Touchdowns and Temptations: A Football billionaire Romance

1

I grab my purse and take one last look in the mirror before I head downstairs. I am going to meet my best friend Marina for a drink in the city and I can’t wait!

I”ve been back in my hometown of Boston for a week. I haven”t found an apartment to rent yet, so I”m staying with my parents for now, but it’s just temporary, I really need my own place.

I graduated from the University of California. My dad was coaching the Oakland Pirates at the time, so it was a good fit for me. We had already lived on the West Coast for a few years.

My dad is none other than former Boston Foxes quarterback: Michael Corse. He is a legend here. I spent most of my childhood in Boston, which is why I call it my hometown. Of course, my dad”s job took us to other cities in the US, but Boston was always our home.

I put my hand on the dark gray banister of the grand staircase in the foyer and walk down. Personally, I find the villa too ostentatious, but my parents like it as a retirement home.

My new job in my dad”s company, Corse Sports Management, starts next week. I know I can always count on my parents for support, but it”s time for me to stand on my own two feet. Which is ridiculous coming from me, since I”m going to inherit fifty million dollars and own one of the biggest sports management agencies in the US.

As the child of a sports star, I was in the spotlight from an early age. The public always wanted to be a part of my life, growing up, I don”t know why. I haven”t done anything interesting enough to write articles about. I’m just Michael Corse”s daughter. My entire childhood consisted of cheering for my dad in front of the TV or in a VIP box at the stadium. He’s a great dad, but damn, he is, first and foremost, a sports superstar to most Americans and will always be a National Football League legend.

It”s hard to imagine what my life would be like if I had been a boy.

“Hello,” I greet my parents as I walk into the dining room. They are sitting together at a table that is way too big, with sushi spread out in front of them.

“Hi Honey,” my mom says smiling at me. “Do you have a date?”

“I”m meeting Marina,” I reply, stealing a sushi roll and shoving it into my mouth.

“You want a plate with that?”my dad jokes, giving me a warm smile. He’s really enjoyed spending time with us over the last few years, and still does. He is totally against me moving out. He keeps saying that the house is big enough for me to have my own space, but I want to be completely independent. I mean, as much as I can be while working for them.

“I have to go,” I say, shoving another sushi roll into my mouth, “I’ll just have one more.”

“Cara!” Mom gives me a dirty look. “That’s not ladylike. I’ve raised you better than that.”

“I don”t really care, Mom,” I lick my fingertips.“I”m out of here. Love you guys.”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” she calls after me, and I hurry through the foyer to leave the villa.

My red Ferrari is parked out front, glistening in the sun. I pull the key from my purse and unlock the door. The headlights come on and I open the driver”s door to get in. I don”t really care about my parents” wealth. My best friend Marina comes from an ordinary family, and my parents were born into the working class. But if I”m going to spend millions of dollars on something, it”s going to be a car. There”s nothing like an awesome car to cruise the streets of Boston in. I own five of them now. That may be a bit much, but damn - I love cars. Especially when they sparkle and shine as beautifully as my Ferrari or let me sit as high and elegantly as my Range Rover. When I want to take it easy, I take my Mini. It”s the most lowkey car I own.

The Ferrari”s engine roars, I put it in reverse and leave the driveway.

***

The bar where I”m meeting Marina is in downtown Boston. I pull into a parking space and turn off the engine. I take my sunglasses and a baseball cap out of my purse. It”s probably overkill, but I hate being photographed.

After one last look in the mirror, I get out of the car. I”m sure people wonder how a young woman like me can afford a car like that. They probably ask themselves: ‘Who paid for it? Her father? Her husband / boyfriend? Or maybe her sugar daddy?’

I mean, it’s not exactly a lie, my dad did pay for it. But in the age of social media and influencers, I can get money on my own. The only problem is that I don”t like being out in public.

I lock the car and enter the bar. Marina is sitting at a table and waves as soon as she sees me.

I walk over to her, and she stands up to greet me. “Hi,” I say, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “How are you?”

“Fine and you?” she asks.

I put my bag down and sit across from her. “Me too,” I reply. “Have you ordered yet?”

“I was waiting for you.”

I open the menu and study it carefully. I decide on a coffee and a water. After putting the menu back in the holder, I immediately look at Marina.

“So, tell me,” I ask her. “How”s Caleb? How”s the move going?”

Caleb is Marina”s fiancé and a complete jerk, in my opinion, but my best friend loves him. He”s a lawyer, and they met at a Boston Foxes game when Marina was my +1. As soon as he opened his mouth, I knew he wasn”t going to make her happy. However, two years have passed, and he has put a ring on her finger. My hopes that she would find someone who was really right for her are pretty much shattered.

“Well,” my best friend says, “it’s not going fast enough.”

I raise my eyebrows and look at her questioningly. I wasn’t expecting such a cryptic answer. Especially since she”s grinning at me like something”s up. Without a word, Marina pushes a photo across the table. Surprised, I grab it. My best friend grins even wider and when I pick it up, my breath catches in my throat. It”s an ultrasound with her name on it and the caption: ‘Will you be my godmother?’

I scream happily, causing the guests at the next table to look over at us. But I don”t care.

“Oh my God!” Still completely stunned, I slap my hand over my mouth. “You... you”re pregnant.”

“Yes.” She sniffles and tears come to her eyes. “I wanted to tell you in person. The baby is due in mid-February.”

My best friend is going to have her first baby. Wow! It”s unbelievable and I”m so happy for Marina. She”s always wanted to be a mother at a young age. And even though I don”t particularly like Caleb, she has everything it takes to start a family.

Marina is a year older than me, and Caleb is twenty-six. They”re the perfect age to start a family. He also comes from an influential family in Boston and can offer her a good life.

“You”re having a baby. I can”t believe it. And we can”t even celebrate properly,” I grumble.

Marina giggles. “You wouldn”t believe how hard it was to keep this a secret. Caleb and I have been to so many receptions and weddings this summer,” she says.

I”ve never met anyone who acts so serious but has such little impact on society like Caleb does. No matter how well off his family is. They”re not a part of the upper class of Boston, and secretly, of course, he knows that. Caleb is an arrogant guy and tells everyone, and I mean everyone, that his future wife is the best friend of Cara Corse, the daughter of Boston Foxes’ legend Michael Corse. Whether the person wants to know it or not. If I didn”t know better, I”d say he”d rather fuck me than Marina.

I shake off my thoughts about this idiot and ask Marina all kinds of questions about her pregnancy. I want to know everything. When and how she found out, how she told Caleb and how he reacted. I also ask about the reaction of her parents and her future in-laws.

“Don”t turn around,” she says out of the blue and looks at me mysteriously. Of course I want to turn around. Marina grabs my hand to get my attention. “Cara, I’m serious, don’t.”

“Why?” I ask impatiently.

“There are two guys at the bar,” she explains. “One has dark hair, and the other is blond. And I think the blond one is interested in you. He keeps looking over. They look familiar...”

Now I really want to turn around and see.

“Are you sure?” I ask Marina and she nods.

“From the look of it, the dark-haired guy is trying to convince the other one to come and talk to you.”

“And why wouldn”t he be interested in you and not me, uh?” I ask, sipping at my water. My throat is suddenly dry. Marina is a beautiful woman. Her long blonde hair, her full lips and her constant good mood attract a lot of men. “It”s not necessarily obvious that you”re pregnant and engaged.”

Marina rolls her eyes and points to her overly flashy engagement ring. Okay ... this bling is actually visible from several miles away. She loves it but I think it’s a bit much. It”s like Caleb has to constantly brag about how much money he has. Which isn’t actually his since he”s an heir, just like me.

“I think my ring says it all,” she says, looking at it for a few seconds. “I’m telling you; the blonde guy is into you.”

“You’re probably imagining it,” I chuckle. “But, okay. Let”s say he wants me...” I can”t believe I”m going along with this. “That doesn”t mean I want him too, does it?”

“Why?” asks Marina. “Don”t be so uptight all the time, Cara. I”m not saying you should marry him. I”m talking about sex. Amazing sex.”

“I”m not uptight,” I contradict her immediately. “I”m just not into that sort of thing. I never have been.”

“I know,” she reassures me. “But I think he really would be worth an exception. Oh my God, he”s getting up.”

Marina is making it sound like it’s a rom-com, and we’re the love interests. She screams almost as loudly as I did when I saw the ultrasound. While it was an appropriate reaction for me, her hormones seem to have taken over. She is completely crazy.

“Maybe he needs to go to the bathroom?” I think.

“No,” Marina says. “The bathroom is on the other way.”

I don”t feel like talking about the guy anymore, so I push the thoughts about him out of my head.

“Let”s forget about the guy and talk about my first day at Corse Sports Management, okay?” I ask my best friend.

“He”s coming over,”” she says, completely ignoring my suggestion. My heart skips a beat, and I bite my lip nervously.

“Marina?” I ask. “Can we talk about my job?”

“We”re not going to talk about your job when you have the opportunity to have the best sex of your life,” she hisses at me. “Get it?”

“You”re crazy!” I roll my eyes and Marina giggles.

“He”s coming,” she informs me. “Come on, throw your napkin down.”

“I am not doing that. Pregnancy is making you crazy.”

“Come on!” she urges. “He”ll be here any minute.”

My God, this is unbelievable.

“Marina, no!” I protest. “You can forget it.”

“Do it!”

I ignore her and reach for my fork to eat my shrimp when she deliberately kicks me in the shin. I almost scream in pain and drop my fork.

“Tell me, are you nuts?” I look at her angrily and am about to reach for the fork to end this embarrassing situation when someone else grabs it. A hand that wasn’t there before, a man”s hand. Our hands touch and I jump back, startled. An electric shock runs through my body and when I look up, I see the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

I swallow hard as his intense gaze knocks my socks off, and I let go of the fork. Suddenly I straighten up and he does the same. As he stands in front of me, I can”t help but form my lips into a silent ‘Wow’.

He has broad shoulders that you want to lean on, perfect muscles, and arms so strong that they make you want to ‘accidentally’ let yourself fall into. My eyes move up to his face, and he grins at me. His lips are thin, and his cheeks are adorned with a blond shadow of a beard, which matches his short hair.

“You dropped this,” he says, handing me the fork. Heat rises in my cheeks in record time, and I can’t catch my breath.

“Thank you,” I reply, feeling ashamed, and I give my best friend a bitter look. I”ve made a complete fool of myself in front of this Adonis1. “I”m sorry, I”m clumsy.” My apology doesn”t make it any better, and when the corners of his mouth lift, I notice that he”s amused.

“That”s okay,” he says. “But you should probably ask for a new fork.”

“Yes, I”ll do that.”

I suck at flirting. I”ve never been the kind of girl who can get a guy to fall for her with just a few glances. Unlike my best friend, I”m shy and always worried about saying the wrong thing. It”s really starting to take its toll now.

“I”m Noah,” he introduces himself and shakes my hand. “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“Cara,” I whisper. “My name is Cara.”

“Right then, Cara,” he says. “See you around, and don”t forget the new fork.”

He winks at me, making my face look like a tomato within seconds, and then heads for the door marked ‘Restroom’.

I slap my forehead with my free hand and look at Marina. “Oh my God,” I mutter. “Well… that was awkward.”

“Yes, it was,” she confirms. “It was like a car crash. I just couldn’t look away. It was awful.”

1In Greek Mythology, Adonis was the lover of Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty.