The Player Read Online Free PDF

someone’s head. I’ve been on the other end of that type of craziness. It’s not something I want to deal with again.”
    “Good to know,” she said, trying to get him to lighten up. “I was only kidding about you trying to psych me out.”
    “I know. But I wanted you to know that I wouldn’t do that to you or anyone else.” His stare was so earnest and direct she decided to stop teasing him about it. After wiping down the bar and preparing a few more drink orders, Harlow took a deep breath and approached him with a question she’d wanted to ask all night. “Why your knuckles bruised and who did you hit?”
    Kyle raised his glass to his lips, making her wait for the answer. “I punched out Virgil.”
    “Kyle!”
    “Don’t act so shocked. He had it coming.”
    “When did this happen?”
    “During practice. That’s when it usually does.”
    He wasn’t being as forthcoming as she liked with his explanation. “So was it during the heat of the moment? Or something else? Because I did file that restraining order.”
    “I know. And yeah, he wasn’t happy about it so he had a few things to say in my presence.”
    “But . . . didn’t you say people watch the team practice?”
    “This one was closed. And it was more like I confronted him in the locker room, not on the field.”
    Still didn’t make it right, though she did get a little satisfaction from knowing Virgil didn’t get away with saying whatever he felt . Kyle’s face wasn’t bruised, so she wondered how he managed that. “So you got in a punch, and he didn’t punch you back?”
    “No.” After another gulp, a slight smile played upon his lips. “He had a number of things to say about . . . black women, only he made the mistake of doing it in front of me, and Darren, and most of the defense. Those guys are huge, so they got in a lot more punches than me.”
    Her reaction shouldn’t have been laughter, but it was. “What is wrong with that guy? Does he hate everything and everyone?”
    “No, I think it’s just himself he hates. He’s a rage-aholic, with things about his life that he wishes he could change but he just doesn’t know how. So he’ll either come so close to destroying himself that he’s got no place to go excerpt up, or he’ll succeed.”
    “Have you-have you seen this before?” she asked, hoping he’d open up to her.
    “Yes. I know someone who’s going through something similar. And it’s not pretty. ”
    She waited for him to continue talking. Instead he became quiet, staying in his own little world for the rest of the night, silently watching her go about making drinks and conversing with her regular patrons. It was turning out to be another quiet evening. A few of her regulars were there, and someone requested old skol funk music so a few booties got bumping and she witnessed some dance styles that she wasn’t familiar with. Someone mentioned “the four corners” and she realized that was way before her time.
    And Kyle? Well, he did a whole lotta shoulder dancing. He took her jabs about his lack of rhythm good naturedly, claiming that he was talented enough when it counted most.
    “Just admit it, you can’t dance,” she teased, spearing a cherry with a swizzle stick.
    He did a weird, semi-completed shoulder worm, urging her to take it and pass it on to Yomi. Both women turned him down. “I promise I’m an expert at doing the horizontal mambo,” he told her. “Wanna test me?”
    She chewed even harder on that cherry. “No, I’ll pass.”
    “I think you’ll want to experience this, Harlow.” He gave her a wink in case she didn’t get his meaning.
    She knew what he was getting at. Reina was spending the weekend with a school friend, so it wasn’t like she couldn’t invite him over. “Can I get back to you on that?”
    “Har-”
    “I don’t want to plan the exact moment or time. I want it to be spontaneous for the both of us. I want-” What did she want? Did she want the kind of sex that her