Taken (Dark Desires 1)

Rickets was a grade-A asshole, but he was right.

I was partying my career into the ground. I had to dry out and get my head back in the game before I found myself unemployed.

“How did that feel?” Leon asked as he dropped his helmet on the ground and fished out a red Gatorade.

“How did what feel?”

“Getting your ass chewed off by the coach.”

“Felt great,” I said. I tugged the drenched t-shirt over my head and mopped the sweat off my face with it.

“He’s right, you know,” Leon said. He stood next to me, but kept his eyes on the field. “You’re killing yourself, man. He’s gonna give your spot to Lockett, and when that happens, they’ll find a way to break your contract or trade you off to fucking Minnesota.”

“That’s never gonna happen,” I said, shaking my head.

Leon shrugged. “I hope you’re right. By the way, I asked Monique to marry me and she said yes.”

“That’s awesome, man,” I said, bumping him with my elbow. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man,” he said. He tilted back the Gatorade bottle and emptied it into his mouth. He tossed the bottle into the trash and picked up his helmet. As he was putting the helmet on, he nodded toward the stands behind me.

“Is that the girl from last night?” he asked. “The girl from Playboy you told me about?”

I turned around to see Katie Holmes sitting in the stands watching us. She had her red hair pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. When she saw me turn around, she held up a hand and smiled.

“Yeah, that’s her,” I said. “She’s a knockout, huh.”

“She looks good from here,” he said. He picked my helmet up from the ground and shoved it into my belly. “Come on, she’s seen your dance moves. Show her what you can do on the field.”

I took a deep breath and willed the vomit back down my throat, then tugged on my helmet and ran onto the field.

Just knowing that Katie was watching me seemed to infuse me with an energy I had not felt in a long time. Maybe I was just showing off, but I had one of the best practices of my life.

When it was over, Coach Rickets gave me an approving nod and Denzel Lockett flipped me the finger. I just smiled and trotted into the clubhouse to take a shower.

Kate

I felt my pulse quicken as I watched Sean sprint down the field to catch a long pass from Matt Murphy. They were such a perfectly-matched pair; Matt Murphy with the golden arm that could throw the ball with speed and pinpoint precision, and Sean who could leave the guy covering him in the dust and hit the mark so perfectly

that the ball practically fell into his arms.

I’d never been to a New York Kings’ practice session before. I had never been assigned to cover the Kings and now that the entire SIO staff was barred from the stadium, I’d probably never get the chance to do so.

I had no idea what I’d been missing…

Watching the players practice without jerseys and pads, I imagined that it must have been a little bit like watching gladiators in the Roman arena; large, muscled, sweaty men of all shapes, sizes, and colors; in tiny shorts, pushing and shoving and running and tackling one another.

It was also a little bit like foreplay.

As I watched Sean on the field, I felt my nipples plump and a growing moisture between my legs. I smiled to myself because I’d had the foresight to wear a thick bra and a panty-shield to manage the effect Sean Donovan seemed to have on me.

I was a little sad to see practice end. Sean trotted over to the fence and gave me a big smile. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. His muscled torso was brown from the sun, and glistening with sweat.

I came down the bleachers to meet him at the fence. He looked even better up close. My eyes followed a trail of sweat as it sluiced down from his neck, through the crease between his thick chest, across his chiseled abs, and into the waistband of his shorts. I could almost taste his salty sweat on my tongue.

“Thanks for coming,” he said with a smile. “Give me a few minutes to shower and we’ll go to lunch. I’ll meet you at the back gate in twenty minutes.”

“Sounds great,” I sighed. I heard the dreaminess in my voice, so I quickly cleared my throat and added, “You looked great out there today. Good hands.”