Page 23 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“This sucks,” I groan. “I meet a woman I'm really interested in and she hates me.”

“You could change jobs,” this idiot suggests. “After all, football is an existentially important part of your life.”

“Great,” I grumble, throwing my hands in the air and standing up. I paced up and down. Alex watches me, but doesn't say anything. He seems quiet and equally at a loss. And when he's at a loss, it's really serious. He always has some advice for me, or at least a stupid remark.

“You could show her your university degree in economics,” is his next brilliant idea.

“Idiot,” I grumble. “That won't change her mind as long as I'm playing football.”

“You didn't take the advice to stop playing either.”

“No!” I look at him, annoyed. “Do you have any useful suggestions?” I lean against the back of the chair.

“You have to keep at it,” he says clearly now. “You have to prove to her that you're serious and that you really want to get to know her. But you also have to ask yourself if it's worth it.”

“Of course it's worth it,” I snap at him. “Could you take the whole thing more seriously?”

Alex doesn't seem to understand that I'm really interested in Cara. If I just wanted to get her into bed once, I wouldn't make such a fuss.

“I'm taking this seriously,” he replies. “But I also don't want you to get your hopes up.”

“Hm,” I say. “I'm not. I just want to get to know her. That's all.”

Alex raises his eyebrows and grins.

“It's really sad that you don't want to have sex with this woman,” he says suddenly.

“Of course I want to have sex with Cara.” He grins and I groan in annoyance. “Don't change the subject. Please, Alex.”

“First of all, you could work with her, right? Do you have a contract?”

I nod. Cara has given me a contract to become a client of Corse Sports Management, though not entirely voluntarily. Knowing full well how important it is for her résumé and the company's client list.

“Yes, but she's not thrilled,” I say immediately. “Cara doesn't really want me as a client anymore. She's only doing it because she knows it will help her résumé.”

“Understandable,” Alex says. “She's not interested in you and wants to keep you at arm's length so she can stick to her own resolutions.”

“Why is she making it so unnecessarily complicated?”

“Because she's a woman.”

I roll my eyes and go to the kitchen to get a drink. I don't think she's making it so complicated just because she's a woman. Cara doesn't want to date me because of my job, and I have to find out why. And then I have to work against it. I'd be laughing if I couldn't get to my date, right? She wants to go out with me, I know that. Sooner or later my job won't be an obstacle for her either.

“Do you want a drink?” I ask and Alex shakes his head. “Do you think she'll pass you on to another agent at Corse Sport Management?”

“No,” I say honestly and walk back to Alex with a bottle of water in my hand. “She wants the glory of representing me way too much for that. Cara is ambitious, very ambitious, and she wants to prove to herself, to me, and I'm sure to her father, that she can advise me. She won't give me up, but she will keep our contact to a minimum.”

“Does that mean she will only communicate with you by e-mail?”

I nod and run my fingers through my hair. “If anything. Maybe I'll put her out of my mind after all.”

“You're giving up?” Alex looks at me with wide eyes. “Seriously? Why?”

“Cara's stubborn, really stubborn, and she won't back down.”

“And you're a McCarter,” he retorts, punching me in the chest. “Noah, you'll get it. You always get what you want. You wanted to be a starting quarterback in Boston, and you got it. You wanted to go to college in Georgia because they had the best quarterback prospects, and you got it. So, you’re going to date Cara Catherine Corse.”

I sigh and look at him.

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