Universe, can I catch a break?
Mr. King is standing above me with his hand held out and a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asks, crouching down beside me while inspecting the impact on my head as I ignore his outstretched hand.
“I’m fine.” I wave him away irritably.
“You took that ball to the head pretty hard,” he says, trying to stop himself from smiling.
“You think it’s funny kicking balls into unsuspecting women’s heads?” I ask while raising my voice at him.
“Is she all right, Ali?” a voice calls out from behind him.
I glance over his broad shoulders and see a couple of men dressed in soccer gear looking over at where he’s crouching with me.
“Go on without me,” he calls out, throwing the soccer ball back toward the guys. That’s when I notice one of the guys from the club standing there watching us with a frown on his face.
Shit.
“I’ve got to go. I can’t be seen here. I don’t want to lose my job,” I tell him as panic races through my body.
Mr. King looks over his shoulder at his friends, who are kicking the ball to one another and not paying us any attention.
Then a dark look falls across his face as he stares back at me. “You know my friends?” he asks with a growl.
My eyes widen at the accusation he’s throwing at me by that question.
“Fuck you,” I say, pushing him hard. I must catch him off guard because he falls backward onto the grass. I get up and jog away.
How dare he look at me like that?
I thought he was different.
Even if I had slept with his friends, it doesn’t matter because it’smy fucking jobto do that.I haven’t,may I add.
“Elle, wait!” he calls out, but I ignore him. “Elle,” he calls again.
“Stalking is a crime, Ali,” someone states as he follows me.
While trying to push through my exhaustion to get away from him, I hear his thundering steps behind me, and seconds later, his enormous shadow falls across me. He doesn’t say anything as he runs along beside me.
“Go away,” I hiss and decide to run further through the park to get away from him.
“It’s a public park. I’m not going anywhere,” he answers.
I look over, and he has a smirk on his face.
Fuck him! I dig deep and cut through a thick forest section, but that wasn’t the best idea because as soon as we are off the path and away from everyone, he pounces on me. He grabs my wrist and then pushes me up against a tree, making me squeal, and my heart thump even wilder in my chest.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I scream as he grabs my other wrist and pushes them high above me, holding them in his one large hand.
“I need to know, Elle … have you been with any of my friends?”
“What if I have?” I spit back.
“I don’t care, but I need to know. It won’t change the fact that I can’t fucking stop thinking about you, or the fact that my hand doesn’t satisfy the ache your pussy gives me …”
His filthy words have me swallowing hard against my dry throat. His dirty talk has set my body on fire, and the fact that I’m pinned against a tree by one of my clients outside of the club environment, should have me running for the hills or at least kneeing him in the balls, but I can’t seem to find the strength to do that.
“I haven’t been with any of your friends,” I tell him in a semi-whisper because, for some reason, I want him to know.