32
NICO
Me: Hi Lucy. Do you still have the matching necklace that goes with Val’s earrings? I want to get it for Christmas.
Lucy: Yes! We do. Want me to put it on hold until you can get here?
Me: Actually can you just get it? Do you have my customer info that you can just charge it to my card? Or can I send you my card info again? I don’t want anyone to take it.
Lucy: I can’t but I will do a customer POV hold so that my manager knows it’s sold. Anything else?
Me: Quit trying to squeeze more commission from me, Lucy. Plus, I have other things planned for her.
Lucy: Who? Meeee?
Me: Yeah. You, trouble maker. I’ll drop by tomorrow after practice to pick it up. Thanks a lot, Lucy. I hope she loves it.
Lucy: Oh she will. Almost as much as she loves you.
Me: What???
Lucy:
I ’ve had one of my best practices yet. That early morning conversation with Lucy really set me on a high. Was Lucy just messing with me or could it really be true?
Valentina is in love with me?
I was dancing across the field. Nothing was going to bring me down. Even Waggers was impressed. He made a face that almost looked like a smile. It’s possible it was the relief of passing gas, but I’d like to believe it was me that made him happy today.
I was planning a Christmas for Valentina that would blow all the others away.
I spoke with her parents, which I’m sure she’ll be a little pissed about, and arranged for them and her sisters to come in to surprise her.
When I told my parents about it, they agreed to be here, too.
They aren’t too happy about missing out on a white Christmas by the fire, but Greer was jumping at the chance to spend the holiday taking in the outdoor sights without worrying about frostbite.
The music was blasting, my sunroof was open, and I felt high on life. I never thought I’d be so grateful to have not been drafted to San Francisco. I envisioned my future playing side by side with my brothers, but now I couldn’t imagine it without Valentina.
I pull up to a stoplight, the smile on my face so wide my cheeks are aching, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world.
My phone buzzes with a notification and I take a quick peek before the light turns green.
A text from an unknown number appears and I automatically know who the culprit is.
It shows that there’s an attachment, so I pull into the parking lot of a grocery store to see what this psycho wants now and block yet another number.
With a sigh, I swipe open the text and read the message:
Unknown number: You still have time to come back. Meet me at the club and I’ll pull the plug on this. Don’t…and you’ll be back anyhow. attachment
I clink on the link that has a thumbnail picture of me and read what this crazy bitch has sent this time.
“Nico Loving has been a very bad boy.An exclusive about sex clubs and torrid nights, and things I can’t say on the internet.”
The blood drains from my face and sweat beads on my forehead. The trembling of my hands makes it difficult to hold tight to my phone. I blink my eyes over and over to clear the blurry vision and click on the link.
I have a little story time for you today, tea drinkers. So here we go.
There once was a boy who liked to spread his love all over the world. He played with this girl and that girl, but left them broken-hearted and drowning in tears. Then one day came a beautiful princess who tamed his beastly ways and turned him into Prince Charming.
The sun shone down on this fairytale couple and the entire kingdom waited with bated breath to hear of a royal wedding.
But no one knew that the prince held a secret locked tight in a dungeon. A secret that could cause his castle to crumble. He slammed the door and locked it up tight, never to let it see one more day of light.
Or so he thought.
This was no normal secret. It had a brain and a heart, and little did he know it would tear his kingdom apart.
The secret was crawling its way through the cracks in the door, and winding its way up a long corridor.
When it reached the light of day, the secret knew it had to find a way, to let the prince know it would not be delayed.
It searched high and low for the town crier, and found the truth teller who would like to enquire.
The secret let it be known that the prince was more than he had shown. He spent many dark nights taking women to bed, all under the darkness and a shroud of red. There were whips and chains and tools of the torturing type. One maiden, two maiden he loved to choke. But don’t forget about the bloke.
His secret he tried hard to forget, but now he knows it’s a secret he will regret.
Now that the truth is out, he will surely lose his princess, no doubt.
For those of you who need it in simpler terms, let me break it down in ways that will make you squirm.
Nico Loving has held a secret from us all. Seems he was a member of an underground sex club here in Houston. This club is private and very exclusive, and because of the details I have signed an NDA and the name will remain hidden.
But I can assure you that this news is from a reputable source as it comes straight from the horse's mouth.
A high membership fee is required to be a part of this club, which is apparently part of a network of the same across the nation. And we are told that this wasn’t the only club Loving liked to patronize.
Behind the safe doors of these clubs, men and women can take part in very explicit sex. Role play and voyeurism is a very high request amongst members, and Nico loved it all. Including group sex with plenty of women and men.
Now that his secret is out, could this be the end to his fairytale relationship with PR Crisis Manager Valentina San Ramón? What does this mean for his standing with the Drillers?
The cards do not bode well for him. And word on the street is that you may find another very familiar name on an additional list. Mister Soba has been a bad, bad boy. Stay tuned for updates regarding these unraveling events.
Happy sipping!
My chest aches and I feel like I will literally die.
Would she really do this? That’s a breach of the iron clad NDA we sign.
She has to abide by the contract as well.
And what does she mean by I’ll be back anyhow?
She’d be an idiot to expose this because it could ruin the club.
I can’t believe her feelings for me go that deep. It was just sex .
And if she leaks it? What then? My career, my standing with Monty will be shot to hell.
Valentina! Fuck! Screw what this can do to me, what will it do to her?
I toss my phone in the center console and throw my car in drive, screeching tires as I peel out.
I need to get to her to get ahead of this and explain.
I can’t let her find out by reading this because there is no way I’m going back to Sonja.
Val is a crisis manager. She’ll know what to do.
Oh shit. I gotta call Soba. I am royally fucked.
My hand flops around searching for where my phone is and notice it on my passenger seat where it must have landed from when I threw it. I quickly slide it open and pull up our Trickie Nickies text thread and voice to text while I speed from the practice facility towards Valentina’s office.
Me: We might have a problem
Diva: WTF does that mean?
Saint:
Me: Yeah, like…big problem
My phone rings with an incoming FaceTime and I clumsily set my phone in the holder near my dash and click accept.
“You cannot just text something like that you jackass. What did you do now? Did Valentina kick your ass to the curb or something?” Soba looks annoyed but in about ten seconds he’s going to be irate.
I rake my hand over my face and try desperately not to wreck as a result of my panicked mind.
“Nah man, this might be worse. Val I can deal with… for the most part. But this, fuck ! This shit show might get really bad. Like real bad.” I take a deep breath and decide to lay it all out there.
“Nik, this doesn’t affect you, but Soba…
fuck man, I’m so sorry. You might get hit with some of the shrapnel from this. ”
I’m thankful for the traffic that surrounds me because I don’t think I can look either of them in the eye, right now.
“When I got to Houston, I joined a club…a special one. One that only people who live a high profile life would want to be a part of. It’s called Lascivious. Saint, hold onto your holy hat because what I’m about to tell you is going to be a shock.
“Lascivious is a sex club. With elite clients and high membership fees to ensure the protection of those who join. After all that shit before the season started which subsequently brought Val into my life, I knew I would have to keep my nose clean if I wanted even a small shot at keeping my starting position that I knew was mine. With Ruggles still on the IR, I was the next and best option at tight end. So I said goodbye to all of the fun girls and public show of my ass, and stuck to visits to Lascivious where people don’t talk.
“It started fine, just like Wanton, but as Val got into my head more I couldn’t shake it. Every time I saw her sent me into an intense need. I didn’t ever think I had a chance with her, even though I was trying like hell, so it didn’t seem like all that much harm in keeping it to club visits. “
The lunchtime traffic is bumper to bumper and it allows me to take a quick look at the guys. Saint is sitting there like I just told him I have a tail, and Diva’s face is red, anticipating what may come next.
“My cravings were bad. One girl, two girls, three girls. Whatever I could get to temper the urge, but they never quite filled the hole. Soon, the club manager Sonja was joining in. Every time I visited it was always Sonja and another woman. And a couple times…” My hands are dripping with sweat from how tightly they grip the steering wheel.
“A couple times she brought in some guys.”
Diva and Saint just stare, silent and completely shook. They don’t even know what to say. I don’t blame them. How does one respond to their best friend telling them he’s a bit of a sex addict.
“I’m not gay. I just…it was things but not, you know… that . When Val and I became official, I quit the club. Diva, you know that. I went straight to Lascivious after talking with you and handed in my key. Sonja insisted I stay but I told her I was done. She didn’t like that.
“She began texting me constantly. I’d block her number, delete everything she would send, but she’d still find a way to get to me.
The night of Thanksgiving, after we dipped early to see my family, Sonja sent an anonymous text saying something like I miss you and your girl can’t give you what you need.
Val saw it and it turned into a huge argument on the side of the road.
“I was able to explain it away as some old shit and I was not and would not cheat on her. Ever . Things were cool until about fifteen minutes ago when I got a text from an unknown number with a link to an article.
“I can’t prove it, but I’m certain Sonja leaked my name to some gossip site.
Some fucking asshole made a goddamn nursery rhyme out of the intel they were fed.
It’s all there on the internet for everyone to see.
And now she’s threatening to give the thumbs up to publish if I don’t come back to the club. She’s full on psycho.
“I’m so sorry, Nick. I never thought that me trying to let this chick down would end with this fucking clusterfuck of a situation.
I had thought those NDAs would protect us.
And I never expected for them to dig so far back, digging up shit all the way from Arkansas and getting intel from Club Wanton.
But that’s where, apparently, they found your name. ”
Both Diva and Saint stay mouth zipped tight, either processing the fucked up story I just told them, or these are motionless still frames and they’re both headed my way to beat the shit out of me.
When I see Saint blink, I breathe a small sigh of relief that they’re alive and, thankfully, not freaking out.
“As messed up as this whole fucking thing is, I have to admit that I feel so much better now –getting that off my chest and coming clean to you guys. I’ve been dealing with this, and I hated keeping this from you guys.
I’ve never kept a secret from either of you and this was literally killing me.
Now my biggest problem is going to be putting out the fire before it spreads to Valentina. ”
I’ve never heard silence so loud, but the two of them just continue to stare, words completely lost. Saint flops back in his chair and Diva’s eyes grow tense.
“I’ve been keeping something from you guys too.” Diva looks ashamed and I can’t believe that this shit storm is getting worse. “I’m so fucking sorry you guys.”
I thought my story was going to be the downfall of our friendship, but what Soba tells us about fixing the draft so that he could go to New York to chase a girl, feels like a dagger straight to my heart.
Here we were thinking San Fran passed on us, all the while Diva had a hand in the destruction of our plan.
He played with our futures. What would have happened if Saint or I didn’t get drafted? Our teams could have easily passed us up and we’d be watching Sunday football from our parents home.
This conversation started with me carrying a ton of guilt on my shoulders, worried about my friend and if I messed anything up for him and his girl.
And now I’m realizing that I’m not the one to be worrying about the cards I’ve just dealt my friends.
Diva’s cards come from a stacked deck, and I’ve been shafted.
“But it’s fine! Guys, it’s fine,” he goes on to say. “I’ve got Scottie now and I talked to San Fran last week, they’re still interested in trading for us in the spring. Especially with how all three of us have been playing!”
He didn’t give one single fuck about his two best friends, and now he thinks that he can just say sorry and we’ll just pack up our lives to fulfill a dream that no longer exists?
I would’ve gone to the stake for this guy, but what he has done isn’t something I can just get past. This is more than just a little disagreement.
Soba has put a woman ahead of his best friends so maybe it’s time I do the same.
“Fuck you, Soba. I’d rather quit professional football than to ever play with you again. We’re done here.” I end the call without another thought about him and focus on me, like I should’ve done from the beginning.
I don’t know what’s going to happen to our friendship. This may be something Papas and I can’t get over. But at least we’ll still have each other.
And my girl . If I still have one after I drop this bomb on her.