All In: Playing to Win (Gambling With Love Book 5) (14 page)

Not only am I pissed that Natalie’s blown me off, but without any new publicity of the two of us, I'm screwed. Not knowing what else to do, I'll just have to lay low and hope for the best. Maybe I can try again to convince Lacy to pretend we're back together. Yeah I'm sure her and her new man will go for that.       

…

Natalie

"How are you doing, Nat?" Rachel asks when she interrupts my moping Monday afternoon.

"I'm great," I reply with as much peppiness as I can muster.

"Liar, but that's okay. I'm still going to give you this uplifting Oreo shake," she says, sitting the tall cup with a plastic spoon sticking out on top of my desk. Right next to the football signed by Zack Bradford after his touchdown. I've entered it into the auction but can't part with it just yet. 

"Thanks," I tell her.

"You want to talk about it?" she asks, taking the seat in front of my desk. The same one that a super sexy quarterback just occupied a few days ago.

I sigh, needing someone to talk to.

"I miss him," I admit before burying my head in my folded arms. "Isn't that stupid?"

I can't stop thinking about being wrapped in his strong arms, kissing his pouty lips, or seeing that cocky grin on his gorgeous face. After spending the whole day with him Saturday I grew even more attached to his playful personality. He made me laugh and feel carefree. With him I was truly happy for the first time in my life.

"Of course you miss him, you'd be stupid if you didn't," Rachel replies. "Although, I have to say that you're stupid because it looked like you're the one that ended things, correct?"

I raise my head and nod in the affirmative. "How could I let things go that far and expose myself to someone as perfect as him?"

"Yesterday it sounded like he eluded to the idea that the two of you had already…"

"We did," I admit, grabbing my shake and shoveling a heaping spoon full of Oreos and vanilla ice cream into my mouth.

Rachel remains silent, waiting for me to tell her more, so eventually I do. "Friday night in his car, and then Saturday morning when he came to pick me up."

"Come on, you know you've got to give me more than that, you little hussy."

"Fine,” I grumble. “Friday night I straddled him in the front seat of his car. And you know how I told you that Wednesday night he'd figured out I was the cheerleader he kissed in college?"

"Uh-huh."

"So yeah, he asked if I still had my uniform. Saturday morning I opened the door wearing it and he quickly found out that I wasn't wearing anything underneath my skirt."

"So you had sex with Zack Bradford, not once but twice, and you didn't get to see him naked on either occasion?"

I nod and spoon another mouthful of cookie shake into my mouth.

"I amend my earlier statement. You're not stupid, you're a fucking idiot."

I suck in a breath and nearly choke on my ice cream after her rarely heard curse. "Rachel!"

"Natalie, I know you're insecure about the surgical scars, but at some point you're going to have to expose yourself to a man. Unless you plan on getting reconstruction surgery? Or a few cats? Take up knitting, maybe?"

"I know that, but whoever that man is, he's definitely not going to be the Sexiest Man Alive," I reply.

"Why not?" she asks.

"I can't take his…rejection, or worse…him being revolted."

"Nat, maybe you're underestimating him. You could just tell him in advance, and see how he reacts. He may surprise you."

I shake my head in disagreement. There is absolutely no way I can expose myself to him that way. Look what happened when he found out about the photo of us I have hanging on my wall. Baring my scars, makes me a hundred times more vulnerable that the picture, and he sure as hell didn't waste any time throwing that back in my face to hurt me. 

"But you miss him?"

I nod.

"Why don't you call him? Try dating him a little longer?" she asks

"I'm not calling him, and he hasn't called me, so we're done. I'm sure he's already moved on." That thought makes my scarred chest feel like it's being crushed.

"You'll see him at the photoshoot in a few weeks, right?"

"Ugh. Unfortunately."

"Maybe you'll be ready to give in by then."

It would be nice to see him again. Without a shirt…Shit, no it wouldn't. It'll only make it worse. "I'm sending you in my place," I tell Rachel.

"Yes! I will gladly help photograph half-naked football players."

"I need a hobby, something to keep me busy and my mind off of him."

"Me, too. That son of a bitch Cain Brooks still hasn't called or texted me. I know! How about we head to the gym tonight and burn off the calories from these shakes with Zumba! They'll be tons of hot guys there, too..."

"Okay, I could use some exercise," I agree. Famous. Last. Words.

...

"I'm going to kill you…for making me…do this," I warn Rachel as sweat pours down my face and my thighs burn from overuse now, or underuse every other day. I don't know, they just hurt.

"You'll feel so much better afterwards, though," she replies cheerfully. I want to slap her.

"All right, ladies. One more time from the beginning!" the peppy instructor says, and I want to choke that bitch.

Somehow I make it through and insist Rachel and I reward ourselves with a dip in the gym's hot tub before showering and leaving. On the way out the door I get blindsided by my best friend.

"Dr. Andrews!" Rachel exclaims when we step outside and pass a young, brown-haired man. "How are you?" she asks.

The man looks too young to be a doctor, that’s for sure. And the way she hugs him makes me think she's flirting with him. Then the tables turned.

"Oh, sorry. Let me introduce you two. Dr. Andrews, this is my best friend Natalie Adair. Natalie, this is my friend from high school and now my optometrist, Dr. Andrews."

The nice, conservative looking man holds out his hand for me to shake. "Nice to meet you Natalie," he says, bright blue eyes sparkling with a wide, perfect smile on his face. Not the least bit cocky like another man's smile I know.

"You too," I reply politely.

"If I remember correctly, you're a Wildcats fan, right, Doctor?" Rachel asks, and the first of the warning bells start going off.

"Rachel, I've told you before, please just call me Blake. And yes, of course I'm a Wildcats fan. I live in Charlotte, right?"   

Blake is a cute name for a cute guy. He's buff, evidence that unlike me, today is not his first time at the gym in months. He's probably about six feet tall, and is dressed in black nylon shorts and an
Avengers
t-shirt. He's pretty adorable but nowhere near as sizzling hot as another man I recently met…Damn it! I have got to stop thinking about him.

"Well, something came up and I can't make the game Sunday with Natalie. You wouldn't want to go in my place would you?" Rachel, the manipulator, asks, making my jaw drop. She could've warned me, or better yet, asked me first.

"Are you kidding? That would be awesome!" Blake exclaims.

"Great!" Rachel carries on the conversation like my eyes aren't shooting daggers at her at the moment. "Natalie is a breast cancer survivor and she's been selected for the special halftime program for breast cancer awareness month." 

My face catches on fire as the man turns to me and his eyebrows shoot to the sky. That's it. I'm going to have to kick my friend's ass.

"Wow. That's incredible, Natalie," the good doctor replies. "You're so young, and… I can't even imagine how difficult that must’ve been for you. Glad you were able to beat it."  

I look at Rachel and the evil woman actually winks at me after throwing me under the bus with a man I don't know. To top it off, I look like shit standing here with no makeup on and my wet hair in a ponytail after my shower. What a great first impression I must be making.

"Thanks," I finally reply, unable to form any words, other than threats on my best friend's life.

"Maybe we should all exchange numbers, so we can coordinate for Sunday," the traitor suggests, practically bouncing up and down in place on the sidewalk.

"Sure, of course," Blake agrees, pulling out his cell phone.

And so it begins, the most embarrassing ambush of all time.

Zack

I can't believe I'm actually here. After debating it all week, and talking myself out of it multiple times, it's Friday night and I'm now sitting in the parking lot outside of Natalie's apartment. My hesitation to get out of the car turns out to save my ego and what's left of my dignity.

Night is just setting in, but even with the darkness I can clearly make out Natalie coming down the stairs with another fucking man. It feels like I've been kicked in the nuts and the gut at the same time.

I watch as they approach an SUV of some sort. When he opens the passenger door and holds it for her, I go from pissed to an angry maniac.

Friends my ass!
He sure as hell doesn't look like just her "friend." She blew
me
off for someone else? What the fuck?

This is maybe the worst moment of my life, well, other than Jerry's meeting. It's even worse than finding Lacy with another guy at the club. At least I'd given Lacy a reason to hate me and leave me. I'd gone out of my way to try and impress Natalie, the only damn woman I've ever tried to impress, and she couldn't care less!

I need to fight or fuck. Hit someone or get off.

Goddamn Jerry! If it wasn't for him I never would've asked out the stubborn woman I'm currently a mess over. Now I'm shit out of luck, unable to find a woman to screw on the off chance it'd get back to Satan. Fucking Satan! I hate that bastard, too. Then an evil idea suddenly comes to me.

I crank the car and head for the highway, deciding to pay a visit to my buddy Jake. My decision firms up as I drive, and I'm relieved to find his car is in the driveway outside of his house. Next to his vehicle is a girly looking red convertible.

Perfect.

I ring the doorbell and wait, listening to the yelling on the other side. I can't exactly tell what's being said, just that it's definitely antagonistic.

"What's up?" Jake asks when he pulls the door open, gripping it like he’s mad enough to yank it off the hinges.

"Not a damn thing. You busy?" I ask.

"Fuck no. Unless you consider getting yelled out by a
batshit crazy cunt
about changing the roll of toilet paper busy," he yells, I assume for the woman, Addison, to hear him. Here's hoping she's a Zack Bradford fan.

"I heard that, you asshole!" comes bellowing from within the house.

Jake sighs and holds the door open. "Come in and meet the bitch. She's so fucking sweet it hurts," he says sarcastically.

I walk through the foyer into the living room expecting to find Satan's slimy, bitchy, mini-me, not a hot ass, pin-up beauty. With her jet black hair, fair skin, and pouty red lips, she looks like a wet dream from the set of a nineteen forties movie. She's even wearing a tight, curve-hugging, white dress like she just walked off a set.

"Holy shit!" she exclaims, scrambling to her feet that are in pair of sexy white fuck-me heels. "You didn't tell me Zack Bradford was coming over,
honey
. I would've put on something nice."

Great, so she
is
a fan. That should make this easier.

"Oh baby, the only thing nicer than what you're wearing right now would be nothing at all," I tell her with a cocky grin. Her face flushes and those red lips part on a gasp.

"Good fucking luck," Jake snorts when he crashes into a chair, rapidly flipping channels on the TV. “She’s colder than ice, man. And quit the act, bitch. He knows you're paid to be here."

The woman's big amber eyes narrow at the back of Jake's head before she turns them to me again.

"Addison, right?" I ask, holding out my hand.

"Sure am. It's really nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan," she says and Jake scoffs loudly. At the same time I think
fuck yes
, the stupid thought that she probably isn't as big a fan as Natalie comes out of nowhere and hits me. Goddamn that woman.

"It's nice to meet you too. Really nice," I say, giving her another sweeping head to toe look.

"Can I get you anything? Maybe a drink?" she asks, biting her plump bottom lip seductively.

"Rum and coke?" I ask.

"Coming right up," she says, heavy on the entendre. Too bad it isn’t having any effect on my dick.

I follow her into the kitchen anyway, watching her move around like she's familiar with where everything is. Guess she's staying here, spying on Jake for Satan and Jerry.

A minute later she brings me a full liquor glass, standing in my personal space closer than is normally polite. "Wow, you're really…big," she says.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, baby," I reply, and the flirty words burn my throat on the way out.

"Is that right?"

I sip my drink to cool the sting while watching her, swallowing hard to try and keep the liquid down. My mind keeps flashing back to the image of Natalie and another man leaving her place. Would she ride his cock in the front seat of his SUV? Ask him to come up to her apartment and let him fuck her? I clench and unclench my fist. I need a distraction and the perfect one is standing eager and ready, right in front of me. So why does it feel wrong? Because I've become a pussy, that's why.

"Lead the way and I'll be glad to show you," I tell Addison, sitting my empty glass down on the island counter.

The sassy, pin-up girl's eyes fill with lust as she walks by me, brushing her curves against the front of my body on the way down the hall. She stops and enters one of the bedrooms, hers I’d guess by the look of all the girly shit sitting around. Crawling up on the bed with her dress and shoes still on she's ready to go.

I reach for her foot and pull her heel off. "You should get comfortable. We might be here awhile," I tell her and she smiles.

Once her other shoe is tossed I pull my shirt over my head and then start on my belt buckle. If Addison's having regrets or second thoughts they don't show on her beautiful face. Desire is all that I see staring back at me.

I strip down to my boxers, leaving them on since my dick hasn't decided to come out and play just yet.
Son of a bitch.

I climb onto the bed and lay down beside her, then my work is done.

Addison, who I’d just met less than ten minutes earlier, straddles my hips and rubs her hands over my chest and stomach before her mouth comes down to mine.

Panic threatens to choke me when I start wondering if Natalie is kissing some asshole, or if she's in her bed riding him this way. Why do I fucking care? We were just temporary, a means to an end to make Jerry happy so I could keep my contract. She's not mine and doesn't want to be. I remind myself that she's no different than all the other countless women I've fucked over the years and don't give a shit about.

But that's a fucking lie.

I miss her.

This is about the time I realize Addison's mouth is migrating south and there's still no response from my dick. Great, I can't even fuck the one person I could get away with fucking.

I don't actually
want
to fuck this beautiful girl which is...concerning to say the least.         

Rather than embarrass myself when she notices I'm not aroused, I decide to stop being so fucking selfish. I flip our positions, so that I'm on top and in control. My hands push the short dress up her thighs until her white thong is revealed, then I yank the lacy string down her legs and off of her.

As soon as my tongue touches her clit she screams my name, but it's a hollow sound. All I can think about is that she doesn't taste like Natalie. I can't stop thinking about that woman's goddamn cupcakes.

"What the fuck?" Jake exclaims from the doorway that Addison hadn't bothered asking me to close.

Huh, I guess she's an exhibitionist, or she wanted him to see what we're doing. Was she trying to make him jealous? Using me like I'm using her? Well, hell, that made me feel a little better, and like her a little more.

Even though Jake's probably still watching, I don't let up with my tongue fucking until Addison's body shakes with her release. If my dick was cooperating I'd probably start fucking her, but it isn't. Instead, I flop down on the mattress beside the woman who's still trying to recover. Her arms are thrown above her head and her glistening pussy is still exposed.

Glancing back to the door, Jake is standing there looking shocked, turned on, and…pissed? Was he jealous? Maybe her plan worked after all. I've always heard there's a thin line between love and hate, and these two clearly hate each other.

"You're wrong about her being a frigid bitch, Jake. Her pussy is so damn hot, I think she burned my tongue," I taunt him.

"Fuck you," he says, his eyes never leaving Addison’s exposed lower body. When he licks his lips I’m almost certain he’d give anything to get between her legs.

A few seconds later Addison rolls on top of me and starts working her way back down my body. Shit. On her hands and knees hovering above my hips she pulls my cock out and tries to inflate it with her mouth.

When it doesn't work, Jake laughs and moves closer to the bed, probably to get a better view of her still bare ass that’s raised in the air. "Sorry, sweetheart, but it looks like you're shit out of luck. His cock’s broken."

"Take your peeping Tom ass out of here," Addison says to him. "Maybe he doesn't like having an asshole audience."

"Oh, darling, you have no
idea
how many women we've watched each other fuck, and fucked at the same time," Jake tells her. "He just doesn't want you."

Holy shit that was cold, even for a man I already knew was soulless. At least he left after that parting comment, so I could try to do damage control.

"Addison, he's full of shit," I tell her. After tucking my limp cock away in my boxer briefs I can’t help but tug on a handful of my own hair in frustration. "You're a beautiful woman, and I…he's right about my cock being broken. I just can't get out of my own head..."

"Is it that blonde woman? The one you've been seen making out with everywhere?" she asks, climbing up the bed to lay on her stomach next to me. Great, we're going to have a nice girl chat. Maybe that's what I need, a woman to tell me what the fuck is going on with Natalie.

"The stubborn woman refused to date me, so I pursued her until I convinced her, or basically bribed her to go on a handful of dates with me. Then she fucks me a few times before suddenly kicking me out of her apartment. Oh, and after that I got the whole, 'let's just be friends' spiel. Just now, I gave in to my better judgment and went by her place and saw her leaving on a date with some asshole!"

"Wow. What's wrong with her?" she asks seriously. "Oh I know, she's blind, right?"

I scrub my face with my hands. "No, she's not blind."

"Mentally incompetent?"

"Nope."

"Then I have no fucking clue. Except..." she starts and then hesitates. I look over to see her biting that damn lip again.

"What?"

"You are known for being a player. Maybe she just doesn't want to be played."

"I thought I went out of my way to show her I wasn't trying to play her." Well, I am playing her, but in a way she doesn't know, which is to keep my contract.

"Sorry, but I have no further advice, and I'm a freaking expert. Psychiatrist," she explains, pointing to herself.

"I bet Jake keeps you busy with all his psychotic bullshit." I chuckle, even though my chest is aching like never before.  

"You have no idea. I'm starting to think the man might just be pure evil."

"And yet your dad got you to agree to live with him and date him for several weeks?"

"I'm using the money he's paying me to start my own practice and get a little publicity. He needed a non-slut. You're not going to…tell anyone about this, are you?" she asks hesitantly.

"Hell no. I hope you'll keep my problems to yourself, too."

"Of course, doctor-patient confidentiality," she says with a smile. "Too bad they didn't hook me up to be your fake girlfriend."

"Yeah," I reply, but it's a complete lie. I don't want anyone to be my girlfriend, real or fake, except for Natalie.