, she had completely vanished.

"What is it? You seem more distracted than usual." Olivia commented, noticing the frown between his eyes.

"It is nothing," he told her and was about to finish his explanation when he noticed the determined look enter his sister's eyes. The look meant that he was not going anywhere until he spilled.

"Well, I just found out my financial advisor has been stealing small amounts of money from me at different instances and now I don't just have to replace him but also assess the total damage I have endured." he continued. He was uncomfortable about discussing business problems with anyone else.

"That's really bad. The board would go crazy and I know how much you hate those meetings," she replied as a thoughtful look came into her eyes.

"I know someone who could help you out" she said excitedly.

Trevor didn't know what scheme made Olivia so happy, but he was relieved that she hadn't caught on to his lie of being distracted by the advisor. If Olivia had found out that he was looking for a woman, she would be on her way to find her, help them elope and then plan babies with the woman.

"You aren't even listening! I just told you the perfect solution to your problem. Celine would the best choice for you–trust me," she insisted.

"Celine Rossi? Daughter of Esteban Rossi?" he asked incredulously. Last he had heard of her, she had disappeared right after high school to complete her studies and they hadn't heard of her after that.

"Yeah, she just got back. She is working as a financial advisor now after earning her degree from Harvard. She has a sterling reputation and might even be able to set some time aside for you– if I request,” she stated with a twinkle in her eyes.

"She always was a nerd," he replied, distastefully remembering the chubby teenager who always used to act like she knew best.

"Try and be nice to her. I'll bring her by to meet you tomorrow at your office," she told him, admonishing him at his words.

“Okay, but I'm done here. I'll take my leave," he replied, turning to walk outside to his car and head home.

The next morning Trevor had all but forgotten about his sister's offer when his secretary informed him about Olivia waiting outside with Miss Rossi. He requested her to let them in, as he recalled his sister telling him about Celine Rossi. He looked up as they entered and his eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

Celine Rossi was the woman he had eyed the whole time at the charity event. She was now dressed up in a knee-length, gray skirt with a white shirt tucked in. Her hair was bound up in a high ponytail away from her clear, olive skin.
She looks mouthwatering in this attire
, thought Trevor, while eyeing her lazily.

Celine knew Trevor McGill, not just from tabloids but also personally as they had met when she was just a teenager, and she could see he was as arrogant and angry looking as he had been back then. His looks were not that of a gorgeous man but rather tough and intense. The way his eyes had pursued her body had left a trail of heat in their wake. As she looked him in the eyes, the tension in the room suddenly escalated. She gasped as she felt a sudden, undeniable attraction to the man sitting behind the table.

"Good to meet you Miss Rossi" he greeted her in a rough voice extending a hand to her. Celine had no choice but to shake his hand and as their hands touched, she felt a shock run through her body and a knowing look come into Trevor's eyes.

She cleared her throat and greeted him back in a shaken voice. Celine hadn't been expecting such a response to Trevor. They all sat down while Olivia did most of the talking.

Olivia had already told Celine all about the fraud in the finances and how Trevor now needed to find out the extent of the damage.

"I'll be happy to help, but I will need access to all the files whenever I want," Celine spoke up.

"Anything you want Miss Rossi," replied Trevor, with a smirk.

"Okay, then I'll leave you guys to it." Celine smiled, looking at them both.

She excused herself a short while later as Trevor instructed his secretary to let Celine view all records and files regarding the business. It took all day as she went through receipts, income, expenses, and other pertinent business records. Celine was so involved in her work that she never noticed… as Trevor walked over and stood behind her chair.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered,

"So you don't eat?" he asked softly, knowing fair well she did. It was actually her larger-sized, curvy figure that attracted him in the first place. He’d never been much into the stick-figure, drug-addicted, thin women with fake tits who usually pawned after him. The bountiful curvaceous shape of Celine’s figure entranced him in a way that those bony women never could.

Celine startled at his soft voice came so close to her. She turned to find his face so near hers that their breath mingled.

"What do you mean?" she replied softly.

"You did not leave the office for lunch and now it's passed dinner time but you're still here." he replied while staring directly into her eyes.

"I was just working." she reasoned.

"Then you won't mind having dinner with me?" he questioned.

"There's no need of it" she answered lowering her eyes.

He raised her chin with his finger and thumb, forcing her bright green eyes to meet his.

"Oh but there is. There are a few things I need to discuss with you," he told her softly with his finger still at her chin.

"Okay then." She agreed with no reason left to object, especially if he wanted to discuss business with her. Secretly, though, a part of her deep down in her core hoped he had an interest in her that surpassed strictly ‘business.’

They dined at a small Italian restaurant that had a very warm and cozy feel to it. The waiters and staff were overly friendly towards Trevor, as if they were used to his presence there. They would go to any length to kiss his ass. Celine judged from their conversation that he ate there often. Being of Italian lineage herself, she had tasted a lot of different Italian food, but she had to admit that theirs was the definitely over-the-top delicious.

"The food here is amazing! Thank you for bringing me, but you never told me what you wanted to talk about," she asked him while enjoying dessert.

"I just wanted to take you to dinner but you were not agreeing otherwise so...” Trevor left his sentence incomplete while smiling and staring at her with eyes that seemed to grow darker with each passing second.

Celine's breath caught in her throat as she suddenly understood.

"So we are on a date and I don’t even know about it?" she laughed, nervously. “Is this a night on the town”?

"Now you are catching on" he laughed–right along with her.

Celine noticed how laughing and smiling softened his face and the dark look vanished to give way to something more light and carefree. Maybe it was the wine, but she realized how masculine and handsome he really was.

"You should smile more often," she blurted out abruptly, not even realizing that her brain-to-mouth filter had just malfunctioned.

"You think so?" Trevor smiled wider.

"Oh my, I didn't just say that aloud. Did I? I think I just had a little too many glasses of wine," she groaned while putting her face in her hands.

"We should head out to drink more often then," he said thoughtfully while taking both her hands in his and holding them down.

"You are really beautiful. I easily saw that in a crowd," he told her matter-of-factly while his eyes smiled at her.

"In a crowd?" she questioned bewildered.

"Yes in that charity dinner yesterday," he told her looking down at her hands in his.

She remained silent for a moment while contemplating the revelation and where they were both headed. She knew she was really attracted to Trevor and if they were to spend any more time together, the attraction and the chemistry between them was bound to grow.

"Tell me more about yourself" she stated while looking up at him, her chin in her thick, yet feminine hands

"Well, you would know the basic info. What else would you like to know?" he questioned searching her eyes for the abrupt question.

"I meant personal things." she replied, uncertain whether it was okay or not to ask him.

He didn't make a big deal out of her demand and soon they started with non-business related small talk and idle chat. They discussed their likes, dislikes, friends and life in general. Trevor grew much more attracted to Celine–the more time he spent with her, the more he realized she was not just gorgeous with a curvy and voluptuous body but also a very intelligent, practical and sensible woman. He loved the way her mind worked and the way she got engrossed in her thoughts while discussing her work. He could clearly see that she loved what she did and that eased his mind regarding his own problem at work.

They were sharing thoughts about each other's close friends when he told her how his best friend Connor was actually the son of a businessman whose company he had bought as he went bankrupt.

"So your friend is okay with you ruining his father?" she asked in a tone of surprise.

"I think he's smart and knows that they were actually already ruined, and I, being a businessman, just profited from it," he replied.

"What does he do now?" she asked interested in the story.

"Anyway, I hired him on. He works as my vice president now," he told her, smiling at the way her eyes grew round and large when she was really interested in what he said.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

"He's actually really good at what he does. I didn't do him any favors," he explained before she assumed something otherwise.

"You will see him around at the office," he continued.

As they were done with the dinner and the dessert, Trevor paid and they got back outside. He escorted her to the car with a hand at the back of her waist. The ride to Celine's apartment was spent the same way, getting to know more about each other.

Trevor had never had such a romantic dinner with any other woman. Usually, they just went to dinner and ate, as he listened to the lady talk about herself the entire time, as he would insert appropriate responses where necessary. Celine, on the other hand, brought about a different side of him. He could be himself with her as she urged him to be a part of the conversation, and kept him on his toes.

As they reached her building, he got out and opened her door for her. Reaching the front entrance she said,

"I'll take it from here." Her voice though low had gotten a little raspy.

He drew closer to her while bending his head. She opened her mouth to say something when he suddenly dove right in. He kissed her with a passion and after a few seconds Celine responded with the same fire, her hands in his hair while his hands rest on her waist, then caressing her back. He tilted his head to improve the angle. The longer they kissed, the hotter the fire inside them burned.

It was Celine who pulled away first, panting heavily. If not for her body's need for oxygen, they would have just kept going. She looked up at him to find him looking at her with dark, hungry eyes. His chest labored with his breathing while his hands were still at her waist.

"I think I should get going," he spoke finally, with his rough voice.

Celine could only nod as her knees regained strength. Her mind would take a few minutes to reset.

He kissed her once more on the cheek before whispering a goodnight in her ear.

After that day, they assumed a routine of sharing lunch and dinner together while working hard for the remainder of the day. Trevor insisted on dropping her off home as they both worked quite late. They occasionally went on dates and the relationship between them grew to a new level. They were both very practical individuals, but they knew that this was more than just going out on a few dates or a casual relationship.

It had been a few weeks and Celine had made sure she went through every transaction and business deal that Trevor had done. She saw a pattern, which wasn't just vague but also very smart. The amount that had been stolen was not just a small one– and the way everything had carried out, evidence would point towards Trevor embezzling money from the company. The more Celine focused and searched deeper, the more she became sure of the fact that another individual from within the company had been involved in the heist, along with the advisor. The money had been sent to a different set of accounts each time but the timing was more than a coincidence.

I should tell Trevor about this
, she thought, moving toward his office to knock on his door. Just then, another hand knocked right along with her. She turned around to find a very handsome blond man staring back at her with a smile. He was what one would call the gorgeous boy next door with a lean body, cheery blue eyes and a ready smile. He was a complete contrast to Trevor who had dark hair, a muscular body, and a serious countenance most of the time. Celine wondered who the man was as the door opened and Trevor motioned them both in.

"Celine meet Connor Hunt, my best friend, and my vice president." Trevor introduced him as she extended her hand, curious about the best friend Trevor had already spoken about.

"And Connor this is Celine Rossi, our new Financial Advisor, and also the lovely woman I am currently dating," he completed.

Connor shook Celine's hand with a firm grip while the smile that had been on his face grew a little strained.

"Nice to meet you," Connor stated while Celine couldn't help wondering if she had met this man before under different circumstances. His eyes glazed over the moment Trevor had introduced them.
Maybe I'm just imagining things
, she thought. Connor and Trevor interacted so easily and in the typical manner old friends would.

"I'm sorry, Celine, I can't do lunch today. I have to go on a lunch meeting with Connor today." Trevor excused himself, assuming that Celine had been there for that purpose, as it was almost time for lunch.

Celine just smiled and nodded, telling both of them that she would see them later as she exited the office without telling Trevor about the news of another person involved. She didn't know why but she felt uneasy in the presence of Connor and decided that she would tell Trevor when they were alone.

In the meanwhile, I should try and work to uncover who has actually been behind all those thefts–and if they are still continuing to do so
, Celine decided. She skipped lunch to pore over the more recent files. The more she went through the files, the more she realized that the amount of money being stolen or embezzled out of the company had been increasing in small increments. It was like the person had become more and more confident as larger amounts were taken.

If this continues, all of Trevor's companies would go through a huge loss while also making him into a thief. Every transaction and transfer are being done in his name
, Celine realized, looking at how dire the situation was becoming. Some action had to be taken but it would all be in vain until the culprit inside the company was exposed. “Ah, there you are” she thought to herself while pausing on a file.

That night as they went to dinner, Celine was quiet and withdrawn. She had found out who had been stealing from Trevor but did not know how to tell him. The situation was not just shocking but also worrisome. She knew sooner or later she had to do the right thing but was afraid if telling him everything would affect their relationship. She put off telling him because it would be the most difficult thing she could remember having to do.

It had been just a matter of luck when she had stumbled onto a set of accounts that the money had been sent to from the beginning. The accounts had all been in the company's name and she had suddenly decided to check out all the accounts for any pattern within their titles.

As she had delved deeper, she realized that every account had been connected to another somehow, and that the connections had all finally led her to two basic accounts. One had belonged to the former financial advisor and the other had belonged to a person very close to Trevor.

"You seem so distracted and quiet today. Are you tired?" Trevor asked her as she moved the food around on her plate, having no appetite to eat it.

"No, it's not that. I'm just not really hungry," she made an excuse while debating with herself to just tell him.

"Okay but you look really upset about something. You know you can talk to me right?" he implored while squeezing her hand.

"I know." she smiled genuinely for the first time since she had found out about the embezzling.

"That's more like it." Trevor smiled back at her.

I should just tell him, he needs to know
, she thought guiltily while looking at him talking animatedly about an upcoming project.

"I have something to tell you Trev." she interrupted him abruptly.

"What is it?" he asked with a frown of worry appearing between his brows.

"I was going through the files today and I found something," she began.

"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly sitting up straighter, his face becoming more stern with deep interest.

"The money embezzling hasn't stopped. Someone is still stealing from you and the amount has actually increased tenfold," she told him in a serious tone.

"But I fired the guy. He can't possibly have access to anything now," Trevor answered puzzled.

"Exactly. It was never just that one guy, alone. Someone else from your company is actually involved in it as well,” she informed him.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean someone from the company has been aiding him?" he asked shocked.

"I think it's the other way around. The guy had been helping your employee while arranging all the evidence against you. If an inquiry was to take place, everything would point toward you," she told him, bracing herself for what was to come.

"That is utterly ridiculous. Why would I steal from my own company? No one would even believe that!" he exclaimed, a deep anger growing in his voice.

"I think you would have a difficult time convincing your board of directors," she reasoned while holding onto his hand so he could calm down a little.

"Have you found out who it is?" he asked, now seeming more in control.

"Yes, but...” she suddenly stopped, fearing his reaction.

"What? Why didn't you tell me right away? Who is it anyway?" he demanded, his tone strained.

"It's Connor," she stated, after taking a deep breath.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" Trevor asked in a low voice, enunciating each word separately. His face turned white in disbelief, as if he’d just seen a ghost.

Celine lowered her head, still holding on to Trevor’s hand. He sat there in a stunned silence for a moment, no longer interested in his meal. After what seemed like forever, he abruptly got up and headed towards the restroom. Celine sat there at the table, feeling terrible about having had to expose the company traitor this way.

The waiter came over and inquired if they would be interested in having dessert. Celine silently shook her head, not having the strength to muster up a verbal answer.

In the restroom, Trevor splashed water from the sink onto his face. He felt like he was in a state of shock. He couldn’t believe that all this time, the last person he would’ve suspected was the one who had stabbed him in the back.
How could I have been so STUPID
? he thought to himself, wiping his face with a hand towel.

“And to think, I never would’ve known about this, had it not been for my Celine,” he said out loud, speaking directly to his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He felt a wave of affection toward his voluptuous girlfriend/bookkeeper. “Tonight I’m going to show just how much I appreciate her exposing this conspiracy.”