Ballers: His Game (Ballers Series Book 1)(9)

I don’t feel like talking on the plane, but that doesn’t stop Troy. He is grinning like a fool, which tells me he had a good night. He nudges me and pulls my ear bud from my ear.

“So you’ll be getting on that dry cleaning this week,” he chuckles. “Did I see the girl you ended up with last night? You were sitting with the ice queen the last time I looked in on you.”

“You saw who I went home with,” I grumble. “I’m pretty sure you went home with her best friend.”

“Wait, get the f*ck… seriously. You went home with Stacey’s friend? That bad black chick?” He looks at me incredulously.

“Wipe the shock off your face,” I gripe. “Wait, the blonde told you her name?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sticking my dick in her unless she did. Anyway, I don’t believe you. Prove it,” he accuses.

I sigh and shake my head. A part of me doesn’t care if he believes me. I don’t need to prove it. Then there is the part of me that knows she didn’t want me because I am white, and that part of me wants to show that for a few hours my color didn’t matter to her. She had been picky in the first place but she let me inside her body, not any other man.

I pull my phone from my pocket and opened up the picture I took when she fell asleep in my arms. You could see the side of her beautiful face while the other side was pressed against my chest. You could slightly see the top of her bare shoulder through her long hair above the sheet but that was it.

I hadn’t taken the picture to prove anything. My brother had text me; I retrieved the phone to make sure it wasn’t an emergency. I had been admiring her lying across my chest for longer than I cared to admit before I decided to take the picture. I wanted something to remember her by.

“I’ll be damn, you pretty motherfu –,” I cut him off when I grab my phone back. “I didn’t think you had a chance. I didn’t think anyone did to be honest.”

“Me either, trust me,” I huff.

“Well was it not good, cause you look like you just got told your dog was run over,” Troy asks and really looks concerned.

I laugh humorlessly. “I didn’t get her name or her number. It was the best sex of my life and I just walked out. I should have woken her or left my number or something.”

“Oh nah, one night and you * whipped. You did the right thing. We’ll take you out this weekend and find you a nice little snowflake to help you feel better,” he laughs.

I frown at him and put my ear bud back in. If I would have listened to what my family taught me I would have the number to the girl that somehow stole my heart at first sight. Listening to Troy and ‘keep it simple’ has me heading to California empty handed and feeling stupid. Suddenly I realize how much I miss home. Last night was the closest feeling I have had to being home in a long time.





Chapter 3


It’s been seven whole weeks since I woke up in my bed all alone. No note, no nothing, nothing but the scent of his cologne on the pillow next to me and a sore body as my proof he was ever there. I thought we had some kind of connection that night. It wasn’t just sex. At least it wasn’t for me. He turned out to be amazing, the way he paid attention to me and my body.

The fun we had together during those few hours in the middle of the night were not just some random hook up. I never laughed and connected with a guy like I had with him. We talked and fell into a comfortable zone.

Well I guess I was wrong because he walked out without a word after. I was stupid enough to spread my legs and let him in. That night keeps haunting me at every turn no matter what I do. The embarrassment from it goes on and on.

I arrived at my parent’s house that following evening for my party and was totally humiliated. I’d worn a spaghetti strap yellow sundress, I had bought weeks before just for the party. It was a hot day and night, making the dress perfect. That is until my mom walked up behind me in the yard. I had been sitting thinking about Dimples leaving without a word and I had started to perspire in the heat. I absentmindedly scooped my hair up and clipped it up with a clip from my purse.

My mom pinched my ribs and giggled in my ear. “I see you finally decided to have a little fun,” she chortled.

I wrinkled my nose and looked over my shoulder at her. “What do you mean,” I asked confused.

She threw her head back and laughed. “Tam you may want to put your hair back down. You have passion marks all over you,” she laughed harder as the color drained from my face. “Oh baby you didn’t know. There is a huge one on the back of your neck and one here,” she poked my back. “And one is peeking out here.” She poked the side of my dress by my ribs.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. “Oh mom, I am so sorry,” I reached to tear my hair back down to camouflage. My mom fluffed my hair and arranged it to help hide the marks. I had seen the one on my inner thigh this afternoon and the two on my belly and I thought it was funny until I got annoyed again that he left and didn’t say anything.

“Sorry for what,” my mom sighed. “You are a beautiful woman and obviously you found someone who is passionate about that beauty. You worry about what everyone else thinks and wants too much, Tamara. Your father and I are proud of you. Now, will we be meeting this young man today?”

“No, mommy,” I said sadly, realizing for the first time how much knowing that I wouldn’t see him again hurt.