Page 30 of Playing to Win
At the sound of a bunch of high-pitched feminine voices chanting his name, we both turn to watch a group of women approach the table. Every single one of them is wearing a team jersey that can be purchased at the student bookstore. And every jersey has Ace’s number on them.
“Hey look. It’s my fan club.” He grins, spreading his arms out along the back of the rounded booth, his fingers dangerously close to my shoulder. “Aren’t you girls cute.”
They all giggle and flip their hair over their shoulders. There is a lot of skin on display since they’re either wearing short skirts or shorts, with heeled sandals on their feet. They’re also wearing a lot of makeup and their hair is perfectly done. Like they all got together and got ready before they headed over to the bar in the hopes they’d run into Ace.
This is truly…wild.
“You have an actual fan club?” I ask him, my voice incredulous.
“I mean…” His voice drifts and he shrugs those wide shoulders. “Not officially.”
“But you know these girls exist.” I incline my head toward them, noting the way a few of them glare at me. As if they’re pissed that I’m sitting with him when I haven’t even earned the right.
That’s what it feels like.
“Oh, I definitely know they exist. We’ve met up before, right ladies?” He aims his million-watt smile in their direction and they all giggle and flutter their fingers at him, their bodies shifting and moving as one entity.
It’s kind of weird.
“Okay, I’m leaving.” I move out from under his arm, snagging my glass as I go, and rise to my feet. I offer a quick wave to the unofficial Ace Townsend fan club and they all wave at me in return, their gazes full of matching curiosity.
Wandering around the bar, I absently sip at my drink, my mind preoccupied by the giggling fan club and a very proud Ace watching them with lust in his eyes.
I get this image of Ace in a hot tub with all of these girls and they’re all naked. Rubbing on him. Having a big ol’ orgy and Ace is the star of their every fantasy. And while I can’t deny that he is superhot with an amazing body as well as funny and charming—I just…
Can’t get on board with this.
I don’t know how my mother put up with this sort of thing back in the day when my dad played for the NFL, but they were together for so long by then and he was so madly in love with her, I guess she never had to worry about it.
Not that I can imagine Ace madly in love withme.Or that we’d end up in a relationship. I mean, come on. He just told me point blank he’s not interested in that.
And I believe him.
ELEVEN
RUBY
We’reout on the field, standing on the sidelines and watching the football team practice. Eric is as quick on his feet as the team is, running along beside them, following their every movement with his camera. He’s busy snapping photos and taking videos, while Gwen and I just sit on the grass and watch everything, hot and bored.
Well, I’m hot and bored. Not too sure about Gwyneth.
“This isn’t what I planned,” Gwen says with an exasperated sigh halfway through practice.
Okay, that sounds like confirmation that we’re feeling the same kind of way.
The team has gathered on the sidelines on the away team’s side of the field, taking a water break. My gaze snags on Ace, as if I have no control over myself, lingering on the way he tilts his head back and drinks from the bright red Golden Eagles water bottle clutched in his hand. He’s wearing a cropped white jersey shirt that shows off his washboard abs to perfection and white football pants that cut off just below the knee.
Any other guy I think would look ridiculous, but not Ace. More like he looks ridiculouslyhot.
I fan myself, turning to Gwen. “What do you mean?”
“This feels just like last year, when Eric filmed all this footage, while I sat around doing nothing and that other girl—Jamie—jumped around hooting and hollering and showing off her boobs for the guys in her endless collection of tank tops.”
Right. Tank top girl who got fired for being a distraction. “That sounds…”
“Awful? I know.” Gwyneth sighs, her gaze stuck on the football team. “I spent a lot of hours in that office trying to create the kind of content I wanted to see with Eric’s footage, but it was impossible. Eric ended up editing a lot of it, though I helped him. It was nothing but the team running out on the field and trying to look like a bunch of macho bad asses.”
I burst out laughing, ignoring the way Gwen scowls at me. “Why don’t we continue creating some content of our own? Don’t forget, I have the footage of Ace throwing that ball.”
