her and kissed her on the cheek.
“Ready?” I asked her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Unless you have a curfew tonight.”
“No curfew,” she said.
“Good, because I might keep you out late.”
She suppressed a smile, or at least tried to. “We’ll see about that.”
“Come on.” I steered her toward the car, my hand on the small of her back. My palm was large against her small back, and I wondered what I could do with this small, tight body.
Fuck, I was getting a little hard already, and I hadn’t even gotten the girl out yet. I hustled her into the car and shut the door, getting in behind her. The driver started going as soon as we were in.
“So, uh, where are you from?” she asked.
I smirked at her. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” she admitted.
“I’m from Indiana,” I said. “Small town with nothing to do but drink and play football.”
“Does your family still live there?”
“Mom still does. Dad died years back.”
She frowned. “Sorry to hear it.”
“That’s okay. My dad was a mean bastard and a fucking criminal. Nobody misses him.”
“That must have been hard.”
I cocked my head at her. “Are you trying to be my therapist right now?”
She laughed. “No. I was just asking.”
“Tell me about your family then.”
“Pretty standard stuff. I have a nice family, nice parents. They’re both still alive.”
“Lucky you. Not all of us had that.”
“Is that why you’re so mean on the field?”
I laughed, a little surprised. Charley didn’t strike me as a fan. “I take it you watch.”
“I do,” she said.
“Well then,” I said, leaning toward her. I loved the look on her face. “I’m mean on the field because it feels good to crush men. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“No,” she said softly.
“Sure it is. That excites you. I’m the kind of man that crushes other men because I fucking can. I can tell you like that about me.”
She looked away. “Some people call you savage. Some people think you try to hurt other players.”
“No,” I said, laughing. “I don’t try to hurt anyone. But I can’t help it if they’re so fucking weak that a little tackle breaks a bone.”
“I don’t think there’s anything little about you.”
I threw my head back and laughed, loving that. “Damn right, girl. Nothing small about me.”
The car pulled out front of the club just a few minutes later. There was already a line stretching down the block as we got out.
“I’ve never seen this place before,” she said as we approached the doorman.
“It’s new,” I said. “Jeff,” I called out. The bouncer nodded at me.
“What up, Bull?”
“Got room for two?”
“Always got room for you.” He opened the rope and we stepped inside. I shook my head and then we disappeared into the club.
Booming bass hit me in the face. One of the hostesses motioned for me to follow and took us back into the VIP section. We stepped up and took a seat on a low, comfortable couch.
“It’s nice in here,” Charley said, “but really loud.”
“I can have them turn down the music if you want.”
She laughed. “Okay, please.”
“I’m not joking. I’ll make it happen.”
She laughed again and shook her head. “That’s okay.”
I motioned for a waitress. “Champagne and whisky.” She nodded and left.
“Can I ask you something?” Charley said.
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you bring me out tonight?”
I shrugged. “Maybe I just wanted to get to know you.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “From what I hear, you’re not much interested in getting to know anyone.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” I said, grinning. “Though maybe that’s true. Maybe I’m used to fucking more than I’m used to talking.”
She blushed a little bit. “Is that why I’m here, then?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But if you’re lucky, I’ll take you into the back and show you why I’m
Yvonne Collins, Sandy Rideout