Inhaling again, savoring her aroma, he let his breath out slowly. The girl was definitely a distraction, whether he liked it or not. Derek could feel the irritation rolling off her, which did make it easier to keep his distance. He knew it was his fault, that he’d insulted her, but it hadn’t been his intention. He had just been honest.
But in retrospect, maybe too blunt. He shouldn’t have said anything about her appearance. It was true, she was beautiful, with the most stunning eyes he’d ever seen … but she was probably on the prowl for a rich boyfriend just as much as a story to cover. Derek supposed she didn’t care to be called out publicly, though. And his not wanting to talk about the game—well, that was because he would have to think carefully about what to say and how to say it before feeding details to a reporter, making sure his comments stayed glib and positive even if taken out of context. Frankly, exhaustion had killed off what little interpersonal skills he had. He didn’t have it in him to parse words.
The adrenaline high from the intense game gone, and no winning glow to keep him going, he was bone-deep fatigued and filled with regret about decisions on the court that may or may not have cost the game.
Charles. He’d dropped a major bomb on Derek, leaving him all wrapped up in worrying about his friend and his mom, then he acted weird about Derek’s performance, and here he was now, behaving like a horny teenager, no cares in the world. Charles and Naomi were laughing over some secret, oblivious to the reality around them.
Derek, on the other hand, couldn’t let it go. It wasn’t just that Charles was getting away with breaking the rules. When his mother took that money, she became part of a growing national controversy, a trend that could ruin colleges and kids’ lives. If an athletic kid could be bought, then the rich schools were going to get the best players. The colleges that couldn’t afford blackmail bids would lose the ability to draw athletes, and then their funding was going to go down the toilet. Which would affect all the students at that school.
The professional basketball season was lurching into full tilt. He didn’t need this crap. Derek shut his eyes and had a brief flash of intense hatred for … not for Charles, but for the ethical quandary he’d put Derek in the middle of. What was he supposed to do with this information? What was the right thing to do?
Derek needed to stay focused, to get back the respect he’d lost last year, sitting on the bench like a loser, taking up valuable space and giving nothing to the team. He had the next few months to prove he deserved to be back, maybe even as a top scorer. He could do it. He just had to put his head down and work for it. Charles’s problems weren’t his concern.
So, no distractions. No more worrying about Charles.
Stop smelling her.
He moved back a step, but was caught once again by the reporter’s eyes. There was no denying Hara was an attractive girl, gorgeous, even, with her unusual eyes, her long black hair, her cute glasses. Her bare, creamy-caramel shoulders and pert breasts in what had to be the sexiest top ever created, yet almost queenly with the ruff neck. He’d seen her with her hair up and down, glasses and no glasses, dressed for a cocktail party, dressed professionally, and now dressed for clubbing … the woman could work a grain sack. He’d love to see what she looked like in the mornings, naked on satin sheets.
Derek sighed. He had to get his house in order before he could let in a girl.
* * *
Well, I can sit here and look stupid, Hara thought, or I can put myself out there, maybe gather some intel. She slowly stood up, gratefully putting distance between herself and Derek, joining the crush of women. They were hardly less intimidating than the athletes.
“Hi there. Are you a reporter?” asked a pretty young woman with an Italian lilt to her vowels. “Did I see you talking to the team last night?”
“Just a couple of them. The owners brought me in to do a feature on Charles.”
“Ah ha! Of course they did. They need to make sure the public is behind their rising star.” The Italian girl stuck out her hand, a