Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 117357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
I’m not exactly sure how I end up at the club alongside Leanna and Eva, but it definitely had something to do with Eva’s top-notch persuasion skills, paired with that first glass of champagne I had back in the private suite. It went down a little too easy, and then there was another ready to take its place as soon as I finished. Who was I to turn down free drinks? Kayla would be so proud of me.
To be clear, this wasn’t really part of my original plan. That was very simple: I was going to show up at the game, watch Ben, reconnect with Leanna, and then schlep back to the bus stop in front of the Staples Center and return to my bed, all nice and cozy and tucked in by midnight. Then Eva finally convinced Leanna to go to Brent’s birthday party, and Leanna said if she was getting dragged out to a club, there was no way I was escaping it. To be sure I made it, she insisted I ride with her, which worked in my favor considering I would have had to take the bus otherwise.
Though I’m nervous about how this will all go, I reassure myself with the fact that I wouldn’t have even had a chance to talk to Ben if I’d followed my original plan. As soon as the final buzzer blared, Los Angeles fans went wild, and Ben disappeared through the dark tunnel toward the locker room. Leanna told me how it usually works: they go and shower, dress, and then they’re required to do a bunch of postgame press. Depending on the game, it can last a while, which is why most of the time she doesn’t wait for Trey.
“Ben and Trey can just meet us at the club,” she told me as security escorted us down to her car where it waited in the private parking lot.
She assured me she texted Trey about our plan, but I worry Trey didn’t pass on the message to Ben because he’s not here at the club. I look out at the crowd in the VIP area. Most of the other players have already arrived, including Eva’s boyfriend, Brent, and Trey.
Much to my relief, Trey was nothing but kind to me when he walked in and found me sitting with his wife. He gave me a friendly hug and asked me how I was doing. I haven’t talked to him much since then because we’re all sitting on a long bench that runs along the back wall of the VIP section and Leanna is the one sitting beside me, chatting my ear off about their house renovations and anything and everything having to do with Amara. I know her favorite food (peaches) and her favorite book (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom) and just how long it took her to sleep train (three weeks) and which method she used (something called graduated extinction). Though it’s slightly more detail than I need to know, I’m actually glad she’s carrying on about Amara because I’m too distracted to be much of a conversationalist at the moment.
The birthday festivities are well underway. Every ten minutes, it seems like the club produces something new to woo us with. There’s been a huge cake and sparklers, dancers, and round upon round of drinks. Now, there’s new commotion near the entrance of the VIP section, and I tilt my head to try to see around the crowd to figure out what’s going on. I recognize Anthony and roll my eyes when I see he’s arriving with a harem of women.
He has an arm slung over two of them, one on each side of him, and they cling to him with self-satisfied smiles. The others hang around as if desperate for any little piece of attention they can get.
People at the party all react with excitement, like they haven’t seen him in years. They gather to take their turns clapping his hands and tugging him in for a chest bump. He starts joking around and dancing to the pulse-pounding music, and everyone laughs. Then he shakes off the attention, grabs one of the girls, and turns to where I’m sitting with Leanna and Trey.
His smile immediately drops. He looks completely shocked to see me here in the club, and well…I’m a little shocked myself.
“No shit! Look who we have here.”
His attention draws everyone else’s, and I fidget in my seat as all eyes fall on me. I already feel like an outsider. I’ve never been to a party like this. Everyone seems to know what’s up, know each other. They’re all dressed to the nines, and meanwhile, I’m still wearing my crop top and denim cutoffs.
“Little Miss Raelynn. My hero,” Anthony says, walking over to me until I have to crane my neck to look up at him. “Did you come to our game tonight?”