Page 14 of Quarterback Sneak

“Howler tells me you led your division in completions last year. I’m impressed,” Sam said. Lyle reminded him of his biological father, a blowhard who delighted in dragging his son down with his negativity.

“Thanks, man.” Jake nodded and a touch of redness stained his pale cheeks. “That means a lot coming from someone like you.”

“He needs to work on his speed.” Lyle clasped the back of his son’s thick neck with what appeared to be a none-too-gentle hand. “One day some defensive back is going to cream my Nancy boy cause he can’t move his ass.”

“If he wasn’t good, Howler wouldn’t be representing him. Beating him down isn’t going to fix the issue.” Sam turned to Jake and ignored the flash of impending rage marking Lyle’s brow. “If you want, we can work out together in the morning. I’ll show you a couple of unconventional exercises I found useful to increase speed.”

“I’d like that, thanks,” Jake said.

Lyle’s fingers dug into the skin of his son’s neck when he accepted the invitation. Sam expected Jake to retract his decision in the face of his father’s disapproval, but he shook off Lyle’s hand and mumbled something about going to the bathroom.

After Jake escaped, Lyle continued to glare at Sam. Sam stood his ground, unwilling to back down.

“How do you like the jet? Nice, isn’t it?” Howler gripped Lyle’s shoulder, drawing the man’s attention away from Sam. “Come on. Let me give you a tour.”

“Is my boy flying home in this?” Lyle asked.

“Let’s get him signed first.”

Pleased to be out of Lyle’s company, Sam claimed the couch. He dug out a pair of earbuds from his pocket, intent on zoning out. After being awake for thirty-six hours straight, his eyelids drooped, yet he was oddly exhilarated. Ever since he’d accepted his scholarship, he had conditioned himself to ignore his body’s need for sleep in lieu of more work and study time. After so many years, the habit was hard to break. Today he’d been glad for it, because he’d gotten to spend the night with Ivy in his arms. Not to the extent his body ached for, but that would come, eventually.

He stretched out, grateful for the legroom the luxurious jet provided. Sam usually avoided such perks on principle. As a member of the esteemed Caldwell family, his father Patrick had traveled the world in his family’s private plane while his ex-girlfriend had worked two jobs to put food on the table for her son. Sam tried to push the memories of his father aside but after the interaction with Lyle and Jake, they crowded his tired mind.

The pilot entered the cabin and greeted the passengers before he disappeared into the cockpit, the distraction a welcome break from Sam’s darkening mood. He wouldn’t be like his father and Lyle and center in on the negative. There was too much good in the world to obsess over the bad.

Sam flipped through the pictures on his phone, intending to focus on a more appealing subject. Ivy. He stared at the last photo he’d taken and his lips curled into a smile at the sight of her laughing up at him from their selfie. A deep longing surged in his heart. He wished he could climb off the plane and go to her, but the captain’s voice relaying the flight plans brought him back to reality. San Francisco had gone to great expense to fly him to California, and he had made a commitment to consider their offer. As much as he wanted a normal life, everyone had to work for a living, and he had chosen his path. It had been good to him so far, and he intended to ride it out to the end.

The plane’s engines roared to life, and the pilot asked everyone to be seated. Howler hopped into his seat, his ashen face broadcasting his fear of flying. Having such a fear was not funny in the least; however, given his relationship with Howler, Sam found it difficult not to harass his friend. The man was sensitive about the subject and wouldn’t appreciate being mocked in front of others. Being an ass was fine in Howler’s view, but being a coward was no laughing matter, and Howler would definitely have been screaming on the plane without liquid courage.

Force from the takeoff pushed Sam farther into the leather cushions and into a deeper state of relaxation. His lids dropped and sleep dulled his senses. He allowed his mind to drift to the early morning hours when his world had been perfect.

“Ladies and gentleman, we are beginning our final descent into San Francisco, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing.”

The words invaded Sam’s sleep-filled mind at the same instant a rather pungent scent of perfume burned his nose. He began to sneeze at the cloying, sweet odor.

“Here, Honey,” Jane said.

Sam turned his head and found Jane sitting next to him, tissue box in hand. Up close, her face appeared unnaturally smooth and spackled with enough makeup to hide every line or wrinkle she might possess. Her false lashes fluttered, and she quirked her collagen-enhanced lips into a smile. Why did some women think they had to look like a Barbie doll?

“Thanks.” He accepted the tissue and righted himself, careful not to touch her lest she get any ideas. And judging by her flirtatious manner, she had plenty. He scanned the cabin for Howler, hoping to get some help, but his friend was sitting in his chair, head down, with a deathlike grip on the armrests.

Jane rested her shoulder against the cushion next to Sam. She crossed her legs and rubbed the toe of her lethal-looking stiletto against his pant leg, one arched brow raised. “No problem, sweetie.”

Fantastic, Howler had just introduced him to his next stalker. “You should probably fasten your seatbelt.” Sam tightened his own as the plane began to descend toward the tarmac now visible outside his window.

“I should.” She leaned in even closer, her breasts nearly spilling out of her low-cut dress while she searched out the belt.

Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her transparent seduction. Strip away all of her artifice and she was an attractive woman, just not his type. He preferred women who didn’t try so hard, confident women like Ivy.

“I wanted to thank you for the way you stood up for my son. His father isn’t the easiest man to deal with, as you can probably tell. I didn’t want him to come, but he insisted, and Jake finds it hard to say no to the man.”

In her comment, he caught a glimpse of the real woman beneath the false façade, a loving mother who cared about her son. “I understand what it’s like to deal with difficult people, especially family.”

For years, he had avoided Patrick and had told him countless times to leave him alone. Unfortunately, the man never took the hint. When Sam began showing promise as an athlete, his father had started coming around, despite the restraining order, fouling the air with his black moods and unwelcome advice. While logically Sam accepted Patrick’s mental illness for what it was, the fact that he refused treatment for his bipolar disorder was unforgivable in Sam’s opinion. Had Patrick been willing to sober up and take his medication, things might have turned out differently.

With the grinding of brakes, the jet touched down, the wheels grabbing for purchase on the tarmac. The plane slowed its momentum until it rolled to a stop. Sam was relieved to be on solid ground, anxious to escape the company of these unpleasant people and his equally unpleasant memories.

Jane unbuckled her belt and leaned in close, once more inundating him with her strong perfume. She rested her fingertip on the swell of her cleavage and rubbed at the exposed flesh. “I’d like to buy you dinner as a thank you. I’ve been told that the hotel where we’re staying has an excellent restaurant.”

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