Running Game(120)

“Get out of my fucking sight, you miserable old fuck,” Riley smirked.

“Charming,” Gloria answered, descending down the steps between us. She paused to look Riley hard in the eyes.

“You have searched for me for so long, haven’t you? Many artists have, and many will continue to do so for years to come. I am afraid, my dear Riley, that you will come to regret this day.”

Riley didn’t say a word, and so the two of them stepped into a taxi and left the scene.

“Well… that was tense,” Connor replied with a half-hearted chuckle. “Jesus. What a complete cunt…” he turned to Riley. “What are you going to do now?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” she muttered. “I’ll figure something out.”

“So, what’s that?” I asked Riley, indicating the covered canvas that she was holding close to her chest. “I haven’t seen that since I walked up…”

Riley looked embarrassed for a moment, but revealed the painting to me.

I was completely taken aback.

“It’s… it’s…”

“It’s you,” she quietly told me.

The painting was unmistakably me. It was a portrait of me striking a football with my ankle, volleying around a player who dared to try to stop me. I was dressed in my Manchester United attire, from several years back…

It was the proudest game of my life.

“I looked you up, finally,” Riley offered. “I searched for the highlights of your career. This game looked like the one that the British public loved the most, and one particular moment near the end…”

“I remember it fondly,” I told her, feeling my chest swell with pride. “This moment happened in the last fifteen seconds of the game. It’s right when I scored the winning point and led us to a close but decisive victory… and it’s the game that finally put me on the road to the National team.”

She smiled softly. “It’s for you.”

“I love it, Riley,” I whispered, pulling her up into my arms and planting a firm kiss on her lips. When we pulled away, my eyes were full of love, and my heart was burning with passion for this wonderful, amazing woman. “And I love you.”

“I love you too, Lex.”

The other two shared a meaningful glance. Reiko stood a little closer to Connor as they turned away to allow us the moment.

I pressed my lips to her crown as I remembered one important detail…

I reached into my pocket and removed my phone, holding it up to the light. With a flick of my thumb against the screen, the microphone app stopped, and I saved the recording as Gloria Van Lark, Evidence.

“I need to make a quick phone call,” I told her, kissing Riley on the cheek. “Can you wait here for a moment?”

“Absolutely,” she groaned, sitting down on the stairs. “I don’t think I have the energy to do much of anything else right now…”

“I’ll be right back,” I smiled reassuringly.

Wandering away from the group, I stepped over to a nearby column and pulled up my contacts. Within a few moments, I had Jess on the line.

“Lex! How did it go?”

“It was… not quite what I expected,” I commented dryly. “Listen, I have something fascinating to share with you.”

“Oh yeah? Whatcha got?”

“An opportunity,” I smiled. “It would appear that Gloria Van Lark has a thing for scooping up promising young artists and giving them a classic case of Stockholm syndrome…”

“What?” She exclaimed. “No kidding!”

“Yes… I was intending to record Riley’s big moment in accepting Gloria’s deal, but what I wound up with is…” I paused, choosing my words carefully, “far more interesting.

“Jess, you’re one of the most talented publicists I’ve ever heard of, and you’ve sharpened your teeth on keeping my nose clean in the eyes of the British public. You’re skilled at representing me… and I don’t know a soul who could do a better job than you.”

“You flatter me,” she replied warmly.

I could practically hear her smirk across the phone line as she anticipated my next words:

“I’m offering you a chance to do the complete opposite… how would you like to help me take down the most legendary art curator in the world?”





19





Riley





When Lex told me what he had in mind, the only thing I wanted to do was drag him to my bed, rip all of his clothes off, and make love to him.

So that’s exactly what I did.

His strong, powerful hands slid along my thighs as he left a trail of kisses along them, working his way towards my sex. Instead of stopping there, he lifted his lips to press against my stomach, tenderly caressing the area.