Resisting The Bad Boy

Chapter Two

Six years later

Daxton’s POV

‘Williams!’ the voice of my coach barks out of the door to his office as I’m sitting down on the bench to take my shoes off after practice, ‘get your ass in here.’

I glance up as my team mates smirk over at me, nothing good comes from being called in after practice or a game.

I’ve been with the San Francisco Warriors for just over a year, yeah, I spent a lot of time warming the bench as the rookie, but I’ve paid my dues and I’m now starting to see some court time finally.

There are fans in the crowds with my jersey number and I’ve found the throng of groupies outside the arena exit are swarming me as much as the veterans now.

I stand up, moving toward the coach’s office, walking inside as Coach Warner glances up, indicating for me to close the door behind me.

‘Coach’ I greet with my most engaging smile that he doesn’t return.

‘Sit’ he growls, pointing at the chair across from me and I fall into it, waiting for whatever he wants to chew me out about.

Huffing out a breath, the coach drags his hand through his hair in aggravation. ‘You’re a good player Williams’ he starts, immediately throwing me off kilter.

‘Thanks Coach, I’m giving my all, I want you and the owner to know how much I appreciate this chance’ I reply fervently.

Coach Warner nods, leaning back in his chair and eyeballing me, ‘yeah well, you see, that’s the problem kid, the owner isn’t so sure that you do appreciate what you got handed.’

I sit there gaping at him for a second, ‘I absolutely do Coach’ I reply, biting down on my anger that’s started to simmer. I busted my ass to get here and I’ve sat like a good boy on the bench watching my spot played by another guy. Congratulated him each damn game after he comes off, been a team player. ‘I’ve worked really hard . .’ I start as Coach holds up his hand to stop me.

‘You have kid’ he agrees, ‘you’re the first one at training, the last to leave too. You do extra reps in the gym, follow the diet to the letter, no cheat days, I’ve noticed.’

I slump back in my chair, if the coach has noticed what I’ve been doing what is the owner worried about?

The coach, sits forward, turning his computer screen toward me where a blow up of yesterday’s headlines are on the screen. A picture of me, two women hanging off me as I stumble out of a club.

‘I was just letting off steam coach’ I protest, ‘all the guys do it.’

‘Yeah they do’ Coach agrees, clicking a button so another picture replaces the first. This time it’s me with my shirt off, body surfing over a crowd.

Click, another picture, me creeping out of a seedy hotel in just my underwear, clothes bundled up in my arms. I start to cringe as picture after picture fills the computer screen.

Click, I’m doing body shots off a topless groupie’s stomach as she sucks face with another girl. Yeah, OK, that one probably wasn’t the best moment to get caught by the paps.

‘You are getting wilder Dax’ Coach says sternly, ‘the reputation you are picking up? It’s not what the owner wants for his boys.

‘The others . . ‘I start as he again cuts me off.

‘Know how to be damn discreet kid’ he growls, ‘they got their girls’ but they don’t f**k them in an alleyway where anyone can snap a damn photo and sell it to ESPN.’

Once! It happened once and I’m pretty sure the girl set me up so she could make some money, hence why the seedy hotels, I’m not being caught again.

‘You’ve got to clean up your act’ Coach Warner is saying, dragging my attention back to him as he leans his elbows on the desk and studies me intently. ‘Trades are coming up in two months Dax and the Owner has made noises about putting you up. I don’t want to lose you, you’re a damn fine player who's got the stuff to make it, but if he puts you up, I can’t stop him.’

The air leaves my lungs at his words, they want to trade me? I lick my lips nervously, ‘does he have his eye on someone?’ I ask, keeping my voice steady.

Warner nods, ‘there are a couple of guys he’s been watching, thinks might end up big news’ he replies cagily.

Of course, he’s not going to give me names, then I’d know who he’s trying to push me off on. I don’t want to leave the Warriors, I’ve settled in here and I’m starting to make a name. Moving to a new team means starting again in a new place, new team mates, more proving my worth.

‘I’ll keep myself out of the press’ I promise, holding the man’s gaze in front of me.

Warner nods, ‘make sure you do’ he replies sternly, ‘you got the heart kid, I’d hate to see you lose your chance because of some damn pussy.’

Dismissing me, he waves for me to leave and I stand up, slouching out of the room toward my locker where I sit down heavily and drag off my shoes.

The bench bends beside me as the huge muscular frame of our shooting guard, Maksim, drops down beside me, a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping off him from his shower.

‘What did coach want?’ he asked, rubbing his arms dry with a second towel.

I huff, ‘says I’m chasing p***y to much and to keep it in my pants’ I reply, making the guy beside me laugh.

‘He’s not wrong my man’ he agrees, patting my shoulder, ‘I’m surprised you don’t have a recurring itch the way your door revolves.’

I scowl over at him, ‘we’re not all as lucky as you’ I grumble, dragging the shirt over my head and dropping it to the bench beside me. Maksim is happily married to his high school sweetheart, at twenty five, he’s at the top of his game. He’s got two kids, aged three and four, who come to every home game we play, both sporting his jersey. His wife sits behind our bench with them, blowing him kisses as he takes position. He gets razzed by the single guys about being an old man, but he just laughs at us all saying our time will come when the right girl will capture us.

Maksim shakes his head, standing up and dropping the towel so his d**k is hanging beside me, one thing you learn as an athlete, how not to be embarrassed to be butt ass naked around other guys. ‘It’s not luck my friend, it’s fate’ he replies with a wink. ‘My soulmate was at school with me, and I don’t take that gift lightly. These others’ he adds, waving around the locker room, ‘with their wives in one section and their jump off in another? They are not smart men, I love my wife, I love my family, I see nothing but them and the hoop. I treat my family like they hung the moon because in my life, they do. They support me, love me and encourage me, what more could I need?’

I glance up at him as he pulls on the trousers of his suit, looking down at me and smiling softly. He leans closer so only I can hear him, ‘a man is not worthy because of his talents on the court, he is worthy because of the way he treats those that are important to him. The ball? It is an amazing rush, but when it’s over and my glory days are behind me? My family will still be there cheering me on, making me feel like the worthy man I want to be.’

He winks at me before straightening up, pulling his shirt off the hanger and putting it on, buttoning up the front.

Grabbing my towel, I head toward the shower, having a quick wash and rushing back to get dressed, straggling behind my team mates who are all nearly dressed.

‘Yo, Williams!’ comes Darrick’s voice across the locker room and I glance up to see the tall black shooting guard striding toward me, shirt still unbuttoned. ‘We’re heading to Edge tonight, you in?’ he asks as I button up my shirt and nod. The Edge is the local bar to the arena and the players usually congregate there after home games or late practices.

‘Sure am’ I reply, with a grin as the man slams my back, jolting me forward a step.

‘Good, hurry up, or Campbell will have already tagged the hotties’ my team mate replies before heading back to his own locker.

Getting the rest of my clothes on, I tie my laces and file out with the last of my team mates, following them out of the building where a crowd of fans are waiting. Notepads and pens are pressed into my hands as I sign my name, smiling at each person I interact with. A few women try to catch my eye but with the Coach’s words ringing in my ear, I stamp down on my libido and head toward my car, determined to go home alone tonight.