Chapter 3
three
. . .
Christmas Eve
Cassidy
The gold, tufted headboard knocked against the wall with a final thud as Hendrix climaxed.
He’d broken his rule about no sex before a game and broke me off just a mere hour before he had to be at the arena.
Since my flight had landed in Las Vegas, it had been nothing but one back-breaking escapade after another inside his room at Caesar’s Palace.
“Shit,” he groaned before rolling off me. “See what you made me do?”
I allowed the crisp, white bedsheets to swallow up my body. “Call it an early Christmas gift.” I giggled while being thankful I’d remained faithful to my birth control.
“I gotta hit the shower. The bus will be here to start picking us up and taking us to the arena in half an hour,” Hendrix announced.
“Maybe I’ll just rewatch the porn we made and get myself off again if I get horny while you’re gone,” I teased.
He shook his head, reminiscing just as I was. “That shit was so fuckin’ sexy, Cass.”
“I know right. I’ve never done that before.”
“Trust me, baby, you were a natural. The camera loved you. You can star in another sexy movie anytime you want.”
“Yeah, yeah. You get one little movie role and now you know all about directing and shit, huh?” I joked.
“Yo, chill. What time are you coming to the arena? The game starts at six,” he reminded me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be getting dressed and heading over to the game in the next couple hours to cheer you on,” I avowed.
“Good. It’ll be good to know my lady is in the building.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for us to put the rumors to rest and officially go public? This will be the first game of yours I’m attending in person,” I mentioned before taking a bite out of the leftover avocado toast I had delivered to the room for breakfast.
“I’m ready if you are. I don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable,” he answered.
I effortlessly grabbed my phone to begin swiping through my social feeds. My eyes landed on a clip of Angela Yee’s Rumor Report on The Breakfast Club.
“The blogs are all buzzing about a potential romance between NBA star Hendrix Croft and his co-star, Tamia Barker, after the two were spotted getting cozy after shooting a scene on set of their new movie, Undeniably You, where Croft plays Barker’s ex,” she reported.
I glanced up at Hendrix while trying my best not to let my insecurities run amuck. “Speaking of movies, you’re a tabloid favorite as of late,” I said, letting my uncertainties run right through my loose lips.
“Oh, that shit?”
“Oh, that shit?” I mocked him. “You ain’t know you were secretly dating your co-star for that movie you got a couple lil’ lines in?” I asked, waving my hand to downplay his accomplishment.
He sucked his teeth. “Oh, now it’s just some lil’ movie and shit, but when I first told you about it, your ass was all gassed talkin’ ‘bout oh, bae, what am I gonna wear the night of the premiere? Blah, blah,” he mocked in a high-pitch voice.
I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “Whatever! This is the shit I’m talkin’ about though, Hendrix. I like the lowkey vibes we’ve got going on except for when I have to read about you in the blogs with someone else, knowing it’s not true.”
He slowly sauntered up behind me, kissed my neck, and started massaging my breasts through the sheets with a high thread count. “Having you at my game as my lady will put all that shit to rest, again, only if you’re comfortable,” he reiterated before pecking my rose-pink lips.
“I’m not uncomfortable,” I confirmed. “Or at least I wasn’t.”
“If there’s something you want to ask me, then you have to floor to do it,” he asserted.
“Fine. I guess I just want to know if I should be concerned or not.”
“No. It’s just these dumb ass gossip bloggers our agents are paying to cooking up a story about us to generate buzz for the movie. That’s it and that’s all. She got a man and I got you. It’s childish gossip. You’re all I want. I promise you that. The only question now is do you believe me?”
I tipped my head forward. “I do. It’s annoying because I was just talking to Lauryn about this shit a few weeks ago, and she was getting on me about us not being all out in the blogs and on the ‘Gram and shit. I know for damn sure she won’t shut up when she sees this shit on The Shade Room.
” I said, puffing air through my nostrils.
“Tell your girls you with a real one, so they can calm they asses down. We ain’t gotta be postin’ our every move on the ‘Gram. We got our own thing going on, and we doin’ shit how we wanna do it.
I told you from the beginning, I’m just along for the ride with you.
If you’d rather sit in the stands instead of with all the other player’s wives and girls, I’m cool with that, too. ”
“Yeah, I’m not rushing to be the center of attention on anyone’s blogs again, but I’m ready to do this with you. The timing feels right,” I told him.
“I’m a firm believer that if it’s real, then everything should be effortless, you know?”
“I completely agree, and I’m glad we’re both on the same page,” I said with an agreeing plunge of my chin.
“Just know I’m yours. Mentally, spiritually, and physically.”
“And I’m yours. Now go get in the shower and get ready.”
He pecked my lips once more before disappearing into the bathroom.
Hendrix was my drug in human form. There was more between us than just the symphony of our bodies.
Even after our bodies parted, my soul was still intertwined with his.
I’d done things with him I’d never imagined doing with anyone, let alone someone in the limelight, and I didn’t want anyone else.
Twenty minutes later, Hendrix’s legs jolted in motion as he exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“I want you waiting for me under the covers when I get back. I’m still feignin' for you, but I gotta get to the arena,” he announced.
“I’ll be at the game. And then I’ll see you back here later.”
“You promise?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss waking up next to my favorite person on my favorite holiday.”
Hendrix smiled to reveal his canines. “Bet.” He swaggered over to kiss me goodbye, and I pulled him in for a deeper kiss. “You better stop before a nigga slip back inside you,” he mumbled against my lips in his sexy, panty-dropping tone.
I pulled away from him and felt dizzy. “Okay, okay. Bye. Have a good game.”
Hendrix left without telling me he loved me, and I didn’t question it.
He hadn’t said it since the night he’d surprised me in my apartment, and I didn’t say it back.
Not saying it back still fucked with me because I did love him—it was one thing, but saying it?
Saying it took on a whole new thing that I didn’t know if I was ready for, even if my heart was.
Walking into the arena, I felt the tension and excitement coursing through the air.
Hendrix had a point to prove to almost everyone under the roof, and I was glad I could be there to support him.
Knowing I was there solely to support my man didn’t help to put my own anxieties to rest when it came to taking my place in his world, but I trekked on accordingly.
The arena attendant scanned my mobile ticket and escorted me to the private VIP suite with the rest of the players’ wives and girlfriends.
From the looks of it, none of them had heard of a bad hair day or ever experienced a chip in their nail polish.
Everything from their designer bags to their French-tipped toes being paraded around in designer shoes were flawless.
I couldn’t help but drag my eyes down to the outfit I’d chosen to wear.
I had on a custom-fit jersey with Hendrix’s name on the back, jeans with a Gucci belt wrapped around my waist, and my favorite pair of Christian Louboutin heels, yet I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb and completely out of my element.
I still felt awkward about going to his game alone and trying to play nice with women I didn’t give two shits about, but I knew how to play the game.
It was his workplace, and as an extension of him, I wanted to make sure I made a good first impression.
Bass-heavy music blared as the smell of freshly popped popcorn wafted past my nose.
I grabbed the first available seat I could find and parked myself there, wishing I had my girls there to mix and mingle with so I could loosen up more quickly.
I wasn’t looking for new besties in the WAG community, but I also didn’t want to come off stuck-up and reserved and end up causing more drama.
It was hard for me to identify as anything or anyone but myself.
Up until then, I’d been careful not to envelop my life into his, yet these women embodied high fashion, good looks, and flashy lifestyles I saw on reality shows. I didn’t see how I fit into that.
“Here, have a glass of champagne,” a young woman of mixed descent offered. “It’ll knock the edge off.”
I obliged with a smile. “Thanks.”
“Is this your first time here?”
“That obvious, huh?”
She chuckled. “Just a little. I’m Tori,” she introduced herself, extending her hand to mine. “I’m Keyshawn Randolph’s wife.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cassidy.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Who are you here supporting?”
“Number twenty-two, Hendrix…”
“Croft?” she answered before I could finish.
“Yeah.”
“So, how long have you two been dating?”
“I’m not sure that’s any of your business,” I replied, instinctively protecting my privacy.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, but some of the players bring girls up to the suites days after meeting them. You know, here one day, gone tomorrow type of flings.”
“Hendrix and I are far from a fling,” I assured her.
“Oh, good. I didn’t get that vibe from you, but I just wanted to be sure.”
“Sure of what?” I inquired.
“Just before I introduced you to the other women, of course. A lot of the players’ girlfriends and fiancées have learned a lot from almost everyone in here.
We’re a mix of entrepreneurs, CEOs, models, mothers, and everything in between.
We don’t share the knowledge of the game with one hit wonders, as we call them. ”
I smiled at her gesture. “Again, I’m not a one hit wonder, or whatever you call it. Hendrix and I are together. No matter what you’ve read in the blogs or what you’ve heard, I’m his woman. I’m good on the knowledge but thank you though.”
She nodded before letting out a harmless chuckle.
“I get it. I was just like you when I first started coming to Keyshawn’s games.
Reserved, guarded. I thought I knew everything about my man and had all these other bitches on notice that I was his and he was mine, but it doesn’t always matter to some. ”
She seemed to speak to me from past trauma and experience.
“This is just all…a lot,” I acknowledged, taking in the sight lines across the arena.
“Oh, trust me, I get it. Some of the ladies can be very…”
“Intimidating?” I asked, finishing her sentence.
“I was going to say bitchy, but intimidating works too,” she joked.
The two of us shared a gum-baring laugh. “Merry Christmas, by the way.”
“Oh, thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too. It’s been slipping my mind all day that it’s actually Christmas Eve. When it’s game day, nothing else really matters.”
“Christmas is my favorite holiday.”
“It used to be my favorite, too.”
“Used to be?” I queried.
“Well, when the season starts, we’re always here or there. I travel when he travels, so if we’re lucky, we can spend Christmas at home, but more often than not, we’re in some hotel suite somewhere, where it hardly ever snows. So, I kinda lost my love for the holiday over the years.”
“Mmm, gotcha. Well, at least you get to spend it together, right?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“How long have you been married, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“No, I don’t mind. We’ve been together for ten years and married for seven.”
“Wow. Congratulations. Is it everything you’d thought it be?”
“Marriage or being the wife of somebody in the league?” she asked.
I shrugged before taking a sip of my champagne. “Both, I guess.”
“It’s definitely an adjustment, and with everybody thinking they know your every move, it can get annoying sometimes, but as long as you know who you married, or in your case, dating, then you gotta be able to overcome the bullshit if he’s who you really want.”
I gave her a warm smile. “Yeah, I’m not sure I’m ready for the limelight and all that comes with it. Being famous was never something I wanted to be.”
“He’ll always be the famous one, honey, while some only see us as glorified groupies who lucked-up and got rings.”
I nodded, appreciating the gems she dropped about her experience as a wife, and I tried my best not to let her get in my head. I knew damn well I was more than a glorified groupie.
“Well, the game is about to start. I’m going to get back over to my seat. You’re more than welcome to come sit with me and a few of the other ladies if you want,” she suggested.
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to kick it here for a while and watch the game. I might join you ladies at halftime though.”
“Sure. Suit yourself. Enjoy the game.”
Hendrix’s sweat-sheened skin looked so good playing under the bright arena lights as the jumbotron camera zoomed in on him.
He was on fire, dropping twenty points before the half.
After a few more glasses of champagne, I’d loosened up enough to cheer him on out loud when he made a basket and move over to meet Tori’s friends.
By the middle of the third quarter, my feet hurt from jumping up every few seconds, and my voice had gone hoarse from chanting defense with all the other rowdy spouses in the suite.
I was more than ready to head back to the hotel, shower, and wait in the bed for Hendrix like he’d asked.
When I was too worn out to stand up, I scrolled through my news feed when my heart dropped to the soles of my yelping dogs.
Suddenly, the posts on my feed had gone from hilarious photos of the Elf on the Shelf to photos of Hendrix and another woman flooding my timeline.
I looked up and saw everyone’s eyes focused on me, including Tori’s.
She drifted over to me with a look that told me she already knew where my head was at from past experience. “Are you okay?”
“I—I gotta go,” I stammered, realizing that wearing Hendrix’s name across my back made me even more of a target.
Unable to hold my head and face the ridicule and embarrassing stares a second longer, I ducked out of the suite, pulled off the jersey, and tossed it in the first trash bin I could find before darting out of the arena before the game ended.