Center Courtship (36 page)

“It's a bar and restaurant, ma'am. There's a lounge as well.”

“Am I allowed in there?” I asked.

He turned and opened the door for me and I stepped inside. It was nearly empty, as most of the VIP's had taken their seats. A bartender was wiping down the bar and chatting with a server. “Hello, Mae, can I help you?”

“You know my name?” I asked.

“I do. I have internet.”

I shook my head in disbelief and took a seat at the bar. The activity on the court was being pumped onto the screens above the bar but the sound was much more tolerable. I watched Elsu for a while.

“What can I get you?”

“A tall cold beer.”

“Beer? No fancy wine I don't have? How about some champagne?”

I lifted an eyebrow at him and smiled. “Pretty sure I didn't stutter.”

He smiled and poured me a beer with the perfect amount of foam and slid it across the bar. “Do I pay you?” I was still confused about the whole Owner VIP seats versus regular VIP.

He looked at the pass I was wearing around my neck and shook his head. “Nope. Owner seats don't pay.” He smiled at me.

“Hmmph,” I said as I slid off my stool. “I may be back, it's quiet in here. I like it.”

“It won't be at halftime,” he said. “Just a warning.”

I threw a ten dollar bill in the tip jar and waved as I exited the lounge. The guard at the door looked at my beer and I swear he started to drool. “Do you want some?” I asked.

“No, thank you ma'am.”

“I won't tell,” I said as I offered him my cup.

He looked around the hallway and eyed me cautiously. He grabbed the cup and took a quick swig. “Thank you so much!” He said as if it was the first drink he'd had after crossing the Sahara. He quickly wiped the white foam from his dark lips to erase any evidence of his behavior.

“What's your name?” I asked.

“Jason, ma'am,” he said. I could see his tough exterior starting to soften.

“Please, call me Mae. It's nice to meet you.” We shook hands and I reluctantly walked back to the floor. The players were still throwing the ball around and Elsu saw me and smiled. I blushed like a teenager as I smiled back. I walked toward my seat and briefly thought I was in the wrong place because there was someone sitting in my spot. I then realized who it was. I wanted to retreat back to the lounge, but I wasn't going to let Saraya ruin this day for Elsu. Or me, for that matter. She was sitting with her legs crossed at her knee and her nose in her phone. Aaron was trying to get her attention but she was ignoring him.

I stepped up to Saraya and stood in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Planning to watch a game,” she said without looking up.

“Not in this seat, you're not,” I said as I stood my ground. I noticed that Millard had taken the seat next to Max. “How did you even get in here?”

“They found an extra seat. There was some mix-up. Elsu forgot to leave my ticket at the ticket booth.”

“No, he didn't Saraya. He took your name OFF the list. He doesn't want you here, please go to whatever seat they found for you and leave us alone.”

“They have me up on the third level. Celebrities don't get put up there.”

I eyed Millard who was cautiously watching the drama unfold. “Millard,” I said. “I don't know what your job entails, or if I'm even allowed to request help from you, but I'm begging you for some assistance here.”

“Yes, ma'am,” he stood up and eyed my angry face. “Miss Mae.”

“Ma'am, you'll need to go to your seat,” he said to Saraya.

“This is absolute bullshit! I am not moving! Does no one here care who I am? I am Elsu's girlfriend and I'm not allowed to be in my seat!”

“
I'm
Elsu's girlfriend now, bitch. Now GO!” I said as I saw Brandon's jaw fall open. I quickly covered my mouth, not believing I had just gone off on her the way I had in front of him.

“YOU TELL HER, MAE!” yelled M'Kaya! I grinned as the girls were all watching and cheering me on.

“Ma'am, I will be forced to get security to physically remove you from this seat if you don't move right now,” said Millard softly to Saraya.

“Millard, you don't have the balls!”

The security guard at the gate came to us and placed a hand on Saraya's elbow.

“Ma'am, let's not make a scene.”

“I'm ALLOWED to be here!”

“Where is your ticket?” asked the gate guard.

“This is my ticket!” She pointed to her face as if we were supposed to be impressed. She looked at me and walked to stand inches from me. “You will regret calling me bitch, cunt!” She turned on her heels and left the area with the gate guard.

“Well that was fun,” said Max.

“Maybe people will learn her true nature this way,” I said.

I sat down and realized Aaron had taken my beer from my hand. “I was afraid you were going to pour it on her head,” he said as he handed it back to me.

“You're probably right.” I took a sip. “But then, that would have been a waste of perfectly good beer.”

Both teams left the court and moments later the lights dimmed, smoke started filling the floor, and the Whoopster Girls took their places. Loud, thumping music began and the girls
jiggled their tits and asses for the crowd. I was suddenly grateful that there were strict rules against the cheerleaders dating the players.

Over the next half hour or so, different people and groups were introduced to the crowd for being instrumental in the formation of the team and arena. Jonathan Brothers stood and spoke briefly to the crowd. It was the first game of the season
and
at the arena and they were going to milk it for all it was worth.

A blow-up tunnel appeared at one end of the court. The owl's large eyes peered above the floor in an angry scowl. Where his beak would be was the exit from the tunnel. The team was introduced one at a time, as each player ran through the owl's head and out onto the smoke-filled floor. Brandon yelled hysterically behind me as he sucked up the excitement. The two team mascots stood directly in front of Aaron and Jonathan and pretended to fight. I had to admit, our mascot was a badass-looking character. He didn't have an official name yet, but he would be christened soon when one was decided by vote from fans.

Once both teams had been introduced, the lights went back up and everyone but the teams left the floor. I hadn't even noticed but at some point during the festivities I had grabbed onto Aaron's arm and laid my forehead on his shoulder trying to escape my surroundings.

“Mae, I don't want to get beat up by your man,” he said as he gently pushed my head off him.

“Sorry, I'm really hoping I can make it through this game,” I said as I watched the players begin removing their warm-ups.

I gasped out loud. Elsu's bare, broad shoulders were incredible. How had I not noticed them when he was playing skins against his teammates at his house? I knew he had to be strong, but the way his shoulders rounded into his arms was enough to make my heart start dancing in my chest. I wanted to run over and squeeze them. I licked my lips and couldn't peel my eyes away. When he ripped away his pants I was not disappointed. His bare calves were nothing but muscle and flowed from his long basketball shorts into his white socks. There was something about the definition of his leg muscles that
had me nearly drooling. I couldn't believe myself, I, Mae-Belle Rogers had it bad.

The team took their places on the court and the game began. When my mind was on the game, watching the players, make that watching Elsu, I forgot about the crowd and the noise around me and found I was less bothered by my issues.

The game took a break for commercials and I started looking around the crowd. My eyes fell on the photographers who were sitting beneath one of the baskets. I eyed Scott who was fidgeting with his camera and I noticed he had someone with him. “You have GOT to be kidding me!” I nearly shouted. I locked eyes with Bart.

“What's wrong?” asked Aaron.

“You know my issues?” I said as I looked away from Bart and to Aaron.

“Yeahhhh,” he said slowly.

“Well, the cause of those is here, with Scott,” I said as I tried to point across the court without looking at Bart.

Aaron peered warily in the direction I had aimed and then looked to me. “The black haired dude with the freckles?”

“Yep. Could this day get any worse?” I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide under the wooden floor.

“Max!” I said as I turned to my brother. “I have a problem.”

“Just one?” asked Max as he sat forward.

I glared at him. “Bart is here with Jeremy's friend, Scott. He's over under the hoop with the other photographers.”

“DAMN!” Said Max. “I'll keep an eye on him. Hopefully he'll behave.”

Between the chaos from the photographers outside, the sounds, lights and events inside, not to mention the morning I'd had, I couldn't take it anymore.

“I think I'm going to go home.”

“You can't!” said Aaron.

“And why not? This day has been nothing but hassles and bad memories from beginning to end. I just want to get home and relax.”

Aaron sat forward and looked at me over his shoulder. “I can tell you exactly why you can't leave. He's sitting across the court
from you right now, acting like he's talking to Saul. Do you know why I know he's
acting
like he's talking to Saul?”

“Why?” I said as I crossed my arms across my chest.

“Because every five second he looks across the court at someone in this general vicinity. I know it's not me, missy. Well, ok, it could be me because he thinks I'm into you, and he wants to beat me into the ground. But it's not. He's looking at
you
. I don't know how he's made as many points as he has for as much time as he's spent looking over here.” Points, oh yeah, this
was
a basketball game. I hadn't even paid attention to that part. I looked up at the scoreboard. We were tied 20 to 20.

“No he hasn't, I've been watching him almost the whole game and he hasn't once made eye contact. I don't want to distract him, so I'm not upset about that. It's just that I know he hasn't looked over here.”

“He's not looking to make eye contact, Mae! He's looking to make sure you're still here. He doesn't have to lock eyes with you to do that. They're quick glances. Do you really not believe me?” he asked.

“I don't know what to believe,” I said as I looked across the court and the teams got up to start playing again.

Aaron turned around and got Max's attention. “I'm going to gather by the few moments I've known you that you're Mae's self-appointed protector?”

“I guess you could call me that.”

“So, are you noticing anything about your sister's new six foot ten inch buddy?” asked Aaron. I blushed. How did he know how tall Elsu was, and I didn't?

“You mean the fact that he can't keep his eyes off of my sister? Yeah, I'm noticing. And I'm not liking.”

“You're both big fat liars. And even if he was, why wouldn't you be ok with it?”

“Because if he's distracted he could get hurt, or cost the team the game. Then who's paying the rent on that apartment?” He smiled smugly and sat back in his chair.

“Brat! I should have had Gina sit down here, she's nicer to me,” I said as I turned back around and watched the rest of the first half of the game in silence.

Halftime came and a man in a suit and tie approached me. “Ma'am, it's been requested that you look at your cell phone.”

“It has, has it?” I asked. “Can I ask by whom?”

“Elsu, ma'am.”

“Of course,” I said with a smile. I hadn't had my phone out since I took pictures of Aaron's sculpture before the game started. Unlike some people I knew I was capable of living without it being surgically attached to my hands.

I pulled my phone out and realized I had missed a whole world of messages from everyone but the president and if he had known my number, he probably would have sent one too.

I went straight to Elsu's, since it was a request and all. There were several from him. “T
HANKS FOR THE PICTURES OF THE SCULPTURE
, A
ARON'S GOT SOME MAD SKILLS
.” I quickly showed that one to Aaron who beamed.

“N
O PROBLEM ON THE PICTURES
. I
THOUGHT YOU'D APPRECIATE IT
. I
WAS GLAD THE TEAM GOT TO COME OUT AND SEE IT
!”

The next one was seconds after the first. “A
RE YOU SURE HE'S NOT INTO YOU
?” Of course I showed that one to Aaron too and he laughed, but it seemed like more of a nervous laughter than before.

“I'm afraid he's going to kick my ass,” said Aaron.

“Yeah, I can see that. I wouldn't be worried,” I said but wondered if maybe he should be.

The cheerleaders performed and the music began, indicating that the teams would be returning from their break shortly. I looked back to my phone to read more.

“I
HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME
. D
ON'T BE MAD IF IT SEEMS LIKE
I
'M IGNORING YOU
, I
HAVE A TENDENCY TO TUNE OUT EVERYTHING BUT THE GAME WHEN
I
'M PLAYING
. A
FTERWARDS, COME TO THE LOCKER ROOM HALLWAY AND
I
'LL GIVE YOU A SWEATY HUG. XOXO”

“A sweaty hug?” cringed Aaron. I hadn't realized he was reading over my shoulder.

“I told him I liked his scent and he said I wouldn't after he'd played a game.” I shook my head. “He doesn't forget anything.”

“MAE!” I heard my name shouted behind me and I turned to see my mom and her two children standing by the guard. “Tell this man I can come down there.”