CHANGING THE PLAYER: Charleston Pirates #1 by Chance, Jacob (digital e reader TXT) 📕

phone pings again and my eyelids snap open.

Flynn: I know you never ignore messages. If you don’t answer, you’ll hurt my feelings.

Reading his message, I snort.

Me: You don’t have any feelings to hurt.

Flynn: Are you sure I don’t? Do you want to be the reason the Pirates lose?

Huh? I have no idea what he’s talking about.

Me: Why would me not being there affect the outcome?

Flynn: Because if my girl’s not there, that would be a distraction for me.

Me: We’re not in a real relationship, so it wouldn’t be a distraction for you.

Flynn: But no one else knows that. Their perception would be that I was distracted by your absence.

This is total bullshit.

Me: I feel like I’m being blackmailed.

Flynn: Whatever works.

Me: Fine. I’ll be there. But I’m sitting in the box with Sadie. And FYI, you’re a giant asshole.

Flynn: Well, I’ll be happy you’re there, no matter where you’re sitting. Doesn’t that count for something?

Me: Fine. You’re an asshole—not a giant one.

Flynn: You’re not wrong. I’ll see you after the game.

Here’s my chance to explain why I need to leave right away. Why do I need to leave?

Twitching my lips side to side, I work on formulating a solid reason. All I can come up with are fairly basic excuses, but one of them will have to do.

Me: I need to head out right after the game. Got a lot of paperwork to go over before Monday.

Flynn: You can stay for a few minutes, though. At least long enough to say hi to me.

Me: I’ll see you tomorrow.

I decide to be vague and not give a definitive answer. Then he won’t go back and forth with me until I give in.

Like a naughty kid, he’ll keep asking for something until he hears the answer he wants. And when it comes to him, I’m like the parent who’s incapable of following through. This isn’t new behavior from him. But I’ve no doubt he’ll use our current relationship to his advantage in any way he can. That’s Flynn. He’s used to charming his way through life off the football field.

* * *

“When were you planning on telling me about you and Flynn?” Sadie asks, pursing her lips in an expression of displeasure.

Here we go. At least she waited until halftime to start in on me.

“I didn't want to say anything until I knew it was more than a date or two.”

“And is it something worth continuing?” she questions.

“I think it is. We’ve only gotten together a handful of times.”

“But?” Sadie presses for more.

“I really like him. He’s different than I thought he’d be.” None of what I’m saying is untrue.

“How so?” Of course she wants details.

“He’s well mannered and thoughtful.”

She lobs a dubious look my way. “Are we talking about the same guy?”

I nod slowly. “I’ve always thought he was ridiculously attractive, but when he asked me out, I was hesitant at first.” I choose my words carefully, sticking as close to the truth as I can. I don’t want to lie to Sadie, and so far everything I’ve said has been honest. “He persuaded me to give him a chance, and now I like him a lot more than I expected to.” I wish I could confide in Sadie and tell her how much my conflicting feelings for Flynn are causing me concern. I could really use someone to share my thoughts with and receive advice from.

“Have you guys had sex yet?” she asks too loudly.

“Shh, Sadie, keep it down. I don’t want everyone knowing my business.” Her dad is sitting two feet to her left. He probably heard what she asked.

“Nadia, you’re dating one of the most notorious football players in the league, you better get used to people being in your business.”

“Ugh, I know. That’s not something I can prepare myself for. It’s more of a case of deciding if I can grin and bear it or is it a hard limit for me.”

Sadie leans closer, whispering, “Speaking of hard limits, you never said whether you’d slept with him or not.”

“You’re like a dog with a bone when it comes to getting information you want.”

“I just want to know if you’ve been boned yet.” She giggles.

“Okay, I’ll change that to you being like a dirty-minded teenage boy.”

“I’m both of those things and proud of it. Stop dodging my questions and answer them, dammit.”

“We have not had sex yet.”

“What?” She gasps, raising her empty glass. “Good thing I didn’t have any wine in my mouth or you’d be wearing it.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve been spending so much time together. This is Flynn Shaughnessy we’re talking about.”

“So?”

“This guy has a reputation for being a dog. He takes two women home at a time.”

“That’s not the norm for him,” I state, defending him.

“Maybe it’s not, but it’s also not a secret how he screws ’em and loses ’em.” At a loss for what to say, I give a quick shrug of my shoulders. “But he’s not being that way with you.” She looks out at the field for a minute, and my hope that she’s finally going to drop this subject climbs. She turns her head my way and her eyes open wide. “You know what this means?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about at this point.”

“Nadia,” Sadie sighs my name with frustration. “If Flynn is treating you differently than other women, it’s because you’re unique.”

“Yeah, I know. I don't think anyone sees me as his type.”

“Nadia, unique is a compliment. You’re beautiful and successful, which makes you every man’s type. But your success can be intimidating for some guys, and they’ll let their own insecurities keep them from pursuing you.”

“You’re hardly one to talk. You’re the VP of this franchise—talk about intimidating.”

“And I found a man to rise to the challenge, a man who appreciates me and loves me for who I am. And it seems like you may also have.”

“I think you’re blowing whatever Flynn and I are way out of proportion. We’ve gone on