Chapter Fourteen
Saxton tried to focus on the delicious smell of his first cup of coffee. Taking a sip, he let the warm liquid run down his throat. Then he let out a string of foul curses. He’d been cock-blocked by a fiery little blonde, not much bigger than Sailor.
He let his mind drift to the feeling of Sailor’s soft skin and her smell. His body immediately reacting. Another string of curses escaped him as his cock hardened. He looked down at the tent in his pants and muttered. “I know, things had been going so well before her friend had showed up.”
Walking into his bathroom and placing his cup down on the counter, he noticed Sailor’s clothes folded neatly next to her shoes on the ground. He liked the way her stuff looked in his home, and his chest did that involuntary tightening thing again.
With a sigh, he turned on the shower. Looks like I’ll be taking care of myself this morning. Slipping off his pajama pants, he stepped under the warm spray of water and soaped the hard ridges of his muscular frame.
His thoughts went to Sailor as his hand drifted to his painfully hard cock. A moan escaped his lips as he fisted it and stroked his length. After the morning’s events, it didn’t take him long to find his release. His body tensed, and his heart raced. Lifting his free hand to the cool tile, Saxton steadied himself. Sailor’s name was still on his lips as the warm water washed away the last remnants of his hot seed.
He stepped from his shower and tried to focus on anything but Sailor as he toweled off. He had to get his head in the game before he met the team today. There could be needed no distractions—even the distraction of the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.
A while later, Saxton exited the elevator and walked past Al, who sat at his desk. “Mornin’, Al. You doing okay?”
“Always, Mr. Sax.” Al sounded cheerful. “Hope you have a good day.”
“Thanks, Al. You, too.” With a nod, Saxton was exiting through the lobby doors.
In the parking garage, he noticed Sailor’s car was already gone. With a smile, he mounted his motorcycle and put on his helmet. He revved the engine a
couple of times then clicked the motorcycle into neutral and rolled it back from his spot. Putting it in gear, he exited the garage.
Within minutes, he at the building and heading up to Dalton’s office. He’d just passed the office next to Dalton’s when a familiar voice hollered, “Ah, the quarterback does own a shirt.”
He stopped abruptly and cringed as he turned and peered into the office. “Harley? What are you doing here?”
She sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers like an evil villain from the movies. “I’m Dalton’s new assistant.” He nodded to her and took a moment to process the new information before asking “Do you have a minute? I think we need to chat.”
Harley motioned for him to enter and Saxton stepped into her office, shut the door then sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. She eyed him as he thought about what he wanted to say.
He chose his words with caution. “Look, Harley, I don’t know why you have a problem with me, but I swear my intentions toward Sailor are only good. There’s something really special about her.”
Harley leaned forward, placing one of her elbows on the desk and resting her chin in her hand. She drummed her fingers on her cheek and studied him. After a few moments her hazel eyes landed on his.
“You know what, quarterback? You’re right. Sailor is special. She’s been my best friend for ten years. Fun fact: Sailor doesn’t date, and I’ve never seen her in love. I think it’s because your evil ex did a number on her in high school. That bitch broke her, and I’ll be damned if I see her go back to the shattered little bird she was when I first met her. She doesn’t let people in very easily, but when she does, she has the kindest heart of anyone I know. I’ve watched as she’s done her best to build a wall around that heart. Maybe, she’s scared to let in anyone because they’ll reject her? Maybe, she just doesn’t want to be hurt. I really don’t know why. What I do know is, in just a couple of days, you’ve been knocking down bricks in her wall, and that’s why I have a problem.
Because we both know that evil ex of yours will show up. I don’t want to see Sailor hurt by anyone, especially not you or that surgically enhanced Barbie doll who follows you around. She made Sailor’s life a living hell. So, no I don’t have a problem with you or your intentions. I can see you’re a good guy. What I have a problem with is the baggage that comes with you.”
Saxton sat back in his chair and let Harley’s words sink in, a thought occurring to
him.
“What do you mean by made Sailor’s life a living hell? I didn’t think Sailor went to our high school very long.”
Harley let out a bitter laugh. “Geez, you must have been one oblivious jock.
Sailor wouldn’t want me telling you this, but you need to know so you can understand exactly what happened. Before your one encounter with Sailor, she’d been at your school for six months. That Andrea bitch caught Sailor looking at you on her first day and made it her personal mission to torture Sailor every day after that. It was hell and did worlds of damage. It wasn’t just taunting or mental torture—which is bad enough. No, quarterback, Sailor has actual physical scars from that evil bitch. Did you know that? Did you know your girlfriend burned Sailor’s arm with a cigarette and even stabbed her with a pencil? Did you know she has a scar on her head where that bitch held her down and literally cut out a piece of her hair, scalp included. It doesn’t stop there. I could name a dozen other things Andrea did. The torture was so bad, Sailor didn’t want to go to school, but her parents made her because she didn’t tell them what was really going on. She went through all of that…because of you. She had feelings for you, and she was tortured for them. Can you understand now why Sailor is hesitant?
Do you understand why your ex is dangerous, especially to Sailor? When that bitch shows up here, either you do something about her or I will. Do we understand each other?”
Saxton felt the blood draining from his face, and his stomach was sick as Harley spoke. He sat there, frozen in stunned silence for a moment.
“I didn’t know, Harley. I swear I thought it was Andrea being mean just that one
time.”
“Well, now you know. Be careful with Sailor. That’s not a warning. That’s advice.
And for the love of all that’s holy, take care of the Andrea problem. You would think, after ten years of her bullshit, you’d be tired by now.”
Saxton stood and looked down at Harley. “I will. You’re a good friend, and I’m glad Sailor has you. But, for the record, this little talk hasn’t swayed me away from pursuing Sailor. If anything, it’s made me want her more. I want to protect her and show her she can care for me without it leading to her being hurt. I will take care of the Andrea problem once and for all, I promise.”
He was opening her office door when she spoke. “Well, for the record, that was probably the best answer you could have given, but I’m still watching you. Actions speak louder than words.”
Saxton left her office without responding. He knocked at Dalton’s closed door. “Come in,” Dalton’s loud voice called from the other side.
Saxton entered the office, and his friend looked at him in concern. “You okay, man? You look a little sick.”
Saxton nodded as he sat. “I just had a run-in with your new assistant is all.” Dalton grinned. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
Saxton blew out a breath. “She’s something all right.”
Dalton’s grin faded, the concern back on his face. “What’s wrong?”
Saxton was quiet for a moment, contemplating if he should say anything about what he’d learned. Deciding Dalton needed to know the extent of Andrea’s crazy and how that affected Sailor, he relayed everything Harley had just told him. By the time he was done, Dalton’s face burned with anger.
“You have to be fucking kidding me. Saxton you need to get that cold-hearted bitch out of your life for good. I know you’ve tried to ignore it over the years and Andrea has never done anything to harm you physically, but clearly, she’s capable of it. What if she shows up here and does something to Sailor? I can’t allow that. I love you, man, but if Sailor’s safety is in question, that’s a big problem.”
Saxton leaned forward, with his elbows resting on his knees. He met Dalton’s
eyes.
“I agree. I won’t put her at risk. I think she needs security until I can have Andrea arrested. Andrea’s broken the restraining order before, but I never pushed enforcing it. This time, when she shows up, I’ll have her bony ass thrown in jail. I wish I knew if that leech has showed up here yet.”
Dalton pulled a newspaper from his desk drawer and slid it toward Saxton. “I planned on waiting to talk to you about this with Sailor, so we could handle it, but now, I’m thinking you and I will deal with this one.”
Saxton scanned the paper and cringed at the photo of Andrea in the Austin Airport. The headline read:
It’s Official. Internet Celebrity and Reality TV Star, Andrea Smithson, moves to Austin to join long-time on-again-off-again boyfriend, Saxton Crawford
Saxton let out a string of curses
“Sax, have you filed for a restraining order here? I don’t know if the one you have from California is valid in Austin. To cover your ass, you need to file for one in Texas right away.”
Saxton nodded. “Can you get the lawyers here, so I can do that discreetly? Also, can you get security on Sailor without her knowing it? I don’t want her freaked out, but I need to know she’s protected when I’m not with her. I’ll talk to her about it once everything is taken care of legally.”
Dalton let out a sigh. “I think we’ll need an inside man on this.” He pushed a button on his phone, and the speaker crackled. Saxton heard Harley say hello.
“Can you come in here?” Dalton replied.
A few moments later, a knock sounded. Harley stepped inside then shut the door behind her. Immediately, she narrowed her eyes at Saxton.
“Whatever he said I did probably isn’t near as bad as he made it sound.” Dalton chuckled and motioned for Harley to sit. She looked skeptically from
Dalton to Saxton but took her seat. Without a word, Saxton slid the paper toward her. Her skepticism morphed into rage. Her eyes blazing when she looked up at him.
“I told you! I’m going to ring this bitch’s neck!”
Dalton spoke up before Saxton could respond. “Settle down. Saxton filled me in on the severity of the situation.” He proceeded to tell her their plan for another restraining order and security. Saxton watched as she nodded along, her rage ebbing into approval.
“Okay, Boss, so when quarterback over here isn’t up Sailor’s ass, I need to be?”
Dalton chuckled at Harley’s crass way. “In a matter of speaking, yes. I’ll call the lawyers and security. I just wanted you onboard first.”
She nodded and gestured to Dalton’s phone. “I’m onboard.”
With another chuckle at his new assistant, Dalton started making calls. Within thirty minutes, two lawyers arrived along with the head of Dalton’s security. Saxton filled out and signed all the necessary paperwork as Harley stood next to Dalton and his security guy.
They were going over the plan for Sailor’s security when a knock came at the door. Sailor entered, looking gorgeous and happy. She stopped and took in everyone in the room. Silently, she moved to Dalton’s desk.
The newspaper was still visible. Saxton tried to hide it, but she grabbed it from his hands. He watched, his heart aching, as the color drained from her face. She sat in the chair Harley had been occupying earlier. All the eyes in the room were on her.
When she looked up at him, he moved from his chair and dropped to his haunches in front of her, pulling the paper from her hands and handing it to a silent Harley who had stepped closer.
“Listen to me. I promise I won’t let her hurt you ever again. I didn’t know, but I do now.” The words hung in the air as Sailor bowed her head, shame radiating off her. He placed a finger under her chin and gently raised her eyes to meet his.
“Baby, I promise.”
A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away, quickly plastering a smile on her face. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay.”
She leapt from her seat almost knocking Saxton back on his butt. She ran from the room as he was steadying himself. Saxton jumped from his crouched position to go after her, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Harley.
“I think I should handle this one. Y’all finish up here. I got Sailor.” Then she rushed out the door. Saxton sank into the chair Sailor had been sitting in. He cradled his head in hands.
Fucking Andrea, I wish I had never met her.
He felt Dalton’s strong hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, man. We’re going to take care of this situation once and for all.”