Chapter One
Brittany
“Are you nervous?” Patrick asked with a sly grin.
I shook my head, straightening my pantsuit for the third time. “Not at all.” I winced, my voice barely louder than a squeak.
He laughed, the noise reverberating through the now empty halls of Newbury Stadium. “It’s okay to be nervous, you know. There are interns all over the country gunning to be where you are right now. This college is where basketball legends are made, and you’re about to meet one of them.”
“How did you get the interview?” I asked him.
The towering man never seemed to stop smiling. He was going to be my new boss for the next six months. I couldn’t believe I was really there, reporting on something other than my small hometown’s news. It was difficult to be a female reporter in the sports industry, and God only knew that I didn’t want to be there. Still, anything was better than being back home.
“I’ve known most of these guys since they were first scouted in high school. It’s just the way things work around here. I’ll go on to follow them through the NBA too.”
“Wow,” I said, genuinely surprised. “So, this is nothing new and exciting for you?”
He shrugged. “It has its ups and downs. Did you think you’d be here on your first day?”
“Shadowing an interview?” I asked. “Not at all. I thought I would be fetching your coffee and rewriting emails.”
“Don’t worry, there will be lots of that later too.”
Our conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. It was no wonder reporters always plugged their ears. By the time the team came into view, it was almost overpowering. If I had been nervous meeting Patrick before, I was twice that now. These guys were my age but tall and muscular. It was easy to see why basketball players always seemed to have women following them around.
A few of them stopped and shook hands with Patrick, their eyes grazing over me before moving on. I felt a heat rush to my cheeks when the man we were set to interview came over to us. Even though I’d seen him in passing on television, it did him little justice now. He towered over me, the heat from his body instantly sending a shiver down my spine as his crystal blue eyes and sandy blond hair brushed against his short beard.
I bit my lip and quickly looked away from him when he grinned at me. “Got some fresh meat there, I see, Patrick.”
“You would notice a pretty lady, Corey,” Patrick said. “This is Brittany. She’s my new intern.”
I looked up at him. Corey Patton. I quickly gathered myself together and held out my hand for him to shake. “Hi there.”
“Hi,” he said with a slight southern accent. It was like music to my ears. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brittany. So, what brought you to ESPN?”
“A network as popular as this one looks fantastic on a resume. It’s an honor to work with Patrick.”
“Yeah, but what do you really know about the sport?”
I could see it in his eyes. He was belittling me. Like most men in the industry, he thought just because I was a female, I wasn’t competent to be there with them. I was enraged, but I’d long ago taught myself to hide the anger well. Instead, I smiled politely at him and cleared my throat. He wouldn’t be underestimating me again.
“Corey Patton, right?” I said sarcastically. “You’re the point guard for the Rangers. You’ve been for the last two years of your college career and plan on keeping that position for the rest of your time here. You are number one on the pre-draft picks with your very own teammate, Antwan Delray, vying for your spot. Judging by the way you favor your left side when running court, I’d say he’s giving you a run for your money.”
Patrick and Corey both looked at me with their mouths hanging open. I stopped talking and quietly went back to taking notes while they recovered from the shock. After a few seconds, Corey shook his head and cleared his throat. I looked up at him like nothing had just happened.
“Well I’ll be damned,” he muttered. “Patrick, you sure know how to find them. Tell me, would you like to go out with me later tonight?”
I blushed. “Sorry. I don’t date.”
“It wouldn’t be a date. I bet Patrick here can even make the big dogs at ESPN pay for it. We can call it a lifestyle interview.”
“An exclusive?” I said, my eyes lighting up.
He grinned and nodded. “Sure.”
“Okay,” I said, quickly giving him my business card.
“All right ,you two, break it up. Brittany, I think you can head back to the station now. I’ll meet you there.”
I nodded my head and spun around before he could change his mind. I didn’t want to be there in the first place, but I had just gotten my first inside scoop. I knew that Corey was patronizing me. There was no doubt that women in the past had fallen for the same line, but not me. I wanted the story. I wanted to know who Patton was behind the scene. That was an angle that would pull more female readers in. That was why I was there, to make a name for myself no matter what it took.
* * *
It was harder than I thought to stay away from Corey. Two hours into our dinner interview and I was putty in his hands. He was far beyond charming. His easy personality and Southern style were downright intoxicating. I’d stuck to my guns so far, but I wouldn’t hold out much longer.
“So, you’ve asked me every question under the sun for your story. What do you say we get out of here?” he said with a grin.
I laughed. “Thank you for the wonderful evening, but I really should be getting home.”
Corey slid closer to me on the bench, but he was careful not to touch me. Flirting was one thing. I shuddered and forced myself to keep in control of the situation. His hot breath melted my cold exterior, though, as he blew against my ear. By the time he ran his fingers up my arm, I was lost to him entirely.
“I like you,” he said softly.
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I whispered back, fighting to control my desire.
“No, you’re different. You have a fire inside you. I really like that.”
“You aren’t told ‘no’ much, are you?” I asked, trying to keep things light.
One finger trailed up my arm now, but it didn’t stop at my shoulder. He ran it up my neck, gently stroking the silver hoop in my ear and leaning in closer. My body was on fire for him. I was already dripping wet. I wanted him. It wasn’t often that I met someone I just wanted to sleep with. I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a good time.
“Do you want to come home with me?” he whispered.
I shook my head. “No way. But I’d love a ride home.” I let my fingers trail down onto the seat between us and up his leg. “Maybe you can come in for a nightcap.”
“Anything you want.”
* * *
I led him upstairs to my apartment, barely able to keep my hands to myself as he gently massaged my palm. The second we were through the door, Corey had me pinned up against it, his hands sliding up my hips beneath the thin skirt I’d dawned for the night. When his lips collided with mine, his tongue darting into my mouth, I shuddered with desire.
I didn’t want the moment to end, but when he broke away from me and started trailing kisses down my neck to the crease in my breasts, I bit my lip and let him go. Feverishly unbuttoning my top, he cupped my breasts in his massive hands as he moved lower still, kissing every inch of exposed flesh until his fingers slipped away and moved down my body. He was on his knees now in front of me, hunching over my hips because he was so tall.
When he hooked his fingers through my thong and pulled it down, I felt the dampness that my desire had created. I moaned with pleasure as he kissed the spot above my entrance. I shuddered with pleasure as his lips connected with my pearl.
“Jesus,” I muttered, a sigh of passionate relief.
His fingers didn’t stop their assault as they trailed up my thighs, plunging into my body. It was like fireworks were going off inside me. Corey’s long fingers flicked my body as his tongue dove around my clit. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging on him gently. I wanted him, but I didn’t want it like this. It took all of my self-control to shove him away.
He grinned. “Too much?”
I shook my head. “Not enough.”
I pulled the skirt down first, stepping out of it and wearing nothing now but the black heels I’d dawned earlier in the day. I curled my finger for him to follow me into the bedroom. It didn’t take any more encouragement for him to be close behind me. The second the bedroom door closed, he swept me up into his arms, covering my body in kisses again. His warm tongue blew against my burning flesh.
He laid me down on the bed and I was his to play with. Every time his skin touched mine, it sent chills through my body. There was a rush, a feverish passion between us that wouldn’t die down. I leaned forward, grabbing ahold of his huge cock and pulling him closer to me.
“Do you have a condom?” I asked him, barely able to speak through the desire.
He shook his head. “Shit, no. This came out of nowhere.”
I didn’t care. I could take the pill tomorrow. All I could think about was getting his huge shaft inside me. I tightened my grip on him and his eyes rolled back in his head. He lurched forward, the same passion quickly rising inside him. I wrapped my legs around him, his shaft pressing against my body. It had been months since I’d had sex. My heart started to race as I realized just how large he was.
When he plunged into my body, I screamed out his name, his lips coming down on me as I shot my tongue into his mouth and buried my nails into his back. Every time he thrust into me, I couldn’t contain my desire. I rose to meet his every move, shuddering as the passion inside me built up to a crescendo. My core tightened around his throbbing shaft, and it became rigid as we rocked together in a wild moment of uninhibited pleasure.
“I’m going to come,” he whispered.
That was all it took to push me over the edge. My body exploded with passion as the orgasm washed over me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t let go of him. I felt his hot seed shoot into my body and coat my swollen canal. The orgasm shuddered through me until I couldn’t see. All I could do was hold on for dear life as the rest of the world faded into nothingness.
He fell back against the bed, trying desperately to catch his breath. I felt worn out, but something more was stirring inside me, another desire that I couldn’t quench so easily. In the day that I’d known Corey, I’d discovered that there was more between us than just lust.
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