Page 14 of Dirty Player

Steph tried to tell me not to date Levi when we first met, but he charmed my socks off and there was no way I could’ve turned him down.

I’d flopped back onto the sofa and nodded. “Yeah. What a fuckup.”

She did the same beside me, then turned her head. “You probably should’ve dumped him before making out with another guy, but I know he’d been distant, and things weren’t great.”

I turned to face her. “It was the family dinner, you know. Like, why didn’t he invite me?”

Stephanie shrugged. “Dunno. But it’s a message. He wasn’t serious.”

“So why does he glare at me like I’m the devil incarnate when he sees me?”

Stephanie climbed off the sofa. “Men. Egos. You hurt his pride. And in front of his idols.”

Which I regret. But if I could just explain to him what happened. It didn’t play out like everyone thought. Even Steph didn’t buy my story.

Which wasn’t a story.

But going on those dates with Colby after completely discredited me.

What did it matter? Levi had given me absolutely zero opportunity to explain. Or he’d listened to my messages and not cared.

I park my car and stare at the Hawkes Complex—a state-of-the-art NFL practice and training facility built for the Hawkes—and let it sink in. This is a big deal. Getting this job is a dream and has secured my career for the rest of my life.

Unless I mess it up.

My parents worked hard to help me attend Penn State. Unlike most of the kids attending, my parents were blue-collar workers. My scholarship paid for most of the cost, but they made up the difference allowing me to focus on my studies instead of getting a job.

So there are expectations.

From them.

And from myself.

I’m the first person in my family’s history to get a degree and do something worthwhile. My dad’s words. Plus, he is an NFL fan, so he’s invested.

“Just keep away from the Montgomery boy and you’ll be fine,” Dad said. “He thinks you’re not good enough, aye? Well, he’s not good enough for you.”

Every time he’d say something, I’d feel guilty about letting him think Levi dumped me.

But telling my father I kissed another guy was not something I wanted to get into.

He’d be ashamed of me.

A silver Jaguar pulls into the parking lot. I watch as they park near all the other luxury vehicles. These players earn some of the biggest incomes in the United States. While I know some of them, working with them is going to be a whole other ballgame.

Pun intended.

I’ll need their respect to do my job, and I hope Levi will be as professional as I intend to be. We both need to put what happened behind us and focus on our careers.

We have too much to lose if we don’t.

He may be pissed about what happened, but so am I. I told Colby he had no right to kiss me, and he apologized.

If Levi had just taken one of my calls, we might have been able to fix it. Or broken up amicably. Or maybe he wanted it over and was happy for me to feel like the asshole.

I’m not going out of my way to be nice. Professional, yes. Friends...no.

That ship has sailed.

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