Illicit acollection, p.251
Illicit: A Contemporary Romance Collection, page 251
“Thank God, it’s slowed down,” Angie said, with a relieved smile. “My feet are killing me.”
So were Tina’s. She wiped down the counters and glanced at the entrance, disappointed to see it empty. She had hoped to have seen Brett walking in.
“Now that it’s slow, me and the other servers have been meaning to tell you the latest gossip.”
“You know,” Tina said, shaking her head, “I don’t pay much attention to that.”
“You might want to hear what I have to tell you, since it involves you.”
“Me?” Tina’s heart raced. She hoped it didn’t involve her and a pro pitcher named Brett Young. “Oh yeah, what did you hear?”
“Sheri, you know the new server, she went outside for a quick smoke last week and overheard Smitty, Denny and a few of the other baseball players bet that their friend couldn’t get you in his bed. Of course, we later came to find out their friend was none other than Brett Young.”
“So what. It doesn’t mean he had accepted it.”
“According to Sheri, he did.”
Tina’s chest tightened. “She had to be mistaken.”
“I don’t think so. Smitty came in last Wednesday night, bragging to a few of the guys about their new boy winning one for the home team and flashed his phone around, with a photo of you with Brett at some fancy ceremony up in Palm Beach.”
“Are you kidding me?” Tina asked wide-eyed.
Angie shook her head.
Oh shit. All that stuff Brett had said about wanting to get to know her exclusively was nothing but a pack of lies. He promised he wouldn’t hurt her. He promised.
How could she have let her guard down? Well, he could take his charm and shove it. Tina never wanted to see him again. He was nothing but a-no-good, two-faced liar.
For the rest of her shift, Tina spent waiting on patrons and straightening the bar, counting down the minutes until Mickey’s closed and she could go home and drink a bottle of wine and piss away her anger. O-o-h, Brett was such a liar.
At last, the place was closing for the night, and Tina could leave. She grabbed her cellphone out of her bag and noticed she had three text messages. They were all from—Brett. He wanted to see her. Each message sounded more urgent than the last.
Well, he could try and reach her all he wanted, but no way in hell would she waste her time and call him back, not after all that he did to her. Tina deleted the messages and shoved the phone back in her bag and left Mickey’s, determined never to think about Brett again.
“Dammit,” Brett swore under his breath, staring at his cellphone. Why wasn’t Tina answering his text messages? The guys had left about five minutes ago, and it was too late to see Tina at work. It was two o’clock in the morning, and she was probably heading for home by now.
Well, he’d have to meet her there. Brett clipped the phone to his waist, then grabbed his keys, and hurried down the pier and hopped inside his car and drove away. It’d take him a good thirty minutes to get there. Hell, he’d try and make it in fifteen. He stepped on the gas and shifted into fifth gear.
Twenty minutes later, he jumped out of the Porsche and found himself standing on the porch, knocking on Tina’s front door.
Finally, a light turned on, and the door swung open.
Tina stood under the doorframe and gave him a freezing cold look.
A shiver ran down Brett’s spine.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped.
Brett scrambled to defrost the angry woman standing in front of him and spoke in a warm voice, “I got concerned when you didn’t respond to my—”
“Are you drunk?” Tina leaned in and sniffed.
“What? No, I’m not drunk.” He had only three beers with the boys.
“Well, I have nothing to say to you.” Her lips thinned into a taut line or more like a flat line—Brett was a dead man.
Tina knew.
There was no sense in beating around the bush. Might as well get to the point. “Who told you?” Brett asked.
“Oh, you mean about the bet? Or, the way you used me to score a home run for the team and gain bragging rights to all your buddies—”
“I know it sounds bad, but—”
“You promised me you wouldn’t hurt me. I never thought you were the type of guy who would use a woman for your own gain or to boost your own ego.”
“I admit there was a wager, but I never meant to—”
“You know this will probably ruin my chances of landing an internship with a well-known PR firm. And now, sleazy guys like Smitty will be hitting on me even more. Oh, dammit, why did I ever agree to go out with you?”
“Let me explain what happened, will ya?”
“Go to hell, Brett. I never want to see you again.” Tina slammed the door in his face.
He stood there, like a fool, with his dick hanging out. Christ, he knew she was mad, but he didn’t think it would be this bad. Well, no matter what, he wasn’t about to give up. One way or another, he would make her listen, whether she liked it or not.
Brett left the porch and hurried to the car, determined to win Tina Foxx back.
10
Tina’s mom stood in the kitchen and stared wide-eyed at her daughter. Her uniform khakis and light blue polo top pressed to perfection. Not a wrinkle in sight, unlike her brow creased heavily with concern. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.
Tina slumped back in her seat and shook her head slowly.
“What happened?” Her mom sank in a chair next to Tina and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Did Brett hurt you?”
“He used me,” Tina said, the disgust in her voice bouncing off the linoleum floor, like a rubber ball thrown hard and fast.
“Oh, honey, I was afraid this would happen. So what exactly did he do to you?”
“Last night I found out from Angie that the only reason Brett had asked me out was to win a bet. His teammates waged he couldn’t—he couldn’t score a home run with me.”
Her mom gasped. “Oh no, please tell me you didn’t go to bed with him.”
“I’m afraid I did. It was hard not to when he took me on his yacht, wined and dined me, and bought me all those clothes. Or, when he told me he wanted to date me exclusively to see if there could be more between us.”
“Oh, Tina,” her mom moaned. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too. I never thought Brett was a liar. Boy, was I wrong. He’s nothing but a scumbag.”
“Have you heard from him since you found out?”
“He stopped by around three this morning.”
“I didn’t hear a thing last night,” her mom said more to herself than to Tina. “What did he want.”
“Brett wanted to explain his side of the story.”
“Did you let him?”
“No. I told him to go to hell and slammed the door in his face.”
“I admire your strength. You don’t let anyone walk over you. However, in this case, I think you should’ve heard him out.”
“And listen to more lies? No thanks.” Tina glared. “How could I have been so effin’ blind?”
Her mom gathered Tina in her arms. “I don’t see how you could be takin in by him. After all, the man is gorgeous and very wealthy.”
Her mom had that right. “So what do I do now?” Tina asked. “Word’s already out at Mickey’s about the bet. Any chance of getting that internship with that PR firm is probably gone, and I’ll be having even more sleaze balls asking me to go out with them.”
“I know it’ll be hard but hold your head high.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to deal with men treating you like a call girl for hire.” Tina left the table. “I haven’t gone to bed yet. I better try and get some sleep before I go into work later, or I’ll be dead on my feet tonight.”
“My shift doesn’t end until eight this evening. Call me if you need me.”
“All right, but don’t be surprised when you return home to find me here, pissed as hell and unemployed.”
“Please,” her mom begged. “Promise me you won’t quit. At least not until you find another job. We need the money.”
“Okay, okay, I promise.” Tina watched her mom head out for work and sighed. She couldn’t wait for the day when she could be free from so much financial stress and worry.
Like that would ever happen.
Overwhelmed with responsibility, Tina dragged herself up the stairs and crawled into bed. Her last thoughts before falling asleep were of Brett. In spite of the lies, in spite of all pain he’d caused her, she couldn’t help but miss him.
Dammit.
Why did he lie to her?
Why?
Once again, Mickey’s was packed. Tending a full bar, Tina searched through the hordes of diners and patrons and eased out a breath. So far, Brett and his teammates hadn’t shown up, and she shouldn’t be surprised by it. Pro-jocks didn’t typically hang out at Mickey’s on a Saturday night. Yet, sooner or later, Brett and his teammate would come, if not tonight, then next Friday night for sure. And Tina dreaded the moment when it would happen. Desperate not to think about it, she quickly placed one frozen Margarita and two draft beers on Angie’s tray. “Here’s your order.”
“How you holdin’ up?” Angie grabbed a few coasters and napkins off the counter and tossed them onto her tray. “Have you heard from Brett yet?”
“Not a word.” Of course, Tina lied. The last thing she needed was for Angie to blab to everyone that Brett had shown up at her doorstep at three in the morning for some kind of a booty call.
“Don’t look now, but Smitty and the guys walked in.” Angie grabbed he order and disappeared into the crowd.
It was ten o’clock, and Tina hadn’t taken a break yet. Maybe she could disappear, too, at least for fifteen minutes anyway. Enough time to collect herself and be ready for the onslaught of humiliating jokes and sleazy comments.
“Claire,” Tina called out to a fellow bartender, “I’m taking a break.”
“You can’t. We’re up to our asses in orders,” she said, glared back at her.
Okay, you can do this. You’ve been through worse, Tina told herself as she watched Smitty and the guys make their way towards the bar. But where was Brett? She couldn’t find him anywhere. Was he too big of a coward to face her now, after she had told him off and slammed the door in his face?
Shoulders back, Tina greeted Smitty with a big smile. “Would you like your usual?” She placed a coaster down in front of him and frowned at her shaking hand.
“I don’t think so,” Smitty smirked. “Tonight, I’m celebrating.”
“What are you celebrating?” Tina asked, desperate to act coy and ignore the pounding of her heart.
“We won a bet.”
Mouth dried, Tina swallowed, determined not to ask what it was that they had won for she clearly knew the answer. “Congratulations.”
Smitty leaned in and leered. “Don’t you want to know what the wager was?”
“Do I have a choice,” she asked.
“Seems like the Miss High & Mighty here has fallen off her pedestal. Our boy Brett got you to go out with him. No longer can we call you the No Hitter, or Martina on the Rocks or The Untouchable.”
Tina clenched her hands. The moment she had been dreading had finally arrived. Before she could speak, Smitty leaned in and added, “Brett said you were quite the disappointment. A dog would’ve been better than you.”
That was it. Tina had enough of his shit. She reached across the counter and was about to slap the bastard across the face, when Brett grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her, much to her surprise. Where in the hell had he come from?
“He’s not worth it.” Brett gave her a warm glance, then glared at Smitty. “You’re a fucking asshole, you know that?”
The asshole shrugged his shoulders and let out a sneering laugh.
Tina picked up a glass of Merlot and threw wine in Smitty’s face. She took great delight in watching his smirk wash off and turn into a deep frown.
Brett’s next move, shocked Tina as she watched him climb onto the bar counter and tower over everyone sitting below him. “Listen up, everyone.”
All eyes were directed at Brett, and Mickey’s grew quiet, so quiet Tina thought the place had closed and all the diners and patrons had left.
“Many of you might have heard by now about the bet I made with my teammates,” Brett said loud and clear. “That I couldn’t get Tina in my bed.”
A few people nodded and laughed, some snickered, and others stared with a blank look on their face.
Tina felt the heat rise from her neck and burn her cheeks. She was dying of embarrassment. “Get down from there,” she said above a whisper. “You’re going to get me fired.”
Ignoring her, Brett continued, “I’m not proud of what I did, but I did accept the wager, and I did get her to go out with me.”
“Yeah,” someone shouted out. “And we heard she was a disappointment.”
Laughs filled the air.
“That had come from Smitty, not me. And they were all lies. He said them out of spite, because Tina refused to go out with him. She had enough smarts to recognize an asshole when she saw one.”
More laughs filled the air.
“When I went out with Tina I soon came to realize she’s an amazing woman. She goes to school full-time, works weekends, and helps pay rent and her mom’s medical bills, because her mom is single, struggles financially, and suffers from heart disease.”
Now, everyone stared at Tina, with sympathy gleaming in their eyes.
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t believe all that she was hearing or seeing.
“She’s also a loving sister,” Brett said, “who would do anything for her brother, who would go out with a professional baseball pitcher only if he agreed to give her brother some pointers on his curve ball.”
“I’m sure she gave a few pointers on yours as well,” a guy shouted.
“Hey, show some respect, or I’m kicking you out of here,” Mickey shouted back.
Brett shook his head and grabbed Tina by the arms and lifted her on top of the counter. “I’m sorry you had to deal with this shit. I want you to know on our third date, I’d texted Denny and told him I lad host the bet. Last night, I paid them off.”
“You did what?” Tina asked wide-eyed.
“It’s true,” Denny called out and handed her his cellphone. “This is the text message Brett had sent me.”
Tina quickly read it and then stared at Brett in disbelief. “You really did text him.”
“My feelings for you haven’t changed. I still want to get to know you exclusively. So what about giving me a second chance?” Brett asked, without taking his eyes off her.
Tina stood there frozen, not believing all that happened to her in the last five minutes. Yes, Brett had accepted a bet, but then he’d turned around, lied to his buddies, telling them he didn’t hit a home run and paid them off. Clearly, the man cared for her. He really did.
“Go on, honey,” a woman sang out. “Kiss the man and make up.”
Tina looked at the woman and blinked. It was Mrs. Hennessy, and she was giving her an approving nod.
“All right,” Tina sighed. “I’ll give you another chance.”
A sudden explosion of hoots, hollers, and joyful cheers swept through Mickey’s like wild fire.
Brett wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss. ““Make up sex will be awesome with you.”
“Oh, you will most definitely have a lot to make up for.”
Brett broke into a grin
Tina smiled “I get off at 2pm.”
“I’ll be waiting. I look forward to getting to know you a lot better. Exclusively. So does this mean, you’ll now accept those clothes I bought you on Worth Avenue?” he said, with a laugh.
Tina shook her head. “I already got what I wanted.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“You.”
Brett gave her another quick kiss. “Oh baby, I adore you.”
And she adored him, with all her heart. No doubt about it, the man scored a home run, but she ultimately won the game. She got him in the end and looked forward to their future—together.
* * *
The End
Thank you so much for reading Diamonds & Winning Hearts. If you enjoyed the steamy story of Tina and Brett, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. It really does make a difference. If you would like to read other stories by Tara, please pick up a copy of The Risk Taker, Book 1, Alpha Aviators Series, a sexy military romance.
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About the Author
Tara L. Ames is a Michigan native with a penchant for creating highly sensual empowered stories about sexy brave men and strong-willed women. Author of the Alpha Aviators Series, with stories featured in anthologies, she lives in Florida and actively writes full-time in between taking care of her family, reading, and enjoying the surf and sun. Qigong/Tai Chi/Sudoku are her three biggest addictions besides chocolate.
https://www.taralames.com
Duke
Shannyn Leah
Duke © copyright 2019 Shannyn Leah
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
