-4-

Kian, the quarter back for the Vipers, started missing passes and the Capers caught up. The game that was supposed to have been an easy win, on the road to super bowl, was a catastrophic loss and that cooled the atmosphere on our side of the bleachers. I asked Min Jae and the rest of the squad to leave we would meet up with them later on in the night. I just needed to make sure that Grayson was okay since we definitely would not be doing any celebrating.

Deciding not to hang around the changing room, I headed to the car to wait for him there. After about 45 minutes I heard a soft tap on the window. I looked up and saw him. He looked crushed and his face was really crestfallen, they had been training so hard for this.

I rolled down the window and said to him, "You want to get in the car and i take you for a little ride ? How much do you charge per hour? because i like to do some really kinky shit. Or fuck that maybe you can give me a ride insetead," a ghost of a smile washed over his features.

"Well I'm in a shitty mood, so my price is higher than usual."

"Well good sir turns out that I'm a noble charitable person who just gives and gives until I cant give no more. Let me give you this ass. Hop in." He was now smiling which made me smile too.

"You drive", he said opening the door, once I had unlocked the car. I slid over to the driver's side and we drove to his place. He was silent and, on his phone, the entire ride. When we arrived he headed straight to take a shower. I made a quick meal and mixed some gintails for us to chase the food down with.

"You still down to go out?" I asked him hoping he would agree.

"Some fun will take your mind of things babe. You guys still have the next round. I believe you will make it to super bowl. Then you can give me a ring?" I said continuing.

He had been looking at his phone but his head jerked up as he choked and sputtered the liquid that had been in his mouth. I laughed, amused. "Chill, I meant the super bowl ring", he laughed and then agreed.

I decided to wear a dusty pink bucket hat with the same colour bandeau paired matching colored cargo pants paired with white open-toed Jimmy Choo misty 120 heels. He was wearing all white, with a polo shirt and white cargo pants and white desert boot yeezy sneakers, our outfits complemented each other quite well.

He ordered the uber once I had finished my makeup whilst I was pre-drinking. "You look good and smell good babe", he complimented me as we were walking out the building. "Thank you", I responded getting into the uber and connecting the aux.

"SpongeBob pet Gary, I'm a slimy mother fucker, Lookin' for a fairly odd mother like my name Crocker, green goblin not the grinch, stealin' out the stockings, how to dance , the chick from grease the pots stole made from crocker, oh the teeny bop pull up like a diaper on a toddler (huh, huh) strong like a wide receiver Grayson Holmes , Wizard Harry Potter...", I was singing along to Carbonated water by Ski Mask The Slump God.

Grayson was bopping to it and went crazy when I switched out the line about Brian Ulracher for his name. His vibe and mood had changed which was promising to be a good night. I was also hoping that because I wasn't wearing a skirt or a dress tonight, I wouldn't be hit on as much because that shit annoyed Grayson, not that I could help it. We arrived tipped the driver and walked in. It was one of McQueen's places.

A part of me knew how messy it was to bring him there but McQueen owned most of the best clubs in the city so that left me with very little choice. He once asked me why I never had to stand in line and could just go in as if I was the celebrity, I told him that I party so hard that the bouncers knew me like that and I was acquainted with the owner, which wasn't too far off from the truth.

The place was alive with good vibes and writhing bodies as usual. We pushed through the crowd and headed to the VIP area luckily without any incidents. When we got there McQueen and I made eye contact. "I'm just going to go greet the owner", I shouted into Grayson's ear. He nodded and told me he would go order bottles. He had invited some of the guys from the team out and they arrived as he was moving to the bar.

McQueen pulled me into an embrace. "You smell good", I complemented him but he always did. He smiled, "So that's him huh, the man who has stolen you away from me?" I chuckled. "Didn't know football players were your cup of tea, had I known I would have chosen a different profession." I rolled my eyes. Whenever McQueen got drunk he would start spewing nonsense but he never lost control of himself or acted a fool. He always exercised strict control over himself.

"You are surrounded by a bevy of beauties, why do you need my dusty ass?" I asked him playfully. "You are the one that got away", he responded. For a moment my mind wandered back to the time when I had just started out in the porn industry and then I physically shook the memories out of my head. I kissed his cheek and told him I would see him soon. An hour later Min Jae walked in and you could say that he had brought the chaos with him.

We took some shots and then started dancing whilst Grayson's team members and him were chilling. Some asshole with his squad walked up to me and grabbed my waist. I politely told him no and then he backed off and apologized so I forgot about him and the incident. After a couple more, drinks I was pressed for the bathroom so I went with Min Jae and some other huns.

We all relieved ourselves and then on our way back the same asshole from earlier grabbed my face. I hadn't realized that I had fallen behind and the others in the group hadn't noticed either until i was face to face with that asshole who had his dirty hands on me. "You think you are special slut", he whispered in my ear. I cringed at his proximity to me. "Just let me go", I told him annoyed. He backhanded me so hard a metallic taste washed over my tongue. When his palm had connected with my face my body was jolted backwards and hit the wall.

Before I could even retaliate Grayson, Min Jae and McQueen were both in front of me. Grayson punched the guy and then all hell broke loose. The asshole's people were now fighting Grayson and Min Jae. McQueen quickly called security and then kicked them all out and banned them. "I had it under control", Grayson said to McQueen whilst helping me up.

"You didn't need to butt in, we had things under control, he repeated to McQueen. I knew that if I didn't stop this pissing contest Grayson would put me in an awkward position with McQueen. "She is a friend of mine and it's my club so it was my duty to settle things fast and efficiently", he retorted smoothly.

"Why the fuck are you so hung up on my girlfriend?" he yelled at McQueen who was fast losing his patience which he didn't have much of, to begin with. "Grayson!", I yelled his name to bring back his attention. I didn't want them to fight over something so trivial. My nose and face were throbbing, my eyes searched for Min Jae and once we made contact we both busted into fits of laughter despite how tense the situation was and how much my body and face stung. Blood was also leaking from his nose. Talk about a ride or die.

We decided to leave on that note with everyone looking at us like we were crazy. We were drunk and numb to any pain. McQueen had a doctor on standby who informed us that our noses were just bruised and we would be fine. After the bleeding had stopped we ordered an uber van and then headed to Burger King for some post-night-out snacks.

After eating we parted ways and Grayson and I went back to his place where we showered and went to bed. The night had been a mess but with some good highlights. When my head hit the pillow I was out like a light as the adrenaline rush faded. 

I woke up the next morning with my face throbbing. After taking two aspirins and some water I took a nap and then when I woke up later, I was surprised to find that it was nighttime but at least I felt fine. Grayson wasn't in the apartment. I bathed and then texted him, he told me he would be home in an hour. I then decided to make a creamy chicken and mushroom dish with aromatic Jasmine Thai rice and a green salad.

He came home around 8pm and then I dished up for him and we ate on the balcony because it was a warm night outside. "How are you feeling?" he asked. I couldn't quite place his mood. Was he upset about last night at the club or still hung up over the loss that they suffered as a team and their current position in 10th place or was it something else entirely?

"My face was a bit sore in the morning but after taking a couple of aspirins and taking a nap I feel fine." He raised his hand and gently brushed it where I knew the skin was starting to bruise.

"Why was that owner so concerned over you? What kind of relationship do the two of you have?"

"We are just friends that's all. We almost dated but it got too complicated but that's all there is to us," I really hoped he would drop this conversation because I was over it. "I want to go on a date tomorrow", I said. He looked at me surprised.

"You are probably going to wake up with a large bruise and purple marks on your face." "Sure, but I can put makeup over it. It doesn't hurt anymore. I have never been one to wallow too long on a sad or depressing subject." He agreed and was about to take the plates to the kitchen to do the dishes, I placed a hand over his.

"How are you? Are you okay? Yesterday was an eventful chaotic day... and the night was wild but I still had fun."

"The guys and I spent the morning working out and discussing practice routines in preparation for the game on Wednesday. So, we are feeling a bit hopeful." A small smile was tugging on his lips. "I hate to admit that that stupid fight was actually something that we needed to alleviate some stress.  I smiled at him and then he went inside. After about half an hour he returned and I was still sitting outside on my phone.

My followers on my I*******m were steadily growing I had 15 thousand and was hoping that by next year I could at least have 100 thousand which is a solid base to start my influencer platform. At some point, I would also need to have a Youtube channel for my fans. These thoughts were plaguing me as I was looking for outfit inspirations. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing together. "There is something that's a bit uncomfortable that I need to say..." he started out slowly.

I locked my phone and turned to give him my full attention as he stood by the glass door. I nodded cautiously. "So, my agent has suggested that you sign an NDA, I have had all my previous partners sign similar ones." He looked visibly uncomfortable, "Okay, let me get my lawyer to take a look at it," I said playfully. He chuckled lightly which made him relax. "Once my lawyer is done I will send it to you and then we can discuss it." I nodded even though I felt like there was no need to really think about anything, something which I would only realize much later was a mistake. 

I woke up around noon and then started getting ready because I knew it would take me a while to color correct the bruising that was now a deep shade of purple. Once I was done with my makeup I put on an off-shoulder black halter top and paired it with a blue denim mini skirt and white Air Jordans. Grayson told me that he had a surprise for me.

Before he revealed his surprise I wanted to reveal mine which was for us to go on a picnic. I had also prepared some food to take with us. He told me we could still have the picnic but his surprise would come first. We got an uber to go to the place so that we could drink without having to worry about driving later. When we arrived I realised we were at an airbase. "Surprise, we are going on a helicopter ride to the place where we will have the lunch."

Out of all my previous boyfriends, Grayson was the most thoughtful and always had the best surprises. The views were stunning and scenic it was bright out when we arrived. We got out and then setup the blanket in the open field that was in front of a lake.

Grayson knew how much I loved bodies of water so this was a beautiful place to have our picnic. As we were about to eat, a random man walked up to us and Grayson informed me that this would be the next surprise an impromptu photoshoot. I was so glad that I had done my makeup three times until I had gotten it right to look natural. We did the photoshoot and then the man continued taking pictures as we ate and laughed.

It was a perfect day to end off the weekend. If I could have stayed on that field forever I would have been so content. We got back on the helicopter, i couldn't help but gush and be excited on our way back because the views were even more stunning as a result of the setting sun. We flew over the large lake. I took a few videos of it and uploaded them to my stories. By the time that we got back to the airbase, my followers had increased by three thousand. I edited the pictures that we had taken together and uploaded them onto my page.

We had dinner on a roof top which was the perfect ending to the perfect day. The amazing date night had finally come to an end but on a very high note. I quickly went to the bathroom before I ordered the uber that would take me home and when I returned Grayson had a bouquet of pink roses for me. "Ugh can you be more perfect?" I gushed trying to hold back the tears but I couldn't and a few fat drops rolled down my face. "Thank you. You are an amazing boyfriend." I said to him hugging his tall frame.

"You are worth it. You deserve to be spoiled," he said grinning and being the carefree boyfriend, I had fallen in love with. We said our goodbyes and then I went home because I had work the next day.

As I laid my head to rest that night i found myself dreaming about the first night i met Ed.