Chapter 2
“I’m going to marry that girl,” I whispered to myself as I eyed Lafayette.
Approaching her tonight was always a part of the plan.
There was a friendly wager among my teammates on who could hit her first. I knew it would be me, but if they wanted to lose some money this weekend, then who was I to stop them?
Lafayette Porter was just as gorgeous on camera as she was in person.
She knew it, and so did every nigga in here.
If they didn’t, they were blind. Her presence demanded attention.
It had demanded mine the first time I’d swiped on her podcast back in college.
She was doing a segment on me being in the most diverse class of hockey players drafted into the UHL and placed on the most diverse team.
The way she spoke my name, I knew then if I ever crossed her path, I would make her mine.
“Would you like anything to drink?” the bartender asked, pulling my attention away from Lafayette.
“Yeah. Bring her another of whatever she had.” I pointed to Lafayette’s empty seat. “And bring me something dark on the rocks.”
She nodded, and I wasted no time turning my attention back to the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.
She moved through the crowd with so much confidence.
I loved how she unapologetically took up space.
My eyes traveled down her body. Her frame was perfect.
She had curves, real ones she didn’t get from a doctor.
I could tell by the little pooch she had in her midsection that it was all homegrown.
Her dark brown skin was sun kissed from the sky above, always radiant and glowing.
She was perfect, and as I watched her perfectly plump ass and thick thighs sway from side to side, I knew she was perfect for me.
She approached a group of women. Her big curls bounced with each step.
I recognized a few of them as ball players.
A grin crossed my face as Lafayette looked back at me, eyeing me mischievously.
Shawty wasn’t playing fair. She was going to book interviews with all five of them at once.
The thought that she wanted to get our little wager over as soon as possible turned me on.
I liked a woman that knew when she wanted the dick.
I hated all that beating around the bush shit.
It was unnecessary, especially for Lafayette, because she already belonged to me.
“Aye, Jax!” The sound of my most annoying teammate, Liam Payne, broke my focus on Lafayette. “You slipping on your pimping, ain’t you, boy?”
He took the empty seat next to me. I kept my eyes on Lafayette.
I wasn’t concerned about shit Liam had to say to me.
He was one of those trust fund black kids that had everything given to him in life, so it naturally made him a douchebag.
He was the oldest member and veteran of my team, the Richmond Penguins, but it didn’t make his ass any wiser.
I already owed his ass a dozen ass whuppings, so I didn’t know why he was over here trying to be buddy, buddy with me.
“Jaxton!” He called me again, making me turn slightly in his direction.
“Yeah. What’s up?” I needed him to say his piece and then get the fuck up out of my face.
“You let her get away. Bad move,” he said, making me smirk.
“I don’t need a coach on getting pussy, Liam.” I shot back.
This square ass nigga really thought he had a chance with my woman. It was comical really. I followed his gaze to Lafayette. She was in a full conversation with the ladies now. Her fun-loving personality was on display. She was literally glowing. I watched as she tossed her head back in laughter.
Liam and any other man in this room could look and dream, but that woman was already sporting me on her arm.
That beautiful smile she was wearing… I had been the one that helped her restore it tonight and find her footing.
No one else had paid attention to her when she’d run out of here with tears in her eyes from a lost love, and no one else was going to be equipped to help her through her grief but me.
“That girl is beautiful,” Liam whispered, causing my head to turn in his direction. “It’s nothing like fresh meat in a lion’s den.”
He snarled, causing me to ball my fist. I didn’t like the way he was talking about my future wife like she was just a quick fuck.
I had to fight the urge not to knock his damn teeth out of his mouth.
If he wasn’t the team captain and this wasn’t a public event, I would have, but being on a primarily black team or not, I had to walk on eggshells for my image.
The UHL was still greatly consumed with people who didn’t look like me and didn’t want black people there.
“That’s no way to speak about a woman, Liam. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?” My words were cordial, but my tone told his ass to tread lightly.
“You know, actually, she did. But the streets taught me these hos?—”
“Women,” I corrected him. He was going to speak with some respect when addressing her around me.
“These women … they like a dirty dog,” he continued, letting out a stupid ass laugh.
“Is that right?”
“One hundred! You can try that nice guy shit if you want. But these bitches?—”
“Women.” I cut my eyes at him, letting him know to pick a different set of words.
“That nice guy shit doesn’t work on women. They like being dogged the fuck out,” he stated. “Look at her. She appears sweet and innocent, but I know she’s a freak like the rest. Probably eager to fuck a rich nigga. May let us run her.”
In a different setting, I would have put Liam’s face in the granite of this bar and broke his damn nose, but that would only make me look like the angry, aggressive black man that couldn’t handle his temper.
My parents had both instilled in me that there was a time and place for every reaction.
It didn’t mean I was weak. It meant I was smart.
I had something better planned for Liam.
“I have my theory, and you have yours.”
“Yours is some simp shit.” He waved me off.
“Maybe, but I’m not trying to impress you, nigga.”
Liam stared at me, shaking his head in disagreement. This hot head, divorced motherfucker didn’t get it, and that was good for me. This was going to be the easiest twenty bands I’d ever made. Lafayette wasn’t going for his ass or any of my other teammates, because they weren’t hardly her type.
“You need to tighten up, my boy. Simping niggas always finish last.” He stood from the bar stool just as Lafayette finished her conversation with the girls. “Watch and learn something.”
He walked toward Lafayette with a stupid grin on his face.
This was the shit I hated about being on a team full of immature niggas.
They always had some dumb challenge going on.
It was lame as fuck, and the lamest part was I had to go with the shit for the sake of team bonding.
As a goalie, I needed to be guarded. I had to trust that my team would not leave me out there defenseless to prove a point or get me traded.
So, if that meant going along with some stupid bet I knew I would win, then so be it.
“Here you are, sir.” The bartender returned with my drink.
I wasted no time taking a large gulp of it, jealousy bubbling beneath the surface as I watched Liam in a friendly conversation with Lafayette.
A less confident man would have gone over there and stopped him, but I had a pretty good idea of who she was leaving with tonight.
All I had to do was sit back, watch her do her thing, and wait.
A few seconds later, she dismissed Liam and moved around the room, talking with a few more people.
Some of my other teammates approached her but were dismissed even faster than Liam.
I sat there pretending not to be watching her, but I was.
Not on some jealous shit. I just wanted to make sure these niggas didn’t try her.
“Man, it’s a no go. She’s not going.” Another one of my teammates, Le’Andre, walked up next to me.
“Really?” I faked concern. “Why do you say that? I saw you talking to her.”
“Yeah, I went over there and introduced myself, but she was in work mode. Shorty is only concerned about booking interviews for her show.”
“Damn.” I played along.
Good girl. My little wager was motivating her. That shit had my dick twitching in my pants.
“The night is still young, nigga. Who knows?” I shrugged, sending Le’Andre on his way just in time for Lafayette to waltz her fine ass back over to the bar.
“I just scheduled eight interviews!” she blurted as soon as she was back in my space. She was grinning like she had just won the lottery.
“Damn, I only said five. You’re an overachiever I see. Congratulations!”
I loved seeing her this way, thriving in her element. I could barely contain my happiness. She had my ass over here smiling from ear to ear.
“I don’t think I could have done it without your little friendly push,” she joked, nudging me playfully.
“I’m sure you could have.” I handed her the drink I’d ordered for her. “Spending the night with little old me couldn’t have been that much of a boost.”
“Oh, it was. Trust me.” She leaned forward and slipped me a folded piece of paper.
“Wait. What’s this?” I asked, opening the paper curiously. My dick jumped at the sight of what I assumed to be her room number.
Room 7792
“I won. See you in thirty minutes,” she teased. Her eyes danced with mischief as she took the drink to the head and walked away without saying another word.
“Shit!” I hissed as I watched her disappear into the mingling crowd and then slide out the door.
That woman would be the best thing that ever happened to me. I took a deep breath, glancing at the room number again. A part of me wanted to bolt out behind her right now but leaving together would be too obvious. I wasn’t interested in all these nosy motherfuckers knowing our business just yet.
“Hey, Jax!”