MY ONE-NIGHT STAND SOCCER BOYFRIEND

Chapter 6: A Way Out

While Lisa and Jake were running away from the cameras, someone else was enjoying them. Whitney. The paparazzi were not giving up that easily. After being unable to find Lisa since she was not a familiar face in Hillwood and they had no idea where Jake was they chose to approach someone who had love for the cameras and she knew how to make every minute of air time count.

"Am so shocked, Jake and I are at a really good place in our relationship right now or at least I thought so", She sniffled and blew her nose, her assistant offered a napkin to wipe her tears, "Am so heartbroken they warned me not to date a soccer player he'll play me I didn't listen"

"Mrs. Blake where were you when all his was happening? I mean don't you guys live together?" A random guy with a weird moustache asked.

That got her off guard. She wasn't expecting such question from the press. To gain sympathy the world had to know and live the lie, they were still together happy and in love like never before.

"Of course we live together what kind of question is that? I had gone to visit my mum when the unthinkable happened" she sighed, "Now if you excuse me I have to see my therapist"

That's how she walked out on them.

Jake

And that was the typical Whitney, a queen of hearts, it was hard if not impossible not to believe what she said. The board made me watch her entire interview trust me that was punishment enough than whatever was coming. Once the chair switched off the annoying TV all eyes were on me and that was the scariest part of it all. Stupid me had chosen to comprehend the interview Instead of coming up with a few words to tell my ferocious bosses to make matters worse I dropped the only help around.

Clearing my throat uncontrollably I gathered enough courage to get on my feet. It had to be done anyway. Not talking was not going to get me out of it, that would have just delayed the inevitable.

"Hi, my name is Jake..."

"Drop the formalities Mr. Woods I think your behavior last night has made you more popular than you already were" the chair interrupted angrily.

The last time I met him eddy and I were signing the contract so he kind of kept his cool, you know for the purpose of making me feel at home and unveiling me to the club and the fans but that day things were different. It was true what they say, he got so angry that giant veins protruded across his face and his sweat gates flooded.

"Okay, I know all of you are disappointed" he wanted to speak again but one of the guys around him was courteous enough to shush him secretly by holding his hand, I was the only one who saw the gesture, "I regret my actions dearly but let you guys be the first one to hear this and please let it not leave this room, just to be clear am not using this to avoid disciplinary action"

"Just go ahead and say the damn thing why are you going in circles? We don't have all day!" He bellowed this time banging on the long table.

My guardian angel couldn’t do much to save me this time.

"Whitney and I are not in good terms, everything she said was a lie. We are kind of broken up but in denial" I said fumbling with my fingers and exhaled slowly letting my body feel the warmth of living in reality.

That was the hardest thing to say. It had given me sleepless nights because truth be said I loved her more than anything...well not more than my mother but love is love and me for one believes it has no SI units of measurement. Genuine love can't be measured or compared to anything and that's the kind of love I had for her. But you can't have everything can't you? I had money, outrageously expensive cars, friends and family, fame and lots of other things but true love eluded me funny how I was suffering because of it.

The board looked confused, they started murmuring the murmurs were turning into noise while I just stood there my hands behind my back waiting for their verdict. The neck-less chair with his bald egg-shaped head got out a handkerchief thank God we were almost drowning in his sweat. Till today haven't figured out why he was so sweaty despite being a state of the art AC in that boardroom.

"I will understand if you don't want me here anymore," I picked up my argument, it was tactical the same way we did on the pitch. They now pitied me, that was enough to change their verdict if not make it less lethal, "The same way I earned a place here it's the same way I earned my release, but I love this club so much from the bottom of my heart that's why I can't live with myself knowing I hurt it so am ready to leave without drama..."

"You do realize Mr. Woods with this controversies around you no other club will be willing to sign you? My friend you're a ticking bomb" my guardian angel said, although he now looked like angel who? Who's the angel of death again? Azrael yeah he looked like Azrael and no I have no fuckin idea what Azrael looks like.

"No club will be willing to lose investors and bleed cash like we are doing right now" the hottest lady in the room spoke up they were only four out of ten, she leaned on her comfy C-suite chair and continued, "one thing I forgot to tell you is that in Hillwood you don't make women cry on TV and get away with it, it's a gender based city, you don't cheat openly it will ruin your reputation so bad that you won’t come out of it easily"

In my head I was like "thanks for the advice shawty but you are kinda late coz am getting fired and my reputation is ruined so...keep your advice or just stuff it under your expensive wig"

"For the record I like you Jake, you're a miracle on that pitch an eighth wonder of the world with the ball on your feet and am sure most of our fans come out here to cheer you as you work" another stout guy putting on circular glasses with plastic frame said.

During my unveiling half of those guys in that boardroom were not there so forgive me if I tell you I didn't know their names. Not that I cared anyway, there was a chance I was getting fired.

"Thank you and all that is possible because of you guys, so please make it quick, hand me the letter"

"No one is firing you Jake" the chairperson announced to my surprise.

His name was either Dicklack or Dickson am not sure but there was d**k somewhere. Hey you! Get your perfectly round head out of the gutter please his name has nothing to do with that d**k that youre thinking of.

"Sorry what?" I asked just in case my ears were playing tricks on me.

"Yes Jake, like Zachariah said you're an eighth...."

Hold up! Pause...What? Zachariah? Who the hell names their kid that in the twenty first century? Would have laughed were it not that his comments might have helped save my job meaning they had a way to save my reputation. Okay go on Dicklack. Or whatever your name was.

"... Wonder of the world and we can't lose you. If we do it will just be a matter of time before this dark cloud disperses and our competitors will be waiting to sign you and I bet it will feel good scoring against us?"

Everyone looked at me and I looked at them too confused.

"Ooh you were asking me?"

"Of course I was asking you Jake!" He shouted and fumbled with something under the table.

My guess was a bell because then the secretary came in quickly running out of breath. She almost stepped on my penny loafers.

"Bring Mr. Lee in" the chairperson said and she turned around quickly like a scout and left the room, "You can seat Jake, what follows next might need you to"

Okay. I took my seat, at heart I was really happy even though chances were my reputation was still on its death bed.

The Door clicked open and in came Ben Richards’s, the richest man in fort canon city, legendary lawyer. When he asked her to bring Mr. Lee in I wasn't anticipating David Lee. Yet still my tiny brain couldn't connect the dots and see how my situation had gone from losing my job and a ruined reputation to a legal matter.

"Welcome Mr. Lee" the chair said getting on his feet to shake his hand.

I almost left mine too. The guy was legendary within the courts the same way I was in the pitch it was hard to believe we are breathing the same air.

"Thank you" he said and took a seat next to the chairperson.

"Lucky for you Jake Ben and his son Scott Richards are investors in our club and they love soccer, and watching you play too so they decided to lend us some legal support"

"I really appreciate Mr. Lee thank you for doing this"

"Don't thank me yet"

"Anyway Mr. Lee give us a way out, this deep s**t seated here is our most precious possession we don’t want to lose him and to keep him he needs his reputation clean"

That hurt but okay. At least he said am precious that sort of cancels the previous total lack of respect for a soccer star of my caliber.

"There are two ways you can go about this" he scratched his scalp as though he was juggling his massive brain for some ideas to save me, "One you can give a statement, press release and discredit the source but that won't hold because the forensics will prove those photos are not deep fakes they indeed are originals"

He exhaled sharply and supported his head with his hands, his elbows on the desk. The guy looked relaxed and confident. It gave me hope that maybe my case was an easy peasy one for him.

"Option two and trust me this is going to sound crazy" he said maintaining his position, there was nothing crazier than how fast my life had changed for the worst, "You can have a relationship with the girl, Lisa so that it looks like you were keeping your life private. This will turn the tide to the paparazzi who leaked the picture hence bringing a new revolution against paparazzi's but there is a catch"

"What if the girl is married and how are you going to deal with Whitney" the chair asked.

My mind was roaming far away from the boardroom. When I called Lisa that was genuine goodbye. That's how my mama raised me. To show respect to women not just have s*x with a girl and act like it didn't happen. But no. We were not done yet and thank God my good rapport with her was going to save me. Thank you mama for raising me well.

"Jake!"

"Yeah, yeah am listening"

"So can you get the girl to agree? And what are you going to do about Whitney?" Lee asked.

"I can handle her, my problem is the girl. The thing is we just met the other night and..."

"Since you couldn't keep it in your pants you ended up in a bed with her" the chair was back at my neck too bad I couldn't get on his because he didn't have any.

"Do you even know where she lives?" The lady asked.

"Yes I have her phone number, so how long do I have to be in a fake relationship with her?"

That was the big question I came up with from the entire conversation.

"I have drafted a contract, all you have to do is convince her to sign and agree to be your girlfriend for a year"

"Jesus Christ man!"

"Do you have another way out?"

Did I? Of course no. Even if I did that was the worst time to show my defiance.

"No, I just want to know plan B. If I can't manage to convince her to sign"

"Then we will give a press release you'll have to apologize to the fans and your girlfriend accept your mistake and hope they will forgive you"

"Will that work?"

"No this is Hillwood, make your choice Jake it's now or never"

"Okay, let’s go meet Lisa" I said confidently getting on my feet.

My career, life and reputation were all on the line and one girl, a stranger but seemingly nice could save it or ruin it.

I felt cold. Very cold.