Chapter 10 - Ashton
Chanel had given me access to her apartment to make it easier for me to visit.
She told me not to worry about stopping at the concierge’s desk, because she knew that my appearance alone would attract attention.
I didn’t need to explain anything to anyone, so I was grateful that I was able to enter the private entrance and head straight up to her place.
It was hard to hide my height of six-four, but I managed to avoid detection. With my hoodie on my head and keeping my head lowered, I was still able to observe my surroundings and ensured that no one was watching me or taking pictures, from what I could see.
I rang the doorbell twice before she opened it.
Even at home in the comfort of her apartment, the girl was just glamorous.
She wore a cream cashmere sweater with a zipped front.
It was off-the-shoulder on the right side, and the zipper was pulled down just enough to give a glimpse of her cleavage. She wore tight cream leather pants.
“You’ve added more presents underneath the tree, I see,” I stated after removing my shoes and putting on the indoor slippers she required.
“Yeah. I’ve done a little more shopping over the last few days,” Chanel admitted.
Her place was cozy and glamorous. Despite the all-white, champagne, and gold décor it still gave off cozy vibes, thanks to her furry throw rugs, pillows on the couches and chairs, and the warm, crackling fireplace. Even her Christmas tree was decorated in those colors.
I glanced at the TV and saw that she was watching some Christmas movie that only added to the holiday feel.
“Girl, that’s a lot more than a little,” I replied, glancing at the tree and all the presents added since then.
She laughed and waved me off. “Whatever. Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure. You got a Sprite?”
“Cranberry.”
“Should’ve known. You love the holidays like that, huh?”
“Oh, I’m a holiday girlie. I go all out, as you can see from my decorations. I become like a big kid at Christmas all over again.”
“Is there a particular reason why?”
“Well, my parents always gave me a big Christmas as an only child. They did minimal in terms of decorating, though, because they worked all the time. They didn’t have much time to decorate, and I always said that I would make a big deal out of it when I grew up and got my own place.
So here we are,” she stated, spreading her arms out at her sides before turning her back to me.
She leaned into the refrigerator and removed a couple cans of Sprite. I kept watching as she walked to the cabinet, removed some glasses and rinsed them, and then poured ice into both.
She brought the glasses and cans back into the living room and handed me a glass and a can. I poured the soda into the glass and noticed that she was watching me.
“What?” I asked, looking up at her.
“I don’t know. It bothers me that you got into a fight the other night. I just wish that all this would go away.”
Shrugging, I replied, “Yeah, it is what it is. If that’s not enough, a lot of strange shit has been happening too.”
“Like what?”
I told her about the lingerie and perfume in both my hotel suite and at my house. She frowned and toyed with the diamond necklace around her neck.
“What?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had any strange visitors, but I have had some strange texts.”
“Like what?”
Chanel eyed me closely for a few seconds as though she was trying to determine if I could be trusted. “Like this.”
She reached forward and grabbed her cellphone off the glass table and read a variety of text messages.
“‘Everything isn’t a story worth telling.’ ‘Some shit needs to remain private.’ ‘You’re going to sell your soul just to get that story out there, huh?
’ ‘How far are you willing to go for a dollar?’ ‘You need to stay away from Ashton.’ ‘If I see you near him again there will be trouble.’ ‘You can’t trust shit that comes out of that man’s mouth.
’ ‘Please don’t hurt him. Some of us actually care about the truth and about him.
’ ‘If you cared about him, you would stay away from him.’”
She twisted her lips.
“What?”
Shrugging, she shook her head. “It’s just that last one sounds like something my ex-husband said to me when the pictures were first released.”
“Why would he say that?”
She inhaled deeply and replied lightly, “Because you are married.”
I somehow doubted that was the truth. Her expression said there was more, but I wouldn’t pressure her.
“Why haven’t you gone to the police with this?”
“Because they’re harmless, Ashton. If I ran to the police over every threatening message I received, then I wouldn’t be able to do my job. I might as well move into the station.”
“Why aren’t you taking these seriously though?”
“I receive these things all the time. I told you.”
“But what aren’t you saying?”
She sighed. “They read a little more personal than the others. It sounds like this person is someone close to you who may have feelings for you. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble if it’s a situation that you can handle. Some things aren’t worth blowing up.”
“Do you have any enemies?” I asked.
“No more than the usual. People who are my competitors in the industry. What about you?”
I turned my lips down, scratched the back of my head, and thought about a few people, but didn’t say anything about the others. “Other than Muffin and Alex, I doubt it.” I laughed to lighten the situation.
“Either way, these people don’t seem like they’re your enemies. It seems more like they’re enemies of mine.”
“And what could you have done to become their enemy?”
“Tell your story,” she stated softly.
“Still doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing in my story that anyone would want hidden.” Only I would benefit from not sharing my full story, I thought to myself.
“What did Muffin have to say about all this? The pictures and the fight, I mean.”
“You already probably know what she said about it. We argued, she accused me of cheating and said she knew this wasn’t the first time. She said that it’s just the first time I was caught.”
“And was it?”
“I haven’t cheated on my wife,” I stated, avoiding saying that I had never cheated on Muffin. That would have been a lie. But I hadn’t cheated on her since we had been married, so that statement was true.
“Why do you look so sad, Ashton?”
Shaking my head, I chuckled softly, humorlessly.
“That shit hurts. I mean, I won’t lie. Through the years, I have always been surrounded by temptation, especially when we were on the road at away games.
There was always a woman waiting for me and willing to give me what I couldn’t get that night to take the edge off.
“I won’t even lie and say that I didn’t consider it.
There were times I was in a club or in a bar, and I paid a woman more attention than I should have, or entertained conversations I knew would hurt my wife if she found out.
But in the end, no matter how hard it was, I always walked the fuck away.
I never succumbed to it. So it’s hard as fuck to believe that not only is my marriage ruined, but my reputation as well, especially before I’m about to go out of the league.
I worked hard to have a good career and name, and this isn’t how I want to go out. ”
Chanel closed her eyes briefly before she opened them and looked at me again.
“Ashton, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Why do you care?”
“I’ve followed your entire career, and I know you’re a good guy.
I don’t want to see you go out of the game with a bad rep.
It’s not fair. I love sports as much as you do.
It’s about the game to me, not the trash.
Besides, I’ve been on the other side of false accusations, and I know it doesn’t feel good. ”
I recalled seeing some articles about the famed journalist having to choose her career over family, but I didn’t recall the details.
Narrowing my gaze, I asked, “You just divorced a couple of years ago, right?”
“Yes.”
“What happened? I never saw too much more than that you were going through some tough times.”
She scoffed and replied, “I worked hard to keep my business off the front page and out of social media.”
“And yet, you want me to put mine there.”
Chanel bounced her foot up and down from her reclined position on the chaise.
She rested her head in her hand after she propped her elbow on the arm of the couch.
“No, I don’t want you to put your personal business out there.
I want you to put the athlete who’s transitioning to a businessman out there.
I’m trying to sell a feel-good story that inspires, educates, and ministers to your fans. ”
“You seem to be the only fan I have lately. No matter where I turn, it seems the world is against me.”
“I know it can seem that way at times, but that’s just the devil whispering and trying to get you down. You can’t buy into his mind games.”
“You’re a spiritual woman?”
“I pray daily and let the Lord guide me. Without Him, I’d be lost.”
I smiled and nodded, relating to that statement deeper than she might perceive.
“Same.”
“I know. I’ve seen you praying on the bench and in the locker rooms. I can tell it’s not for show either. It seems to be a privilege, and though you’re not ashamed, I can tell that you’re not trying to draw attention to yourself.”
I changed the subject and asked, “How did you get in the industry?”
“My dad is and always has been a sports fanatic. We watched games together from the time I was two months until now. He would sit me on his lap and watch them with me, and according to my parents, I was more reactive to plays than he was. He watched basketball, football, baseball, soccer, boxing, MMA, and the Olympics. He would complain about the sportscasters not getting to the heart of the matter and not getting the athletes to open up in the right way. He said they spent too much time offending the players rather than getting them to feel like they had a comrade on their side. I knew then that I would be a sideline reporter. I just had to build my career one brick at a time. I wanted to prove that a woman could be feminine, sexy, and girly in this space and still do a great job. That’s what I’ve built my brand on.
I wanted to give the players a person they could trust, and—”
“It doesn’t hurt that you’re a fine, beautiful ass woman either.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she replied softly with a smile.
I knew that I needed to get my ass out of here and head home. If I kept fucking around with Chanel the way that I was, I would be in serious danger of breaching my commitment to stay loyal until my marriage ended. But when it did, I planned to be all up in them guts.