Page 3 of Dangerously Yours

“I got all the reservations handled,” Daxon chimed in before I could respond.

“Then it sounds like we should head south soon,” I added.

Each year, we would take advantage of a super yacht Daxon had inherited from his grandfather. Robert Faulkner was an oil tycoon, and when he retired to Florida, he had purchased a hundred and twenty one foot luxury yacht that slept up to twelve guests comfortably in its six cabins. It also had room for a handful of crew members, and quarters for them to sleep in as well. The vessel itself was built in Italy, and had undergone a full modernization since arriving on Terminal Island.

The flybridge was spectacular, and one of my favorite places to be when entertaining. It had a full bar under shade, which was definitely necessary in that humid, Florida heat. There was also a pool and jacuzzi on the top deck which saw plenty of action, mostly after everyone had a few drinks in them. We never had a shortage of women, and it wasn’t unheard of for me to play with three or four in the hot tub at once. The last part of the outsideof the ship was a seating area where we would eat, drink some more, or even play cards.

Inside, there was an actual lounge, along with another full bar, and a dining room. There was a home theater, a large great room, and even a game room fully equipped with a pool table, darts, and foosball. It was a bachelor’s dream, and something we used whenever in South Beach. When not on the yacht, we could be found in Robert’s penthouse condo. It was dubbed as one of the ultimate addresses in all of Miami, the skyscraper a towering figure along the southernmost tip of South Beach in the South of Fifth neighborhood.

Daxon had thought about selling it at one time, and I had been prepared to buy it myself. He ultimately decided to just keep it, and we often made use of it as well when in the state. Winters in Chicago sucked, but the same couldn’t be said about South Florida. The two places were like night and day this time of year, but when summer arrived, both were the same sweltering level of hell.

“You guys could come with your girls,”Romeo had told Gabriel and Callum last night as we’d gathered at the Vault for a guy’s night out.

“It’s not quite Spring Break yet, so Nicole and I both have school,”Cal had told us.

“And for me, this year’s free agency is going to be unlike any I have been part of before. There are so many contracts to rework. Thank fuck that I got the two of you squared away last year,”Gabe had told us, specifically talking to Romeo and me.

I certainly didn’t envy his position. Last year, it had been horrible seeing my name and picture splashed across the screenson every sports cast there was. Words like “greedy,” “overrated,” and “selfish” were attached to my picture, and no one had ever thought our team could keep both its MVP quarterback and all-pro running back, but Gabriel had managed to make it all happen. The complaining seemed to die down then, but with our early playoff loss, those same asshats were now questioning whether it was better to trade me. I didn’t mind playing in other stadiums, but Chicago was my home.

Being born and raised in the city, I had spent my entire life here. I loved the glitz and glamor of New York City and Hollywood, as well as the weather in Miami, but I could never imagine living in any of those places full-time. Most athletes dreamed of playing for their childhood teams, so to be able to do that, the very idea that I could be sent off to another team was worrisome.

Gabriel had assured me that there was nothing to worry about when it came to those rumors, and it did make me feel a bit better, but general managers and owners could make life very difficult for me if they wanted me to go, and I instead dug my heels in to stay. Other than my agent, no one else understood the stress that I was under other than my fellow Titan, and favorite offensive target on the field. Romeo made my life easier on game day, and he was irreplaceable in my book.

“Earth to Noah,” that same teammate said, and I looked up at him.

“What?”

“Are you ready, man?” Daxon asked.

I nodded, then grabbed the handle of my suitcase. The three of us left my condo, and we headed to the airport. One would think that one of us would have a private plane, but alas, wedid not, so a first-class commercial flight was our current mode of transportation. Romeo currently had a chopper, but he never took it long distances, and no one could blame him for that. Seeing as he had also just gotten his pilot license a few months earlier, it was safer to just fly commercial.

Getting through the airport was a struggle, and it made me want to look into purchasing a jet of my own. Last year, Gabe had gotten me a monster contract extension, so it was a possibility. Buying my own condo down in Miami was, too. I chose to stop thinking about planes and to something more attainable in the short term. Daxon had inherited one hell of a place on South Beach which was minutes from all the popular beaches, illustrious shopping, and gourmet restaurants.

The building itself was designed with luxury in mind, and every designer detail was impeccable. The views were amazing, and the unit had any amenity you could imagine. There was even a huge gaming room, although that had been installed by my friend, and not his grandfather. I loved to play Madden with the guys, and of course, I already knew who would always quarterback my team. The kitchen was immaculate, as was the sleek infinity pool I had used to my benefit more than a few times over the last couple of years. From the high-end finishes to wrap around balconies, the place had it all.

As my mind continued to flash with visions of last year’s party, an idea popped into my head. I turned to Daxon. “What do you think about a party on land, then one off shore? We’ll be there a week, and?—”

“I’ve already considered that, and the staff is stocking up both, boat and condo, with everything we’ll need. I say we hang out at the latter tonight, then head to the boat tomorrow. I have quite the rager planned for it, and something else, too.”

“Something else?” Romeo questioned, and the dark-haired man smirked.

“One of the Cuban rappers wants to use the boat for their next music video, and we’ve been asked to be a part of it.”

“A music video, huh?”

It wouldn’t be the first time we had been in a video, commercial, or a television show. I had even had a brief cameo in a movie or two over that time. Memories of me and a redhead actress had me smiling. Allison Porter might be America’s Sweetheart now, but for one night in New York City, she had been a freak in the sheets. It had been a minute since I had last seen her, and I decided to see who was on the star-studded guest list. I might have to look her up if she made the cut.

LULU

I had been numb for weeks it seemed, especially since Cade had left. Well, I threw him out on his traitorous ass which was unheard of because he was a Titan, and I was merely the mother of his children. Thankfully, the courts had sided with me, and not wanting to disrupt our children’s lives more than a divorce would already, I was granted full custody on a temporary basis and allowed to stay in our home. How long would be anyone’s guess because I currently had no job in which to support myself, and a hefty enough alimony might not even cover everything.

It was another reason I was so stressed. I wanted to lash out at him over his infidelity, but I had other more worrisome things on my mind. After realizing the undeniable truth that night when I had picked up his shirt and saw another woman’s lipstick on his collar, I had made up my mind that this marriage couldn’t continue. Cade had all the backing of the community, and while I was a common fixture when it came to organizing parties and other events, he was a Titan, so the deck was stacked in his favor already.

I needed more than hurt feelings to use against him in a court of law, so I had hired an investigator while having to pretend as if nothing was wrong. In the middle of the night, I would be awakened by Cade moving above me as he tried to push his cock between my legs. Like I would do during our happier times, I lifted my ass, and willed myself not to cry as he fucked me. The entire time, I had derived no pleasure from it, because all I kept wondering was what he had done with her, and who she even was.

I now knew of at least four women, and I was sure there was more. Cade had a practical harem which explained the reason he had no time for me. After college when I had gotten pregnant, I gave up my new job, and later my career, at his urging because he wanted me to take care of our child. Just when I thought I might go back to work part-time, another child came, then another, and I finally devoted myself fully to them. I had been out of the workforce for fifteen years, and it didn’t escape me that I was no longer twenty-four anymore. I was now thirty-nine, and I was scared to death.

No, terrified was more like it. Our children were involved in so many activities as is, and with such a huge gap in my employment history, finding a job would be an uphill battle. If I was lucky enough to find a job, they would likely not allow me to be there for our kids the way I was used to. Cade was a manipulative bastard, and at the hearing yesterday, he had promised me that he would get our children, then evict me from the place we had designed together years ago.

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