Reckless: A Bad Boy Sport Romance (29 page)

“Good, good.” Ace coughed into his fist, taking a step towards me. “Brooklyn, listen. What you saw at the club – I can explain.”

I kept my eyes fixed to my slippers, waiting for him to continue.

“Tabitha asked me to dance, and well, I took her up on it – she was really drunk, wanted to make sure she was okay until you showed up. It started off fine, but then she started acting a little off, and well, this is gonna sound crazy, but she said she was in love with me. Before I knew it, she was kissing me. I mean, she was hammered –”

“I know.” I raked a hand through my hair, wagging my head sadly. “I mean, I didn't put 2 and 2 together until a couple of days ago. I don't know how I didn't see this sooner.”

“What, you think she's serious?” His eyes shot wide open, his forehead rumpling. “When did this even – what?”

“I can't say for sure, but looking back, I'm positive it could have gone as far back as our Bay Valley days.” I started towards him, lowering my arms. “I'm sorry I'm being weird about this. I wasn't exactly sure how to process that – still not sure I've done it, to tell you the truth –”

“Slow down. It's okay.” He reached behind me, combing my hair with my fingers.

“I guess I'm going to have to talk to her sometime, huh? I mean, I can't avoid her forever. She's my girl.”

“That's on you.” Ace leaned in close to me. He kissed my ear tenderly, moving his soft, warm lips down my neck. “All I know is, you're the only one I want.”

The moment his lips touched my skin, I was his. I tilted my head to the side, my arms coiling around his neck. God, that tongue...

I reached between his legs, palming his cock through his jeans. I could feel him growing against my hand. Grabbing his chin, I pulled him in for a messy, passionate kiss before flipping myself over. I held myself against the kitchen counter, unbuttoning my shorts.

Ace yanked my shorts down to my ankles. He stripped them off me and tossed them over his shoulder. I was about to shimmy out of my panties, but he held onto my waistband, keeping them on. He bunched up the crotch of my panties and pushed them aside, fingering my lips to see how wet I was. When he retrieved his glistening fingers, I could heard him unzipping behind me.

I tightened my grip around the edge of the kitchen counter. My toes curled. But as I waited for him to penetrate me, my breaths quickening in anticipation, he grabbed one of my legs and stretched them out against the counter. I groaned, my back arching forward as I felt my panties burrowing into the fold of my thigh. The tremendous weight of his rugged body was pushing down against my back.

And that's when I felt it – the full length of his fat cock shoved right inside me. Gasping, I reached behind me to unclasp my bra, freeing my aching breasts. He thrust himself into me, each push harder and deeper than the last.

As Ace slipped a hand between my legs, fiddling with my clit, I twisted my head back. He caught my protruding tongue with his lips, kissing me wildly as he slammed into me from behind. I kissed him back harder, my moans muffling in his mouth as my pussy throbbed in sweet, sweet ecstasy...

Chapter Nine:
Brooklyn

2016

I extracted the plastic Tupperware with my name on it from the back of the fridge and pulled up the empty chair next to me.

“Mm, yum. That looks good.” Su Ling strolled into the break room, her cream pumps clacking noisily against the floor. “What ya eatin'?”

“Just some leftovers – made a killer batch of pasta and couscous salad last night.” I popped the lid open and showed her the insides. “It's got avocados, and it's seasoned with just a little bit of lemon juice in it. Want some?”

“Sounds delish, but no thanks.” Su Ling pranced towards the fridge and pulled out her bottle of celery water. “I can't eat leftovers or anything that isn't vegan or made fresh on the spot. I'm sure you know all the garbage the country's feeding us is just infested with toxins, bacteria, and all that junk.”

“Uh-huh,” I replied with a mouthful of zesty couscous.

“But you enjoy your little salad.” Su Ling simpered at me, her non-matching orange lip liner crying out to me for help. “Any-who, I'm off to The Forage for a tofu skin roulade. Toodles.”

When Su Ling left, I returned to my salad. Ever since Aiden moved in, I was actually using the kitchen again. In fact, I was cooking almost every day of the week. It wasn't until I started bringing leftovers to work did I realize how much 10 to 20 bucks for lunch everyday could really add up.

Some days, Ace would invite Aiden and I over to his place for dinner, too. Cayenne pepper seemed to be the only spice Ace had in stock in his cupboard. Ace wasn't the most seasoned chef either, but it was the company that mattered.

Aiden and Ace clicked, sharing common interests in music, TV shows, and video games. Sometimes, I wouldn't even be part of the conversation for tens of minutes at a time, but that didn't matter. Aiden had this tendency to talk really fast and get tongue-tied when he was going on about something he was excited about, a quirk that's only come to light with Ace around. It was heartwarming to watch.

I straightened up in my seat and dug in to my salad, but before my fork could reach my mouth, Su Ling was back.

“Brooklyn, Mr. Hernandez wants to see you in his office, pronto.” Su Ling clicked her tongue and unfurled her bottom lip. “And he doesn't sound happy.”

“Right.” I lowered my fork from my mouth, sighing. “Thanks.”

I set out for Mr. Hernandez's office. For some reason, my hands started to perspire. I hadn't done anything wrong – not that I was aware of, anyway – but I guess it was just one of those bad feelings you got.

I wiped my hands on the sides of my pencil skirt and knocked on the door.

“Cunningham? Get in here!”

When I let myself into my boss' office, the jittery sensation in my gut only worsened. The beige curtains were drawn across the floor-length windows, leaving only a thin strip of sunlight into the room. There were no trays or empty food wrappers on Mr. Hernandez's desk, and it was already about 15 minutes into lunch. Something was definitely wrong.

“Sit.”

I crossed the room to his desk wordlessly and took the seat across from him. Mr. Hernandez leaned forward with steepled fingers, leering at me. The yellowish light from the lamp next to him highlighted the scrubbing-sponge texture of his face.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Hernandez?”

“It has come to my attention that your performance at Slater Oakridge has been on a steady decline.”

“I beg to differ, sir.” My fingers curled to fists in my lap. I knew where this was going. “If you'd like to take another look at my files, my performance has neither improved nor worsened – my numbers have been steady week after week. As a matter of fact, my name has never left that board –”

“Ms. Cunningham, I regret to inform you that that isn't the only issue at hand.” His lips twitched. “The board is none too pleased about a Slater Oakridge employee's involvement with Ace Warner and the tragic Jonathan Whitaker case. That type of media coverage just isn't what we associate ourselves with at this company. I'm sure you understand.”

“What are you saying, Mr. Hernandez?”

Mr. Hernandez shifted in his seat, tweaking his platinum cufflinks.

“I'm sorry, Ms. Cunningham,” he said, not sounding the least bit sorry. “But your position in Slater Oakridge has been terminated, effective immediately.”

“You're firing me?” I hissed, shaking my head in disbelief. I sprang up from my seat, clutching the edge of his desk. “What? No, no, no – this isn't right, Mr. Hernandez – nearly 7 years I've been here – what about everything I've done for this –”

“Cynthia will have a box for you. Take home whatever you can fit in that box today, and you can arrange with Cynthia for an appointment next week to clear out the rest of your cubicle, if needed.”

“This is horseshit, Hernandez,” I spat, curling my lip. “You've been looking for a reason to get me fired ever since I approached you about Martha Goldberg –”

“Enough. You're being hysterical.” Mr. Hernandez reached over to the phone on his desk, his finger hovering over a red square button. “There's 2 options here, Ms. Cunningham. I'm giving you the chance to leave with your dignity intact. Now, 1, you get out of my office and do what you're told, or 2, I call security and have you forcibly removed from the premises – right in front of all your colleagues of, as you say, nearly 7 years.”

If only eyes could really shoot daggers, Hernandez would have been slumped over his desk. But I took a deep, shivering breath, and sealed my lips. His brown, blubbery lips stretched to an obnoxious grin.

“That's what I thought. But as you've so astutely pointed out, you have been a loyal member of Slater Oakridge, which is why you will be compensated for the rest of the month, and the next. And no, there's no need to thank me. Have a wonderful day, Ms. Cunningham. That will be all.”

Chapter Ten:
Ace

2016

“Thanks for meeting me here.” I slid into the opposite end of the booth.

“Not at all. I'm surprised you wanted to see me.”

Tabitha sat rigidly against the bench in front of me. She was usually wearing all sorts of black jewelry and black dresses with laces on them, but not today. She was dressed in a plain black shirt and denim shorts, and there was none of that intense black makeup on her face.

“We need to talk.” I reached for my water. “I ordered myself a cheeseburger on the way in here – you want anything?”

“I got coffee,” Tabitha replied dully, pointing to the cup in front of her. “It's fine. I'm not hungry.”

“Cool, cool.”

I leaned back, thanking the waitress as she handed me my burger.

“I can't believe this place is still here.” Tabitha looked around our booth, sipping her coffee. “Everything looks exactly the same. Same menu, same checkered floors, same jukebox.”

“Yeah, I was driving around and I spotted that big neon sign on the side of the road.” I bit into my burger, chewing thoughtfully. “Thought you'd appreciate it. Burger's still dry, but then again, this was the only joint open at 3 in the morning.”

“Yup. I remember all the weird looks the waitresses were giving us – Brooklyn in her PB&J jammies and me in my sleeping boxers.”

Tabitha had a nostalgic smile on her face, but when she looked up at me, it was gone.

“I'm sorry, Ace.” Tabitha set down her cup slowly. She looked down at her lap, her eyelids fluttering. “I was absolutely plastered, but you deserve better than all these excuses. I crossed the line, and for that, I really am sorry.”

“What you said that night –” It still felt weird as hell to say it out loud. “How long have you felt that way?”

“I think the question is – when haven't I felt that way?” Tabitha laughed darkly. She crossed her arms, pinching the skin inside her elbows. “I don't know. Funnily enough, it might have actually started right here – in that booth over there by the door. I never said anything because, well, why would I? You weren't just in a relationship, you were dating my best friend. I saw the way the 2 of you looked at each other. Who was I to come between that?”

“You're a good friend.”

Tabitha laughed, but it was a sad, forced laugh.

“That was a good one. You were there when I stabbed my best friend in the back and kissed you, right?”

“People make mistakes.” I mopped up the mustard on my mouth with my napkin. “If it's any consolation, you did a great job of keeping it to yourself. I had no idea.”

“Well, okay, but while we're being honest, I have to say, I was glad when you left for Texas.” Tabitha propped up her arms on the table and started kneading her temples. “I felt horrible for Brooklyn, and you know, I didn't want to see you go and all that, but I thought I could finally put this 'crush' to bed. But when I saw you again after all those years, all these feelings just came flooding back.”

“I see.” I didn't know what else to say.

“So, Brooklyn's the one, huh?” Tabitha lowered her arms, smiling sadly. “It's okay. I'm not expecting anything, I just think it'd be good for me to hear it out loud. You know, closure.”

“Yeah, she is.” I licked my lips. “She's always been the one. I think I've always known.”

“Good.” Tabitha cleared her throat. She grinned, but her eyes looked wet. “'Cause what you guys have is right out of a Nicholas Sparks novel, only, without the tragic ending. You complete each other.”

“Thanks.”

“God – again, I'm sorry –” said Tabitha suddenly, cupping her hands over her nose and mouth. “I'm still so embarrassed –”

“Don't be. It's done. It's in the past. We'll leave it at that.”

“I hope I didn't fuck it up for you guys – I'd talk to her, but I don't think she'd –”

“Don't worry about it. Brooklyn and I talked it over. We're okay.” I spread my legs open, relaxing against the back of my bench. “Maybe you should reach out to her. Let her know how you feel.”