Striker (6 page)

Was this guy for real?
‘Anyway,’ Amber began, shaking all other thoughts out of her head, ‘…the training session…’ She looked around for Alec, whom she’d assumed was right behind her. He
had
been a second ago. Where the hell had he gone now? She wanted this interview done and dusted as soon as possible but she couldn’t do a thing without her cameraman. ‘I’m sorry. My camera guy seems to have disappeared…’

‘I’m in no rush,’ Ryan said, leaning back against the wall, draining the last of the water from his bottle. ‘So, Amber… can I call you Amber?’

She just looked at him before turning round to see if she could spot Alec anywhere.

‘How do you know Ronnie White?’ Ryan asked, running a hand through his dark hair, fixing her with another look as she turned back round to face him. ‘I’m assuming you
do
know him, because the two of you look pretty friendly to me.’

Amber toyed with the idea of telling him to piss off, but then thought better of it. ‘We’re friends. I met him when he was still a player, about ten years ago, not that that’s any of your business. My dad introduced us at a charity dinner we were all attending at the Civic Centre.’

‘What’s the relationship there, then? You seeing each other? I’ve heard he’s recently divorced…’

‘What the hell has any of that got to do with
you
?’ Amber interrupted, quite unable to believe that someone could ask such personal questions of somebody they didn’t even know. ‘I’ve told you, we’re friends.’

‘I’m just interested,’ Ryan shrugged, still refusing to divert his eyes away from hers.

Amber shuffled from foot-to-foot, becoming slightly agitated at Alec’s absence now. She just wanted to get this over and done with and get back to the safety of her desk back in the News North East offices.

‘Good friends, are you?’ Ryan asked, arching an eyebrow, which did nothing to lessen the agitation Amber was feeling. She was beginning to dislike him more and more with each passing second. Ronnie couldn’t have been more way off the mark – how on earth did he even
think
that she could possibly go for someone like Ryan Fisher? If he was the only man left on earth she’d rather stay single for the rest of her life. ‘Best friends with benefits, huh?’ Ryan winked.

Amber swore she could actually feel her blood begin to boil and she was about to furnish him with some sort of reply to let him know just how inappropriate that comment had been when Alec finally showed up.

‘Sorry, Amber. Got talking to Jason from North News Tonight. Lost track of time. Are we ready to go here?’

Amber kept her eyes very much on Ryan as she spoke, suddenly feeling the need for that night out with Ronnie more than ever now. ‘Oh, we’re ready to go, Alec. We couldn’t be more ready.’

And, as far as Ryan was concerned, she couldn’t have spoken a truer word.

Chapter Three

The bar was unusually crowded for a Wednesday night, but for Ryan that just meant more choice. He’d had a more than pleasant afternoon sampling the delights of the lovely Ellen; so pleasant, in fact, that he’d been almost sorry to leave the sanctuary of his bedroom behind. She certainly knew how to keep his attention, but Ryan didn’t care too much for playing with the same friend for too long. He liked variety, and plenty of it.

‘Hey, you okay, mate?’ Gary Blandford, the club’s Sunderland-born star defender asked, sliding onto the stool next to Ryan. Gary had a bit of a reputation himself, never one to shirk the lifestyle or benefits that came with his job, despite being engaged to a very pretty local model called Debbie who, with her glamorous image and local-celebrity lifestyle, had earned herself the nickname of Queen of the Red Star WAGs. They had a lot in common, did Gary and Ryan. Which is why they’d become friendly with each other very quickly.

Ryan looked at
Gary
as he handed him another pint. ‘Have you had many dealings with Amber Sullivan?’

Gary
grinned, taking a mouthful of ice-cold lager. ‘Yeah. ‘Course I have. I mean, I’ve come across her a few times. She’s interviewed a lot of us local players over the years. She certainly makes a welcome change from all those run-of-the-mill blokes-in-suits I used to get at me old clubs. Why do you ask?’

Ryan shrugged. ‘No reason.’

‘You do know she’s Freddie Sullivan’s daughter, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, I know. I’m assuming she takes after her mother in the looks department.’

Gary
laughed. ‘Yeah. She’s pretty easy on the eye, isn’t she?’

‘I’ve certainly never been interviewed by anyone with legs like hers before, that’s for sure.’ Ryan smirked, also downing a mouthful of lager.

‘She’s got a reputation for being a bit of a cold bitch, though,’
Gary
went on, grinning at a couple of girls in short skirts and extremely high heels as they sauntered past. ‘Won’t touch footballers with a bargepole, apparently. Although, she did have a fling with Ronnie White. Just before he met his ex-wife.’

Ryan looked at his team-mate. ‘Really? They used to be a couple?’

Gary
nodded. ‘It was never something the whole world knew about. You know Ronnie, he’s a pretty private person. It didn’t last all that long, apparently. But they’ve stayed friends ever since.’

Ryan took another drink. ‘Do you think there’s anything going on between them now? I mean, Ronnie – he’s recently divorced, isn’t he? Was that because of her, do you think? Because of Amber?’

‘Nah, mate. His wife left him for Frankie Greenham,
Kennway
Town
’s goalie. Had nothing to do with the lovely Amber Sullivan. Like I said before, Ronnie White was the one and only exception to her “no footballers” rule.
I
should know. I’ve tried.’

‘What?
You’ve
asked her out?’ There was more than a hint of surprise in Ryan’s voice.

‘Half the squad’s asked her out, mate. She’s said no to all of us. Doesn’t want to know.’

Ryan said nothing, just took another slow swig of lager.

‘Anyway, do you want another one? We’re gonna hang round here for a bit longer before we hit the club.’

‘Nah, I’m alright for the minute,’ Ryan smiled.

‘Fancy a game of pool?’
Gary
asked, sliding off the stool and grabbing his pint.

‘I’ll be over in a bit. Just got to nip to the loo.’
 

‘Okay. Well, we’re just over there. See you later.’

Ryan watched
Gary
walk over to the rest of the lads before turning round on his stool and taking a look around the crowded bar. Sometimes, being a professional footballer at the highest level was akin to being like the proverbial kid in a candy shop. All around him was temptation, and all he had to do was give the nod and whatever he wanted would just appear. Would he ever get bored of that feeling? Would that day ever come when he just didn’t want to do this anymore? When all he wanted to do was settle down and get on with his life? Maybe. But it wasn’t happening any time soon, that was for sure.

Turning back to face the bar he held up his empty glass and indicated to the barman that he was ready for another. One more then he’d join the rest of the lads. This night was only just beginning, and he had a gut feeling it was going to be a good one.

*

‘You do know that practically every male head in this bar has turned to look in your direction at least once, don’t you?’ Ronnie smiled, returning to the table with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. ‘Because
you
have scrubbed up pretty nicely, Ms. Sullivan.’

‘
Champagne
?’ Amber asked, ignoring Ronnie’s comment. ‘Are we celebrating something?’

‘Yeah. You, finally leaving the house for a few hours and actually enjoying yourself.’

‘Cheeky bastard.’ But she couldn’t help smiling. ‘And you don’t scrub up too badly yourself, Mr. White.’

Ronnie White may not have been as obviously handsome as the Ryan Fishers of this world, but he had a quirky quality about him that made him just as attractive, in a different kind of way. Probably more so, because Ronnie wasn’t just some pretty shell that drew women’s attention towards him purely because of his looks. He was also one of football’s nice guys. He always had been; that was just the kind of person he was, and it still seemed unbelievable to Amber that Karen hadn’t been able to see what a gem of a man she’d had in him. As far as
she’d
been concerned the grass was greener elsewhere, but in Amber’s eyes she thought Karen had made a huge mistake. Ronnie was a wonderful man, but if Karen hadn’t been able to see that then she really didn’t deserve him. Amber just hoped that, next time, he’d find someone who really loved him and appreciated him. Because he deserved that.

‘You alright?’ Ronnie asked, breaking into Amber’s thoughts.

‘Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking, that’s all.’

‘Well, quit thinking and start enjoying yourself. Here. Get this down your neck.’ He leaned forward, handing her a glass of champagne.

‘You’re such a charmer, Ronnie,’ Amber smiled, taking a sip of the cold, bubbly liquid. ‘And isn’t this a bit excessive?
Champagne
, on a Wednesday night?’

‘I’m an ex-professional footballer, Amber. There’s no such thing as excessive.’

Amber smiled again, because he’d said that with his tongue very firmly in his cheek. Ronnie had never really lived that extravagant footballer’s lifestyle, which was partly the reason why she liked him so much. But, was that also partly the reason why Karen had left him? Had she wanted that lifestyle more than she’d wanted Ronnie? It was something that had crossed Amber’s mind on more than one occasion since Ronnie’s marriage break-up. But it was something she still couldn’t get her head around. Ronnie was genuine. He never did things because he felt he had to, or because he just could. Karen really had no idea what she’d thrown away.

‘Do you fancy going clubbing?’ Ronnie asked, taking a sip of his own champagne, his eyes fixed on Amber as she shuffled about in her seat, the short black dress she was wearing riding up her legs slightly to reveal probably a little more tanned thigh than she’d intended.

‘Clubbing? Are you joking? The last time I went clubbing flares were still in fashion. And you’re hardly John Travolta yourself.’

‘You’re supposed to be having fun.’

‘I
am
having fun, thank you. This is me, having fun.’

Ronnie leaned forward again, clasping his hands together between his open knees, fixing Amber with a look that defied her to turn away. ‘Do you
ever
relax? I mean, I’ve known you for almost ten years now and in all that time I’ve only seen you really let yourself go once, maybe twice – my wedding, and that Christmas party we went to when we were a couple, when I was playing for United. The club Christmas party, remember?’

‘How could I forget? You should never have let me have that Long Island Iced Tea. It was lethal.’

Ronnie smiled, and Amber loved the way his eyes crinkled up at the edges when he did that. ‘You had such a good night, Amber. You were the life and soul of that party, so I know you
can
let your hair down, when you want to.’

‘When I’m drunk, you mean,’ Amber half-smiled as she took another small sip of champagne.

‘Well, maybe you should get drunk more often,’ Ronnie sighed, sitting back in his seat. ‘Everything doesn’t have to be so serious
all
the time, y’know.’

Amber put her glass down and crossed her legs, quickly pulling the hem of her dress down over her thigh. ‘I just want to be taken seriously, Ronnie. I want to be a success, I want to be good at what I do…’

‘You
are
good at what you do. But sometimes you need to shake off this cold exterior you give off.’

Amber looked at him. ‘Is it really that bad? Do I really come across as cold?’

‘Not all the time, no. But you always come across as incredibly professional.’

‘And what’s wrong with that?’

Ronnie leaned forward again, smiling as he looked at her. ‘Nothing. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I know you, Amber. And I know you’re anything
but
cold. I just think you put up too many barriers. It’s almost like you’re afraid to let anyone in.’

Amber said nothing, just took another sip of champagne.
 

‘Don’t you get lonely?’ Ronnie asked. She was such a beautiful woman, he found it difficult to understand how she was still alone after all this time. Since their brief relationship all those years ago he didn’t think she’d been seriously involved with anyone. She’d certainly never spoken to him about any relationships she’d been in or any of the men she’d met. Yet, she spent her life around men. So surely she couldn’t have been alone for all that time?

‘I haven’t got time to be lonely, Ronnie. I’m a busy girl.’

He sat back again, pushing both hands through his hair, his brown eyes still looking straight at her. ‘Hmm… well, you know what they say – all work and no play makes Amber one very boring young lady.’