Page 28 of The Player's Obsession

I curl up in a ball on the floor of my shitty apartment, wondering how I’m going to get out of this mess without declaring bankruptcy. If I do that, it means it will be seven years before I can buy a house. Seven years. I cry harder, the tears stream down my face, and I taste salt on my lips. I’m a mess. I get up and grab the tissue box off my dining room table. What am I going to do? I can’t make the payments on time. I don’t have rent money for January. I might be able to talk to the manager and buy a few days. A few days to what? Find a park bench? I’m sure Lucinda would let me stay at her place, but I don’t want to impose on her. My sorrow turns to rage. I’m so pissed at my brother that he better not come by with his skanky friends again. I’m done. I tried to be a good sister, and it was all for nothing. He’s the Titanic, and I’m on the sinking ship with him. I need a lifeboat.

Carlo didn’t just steal my money. He stole my future.

CHAPTER13

Oliver

Ipull into my three-car garage and turn off the engine. I sit there for a minute, basking in the glow of a perfect evening spent with a woman who isn’t afraid to be honest with me. It’s refreshing, and I am impressed with her values. I chuckle, remembering her comment about me being off my meds. I must be off my rocker to propose something so drastic to a stranger, even if it was a prank, which it isn’t.

When our lips met, my cock was as hard as a stealth bomber about to drop its payload. Given her reserved nature, burying myself between her legs would have been too much to hope for. Getting laid on the first date is no guarantee, even for me. Penelope left me wanting to feel more than her lips at the door. If she invited me inside, it would have been all over. I don’t want our first time to be rushed.

Why am I thinking about our first time when I’m in love with Melanie?

As entertaining as the evening was, I was not able to convince her to go to the wedding with me. I haven’t given up. There is still time to get a dress and pack for a last-minute weekend getaway. I should have told her about the spa packages and fine dining, not to mention the lake is pretty all year long. The resort is a posh place where the wealthy go to rub elbows. It’s more popular in the summer, but prices are better in winter.

I toss my keys on the kitchen counter and loosen my tie. I can’t forget the warm kiss we shared. She has to like me, she kissed me back. I walk up to my room and undress, changing into sweatpants and a T-shirt. I check myself out in the closet’s full-length mirror and flex my bicep. I’m still buff. I’ll get a light workout in before our team meetings tomorrow. Remembering that I need to deliver a jersey to Penelope, I rummage through my closet for last year’s jersey and pull it off the wooden hanger.

I hold it up for inspection and give it the sniff test. It’s dry-cleaned, so there is no springtime fabric softener to make it smell as beautiful as it looks. I turn it around to see how my name looks on the back. It’s perfect for her. I hang it in the closet, so it won’t wrinkle. My phone rings as I’m heading downstairs to grab a glass of water.

“What’s up?” If my brother calls this late, he must be between girlfriends.

“I had a date tonight,” I announce.

“No way. A real date? Did you get some tongue?”

“She’s a nice girl, I like her.”

“Did you ask her?”

“Well, kinda. She didn’t really answer, but she is coming to my game Thursday night.”

“There you go. But the wedding is Saturday. You don’t have much time. You know how girls always have to get their hair and nails done and buy new shoes.”

“She’s not like that.”

“So she’s ugly.”

“No, she’s normal.”

“Normal is never good, bro.”

I find myself smiling when I think of her. “Her name is Penelope.”

“That’s a mouthful. What is she like?” I can tell he’s playing video games from the noises in the background.

“She’s unpretentious.”

“Another big word. You’re killing me. What is she like?”

“She’s honest, genuine and hard-working.”

“What does she do?”

“She’s in finance at the pharmaceutical company in the city.” I leave out the part where she cleaned my house. No one has to know that’s how we met.

“Cool. That fits with how anal you are.”

“I’m not anal. Self-absorbed, maybe.”

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