Love In the Red Zone (Connecticut Kings Book 1) (45 page)

For a while, Brielle wanting to keep what we had from the vultures of the world hadn’t bothered me one bit. I preferred privacy, too. But she fucked up with me when she exposed a character trait far deeper than simple indiscretion. Brielle was bisexual and wanted me to ride with her on that, to cover for her while she explored that lifestyle. She said so when I jetted out of the room that night with her sucking on ol’ girl’s pussy like a champ after they both necked my dick at the same time. I didn’t have a problem with her sexuality. What I did have a problem with was the way she shared the news with me, or lack thereof.

Now, the chick who Brielle set up the threesome with over a year and a half ago, wanted to profit off a wild night cut short because I’d suddenly caught the game of, arguably, the world’s biggest pop success.

“So, how do you want me to spin this, Trent?” Elle asked impatiently as I stretched out over my bed at the condo. “I can make her an offer to quiet her, setting her up for extortion. “Or I can—”

“Breathe easy and let this shit fly however it will,” I decided. “I wasn’t totally naked that night. I still had my boxers on, so at best they’ll get what
Sports Illustrated
,
Men’s Health
,
Essence
,
GQ
, and countless other magazine covers have published of me in my career, half naked.”

She didn’t speak right away, probably considering her rebuttal. Elle was not only my new lead public relations representative at
Dynamic Branding
, the new firm I signed with, but she was also a fellow-member of
Redeeming Souls
. I’d see her in passing when I was there, but I was friends with her man, who owned the firm, Jackson Hunter. The world of entertainment was small, and even smaller in the African American pocket. When I signed again with the
Kings
, I knew I’d need representation from getting camera time and having a more formal agreement. So I threw it to Jackson and he gave me Elle, his strongest person on the team, according to him.

“Trent, I get it.” She sighed. “We don’t entertain threats, especially small ones like this. I can also view it from a sense of using Brielle’s camp to silence her, knowing how rigid they are on discretion over there. But on a personal level—
if I may
—I see Jade and how she is with you. I’m concerned about her if this were to land on the wrong side of right.”

I brushed my palm down my face as I exhaled. That damn Jade was so aggressive that you only needed a little time in her presence to know she was mine. Friends and family had commented about it jokingly over the past few months. Even Ezra made a point of saying the reason why it had agreed with me so much was because exposing her jealous side made me feel a sense of possession and affection I’d never been afforded. He was damn right. It relieved me more than I expressed to him that in his own way, he “got” Jade and me. Jade may have been more aggressive and vocal about her possessiveness, but she wasn’t alone in feeling out-of-control-in-love.   

“I’ll take care of Jade. Just make that chick’s ass feel like the peon she is and ignore her. Of course, the hyenas are coming out now that we’re back in business.”

“Okay…” Elle sighed hesitantly. “I’ll take your lead on this one.”

I could tell she wanted to say more as she disconnected the call.

“Hello...”

“What’s good, Jelly?”

I flipped through plays on the oversized plasma screen in the film room. I was searching to see what had been done before me and with which players to gauge the strength of the plays and come up with a more strategic offense moving forward. Then I quickly realized I’d been waiting a while for a response.

“Jade?” I frowned.

“Yeah. I’m here,” she answered nonchalantly. “What’s going on with you?”

“You know. Working.” I hit play on a game against the
Eagles
last August where Mayfair threw an errant pass that was intercepted by their cornerback in overtime. Jordan went left and the ball right, costing them the game. “I’m tired...been a long day of drills and plays.”

“Mmmhmmm.”

My neck snapped, realizing her response.

“Jade, man, what’re you doing?”

“Cooking and helping Ky with his homework.”

Okay. A straight answer
.

I could tell right away she was on her bullshit tonight. This distance thing had been hard on the both of us.

“Oh, okay. How’s classes been this week?” I tried for another open ended question.

I heard her take a slow breath and could picture her at the stove, standing on one hip with one foot on top of the other, wearing a tight sweat suit. Her plump booty swollen in it, perky boobs tenting the top, not wanting to be outdone by her peach behind.

Damn.

I rubbed the tension from the inner corners of my eyes.

“Nothing really exciting,” she sighed her words. “I passed my Contemporary Lit exam on Tuesday.” That reminded me, Tuesday morning, after she left the condo, was the last time we spoke on the phone. She had been studying for that test. “The guy, Josh, from my Psych class finally”—she slowed her speech, lowering her voice—“got up the nerve to ask me out.”

“Word?” I asked, watching the play then rewinding it back, wanting to catch JJ’s pass.

“Yeah. Remember, he lives out in Hoboken. He’s in his last year. That profile pic you told me to put up must’ve been what did it.” I snickered, recalling that night I pushed her to act her age and put up a picture for her online profile. It wasn’t like she was me, trying to hide her identity. I rewound the play again. Mayfair had really thrown a shitty pass. “I told him I didn’t know if that would be feasible seeing that Ky had practice and a game, three days this week, and back to back. I don’t want to have him out late on four consecutive school nights, you know.”

My thumb slammed on the pause button of the remote. I felt my nostrils growing wide and I licked my lips, trying to cool myself. I recognized the game.

“Jade.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be home before Ky wakes up in the morning.”

There was a slight pause on the line. “Uh—okay.”

“Goodnight.”

“Bye.”

I dropped the remote as I stood, my cell gripped in my palm.

“You find what you need?” Larry Kline, our assistant QB coach, asked from behind me, flipping through charts.

“Yeah. A lot of it,” I murmured. “I’m out.”

“Okay,” he offered, his head in the papers on the table. “Eleven-thirty sharp tomorrow. If we’re gonna try out those new plays you wrote up, we need time for it and a possible backup plan.”

“I’m there,” I returned with my back to him.

When I walked out of the room, Tyheem stood, silently asking for instruction.

“Yo, call Nate Richardson. Tell him I need the jet in an hour, man.”

“Eight o’clock sharp,” were my parting words to Tyheem.

“You got it, boss.” He nodded and I stepped out of the Benz.

My body was fatigued and mind crashing from exhaustion. I spent twelve hours on the field and hadn’t slept yet. It was just after midnight when I walked in the house. The first thing that hit me was the faint smell of food. It was Jade’s mark. Since they crashed at my crib, she heightened the spirit of home in this house by cooking and cleaning. It brought life in this empty oversized shell. Warm color, reminding me that my impulsive reaction tonight to her rash insecurity was not a bad idea. I dropped my duffle at the foot of the steps in the front foyer and slipped off my boots before hiking up the stairs.

On my way up, I could smell the gentle fragrances Jade aligned the halls with, making the place welcoming and pleasant. The hall recessed lights were low, kept that way for Kyree in case he awakened from a nightmare in the middle of the night and needed to find his mother. I stopped in his room first. The door was cracked. I stood in the doorway, and found him on the other side, sleeping diagonally on the mattress, his blanket just as obscure. But the little homie was comfortable and that’s all that mattered. Quietly, I backed out and continued down the hall to the master suite. Both doors were wide open. I was sure it was for peace of mind in my absence. Plus, Jade’s sneaky ass had no reason to close them seeing she had the bed to herself.

As I stepped deeper into the room, I was able to make out her petite body balled under the comforter. Soft snores pushed from her parted lips. It was strange to find her sleeping at this hour. I thought she’d be working on a paper or something. Quickly, I decided to take advantage of the time, stripped down to my boxer briefs and socks, and tossed my clothes on the back of the sofa in the lounge area. After slipping between the sheets, I sighed from the comfort felt from the familiarity of the bedding and mattress, and the scent of…her. My mind went blank immediately. 

I don’t even recall dreaming. I felt warmth all over. Like…it shot straight to all corners of my damn body at once. The bottom of my feet tingled with heat. When I heard the crude sounds of slurping, my awakening brain seemed to have put it together. It was her. It was also morning, and she was busy already. I widened my legs welcoming her heated little frame. Jade stroked my dick with her hands while caressing my thighs with passion kisses. I knew what this meant. Little mama wanted to make a statement. She was marking me again. It was so unnecessary, but I loved the hunger for me she thought was simple territorialism. I just hadn’t thought of an effective way to address it. So much had been going on as of late, and I had no experience with this relationship shit. I didn’t know how to prioritize it, but felt it should rank high. The motivation of her mouth, now that her soft and wet lips were around my swollen and throbbing rope, pushed the need to figure this shit up to the top, though.

I lifted my back from the mattress, grabbed her propped ass, and swung it around until it was in my face. I fixed her thighs until they straddled my head and went to licking her dripping pussy.
Goddamn
… Jade stayed fucking wet! And it wasn’t passive moisture. Nah. Her shit was like gel, gooey just for me. 
Jelly
. The taste and texture was addictive. Like…scary delicious, and I didn’t want to do away with it. I wanted to overdose on her, and that self-admission scared me. I’d been praying about it, and hadn’t gotten a solution yet amongst the noise from returning the league.

Jade’s ass trembling against my forehead snapped me out of my introspection. She twerked on my face with my tongue buried into her tight pussy. Her walls constricted around my butterflying tongue, as I pushed inside of her. I could feel her ragged breaths on my dick; she was losing it, but was determined to send me off before she lifted. I wouldn’t. I gripped her hips, pressing her into my face, my firm tongue now lapping her swollen clit. I smacked her ass then wiggled it. That drove her little ass crazy. I did it again on her left cheek. Not too long after that, her entire pelvis vibrated over my head. Her thighs tightened around my ears as she rode out her orgasm on my face.