The way he runs down the court, and how he looks with sweat running down his muscles... wonderful. I'd die for a man like that.
Instead...
I look to my right, and there's my boyfriend. Aaron. I've been with him for 2 years. At first he was romantic, even sweet sometimes, but as he got comfortable he got mean. Not only that, but he let himself go. Since he doesn't have to try to find a girlfriend anymore, his once hard body is now a soft mushy pile of gross.
The sound of shoes against the lacquered floor catches my attention, and I'd rather be looking down at the court anyway. For my birthday, Aaron bought tickets to one of the biggest games. Our team is playing our biggest rival. And so far? We're winning.
I turn my head just in time to see Andrew run past one of the rival players and slam dunk the basketball. He lands and turns to our side of the stadium, roaring in celebration. One more point for us!
Technically the other team could catch up but, well, it's not likely.
At half time, the stadium plays some pop music. I dance a bit while Aaron drinks his beer and stares at his cell phone. Aaron isn't as much of a basketball fan as I am.
“Are you having fun?” I ask, smiling and hoping he'll at least pretend he is. Okay, so I have a thing for white guys. Sue me! There aren't that many single black dudes in this town that aren't gay. A girl has to settle at some point, right?
He looks up at me, his eyes half lidded. “Huh? Oh, yeah, this is great, babe.”
He turns back away, and I roll my eyes. Crossing my arms, I wait for halftime to end. I hear a roar and look up to see a cute younger couple, probably teenagers, kissing on the kiss cam. Cute! I grin and clap with everyone else around me, everyone except Aaron.
Then the camera changes and I realize it's pointing at me! I gasp and elbow Aaron.
“Ow- fuck off!” He snarls.
“We're on the kiss cam!” I say.
He looks up, and I take his chin and pull him in for a kiss. He rolls his eyes and pulls away from me, spilling some of his beer on me. The whole crowd boos him as he finishes his beer.
The camera switches, and a few of the women around us tut and shake their heads. Aaron looks up to see everyone giving him the stink eye, then turns to me. “You're such a fucking attention whore.”
“What the fuck?” I yell, but then the players come back onto the court. I decide to enjoy my birthday present for now, and then kick his ass later. There's no reason to ruin my birthday present because of him.
The game ends, and Aaron is stuck talking to another man about the game. He's pretending he knows anything at all about basketball.
We won, of course. Andrew kicked serious ass down there. I watch as he leaves the stadium and I stand up.
“Where are you going?” Aaron asks.
“Fuck off.” I wave him off. “You're walking home alone.”
I head out, but Aaron follows me, screaming at me the whole way.
“Who the fuck do you think you are? You don't talk to me that way, you bitch! I bought you these tickets for your birthday, and this is how you repay me? You better give me the best head I have ever gotten tonight, I deserve it after this.”
I whip myself around and glare at him. He charges up to me and raises a hand, but before he can hit me someone else grabs my arm and pulls me. Suddenly I'm running! I can barely keep up with whoever grabbed me.
Whoever he is, he must be a big fan because he's all dressed up! He's even wearing Andrew's jersey. Of course it would be an Andrew fan that saves me. We run past groups of reporters who turn their cameras to us, probably because we're running right past security. For some reason, they let us.
We stop and I turn around to see Aaron barely keeping up with us, but unable to get past security. His scream grow quiet as he's escorted away.
“Hey, thanks for saving me! How did you get us past security?” I ask, looking at my savior. I gasp and step back, covering my mouth. “Hang on!”
The man who saved me is tall, dark and handsome. His eyes are slightly slanted, his pale skin glistening with sweat. He chuckles as I try to hold myself together.
This isn't just a fan of Andrew! I was saved by Andrew himself!
“Oh my god!” I cry, reaching out to touch him. He's still sweaty from playing, and probably from the run. I know I'm a little sweaty. “Oh my god, I can not believe I was just saved by Andrew Summers!” My lip is quivering and, well, now I'm crying. For some reason I press my head into Andrew's chest, and he just lets it happen. What a great guy.
“That you were. My mom was killed by her abuser. I won't let that slide, not for anyone. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, shaking. Andrew gently wraps one arm around me. “I think so. I mean I'm scared of him. I need to leave him, because this isn't the first time he's tried to hit me. I just don't have anywhere else to go.”
“That's easy,” Andrew says. “Stay with me, at least until you're on your feet.”
I look up at him. “Say what? You just met me, you don't know if I'm some crazy girl who orchestrated all of this to get near you.”
“I'd say that's pretty unlikely,” he says. “Anyway, you need help. Here, let's do something really fun. Take out your phone.”
“Okay,” I say, fumbling in my pocket for my smart phone. I hand it to him. “Why?”
He takes my phone and taps the screen a few times. Then he pulls me in with his big, strong arms and kisses me right on the lips. The flash goes off. I hear the fake shutter sound that was put in to warn girls their panties were being photographed. Even after the photo is finished, Andrew keeps his lips on mine. He kisses me softly at first, but then he pulls me in closer and kisses me even harder. He has to lean over to do it, but, well... it's still romantic! And confusing. Why is this happening again?
He finally pulls away and I feel a little bit dizzy. I grin like a doofus and put a hand on his pecs to steady myself. Once I'm done swooning, he hands me back my phone with a huge grin on his face. He looks a little bit flushed.
“Send this to him,” he says.
“Oh?” I say, not really understanding. “Send it to who?” I stare down at the photo. I look surprised, but there it is. His lips are planted firmly on mine. He looks like he's really into it.
“Your boyfriend. Who will now be your ex boyfriend. Send that to him, and then you're coming with me.”
Oh, god. Should I really do that? Aaron would kill me... but who cares? He's an abusive asshole.
Still, he's all I know. Oh, what should I do?
Andrew clears his throat. I gulp, and then nod. I send the photo to Aaron. A few moments pass, and I think I might hear a huge angry roar from far away. I'm probably just imagining it.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and smiles down at me. “Come on, girl. What's your name, anyway?”
“Jaclyn,” I say.
“Jaclyn, let's head back to my house and get you set up.
Andrew's house isn't as huge as I expected. He's got a great contract, but he still just lives in a normal house. Sure there's security outside, but aside from that it almost looks like a house I could afford one day.
“Here,” he says, handing me a glass of wine.
“Thanks!” I sip on it and lay back against the couch. “So I assume I'll be sleeping here? It's definitely comfortable enough.”
Andrew shakes his head. “That's not exactly what I was thinking, no.”
I look up at him. His eyes are filled with a strange emotion, one that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. It's not unpleasant, though. Just strange.
“Do you want me to show you how beautiful I think you are?”
“Me?” I laugh. “I'm not-”
“Don't even say it. Come here.” Andrew grabs me and pulls me into the hallway, in front of a mirror. The frame is copper, and the mirror itself has a few small cracks.
“Look,” he says, tracing his hand along my jaw. “Your perfect bone structure. You're symmetrical, and though you're not stick thin, all the extra you have on you is beautiful. And it's necessary, for becoming pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” I ask, my voice only barely audible.
His hand slides down my neck, to my collarbone, and then both hands cup my breasts. “And here, the perfect breasts for producing milk for babies. Big, heavy, and beautiful. I bet your nipples would taste sweet if I were to lick them right now.”
Why does he keep bringing up babies?
“Your stomach,” he continues, rubbing his warm hand over my abdomen. “Will one day swell with child, but even then your wide hips and large breasts will leave you looking womanly. No, dear, you're beautiful. You're perfect, and you're designed for one thing: to become pregnant.”
“Hang on,” I protest, trying to pull away. “I'm not ready to have children.”
“You are if you want to stay here. I knew the moment I saw you, that I wanted to put my seed in you. Maybe I could have any woman in the world, but I have never had this hunger for anyone before. You're special. I don't know what it is, but you are unique. I want to devour you.” His mouth falls to my neck, his teeth sinking into my dark skin. He bites, hard, but it feels good more than it hurts.
I suck in air with a sharp gasp. “Andrew!” I cry, my body threatening to go limp. It feels so good, even through the pain.
“Moan my name louder,” he demands. He bites my neck again as his hand squeezes my ass. Then he pulls his shirt apart, the last few buttons flying off. “Moan it!”