FOOTBALL ROMANCE: SECRET BABY ROMANCE: Going Pro (Bad Boy Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Sports Romance) (7 page)

“You’ve had three weeks to give me something to work with, how is this coming along?” Grace asked without looking up from her laptop.

“I, uh, I’m working on it.”

“What’s it about?”

Shit.
Riley cursed inwardly. “Well, it’s different, but I can’t tell you yet,” – she lied – “I need some time off for research though.”

Grace looked at Riley over the rim of her spectacles and paused, “Very well, whatever you need, just get it done.”

And just like that she was dismissed. Thank god Grace didn’t have a hundred and one questions about her taking time off. On the bright side, she didn’t have to get up early to rush to the office.

Relieved Riley walked over to her desk and packed up her laptop, if she left now, she could go past the novelty shop and see if she could pick up something special to help her with her research. Not that she needed any, over the past two years in writing her Sex-Ed column for Action Inked; she had collected plenty of sex toys from suppliers who subtly bribed her just so that they could have one mention in her articles. They either gave her demo models of end of the range out dated toys. Perhaps it was time she invested in something unique.

*******

Riley pulled up to the adult novelty store contemplating whether or not to go ahead and actually waste her hard earned money on sex toys. After much thought she grabbed her handbag and exited the car. She had been to this store once before, when she came to get her
gift, back
when she featured the store in one of her articles a few months ago, it was just like all the other gifts, a cheap silicone dildo, one of the many she had stashed in her Pandora’s box, she preferred to call it. She stood in front of the store and looked at the shop front; she couldn’t help but wonder how many employees pass through a store like this. It’s not like anyone goes to school or college with the ideal to one day work in a sex shop, then again, no one ever considers being a fast food vendor either, it’s probably just the luck of the draw, and nowadays, with the economic state, people would accept any paying job to put food on the table.

She finally entered the store and then cringed as the door chime rang, how she hated those stupid things, announcing your presence to the world. She mentally rolled her eyes, squared her shoulders and then passed the cashier, making her way to the toy section. She didn’t even give the rubber dildos a second glance; she headed straight for the state of the art electronic toys.

“Can I help you?”

Awkward,
she thought and slowly turned to eye out the creepy guy smiling at her as if she was a slice of pizza.

“I’m just browsing thanks.” she said and shifted further along the isle.

“Aren’t you that writer?” the guy asked in his heavy southern accent.

Great, another fan,
“you’ll have to be more specific, there are plenty writers out there.” she said blankly.

“The one from Action Inked. I know you; you gave our store a special mention a few months ago.”

And you don’t even know my name,
Riley thought as her irritation escalated. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Neat.”

“Look, I’m just browsing, if I want any help, I’ll ask.” she snapped. She was annoyed by the fact that she was recognized merely by association to Action Inked. No one ever knew her name; she was always just
that writer. When would she ever get recognized for something greater?
She wondered disappointedly.

“Sure, I’ll be at the counter.” he said and sauntered off.

Riley continued looking at the various toys on the shelves, there were so many to choose from but even though she planned on taking her sweet time, she could feel the store assistant staring at her, it was bordering on creepy. Finally fed up, she took the first thing that intrigued her, the Squeel Clitoral Stimulator with ten tongues.
That will have to do
she thought, and she made sure she took the most expensive one on the shelf.

“Do you want lube to go with that?”

Riley jumped as Mr. Creep appeared next to her out of the blue; this was starting to really get to her now. “Geezuz! Are you trained to sneak up on people or are you just being a rude jackass?” she snapped and tucked the box under her arm. “I have lube. I don’t need anything else.” she bit and pushed past him.

The store assistant followed and slipped in behind the counter, then leaned forward. “So I was wondering,” he started and Riley recoiled inwardly – here we go again – “how about featuring our new store in one of your next columns?”

That was it, she’d had it, these idiots all seem to think she’s their road to fame, and yes it’s true, sex does sell, but she would be damned if it was at her expense. She was over being exploited by every second store out there selling the newest technology in sex toys.

The man reached for the shelf behind him and pulled down a small box – Anal Beads – “I’ll throw this in if you make a mention of our store.”

Relentless and utterly stupid~ the audacity! She thought, and shoved the box back at him, then picked up her toy. “Actually, I’m going to take this one, at a discounted rate,” she said irritably, then paused and thought about it, “in fact, I’m going to take this as a gift, and I’m going to go home, and when I’m done with my next article, your store will be mentioned. But this is the last time I’m doing any favors.”

The man’s shocked expression was priceless as she shoved the toy in her handbag staring him down. If he wanted thumbs up from her in her next article he better not object to her taking the toy. She gave him a challenging look, as if to dare him to do something about it, and when he didn’t she smiled cynically and turned to leave.

She never even bothered to look back and see if the man had decided to call the police and report a robbery, she simply marched to her car, head held high.
That will teach him to expect an acclaimed write-up of his store, and that for next to nothing,
she thought smugly as she got in her car.

*******

Candles check.

Bubbles check.

Squeel check.

Mood… missing in action.

Riley took a few breaths, downed one glass of wine and then poured another while she waited for her bath tub to fill. She had everything ready to get her in the mood, but it was as if her body was disjointed from her brain. No matter what images of pleasure she conjured up, her body didn’t even acknowledge it. Maybe once she’s relaxing in the bath she could try her new toy and it will magically come to her.

She slipped the robe off her shoulders, and shivered as the cool air brushed over her naked skin, then climbed into the bath. Frothy bubbles surrounded her and the warm water that washed over her instantly relaxed her. She lay back against the tub, closed her eyes and took a moment just to center her thoughts.
This is the life
; she definitely should do this more often instead of rushing from one deadline to another. The melodic sounds of John Coltrane’s jazz music drifted through the air, lending to the perfect romantic setting, the only thing missing was a hot boyfriend to share it with.

She sighed and reached behind her for the Squeel. “Guess it’s just you and me.” she said looking at the sex toy from all angles, then turned it on. The wheel of tongues started spinning and she tried different speeds until she found one she might enjoy.

“Here goes nothing.” she said to herself as she submerged the toy under the water. Using her index and middle fingers to part her folds, but even under the water she felt dry. Instead of a slippery silk sensation it felt like rubber,
god this was pathetic
, she thought. She shifted again to get comfortable and brought the toy closer, the spinning tongues lapped at her clit, but even with that, she felt no defined stirring down below. What was wrong with her?

She turned it off, then sat up and took another sip of her wine. She had to get going somehow; she couldn’t possibly be this pathetic. She once again tried, submerging herself under the water until only hear head stuck out above the surface, then brought the toy closer, but just as she started to relax, she heard loud banging noises outside her apartment.

“Seriously, what the fuck?” she exclaimed and sunk under the water. This was absolutely useless. She’ll never reach an orgasm at this pace.

She emerged from the water, discarding the toy in her laundry basket and then got out of the bath.

Utterly frustrated she put on her toweling robe and wrapped a towel around her hair. She was tired of rude salesmen and noisy neighbors, and today she was going to make her voice heard.

She pulled the door to her apartment open and looked down the passage, just then a gigantic arm chair came floating towards her, and she was just in time to duck out of the way.

“Hey!” she shouted after him. “Can you keep it down? People are trying to relax here.”

The stranger gave her one glance, huffed and carried the chair into the apartment next door. Just fucking great, new neighbors. This was just what she needed, and with her luck it’s a family with noisy kids who will end her peace and quiet forever.

*******

It was already ten o’clock in the morning and Riley was still tucked in bed, hiding under the covers. Her failed attempts to orgasm the night before still lingered on her mind and she spent the rest of the night googling for a reason why a woman loses her sex drive. The possibilities were endless, with four possible causes pertaining to her.

1. Stress
   
2. Loneliness
   
3. Depression
   
4. Feeling drained
   

The solution for all the above as advised by multiple professionals is taking a day off, and going for a pamper session.

She flopped unto her back and draped her arm over her eyes, she hated feeling this way, and to convince her alter ego to get out of bed was almost as impossible as hoping for peace in the Middle East. As she tugged her duvet over her head again, her phone screeched.
Why is life this cruel!
She cried mentally and reached for it.

“Make it good or hang up.” she said irritably.

Carmen’s bubbly laughter on the other end didn’t help her at all. “Oh come on now, you sound like death. What are your plans for today?”

“I plan to sleep and sleep some more. Why?” Riley said expressionlessly.

“Be ready in fifteen minutes, I’m picking you up.”

Before Riley could argue, Carmen hung up.
So much for wallowing in self-pity
she thought as she dragged herself out of bed, whatever Carmen had up her sleeve she could only hope it will make her feel better about her non-existent libido.

She was ready in ten minutes and gave herself a once over, she was wearing her usual pedal pusher denim pants, with a loose fitting black top and boring flat shoes. Her hair as always tied haphazardly in a bun at the back of her head. She had no time to make herself look spectacular, and those moments were saved for award ceremonies and special occasions which happened every leap year.

Her phone rang again, it was Carmen, and she knew her trusty friend was already downstairs, not bothering to answer the phone; she grabbed her handbag and rushed out of her apartment.

“Hey, we’re sorry about the noise yesterday.”

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. She was face to face with two gods from Mount Olympus. Both equally sexy, one had shoulder length black wavy hair that could tempt anyone to run their fingers through those locks and his face was chiseled by the great Zeus himself and his eyes were spectacular replicas of sapphires framed by onyx black lashes that made it look like he was wearing eyeliner, which defined the blue tones of his eyes.

The other one was taller, but he had broad shoulders with arms that could crush the enemy without even trying. He had blonde short cropped hair, with pale green eyes and a well set jaw with a smile that could make any woman’s knees go weak. Then there was that deep set dimple that teased his cheek just above his lopsided smile.

“Uh, it’s fine, it wasn’t all that bad.” she lied, feeling really awkward. “Welcome by the way.”

Hercules, the one with the blonde hair, stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Chad Harris,” he said smiling down at her.

“Riley.” she said placing her hand in his. “It’s a pleasure.”

“This is my roommate Diego Garcia,” he continued without letting go of her hand.

She tugged her hand free and clutched it in a fist. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Keep it cool Riley
, she told herself. Her cheeks were starting to hurt and she felt the muscles around her mouth jump involuntarily. “Well like I said, welcome. Sorry I can’t stay and talk, got things to do, people to see, you know?” she babbled excusing herself.

“We’ll see you around then.” Chad said and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

His voice had a timber sound that would probably rock a woman’s world if he whispered sweet nothings in her ear, and Riley spun around on her heel and stalked to the elevator.
What the fuck just happened?
She thought to herself as the elevator doors closed, separating her from the gods in the hallway. For the first time in months, every nerve ending in her body stood at attention. Her nipples were hard, and she was sure her panties were soaked, it was official, she was going insane, slowly but surely, and that all because of an encounter with two drop dead gorgeous guys who bothered to introduce themselves to her. That just didn’t happen in her life. She was convinced that they were gay, why else would they bother talking to her at all. And the way Chad said –
We’ll see you around
– sounded like an unspoken promise of sensual pleasures.

“Hey you!” Carmen called pulling her out of her reverie. “Glad you could make it. I have a lot planned for today.”

“Hey, I wasn’t really planning on leaving the apartment today, so what are your plans?” Riley said disinterested.

“We’re getting you a makeover” Carmen said, far too chirpy for this early in the morning.

“I really can’t afford a makeover right now Car, why don’t we just grab some breakfast and call it a day.” Riley asked as she fastened her seatbelt.