Romance: Seducing The Quarterback (10 page)

Megan did not get the best night’s sleep and she was
predictably cranky when she woke up in the morning. Her phone buzzed from
underneath her pillow and she groggily pulled it out and strained her eyes to
read the text message on the screen.

Mike: I need to see you.

Meet me.

I am back in town.

;)

Megan reread the series of text message a myriad of times
and almost typed up a reply before she had to physically stop herself from
doing so. What was she doing? This guy had gone MIA on her for a week and now
that he was back in town, he just conveniently wanted to meet her? She had to
remind herself that this was exactly what she had been wanting for the past
couple of days but the revelation she had gotten last night had changed
everything.

She threw her phone to one side and decided not to respond.
For she had more important things to worry about than a boy who kept giving her
mixed signals. After all, what did he want from her now anyway? Hadn’t he moved
on with another girl? 

It was a Sunday afternoon and Megan decided to keep herself
busy so no intrusive thoughts about Mike bugged her. It was a sunny day and
while she wanted to go out, she did not think it would be a good idea to do so.
She needed time to recuperate and do it alone.

So she decided to do the next best thing. She popped on her
earphones, blasted her music at full volume and hit the gym in her apartment
building. She needed that exercise session – all her pent up frustrations about
Mike needed to be released somehow.

By the time she was done, it was now several hours later and
she was feeling much better. She realized that she had left her phone and
decided to check. Mike had messaged her again.

Where are you?

Are you busy?

Can I call you.

Megan was surprised at his eagerness but she knew not to be
a fool enough to be happy about it. Knowing Mike, he would treat her amazing
one day and then disappear for days on end without any communication. And
frankly, she just did not need that sort of vibe in her life at the moment. She
decided to respond.

Megan: I am busy. Cannot meet. Please leave me alone.

She reread the text several times before finally pressing
send. She knew that it came off as a bit rude but she did not care. Perhaps it
would make him not text her at all and perhaps that would be the end of it. It
made her a little sad to see them end things like that but she had to remind
herself that this is the smart thing to do.

His reply came through almost instantly.

Mike: whoa are you mad about something?

Megan pursed her lips. Was he really that delusional that he
had to ask her that question?

Megan: That part should be obvious. Anyway, can’t talk. Gtg.

She knew that she was being dismissive of him but quite
frankly, this was just her way of releasing her pent up anger and hurt.

Mike opened up her text message from the other side of the
city and stared at it blankly. He had thought things were going good with this
girl and so it baffled him to see that her responses were so cold. He was not
used to this – usually, women plated themselves up for him and he got them
without minimum effort but this time, she was showing so much resistance.

They had such a good time the last time they saw each other,
Mike was left confused as to what might have went wrong.

And then it hit him. He knew that he had to go see her as
soon as possible.

* * * *

The door to Megan’s apartment rang. She had been sitting in
front of the TV watching a movie that she was not really interested in.

“Who is it?” she called out before she could look through
the peephole.

“It’s Mike,” the voice answered back, “Open the door.”

Megan’s heartbeat accelerated at once and her thoughts went
scattering all over the place. What was he doing here? He was not supposed to
be here.  Hadn’t she just told him off, so what business did he have showing up
at her door like that?

Still, she decided to open the door anyway. “What are you
doing here?”  she asked him. She decided she would keep firm in her
interactions with him and not be charmed into his ways again. But as he stood
before her, she felt herself swooning a little. She had forgot how handsome he
was.

You were mad at me,” he said and walked inside without being
invited, “I came here to fix it.”

Megan huffed, “Well – I ever said that I was mad at you.”

“But you are,” he said bluntly, “Now can we please talk
about it? I wasn’t done vibing with you yet.”

That part made Megan a little angry and she walked over to
him, “Oh really? Cause it sure does not seem like it.”

“What do you even mean?” he asked, looking confused but
Megan saw it all as an act.

“Do you forget what I do for a living? I am a sports
journalist – and as a sports journalist, I have information about who you have
been spending time with,” she admitted with her hands still crossed out in
front of her chest.

 “Oh god,” Mike replied, “You actually believed that? Is
that why you’re mad?”

Megan was confused by his reaction. She expected an apology
at best but did not expect him to turn on her instead. “What do you mean?”

Mike shook his head, laughing now, “There’s this thing
called PR and sometimes, I have to make appearances for that.”

Megan raised an eyebrow, “What are you implying?”

“Sandra – that’s what you’re mad about right?” he asked her,
point blank and she nodded. “Yeah, no – she has a movie coming out so my PR
team had me hang out with her for the paparazzi. All publicity is good
publicity and all that jazz.  I wasn’t going around with other girls.”

Megan felt relieved to hear the words from his mouth and
felt her anger towards him dissipate but she was did not want to be played.
“Why should I believe you?”

Suddenly, Mike moved in closer to her, “Because you were the
one I was thinking about the entire time I was away. It’s bizarre but you were
on my mind,” he said and she felt his cool breath fan over the side of her
face.

She knew that she had to be strong and not be lured in by
his charm but that was getting increasingly hard the closer he got to her. “If
that was the case, why did you not bother texting or calling?”

He sat up, “It tends to get really busy when I am away. Plus
I did not want to come off as a creep to you,” he said, “but believe me, I
missed you.”

Megan felt herself melt against his words. Right now, she
did not care if he was telling the truth or not. All she cared about was him
and how much she wanted to be with him. Her resolve had effectively crumbled.

“I missed you, too,” she said, turning around and connecting
her lips against his. His response was immediate as he immersed himself in her
and deepened the kiss. The first two times they had been together like this, it
had been slow but right now, the desperation that they were displaying, it was
bound to be anything but slow.

Her hands started to work at the top of his shirt, fumbling
with the buttons to finally pulled it over him. He obliged and got to work on
her as soon as his shirt hit the floor. Soon, they were both devoid of all
clothing and making out fiercely, with Megan having wrapped her legs around
Mike’s waist.

“I had been thinking about this all week,” Mike whispered in
her ear as he carried her over to her bed. He put her down and then collapsed
on top of her.

“You drive me wild,” he said to her.

“Hurry up,” she whimpered. Her patience had run out and she
was not sure if she could wait any longer. He nodded. Within moments, he had
slipped inside of her and gotten to work. She closed her eyes. She felt like
she could be with him like this forever.

Mike was in town for the next few days and the two of them
met almost regularly. It was a case of constant contact – for if they were not
together with each other, they were probably texting or on the phone. It was a
whirlwind that was moving entirely too fast for Megan but she was enjoying
every minute of it.

It was difficult being in a scenario like this with a
well-known face. They had to be secretive, or else the news of their hooking up
would be front page headlines tomorrow. But so far, they had managed to keep it
under wraps and not even Annie was fully aware of the scenario.

Megan walked into her office. It was another work day and
Megan wanted to get it over with as soon as she could. Mike had invited her
over tonight – he wanted to cook her some dinner and Megan could hardly wait.
She had only experienced the joy of eating his cooking the first morning when
he had made her breakfast and she had been curious to try more ever since.

“Megan,” Annie told her before she could reach her cubicle,
“I do not want to spoil the surprise but girl, oh my god.”

Megan crinkled her nose at her, “What are you on about?” she
asked the blonde.

Annie just giggled and clapped her hands together. “I think
you should go to your cubicle right now.”

Megan was confused why Annie was being so excited so early
in the morning but she nodded anyway. However, she had not been expecting to
see what was in front of her as she walked in. A gasp escaped her lips.

Her entire cubicle had been decked out with flowers – red
and pink, her favorite colors. She walked over and saw that a note had been
left for her on her desk.

So your workspace could look just as lovely as you are.

Megan read the note and felt her heart swoon.

“Is this from that same mysterious lover man?” Annie nudged
her, still grinning. Megan thought it was cute that she was getting so excited
about something that did not even affect her.

Megan nodded, not disclosing any names even though she was
sure Annie was dying to know the identity of the person who sent the flowers.
“Yeah, the same guy.”

Megan felt a burst of emotions – she typed up a text message
to thank him but also found herself sitting by the edge of her desk, with one
of the flowers in her hands.

The two of them had not sat down to talk about what exactly
their relationship was but Megan suddenly started seeing potential. He was an
amazing guy that kept her so happy – could they ever work out as a couple? She
smiled at the thought and then looked at the flowers again – she felt
incredibly lucky.

Megan sat on Mike’s apartment floor – she had a bowl of food
in her hands as they sat together in front of the TV.

“I actually love your cooking so much,” she remarked as she
took another mouthful, “Please – can you not stop cooking for me, ever?”

Mike chuckled, “I’ll try.”

They had been spending a lot of time together lately and
this had become somewhat of a routine for them. Megan had definitely gotten to
know him a lot better now and she felt herself falling for him.

“Anyway, one of the reason I invited you over today was
because I wanted to tell you something,” he said to her, suddenly getting
serious.

She raised an eyebrow up at him, “What is it?” A myriad of
possibilities started to run through her mind – she always assumed the worst
when someone said something like this to her and this time was no exception.

“Hey, you don’t need to look so bummed – I am not leaving
you,” he laughed and then turned serious, “but I need to go away to Florida for
a few days.”

Megan felt her face fall immediately. She could not help it
– for she remembered what had happened the last time that he had gone away. She
could not help herself but think that the same would happen this time around.

“Oh,” she let out and it came out sounding a lot sadder than
she had expected. But Mike was at her side at once, grasping both of her hands
in his.

“Hey, no, don’t be so sad about it. I actually had to ask
you something as well,” he said, carefully studying her expressions.

 “What is it?” she replied.

“Well I know this is sort of sudden but, would you like to
come along?” he asked and eagerly waited for her answer.

Megan was taken aback. Of course, this was too soon for her.
But somehow, she could not refuse. “Of course!” she replied.

Mike grinned, “I am so glad.”

This was a big step and perhaps it would bring them closer
to getting into a relationship. Megan smiled at the idea.

* * * *

The next day was spent packing for the trip that Megan was
now really excited to go on. Sunny Florida and the companionship of Mike – it
sounded like one hell of a time for Megan.

“Do you really need to bring this many pair of shoes on the
trip?” Mike remarked as he saw the array of accessories she had laid out in
front of her.

“Don’t judge me,” she said defensively, “I am only trying to
prepare as best as I can.”

He laughed as he crept up behind her and wrapped an arm
around her, “I am not judging,” he said with his lips pressed against her
shoulder.

“You better not,” she laughed and continued to contemplate
over what pair of shoes she should be taking.

Seeing her so excited about the whole thing, Mike felt it was
only fair that he let her know one important piece of information he had been
keeping from her. He cleared his throat.

“Listen, Meg,” he said to her. Recently, he had taken to
calling her with nicknames and she loved it whenever he did that. “I forgot to
mention this when I told you we would be going on a trip together.”

“What?” she asked, immediately ceasing her packing
activities to turn to look at him. “What is it?”

“Well, when I said that we would be going to Florida, I did
not mean that it would all be just to go out and enjoy our time. I actually
have some important business there as well.”

“Oh,” Megan replied, relieved, “Well obviously. I do not
expect you to be with me 24/7 anyway. Of course you can go about your business
while you are there.”

He cleared his throat, “Well, actually, I guess I would like
it if you were to accompany me during it?”

“What business is this, exactly?” she asked him.

 Mike had gotten really comfortable around Megan in the past
few weeks. Even though they had not been officially dating, she had been the
only girl that he has been seeing. He felt like he could trust her with things
and this one was a huge deal.

“Well, my brother lives in Florida, sort of,” he started off
hesitantly. Instantly, Megan could tell that this was hard for him to share so
she was by his side at once.

“You can tell me,” she told him, putting an arm around his
back.

“My brother is in rehab and I need to go visit him,” he told
her sincerely.

Megan was shocked as this was news to her. She had tracked
down all the known information that was available on the internet about Mike
but she had not known that he had a brother that was in rehab. In fact, a news
like this would have gotten a lot of media attention. She was surprised to see
how it had been kept under wraps thus far.

“I did not know that,” she admitted, “how long has he been
there?”

Mike sighed, “A couple of months – honestly, his drug
problem got so bad that he had no other choice. He is in a private rehab center
in Florida and we’re all pretty worried about him as a family.”

“I am surprised that this information has not yet been
leaked to the press,” Megan commented, “I mean, I am sure it would be a press
field day if they were to find a way to link you and drug use somehow.”

Mike nodded, “I know  - but I am not the one who does it. My
brother Kevin does. And I have been putting off seeing him for so long now – it
is just so hard for me to do it alone. And now – I feel like I finally have
someone who I can take with me.”

“You can trust me,” Megan replied, squeezing his hand, “I am
here for you.”

And she meant the words.

* * * *

Florida turned out to be a much more serious trip than what
Megan had initially had in mind but she did not care for as long as she was by     Mike’s
side. She thought it was a good sign for their relationship that he had trusted
her with this information.

“I have not seen him in years,” Mike told her as they drove
their way to the rehab center, “I wonder if he will even talk to me.”

“He is your brother,” Megan told him, “Of course he will
talk to you. You just do not forget family like that.”

Mike gulped, “I know – but growing up, it was difficult. Our
family was not exactly the happiest and while I found my release with my
passion for football, Kevin was not as lucky. He always felt overshadowed and
he did not like me much for a couple of years when my career was just starting
out. But I don’t know – he is still my brother. I did not even know that his
drug use had gotten so bad until my mother called me crying one night – I knew
I had to send him to rehab.”

“You did the right thing.”

“We have spent a lot of money to keep this story under the
wraps – he just does not need that sort of attention and that is partly why I
have avoided visiting him. That, and the fact that I am too scared. But now
that you are here, I feel like I can make it through this,” Mike admitted.

 Megan was enjoying the fact that he was being so brutally
honest about his feelings to her. She nodded.

A while later, they had reached the rehab center and they
two of them were directed to a room. A skinny looking back who had his head
shaved stared back at them from a bed.

“Kevin,” Mike breathed out and walked over to him, “How have
you been doing, man?”

Kevin did not reply, instead he just stared back at Megan,
who seemed to be looking quite uncomfortable at this point.

“Kev, that’s Megan. She’s,” Mike hesitated. He was not sure
what to call her just yet – they had not defined it yet. “She’s a friend.”

Megan did not know what she had expected him to refer to her
as but she knew that she was disappointed when she heard the word friend.
Still, she walked in and plastered a huge smile on her face.

“Hello, Kevin,” she greeted him as she took a seat besides
Mike, “I have heard so much about you.”

“I have not heard anything about you,” Kevin replied, rather
snarkily, “And why would I? It’s not like my famous brother has any time for me
or his family, am I right, Mikey boy?”

Megan saw Mike’s face fall immediately. He had mentioned to
her that Kevin could be a little insensitive sometimes but experiencing it
first hand was still baffling.

“I came to see you,” Mike said, but from the tone of his
voice, Megan would tell that his brother’s words had gotten to him.

“Well, you have seen me, now you can leave,” Kevin said
dismissively.

“Hey, man,” Megan decided to step in, “Mike really cares
about you and he came out all the way over here just to see how you were doing.
I feel like you at least should have a proper conversation with him.”

Kevin rolled his eyes, “Look, woman, I know you are just
another one of his several flings – please don’t interfere.”

But Mike stood up before he could say anything else. “That
is enough, Kevin. I came here to see if you were doing alright but honestly, I
realize why I had been putting it off all these months. You are quite
insufferable still.”

Kevin seemed surprised. “Fine, sit down. Say what you have
to say and leave.”

“How are you doing?” Mike asked, his tone softening again.

“Shit,” he replied with no further explanation. “They took
away my drugs, I cannot go out. The only people that visit me have that same
pitying expression on their face like the both of you have right now. I am
sick, they say.”

Mike felt his heart wrench, “All of us just want you to get
better.”

“Yes and to do that, you have to leave me alone. I know you
are a big shot now but you need to realize that I do not want to be associated
with you. I do not want the attention that comes along with being your brother
– I have dealt with it all my life and look where it landed me? Please – do not
visit me anymore.”

Mike was hurt by some of the comments but he knew that he
was right. He nodded. “If that is what you want, then I will not. But please
know that I only want you to get better.”

Kevin nodded. And it was all Mike could ask from him.

* * * *

Mike and Megan left the rehab center quietly. It was evident
that Mike had a lot to think about and Megan did not want to intrude just yet.
Mike had taken special precaution on making his visit a secret but just as they
walked out of the clinic, a camera went off in the nearby bushes.

One very lucky photographer had gotten tomorrow’s big
headline news.