Wrapped Up: A Triple Threat Sports Romance (5 page)

Jake

Brooke caught me off guard with the idea of doing a prenuptial agreement. I had initially agreed because I thought it would help us keep everything organized, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like being too official was going to jeopardize the whole thing. It was becoming obvious to me that we both needed this marriage for more than just satisfying other obligations.

I didn’t think either of us was ready to admit it to each other, but it seemed like we were really depending on each other here. Despite how staged and put-on it all was, we were using each other for moral support while others seemed to simply expect more from us every day. Our arrangement was providing a kind of foundation for us to stand on.

I watched her walk away from the table at the café. It was a beautiful sight, for sure. She always managed to wear clothes that accentuated her figure perfectly. My eyes traced the curve of her back and the shape of her ass in her skirt. I followed her thin, fit legs down to her feet and the heels she wore.

I couldn’t just let her walk away, and I had an idea to make everything work more smoothly than it was. Our conversations were few and far between, and it was always about our arrangement. The pattern we were establishing wasn’t even enough to support our business agreement. Besides, we had to make it look like we were working on something more than just a staged wedding.

I got up and followed her out of the café. Outside, I took a couple of quick steps to catch up to her, and I took her arm in one of my hands, wrapping my fingers around her thin wrist and turning her around.

“Jake?” She was surprised I had followed her out of the café.

“I’ve got another idea,” I told her. “Just hear me out.”

“Okay.” She seemed uncertain, as if I was taking her into uncharted territory by having my own ideas in this arrangement.

“If we want this to work, I think you’re going to need to move in with me.”

She took a step back. “Why should I move in with
you
? Why should I be the one to give up my things?” she asked in protest.

“You can bring everything with you. I have plenty of space for you. We don’t even have to share the bedroom. You can have your own,” I assured her.

“But my house is
mine
. I didn’t purchase it just to give it up.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to give up your home. Hold on to it. Once we’re divorced, you can move back,” I pleaded with her.

“Okay, but why now? Why not wait until we get married?” She crossed her arms and levelled her eyes on me.

“Well, we’re already engaged, and it gives us a better chance to work together on this, so that we’re not meeting at odd times and odd places to discuss our next move. We can present a united front to people like your father, and it just looks more convincing.”

“I don’t know, Jake. It seems out of place.” She narrowed her eyes like she suspected me of trying to pull something by asking her to move in with me so suddenly.

“I just think it will help us move things along a little bit faster if we go ahead and make this move.”

“I still don’t see why you can’t just move in with me,” she continued to protest.

I let myself laugh. “I do have an image to maintain, you know. How would it look if I were to move out of my house for this? That just doesn’t happen. And it doesn’t make any sense.”

“I forget, it’s a man’s world. The woman is still expected to give up her identity in marriage,” she snapped.

“Hey, whoa, it’s nothing like that,” I argued, holding my hands up to her in a peaceful gesture to let her know I didn’t want to fight. I knew I couldn’t just tell her that moving her stuff into my place was just how it was supposed to go down, but I didn’t really know any other way to justify it.

“I mean, it’s not like this is a real marriage, right? So it shouldn’t matter which way we do it,” she continued to argue.

“Right, it shouldn’t matter. It’s not real,” I agreed, which was the wrong thing to say.

“Then you should be able to move your things into my place without any problem.”

“It’s just not done that way.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying.

“So, it
is
because you’re the man in this relationship,” she snapped. “You know, I’ve earned everything I own by working for my father over the years, from my phone to my house. I’m not going to give it all up because some hotshot jock doesn’t want me to challenge his manhood.”

We stood arguing on the sidewalk. Even though our relationship was supposed to be a business arrangement, the emotions in the fight felt real enough. I could hear the frustration in her voice, and I saw it in the way she was standing, in the way her jaw was set while she was talking. I saw it in the tears welling up in her eyes.

I realized I had really gotten in over my head on this.

“Hey, no, it’s not like that at all.” I put my arms around her and pulled her to me, trying to make my voice as soothing as possible at the same time.

“Let go of me. It’s not like you’re my
real
fiancé. This is just some stupid idea I had to try to get my father’s company in my name, and now it’s going to blow up in my face before we can even get down the aisle.” She pulled back against my arms to try to get away.

“Come here,” I said gently as I continued pulling her to me. She could only fight so much before her body pressed against mine. She melted into me, and I could feel her frustrations dissolving into my embrace of her.

Brooke rested her head on my chest and slowly slid her arms around my waist.

“There, that’s not so bad, is it?” I said.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know if I can do it all by myself. I can’t just set all of this up on my own,” she said into my chest.

“That’s why there are two of us,” I assured her. “And if you go ahead and move in, I can help you even more. We can work on it together and you won’t be stuck trying to do it all by yourself, Brooke. Don’t ever think you have to do this by yourself. Remember, I came to you about my whole fake girlfriend plan first.”

“You did.” She laughed. “Then, I hijacked it and turned it into this staged marriage ordeal.”

Her laugh sounded as wonderful as it had when we were younger. I didn’t want to, but I was starting to feel some of those old feelings rekindling themselves. I let go of her and pushed her back so I could look into her eyes.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“I do. Thank you.” She quickly wiped her eyes and ran her hands down her skirt, smoothing it out, more for peace of mind than to smooth out any actual wrinkles. I watched, amused, as she tried to regain her composure.

“This may be business, but we’re still a team, okay?”

She nodded. “Good. I think it’s time to reassess how we’re going to do all of this, because it’s pretty obvious I can’t do it all by myself anymore.”

“Good. I’m glad you can finally admit that,” I told her, chuckling. “I was getting tired of being left out of the loop until you had an idea or something you just had to tell me. It’s an agreement. It’s going to take both of us.”

“Right,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Now, the sooner you move in, the sooner we can sit down and start working on this together,” I urged her.

“Yeah, you just had to get that in there, didn’t you?” she said playfully.

“I did. I’m not telling you to sell your place. I get that this is an arrangement. Just bring what you need. I don’t care if you don’t even spend every night at the house, but we need to make this look legit, and part of that is going to be satisfying the expectations of the watching eyes. They’re going to expect you to move in with me, and if we do it any differently, we’re likely to attract undue attention that we really don’t want,” I explained to her.

“Right, too much attention will blow the whole thing.”

“Exactly. We don’t want anyone looking too closely at our situation. The cracks in the façade will become too obvious too quickly if they do that.”

“Alright, Jake, I’ll do it,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m not moving everything,” she added quickly.

“No, I don’t expect you to.” Honestly, I didn’t
want
her to move everything, not if our arrangement already had an expiration date on it. If we were planning on eventually ending it, there was no point in working to make it too permanent.

Still, to have her finally agree to move in felt like a victory. It felt better than it should have. That much was certain. I felt like we were moving forward finally, and I was part of it again. I needed it just as much as she did, and I needed her to remember that.

I still hadn’t said anything to the guys about it. Coach didn’t know, and news hadn’t made it back to Mr. Clark, I was sure, unless someone at the dinner party knew him. I figured that was always a possibility. But so far, I hadn’t told anyone that I was planning a wedding to satisfy my role model image.

“So, when do I move in?” Brooke asked, looking up at me with a smile on her tempting lips and in her deep blue eyes.

“Whenever you’re ready,” I told her.

“If we’re going to do this, why not right away?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I mean, if I’m not packing anything big, just the kinds of things I’d pack for a hotel stay or vacation, I should be able to get myself together pretty quickly,” she reasoned.

“Right. So, when should I expect you?”

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. “How about tomorrow afternoon? That’ll give me some time to make it look like I’m actually moving.”

“Excellent.” I offered her my best smile.

“I’ll call first to make sure you’re there,” she said. She put one of her thin, delicate hands on my arm and stretched to kiss me on my cheek. She laughed and wiped my face with her thumb as she pulled her lips away.

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her nonchalantly.

“Oh? Something tells me you
want
me to claim you, Mr. Hall.”

“Maybe I do.” I winked and pulled her into another embrace before letting her walk away to her car. I actually let her walk away that time.

I watched her sexy little body work under her clothes as she walked away from me, and I wondered if she actually thought we weren’t going to have to live together to pull off the appearance of being a happily married couple.

I shook my head and laughed. Her strength and independence were almost as attractive as her body, but I wondered if she wasn’t
too
strong and independent for marriage. As I walked to my car, I thought to myself that I was going to have to teach her to give a little, and it was good that she gave in on the issue of moving into my place.

I just had to make sure I was ready for her.

Brooke

I couldn’t believe I was giving in and moving into Jake’s house. Well, I wasn’t exactly
moving in
. It was more like going to stay in a hotel or going on vacation. My house was still mine, and I was leaving most of my things there.

While I was packing to go stay with Jake, I realized that it was going to take some serious skill to keep from being seen going back and forth between the two houses. I figured we could always just tell people we were holding on to my place until we figured out exactly what we wanted to do with it, even though I knew I absolutely didn’t want to let it go.

I looked around at the artwork hanging on my walls, the priceless vases and rugs, and the antique furniture, all of which I was leaving behind. I had to remind myself I wasn’t really leaving it all behind. It was just staying at my house and waiting for me to return once the arrangement was over, or whenever I needed to get away from our marriage.

It was like I was going out of town for work or something. I wasn’t really going away, but I wasn’t going to be home either. And I wasn’t going to be home for stretches of time that hadn’t yet been defined in our agreement. Plus, if we got the attention both my father and the team’s owner expected, the times I was going to be gone would simply become more erratic.

I had butterflies in my stomach while I looked around my house to make sure I had everything I needed. I decided I needed someone to look after the house for me. Unlike my father, I didn’t have any house staff. My house wasn’t big enough for that, and I wasn’t about to spend money paying someone to do what I could do for myself. I didn’t have drivers like Jake did. I didn’t have any of those extravagances that they enjoyed. It was just me.

I set my bags down and pulled out my phone. I did have one person I could call, my old friend Hollie, who also doubled up as my attorney. I had been planning on calling her soon anyway to help set up the prenuptial agreement with Jake, just in case he decided he really wanted it.

She answered on the third ring.

“This is Hollie.” I could tell from her tone that she hadn’t looked at the caller ID before answering.

“Hollie, it’s Brooke,” I told her.

“Oh, hey!” Her voice changed quickly. She didn’t sound so professional and cold once she realized it was me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t look at the caller ID.”

“I figured as much,” I told her.

“Well, what’s going on? I haven’t heard from you lately.”

“Oh, I have a lot to tell you. And a favor to ask, too, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, anything for you,” she said.

“I’d much rather do this in person.”

“Meet me at the sandwich shop downstairs from my office. Is everything okay, Brooke?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just a lot,” I told her.

I took an extra house key with me to give her. I knew she wouldn’t mind helping me watch the house while I was at Jake’s, but she hadn’t been invited to the announcement dinner. That spectacle had all been arranged by my father. I had only shown up with Jake. The engagement had been my contribution.

I texted Jake before I packed my car to meet with Hollie.

I’m going to meet with a friend so I can give her a key to my house. Then, I’ll be on my way
.

Just give me a call or text me when you start my way
, he texted back a moment later.

Hollie sat in the corner drinking a smoothie when I showed up. Immediately, she could see that something wasn’t right.

“Alright, what’s going on?” she asked in a concerned tone as she stood up to greet me.

“You know right away, don’t you? How do you do that?” I laughed nervously.

“I know you, Brooke, so go ahead and spit it out.”

We sat down across from each other in the small booth, and I proceeded to tell her about my father’s stipulations for me to marry in order for him to turn the company over to me. I told her about running into Jake and convincing him to stage a marriage with me so I could satisfy my father. I told her it would also help him with the team’s new owner.

“Wait, you mean Jake from high school?” she asked as it finally dawned on her that I was talking about
that
Jake.

“Yes, Jake from high school.”

“And you’re just putting on? It’s just for show?” She cocked an eyebrow as she went back to her smoothie. She looked at me with her dark, accusing eyes.

“Yeah, it’s been made pretty clear this is just for show. It’s an arrangement. I don’t think either one of us really wants to get married, so it works out perfectly. We’ve even agreed to a divorce once his bosses are satisfied and once the company is in my name.”

“Then you need a prenup,” she said bluntly. “Just like you have an official agreement with your father, you need something official with Jake. I can draw it up for you and even be present for both of you to sign it so everything’s fair and spelled out clearly.”

“We’re talking about that right now. I don’t think he’s too keen on leaving a paper trail though. This has to look real. Something like that can be dug up to show that we planned it all along,” I explained.

“True, but you need to do
something
. I’ll see what else I can come up with that won’t necessarily leave a nasty paper trail. So what’s the favor?”

I handed her the spare house key. “I need you to look after the house for me for a while,” I told her.

“What? Oh, you’re moving in with him.” Her expressive face made it really entertaining whenever something dawned on her suddenly.

“Right. I’ve got everything in the car. I’m heading over there when I leave here.”

“You’ve got everything in your car?”

“Hollie, I’m not really moving.” I laughed, an honest, deep laugh. “I’m just taking a few things with me because I’m not sure when I’ll be able to go back to the house. You know, he’s a pro athlete, so there’s an occasional issue with the press, and my father is hell-bent on making our marriage a spectacle.”

“I see,” she said. “Yeah, I’ll go by a couple of times a week for you to make sure your plants are watered and everything. You really need to come up with some sort of official document though, Brooke, to make sure you don’t get screwed in all of this.”

“Well, I guess you’ll be doing two things for me then.”

“Right.” She was dead serious, which bothered me. If she was sure I needed some sort of legal protection, then there was probably a pretty good chance of really getting screwed over in this whole deal. I hadn’t even thought about that.

Surely, Jake wasn’t interested in anything that could have screwed me up. He only seemed interested in making sure it looked like he had a permanent fixture on his arm. Anything else was just extra, as far as I could tell.

I thanked Hollie for always being there for me, and she assured me it wasn’t a problem. She reiterated the bit about needing a prenup, and I told her to draw something up for me. I agreed to consider it and talk to Jake about it more, especially since I was going to be at his place soon. We hugged each other tightly as we got up to leave.

“I’m so happy for you,” she said.

“It’s not a real marriage,” I told her.

“Sure, whatever, but it’s Jake, and I know you.” She shot me a knowing look before hugging me again and sending me on my way.

On my way
, I texted Jake as I pulled away from the curb at the sandwich shop.

I pulled up to his house, and my jaw dropped. My father’s property qualified as an estate in my opinion. It was a large, stately mansion that showed off my father’s fortune. Jake’s house, however, was a sprawling Italian mansion with stucco walls, curved red roof tiles, and archways leading everywhere.

I pulled through the automatic gates at the end of the driveway and drove slowly up to the house. The grounds had been meticulously maintained. The garage had several doors, all of which were open to show off his collection of cars. It seemed out of character for him to want to show off his wealth to me. While he certainly looked like a million bucks, and he didn’t mind having his drivers take him everywhere, he really seemed to hold his wealth card close.

I was flagged down by a gentleman in a tuxedo as I approached the front door to the mansion. I stopped the car and he walked around to the driver side door.

“Mr. Hall is expecting you,” he said as he opened my door for me.

“Yes, he is,” I stated simply to let the man at my door know that I wasn’t amused by Jake’s extravagance.

“I will park your car and bring your things in, Ms. Scott,” he said, stepping back and holding out his arm to indicate I was expected to get out of the car.

“Thank you, but I am perfectly capable,” I insisted.

“I know, but please, it would be rude to deny Mr. Hall’s offer,” he countered politely.

“Sure. Knock yourself out.” I got out of the car and noticed that there was someone else waiting for me at the door already. It was Jake.

Even at home, he dressed in slacks and dress shirts. I had expected to find him in a t-shirt and shorts, or jeans, at least. But there he was in front of me, at the top of the steps, dressed like he had an event or meeting to go to immediately after seeing me into the house.

He descended the steps to greet me at the driveway. He took my hands in his. They were massive and swallowed mine whole as he pulled me into an embrace.

My irritation at his show of wealth melted away almost immediately. My heart fluttered as he pulled me against his firm body. The things I wanted him to do to me! I had to clear my mind immediately of the awful thoughts flooding it. I wasn’t moving in to sleep with him. I wasn’t moving in because it was a real marriage, or because ours was a real relationship. I was moving in just to make it
look
like we were together. We weren’t supposed to actually be together.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said in my ear before letting me go from his embrace.

“I am, too. Maybe now we can really get down to work.”

“Yes, I hope so,” he said. “Come on in. Let me give you the tour and show you where your room will be.”

My room
. I liked the sound of that. I wasn’t going to be sleeping in the same room as Jake. We were going to keep our arrangement as professional as we could.

Inside, his mansion was even more expansive than the outside had seemed. My mind reeled as he walked me through rooms with marble floors, marble columns, high ceilings and golden chandeliers, spiral staircases, and tall arched windows looking out onto the grounds. There was an Olympic-size pool in the back with a patio as large as my house around it. From inside, I could see there was a kitchen and dining room outside on the patio.

My room was more like a complete apartment. Behind my door, I had a bedroom, a sitting room complete with a couch and a full entertainment center, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet. The only thing missing was a kitchen, but I figured it was probably best for him not to have kitchens in his guestrooms.

The house was an almost obscene display of wealth. Every room had unique art hanging from the walls. I recognized some of it—Monet, Picasso, and Dali, among others—but some of it, he told me, had been commissioned. There were sculptures, oriental rugs, and other pieces of priceless art scattered all throughout his house. For someone who had signed a multi-million-dollar deal, he certainly lived like a billionaire.

There was no way he could have afforded what was around me just on his current football salary. I had spent enough time around wealthy people to know he was spending more than he was making. I began to suspect my father had been on to something back at the house. Jake definitely had something going on under the radar, which was why he kept all of this extravagance quiet in the public eye.