Chapter 27
S
ereeta had exactly twenty minutes to spare as she walked up to the players' lounge. She could see a couple people leaving as she walked down the hallway. When she was a few feet away, she could see Corey sitting on the couch. She walked in and noticed a couple of the other players sitting around.
“What's up, Reeta!” one of the guys said before Sereeta made it fully into the room.
“Hey, guys,” she said to everyone.
She hated being the only girl in the center of all the guys and having all the attention on her. She was a confident woman, but being around all these successful men, who could have any woman they desired, just made her feel a bit insecure at times.
“So where you two lovebirds going?” Levon asked.
Sereeta looked directly at him to see whom he was talking to, and he was looking right back at her.
“Knock it off, niggah,” Corey replied. “I have some business meetings in LA regarding some sponsorship stuff.”
“Word. Bradley set that up?” Levon asked.
“Nah, my agent. I should be back in, like, a day or two.”
“A'ight, be safe, my dude,” Levon said as Corey stood and grabbed his bag.
As he walked around the room giving his teammates a pound, Sereeta was still trying to make sense of Levon's lovebird comment. Did they not know she was just his personal business assistant, or was there no such thing?
Once he was done with his good-byes, Sereeta made a gentle wave in the fellas' direction and she said, “See ya, guys.”
Corey headed down the hallway, and Sereeta followed behind. He was dressed in dark blue 7 jeans, a navy blue track jacket with a white stripe down the sleeve, and white Air Force Ones with a Yankee fitted cap. He had on his diamond necklace with the diamond basketball piece and had his three-karat earring in his ear. His haircut was fresh, and his facial hair was perfectly trimmed. She wasn't sure if it was the little joke Levon had made, but this was one of the few times she had noticed just how handsome and smooth Corey was.
When they made their way to the front of the arena, the driver was waiting outside the Suburban. When he saw Corey and Sereeta, he opened the door. He took their bags and placed them in the back while Corey and Sereeta got settled. She felt a little awkward for a moment; being his assistant at times did feel the same as being a helpful girlfriend.
“I'm going to need you to locate all the sneaker shops by the hotel we're staying at and all the ones that have at least fifty pairs of my sneaker in stock. Arrange a slot for me to make an appearance and then call the radio station and let them know which stores I will be at and at what times,” Corey said.
Midsentence, Sereeta pulled out a notepad and started writing. Her little girlfriend moment passed right by once his boss tone reminded her girlfriends didn't get fired.
“What days and times are your meetings?” she asked.
“I have one this evening and one tomorrow at two PM, I believe. I may have another, but I'm not sure. I'll call Troy and see.”
“Who's Troy?”
Corey looked at her as though she had asked the wrong question or was out of line to ask any question at all.
“Troy is my agent.”
“OK, well, once I get the stores that are carrying at least fifty pairs and their locations, I'll schedule the times around your business meetings.”
“OK, and I'll have some other stuff I need you to do. I want to make the most of my time there. I probably won't be back until the season is done.”
“Not a problem,” Sereeta said as she took some notes.
Her head was down when she felt the ride come to a halt. She looked up, and they were in front of a gate. She couldn't see to the other side of the gate, but she noticed the driver punching a code in a box outside the gate. She started to put the pad away, trying to see where they were. The gate slowly began to open, and she could see a large open area. As the car pulled into the gate, Sereeta saw three planes parked on the left of the vehicle, and one was pulled out directly in front of them. She looked over at Corey; he was looking out the window, too.
The Suburban pulled up right in front of the plane that was pulled out, and the driver put the car in park. Sereeta tried to remain calm, but she was starting to get excited. She wasn't sure, but it looked like they were taking a private jet to LA, and Sereeta had never even been in first class, let alone a private jet. The driver opened the door on Corey's side first and then made his way to her side. Once he had opened both doors, he went to the back to get their bags. There was a staircase in front of the plane. Sereeta couldn't help but think of the movie
The Bodyguard
as she saw the little flight-attendant men walking around this exclusive airport.
Corey took his bag from the driver, Sereeta took hers, and they headed toward the stairs. A young lady met them at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hello, Mr. Cox. How are you this afternoon?”
“I'm great, thanks.”
“We will be taking off in less than fifteen minutes. Please watch your step, get comfortable, and we will be with you shortly.”
Sereeta felt how strange it was that people didn't acknowledge her presence when she was with Corey, but she tried to understand that people probably didn't know how to greet her. Once she got more comfortable with Corey, Sereeta would ask him to introduce her so people wouldn't think she was just some groupie.
They headed up the plane stairs, and as soon as they reached the plane, Sereeta couldn't believe what she was seeing. The plane was gorgeous. A plush cream couch, butter-soft leather recliner seats, brown patterned carpet, dim lighting, and a fully stocked bar met her. It was just like all the planes she had ever seen on the video channels or in the movies. The same young lady from the stairs came, took their bags, and stored them away.
“Hello, my name is Sarah. If you need anything, just let me know,” she said to Sereeta.
“Thank you, my name is Sereeta. I'm Corey's assistant.”
“Welcome,” Sarah replied.
Sereeta couldn't tell if she was just being paranoid, but it looked like Sarah's expression read “Yeah, right, I've heard every cover-up excuse in the book not to call yourself a booty call.”
The pilot walked back to Corey and Sereeta, introduced himself, and then headed back to get ready for take-off. Corey sat down in one of the recliner chairs and turned the flat-screen television to ESPN. Sereeta was relieved that there was another television so she wouldn't have to watch sports the entire flight. Sarah had disappeared, and Corey and Sereeta were the only ones left. Corey kicked off his sneakers, pulled off his track jacket, and got comfortable in his chair with his white tube socks and white T-shirt. Sereeta was still sitting and watching everything in amazement. Just to see the lifestyle that money could buy . . . She was at that very moment loving her job.
The plane was soon in the air, and Sereeta was sitting in her chair watching
The Real World.
“Get comfortable. It's at least a four-hour ride,” Corey said.
“Gotcha,” Sereeta said.
She kicked off her shoes and cuddled herself up in her chair.
“You should come watch sports with me so you can learn the business you're in,” Corey said.
“Is that an order?” she said playfully.
“No, just a suggestion.”
The quiet from the plane, the dim lights, and the gorgeous surroundings had Sereeta in a good mood and feeling less formal in his presence. So, without making it a big deal or getting nervous, she got up and walked over to the chair beside Corey. The flat-screen was on the wall in front of him, and he was watching
NBA Inside Stuff
. Sereeta wasn't a stranger to the sport, but she definitely wasn't up on all the stats and news.
“So, tell me more about yourself,” he said as soon as the first commercial came on.
“Well, I have a dog that I had to hurry and schedule a sitter for today,” Sereeta said.
“My bad for the last-minute noticeâmy agent was going to come, but now he has to meet me there. And I had forgotten all about the trip until last night.”
“It's cool, I was just messing with you,” she said.
“You hungry?” he asked.
“Um, I guess.”
“Stop fronting. You know you are hungry. This isn't a date. You don't have to fake the funk,” he said, laughing.
Sereeta started laughing as well. Corey pressed the button for Sarah, and within five seconds she was walking through the doors.
“Can we both have a hot plate, please?” he asked.
“Filet mignon or lobster and shrimp?” she asked.
“Filet mignon. I want a man's meal,” he said.
She looked at Sereeta.
“I will take the lobster and shrimpâI guess the woman's meal,” Sereeta said.
“You think you funny,” Corey said. “I knew you were going to order the shrimp anyway.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because filet mignonâthat meat is probably too much for you to handle.”
God damn. Sereeta hadn't expected that. It had been meant as an innocent joke, but she was no dummy. That meat comment had been as sexual as he could've gotten without being blunt. That was code for
a brother like me is too much for you.
Sereeta never would've thought a line like that would impress her, but sitting there on a private jet with this man, any line was bound to work.
“I'm a big girl,” she replied.
“Mmmm, OK.”
The reporters were back talking on
NBA Inside Stuff,
and Corey was back listening. Sereeta didn't know if she had misinterpreted his commentâif it hadn't been meant as a pass at allâor if the moment had just passed them by. She continued to watch the program, but her mind was a million places. All of a sudden, she was feeling moisture between her legs that was a sign of only one thing.
He is your boss,
she had to remind herself.
This is a business trip.
She couldn't believe she had almost lost sight that easyâfrom a trip on a private jet and a menu with lobster on it, she had been almost ready to go against every rule she had made for herself. The number-one rule, of course, was no unprofessional behavior whatsoever with the boss.
Chapter 28
C
orey had gotten up to go to the bathroom and by the time he reached the back of the plane, Sereeta was reaching for her phone in dire need of calling Reyna. Once she pulled out the phone, though, she saw the big red symbol indicating no service.
Damn
. She had forgotten that she was thousands of miles in the air. She sat there calmly and watched the television. She figured maybe Corey's absence was a good time to just get up and go back to where she had initially been sittingâpretend she thought TV time was over. At least it would put some distance between them, and she could try to cool off.
She walked back to her seat on the opposite side of the plane and began to pretend that she was fiddling through her bag so if he came out, it would look like she was over there for a reason and not just making a run for it. She fiddled until she heard the bathroom door opening, placed the bag on her lap, and sifted through it. Corey walked past her and went to his seat without saying anything. Within a few seconds she had pulled out her breath mints and lip glossâshe had to find something in her extended hunt. Once she applied some lip gloss and popped a breath mint in her mouth, she put her bag back down beside her and began to watch some more MTV.
“You done with your tutorial?” Corey asked.
Sereeta turned back and saw him watching her watch MTV. “No, not at all. This just caught my eye for a second. Here I come,” she said as she lifted out of her seat slowly like she was intrigued by what was on the television screen.
She was kind of hoping that Corey would say, “Just messing with you” or “Never mind.” No such chance. He patiently waited for her to come sit back down. It even felt as though he was watching her the entire time. She had to admit that although she was trying to prevent the situation from going anywhere, she was very flattered by the attention.
The NBA highlights were on, and Corey seemed truly interested in every play. She wondered why he wanted her to watch it with him so badly, but she figured she could just watch and learn as well. A whole ten-minute segment went by without Corey or Sereeta saying a word. Highlights, commentary, clips from old gamesâall NBA talk, and Corey seemed like he didn't even realize Sereeta was sitting there. She figured she would go to the bathroom and give herself one last chance at escape; this time she wouldn't come back. She would admit that she would rather watch her own television and relax.
She waited a few seconds and then stood up. She took a step and said, “Excuse me.” As she reached the aisle, she stopped when she heard him speak.
“You must be scared of me,” he said, never taking his eyes off the television.
Sereeta could feel her heartbeat speed up some.
“Nooo . . .”
she said.
“Yeah, that's why you keep running away. It's cool, though.”
“I was going to the bathroom,” she said.
“Mmmm-hmmm. OK,” he said as he glanced back at her real quick before looking at the television again.
Sereeta walked to the bathroom in shock. She was trying to figure out Corey's game. Was he all of a sudden trying to be a cool boss or something, was he flirting, or did he really just want her to learn more about basketball? It was hard to tellâhe was being so strange. She used the bathroom the little she had to go and braced herself for going back to the seats. As she washed her hands, she looked in the mirror to assess her appearance. Her hairstyle was on point, and her face was in orderâno boogies or crust anywhere. She had on lip gloss, light makeup and very little eye shadow and powder. She was thankful she had taken the time to look a little spruced up earlier. For all she knew, Corey didn't even notice any of that; he didn't seem to look at her like that. That was when she realized she was probably bugging out.
Corey probably had a dozen girls he dealt with, and most of them were probably drop-dead gorgeous or gave phenomenal brain. Either way she most likely couldn't compete with what he was looking for. Besides, she had Mark . . . the Mark she had been in too much of a rush to call and tell she was going away. They were far from boyfriend and girlfriend or anything, but she did like him quite a bit and was hoping to keep things moving forward.
She finally decided to exit the bathroomâthinking in the mirror had already taken a couple of extra minutes. She didn't want Corey thinking she was trying to hide out in the bathroom. She made her way down the aisle; Corey was still in his seat. She knew she would be playing herself if she sat back in her seat like she had planned. It would look suspect after he had just commented about her running away. She knew at the end of the day he was her boss, and she was getting paid to be there, so if he wanted to watch basketball with her, so be it. She remembered Debbie's creed that the job was to assist with whatever they needed assistance with.
Sereeta sat down beside him and scooted back in the chair to show she was getting comfortable and settled. “So, what did I miss?” she asked.
He seemed to sense her playful sarcasm and looked over at her with a smirk.
“Nothing much,” he replied. “The game is about to come on.”
“Oh, cool. I would much rather watch a game than hear the commentators talk anyway.”
“The commentators are helpful because they inform you about the people's opinions and summarize league issues and stuff,” Corey said.
His face was serious, like he was really appreciative of what it was the reporters had to offer.
“You really are passionate about basketball. That's impressive.”
“Well, it's how I make my living, and I've been playing since I was seven. I guess I have to be passionate,” he said.
“Well, that's good. I wish I was that passionate about something.”
“I'm sure you areâyou just don't know what it is yet.”
“I know, they say think about what you would do all the time for free, and that is your passion.”
“Well, that's one way of putting it. Then you can also see what makes you feel alive and free every time you do it or are around it. What makes you feel like you can conquer the world or do whatever you put your mind to.”
Sereeta's eyes lifted upward as she looked at a corner of the plane. Corey could tell she was trying to think of an answer.
“Other than sex,” he said.
Sereeta laughed but didn't look in his direction.
“That's how I feel about basketball. When I am on that court with the ball in my hand, I feel like magic.”
“Wow,” Sereeta said. “I feel sad. I can't think of anything that makes me feel magical.”
“Sometimes it takes time to find out what it is. You have to think long and hard,” Corey said.
Sereeta laughed. “Sounds like sex again.”
She noticed two seconds too late that that had probably not been the best thing to say. If she was trying to keep things professional, references to sex probably wouldn't cut it.
“That's fine. Sex is a passion for many.”
“I guess you're right. Too bad I can't get paid for doing it.”
“It depends. There's always the option of getting paid
while
doing it.”
Sereeta could tell from the suggestive tone of his voice that he might have an idea in mind of how she could enjoy her passion. She looked away and pretended to still be thinking, although all she could think about was what to say next and if she should end this or pursue it.
“Well, I don't know. I will try to figure out what my passion is, and I'll get back to you,” she said as she looked back over at him.
“So sex doesn't work for you? You don't like sex?” he asked.
Sereeta could feel her heart racing. Her hands became clammy, and her underarms felt tingly.
What the hell? Why are you flipping out?
she asked herself.
Calm down.
“Who doesn't like sex? Of course I do,” she said.
“OK, so getting paid while doing it can work for you.”
She knew what he was hinting at. She got paid to work for him, so if she dabbled in some sex while she was still on the clock, it could be a nice arrangement.
Do I look like a prostitute? Don't you think I like sex, but with people I care about and who care about me?
She could feel Corey looking at her, but her mouth wasn't moving. Finally, she replied, “I guess it could work for me, but it may not.”
“It depends what it is, I am sure. I'm just saying when you're looking for your passion, don't rule anything out.”
Corey turned back to watch the game.
“I guess you're right,” she said.
She sat there wondering if he was playing a mental game or if she just couldn't read him whatsoever. His words were flirtatious, but his actions showed no interest at all. She didn't know, so she decided to just ignore it and go over to her seat to get her little sweater. As she got up, he reached out and touched her hand. She looked down at him.
“Where you going?” he asked.
“Just right over there to grab my sweater.”
“I don't know what it is, but I really want to have sex with you right now.”
Sereeta's eyes shot open. She couldn't lieârandom thoughts of sex were popping in and out of her mind, too, but this was the last thing she had expected him to say. “Really?”
“Yes, and I know you work for me, so I understand if you'd rather not. I'm just telling you because I'm hard as hell right now, and it's because of youânot the NBA highlights.”
Sereeta giggled, but inside she was as nervous as hookers in church.
“I'm flattered, Corey, but you said you wanted us to remain professional.”
“And I do. Maybe there's just some sexual tension built up between us. We can diffuse the tension and then act like it never happened and remain professional.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Sure it is. I've done it before.”
That didn't make Sereeta feel any better. She was thinking about everything Debbie had said about assisting players with what they needed and being expendable. She was also remembering Debbie saying how once you were intimate with them, they took care of you. Then she was also remembering that it was a form of prostitution. She didn't know what to do. She had to admit that she was feeling him, and she also felt the sexual tension. “I don't know. . . .” she said.
Before she could get the words out of her mouth, Corey was unbuckling her pants. The instant she felt his hands on her waist, she could feel her body quiver slightly. She was standing up, and he was still sitting, so he was eye level with her waist. He opened her pants and began to run his fingers along her bikini line.
“You don't have to know anythingâlet's just enjoy the ride,” he said.
He reached in and began to softly kiss around her navel. Sereeta could feel herself moisten. As he kissed around her belly button and bikini line, he was gently caressing and grabbing one of her butt cheeks. Sereeta's eyes scanned the plush plane as she took in every sensation her body was feeling from his touches. He began to slowly lower her pants as he rubbed and kissed in all the bare areas. She kicked off her pants once he had gotten them low enough, and then she stood there in her underwear and shirt. She was wondering if he was going to remove her panties and continue to kiss, but she wasn't sure ballplayers went that far with their “girls.” He had gone under her shirt and begun to rub on her breasts. Sereeta pulled her arms out of her shirt and removed it. Her demi-cut green bra matched her yellow and green thong, and from the reflection in the window, she was looking sexy.
She felt like she was in a movie; it didn't take long before all her thoughts and fears disappeared. She was feeling Corey and enjoying the ride. By the time Corey stood up and began to unbuckle his pants, Sereeta was dripping wet and beyond anxious to feel him inside her. He bent her over the recliner chair he was sitting in and entered her. The next five minutes were filled with long, hard thrusts. Sereeta moaned and screamed as she received her first sexual penetration in over a month. She had forgotten about everything, including all the rules, as she grabbed on to the chair for dear life.