Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Sutton sat at her desk, replaying her adventure with Reese Vaughn last night in her head.
I still can’t believe I kissed him.
The craziest part was that he seemed like he was attracted to her, too.
It’s not like you’re ugly or anything, geez.
She chuckled.
Reese was a very attractive man. Most football players were. Sometimes they were a little full of themselves, and that was instantly unattractive.
You barely know Reese. He could be the same way.
But Sutton didn’t get that vibe from him.
She googled him when she got home, and even though the media portrayed him as a bit of a playboy, with a bunch of women, there weren’t any articles about him being an unpleasant person.
“Sutton!”
She looked up, and her eyes widened as her assistant, Carrie, ran full speed into her office. Her door slapped against the frame as Carrie shoved it closed behind her.
“What’s the matter?” Sutton asked, straightening in her chair.
She leaned over the desk and placed her phone down in front of Sutton.
She looked down and realized the phone was open to Instagram, a picture of Andre and Nicole staring back at her.
“This is the photo that Andre and Nicole took last night,” she said. “Is there something wrong with it?”
Carrie sighed and came around the desk and leaned over, using two fingers to zoom into the photo. “It’s you, and Reese Vaughn.”
Nicole had taken the photo just as Reese leaned over to talk to her.
“He asked me if I was there with anyone,” Sutton said, still a little confused as to why this picture made Carrie freak out.
“She tagged him, and you,” she said, tapping the photo. All four of their handles popped up.
“Okay?”
Carrie crossed her arms, and Sutton had to purse her lips to not laugh at the look of frustration on her face.
“She tags everyone in her photos, Carrie. Why is this one special?” she asked, praying Carrie would get to the point.
“Look at the comments,” Carrie said. She tapped View Comments, and a whole bunch of them popped up.
Sutton's eyes widened at the top-liked comment.
“You and Andre look so cute and happy together! Ohh, and who’s the new girl with Reese? She’s a cutie!” Sutton read, looking at Carrie, then back at the phone.
Scrolling through the comments, she saw a bunch of questions about her and Reese, including a few that called her some not-so-nice names, but her heart lifted a little at people replying back to them in her defense.
“So, people think we're dating.?” Sutton asked. “We were just talking. You know I don’t date football players.”
Carrie sighed and went to pick up her phone, when something caught Sutton's eye.
“Wait,” she said, stalling Carrie with a hand. “Does that say what I think it does?”
She leaned down to read the comment, and this time, her eyes rounded. “Who is THEAgentTJ?”
“Whoever it is seems to think that you and Reese are a couple,” Carrie replied. “Especially with that comment.”
“Looks like the secret’s out!” Sutton read. She looked at Carrie. “You can’t tell anyone this, but Reese and I may have kissed.”
A very shrill squeal filled her office, and Sutton shushed her, trying not to laugh.
Once Carrie calmed down, she asked, “How was it?”
Sutton rolled her eyes. “It was fine.”
Disappointment washed over her face. “Really? It’s always the hot ones that disappoint you.”
“Carrie!” Sutton exclaimed, her laughter making her cough.
“What?” she replied with a shrug. “In my experience, it’s always been that way.”
Sutton shook her head, debating on whether or not to tell her the truth.
You mean that it was the hottest kiss you've ever had in your life?
Sutton was genuinely shocked by how hot the kiss with Reese was. And she couldn't even blame her lack of boyfriends since she and her ex broke up nine months ago.
The kiss with him was something she had never experienced before.
“I promise you it wasn’t disappointing,” Sutton said. She grinned. “It was pretty spectacular.”
“You lied?” Carrie pouted. “So rude.”
“Oh, relax.” Sutton rolled her eyes. “I didn’t lie. It was fine.”
“Spectacular is way better than fine, Sutton.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Sutton replied, looking back down at Carrie's phone.
She looked at them in the background and tried her best not to smile, but she couldn't help it.
“Sutton,” Carrie asked, giving her a peculiar look, “do you like Reese?”
Sutton sputtered and shook her head. “Of course not. Like I said, I don’t—”
“Date football players,” Carrie interjected. “You said that already.”
Carrie swiped her phone from the desk, tapping it against her hand as she made her way toward the door. “What if he asks you out?”
“Carrie, he won’t ask me out, I promise.”
“But how do you know?”
Sutton sighed and crossed her arms. “Because he already told me he wasn’t interested in anything right now because of football.
The Kings have the championship game against the Fortune on Sunday, and if they make it, the big game in three weeks.
He is in the middle of something huge and doesn’t want to jeopardize that. And I wouldn’t want him to, either.”
Sadness flooded Carrie’s brown eyes, and Sutton sighed. “I’ll be okay, I promise. Maybe if they win, he’ll ask me out. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“You’re so patient,” Carrie said, a fire chasing away the sadness. “If I had a spectacular kiss with someone, I’d be chasing him down the sidelines, hoping for another chance. That’s a soulmate, no doubt about it.”
Sutton rolled her eyes and shooed her assistant out.
With a last look at her, Carrie left the office, closing the door behind her.
Sutton sighed and turned her attention back to her work on her desk, trying her best not to think about Reese anymore.
Reese walked into his agent’s office with a soft knock, the agent in question waving at him to come in, even though he was on the phone.
“Yes, thank you,” Tito said, “I’ll let him know.”
He hung up and beamed at Reese.
“Reese Vaughn,” he said. He came around the desk and shook his hand, and Reese watched as he walked back to his desk, motioning for him to sit.
Tito Juarez was the youngest agent Reese had worked with, but he was also a bulldog when it came to negotiations. He usually got what he wanted, or as close as humanly possible to the end goal.
He was smart and driven to succeed. Reese liked that best about him. Well, that and his style.
Tito was always dressed in a neatly pressed suit and button-down shirt, the suit accented by his two favorite diamond chains that matched his diamond grill.
“How is my favorite football player today?” Tito asked, shuffling some papers around on his desk.
“I’m doing good,” Reese replied, occupying the chair across from him. “I was curious about what you wanted to talk to me about. Your secretary didn’t say.”
“Well,” Tito said, clasping his hands together on the desk in front of him, “did you see the photo on Instagram you were tagged in recently?”
Reese shook his head. “No. Why?”
“I’d recommend taking a look.”
Reese tugged his phone from the pocket of his jeans and opened the Instagram app, clicking on his notifications. He saw the tag and clicked on it.
A picture of Andre and Nicole popped up, and he looked at it, then realized he and Sutton were in the background, the photo capturing him as he leaned in to talk to her.
He looked up at Tito. “What’s so important about the photo?”
Tito’s face molded into the smile he got when he had a crazy idea, and Reese already regretted asking, “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Tito replied, still smiling.
Reese clicked on the comments, and his eyes widened when he read the pinned comment that both Nicole and Andre liked.
“Secret’s out?” Reese read. “What secret?” He looked down at his phone, then back at Tito. “Isn’t that your handle?”
Tito waved his questions off. “Do you remember the campaign for Reboot Shoes?”
He wracked his brain, trying to remember that conversation. “Wait, isn’t that the one where they have a new line of shoes out but for kids? They were looking for players who have children, and I definitely don’t fit that bill.”
“While that is true,” Tito said, “she works for a children’s foundation. She could get you a kid, like a big brother type situation.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. You could ask her if y’all could come to an understanding and maybe take a kid out for ice cream, then talk to the parents about working together on the campaign.”
“Like renting a kid?” Reese asked.
Tito shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.”
Reese rolled his eyes. “I’m not renting a kid to get a sponsorship. Plus, what happens if they want that kid to be my kid, and they find out they aren’t? They can take all that money back or sue for fraud.”
Tito held up his hands. “Relax, it’s not going to come to all that.” He sighed and clasped his hands together. “I think we should see her. And have a chat.”
“Who, Sutton?” Reese asked.
“Yes. I have another idea that might work for everyone involved.” Tito picked up his phone and buzzed his secretary. “Eliana, can you reach out to Somebody’s Child and see if Sutton Cooke is available for a meeting?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Juarez,” she replied, her voice going silent as she hung up.
“Now, we wait,” Tito said.
Less than a minute later, Eliana was back. “Mr. Juarez, her assistant Carrie said she is available for the rest of the day. Would you like me to set an appointment?”
“Let her know we’re on our way right now, would you?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Let’s go make a deal,” Tito said.
Sutton sat at her desk, anxiously waiting for Reese and his agent to appear.
Carrie came in squealing that Reese’s agent’s secretary called and wanted to know if she was available.
Sutton had nothing left on her schedule for the day, so she reluctantly agreed, curious as to why his agent was coming with him.
When she voiced the question to Carrie, her assistant didn’t have an answer either.
“They’re here!” Carrie’s voice filled her office as she buzzed in, the phone hanging up with a decisive click.