Eight Dominic
Eight
Dominic
I watch Teagan, the woman who broke my heart, walk away. I get it; she’s angry with me because she thinks I left her, but there were so many more variables at play.
Yet seeing her again after all these years leaves me unsettled.
Blood rushes through my body and my heart speeds up at the sight of my former lover. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined Teagan would come strolling back into my life, and certainly not at a tennis tournament. She vowed to never pick up a racket again.
When the final doctor told her she might never play professionally again, she crumbled. I understood. Like me, she was a tennis prodigy and the sport was her whole world. Instead of turning to me for comfort, she railed at me, all because I could play. Her accident wasn’t just the end of her career; it was the end of us.
Despite my churning feelings, I carry on with my appearance because I’m a consummate professional. I push down my emotions and focus on being Dominic Fletcher, the All-American tennis star with the heart of gold.
My trajectory started when I was six years old and continued until I went professional at the age of sixteen. It was necessary to help support my family. Going pro brought in a constant flow of cash, and once I started winning Grand Slams, the endorsement deals kicked in. From shoes to athletic gear, I became the face of tennis. My mug was everywhere. Talent was a given, but it has always been my personality that propelled my star status. Since then, I’ve prided myself on my well-thought-out strategy of saving, investing for myself and my family, and creating a foundation to help underprivileged children. It’s my way of giving back to the community.
I make the rounds of the party, connecting with several large supporters of the Phoenix Desert Smash, but I never lose sight of Teagan. Like me, she’s working the room, weaving in and out of the crowd. I wonder why.
What’s her agenda? Why is she here? What has she been doing all these years?
After our breakup, I blocked her from my social media, from my world. I couldn’t bear to see her moving on with her life, possibly with someone new. I’d willingly given her up, but that didn’t mean there was no pain or heartbreak. I threw myself into my career, practicing and training rigorously. I never thought I would achieve the success I did. The level of wealth I have now ensures my family and I will never experience poverty again. My success is why I want to help my brother. He too has big dreams, and if there’s anything I can do to assist Justice, I will.
But first, I have to get through tonight, get through the reckoning coming with Teagan. It won’t be easy. She has a lot of animosity toward me, because she jumped to conclusions about me. I’ve always wondered if she knew the truth, would she feel differently?
As if she senses me watching her, our gazes connect across the crowded room. She tears the card into little pieces and throws it in a nearby trash can. If we ever hash this out, it won’t be tonight. My chest tightens; this woman still has power over me.
I remember the first time I saw her. Teagan’s dark brown hair had been plastered to her face as she chased a ball down center court. The force with which her racket slammed the ball was nothing short of epic. I got hard instantly. It didn’t help that the curves of her young body were clad in a bright pink tennis dress with stripes down the sides, which emphasized her great ass.
I wanted to know more about her immediately. At the time, she was lauded as the next Serena Williams. She didn’t let it go to her head. Instead, she was focused and confident, and that was a turn-on. Her father, Russ, was always by her side and never seemed to let up or allow her to take her foot off the gas. I steered clear of him because he was intense, and I didn’t want to be in his crosshairs. It wasn’t until Russ had a medical procedure requiring bed rest that Teagan had some freedom.
Consequently, I discovered another side of her. A fun, carefree side. She was competitive and when I found myself on the opposite end of the court, she sometimes beat me. We had a camaraderie and love of the game that spurred our affection for one another. One day, I acted on it.
Our first kiss was fiery and all-consuming. I can still remember the way she’d tasted of strawberries. So sweet, so innocent. When we finally made love, it was real and raw. It didn’t matter that she was a virgin. I craved her and she craved me.
I’m so deep in my memories of what we had that I don’t hear Mitzi until she repeats my name. “Mr. Fletcher?”
I blink her back into focus. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I asked if you would be willing to come to some of our practices at the country club. I know it’s not part of your contract, but your appearance would certainly help rack up sponsorships.”
I wonder if Teagan will be there. Is she playing tennis again? I always hated she gave up something she loved. With her skill set, she could easily have become a coach and commanded high earnings. “Sure, I’ll come if you think that will help.”
Mitzi’s cherubic face lights up with a large smile. “It absolutely will. Thank you so much.”
I try not to give too much thought to why I said yes when the entire point of this sabbatical was to breathe and relax without commitments. But deep down, I know why.
It’s because of the possibility Teagan might be there.
I have never been able to resist her.
* * *
“Teagan is here in Phoenix?” Scott inquires when I ask him to drop what he’s doing and come back to town ASAP. Since I did him a favor, Scott didn’t mind the inconvenience of a pit stop between clients.
“Yep.” I nod as we sit on my terrace drinking bourbon, neat. The burn of the dark brown liquid is exactly what I need.
“How did this reconnection come about?” Scott asks, placing one leg over the other.
“Because of you,” I say, sipping my drink. “If you recall, you asked me to attend Phoenix Desert Smash’s cocktail party. Well, imagine my surprise when I stumble across Teagan after all these years.”
“I can’t imagine,” Scott responds. “The way things ended between you was far from pretty. In fact, I would say it was downright ugly.”
“The press was brutal in their treatment of her. They painted her as a down-on-her-luck tennis star when in fact she was the best of her time.”
“I remember. You tried to be there for her, but she pushed you away. You refused to listen or give up on her and continued to call and text.”
“I did. At least until her father told me to back off, that I was doing her more harm than good by coming around. Teagan and Russ blamed me for what happened. Russ told me she lost focus on the game because she was too wrapped up in our romance. I felt guilty about what happened and took everything he said to heart like a dumb schmuck.”
“You were young and Teagan was your first love.”
Only love , I want to say, but don’t.
“Yeah, well, Russ preyed on my naivete, made me think the best thing I could do for Teagan was walk away.”
“Did you ever tell her what he did, what he said?”
I shake my head. “How could I, Scott? It would only make me appear weak and spineless that I didn’t stand up to her father. She used to tell me how Russ had a way of making you do what he wanted, but I didn’t believe her until it happened to me.”
“But now that you’re older, surely you can reveal the truth?”
I’ve thought about it countless times, but the outcome would still be the same. “What purpose would that serve?”
“It might get you out of the doghouse,” Scott says with a smirk, taking a sip of his bourbon.
“Yeah, and it could also cause tension with her father, and I don’t want that.”
“What do you want, Dominic?” Scott replies. “Because your voicemail made it seem as if it were life or death that I hightail my ass here. So do you want to get back with her or what?”
I rub my head. “No, I—I just want…”
“Another run at her?” Scott asked. “I looked her up. Teagan Williams has turned into one fine-ass looking woman.”
“Hey…” I may not be ready to go down that rabbit hole again, but I sure as hell don’t want Scott talking about Teagan like that. I know I have no right to feel this way because she hasn’t been my woman in a long time, but I feel a little territorial.
“See?” Scott points to me puffing out my chest. “There’s still something there. Maybe something unfinished between you.”
I can get down with what he’s saying. “Yeah, I suppose. I feel like it’s a chapter I haven’t completely closed.”
“Maybe this tournament will be a way for you to close the door on the Teagan chapter. You need to figure out what’s going on up here—” Scott points to my head “—and here.” He points to my heart. “Tell her whatever you need to say and get it off your chest. Fuck her brains out if that will give you the closure you need, but either way, you can’t keep straddling the fence.”
“I’m not.” But as soon as the words come out of my mouth, I know they’re a lie. I’m conflicted about Teagan. On the one hand, I’m angry at her for believing I would ever walk out on her, for not giving us a chance to work. On the other hand, I do want her.
“You’re a bold-faced liar,” Scott calls me out on my bullshit. “I don’t know if you’ve ever fully gotten over Teagan.”
“I have. I’ve been with other women. Lots of them.”
“You have, but I’ve never seen you like you were with her.”
“What do you mean?” I inquire. I’ve always treated the women I’ve dated with kindness and respect. “There’s never been anything negative in the press.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Scott stares at me for a long time. “When you were with Teagan, you were happy. There was a lightness about you that I’ve not seen in a long time.”
“I’m happy,” I respond, but the words ring hollow even to me. “But I admit after Teagan I became more disciplined and focused on my success, on being the best. You don’t have any idea, Scott, how hard it is day in and day out to push yourself to outdo your best. And I’m competing with boys and men younger than me.”
“Yet you do it and make it look easy.”
I laugh. “I doubt that, but I am proud of everything I’ve achieved. But I would be lying to you if I said something isn’t missing. I feel like I’ve achieved everything I need to.”
“You’re aren’t having an existential crisis and thinking about retirement, are you? Because I won’t hear of it. You’ve got a good five to ten years left in you.”
“I know retiring would be bad for your business,” I reply.
“Hey, hey, you know I love you, man, and have always wanted what’s best for you. You helped make me a multimillionaire.”
I laugh. “I did, didn’t I?” Scott receives 15 percent of my endorsements, but he’s always worked hard for me, and not just with tennis. He’s been a friend and confidant.
“You did. If you said you wanted to retire today, I would make it happen.”
I nod and smile at him. “Thanks, Scott.”
“You don’t have to thank me, but what you do have to do is figure out what’s going on with you. I know you’ve got some family issues to address, and now you’ve got the added element of Teagan reappearing in your life. Figure out your shit.” He raises his glass.
“To figuring out my shit.” I tap my glass against his.
I know Scott is right. I feel unsettled with my career, my family and now my love life. I lied when I said I was happy. It’s been a long time since I was. I don’t know if Teagan will make things better or worse. I just know that one way or another, I need to resolve things with her; only then will I find true happiness again.