His Leading Lady (15 page)

“I get it. No more movies for me?”

“I don’t know. Never like to predict, but I
wouldn’t hold my breath. Sure as hell not family movies. Let me
know if you change your mind about porn flicks.”

“I won’t.” She closed her cell.

Tears burst through.
Mark, I need you so
much.
She wanted to curl into his embrace and hear him tell her
everything would be all right. She sent him an email, detailing her
conversation with her agent. Then, she crawled into bed and turned
out the lights.

The next evening, when she returned to the
hotel, dejected and exhausted, she was heartened to find a dozen
red roses waiting for her. The card read—

To the world’s best actress, and the light of my
life.

Love,

Mark

The flowers and note decided something she’d
been kicking around for weeks. The decision made her smile. Sleep
came quickly to a mind at ease.

One week later. Las Vegas.

Mark woke up refreshed after going to bed
early the night before. Today was the day the scout was coming.
Although he often doubted Harley’s good sense, he believed his
friend when he assured him that he’d be the quarterback today. He
didn’t want to know what the scheme was, he only prayed that it
worked.

He did some calisthenics before his shower.
Then, out to breakfast at the place he often went with Penny.
Wish she were here.
He chowed down a huge meal, heavy on the
protein, while he read the morning paper.

He was confident, if his game went well, he’d
stand a good chance of getting an offer. No one had been able to
find out which team had sent their agent. Mark didn’t care. He
wanted to leave the Gamblers and all the bad karma behind, even if
it meant separating from his best friend, Harley Brennan.

He drove to the stadium, singing along with
the radio. He took his time dressing, wondering how Penny was
getting along after her conversation with Keith Peters and the
announcement in
Celebs ’R Us.
His heart had ached when he
had read her email. He had cursed about not being there for her
when she needed him. Frustration had sent his temper through the
roof. That’s when he had gotten the idea for the flowers.

He smiled, remembering her response. She had
called him right away. Hearing her voice had warmed him. They
talked for half an hour. He grinned at the memory, keeping her
close to his heart. But today was all about football.

The locker room was abuzz with questions and
rumors about the scout.

“I hear he’s from L.A.” the tight end
said.

“Nah, Miami.”

“You’re both wrong. He’s definitely from
Chicago.” Harley had arrived early. He grinned at Mark.

Darvin strutted in. “This scout rumor is
crap. I don’t give a damn. Just signed a new, three-year contract
with the Gamblers. You can go fuck your scout.”

Mark ignored him.

“Hey, Davis. Looks like you’re not taking
over the Gamblers, and since I’m playing today, no chance with the
scout either. You’re my bitch, baby.”

Mark shot an angry look at Sweetwater, but
didn’t speak.

Harley approached Darvin. “Congratulations.
Have a
Gatorade
, on me. Got cherry, your favorite.” He
said.

“No way!” An evil grin stretched Sweetwater’s
lips. “You think I trust you not to put something in there so I
can’t play? I’m not stupid, Harley, you asshole.”

Harley looked crestfallen. Mark was
disgusted.
Is that what he planned to do? How lame.

“I’ve got my own, right here.” Darvin grabbed
his own brand of sports drink.

“Damn! Guess I can’t fool you, can I?”

Darvin chugged the entire contents. Mark
donned his jersey and picked up his helmet. Sweetwater shot him the
finger before he headed to the field. Mark pulled Harley aside.
“How idiotic was that? That was your master plan? Drugging
Sweetwater? Brilliant, Harley.”

His sarcasm didn’t miss its mark. The corners
of Harley’s mouth turned down in a frown. “You think I’m that
dumb?”

“Looks that way.”

“Just wait.” A mischievous smirk flashed
across Harley’s face.

The two quarterbacks were called to the
center for the coin toss. The Pennsylvania Panthers won and elected
to kick off. Mark watched from the sidelines. Suddenly, Darvin
Sweetwater bent over, grabbed his guts, and ran off the gridiron.
Mark’s head snapped around, and his gaze connected with
Harley’s.

“Laxative in his drink,” he whispered to his
friend.

Mark’s eyes got wide. “You didn’t?”

“I did. His real drink.” Harley popped open
the
Gatorade
he’d offered to Sweetwater and took a healthy
swig. Mark burst out laughing.

“Davis, you’re up,” the coach called. Mark
stood up, and ran onto the field. His pulse kicked up, and
adrenalin flowed in his veins. He scanned the line of men who’d be
trying to take him down. In the huddle, his center gave him a
thumbs up.

“This is your day, Davis, don’t fuck it up,”
his guard said.

When they broke, Mark glanced at the stands,
out of habit more than anything else. His eye was caught by a hand
waving wildly.
OMG! It’s Penny!

He stopped for a second, until the center
whispered loudly, “Davis, delay of game!” That snapped his
attention back to football. Energy flowed through him. He called
the signals and took the snap. His blockers protected him, giving
Mark the time he needed to find his man downfield. Harley was
covered, but Hank Cummins, a running back, was clear. Mark fired
off a pass, and Hank plucked it out of the air. He made five more
yards before being taken down. A first down on the first play. The
fans went wild.

Another huddle and a hand-off to Harley, who
made five yards through the middle. Slowly, the team advanced down
the field, with Mark calling the shots. Then, it was time for the
hot dog play. Hank was covered this time, but Harley was down on
the Panther’s ten-yard line. Mark rifled off a long pass right at
his buddy, who made the catch easily.

Two more plays and then Mark got the chance
he’d been waiting for. Running backs were covered, wide receivers
were covered, tackles and guards were holding the line. Mark found
a hole and sneaked through to score the touchdown himself! This was
his first time scoring on his own in the pros. He leaped up. A
glance at the stands saw Penny out of her seat, cheering and
jumping up and down.

Mark left the field as the defensive team
took their places. He snapped off his chin guard, removed his
helmet, gulped some water, and grinned.

“Sweetwater’s got some intestinal thing,
Davis. Looks like this is gonna be your game,” the assistant coach
said.

Mark nodded, trying to keep the smile off his
face. Harley sat next to him.

Mark covered his mouth with his hand. “I owe
you big time.”

“Yeah, you do. You can thank me later. But
then, you introduced me to your sister. She’s smokin’. Guess this
is payback.”

“Shut up, Harley.” Mark pushed to his feet
and moved closer to the line, watching the Panthers run through the
Gamblers defense. The Coach was hollering instructions at the team
and turning red in the face when the Panthers scored a touchdown.
Shit! The ground I gained is lost.
Mark turned to glance at
Penny, who threw him a kiss. Strength and focus returned as he
trotted out on the field to begin another Gambler rally.

By halftime, the score was seventeen
fourteen, with the Gamblers ahead. In the locker room, Darvin
Sweetwater grabbed Mark’s shirt. “I don’t know how you did this,
but I’ll get you for it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mark pushed his teammate’s hands away and sucked down water.

The team gathered around for a pep talk.
Darvin was still grumbling to Mark. “Shut up, Sweetwater. Listen
up,” the Coach snapped. Then he direct his focus on Mark. The Coach
changed some plays, and Mark nodded in agreement. They took the
field.

“I’ll be back before the second half is
over.”

“Good luck with that,” Harley said,
struggling to keep a straight face.

“It was you!” Harley eluded Darvin’s grasp
and ran back out onto the field.

“He’s hunting your ass,” Mark whispered to
his friend.

“Aw, he had it coming. Bastard. You deserved
the break. Gotta kill the second half.”

“I know. Penny’s here.”

“Yeah? All the way from Spain?”

Mark nodded.

“Then no excuses, asshole. Get out there and
kill it.”

The Gamblers kicked off to the Panthers to
start the second half. The Nevada team’s defense picked up their
game and anticipated a few Panther plays, forcing the visiting team
to punt.

Mark and Harley took the field again. This
time, they were unstoppable. Hank and Harley both scored again. The
Panthers bounced back with another touchdown and a field goal when
Hank fumbled the ball. With a score of thirty-one to twenty-four,
the Panthers regained possession when the punt return was fumbled.
Mark’s nerves were on edge.
One touchdown and an extra point,
and it’s a tie game.

He looked at Penny, who gave him a thumb’s
up.
I have to win this.
The Panthers lost the ball on the
fourth down. Mark took command. With three minutes left, this
looked like their only chance to score again and put away the game.
Mark played cautiously, running the ball to wind down the clock.
With little time left, the Panthers would never be able to recover.
But he had to worry about fumbles.

His running backs handled themselves well,
finding holes in the line and making progress. The Panther’s got
wise and shifted their defense, making it harder to find a place to
break through. Mark had no choice but to pass. He faked to Hank
while Harley ran downfield. Hank drew the defense, leaving Harley
wide open. Mark shot a bullet with perfect aim. Harley was there
and made the catch easily, running the last ten yards for a
touchdown. The fans went crazy—the cheering was deafening. Harley
bumped chests with Mark.

The Panthers had the ball with a minute left
on the clock. Mark went to the sidelines, confident they wouldn’t
be able to score twice in the time remaining. He let out a big
breath, turned to Penny, and raised a hand.
I can’t believe
she’s here.
The clouds surrounding his life lifted and hope
entered Mark’s heart for the first time in weeks.

Darvin Sweetwater had recovered and returned
to the sidelines. Mark gave him a wide berth, and the
first-stringer was smart enough not to start anything in front of
the coach. A smile of satisfaction spread Mark’s lips.
I did my
best. If there’s a scout here, I had my chance.
Having a shot
was all he wanted. If he wasn’t good enough to make it, so be it.
His heartbeat slowed as relief crept through him.
Now, to be
with Penny again.

The clock ran out. The Nevada Gamblers won,
thirty-eight to twenty-seven. Harley and Mark ran off the field
together. Mark jumped in the shower as quick as he could to avoid
Sweetwater. But Darvin waited for him in the locker room.

“You low down, dirty, fucking bastard,” he
began.

“Darvin. Cool it,” Hank said.

“Yeah. Leave the kid alone. He got his shot.
He did well. Just let it go,” one of the guards chimed in.
Sweetwater’s eyes were burning with anger.

“You’ve got your contract, what the hell are
you bitching about?” Harley said. “Mark had his turn. No skin off
your nose. Or should I say, your ass?”

Some of Mark’s buddies congratulated him. The
Coach ambled into the room. “Nice going, Davis. Couple of people
outside for you.”

“That babe with the great tits is outside?
This, I gotta see,” Hank said, pulling on his jeans and T-shirt
quickly. Several men followed him.

“Hey! Don’t embarrass her. For God’s sake!
Wait! Come on, guys.”

Six teammates barreled through the door
before Mark. The last sound he heard, echoing through the locker
room, was the laughter of Darvin Sweetwater.

****

Mark was lost behind the sea of players
gawking at Penny. She stood quietly, smiling at each of them. A few
asked for her autograph. He saw them staring at her chest. The low
cut top revealed a nice view of cleavage while it hugged her
breasts. Mark knew what was going through the dirty minds of the
men. He pushed his way through.

“Side show is over, go on,” he said, slinging
an arm around her. He enclosed her in his embrace and kissed her
passionately, amid the hoots, hollers, and applause of his buddies.
Warmth crept through his body. His pulse kicked up while his heart
lightened.
Penny’s back.

“How long are you staying?”

“My plane leaves at midnight. I just came for
the game. Meg told me you’d definitely be playing. She was
right.”

“Harley. Harley told her. Tonight? You have
to leave tonight? Damn. You really came just for the game, didn’t
you?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” She placed her
hands on her hips.

“You’re the best,” He said, kissing her
again. After they broke, he turned his back on the men shuffling
their way to their vehicles, returning to their lives. A man
cleared his throat. “I told you guys…” Mark began, but stopped as
he faced a stranger.

The gentleman was about five ten, with
graying hair. “Mark Davis?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m Jim Dunston, Scout for The Delaware
Demons,” he said, extending his hand.

Mark gulped. His palms began to sweat, and
his grip on Penny’s arm tightened. “What can I do for you,
sir?”

“Is there someplace we can talk?”

“I know a great burger place.”

“Fine. I never eat at a game. Too busy. I’m
starved.”

Dunston followed Mark and Penny to the burger
joint. They sat in a booth facing him.