The cameras crowded in to get his reaction. I could tell he was rattled.
“I’m not scared. I’ll go first.”
Tyler was talking to their coach, warning him who I was. The coach did a double take, and said under his breath, “Oh shit.”
I just gave him an aw-shucks grin. Mr. Stud wanted to warm up. I laughed at him and told him that he should be good enough to beat me cold. The equipment managers brought out bags of footballs. They handed the first ball to their quarterback and he threw at the first propped-up trashcan. The ball sailed over the can by at least six feet. I could tell he was choking and trying to aim the ball. On his last throw, he finally hit the edge of the can but it bounced out. He did much better on the one in the center of the field, putting three balls into the can. The last setup, he wasn’t even close. His score of three out of fifteen had his team nervous.
The hotel crowd was getting into it, giving the college team a hard time. Kara got them chanting “Double D.” I was focused and ready. Tracy winked at me and I was handed the first ball.
My first ball was thrown on a rope and skipped into the can. The three jocks were screaming that it didn’t count and I just shrugged in agreement. My next four balls found their mark, ending the competition, but these boys had embarrassed me and I was going to put on a show. The center setup I hit four, and the deep drop pass I hit three with the other two just missing.
Coach Wiggins and Austin were class acts and shook my hand. The three jocks and the cheerleaders had disappeared. Kara was caught on TV jumping into my arms and planting a serious kiss on me. The hostess from Salt, the five-star restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, came out to tell us our table was ready. That saved us from having to talk to the press. As I walked away, Tyler was explaining who I was. Austin overheard and just shook his head.
“Dang it, David, that quarterback was cute,” Kendal quipped when we sat down.
“I think they’re here at the hotel. Go find him if you want,” I came right back at her.
“How did you beat that guy?” Kara asked.
“Preparation and training,” Tracy supplied. “He came in early and threw those passes every day for several weeks. Bo Harrington taught our boy well. As soon as I saw how they’d set them up, I knew David would win.”
I winked at her and our waitress came up to the table.
“Mr. Dawson, the staff at the Ritz-Carlton and Salt would like to congratulate you on winning your bet. Since it seems they reneged, we’d like to treat you to dinner tonight for you and your guests.”
“That’s great. Please let everyone know how much we appreciate it,” I said.
We had one of the best meals I’d ever had. Everything from the appetizers to the dessert soufflé was excellent. When we left Salt, one of the hotel staff was waiting for me.
“Mr. Dawson, we have a number of press here. Would it be possible for you to talk to them so we can get them out of here?”
I looked at Kara and Tracy and they both smiled. I motioned for the hotel guy to lead the way. We went to their conference center and one of the ballrooms was set up. The quarterback was already there with Tyler and his coach. I walked up and Tyler introduced us.
“Coach Wiggins, Austin, this is David Dawson, the number 6 nationally rated quarterback in the high school freshman class. He was also second-team All State after only playing a part of the season at the position. He may be a better fullback. He’s our number 1 recruiting target in his class.”
I shook their hands.
“Austin, sorry about that. I was trying to rattle you with the cameras and the ambush. I know if you’d warmed up, you’d have creamed me.”
“Yeah, bullshit, I was outclassed today. I was embarrassed when the cheerleaders took off. I think they were outclassed by these women.”
He seemed like a nice guy.
“Are you single?” I asked.
“Actually, I am,” Austin said as he blushed.
“Austin, I want you to meet Kendal,” I said as I pulled her to my side. “She just graduated early and is my business manager slash agent. She’s also single. If you have some time after this, could you take her out for a drink? We can’t get into a bar. Kendal gets bored hanging around us kids.”
Austin nodded, and Kendal checked him out and decided he’d do. Kara and Tracy both gave me a kiss. I needed to get this press event over with so I could have some alone time with these two. Tyler interrupted us to tell us they were ready.
Kara was on my arm with Tracy and Kendal trailing behind. We had four seats, as did the college. I sat between Kara and Tracy.
There were four local news stations, Hollywood Central, Entertainment Tonight, ESPN (who was airing the game), and print and blog media, so the room was full. Coach Wiggins was going to start, but I cut him off.
“Thank you for coming out tonight to cover the fun we had today. Before we get started, I’d like to have my press secretary, Tracy Dole, give you background as to who I am. If you need any background information after the press conference, please see Miss Dole, and she’ll get you anything you want.”
Tracy got up and did her normal talking points that gave me credibility. When she finished, I introduced Kara as my girlfriend and had her plug why we were here. Coach Wiggins and Tyler were just shaking their heads when we were done with our little dog-and-pony show.
When the questions started, Austin was taking a pounding. I could tell he was frustrated and starting to get pissed. I was surprised his coaches weren’t helping him out, and Tracy gave me a look that said I needed to step in.
“Hang on, guys. Austin was ambushed by the bet. He was man enough to step into a difficult situation and represent his team and university with pride. If I was pulled out of dinner and not allowed to warm up, I’d have had the same problems. The whole thing was rigged for him to fail. But you know what?”
I paused to make sure I had their attention.
“The measure of a man is how he handles adversity. Austin never ducked his head or made any excuses. If I was his teammate or rooting for his team, he’d be the leader I’d want guiding my team. Now you’re trying to turn this into more than this was. It was just a friendly wager that happened to be caught on tape. Give the guy a break. What he does in the bowl game is what matters, and I would bet he leads them to victory.”
Austin broke out laughing.
“Yeah, what he said.”
Everyone’s attitude changed, and the press conference became fun. Watching the hard sports guys and the entertainment reporters when the others would ask questions was hilarious. It became a sporting event to watch them roll their eyes and the looks of abject disgust. When our laughter caught the attention of one of the reporters, he simply asked what we were laughing at.
“You guys," Kara answered. "You should have cameras on each other when you ask a question. The sports guys act like questions about what I’m wearing are going to make their heads explode. The entertainment guys are ready to pull their hair out when a sports question is asked.”
They all looked around and found it to be true. We wrapped it up and headed to Tracy and my room. Kendal arranged to meet Austin in the sports bar in the hotel, and she headed back to her room.
KARA HOLDS A SPECIAL place in my heart. The exotic beauty would be my girlfriend right now if she didn’t jet around the world for her career. The magical weekend we spent together was still fresh in my mind when I agreed to do this shoot with her. Being naked on set with her all day had made me ready for more, but I was also nervous.
Tracy and I had only been intimate for a short while. She’d told me she had been with other girls, but she and I had never been with anyone else except Tami. Tracy arranged that as a Christmas gift for Tami and me. Tami and Tracy never touched each other. I had a feeling that Kara and Tracy would be different since Tracy thought Kara was hot. It wasn’t that I was concerned about two girls having sex; Cindy and Suzanne had taught me about sex, and Cindy was hands-on.