Stroke It (A Standalone Sports Romance) Read online

  “So, does Jillian have any new prospects for you?”

  I focused back on her. “Not yet. It’s just a waiting game right now. She told me she would call me tomorrow...you never know.”

  “I’m sure she will come up with something, and one day, I will be writing about your career. We were born for stardom, baby.”

  I laughed, “Don’t you know it. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Where else would I be? Have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?”

  “No way. I don’t need to have another lecture at this point. Why don’t they bug you for your career choice; you’re an artist, too?”

  “Because currently I’m bringing in a steady paycheck. They just want to make sure that you’re okay, that you can take care of yourself. Being an actor isn’t exactly a guarantee, and they are scared you aren’t going to make it.”

  “Yeah, I know. Really supportive. I hate it. They know this is all I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. I just didn’t want to be stuck in school when I could be focusing on what I really want out of life.”

  “You don’t have to win me over; I know you want this, and I believe in you. We just need to get you the right role, and then you will be okay. I’m sure Jillian will call with something great.”

  I looked out across the bar just when two men started pushing one another. I pointed them out to Mandy, and she started to laugh.

  “Why do men fight like that? It just looks ridiculous. What could you be so mad about?”

  “I think they’re drunk.”

  “Probably.”

  The men got into a full-blown fight, fists flying as they moved themselves all over the floor. They started to get close to us, and we had to get right out of our seats.

  “Hey!” Mandy called out as one of them pushed her.

  “Oh, this is getting ridiculous, let’s just get out of here,” I said.

  “Sounds good. I’m likely to get punched out here.”

  The bouncer showed up and tried to break up the fight, but it only escalated things more. We grabbed our purses and headed towards the door. I didn’t want to be in a bar that was getting out of control. As we made our way outside into the warm evening air, I took a deep breath and looked around. There was a line-up to get in the bar, but they wouldn’t find a great time if those boys didn’t get kicked out.

  “That was ridiculous. I hate when that happens; it’s so dangerous. When they are tumbling around like that, they don’t even see the people around them.” Mandy rolled her eyes.

  “They should have more control over what happens in there. I’m just glad we got out of there before anything worse happened. All I need is to go to the next audition with a black eye.”

  She giggled, “That probably would have got you the role on the reality show.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  We hailed a cab back to our apartment. I was looking forward to getting out of the dress and having a beer before bed. When I came out of the bedroom, Mandy had cracked open a couple of beers, and we sat on the couch together.

  It was great having someone close to me that I could talk to when things were going bad. I could always count on Mandy to be there when I needed her. I always pictured her writing for Vogue when I was featured on the cover, what more could two girls ask for? It was just a matter of time.

  “Oh, man, this beer is good,” I said.

  “I know, right?”

  It felt good in be comfortable clothes and out of the bar. I was no longer in the mood to be around a lot of people, and I could always be myself with my sister.

  “Well, I hope you had a good time tonight, despite the bar fight.”

  “Yeah, of course I did,” I said. “We had good food and drinks; what more could a girl want.”

  “Maybe a penis.”

  I burst out laughing. “God, I haven’t had a decent date in awhile, never mind sex. I’m starting to wonder if I even know how to do it anymore.”

  “That’s why you need to get back out there. Get your mojo flowing again.”

  “Are you kidding me? No way. It would just be a distraction right now. I just want a break right now. It doesn’t have to be huge, just something to make it all worthwhile. Something to give me hope.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I need some hope. I need to know that everything is going to be okay. That I’m not out here for nothing. I want to have a great career; I don’t want to be a failure.”

  “Hailey, you couldn’t be a failure even if you tried.”

  “That’s how I feel sometimes, though. I know it was just a reality show, but I really wanted it. I thought it was going to be the beginning of something. I just need something to hope for. I don’t want a man or even a million dollars; I just want something to be proud of. My career at this point is all that I care about – it’s the biggest thing that I want.”

  “I know, Hailey; please don’t worry about it. I told you that it’s all going to work out. There is nothing to freak out about. You know you’re not a failure; how could you be? Anyone who is following their dreams as hard as you are can’t fail. Mom and Dad will see that one day, too; don’t doubt that. They love you. They are just scared for you right now. You have me by your side, and I certainly will not let anything happen to you.”

  “Thanks, Mandy.” I smiled at her with tears in my eyes. She made me believe that I really could do anything that I wanted to. She believed in me no matter what, and that was so important when you felt like the world was falling apart all the time.

  Tomorrow was a new day, and I was sure that Jillian would have something amazing for me. She was working as hard as any agent could to help me succeed.

  I went to bed that night feeling sure of myself once again.

  Chapter Five

  Caleb

  I woke up feeling like hell. It was mornings like this that made me wonder why I did this to myself all the time. Sure, it was always a hell of a party, but, man, I could not deal with the hangovers the next day.

  I would have to get up and make a green smoothie to at least attempt to make myself feel better. It was an old hangover cure Matthew and I had found while we were in high school. You basically mixed the kitchen sink together, and it tasted like hell, but it often made you feel better within a half hour. I needed it more that morning than I ever did.

  I groaned as I rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I took a leak and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked exactly how I felt, and that troubled me. I couldn’t remember much of the night before, just that I had to pour myself out of the cab at the end of the night.

  That was when I remembered the girl, and I raced out of the bathroom. There was no one in the bed. I had woken up alone. So, what happened to the girl? I knew I had fallen asleep with her the night before, and usually girls didn’t run out of the bed the next day.

  I slipped on a pair of boxers and headed out to the living room. There was no one there or in the kitchen. There was, however, a note on the counter. It read: “I had an early shift. Didn’t want to wake you. Call me.” She left a number on the note in her scratchy handwriting. I crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trashcan. I had no intention of calling her, so there was no point in keeping it.

  I started moving around the kitchen, cutting up vegetables and fruits to make a smoothie. I put everything in the blender and turned it on. When everything was blended together, I poured it into a cup and downed it as quickly as possible. It was disgusting, so I had to get it all in as quickly as possible. I needed to feel better quickly, or I would end up sleeping the day away in bed. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere feeling the way that I did.

  I looked around for my, hearing it ring. I found it on the coffee table in the living room.

  “Caleb? This is Aria Lopez?”

  “Aria…” I said as I wracked my brain as to who Aria was. The name was certainly familiar, but with the headache that I had, I couldn’t for the
life of me think of who it could be. Surely, it wasn’t the girl from last night. I was sure I hadn’t given her my number. I wasn’t ready to deal with her right then. I needed to get rid of the hangover I had first.

  “Caleb?”

  “Yes, sorry. Who is this?”

  There was a silence and then, “It’s Aria Lopez, your rep from Under Armour.”

  “Oh God, yes, of course. Sorry, I had a long night, and I’m not quite awake yet. My apologies. I do know who you are.” I pressed my eyes together feeling like a complete moron. My sponsor was calling me, and I was acting like I had no idea who she was. They were going to have a field day with that one.

  “Yes, I’m actually aware of the night that you had, Caleb, and that’s why I’m calling.”

  Confused, I wasn’t sure how to respond. What did she mean by that? “Okay, sure. What’s up?”

  “I would prefer to have this conversation in my office, Caleb. When can you be here?”

  “This isn’t something that can wait until tomorrow?” The last thing I wanted to do was to have a meeting the way that I was feeling. If I could postpone it until the next day, it would be ideal. She probably just wanted to talk about the majors, anyway, and that was a way off. It was not something that needed to be rushed.

  “No, Caleb. It’s actually an urgent matter. We would like to see you right now, in fact, so when can you be here?”

  “I will leave right now if that’s what you want.”

  “Great, we will see you soon.”

  Well, that was odd. I couldn’t imagine what she wanted to discuss with me that couldn’t wait. It was actually a little annoying. I would have to make it clear to her that I was the superstar and should be treated as such.

  They had all the time in the world to discuss sponsorship for the major; why did it have to be done on the day that I had a major hangover? Not to mention, how the hell did she know I had been out the night before? Maybe she had been talking to Gabriel and he mentioned being invited out. But Gabriel really wasn’t someone who talked to sponsors. I decided to shrug it off and get there quickly so that I could find out what she wanted.

  The phone rang again. “Caleb, it’s Aria. Meet me at the Twisted Apron for breakfast. I’m hungry.”

  I almost laughed, except her tone was really serious. “Sure thing. See ya soon.”

  I clicked off the line and ran to my bedroom to quickly change. I grabbed jeans and a t-shirt. I made sure to put on deodorant and cologne just in case the smell of booze was coming out of my pores. I checked myself out in the mirror and cringed. Well, it was the best that I could do. I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed out the door.

  I was nervous when I walked into the breakfast bistro, and I wasn’t sure why. The call for the meeting was a little weird, but these sponsors could really be picky sometimes. I saw Aria sitting at the table, not looking even the least bit happy to see me. I smiled at her anyway and sat across from her. Before I could even pick up the menu, she went into me like a rabid dog looking for a meal.

  “What the hell were you thinking last night? Do you think this is some kind of a joke?”

  I stared at her, unsure of what she was talking about. I thought about the night before and all the drunkenness that Matthew and I had gotten into. Something must have happened that I didn’t remember. But how did she know?

  “I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, Aria.”

  “Oh, well, isn’t that just perfect. You don’t even remember your idiocy.”

  I took a deep breath, trying not to flip out on her. I didn’t like how she was treating me, and worse, I had no idea why she was talking to me that way.

  “How about you explain things to me, so we can be on the same page?”

  Instead of explaining anything, she picked up her phone from the table and swiped a few times. She then turned the phone towards me, and I watched as a video played. It was a YouTube video of me at the night club the night before.

  There I was, standing amongst a few girls in my underwear, dancing. My face turned a beet red when I looked at the logo on the underwear. Yes, that probably didn’t look good at all. It became pretty clear to me why she was so pissed off. What the hell was wrong with me? How could I have gotten so drunk and behaved like that? And, to let someone tape me? That was clearly not the best idea. I suddenly wondered if my father had seen the video, and I sent out a quick prayer hoping that no one would show it to him.

  “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me; usually I’m not like that.”

  “I’m sure you’re not, Caleb,” she said sarcastically. “When you wear our products, we don’t really expect to see those products in a drunken strip show. That’s not really the image we are trying to portray, if you know what I mean.”

  She picked up her menu and started to look through it. I did the same while I slowly died of embarrassment.

  My face could not have gotten redder at that point. I didn’t even know how to explain myself or what I could say to make that look on her face disappear. She really did think that I was a special kind of moron, and I wasn’t sure that I had anything that could change her mind about that.

  “I’m very sorry, Aria. I don’t know what else I can say.”

  She put the menu down just as the waiter approached our table. She smiled for the first time since I got there and she quickly ordered. The waiter then looked to me, and I ordered some bacon and eggs. The waiter left, and I looked at Aria hoping that she was in a friendlier mood now that she knew that food was arriving soon.

  “We like you, Caleb. We endorsed you for a reason – because we believe in you.”

  “Well, thank—”

  “No, I’m not finished yet.”

  “Sorry.” She was dragging me over the coals.

  “Do me a favor and stop acting like an idiot, or we will drop our endorsements and wash our hands of you.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. The thought that they would drop me over the video was ludicrous. I was the son of a very wealthy and famous golf player. Not to mention my own accomplishments on the field. It was a joke to think that they could just drop me. I was Caleb Harris, after all. They would be crazy to lose me.

  “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”

  “No, we don’t think that, at all. In fact, we expect you to behave until at least after the tour is over. I know you think this is funny, but that drunken Under Armour commercial you pulled didn’t have anyone at the company laughing one bit.”

  “I’m not trying to make light of the situation. I just don’t think it’s bad enough to drop a sponsorship over it.”

  “Well, I assure you that we are serious. After the shit we saw on that video, we have decided that drastic measures need to be taken to ensure that you don’t continue to make a fool out of us.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They were serious. I couldn’t believe that they would actually think of taking away my endorsements. If I went to the majors without sponsorship, it would be a disaster, not to mention what my father might do to me.

  “Look, Aria, I apologized; it’s not like I went out to do it on purpose. I agree it was poor judgment and I assure you that it will never happen again.”

  “We want to work towards putting forth a different image of you Caleb, an image that would certainly work better with the endorsement.”

  I was speechless. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “We want you to get a girlfriend and start to act like a guy that has his shit together.”

  “What? A girlfriend? No way. I can’t remember the last time that I had a girlfriend, and I certainly don’t need one now.”

  “It’s not a request, Caleb. Get a girlfriend. I don’t care if you have to hire one, just do it. Fix this. Now.”

  I just stared at her. I didn’t know what to say. A girlfriend? The thought was preposterous, but what could I do? It was obvious that she was dead serious. The waiter arrived with our breakf
ast, but I just picked at it for the rest of the time we spent together. I had completely lost my appetite. I couldn’t believe what my stupidity had cost me. A girlfriend. What the hell was I going to do now?

  Chapter Six

  Hailey

  The busy day at work was making me regret drinking the night before. I didn’t have to be in too early since my shift started at lunch, but still, I felt tired. It had been good to get out with Mandy, though. She was able to take my mind off things, at least for a little while.

  The fact that I was working as a waitress in a bistro in the mall reminded me, however, that I was not doing what I wanted with my life. It was only a matter of time. I was sure of it. I was young and had the time to focus on my career; I just hated the moments of rejection and uncertainty that came with the industry. I just wished that I had a crystal ball that would tell me whether I was wasting my time trying to seek out this dream of mine.

  I had been working at the upscale bistro since I’d arrived in town and it wasn’t a bad job; it defiantly paid the bills, and my co-workers were pretty cool.

  “Hey, are you even paying attention to me?”

  Startled, I looked over at a woman at a table that I was serving. I had just been there to top off their coffee, and I couldn’t imagine what she was screaming at me about.

  “I’m sorry. Did you need something?”

  “We have been waiting for the bill to come, and we certainly don’t have all day.”

  I thought about how long it had been for me to return to the bar, and I couldn’t have been gone longer than ten or eleven minutes.

  “I’m really sorry. I thought you all were enjoying some coffee.”

  “We have shopping to do, and you’re over here daydreaming.”

  My face went a deep crimson as I held my tongue. I needed the job, and it would do me no good to snap at her and get fired. It’s true I had been daydreaming, but I had also taken very good care of her table. I didn’t deserve her treatment just because I wasn’t hovering over her table every second of my shift. I took a deep breath and said, “I will be right over with your bill, ma’am.”