I didn’t know Rebecca that well, but Tiffany was definitely entitled. A few months back she’d decided she was entitled to some of my dick and called me into her office to take it. She’d started to strip out of her clothes like she was the only one who decided if we fucked. But I wasn’t going there. Don’t get me wrong, she was attractive. It wouldn’t have been a hardship to give her what she wanted, but a woman like that is never satisfied with just a lay. She’s waaayy more work than I was up for.
Over the next hour, I beat Coach at checkers three times. He now had to wear a T-shirt with my face on it, hold up one of those big foam fingers with my number on it, and hang my jersey from a pole attached to his wheelchair, flying it like a flag. I’d still bring him his damn sandwich from Katz’s deli next time I stopped by, though, because the guy was more like a father to me than my own ever was.
At the end of my visit, I made sure he was settled back in his living room in his electric recliner before I said goodbye. “Anything you need before I go?”
He shook his head. “I’m all good. But can you do me one favor?”
“Name it.”
“Check in on Bella for me from time to time. I can’t imagine too many people in that ivory tower are happy with her steering the boat. She could probably use a friend.”
I patted his shoulder. “Sure. I’ll see if she likes pizza and bring some by…”
***
Two days later, I was upstairs at the arena for a meeting with Carl Robbins, VP of Community Relations. I was scheduled to toss the ball around tomorrow afternoon with some of the kids from the youth league the team sponsored, but my coach was being a stickler about my restrictions and had pulled the plug on me even doing that. Instead, they wanted me to give a talk about the hard work it took to get to the NFL. Carl had written some bullet points, as if I couldn’t figure out what to tell kids even though I was the one who’d managed to get here. Whatever. I knew he meant well, and some of the guys on the team would’ve made him write every word they were going to say for an appearance.
Carl liked to talk, so he was still rattling on as he walked me to the door of his office at the end of our session. I stepped out into the hall and tried to cut him off politely, but did a double take upon finding a certain green-eyed beauty heading right toward me. Bella’s steps faltered, giving Carl someone new to yammer at.
“Bella,” he bellowed. “Have you had a chance to meet Christian Knox yet?”
Her eyes jumped to me and back to Carl. I figured she was trying to figure out how much to say, so I decided to have a little fun and answer first.
“We actually met the other day.” I grinned. “Bella asked me for some recommendations on local places to order lunch. I suggested Three Brothers’ Pizza, though I told her she might want to pick it up because their delivery guy has been having some issues lately.”
Bella’s lip twitched. “Hi, Christian. It’s good to see you again.”
“Christian here is going to give a speech over at the youth league we sponsor,” Carl said. “I’m still putting together the list you asked me for of charitable events you might get involved with, but this is one you’d probably like. It’s an all-girls’ football team here in the City. They’re really good, too.”
“Oh really? An all-girls’ team? That does sound interesting.” Bella nodded toward her office. “I have to run to a meeting in a few minutes, but Christian, maybe you could tell me a little bit more about it.”
“Of course.” I shook Carl’s hand and told him I’d see him tomorrow afternoon. Then I followed Bella down the hall. I couldn’t help noticing her great ass, but I forced my eyes back up as fast as they fell, not wanting another sexual-harassment lecture.
Inside her office, she closed the door behind us.
“Maybe you shouldn’t shut that.” I folded my arms across my chest. “I wouldn’t want you to think I was trying to get you alone so I could harass you.”
Bella sighed. “I deserve that. And it seems you figured out that I had mistaken you for someone else.”
“The womanizing pizza delivery guy…”
“I owe you a big apology. My half-sister apparently had a little fun at my expense. Though I need to take responsibility for my mistake. I should have recognized you.”
I wasn’t really mad. Once I’d realized she wasn’t actually accusing me of harassing someone, I found it kind of amusing. So I let her off the hook with a shrug. “Apology accepted.”