Play Maker(40)

“I just hope, for your sake, that you mean that,” my mom said.

“I do,” I responded, not sure if that was the truth anymore.





24





James





It took the entire ride back to the hotel – half of which I spent stuck in traffic – for me to realize that maybe inviting Nicole and her family to the exhibition game hadn’t been one of my best moves. Yet, I didn’t regret it. In fact, despite my reservations, I was quite excited to know that she would be in the stands during the game.

Because even though my parents were extremely proud of my accomplishments, they couldn’t attend every single one of my games, especially those that were out of town. Too often, my section of the VIP area reserved for family and friends remained empty. I had never cared before about having people there to cheer me on. But things were changing. I was changing. And I liked the idea of having someone in the stands tonight.

But I was still at a loss for how Nicole felt about the whole thing. She had accepted the offer, sure, but I got the feeling that she had done it more for the sake of her brother than to spend more time with me. I didn’t understand her. Was she interested or not? It was a situation I was completely unfamiliar with. Women liked me. They just did. Whether it was because of my looks or my athletic skills or lately, my fame, I never had any problem determining a partner’s level of interest.

Nicole was a complete mystery. She had been flirtatious and bold at the bar, and then eager and enthusiastic in bed. But the moment we were done, she was halfway out the door like, well, like I had a tendency to be. And I respected that. At least, I had tried to. Ok, I had definitely made the case for a second sexual encounter, but I hadn’t pushed. In the end, she had come to me. Just like she had done last night, even though nothing sexual had come of it.

In fact, it had been nice waking up together. She had felt so right in my arms. She had fit there perfectly.

And I found I was eager to see her outside of the bedroom. Which…wasn’t something I often found myself thinking. But like Ethan had said, sometimes people like each other. And I definitely liked Nicole and wanted to spend time with her. I just had to figure out if she felt the same way. In a totally casual, short term kind of way, of course. One change at a time.

I arrived at the hotel, valeted the car and headed inside. At the same time Maya was walking across the lobby. She had a big smile on her face and that rumpled look that usually indicated that someone had had a very, very good evening.

“Morning,” she said, tilting her head in my direction.

“Morning,” I responded, raising my eyebrows. It took a moment for me to register that her hair was tied back with something familiar. Ethan’s blue and gray striped tie.

By the time I figured out what it was, though, she had gotten in the elevator that led to the garage and disappeared with a wave of her fingers and a wink.

Immediately, I headed towards the bank of elevators that went up to the rooms and hit the button for Ethan’s floor. He came to the door after three knocks, looking as mussed as Maya had.

“You dog.” I smacked him on the shoulder. “I knew you had it in you.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he rubbed at his arm, obviously surprised by my appearance.

“I just ran into Maya in lobby,” I told him, heading into his room and grabbing a bottle of water from the mini bar. I then noticed the room service tray on the table, with a few remaining bites of waffle left over. “They’re good, aren’t they?”

When Ethan just stared at me, I gestured towards the tray. “The waffles,” I clarified.

He rolled his eyes at me and replaced the lid, hiding the plate from view. “They were fine,” he said, though there was a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks.

“Are you blushing?” I shook my water bottle in his direction.

“I am not,” he argued, fidgeting with the silverware on the table. “It was just a one night stand,” he told me. “People have them as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

“Oh, I know people have them,” I crossed my arms. “I just never thought you’d be one of them.”

“I am capable of having a good time once in a while,” Ethan said, somehow managing to sound even more British than me, his accent taking over. He always sounded 40% more proper when he was embarrassed. It was pretty hilarious.

“No one is more glad than I am that you had a good time,” I told him. “You deserve it.”

“Well.” The blush slowly faded from Ethan’s face. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He cleared his throat. “Now, was there something else you needed or did you barge into my room just to congratulate me?”

“It was just to congratulate you, but now that you mention it.” I rubbed the back of my neck, knowing that he was about to rib me just as hard as I had just ribbed him. “I actually need something in regards to tomorrow night.”

Ethan went to grab his phone, giving me a curious sideway glance as he did.

“Ok.” He waited, phone at the ready.

“I invited some people to come sit in my section,” I told him and then paused.

“Ok,” Ethan prompted, gesturing for me to continue. “Can I have their names?”