Romance: Bad Boy Romance: Rough Play - A British Football Romance (Alpha Male Romance) (New Adult Sports Romance) (10 page)

''Like what?''

''So cold.''

''What the fuck do you expect?''

Cara
was taken
aback. It had been months since they split. ''I think I'd better go,'' she said. ''You look tired. You ought to get some sleep.''

''What business is it of yours?''

''It's none of my business, none at all. But if you remember we did share some good
times,
and I'm not totally without feelings for you.''

Shifty looked at her. She was still as pretty as when they had a relationship, only now she looked more mature. A woman, less of a girl. ''I'm so worn out, you would not believe it,'' he said. ''I can't think straight.''

Cara saw how vulnerable he
was,
and it pained her. ''What's
really
the matter?''

''A lot of things. How much time have you got?''

''All day.''

''Okay. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. It was wrong. Like I said, I'm
very tired
. It's the constant grind. I'm never free. Not a single minute to myself.'' By the look of him, he hadn't been outside for days, Cara thought. ''The fans are great, it's the press and the managers.''

''I heard you shouting at the guy from Time.''

''Yes. That's what I mean. All I want to do is play music, but those
assholes
want to ask me about sex. Underage girls. Who the hell do they think I am?''

''You're right they are
assholes
. Anybody who knows you would never believe that crap.''

''But that doesn't matter. As soon as one of them writes about it, that's it. Everyone believes it.''

''Well I never would.''

''Ha,'' he said.

''What's that supposed to mean?''

''You didn't even believe I was going to New York on business. You
thought
I was going to screw some woman or other. Don't tell me you believe in me.''

''I've had therapy,'' she said calmly.

He raised his eyebrows and looked into her eyes. ''Have you?''

''Yes. To conquer my jealousy.''

''And has it been successful?''

Cara thought it had. But truthfully it hadn't been put to the test. ''I hope so.''

''So tell me about it. For example, why were you jealous during our relationship.''

''Fear of losing you. Loving someone so much I was terrified it would all end in disaster.''

''And it did.''

''Yes. But not because you left me, but because I was jealous.''

''So what did the quack tell you to do.''

''He gave me some exercises to improve my self-worth. He
told me
I had low self-esteem. In other words, I thought so
badly
of myself that I believed nobody would stay with me.''

''But why? You're fantastic. Look at you. You're beautiful,
intelligent,
you're making a name for yourself in your chosen profession.''

''I know that now, but I didn't know it
then
when it
really
mattered.''

''Yes. That's a pity isn't it?''

''Sure is.''

''Listen, Cara, I'm
sorry,
but I've got to go. I'm playing this evening. It's just a small concert for friends and family.''

''Sure. I'll get out of your hair.''

''My mom and dad are coming. Now I'm rich and famous everything's alright.''

''That's the way of the world I guess. Good for you for believing in yourself and pushing on despite the criticism.''

''Thanks for coming.'' He shook Cara's hand and turned away to look at the Ocean again.

When Cara reached her car, she sat in it and cried. What had they done to him? He was a broken man. All the enthusiasm for
life
he'd
had,
gone. He seemed like a hamster caught in an eternal wheel. The worst of it was she was now firmly out of the game. She had to admit to herself, that there had been a tiny piece of her that had thought they might hit it off again, and get back together. But he didn't even class her as a friend anymore. He'd talked about the concert for friends and hadn't thought to ask her. But why should he, she was just an old flame? 

*****

''How was it?'' Ted asked the next morning.

''Terrible. I couldn't imagine it being any worse.''

He put a coffee down in front of her. ''Here, maybe this will help.''

''Thanks but nothing will help. I only hope he'll be okay. You know there's something not right about him. He's a changed man and he complained about being
very tired
.''

Cara spent the morning typing up the interview she'd had with Shifty. She made most of it up, making sure she was as kind as possible to him. She sent it to Josie and went for lunch.

''What the hell is this shit?'' Josie asked when Cara got back to the office.

''What?''

''Your article. It's as bland as Shifty himself.''

''What did you expect?''

''Some interesting information. Who's he screwing? Does he do drugs? What does he think of the rumors about him and underage girls? Interesting stuff. All you wrote about is his latest single, how he got started in the business and how tired he is. Cara, it's worthless crap that none of our readers will find in the slightest bit interesting.''

Cara looked at Ted who looked acutely embarrassed. ''Josie, did you have to talk to her like that in front of me?'' he asked. ''This should have been a private conversation.''

Cara smiled at Ted. She'd already made up her mind.
This wasn't
for her. There were better things in the world to write about than who was screwing who. ''Josie, you can take the job and put it where the sun doesn't shine. I quit.''

''Me too,'' Ted said.

''Ted you can't,'' Cara said.

''Oh yes I can. She's a bitch. Let's go and write for
a serious
organization.''

Ted and Cara sat in a cafe around the corner and reflected on what had just happened. “We're worth more than that,'' he said. ''There loads of job for
good
journalists. We'll soon find something else.''

*****

''Cara, it's Shifty.''

Cara almost dropped the phone. ''Hi.''

''You're a bitch. How could you do that to me? I was thinking of asking you on a date
again,
but you can rot in hell now.''

''Why? What have I done?''

''You know darn well. Goodbye, Cara. The next time you hear from me, it'll be from my lawyers.'' The line went dead.

Cara rushed to the local
newsstand
and picked up a copy of Revolver. When she opened it she gasped at the headline:

Debauchery at Shifty Parties: Sex,
drugs,
and underage girls.

''Josie, you bitch,'' she said. She tried to call Shifty back, but there was no answer.

She called Ted. ''What label is Shifty with?''

''Rainbow Wizard.''

''Do you know where their offices are?''

*****

The carpet in the reception area at Rainbow Wizzard made Cara feel nauseous. It was bright purple. The young lady behind the reception desk had asked her to wait until a senior manager was available. As she was waiting she saw a lot of people come and go,
trendy
music types. After a while, she noticed a group of girls congregating outside the office. After another twenty minutes, the whole street was full of screaming girls and young women. When the cops
arrived,
they got them into some
kind of
order. They put up barriers and made a pathway for vehicles
to drive
through.

''Who's coming?'' Cara asked the receptionist.

''Shifty's coming. He's signing a new record deal today. It's a
very important
day for him
and for
us. Lord knows how the fans found out, but in this day and
age,
nothing can be kept secret.''

Cara felt sick. She didn't want to see him. All she wanted to do was explain the situation to his manager. But it was too late. Shifty arrived in a huge limousine and, after signing a few
autographs,
bounced into reception. Between his bodyguards, he looked thin and even paler than the last time she'd seen him.

He saw her sitting in the corner. She looked
away,
but that didn't deter him. He walked up to her.

''Shifty, I don't want to talk about it.''

''I know. I'm sorry. I now know it wasn't you. You resigned didn't you?''

''Yes, but how do you know?''

''Some guy called Ted told me. He must have called me thirty times.
Eventually,
I was so fed up I answered.''

''Good old Ted,'' she said lowering her eyes to the floor.

She didn't notice him looking at her as longingly as he ever had. ''That jealousy thing. Shall we put it to the test?''

Cara looked up in surprise. ''What do you mean?''

''I want to go out with you, on a date. If you want to of course. Maybe we can try again?''

''Er........I don't........I wasn't expecting.........Yes, okay.''

*****

''He was a good shrink that guy,'' Shifty said as they lay in a hotel bed in Berlin. ''How long has it been now?''

''Two years.''

''Yer. And not a single sign of jealousy. Except on my part, when that guy was looking at your ass last night.''

''If I remember correctly the only person who saw my
ass
last night was you. And how. You got a good long view of it.''

''Yer, and it was great. Will you marry me, Cara? Enough of this clowning around, I want you to be my wife.''

Cara put her hand over her mouth and sat up in bed. ''Do you mean that? You're not just fooling around?''

''I mean it. All this success is great, but it's meaningless unless you're with me. Let's share it forever.''

''How long have you been planning to ask this question?''

''A couple of years, but you screwed up for a while. Then I doubted your journalistic integrity. But now all that's behind us.''

''Wow. I wasn't expecting that,'' Cara said.

''Will you give me an answer please?'' he said.

''I would have thought it was obvious.''

''No, not really.''

''Yes Shifty, I will be your wife.''

''And the mother of my children?''

''How may do you want?''

''Four.''

''Four? Then we'd better get on with it. Come her and let's make a start.''

''With pleasure Madam. Is there any particular way you would like me to begin?''

''How about I get on all fours. I like that best.''

''Me too.''

*****

THE END

''I can't do this. I really can't,'' Cassy said. The house was full of floral tributes to her late father.

''You can Cassy.  Be strong for Michael. He
really
needs you now.''

Cassy smiled at Judy. ''You're the best friend anyone could
wish for
. Thank you so much for supporting me today.''

''And you are the best person I have ever known. Come on, let's go.''

At St Michael's Church, Pastor Jeffries was waiting for the funeral cortege at the church gate. He hadn't seen Cassy for a
while; she
didn't come to church as often as her mother and father had done. Her late parents,
Douglas,
and
Wanda,
had showered the church with generous financial
donations,
and he wondered, now that Cassy was head of the family fortune, whether she would be as generous.

When the hearse and limousines pulled up, Pastor Jeffries noticed what a fantastically beautiful woman Cassy had
turned into
. Tall and slender with wonderfully curved hips and a generous bosom, she was more elegant than any woman he had ever seen in his congregation.

''Cassy,'' he said, shaking her hand. ''I'm sorry for your loss. It must be very hard to lose your mother and father in quick succession.''

''It is, but
at least,
they are together again,'' she said through the black veil.

Cassy turned to Judy. '' Look how many mourners there are. I hadn't expected this.''

''Your father was a well-known man, not only in New York but throughout the US. There isn't a single person in this country that hasn't at some time been to a ToysForAll store. How many stores are there? Six hundred?

''Six hundred and three.''

''And you will be just as good as your father at running the business.'' Judy held onto her hat as a gust of wind threatened to remove it from her head.

''I only wish he'd been around for another ten years. I'm only twenty-two, what do I know about  business?''

''You have some great people working for you. People who
really
respected your father and who will help you.''

''Michael are you alright?'' Cassy asked. She put her arm around her fifteen-year-old brother.

''Okay. Two hundred and seventy-three,'' he said.

''What?''

''People.''

''Have you counted them all?''

Michael's head tilted to one side. ''Yes.''

''Wow. I
really
don't know how you do that,'' Cassy said.

''Because he's
clever
aren't you Michael,'' Judy said. Michael didn't answer, he was looking at a plane high above them.

The service was short and to the point. Cassy hadn't wanted Michael to suffer any longer than necessary.

''Men, don't like?'' Michael said when they were leaving.

''Which men?'' Cassy asked.

''Men under trees. I don't like.'' Michael began to shift from one foot to the other and throw his head around. ''Don't like. Go away.''

Judy caught them up. She'd
been delayed
by Pastor
Jeffries,
who was keen to know whether Cassy would be donating
to the fund
to repair the church roof. ''What's the matter with Michael?'' she asked.

''He doesn't like those men, over there.''

Judy looked
to
a line of trees that bordered the cemetery. ''I agree, they are a shifty-looking bunch. You're right Michael.''

''He gets like this when he's stressed,'' Cassy whispered to Judy. ''Dad was so
good
with him, I only hope I can be.''

''You're great with him. Autism isn't an easy thing to deal with.''

*****

''Tell me how much you want it,'' Igor Ivanovich said to the blonde woman he was pressing against the wall. He put his hand to the hem of her skirt and began to pull it up. ''Tell me, how much do you want my cock?''

She'd never been with a man like Igor. He turned her on so much that she wasn't able to answer him. She just continued to grind her pelvis against him.

''Can't answer huh?' he said. In a flash, he ripped her panties from her and put his hand over her vulva. ''I can feel how much, you don't have to speak,'' he said.

She came three times when he took her against the wall, and countless times during the longest love making session she'd ever had, or was ever likely to have.

When the gray light of morning began to pierce the thin curtains, Igor got up, showered and dressed. When he was at the door, she woke.

''Can I see you again?'' she asked.

''I only fuck women once,'' he said.

When he was gone, she threw the hair-dryer against the mirror and broke both items.

Dima was waiting in the car outside the hotel. ''And? What was she like?'' he asked.

''Useless. Kept complaining she had
cramp
. I only screwed her for a couple of hours.'' 

Dima laughed. His brother was always bragging about his sexual prowess. Dima was jealous of Igor's looks and the fact that women seemed to throw themselves at him. He hardly had to speak to them before they were willing to sleep with him.

''Here,'' Dima said. He passed Igor a Beretta handgun. ''Let's
go persuade
him.''

''Let's do it,'' Igor replied.

Dima drove out of town to what appeared to be
a rich
suburb. ''Do you get it?'' Igor asked.

''What?''

''Look at these big houses. Fucking politicians. How the hell do they go from being penniless upstarts to super rich in the space of a few short years?'' Igor asked.

''You already know. Because they are all corrupt bastards. The US is rotten to the core. Everybody knows that.''

''We are no angels, but we, at
least,
try, to do things honestly,'' Igor concluded.

Dima laughed. ''Of course, we do. The only difference is, if being honest doesn't work in our favor, we very quickly turn nasty.''

Dima drove past the gate to the French style mansion and looked at the
huge
iron gate.
There was just one security guard sitting
in a wooden hut. He drove a  bit further and parked next to the high wall that ran around the property. The brothers got out and with the help of a rope
and hook
, scaled the wall.

Mr. and Mrs. Adessi looked like the perfect couple as they lay asleep in bed. The bedroom was spacious and smelled of potpourri. Igor wondered if they had had sex the previous evening, Mrs. Adessi seemed to be
naked,
and her nightdress was lying on the floor.

Dima nodded, and Igor put the barrel of his Baretta into Mr. Adessi's open mouth. He snorted and opened his eyes.

''What the hell?'' he muttered as best he could with a gun in his
mouth
. Mrs. Adessi woke up and saw Dima standing above her. She screamed and sat up in bed, forgetting that she was naked. She quickly grabbed a sheet and pulled it over her breasts.

Dima took hold of her arm and pulled her from the bed. He placed her face down on the floor and held a gun to her head.

''Mr. Adessi,'' Igor began. ''As you are the head of real estate at the City Administration we would like to make a complaint to you'' 
Adessi
looked at him, terror in his eyes. ''I think you know why we are here.''
Adessi
shook his head. ''Oh yes you do. We bid more than anyone for the Old Post Office project. You know that, and we know that.
Yet, you
gave
the contract
, not to the highest bidder or even the second
highest
, but to some sleazy outfit from Alabama. Funny, that's where you come from.''

Dima put his foot on Mrs. Adessi's back and pressed. She squealed and tried to break free, but it was useless.

''We want your guarantee that you will cancel the contract and award it to us. As I said, we won the bidding.'' Igor pulled the gun from his mouth and waited for his response.

''Go to hell. Fucking Russians. Think you own the place. Fuck off back to Moscow.''

''Not only are you corrupt,
you are
very rude
. Have you ever seen a woman
being thrown
from an upstairs window?'' Igor said as he nodded to Dima. 

Dima pulled Mrs. Adessi up by the hair and took her to the window. He held her with one hand and opened the window
with
the other. She screamed as he pushed her out of the window and held onto her by the ankles.

''Last chance
Adessi
. She'll make a terrible mess of your driveway,'' Igor said

''Alfons, help me,'' she shrieked. ''Please, let them have what they want.''

Dima let go of her right
leg,
and she began to swing to and fro, attached to his strong arms by just her left ankle.

''Alright, please pull her inside,'' he said.

''No. Not until you give me the guarantee we came for,'' Igor said.

''I guarantee it. You can have the contract. Just pull her back inside, please.''

''Thank you, Mr. Adessi. Just remember, we can come back anytime, so please don't change your mind.''

*****

''Michael?'' Cassy shouted as she walked through the yard, at the back of the large house she and Michael had just inherited. ''Michael, where are you? Dinner's ready.'' Cassy noticed how lovely the lavender smelled
in the border
she was walking along. Michael wasn't in the
yard; she
turned her attentions to the house. Michael slept in a room next to
Cassy's,
but he wasn't there either.

''Edith, have you seen Michael?' Cassy asked the cook.

''No. Not for a while.''

''Strange.'' Cassy walked down
the driveway
and onto the street. She looked left and right but no sign of him.

She walked to the store where Mrs. Cheeseborough sold the best apple pie in New York State. ''Have you seen Michael?'' she asked.

''No Cassy. Not today.''

Cassy walked back to the house and sat down at the dinner table. Perhaps if she relaxed and waited, he would turn up, she thought.

After two hours Cassy was frantic. It would be dark soon. She called Judy.

''Judy, Michael's gone missing. I need to speak to your dad.''

''Okay, hold on.''

Cassy heard a rumbling sound as Judy's father picked up the phone. 'Hi Cassy, what's up?''

''Joe, Michael's gone missing. What should I do?''

''How long has he been gone?''

''About a couple of hours.''

''Well as a police officer I can tell you the police won't do anything until he's been missing for twenty-four hours.''

''But you know what
he's like
. He can't look after himself for that long. Jesus, I'm worried sick.''

A day later Michael still hadn't arrived
home,
and the police sent an army of officers to look for him.

''Is he given to walking off on his own?'' Detective Jordan asked.

''Never. He knows he should stay within the boundaries of the house,'' Cassy said.

''Well, my men are looking for him. If he's around the
area,
we'll find him.''

*****

''What the fuck?'' Igor said. ''Jesus Christ. Who the
fuck
would do something like that to a kid?''

''What?'' Dima asked.

''Look, here on TV.''

Dima listened as the reporter told his audience that the late Douglas Solomon's autistic son had
been kidnapped
. A ransom note had
been sent
to Cassy Solomon, together with a severed ear.       

''Albanians,'' Dima said. ''They're ruthless fuckers. They don't give a shit who they hurt. How much money do they want?''

''Ten million. How do you know they are Albanians.''

''They always cut people's ears off.''

They continued to watch and after a few minutes, there was a press conference with the police and Cassy.

''Is that Cassy Solomon? Jesus, she's hot. I wouldn't mind a night in the sack with her,'' Igor said.

''Stop thinking about your dick all the time. Can't you see how upset she is?'' Dima said.