First and Ten Read online

  “How many after school specials did you watch growing up? Just a ballpark?”

  “What are you getting at, Speed?”

  “Is Rudy your favorite movie?”

  Coach Marshall gave Rome the you’re replaceable look and Rome nodded in response before putting his helmet back on and walking to the running backs. Guess trying to cut out and catch Dani on campus was out. Guess he’d have to figure out where she lived and stop in, but that meant meeting her family. Maybe he could find her and they could have their dinner.

  After practice, Rome showered and was walking back to his locker when he heard the snickering. Checking his towel, he was satisfied that wasn’t the issue and pushed past the guys standing around.

  “Danger, Speed kills,” Adrian called and the teammates around him burst into laughter.

  “You got me. Congrats. One time in how many years?”

  “Did I forget to say kills the pussy?” Adrian chuckled. “Yep. Be careful, women, one touch and you’ll be drunk stuffing your already fat ass. Too bad your woman taught you your moves.”

  Rome stayed silent, no reason to let Adrian know he was getting to him. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked at the man standing across from him with a wide smile. When he held his smartphone up to Rome’s face, he saw a picture of Dani stumbling down a sidewalk.

  “Says here she was getting toasted over a heavy carb lunch. Want to see the rest of the pictures? This is the bitch you’ve been fucking, right? I don’t see it, or at least I didn’t until they talked about her father. Are you a kept man? Givin’ this Becky a little bit of urban strange for a price. Tell me, is her pension as good as the NFL’s? I don’t see any other reason to fuck this bitch.”

  Rome smiled angrily at Adrian. “Crack whores are more your style, right? At least that’s what that website shows. You getting a blowjob on the side of a club by someone they’d never let in. Didn’t they have that story last year? Led to a few months of random drug tests, right?”

  Adrian’s jaw tightened. That gossip site had destroyed him for almost a year. Adrian had been leaning his forearm on the side of an alley while one of his baby momma’s was on her knees next to him puking. But the angle of the picture didn’t show that. It did look like he was getting head and since she’d puked on her skirt she’d slid that off because her blouse was long enough to cover her ass.

  “Now who stuck up for you back then? I know someone in this organization did.” Rome clucked his tongue then turned to his locker. “It’ll come to me.”

  “Rome man,” Adrian called.

  “Don’t tell me,” Rome replied, not turning around. He was all for locker room jock talk, but Adrian had been here three years less than him and still had the college mentality.

  When Rome got to his locker, he sat in his towel for a half hour reviewing the last set of pictures and reaching out to Randall, who gave him Dani’s address. It wasn’t that far from the practice facility. Quite a few Grizzlies past and present lived out there. With sprawling estates and the proximity to the team’s office and facilities it made sense. Rome had looked at a few places, but he liked the simplicity of living in a brownstone and the convenience of downtown. And on game day, playing at Veteran’s Field, he didn’t have to slog through game day traffic for hours after the game.

  Pulling up outside the mansion, to say the least, Rome was intimidated. The long cobblestoned driveway curved as he approached the house. A set of six off white garage doors with a contrasting brown X in the middle and box trim were off to the left. He parked at the front door, correction, doors. The massive oak double doors had intricately cut glass, not so one could look out to see who was there, but esthetically beautiful. Rarely had Jerome felt small, even standing behind a set of linemen when he only came up to their mid chest at times.

  Acid ate at the back of his throat while his stomach knotted. Letting out a long breath he pressed the doorbell, stood back, and put on his best game face.

  “Danika is not back from her social engagements, Mr. Speed,” a woman dressed in khaki’s, a polo, and with her hair in a tight bun explained as she answered the door.

  “Okay.” Rome swallowed hard, a bit put off. Could this woman be Dani’s mother?

  “Ilsa,” a woman called from inside. “Who’s at the door?”

  “Mr. Speed,” Ilsa replied.

  “A bit early for the dinner party,” the other woman said as she approached. “Birdie hasn’t even finished her finals, let alone graduate.”

  “Birdie?” Rome asked as he took in the older version of Dani from the first time he saw her, with a short haircut and wearing a turquoise sheath dress with a contrasting amber infinity scarf. Damn, he’d been around Dani too much.

  “Come in, I’m sure Dani and her father will be home soon.” Rome followed Dani’s mother, expecting to be brought to a sitting area, instead both she and Ilsa headed to the kitchen. “We know it’s a few weeks off, but Ilsa is attempting the impossible. She’s trying to teach me how to bake a cake. I’m Bonnie, by the way, in case you didn’t already know. Most people know William, but the wife, not so much.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Albright.”

  “Bonnie, please. If I wanted you to call me Mrs. Albright, I would have introduced myself that way. Bill on the other hand, I’d lead with Mr. Albright. He’s not your biggest fan. Strange, since you’re usually on his fantasy league, but this whole tabloid thing...” She waved her hand in front of her face then settled back to the task at hand. “Something tells me you’ll be running for Tredmont’s team this year.”

  “Tredmont?”

  “Have you met Esme or has Dani kept you away from everyone including us?”

  “Esme, tall blonde?” Rome asked, unsure how nerves that had him thinking a trip or five to the bathroom would be necessary, had evaporated. Just like Dani, Bonnie had a way of setting people at ease. She looked the part of a woman who should be in a mansion like this with her heels and jeweled broach helping hold the scarf in place.

  “That would be her. Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  “Classically so,” Rome replied and then passed the eggs that were sitting out on the counter to Bonnie.

  “And Birdie?” she challenged.

  “Why is Dani’s nickname Birdie?”

  “What about my daughter did you notice first?” Bonnie asked.

  “Her quick wit.”

  “I’m not sure about that answer, young man. When asked about Esme you described her physically. My daughter, it was about her smart mouth.”

  “I had my back to her. If you’re worried I’m not physically attracted to your daughter trust me, I am, but I’m not about to be vulgar.”

  Rome settled into a bar stool and watched as Bonnie attempted to cook with Ilsa biting her bottom lip while watching in horror. The sad part was the cake mix was from a box. She wasn’t following directions and making it from scratch. The story of how Dani got her nickname of Birdie distracted Bonnie like an ADHD kid trying to do algebra when squirrels are building a nest.

  “Can I ask you something?” Rome said when the cake had been put into the oven. Ilsa was rubbing her belly and it didn’t appear to be from thoughts of how delicious dessert would be.

  “Shoot,” Bonnie said then settled down with a cup of coffee across from Rome.

  “You’re acting like you’ve known me for years.”

  “Oh, yeah, I don’t do the scare the boyfriend—I’m sorry, Dani didn’t say you were her boyfriend or anything really, but you get my point, right?”

  “It’s fine.”

  “That I called you her boyfriend?” Bonnie inquired then held a hand up. “Not my business, well it is, but well, I leave the grilling of male suitors to Bill. Besides, I’ve already heard everything I need to know about you from him.”

  Rome wasn’t sure what that could be. Stats, had he run a background check on him? Sent out a secret set of agents from the federal government? As he looked around the massive kitchen he saw how Dani learned about th
e finer things in life. Then when he interacted with her mother, he saw the other laidback side to her personality.

  “Mr. Speed,” a male voice echoed in the room and Rome jumped off the barstool to see a man in a three-piece pinstriped suit standing in the doorway with Dani, who’s eyes were bloodshot. “Come with me.”

  He didn’t want to go with him. Not with Dani looking like she’d either cried for hours or drank to excess. She wasn’t wobbling and that made Rome’s gut ache thinking she’d been crying.

  William Albright had the master of the universe attitude as he turned and walked, not waiting to see if Rome would follow. Of course he’d follow, he’d been ordered to and William Albright’s orders weren’t ignored. When Rome passed Dani, he let his fingers glide and tangle with hers lightly enough to not pull her, but enough she knew he missed her. Looking over his shoulder, he saw she had turned her head to the side and gave him a small smile.

  The den where Mr. Albright had his office had a wall of books behind a large oak desk. The computer screen was set to the side and stood out in a room decorated like a movie set with rich brown leather chairs and couch set to the side.

  “Sit,” Mr. Albright ordered and Rome took a chair on the opposite side of the desk where he stood. Taking off his suit coat, Mr. Albright folded it then laid it over the back of his office chair, but didn’t sit. “Mr. Speed, I don’t like attention. I understand for you to succeed in the world you require your talent and a fan base. I live in a world where I only need talent. That doesn’t make me better or worse than you. I personally don’t believe in those scales.”

  Rome swallowed back the hard lump stuck in his throat. The one thing Bonnie had advised him was quiet. Let her husband lecture, vent, explode, whatever, then approach him with whatever solution you came up with during the soliloquy.

  “I have three children and only one has been able to avoid the tabloids because she made good choices. Learned from her oldest sister and I guess there is a bit of the middle child, missing child, overlooked child when it comes to Danika. Now that has been disturbed.” Mr. Albright removed his cufflinks and rolled up his shirt sleeve. “Partially, it’s her fault. The choices she makes, the friends she chooses, but when I get a phone call from her after I’d already warned her about these vultures from the tabloids, I know I need to intervene.”

  Rome shifted to his right side. Stress had his body feeling every hit from the day. Being bundled up and not stretched out didn’t help either.

  “You’ve dealt with this for a while now. I’ve noticed you were able to stay out of the headlines for quite some time. Yet, and still, here we are. Your choices have been as poor as my daughter’s. That being said, when I investigated I learned there was a third party pulling strings. Luckily for you I think we can deal with this person.”

  “Third party?”

  “Your child’s mother, we believe she’s been feeding the website with the where and when’s. I thankfully have never had to deal with custody issues, but again that doesn’t make me better or worse than you.”

  “As you said before.”

  “My daughter has strong feelings for you. I’m giving you an option right now.”

  “If you think you can pay me—”

  “I know I could, but I never would. One, it’s an insulting and petulant action Hollywood exploits for a good or bad romantic turn in a story.” Mr. Albright finally sat in the desk and powered up his computer. “Also, I’m a cheap ass bastard. Don’t let the house fool you. That’s my wife’s doing and much like her etiquette lessons I fought her most of the way. I grew up in South Shore and liked statistics. Part of me wondered if I should have just played the ponies instead of the stock market. We do what we’re good at though. Here we go.”

  Mr. Albright turned his computer screen to Rome.

  “What is your relationship with this woman?”

  Rome looked at images starting from the boat ride with Dani to his steps of the brownstone where Dani entered, then left, but none showing the in between before when Candace was snapping on him. Nope, just him talking to her. He could see the smile on his face, only he knew it was from rage. Then another batch starting from Dani laying on the trunk of her car. Still another from their yoga date, art museum, a dive bar that had a band even he couldn’t understand wasn’t playing in a stadium. In between those were pictures of Candace with his son arriving at his home. None of her entering because she made out that she was angry and shooed away the photographer.

  “We dated for about a year, four years ago.”

  “And when she got pregnant?”

  “She had what she wanted. A monthly paycheck that required no work.”

  “My wife would disagree. A child is a responsibility, not one I take lightly.”

  “Neither do I,” Rome said as he squared his shoulders. “But this woman doesn’t raise my kid. She just wants to move to Georgia with her boyfriend and take her paycheck with her.”

  “The pictures say otherwise.”

  “This site is about the shock. They rarely care about the facts. Have you heard of Adrian Marcum?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What’s that burning smell?” Dani asked as she and her mother sat across from each other.

  “Your mother’s cooking,” Ilsa said. “And I’m not allowed to help in anyway.”

  “Oh crap,” her mother took off into the kitchen.

  “Chicken again?” Dani asked.

  “Cake.” Ilsa sat across from Dani who was focused on her phone and replying to text messages from clients.

  “Everything okay?”

  “So far I haven’t had any cancellations for this Saturday, but I’m not looking forward to being anywhere around Ramona this weekend.”

  “She that girl from a few years ago.”

  “Yep, tried to help her and got stabbed in the back. Why Reguletti’s hired her is making me question my relationship with them.” Dani chewed on her lower lip. “Would it be wrong of me to—”

  “Yes,” Ilsa said not about to let Dani go down that hole. “You’re better than that.”

  “What if I—”

  “Nope, you know a few designers only sell to Reguletti’s. You make connections. Each of those connections have people depending on you.”

  “See that’s why my first plan to get Ramona fired has the smallest residual damage.”

  “This what they teach you at that college? To put people out of work because you don’t agree with them?”

  “And by agree you mean that she slept with my boyfriend then stole clients.”

  “That’s not a reason to have someone fired. Try harder?”

  “If she’s not colorblind, she should be arrested for putting together outfits like a preschooler.”

  “Getting warmer.”

  “We won’t need the fire department,” her mother said as she came back to the table. “It’s official. I’m a danger to myself and others.”

  “Don’t say that, Mom,” Dani said with a smirk. “Then we have to have you locked up. I think we need to see if there’s a way we can install a sensor on the stove, oven, and microwave that shuts it down if Mom touches it.”

  “Then it would be like that year she tried to cook the turkey for Thanksgiving,” Ilsa added.

  “So we ate a few hours later,” her mother said.

  “And were ready for the Black Friday sales as the stores opened.”

  “Silver lining,” her mother smiled. “Now, tell me about this woman messing with Jerome.”

  “How many enemies do you have?” Ilsa asked.

  “When you’re sexy, hot, and rich, what do you expect?” Dani teased. “Don’t you know you need to have enemies? They show you the true nature of people and mean you’re successful.”

  “Then you’re successful in business as well as love,” her mother challenged.

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Dani looked out in the hallway down to the still closed door at the end.

  “He seems a very pleasant y
oung man,” her mom said. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ilsa?”

  The door opened before she could answer and they all turned to see Rome walking down the hall with her father behind him.

  “I smell Chinese again tonight,” he said as he came in the room.

  “I prepared dinner,” Ilsa said. “Mrs. Albright attempted dessert.”

  “Fro-yo it is, Jerome, will you be staying for dinner?” her father asked and Dani cut her eyes to her mother who gave her a little smile. “No phones at the dinner table?”

  “Technically this is the kitchen table.”

  “Go get dressed for dinner. Your guest is properly attired, you on the other hand look like you rolled out of a final, through a bar and down the street.”

  “You’re hilarious,” Dani said then looked down. “Actually, that’s a pretty accurate description.”

  She then took in Rome and wondered if he was recycling his look from last night. The pictures showed he was in a button down with a pair of dress pants, but when he added the suit coat the vision of him made her a bit weak. What was it about a man in a well tailored suit?

  “You okay down here by yourself?” she asked, half wishing there was a way to sneak him upstairs with her.

  “Whether he is or not he’ll be staying right here,” her father said, slapping his hand on Rome’s shoulder.

  “I’m good and I’m waiting on a call from a friend of your father’s?”

  Dani left and once out of sight, she sprinted up to her room and changed in record time. Unlike the night before, her father would want professional dress. The company set the dress code and damn, Rome looked good. She couldn’t believe he’d come to her house of his own volition.

  “How do your contracts work?” she heard her father ask as she approached the table and sat in the chair next to Rome. He covered her hand with his and squeezed before going into the legal wranglings.

  “Even with a set deal you can just be traded off to another team without your say so?” her father asked after Ilsa had served them, then excused herself.

  “Not really, that’s more with baseball. There’s a negotiation of course, but there are a lot of guys on three week contracts during the seasons trying to stay with a team. I’ve been blessed to never have to do that. You come in week one and have to learn the schemes, maybe get a minute or two in week two. Double that in three and your contract is done. It’s a lot of pressure to perform in a limited window.”