Sidelined

Until everything came crashing down.

2 months earlier

“Blakefield, you want me to pick you up tonight?”

“Like a damn date? No thanks. I’ve got a driver.” I slapped my wide receiver on the back with my towel.

Practice had been light today. We ran some drills and I worked out a new route with the receivers. I stood in front of my locker, shoving my clothes in my bag, and picked up a water bottle.

“I guess you’re not planning on going home alone?” Stubbs grinned.

“Do I ever?”

The locker room was almost clear. Most guys had showered and were headed to the Dean. It was a tradition among the Wranglers that the rookies threw a party as a gift to their teammates. We didn’t like to call it an initiation, but we all knew there was hell to pay on the practice field if the party sucked. The name stuck after the first rookie, Larry Dean, threw one hell of a party. I didn’t know what was in store for the night, but I was hoping it involved a pair of big tits and a tight ass. The guys knew my type, and I expected them to deliver.

“See you there.” Stubbs waved as he exited the locker room.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed out after him. I didn’t expect to run into Coach in the corridor.

“Wes.”

“Hey, Coach.”

Coach Howell was in his mid fifties, but the poor bastard looked like he was pushing seventy. That’s what coaching in the AFA did to a man. It shaved years off his life.

“I heard tonight’s the Dean.”

I nodded.

“I need you to keep the boys in check. Keep things light.” There were dark circles under his eyes.

“Light?” No one on the coaching staff attended the Dean, and they never would, but it didn’t mean they didn’t know what went on there. Players talked. And God help the man whose wife or girlfriend found out about it.

“You’re the team captain. I need you to show some leadership. Restraint. Moderation.” He eyed me like a father telling his son taking a girl to first base was okay, but rounding second was out of the question on a first date.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Coach. I’ll keep an eye on the team. I’ll probably have a beer and leave. These things don’t last long anyway.”

“We don’t need bad press, Wes. We’re on the verge of the playoffs, and this party couldn’t be more ill-timed. If one of my players ends up in the headlines, it jeopardizes everything we’ve worked for all season. You get that?”

I could appease the man, or I could tell him to fuck off and stop worrying like a damn grandma.

“Got it, Coach. The boys will behave. Don’t worry.”

He smiled grimly. “All right. You know the AFA rules. You know what’s at stake. They’re looking for anything that could be a potential problem. They don’t want their playoff teams crippled with scandal. It’s bad business, Wes.”

I gripped my bag, trying to inch closer to my car. “Anything else, Coach?” I couldn’t give a fuck what the AFA cared about. I won games. I collected my paycheck. That was the extent of my relationship with the American Football Association.

He shook his head. “Nah. Have a good time.” He pulled his visor snugly across his forehead and walked toward the staff offices.

I snarled as he vanished around the corner. I wasn’t a damn babysitter, and I wasn’t about to tell a bunch of grown men what they could and couldn’t do at a party. This was our present from the rookies, and if it involved women, booze, and some competitive poker, I wasn’t going to stop it. I deserved it. I had thrown the party my rookie year, and now it was time to reap the rewards.

I started my Porsche, revving the engine a few times before peeling out of the parking lot.

This rookie squad had spared no expense. They had rented the penthouse of the Grand Rio, overlooking the Riverwalk. I barged through the doors, smiling at my teammates.

“Wes!” Stubbs jumped over the couch with a beer in his hand.

I cracked the lid and took a sip. “These fuckers did a pretty good job.” I observed the girls in lingerie handing out drinks.