TACKLED BY FATE

Chapter 5 - Surprise of the Night

Becca POV

Then she turned around and waved to a young man to come closer. “Miss Georgette, Aren't you a sight to behold?” The guy double-kissed my mother on the cheeks, and she blushed. Then he looked my way, and with a beaming smile opened his hand for me…

“Rusty Schwarz…” He introduced himself… and I replied… “Nice to meet you, I am Rebecca Alves…” I said and he shook my hand… Finally, some normalcy in the greeting. I was fed up with all those old guys kissing my hand and roaming my body inappropriately.

Rusty and my mother talked animatedly, while I tried to recall why his name seemed so familiar…. And then it hit me… Rusty Schwarz, Golden Dragon's QB… was young, about 24 years old… really good-looking. Slim, tall, broad shoulders, enchanting blue eyes, a dashing smile with dimples… and a complete asshat.

He directed the conversation towards me, and I felt uncomfortable… what really threw me off was when he said, “I would love to see more of you...” It was certainly a s****l innuendo, and I was already tired of these men…

I gave him a tight smile, “Excuse me, I suddenly have the need to puke and pee all at the same time…” I marched away, and behind me, I heard him say…

“I like them feisty…”

I shivered… I knew that coming along with my mother would be a different experience, but never in a million years I expected that night to be this parade of s****l freaks getting me naked with their eyes… I was on the brink of tears, so instead of crying and looking weak, I did the second-best thing known in these cases… NOT…. I headed to the bar to drown my senses in alcohol… maybe if I was numb enough not to be as aware of my surroundings, I might survive the night.

“Scotch?” The bartender said and I nodded…

“Double…” I said, and he chuckled…

“Rough night?” he asked, and I chuckled with disdain…

“Don't... want to talk about it…” I said, taking a sip of my scotch… and he gave me a soft nod…

A minute later, a guy sat beside me and ordered a beer. I have seen all these powerful men parade with scotchs, champagne or fancy drinks… none of them got beer. I could not help but look over my shoulder to see who was making such a bold request…

Damn! He was a vision… He was tall, over 6´5”. Sandy blonde hair and deep gray-blue eyes, bushy eyebrows and a little 5 o´clock shade on his beard. He was athletic, and I could tell he was one of the players, not from the Dragons, that is for sure, but he was an athlete.

The bartender handed him the beer, and he lifted it up in a sexy manner, toasting my way, and took a sip. I lifted my scotch and did the same. I am no expert at flirting, and I felt awkward doing it, but somehow, he also seemed awkward flirting with me, too…

I took a deep breath and his musky masculine scent filled my senses… Yeah, he was completely my cup of tea. Unfortunately, earlier I decided that not a single soul in this venue was worth a minute of my time…

“Ezra Anderson,” He extended his hand my way… NO f*****g WAY… Ezra Anderson, the rookie of the year, and the brand-new acquisition for the Panthers…

If the witch of the west finds me fraternizing with the enemy, fire will rain around… I gave him a soft smile and extended my hand “ Rebecca Joleen Alves…” I hated my middle name, but I felt compelled to give him my full name…

“Your momma must be a big fan of Mrs. Parton…” He said, and I laughed. I never expected someone to start a conversation about it in that funny way…

“What gave it away?” I laughed, almost tearing up, and he laughed along… I composed myself and waved at the bartender to pour me another…

“With all these sharks around fresh meat, I wouldn't recommend you to take another one…” He said in a concerned voice…

“Why would you care? Maybe you can bank on my drunk estate later… isn't that what everyone here is looking for? A one-night stand? Some free s*x?” I said with disgust... He was just like the others…

His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water… “It was just friendly advice… but now that you mention it… I will make it my mission for you to get unscathed out of the water…” He said and I rolled my eyes…

“Aren't you another charmer?” I said, feeling a bit annoyed.

“Look, I can tell you are having a rough night, and maybe you can use a friend…” He said in an honest voice… he was different… hot and different… wait what?

“Maybe… or maybe I should just head up to my room...” I said and he nodded… I stood up, stumbling, and he quickly reached out to me to help me stand straight.

“Careful…” He said and I gave him a small smile. I really went overboard with the alcohol… “How about I walk you to the elevator, and help you to your door?” he said, and despite all the alarm bells going off at his proposal, somehow I felt safe with him.

“Thanks…” I said, and he offered his arm in a gentlemanly way…

“So, Are you going to be around the entire weekend?” He asked and I slowly nodded…

“Great… how about dinner tomorrow?” he said, and I shook my head… I just wanted the normalcy of my life in London and to forget about this entire charade my mother was forcing me to play.

“It is just dinner… Joy…” He said and I squinted my eyebrows… I was certain I told him my name was Joleen…

He called the elevator… “Joy?” I blurted, and then giggled…

“Of course, Rebecca is very common, and I am sure many already call you Becca, and Joleen doesn't suit you, but Joy sounds about perfect if you ask me…” He said, and somehow he was being sweet, charming and a complete gentleman… Yes, he was different…

“Now I have to look for a nickname for you…” I said pouting, and he chuckled… We entered the elevator, and he kept a safe distance between his body and mine…

“My friends call me Ez…” He said, and I nodded…

“Alright, Ez.. I guess we are now friends…” I said while pressing the button on the 10th floor.

The elevator quickly took us to my floor and I walked towards the door of my room, room 1032. I took the card out of my purse and tried to place it inside the little slot for the lock to read it… “Allow me…” His tender voice was close and soothing… and made my body shiver… Fir the first time tonight my body shivered nicely, not in a creepy, crawling way.

The little green light flashed revealing the key working and my door being unlocked, and he turned the handle to open it… “Good night, Joy…” He said and I blushed… Damn you alcohol!…

“Good night, Ez… See you around?” I said and he chuckled…

“Phone…” He extended his hand… and like a fool I looked up at him… “Give me your phone, unlocked…” He stared straight into my eyes, making me obey like a snake in front of a snake enchanter.

I unlocked my phone and handed it to him… he typed something and then returned it to me… “There… now you have my number and I have tours…” He said and I stood there dumbfounded.

“Good night, Joy…” He said, not even trying to make a move… “Good night, Ez…” I replied.

Ezra Anderson was the surprise of the night…