Extra Time (52 page)

She walked over to him, twirling her hair around her finger, still pouting, still fluttering, and still it had no effect on Ryan. It was almost as if he’d just thrown up barriers that were deflecting any kind of advances, even those from stunning, naked blondes. ‘Are you sure you can’t spare just five little minutes?’

He reached out and ran his fingers over her breasts – fake, of course. Unlike Amber’s – they were perfect and rounded and felt incredible when he touched them… Shit! He really had to get rid of this one.

‘Come on, babe. That’s enough, okay?’ He gently pushed her away. ‘I’m really busy this afternoon and… I just need you to leave, all right? It was fun, you’re a beautiful girl, but I’ve got things to do.’

She threw him a look that said she was far from happy before making her way back to the bedroom with a toss of her hair and a wiggle that, under normal circumstances, would have made him follow her. But now he felt nothing but relief that she was finally on her way out of there.

She reappeared just minutes later, dressed and ready to leave. But she wasn’t going without a fight. ‘Will I see you again?’ she asked, moving in for one last kiss, but Ryan was too quick for her, turning his head so she caught his cheek.

‘If you come to the game tomorrow, yeah. You’ll see me there, won’t you?’

‘That’s not what I meant!’ she huffed, reaching out to stroke his shoulder, running her fingers lightly down his arm. Once upon a time this would have worked like a dream. Having a woman like this want him so badly, practically offering herself to him on a fucking plate; back in the day he would’ve been ready for action before you could say
penalty
. But now – now there was nothing. He just wanted her gone.

‘I know what you meant.’ He smiled, trying to ease the atmosphere. It wasn’t
her
fault he was feeling like this. But she’d got what she’d wanted – and those were the rules in this game. No promises, no ties, just sex. ‘Look, I might see you around, it depends. When do you fly home?’

‘Next Tuesday. Do you want my number?’

‘Like I said, babe, I might see you around. Okay?’

She gave him one more look from beneath those long lashes of hers, but even she was beginning to realise it wasn’t getting her anywhere. ‘I’ll see you later, Ryan.’

‘Yeah. Later.’

He watched her walk out into the hall, waiting until he heard the front door bang shut before he opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a copy of Ice Magazine. The one with Amber on the cover wearing nothing but a smile and a strategically placed Newcastle Red Star scarf. A real-life naked woman right there in the room with him hadn’t managed to stir anything, yet one quick look at Amber staring at him from the cover of a magazine and he was already standing to attention, his super-fast hard-on straining to be set free.

Taking the magazine into the bedroom, he got naked and sat down on the bed, flicking through the pages until he got to Amber’s photos. There she was, lying across the benches in the Red Star home team dressing room, naked and beautiful, with her back arched and that incredible body of hers almost totally on show, but he didn’t mind that those breasts were covered by her arm or that her legs were positioned so that only a hint of what lay between them could be seen. He knew what she looked like, knew what she felt like. And was it a sign – hadn’t anyone noticed that she was lying right underneath his space in the dressing room? His number 9 strip was hanging right there, above her.
Was
that a sign? Or was he just reading way too much into what was nothing but a coincidence?

Moving his hand down to touch himself, he flicked the page over to another set of photos – she was wearing a pair of Newcastle Red Star shorts, pulled right down as low as they could go without letting the world see that part of her he loved living in. She’d left little to the imagination as far as those photos were concerned, and his imagination was certainly running wild right now as his hand started to move faster, up and down, taking him to where he wanted to be, that place in his head he’d never really left behind. And he wasn’t sure he ever could.

Despite the best efforts of a full-strength Wearside Spartans, they couldn’t quite get past Newcastle Red Star, even without Ryan Fisher. The final score was a 2-2 draw, so this time the points were shared in a game that had, as was usual with these derby matches, been littered with rougher tackles, harsher challenges, and more than the usual amount of bookings, on both sides. But, on the whole, it had been a friendly meeting. Even the fans had been on their best behaviour, although it hadn’t escaped Amber’s notice that some of them were still quite happy to voice their obvious annoyance at the fact Ryan Fisher wasn’t there. To some extent he
had
been missed, and even Amber had to admit there’d been times when his presence could have quite easily grabbed Red Star the full three points. But his temporary replacement – a seasoned French player the club had managed to secure on a rolling monthly contract from one of the big Italian clubs – had more than proved himself, netting both of Red Star’s goals, which had gone some way to placating the fans.

‘You did good today,’ Ronnie said, leaning back against the bench at the back of the Press Lounge, watching as Amber packed away her things.

‘I’m not five, Ronnie. I
can
handle being here, you know. It’s my job. And, if nothing else, I’m a professional.’

Ronnie shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet for a second. ‘You’ve got that defensive tone turned up full today, haven’t you?’

‘That’s because I feel guilty.’

‘About what?’

‘About Ryan not being here. I’m not stupid, and I know more than a few of those fans out there blame me for his temporary departure. I’ve heard some of the things they’ve been saying.’

‘Take no notice.’

‘That’s easier said than done.’

‘Look, it isn’t your fault he can’t control his feelings, Amber.’

‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘I know that. But it still feels like I’m partly to blame, somehow.’

‘In what way?’

‘I shouldn’t have slept with him for starters.’

‘What? Ever? Or recently?’

‘You know what I mean.’

Ronnie looked down at the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets. ‘You could have offered to stay down in London. Instead of being here, I mean. You know they love it when you do the studio stuff.’ He looked up at her, smiling slightly. ‘It gets them way more viewers than usual. Especially since you did the Ice Magazine shoot.’

‘You’re such a sexist pig,’ she said, unable to stop herself from smiling back as she zipped up her laptop bag.

‘Anyway, it’s over now, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah,’ she sighed, lying her bag down on the floor and leaning back against the bench beside Ronnie. ‘Yeah. It’s over.’ She looked at her best friend, squeezing his arm and standing up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. ‘And thanks for doing the post-match interview with Jim. I wasn’t sure I could hack it today.’

‘I thought you said you were a professional.’ But he’d said that with a smile, pulling her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. ‘I’d better get going. I said I’d meet a few of the guys from Tyne Star Radio over in the pub across the road. You coming?’

She shook her head. ‘No. Don’t really feel like it. I said I’d meet Dad back at his place after the game, then I might go see Debbie this evening.’

‘Okay, well, I’ll call you later. You gonna be all right?’

‘Ronnie! Like I said before, I’m not five.’ She smiled, pushing him gently in the direction of the door. ‘Go on. Get out of here.’

She turned to gather the rest of her things together, but the sound of someone coming into the room distracted her.

‘What did you forget?’ She turned around, expecting to see Ronnie standing there. But instead she saw Ellen. Ryan’s ex. ‘Can I do something for you?’ Amber asked, folding her arms against her in a slightly defensive manner. Although, she was only mirroring the stance of the woman in front of her.

‘You could leave Ryan alone,’ Ellen replied, her voice almost a whisper but still carrying a hard-edged tone to it.

‘I’m sorry,’ Amber laughed, totally confused by this sudden encounter.

‘Leave him alone. We were happy. We’d moved in together, we were actually a couple, and then, all of a sudden, he decides he wants to leave all that behind and move to Spain because, apparently, he can’t forget
you
.’

‘And that’s
my
fault?’

‘Of course it fucking is! If it wasn’t for you, he’d still be here, we’d still be together…’

Amber couldn’t help another slightly sarcastic and cynical laugh from escaping. ‘You really think that? Listen, sweetheart, Ryan Fisher is a long way off settling down, believe me.’

‘He almost married
you
.’

‘The clue is in the word “
almost
”, Ellen. And that’s about as close as Ryan Fisher is going to get to settling down right now.’

‘You know that, do you?’

‘Yes, I know that.’ Amber was more than a touch agitated by this conversation, because it was one she really didn’t feel like having. ‘I know that better than anybody because I was there, I was right there when it all fell apart. I saw him broken and battered, unable to cope with situations he just isn’t ready for. Jesus, Ellen, he’s like a big kid! If he sees something he wants, he thinks all it takes is one click of the fingers and it’s his, whether he’s fully prepared for it or not. He doesn’t think ahead, doesn’t consider what the future might bring…’

‘You think you know it all, don’t you?’ Ellen sneered, moving a step closer, whilst Amber stood her ground, staying put. She was going nowhere.

‘I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation.’

‘But you don’t, okay? You might think you’re this beautiful, popular TV presenter with the celebrity lifestyle and the perfect existence, but just because your husband doesn’t want you anymore, it doesn’t give you the right to go running back to Ryan.’

This time Amber did move, her face up close to the pretty PR girl’s, her temper simmering but still under control. She could do without this, but she could also handle it. ‘Okay, sweetheart. I think you’ve said enough. One more word from you and I’ll consider it a line crossed that you can’t come back from. So I suggest you get out of here and forget this happened, all right?’

‘He’d still be with me, if it wasn’t for you.’ Ellen wasn’t giving up without a fight, and Amber couldn’t help but admire her tenacity, in a strange kind of way. It was wasted, though. On Ryan. ‘It should be
you
who’s moved away. Not him.’

‘You can do better than Ryan Fisher,’ Amber said, her voice quieter, because she meant it. Ellen
could
do better than Ryan. He’d only hurt her, in the end. More than he already had.

‘I love him.’

‘Oh Jesus, Ellen…’ Amber sighed, taking a couple of steps back, pushing a hand through her hair. ‘Don’t fall in love with him, please.’

‘Why? Because you want him for yourself? You talk about
him
clicking his fingers and getting what he wants, but isn’t that all you have to do with him? If you shout loud enough does he not come running?’

‘Leave it, Ellen. Just, leave it.’

‘Have you slept with him? Recently, I mean? Is that why he’s run away?’

‘He hasn’t run away…’

‘Yes, he has. He has. There is no need for him to be over there, he should be here, but everybody –
everybody
, even your husband – knows he’s only gone because he’s still in love with you. That’s why he’s left, Amber. To get away from you.’

‘I’m warning you, Ellen. We’re shutting this conversation down, right now.’

‘No wonder Jim left you. Why would a man like that want to stay with a cheating bitch like you?’

‘Okay, Ms. Taylor, I think you’ve said enough.’

They both looked round to see Jim standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, his expression, as usual, stoic.

‘Mr. Allen… I’m sorry, I…’

‘I’m sure you’ve got something far more important you should be getting on with,’ he said, although his eyes were fixed firmly on Amber. He waited until Ellen had left the room before he said anything else. ‘You all right?’

‘I can handle Ryan’s ex-girlfriends, Jim.’

He walked slowly over to her, his eyes still locked on hers. ‘It was good to see the old Amber back for a second there. The woman I fell in love with. The strong, feisty one that quite obviously doesn’t need me.’

She felt her stomach flip as he said those words. He thought she didn’t need him? How wrong could he be?

‘She’s just another poor cow who got sucked under Ryan Fisher’s spell.’

‘And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?’

He was still staring into her eyes, and it was unnerving her. It was unfair of him, to be this close when this was as far as it was going to go.

‘He’s gone, Jim.’

‘For now, yes. But he’ll be back. We both know that, don’t we?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘It means nothing, Amber. Nothing. I’m sorry.’ It was almost as if he’d suddenly broken free from his own trance as he finally tore his eyes away from hers, stepping backwards. ‘As long as you’re okay. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.’

‘Jim, please. I don’t need you to fight my battles… Shit! This is crazy!’

He raised his head to look at her, pushing a hand through his hair.

‘I need to go. I promised my dad I’d…’

She tried to push past him but he gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her dead in her tracks. ‘Come home with me, Amber.’

She stared at him, trying to read his expression, to find out why he was doing this. ‘Why, Jim? To talk?’

‘We’ve talked enough, don’t you think? Baby, I need you like you wouldn’t believe. Just seeing you here today, watching you at work… It’s been a hell of a day, kiddo. And things aren’t so bad between us that we can’t use each other for a bit of company now and again, surely?’

She continued to stare at him, pulling her wrist free of his grip. ‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’

But she didn’t stop him from sliding an arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip as he pulled her closer, so close their mouths were almost touching, and all Amber was aware of now was the sound of her heart beating so hard and so fast she was sure he could hear it. ‘We may not be able to live together, Amber, but I see no reason why we can’t enjoy each other whenever the mood takes us.’