Page 16 of Allure

I looked over at the door, trying to figure out how I was going to slip out of there with no attention on me. I stood from where I had been seated and started to head out of the section when my brother reached out for me.

“Where you going?” he asked.

“I’m about to grab one more drink and then I am heading home. I need to run this tape back from the game last night. They might not give a fuck, but I do,” I told him.

Kole knew when I got like this, there was no point in telling me any different. Not to mention, my father was deep in my ear about the shit. Big Reg, as my father was known, didn’t play when it came to the Lockwood name and it didn’t matter what sport or way of life you stepped into.

Kole dropped his hold on me and I turned to head out of the section. I made my way over to the bar and someone tapped me, asking for a picture, so I obliged, hoping not to cause too much more attention. As I turned around, I ran into someone. Immediately, I held my hands out in front of myself to steady her. The moment she looked up at me, I was stuck. She had the most supple, unblemished skin, full, pink lips, doe eyes, and an even more supple and curvy shape.

I loved a woman with a natural body and she was beyond confident with hers. I could tell by the choice of what she decided to wear. She was in a pair of jean shorts with a shirt that showed a part of her stomach. She was fine as all hell.

“I apologize. I think I spilled your drink. Let me get you another one.”

She smiled up at me and nodded, so I placed my hands out in front of me to gesture for the bar. She stepped in front of me and her ass filled out those damn shorts so good, I wanted to grab it. But, I wasn’t going to be on that type of time. She gave me the vibe that she would slap the hell out of me if I tried.

Once we made it to the bar, I glanced over at her and asked what drink she had. She rattled off her order and I placed it with the bartender. While we waited, I turned to face her.

“So, what brought you out tonight?” I asked, then immediately kicked myself. I had never fumbled over my words or asked stupid shit like that. This woman was short-circuiting my damn brain but it only made me more intrigued and the need to keep talking to her was strong.

She smiled, then responded. “I allowed my friend to drag me away from my work. So, I figured I might as well cut loose for a minute. How about you?” she asked.

“Same. My brother and boys thought it was a good idea to be out tonight. I would have preferred to be at my spot, watching a tape or something. But now that I’ve run into you, I think they might have been right.”

She looked away, then back at me. “So you think?” she asked.

“I know so,” I told her.

I reached into my pocket and handed the bartender my card. He glanced down at the name, then back up at me with wide eyes.

“Oh my gosh, you’re Niko Lockwood! You’re the best running back in the league. Can I get your autograph?” he asked.

I gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded. “Long as you keep it down, man. I got you,” I told him.

He nodded and walked away to swipe my card for the drinks. I slowly turned to face the beautiful woman behind me. She gripped her hips with a knowing smile.

“I wanted to lie and say I was going to say something, but I didn’t think telling you who I am was relevant,” I told her.

“I agree, and I wasn’t going to ask. I’m here for a good time.”

I nodded and drank some of the cognac I’d bought. The bartender returned and I signed a napkin for him and left a nice tip.

“Since you know my name, can I get yours?” I asked.

“Lore,” she responded.

I loved the way her name sounded and it was so unique. “Can We” by SWV came on in the club; it was an R&B kind of night, which was cool with me. I loved to hear the classics. Baby Girl in front of me started to rock to the beat. I drank what was left and then looked back over at her.

“You want to dance?” she asked.

I lifted a brow and followed her onto the dancefloor. The way she wound her hips against me, I couldn’t do much but follow. It was as if we were magnets with no destination but each other. We danced for a few more songs and got a few more drinks. I didn’t expect things to go much further than that but they did. Real far… until it didn’t.

Lore closed her eyes as we continued to sway, then laid her head against my shoulder. I held her tighter. I wanted to memorize every curve of her frame. This woman had come into my life and shook shit up. She was why I hyper-focused on the game and after I had done everything I could, I moved on. It was why I felt confident enough to take this job opportunity.

“I would have never guessed you would do anything like this,” she said, lifting her head from my shoulder.

I chuckled. “Why not? I can be spontaneous and shit.”

She laughed with a shake of her head. “Please. The professional ball player who never wanted to leave, although it wasn’t his dream.”

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