Game Plan

Chapter 5 (Part 1 of 2)

“Game Plan”

2013 Copyrights All Rights Reserved

Chapter 5 (Part 1 of 2) 

“Oh, hell naw,” Dirk mumbled angrily under his breath. He was already moving to angle his big body out of the booth.  This was not going to happen.  Not today.  Not like this.  He refused to let her walk away from him again.  

In the back of his head he knew there was something seriously wrong with this picture.  From the first moment he introduced himself to her at the wedding, she’d been running from him like a scared little mouse.  Running hard and running fast.  And because he could see that she was so scared, he didn’t try to stop her the first few times. 

But now, he was done letting her run. He needed her and damn it, she needed him.  She just didn’t know it yet. 

It was high time that he found out just what was going on in that pretty head of hers. 

Stalking through the restaurant he made his way to the exit just in time to see Ms. Running Scared disappear through the door.  Picking up his stride, he shoved the door open and in three gigantic steps, he’d just about caught up with her. 

“Excuse me,” he called out, closing the gap between them, “I don't think we’re done talking yet.” 

She lengthened her stride and didn’t look back.  “Too bad for you.  I've said all I have to say.  Now please, Mr. Curry, I need to get back to work.” 

“Okay then,” he struggled to hold on to his temper. She was moving faster than he would have thought was possible in those killer fuck-me heels.  They were half a block from her office when he finally caught up to her. 

“Let me re-phrase that,” he said, firmly taking a hold of her arm and spinning her around so that she was forced to look up at him.  “I’m not done talking with you and I’m not leaving you alone until you've heard me out. Understand?” 

She attempted to jerk away from him but it was no use.  His hold was tight but not necessarily ungentle.  He was making it clear that he wasn’t about to let her go now that he had her right where he wanted to her. 

Raising her chin, her face turned mutinous.  “I said that I don’t have anything to say to you, Mr. Curry. What part of that sentence do you not understand?” 

Crowding her space so she didn’t have anywhere to go, he released his hold on her.  Crossing his arms, he tucked his fingers in his armpits.  The muscles in his forearms bulged with the movement.  “And I say that you are going to hear me out.” 

Her posture suddenly turned rigid, the sign of a woman going on the defense. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout and at that single moment all he wanted to do was kiss that pouty lip until she melted in his arms. 

“What? Now that you’ve bullied me into a corner, cat got your tongue?” she replied stubbornly. 

He fought to calm himself.  The last thing he needed was to be fixated on kissing the little hellcat.  Right now, what he needed to do was soothe her ruffled feathers and find out why she was so hell bent on pushing him away every time they came in contact with each other.  

He took one step towards her, and she took an involuntary step backward, finding herself conveniently backed up against a brick wall with nowhere else to go. 

“How do you even live with yourself?” she sneered. “You sleep with hundreds of women on a weekly basis, you get one of them pregnant and then you want to turn your back on an innocent child.  A defenseless baby?  Did you really think I wouldn’t care, or that I was just as immoral as you are to fight that kind of battle?  Well I’ve got news for you Mr. Curry.  I do care.  I care a whole hell of a lot and I cannot and I will not be a party to a case like this.” 

Exasperated, Dirk ran his hand roughly through his hair, leaving the ends sticking up in all kinds of directions.  “Will you shut that mouth for two minutes and listen to me?” 

“Why should I?” 

“Because I didn’t get the woman pregnant, that’s why.  I haven’t slept with anyone in over six months.  This woman is claiming that she is two months pregnant.  I don’t know about you Chelsy, but in the biology class I took in high school, that fact alone would have made it virtually impossible for me to have impregnated her.” 

Her face paled and suspicion colored her eyes.  “But, if that is the case, then why would she bother making the claim at all.  She has to know that with medical technology today, she would have been found out.”

Dirk blew out a heavy breath.  “She is claiming that she has pictures of the two of us together and is threatening to go to the media if I don’t claim the child as my own.” 

“Bull. You’re a liar. There has to be more to the story than that.  Pictures only prove you had sex, not fathered a child.” 

He purposefully leaned into her, their noses almost touching.  She visibly shrunk back and swallowed loudly. “I, I want you to leave me alone,” she stuttered. 

“I’ll just bet you do.” He drew so close his arm brushed hers and a searing heat surfaced where their skin touched. Breathing in deeply, he caught the scent of lavender, and something else fruity, apple pie maybe?  Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. 

There he went again.  He needed to stop thinking about how good she smelled and concentrate on what was important. 

“Lets get a few things straight,” he started again, focusing on her eyes, “I hired Mr. Borum’s firm.  I need you to file an injunction and force a paternity test before the media gets wind of this. I have enough on my plate with the season starting up.  The owners have high expectations this year and I don’t need the hassle of a media circus drawing my attention. This is something that I need to take care of quickly and I was told by my agent that your firm was the best. Will you help me or not?”

All the strength left her body. She sagged against the brick wall.  The sincerity in his eyes urged her to want to believe him.  She wanted to believe what he was saying was the truth.  But, it was so hard, especially after Mel.  She’d been around enough guys like Dirk to know that men like him would say anything to get what they wanted.    

Thoughts of Mel and how he betrayed her rallied in her head.  What if Dirk really was lying? What if all he was doing was using her to get this woman off his back?  

Then again, wouldn’t a simple paternity test reveal the truth?   

She was so confused.  Chelsy couldn’t shake the uneasy feelings that slammed into her.  Her body felt as if it was closing down, and she wanted to curl in on herself.  

He saw the inner turmoil her mind was waging written all over her face and didn’t say anything.  If he learned anything about this woman standing in front of him in the few short times that they’d been together, he learned that she was stubborn as a damn ox.  The only way he was going to get through to her was to let her work it out in her own mind. So he simply waited for her to sort it out herself.