Touchdowns and Temptations: A Football billionaire Romance

18

I get out of the limo behind my parents and want to put my hand over my face. The NFL Sports Awards are a huge event and I hate being in the spotlight. These events are just meaningless. I”m aware that I”m pretty much the only person for miles around who sees it that way.

The man at the car gives me a friendly smile and I grab my dress and follow my parents. The dress is floor length and has a halter-neck. The neckline is cut wide, and my breasts are held in place with adhesive pads. The back is completely bare - from the neck to the tailbone. My father wears a simple black suit and my mother a dark blue dress that is much tighter than mine. It comes up to her knees and has an off-the-shoulder style. She looks beautiful as always and beams at my dad. It”s strange that I want don’t want my life to look like hers, and yet at the same time I long for it. My parents have been married for twenty-five years, together for twenty-seven, and they are still so happy. I want to have a relationship like that and find the right man. But so far, he”s not in sight. Although that”s not quite true. He is in sight, but I don”t want him. He”s a football player by profession and that goes against all my principles. There is absolutely nothing official between Noah and me and yet I miss him like hell when he”s not around. How would it be if we got together? It”ll just get worse, won”t it? I know he wants more. Noah expects a relationship from me, and maybe this event today would have been a clear statement. Not only to the public, but also to him.

My parents walk down the red carpet, and I stand behind them at a distance. My dad is being honored today for his life”s work, and that”s the only reason I”m here. I”m so proud of him for what he”s accomplished. He”s the greatest player of all time, and they”re honoring that tonight. My mom waves me over, and they take me into their midst.

Dad looks at me with a smile and gratitude in his eyes. He knows I”m only doing this for him and that deep down I hate it.

“Thank you,” he whispers. I smile at the cameras and do my best. The reaction tells me that I did the right thing by being here for him today.

As soon as the pictures are taken, I sneak off toward the entrance. My mom follows me while my dad does a few more interviews.

“Ms. Corse, Mrs. Corse,” a man says to us at the entrance. “May I escort you to your seats?”

“Sure,” my mom says, joining me. “It means a lot to your dad that you”re here today.”

“Why do you say that?” I sigh. “You”re making me feel guilty for not enjoying it so much.”

“That”s good,” she says, “then you”ll realize the implications.”

I roll my eyes, which makes her laugh.

“Is Noah here?” she asks and I roll my eyes again.

“What do you think, Mom?”

Of course, she hasn”t missed the fact that we”re seeing each other. I”m sure she can guess that we don”t just watch TV when we hang out. After all, she and my dad were young and dated once. Something I don”t want to think about because they are my parents and Noah and I are not dating. We are friends with benefits.

“I think he”s here. Didn”t he want to come here with you?”

“Maybe,” I dodge her and sit down in our assigned seats.

“Maybe?” My mom doesn”t let up and I roll my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I told him I was coming with you,” I answer.

“Why?” she continues.

“Why not, Mom?” I reply, annoyed. “Noah isn”t my boyfriend, and if we came here together, it would be weird, wouldn”t it?”

“But you spend so much time together,” she says, “and to be honest, your dad and I thought you”d finally introduce us.”

“What does that mean?”

“He”s your boyfriend, isn”t he?”

“No,” I say indignantly and am glad when my dad catches up with us and sits down next to my mom.

“Let”s drop the subject,” I decide.

My parents want to meet Noah as my boyfriend. Where will we get to if I introduce them to every guy I go to bed with? No, that”s not going to happen. Noah and I are not a couple and we never will be.

I look at my phone and see that I have unread messages from Marina and Noah.

*Noah: Are you there yet?

*Cara: Yes, and you?

*Noah: Just got here.

I close the chat and check Marina’s texts.

*Marina: Have fun tonight! Are you with Noah?

I roll my eyes. Of course, Marina knows Noah is here. But why does she think we”re here together? I sigh. It could be because she”s the president of the Noah McCarter and Cara Catherine Corse fan club. Marina thinks I should finally give in and start a relationship with him. After all, I have nothing to lose. She”s not entirely wrong. So far, what I have with Noah has been good for me and I like being with him. But I don”t want to. I have my principles and I”m not going to break them for Noah McCarter. I puff out my cheeks and answer Marina.

*Cara: I”m here with my parents.

*Marina: Yes, and? Your dad is going to win an award anyway.

*Cara: We are not discussing that anymore.

*Marina: But we are still discussing it, because one has nothing to do with the other.

I groan in annoyance and my mom gives me a questioning look. I wave her off and go back to talking to Marina when someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn to see Alex grinning at me. Noah is standing next to him, looking much more tense than his brother. He scrutinizes me. His eyes glide over my body, but the corners of his mouth don”t turn up.

Doesn”t he like me? Heat rises in my cheeks. If there”s one man I want to please here, it”s him.

“Hey!” I get up from my seat and let Alex kiss me on both cheeks. This draws my parents” attention to the McCarter twins.

“Hello, Mrs. Corse,” Alex says, greeting them formally as well.

“Hello,” she says, smiling. “Hello, Noah.”

“Hello, Mrs. Corse,” he says, smiling at my mother. “You look great.”

I smile and my mom thanks him. Noah and Alex shake my dad”s hand and chat with him.

I”m irritated that Noah doesn”t greet me, but I don”t question it. I prefer to look at him. He”s shaved, which makes his features look a little too soft. I prefer it when he has a little beard. The tailored dark blue suit suits him perfectly, and the red handkerchief is the same color as my dress.

“Are you sitting behind us?” I ask and Alex nods.

“Right behind you,” he says, winking at me. “I can sneak gum in your hair.”

“And I can slap you in front of everyone when you do that,” I reply and my mom laughs. “I wasn”t joking.”

“Of course not,” Alex says amused and sits down. I look back at Noah, whose attention is completely focused on my dad. When my mom joins the conversation and one of the NFL”s most important officials appears next to them, I sit down again.

“Hey!” I jump to see Noah”s grinning face in front of me. He”s resting his forearms on the back of the chair next to me.

“Hey,” I whisper. “Why do I always notice that scar?”

I lift my hand and place my fingers on it. He grins and shrugs.

“I don”t know. Maybe because you find it sexy.”

“Maybe,” I mumble. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” he says. “I”d like to tell you you look great too, but I’m not sure I should.”

Okay, I wasn”t expecting that. Don”t lose your cool now. It”s quite possible that he doesn”t like my outfit. Under no circumstances should I let him see how upset I am. Noah has never refused me a compliment before. I bravely smile away the obvious rejection, even though it affects me. It”s not nice when the man you desire and think is the most attractive man on the planet doesn”t tell you you look great.

“Cara?” asks Noah. “Are you okay?”

“Sure,” I lie. “Everything”s fine.”

“Good,” he says and pulls away.

I expect him to pull away from me completely, but he doesn”t. Noah leans back in and plants a kiss on my bare shoulder. Goose bumps immediately spread across my skin and butterflies flutter in my stomach. Where did they come from?

“You look beautiful,” he breathes. “The dress is gorgeous.”

Noah pulls away from me and I turn to face him. He sits down in his seat with a grin and pulls out his phone. When he looks at the screen, I turn away as it vibrates in my clutch. I pull out my phone and see that he sent me a message.

*Noah: Can I take it off later?

I giggle.

*Cara: Why?

*Noah: Then you can undress me too? Deal?

*Cara: But it takes me longer because you”re wearing twice as much. Do you think that”s fair?

*Noah: Do you think it”s fair that I have a hard-on? That dress should be banned!

*Cara: And I thought you said I was beautiful. I”ll think about it!

I send the message and turn my head to look at him again. Noah looks back at me and winks at me. Then he turns to Alex and speaks to his brother. I look back at the stage and put my phone down. Gradually, the room fills with all kinds of people. Current players, former players, club owners, officials and coaches. Of course, a few top celebrities are also in attendance. I try to ignore Noah behind me and concentrate on the award ceremony.

***

The after-party takes place in an old factory building near the harbor. I look around the room, keeping an eye out for Noah, when I”m stopped.

“Brick!” I call, beaming, and let myself be pulled into his arms. “How good to see you.”

We went to college together and had a few classes together. He got drafted by Miami this year.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he says. “Tell me ... what are you doing now? Where are you working? Who are you dating?” His questions inevitably make me laugh. Brick has had a girlfriend since college, and she”s here, too, but he can”t quite stop flirting with me.

“I”ve moved back in with my parents for now, but I”m officially looking for a place,” I answer. “Besides, I work for Corse Sports Management.”

“Of course,” he replies, winking at me. Brick had an athletic scholarship and that was his only chance to go to college. His parents are from a poor neighborhood in Detroit. We hit it off and when he heard who my dad was, he was speechless. He said he had never met anyone as rich and yet as polite as me. He could introduce me as I am to his mother and she would never know I was an upper-class girl.

“And who are you dating?” He wiggles his eyebrows and grins at me.

“She”s dating me!” An arm wraps around my waist and Brick”s eyes go wide. I turn and look up at Noah”s face. His lips are pressed together in a thin line and he looks at Brick with hostility.

“Noah, nice to meet you,” he introduces himself unnecessarily. Brick knows exactly who is standing in front of him.

“I”m Brick,” he replies in a friendly manner. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Noah says, slowly relaxing. His fingers brush over my hip as he slips the hand he just extended to Brick into the pocket of his pants. I don”t need to say that I”m pissed at him. This has gone way too far. What is he thinking? Brick could be a potential client of mine, not an old friend. How does it look for my friend, who is not my boyfriend at all, to mark his territory in such a pathetic way?

“See you around,” Brick says, raising his hand with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”

I doubt he was really happy about it. Otherwise, he wouldn”t turn around so quickly, would he? Brick moves away from us and I pull away from Noah.

I turn to him angrily and look at him.

“Tell me, are you completely nuts?” I bark at him. Noah opens his mouth to say something, but I don”t let him get a word in. “What was that all about? Why are you pretending to be my boyfriend?”

I shake my head in disbelief.

“I”m not going out with you and I don”t intend to. You know that. So would you please stop pretending that we”re together?” I continue to vent my anger.

“Come on!” he growls, grabbing my wrist. I have trouble keeping up with him in my long dress and high heels. Noah drags me down the hall behind him. Past my parents, Alex and Toby and a few other familiar faces and, unfortunately, members of the press. We”re at a big event where everyone”s just waiting for a scandal to break, and we, of all people, are going to provide it? Noah knows how much I hate all of this. And now he”s making sure I”m the absolute center of attention.

“Noah!” I call. “What are you doing?”

Ignoring me, he just keeps walking until we pass the security guard at the entrance and come to a stop in front of the building.

Furious, I yank his hand away and place it on my hip.

“Tell me, are you okay?” I yell at him, pointing at the entrance. “What was that about?”

“What... that...” He shakes his head. “You better tell me what it is about this Dick...”

“His name is Brick!”

“I don”t care what the guy”s name is,” he yells. “What was that about, Cara? Can”t you see how he adores you?”

I want to throw a snarky ‘Like you?’ at him, but I don”t dare.

“He has a girlfriend. And even if he did,” I answer, trying to calm myself down. This is an absolutely fucked-up situation, and we”re in public, at the NFL Sports Awards after-party. We can”t be here arguing and sorting out our relationship status. “You’re making a scene.”

“A scene?” he asks. “For making it clear to all those slobbering bastards, including my brother, that you”re taken?”

“I am not taken!”

“Yes, you are!” he shouts. “By me.”

I can”t help but laugh, because he”s probably going crazy right now. I”d probably know if I”d agreed to a relationship with Noah McCarter.

“You”re out of your mind!” I yell, shaking my head. “We”re not together and we never will be.”

I start to walk past him, but Noah grabs my hand again and stops me.

“Cara, please,” he whispers. “Why can”t you just admit that you”re in love with me too?”

His question hits me with full force. Like a punch I didn”t see coming, knocking me to the ground. My heart begins to race and the spot on my wrist where he touches me threatens to go up in flames. Noah”s eyes go right through me. He seems so vulnerable right now that I want to throw myself into his arms to comfort him. But I can”t, and even less so after his performance earlier. If we”re unlucky, tomorrow the whole country will know we”re screwing. Including my parents. Even if I have feelings for him, he”s still a football player.

“Because it”s not like that,” I say. “I”m not in love with you. We”re friends who occasionally sleep together. Nothing more.”