Stroke It (A Standalone Sports Romance) Read online

  “Yeah, that’s true. I guess I’m just anxious to get on with it. It’s already been a week, and I’m itching to get back out there.”

  Matthew laughed. “I hear you, buddy. Just be nice to the girl. It’s bad enough she’s going to have to put up with your spoiled ass for three months.”

  I laughed, “Yeah right.” I took a sip from the new beer the waitress brought, enjoying the cool liquid as it went down my throat. The next few months were certainly going to be interesting, but I was also looking forward to it. It was going to be a real trip.

  Who would have thought that I would be in the situation? Matthew was right, it was insane, but that was also my life. I needed to focus on the majors, and that new girl was going to help me do it. All I needed was for her personality to match the picture that I saw, and everything would be perfect.

  Matthew and I sat there for the rest of the night talking about the majors and how I was going to beat the “choke” when the time came. Maybe if I took it easy for the next few months, just chilling with the girl, I wouldn’t feel so much pressure at the end when it came time to perform. That was the theory that Matthew had anyways.

  Whether I could pull it off was something we would see when April came around. There was no way around that. I would have to wait and see. The girl could really be the answer to all my problems.

  Chapter Nine

  Hailey

  It was Saturday, and I was arriving on a plane to Miami. It was actually still hard to believe. There I was, flying in first class to meet a man that I could possibly work with as his girlfriend for several months. Who would have thought that I would be there? It was all a little crazy, but it was also exciting. I couldn’t wait to meet him and see if we would click enough to work together.

  When the wheels touched down, my belly filled up with butterflies, and I quickly grabbed my carry-on. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was as I got off the plane.

  There was a handsome gentleman in the airport waiting for me. I knew right away that it wasn’t Caleb since I had already seen him on video. He was obviously someone important judging by the way he carried himself confidently, like he was in charge.

  He held out his hand as I walked up to him. I took it and shook it. “Hi, Hailey, I presume? I’m Matthew. I’m Caleb’s best friend; he asked me to come and collect you.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Matthew. Thank you for collecting me,” I said with a laugh. Were all the Florida men that handsome? First Caleb and now this guy.

  We started to walk towards a car where he put my carry-on in and opened the front passenger door for me. I slid into the seat as he went around to the other side and slid in the driver’s seat.

  “We are heading to Caleb’s home. You will love it there; it’s quite beautiful. The estate is well taken care of. He lives with his parents, but he also has an apartment in the city that he stays at regularly. I think for the time that you are staying here, he would be at the estate the whole time.”

  I just nodded, trying to take it all in. I was so nervous to meet Caleb, and I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work. If I got the job, I would be getting my own place, which would allow me some privacy. The idea of going to an estate made me insanely nervous.

  When we pulled up to the estate, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The house was on the water and surrounded by plenty of land. It was so huge, it looked like it was a castle. Who lives like this? I had heard that he was rich, but that was on a whole other level. They were very wealthy people, and I could be spending time in their company for months. It was like hanging out with the Gatsbys.

  As we pulled up to the front door, I tried to shake off the intimidation that I felt being around the house and about the kind of people I was going to meet. I needed to get the job. I didn’t want to go back to Georgia and have to tell Jillian that I failed at getting yet another job. No, that was impossible; it just couldn’t happen. I made a decision to go immediately into character and get the part that I needed to get to the next level.

  Matthew came around and opened the door for me; he was quite the gentleman. I got out of the car and followed him into the house. He brought me into the study, where Caleb was sitting behind a desk. He smiled and immediately got up from his chair and came around to greet me.

  I was taken aback by hot he was. You could see how chiseled his body was underneath a tight t-shirt. That wasn’t the best part, either; he had a handsome face; he looked far more attractive than he did in that drunken video. No wonder he had women all over him all the time.

  “Hailey, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am so happy to have you come all this way. It must be quite the unusual gig for you.”

  I laughed, “Yes, I have to say I was a little surprised, but also intrigued.”

  “Good. I just want to say straight off that I have no interest in having a real girlfriend.”

  I laughed again. “Obviously. That would be why you hired someone to play a part.”

  Matthew chuckled. “She got you there, buddy. You’re cute, Hailey. You will have to keep on your toes with this one.”

  “Yeah, I guess she told me,” Caleb said laughing. “I just wanted to make sure things were clear; this is a very unusual situation, after all. Even having a fake girlfriend is a whole new experience for me.”

  “It’s no problem. I totally understand.”

  He smiled, and I just about fainted. It was important to keep my cool, though. He had already made things clear: this was to all be an act. So, I had to be professional, and that meant not drooling all over my boss. We did have to spend three months together, after all.

  “Let me show you around the property.”

  “Of course.” I followed him out of the study, and he took us out to the back where there was a large entertainment area with a pool. Behind that, it seemed like the landscaped property just went on forever. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. I couldn’t believe there were people who actually called a place like this home. They were truly blessed.

  The three of us gathered on the patio chairs to admire the view. I could definitely get used to a life like this. If only it was my life.

  Caleb looked over at me and smiled. “So, Hailey, you will be living here with me.”

  I did a double take. “No, I don’t think so, that wasn’t part of the deal. I was planning on getting my own place; that’s what my agent suggested.”

  “It’s part of the deal now. I want this to be believable.”

  “It’s believable that you would be living with your girlfriend right away? No way,” I said exasperatedly.

  Matthew snorted, loving every comeback I had. I was starting to like him more and more.

  “People are going to have a hard time believing Caleb has a girlfriend in the first place. They may check you to make sure you’re not a robot.”

  Caleb laughed and gave Matthew the middle finger. “Right, because you have a girlfriend, Matthew?”

  “Hey, it doesn’t matter to people if I have one or not.”

  Caleb turned back to me while shaking his head. “Hailey, we’ll set it up for you to meet me at my favorite club. It will technically be the first time we meet. I will, of course, be behaving myself, since that’s what I do these days.”

  Matthew laughed. He was loving every minute of the little meeting. It was pretty obvious the two were close; after all, he was sitting in on a pretty important meeting. I wondered how much he would be part of the overall scam.

  “I will expect you to come on to me, Hailey, if you think you can handle that.”

  I smiled, “I don’t think that would be difficult.”

  “Great.”

  “So when is this epic night supposed to be happening?”

  “Tonight. I would like to get on with things, if you know what I mean.”

  “Wow, so does that mean I got the job? What about going to dinner or something?”

  He smiled, “It’s yours if you want it. I think we would get along great, and y
ou’re really funny, which helps.”

  “Okay, I’m in.”

  He nodded with a smile. “You won’t regret this, Hailey. You are going to have the time of your life.”

  “Well, you might regret this, Hailey, but he’s not wrong about having the time of your life,” Matthew added.

  I laughed, “Okay great.”

  “You will be seeing a lot of Matthew, as well. He is my right-hand man, and he is my caddy, so we are around each other quite a bit.”

  “Okay, that’s not a problem.”

  “Good, he will always be keeping an eye on you, so you don’t even need to worry about being in a situation that isn’t safe for you.”

  I smiled. “Well, I certainly appreciate that.”

  “It will be my pleasure, Hailey.” He winked at me. Oh boy, I was really going to have my hands full.

  “Well, I’m looking forward to working with you guys. It wasn’t a job that I expected to ever come up, but it is one that will keep me working until the next gig, so I appreciate the chance. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity and a lot of fun. I have never been to Miami.”

  “You will love it here.”

  The two guys started making plans while I listened in. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I couldn’t believe it was all going down that night. I was cool with it; it was just all happening so fast.

  I was relieved that I had scored the job, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. But Caleb was right; there was a good vibe between us, which meant it was unlikely that we would end up hating each other. I could do this; it would be the role of a lifetime, and when I returned to Georgia, I was confident that Jillian would have a good job set-up for me.

  I was a little unnerved by the idea that I would be living with Caleb. I had not expected that, and it made me a little uncomfortable. Wouldn’t that be a little weird having him in such close proximity all the time? I wondered. I reminded myself that it was just a job and I should treat it like that. When we were in the house, we could go on with our own business; it wasn’t as if we had to spend any time together.

  Still, it made me feel weird. I would have to discuss the pros and cons with Jillian. It wasn’t worth losing the job over, so I would do it if I had to. It was only for a few months, and it wasn’t like we were really dating, anyways. I would have to meet his parents, which would make things a little more awkward. But the upside to the whole thing was that the home was huge, so I really could just get lost in it.

  I remembered how Mandy had freaked out when she heard that I was going to be some pro-golfer’s girlfriend for a few months. She immediately decided that she should be an actor, too. She had gushed about how lucky I was.

  I guess I was. Caleb Harris was a handsome man, and it would definitely give me the chance to practice my skills – they were getting a little rusty. I was going to take things one day at a time and have some fun with the role. Why not? There would never be another opportunity like this one, and after three months, I would have to go back to my boring old life.

  When Caleb looked over at me with a smile, my heart started beating fast again. He was so hot that it was hard to look right at him. It was like looking at the sun. Matthew was going to bring me to a hotel that day to get settled, and then I would start to prepare my role for that evening. It had to look authentic, and it had to appear as if I was the one hitting on him. He already had a terrible reputation of being a playboy. We all got up to leave, and I couldn’t have wiped the grin off my face if I wanted to.

  Chapter Eleven

  Caleb

  I could not keep my eyes off Hailey the whole time we were interviewing her; she was gorgeous. When she made jokes, there was a glimmer in her eyes that was intoxicating. It just made me want to know more about her.

  The picture they had given me did her no justice. Sure, I thought she was pretty, but meeting her in person put her on a whole new level. She was incredible; she was beautiful, intelligent, and joked around like one of the guys. She had no problem telling it like it was, which was refreshing to see from a girl.

  I found myself becoming protective of her when Matthew would joke around with her. She obviously wasn’t my real girlfriend and never would be, but I didn’t even want to consider the possibility that Matthew was interested in her.

  I needed to chill the hell out. That was the main thing, to chill right out because I was getting out of control. I had no reason to be over the moon with Hailey. She was just like every other girl that I hooked up with. I wasn’t about to let myself lose my cool over any girl. It was very unlike me to stare at a woman for so long, but she was quite captivating – how could I not stare at her? Even Matthew seemed to be taken with her.

  I needed to calm down and just let things play out the way they were meant to. It was only for three months, but I was grateful that she was going to be the one by my side because I least I wouldn’t be bored, or worse, smothered. She would make the next few months fun, and I was actually looking forward to moving towards the majors with a classy girl by my side.

  We all got up from the table. “Okay, Hailey, Matthew is going to take you to the hotel, you can get yourself settled and then get ready for your first gig as my girlfriend.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait. I think it’s all very exciting.”

  “Good,” I said with a smile.

  I watched as Matthew escorted her out and felt a pang of regret that I hadn’t decided to handle her arrangements on my own. Originally, I didn’t want to be bothered, but that was before I had met Hailey. Now, I wished that I was the one that was taking her to the hotel.

  There was a moment of jealousy where I wondered what the two of them would talk about. Matthew was getting a little more time with my new girl than I was, and I didn’t know why that made me feel weird. Chill out, man, I told myself. Try to be professional about the situation. This is a job, an arrangement for three months, and that’s it. The only reason that she was here was because she wanted a job; she was getting paid to be here, so I didn’t need to get all ga-ga over her. When the two had left, I returned to my study to make a phone call.

  I moved around my desk and took a seat in front of my laptop. I looked up the number that I needed for Aria from Under Armour.

  She answered on the second ring, “Caleb, hello, it’s great to hear from you. How have you been keeping? I have to say I am glad to see you out of the media.”

  I cringed. It irritated me that she kept bringing up the video. “Yes, well, I’m working on that image you were talking about.”

  “Really? And, how is that?”

  “I have a girl in the works who has been hired to work as my girlfriend until the tour is over. I am working hard to pull myself together and put my partying days behind me. I just wanted to let you know that I’m serious about the tour and your sponsorship.”

  I could feel her smiling from the other side of the phone. “That’s is marvelous news, Caleb! I can’t believe you really got yourself a girlfriend.”

  “Well, I wanted you to know that I’m serious about things.”

  “That is just wonderful. I can’t wait to see how your life will change. Where did you find the girl? Can she be trusted?”

  “We discovered her all the way in Georgia; she’s been working there as a waitress and budding actress. She’s perfect because she’s still unknown at this point. I feel strongly that she is someone that I can trust, and I think she will take the job seriously.”

  “Good, it’s all very good. I will pass on that information and we can move forward to how we are going to use the sponsorship in the best way possible.”

  “Great, that’s what I am looking for. I have to run, Aria; I will be meeting my future girlfriend tonight at the club. So, I need to start preparing for that.”

  She laughed, “Great. Let’s set up for a meeting for next week to touch base.”

  “Okay, just call the office, and they will set something up. Thank you.”

  I got of
f the phone and settled into the office chair. I really needed this whole thing to work – it was important for my reputation, as well as my future. As much as I loved partying, it was becoming destructive to my goals right now. I had no intention of overhauling my life permanently, but for the tour, it just made sense. After that, I would re-evaluate what I wanted from life, in respect to my career as well as my lifestyle.

  Spending the rest of the afternoon by the pool was incredibly therapeutic. I wanted to be very relaxed for the evening and having a couple of beers with Matthew and swimming was exactly what I needed.

  Matthew had returned to the house after dropping off Hailey and gave me an update that she was settled. He talked my ear off about her and told me that I was a lucky man about a hundred times, which didn’t make me feel any less weird about the whole situation. He seemed to be just as smitten with her as I was.

  I was not going to let it get to me, however, because nothing about the situation was real. Hailey was just there to help me out for the next few months, and it was nothing more. Thinking that it was would only get me back into the kind of trouble that I had been in before.

  “So, am I accompanying you tonight to the club?”

  “Yeah, of course. I can’t be seen walking in there alone. It has to appear as if we are two buddies out for drinks. We are none-the-wiser that a pretty girl is showing up.”

  “Right, that makes sense.”

  “We should probably get ready; the night is about to begin.”

  I left him by the pool and went upstairs to hit the shower. The whole time that I was washing myself, I thought of how the evening was going to progress. Hailey was to arrive at a time of her own choosing, so I wouldn’t be expecting her. She would have the element of surprise, which would make the whole scene authentic if there were any cameras. If I knew what time she was showing up, I would be likely looking around the room for her.