Faceoff, page 10
I’d opened my door to a hurricane, and I didn’t have a clue how she’d managed to sneak past security.
“Could I help you with something?” I asked again.
“Oh, yeah, my brother. Is he here?”
“I’m the only one here. I’m sure you have the wrong condo.”
“No, I’m positive. He lived up a floor with a teammate, but now he lives with you.”
“Your brother is Gage?” I took a moment to study her. The resemblance was there in the blue-gray eyes and black hair. She’d slathered on the makeup and most of it had run down her face. She wore a tight tank top revealing tats on her chest and arms and no coat. Considering the cool evening, she had to be freezing.
“Yeah.”
“He’s on a road trip.”
“Oh, darn. I forgot to check his schedule.” She pushed past me and into the condo. “Oh, this is pretty much the same thing he had before. I’d have thought you’d have put your stamp on it, but it’s almost furnished identically to his other one.”
“I haven’t had time.” I tried not to sound defensive, but putting my stamp on anything had become a touchy subject.
“I’ll help you. I have an eye for design. I want to become a designer just like you. I love your show. I watched it a trillion times. I hated it when Brand dumped you for that bitch. I laughed my ass off when it didn’t work out between them. He didn’t ever call you, did he? I’d have told him where to stick it.”
My head reeled as I struggled to keep up with her. Brand had been the last bachelor I’d fallen in love with on Looking for Love, the one I’d stupidly slept with and naively planned on having a future with.
“Uh, thank you. And your name is?”
“Oh, I’m Sutton. Sutton Ziegler. You’ll be seeing a lot of me.”
Wonderful.
I wasn’t good with kids. I didn’t have little brothers and sisters or even nieces and nephews. Mostly, I avoided teenagers now that I wasn’t one.
I followed her around the room as she nosily poked at things, picked up items, checked the labels on the bottom, and moved on. She stopped in front of Dude and picked him up, cuddling him. He cast an accusing glare my way. Dude didn’t like his sleep disturbed.
“Dude, how you doing, buddy?”
The cat meowed his version of fuck you if I read him right.
“This place is immaculate? My brother can’t possibly live here.”
She knew her brother well. “I’ve been cleaning since he left.”
Sutton’s phone rang, and she answered it. “Yeah, I’m at bro’s. I don’t want to come home. Ajax was mean to me. Yes, he was. He’s a dick.” She noticed me listening in and wandered off to have a hushed conversation.
“I guess I have to go. Mom’s picking me up in the front of the building.” She ran to me and gave me a hug, catching me off guard. “We’re so glad you’re a member of the family. You’ll have to come to Sunday dinners.”
And like the whirlwind that she was, she was gone as quickly as she appeared, leaving me a little disconcerted and off-balance.
I sat down on the couch to relax when the security guy rang up to the condo. Now he decided to use the intercom. “I have four ladies waiting to speak to you. Can I ring them up?”
“Who are they?”
“They’re safe. I know them all. They’re associated with Ziggy’s teammates.”
Oh, crap. The WAGs?
What could they possibly want? They’d made their position obvious last night. With a sigh, I told him to send them up. I might as well get this over with. My fake-girlfriend status made it impossible to avoid the WAGs, even if Sondra would allow it, and she wouldn’t. She was already salivating with anticipation for my next WAGs encounter.
I opened the door and waited for them to step off the elevator. One thing I’d learned in all those years in foster homes was to get the bad things over with as quickly as possible and move on. Eventually, even the worst things in life passed.
The elevator doors swished open, and four WAGs appeared. Bella, Caro, Cin, and Delaney walked toward me. None of them looked straight at me. Their body language indicated they weren’t here to chew my ass some more. In fact, quite the opposite. They seemed almost contrite.
“Mind if we come in?” Bella asked quietly, which was not her normal tone, from what little I’d witnessed in the suite.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” I immediately regretted my snarky comeback, but they had shown up in my private sanctuary without warning, and I didn’t welcome the intrusion.
“I’m sorry we didn’t call ahead, but we didn’t think you’d be willing to see us.” Bella read my mind, and I ducked my head slightly, with a mixture of guilt and embarrassment. I secretly cursed my inner need to be wanted at any cost, even the cost of my pride.
I shrugged, feeling anxious, defensive, and hopeful. I’d been falsely accused, which brought back so many bad memories of one foster home where the bio children had blamed me for things they did, and their parents had believed them. Living there had been six months of hell. Not to mention, their seventeen-year-old son had kept making advances toward my then fourteen-year-old self. I’d finally mentioned the situation to a social worker, and she’d immediately removed me from the home, which meant a new school and another new home and family.
Life as a foster child had sucked, but I’d managed to keep my grades up, gotten a jump start on college, and landed a job at an LA design firm as a go-fer more than anything while still finishing my senior year.
None of this mattered to the situation before me, and I turned and led them inside.
I motioned them to the seating area while I opened the bottle of wine one of them had brought. Almost like a peace offering? I could only hope. Things usually looked better after a glass of wine.
I poured five glasses and carried them on a cookie sheet to the living room, making a mental note to buy a serving tray.
“Thank you,” Caro said primly, still not looking me in the eye. We sipped on the wine in tense silence. Dude left the room, not caring for the vibes, escaping to my bedroom to scatter cat hair on my pillows, as was his nightly ritual. Right about now, I wished I was Dude.
Bella looked up from her wine and stiffly regarded me. She drew in a breath and let it out. “The WAGs owe you an apology. We’re here to represent all of them.”
I choked on my wine. Thankfully, I was able to swallow it before I spit it out all over them.
“We were wrong to jump to conclusions. We didn’t know you or the situation,” Caro said.
“I’m surprised.” A lame thing to say, but I’d been rendered basically speechless.
“Ziggy set us straight. He defended you and let me know in no uncertain terms you had not invited her to the suite,” Cin added, ducking her head in shame. “I’d still love to have you do my interior design if you’re willing.”
“We’re truly sorry, and we hope you’ll forgive us.” Delaney smiled nervously and toyed with the stem of her glass while the others nodded agreement.
“Please give us another chance,” Bella almost pleaded, and I didn’t get the idea Bella begged for much. She was a strong woman with definite opinions.
“I-I don’t know what to say,” I stammered.
“Say you’ll forgive us and join the WAGs at Brick and Amelia’s houseboat tomorrow night for the game.” Bella smiled tentatively. The others smiled, too, looking so hopeful. They were hard to turn down. In my experience, people didn’t apologize even when they were dead wrong and knew it. This was a new situation for me.
I pondered their offer. Hanging with these women again would be daunting, but I had to be the bigger person as part of my own personal growth.
“I’d like to come, and, Cin, I’d love to work with you on a design that suits your needs,” I said, and every one of them giggled nervously and smiled, relief flooding their earnest faces. My own version of relief wafted through me like a warm fire on a cold night. I forgave them. Life was too short to hold grudges. Who was I to judge? My relationship with Gage was a big lie, and if they found out about that, they’d have a real reason to hate me. If Sondra got her way, and she always did, the Team Darcy and Ziggy concept wouldn’t endear me to them either.
“It’s on the East Coast so it’s earlier than usual, four p.m. our time. I’ll give you the address and come when you can.”
“I won’t be able to make it until five or so.”
“That’s fine.” Bella rose and the others took her cue. “We’ll see you then. We don’t want to take up any more of your time.”
They each hugged me and graced me with warm smiles. I saw them out the door and collapsed in my chair. My mind reeled with the events of the past twenty-four hours. The changes in my life moved at warp speed. As someone who’d shifted living arrangements every six months since my parents had died in a private plane crash when I was eight, I craved the stability and boring sameness most others disliked.
My phone beeped with a text message. I heaved a sigh.
What the fuck now?
My phone screen displayed Gage’s name. My heart sped up at the sight of it, as if he were the someone special I was pretending he was. Maybe my brain wasn’t able to distinguish the difference between the truth and a lie.
But that kiss…
Gage: How are things?
Me: Fine. Why?
Gage: Worried about you. That’s all. I heard about last night.
He’d heard about last night? I was stunned. And he cared enough to text? I warned myself not to read too much into it. Gage was a nice guy under it all.
Me: It’s all good.
Gage: Are you sure?
Me: Positive.
Gage: How’s Dude?
Me: Way too comfy on my pillow.
Laughing emoji.
Gage: Take care of yourself. Just checking in.
Me: You, too.
That was the end of it. I studied the phone as if the device might reveal the answers to the universe or the real reason why Gage had called me. I hadn’t told him about his sister’s or the WAGs’ visit.
There’d be time for that later. I guess meeting his family was inevitable as long as we continued our charade.
Keeping the lie was getting complicated, and keeping my heart out of it was even more complicated.
Chapter Thirteen
Man Up
~~Gage~~
Day three of our road trip and a down day for us without a game.
I ordered a beer and sat down at a table in the small hotel bar, checking my phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. Nothing from Darcy. Not that I expected anything or cared, not really.
I glanced up as Cedric, Brick, and Rush strode toward me. We’d been partying buddies back before they’d all taken the plunge with their forever loves. I’d been shocked at the swiftness with which they’d become reformed bad boys.
Cave and I’d been left to carry the torch along with the younger guys. Four of our latest crop had also succumbed. I didn’t get it. Why be stuck with one woman when you could have several? Made no sense to me, at least not that I was admitting to. My own wings had been temporarily clipped, and I’d handled things better than imagined.
This was my first road trip since the fake relationship, and I’d managed to resist Cave’s invitation to party the first couple nights. Refusing hadn’t been difficult considering Staples had gone with them both times. I didn’t need any more face time with that ass than absolutely necessary.
“What’re you doing in here by yourself?” Cedric cocked his head at me as if researching a foreign species he’d just discovered in the wilds of Florida.
“Just hanging.” I nursed a beer and scrolled through my phone.
“Awesome game last night, Zig.” Rush slapped me on the back as he took the seat next to me. The others sat across the table. We’d beaten Miami three to one, and I’d scored two of those three. Now we were in Tampa for a game tomorrow night.
“I know,” I blustered. They expected me to brag when I had a good game and studied me with furrowed brows when I didn’t boast further. I’d been pretty quiet about the game, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Don’t let it go to your already huge head,” Cedric warned as he tossed back a whiskey and ordered another.
“I will,” I shot back, bringing another round of laughter.
This was new for me to be sitting around shooting the shit with the guys rather than cruising for women and getting wasted drunk. I liked it. I’d fended off several puck bunnies already on this road trip. I had a few in each city I often hooked up with along with new blood. Not one of them had been put off by the loss of my single status. If anything, they were even more interested in getting laid, as if it were some kind of accomplishment to be desirable enough to get a guy to cheat on his celebrity girlfriend. Only I wasn’t tempted, not one tiny bit. Not because they weren’t gorgeous and fucking good in bed—literally—but because I wasn’t interested in sex with them. A shocking phenomenon I’d never experienced until now.
Brick nudged my glass with his to get my attention. “Don’t fight it. It happens to most of us if we’re lucky.”
“Don’t fight what?” I met his amused gaze with a confused one of my own.
“Love,” Brick snorted with a laugh. “There isn’t one guy at this table who didn’t think he’d be a bachelor for life. Now look at us.”
“Uh, yeah, how did you give up all the fun?” Why the fuck was I asking these questions? I wasn’t giving anything up. This gig was a temporary restriction that’d be lifted in a few months, and I’d go back to normal. I wouldn’t be tied down and whipped like these guys. Poor brainwashed suckers.
Watching them go from wild studs to tame geldings had been a sorry sight.
“When you meet the one, it’s not hard. You want to give it up because you lose all interest in the women and the partying.” Cedric scratched his jaw, regarding me with a dissecting stare. I squirmed under his gaze and turned toward Rush. “I never thought you’d settle down.”
Rush shrugged one shoulder as if to say it wasn’t a big deal. “Sometimes what you think you want isn’t what you need.”
Rush being philosophical made no fucking sense to me, even though the other three nodded sagely. They’d joined a private club I’d gained access to but had no idea how I’d gotten there or if I wanted to stay.
“Getting cold feet?” Rush asked.
“Maybe,” I said honestly.
“The WAGs adore her. She watched the game at my place last night. Partied with the best of them.”
“She did?” At least we had that in common. But why hadn’t she told me?
“It appears she loves her wine.”
“She does,” I lied, as if I knew one damn thing about Darcy other than what’d been on her show. I didn’t ask for details, glad the WAGs had reconciled their differences with Darcy. I’d call her later and see how things were going. I glanced at my phone. The time was only nine p.m., only six p.m. at home. Too early to call right now. I had an inexplicable urge to hear her voice. We’d texted off and on since I’d left but nothing serious or meaningful, just chatted about Dude and the show.
“Who’s in for a pizza?” Brick swept his gaze around the table, and we all agreed to order a family size with all meat, a manly pizza, most likely the kind that most of these poor, saddled men never got to eat anymore. I’d never be controlled by a woman like that. Feeling superior, I told my inner male I was glad my relationship was fake.
“I never get pizza at home,” Cedric admitted, proving my very point. “Bella says it’s unhealthy.”
“We’re men. We’re meant to eat unhealthy shit,” Brick declared.
We raised our glasses in a salute.
“Hear, hear.”
“No pizza, man, that’s harsh,” I commented.
“Don’t feel sorry for me. Bella makes up for it in many other ways. There’s an advantage to being healthy, gives a guy lots of energy, if you know what I mean.” Cedric nudged me with an elbow while the others agreed enthusiastically.
“Don’t you guys ever get tired of the same woman?”
They gaped at me like I’d landed from another planet and didn’t understand the culture or the language.
“He is a newb.” Cedric and the guys shared a private look that excluded me.
“I’m still getting used to the idea of one woman rather than a smorgasbord every night.”
“If that’s the case, why are you here? Why aren’t you sampling what Tampa has to offer?” Cedric’s question was pointed and direct. All three pairs of eyes stared me down, and I looked away, not sure how to answer such a question when my life with Darcy was so complicated.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get caught.”
“Since when do you worry about that?”
“I guess since now. There are cameras everywhere.” Getting caught wasn’t the entire reason. The other women didn’t interest me. Every time I looked at one of them, I flashed back to Darcy with her tear-streaked face, clinging to me as I carried her to bed.
I wanted Darcy, and right now she was the only woman I wanted. I’d better up my game and convince her a sexual relationship would make our fake one all the more believable.
I’d also be one happy guy.
* * *
The four of us consumed mega amounts of beer and pizza, told jokes, talked hockey, and basically shot the shit. I’d missed these guys, and hanging out with them again was an unexpected perk of my current situation.
By the time we were finished, I had a good buzz going. We parted ways, and I heard Cedric mention sexting before going into my room. Not a bad idea. I might be able loosen Darcy up to the idea of real sex with some phone sex sessions. My grin spread across my face in anticipation as I threw open my hotel room door.
I stopped dead in my tracks, blinking several times, certain I was hallucinating.
