Quarterback Sneak

By TJ Atkins

Portia Manning has always lived by the rules. She loves her husband, family, and job. Lately, she's been feeling like something is missing in her marriage, but she can't quite put her finger on it. When her husband, David, suggests they share their "freebie list" of the five celebrities they'd like to sleep with and be forgiven for, she knows nothing good can come of it.

 

Her concern is realized when she meets the star quarterback on her list, Jared Huntley. Portia finds herself unable to stay away from him and takes advantage of her free pass. She never expected it to turn into more than a one-night stand. Will David forgive her when he finds out what she's done? Better yet, can their marriage survive when David reveals he has secrets of his own?

• Language: English
• Publisher: TJ Atkins
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393122913

Book preview

Quarterback Sneak

by TJ Atkins

Copyright © 2020 TJ Atkins

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Image Credit: ID 22181453 © Daniel Korzeniewski | Dreamstime.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

About the Author

Chapter 1

David

Iam sitting in a room with mirrors on the ceiling and unidentified stains on the bed. The weight of the shame I feel causes my shoulders to sag. Yet, I know I’ll be back. I always come back. I place the key card on the nightstand and walk out. As I walk to my car, I pass a dirty blond man in a flannel shirt. We both avert our eyes to the ground. You don’t want people to know you are here and you don’t want to be a witness to others.

I slide into my car and take a deep breath. One day I will stop, I just don’t know when that day will come. I think of my wife and how she would feel if she knew where I was. I wonder if she could forgive me, but deep down I feel that she couldn’t. Hell, I don’t know if I could forgive myself, which is probably why I can’t let this go. My cell phone rings and I nearly jump out of my skin. I look at the phone and see my friend, Allen’s name on the screen.

What’s up man? I say.

You want to get into anything tonight? I was thinking about going over to DJ’s to grab a drink.

Yeah man that sounds good. I’ll head that way.

Alright, see you there.

I end the call and start my car. I should probably go home. I know I’m a number one contender for the worst husband of the year award right now and I will cement that title by not going home to my wife. Sometimes I think it’s best to spend the least amount of time as possible at home. The less time I’m around Portia, there’s less of a chance she’ll figure me out. I shouldn’t punish her for my own issues, but nothing I do is very logical. The small voice inside my head tells me to go home. For once I listen.

Chapter 2

Portia

Isit at my desk with several stacks of papers and files strewn across it. I’m trying to remember which stack contained the list of professional football players that were willing to attend the summer carnival for the community center. I open drawers and look in files that I know it can’t possibly be in. I take a deep breath and close my eyes to picture the last time I had it in my hands. Sheila, my administrative assistant, is always advising me I should keep my desk a little more organized. My excuse for my mess is it is organized chaos and I can find anything at any time. That isn’t the case today.

I continue to shuffle papers back and forth when it finally hits me that I probably still have the list in my email. I check my email and locate the one I need. I’m not pleased with what I’m looking at. When I first received the email, I barely looked at it. Now, I realize that I don’t recognize any of the names. The Houston Roadsters have twenty-two starters on its football team. As a fan, I can name them all and even some of the backups. But the names on this list must be from the practice squad.

I wasn’t naïve enough to think that the organization would send their star quarterback, Jared Huntley, but I had hoped for something better than this. The summer carnival is a big event for the center and I want the kids to have a memorable day. I can just hear their little smart aleck mouths asking where I found the scrub player from. Oh well, I have to make it work. I research the names of the players on the list to find the most popular one. There is one guy that is the product of a local college. I choose him. I reply to Sheila’s email to set it up and start shutting everything down. It is twenty minutes past six o’clock, but it isn’t anybody’s fault but my own that I am leaving work late.

I lock my office and head towards the back door. The community center is still open for another forty minutes, but I don’t want to run into anybody and get held up any longer. I unlock my black Dodge Avenger and hop in. I barely get the key in the ignition when my cell phone rings. My husband’s face pops up on the screen.

Hey babe, I say.

Where are you?

I just got in my car. I should be home in forty minutes.

I thought you would have been home by now. What are we eating?

I drop my head back against the seat. I’ll pick something up. I forgot to defrost something this morning. It would be nice if he could handle dinner every now and then.

You know what, don’t worry about it. I’m not home yet and Allen wanted to go for drinks. I’m just gonna meet him and I’ll see you later.

David, it’s Wednesday.

What does that have to do with anything? If you would have been home, I would have come home. Now I’m saving you some trouble. He makes it sound like he’s doing me a favor.

Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it. I know that my sarcasm will go undetected by my often clueless husband.

Alright, then. Are you gonna head home?

Yeah, I’ll just eat a sandwich or something.

Okay babe, I won’t be long. I’ll see you later, love you.

Love you too. I disconnect the call and start my long drive home. The commute is the only thing I dislike about my job. I always wanted to give back to the community I grew up in. David was okay with that, but he was not okay with living there. I know that the area I grew up in isn’t the best, but I still always saw myself living in the neighborhood when I was older. David grew up in the suburbs, so there was no way to convince him to live in the hood. He was adamant that his children were not going to be afraid to play outside.

I understood his fears. If I was truthful with myself, I had the same fears. The next best thing was to work in my old neighborhood. David wasn’t too fond of that either, but I refused to budge on the issue. With a little persuasion, I got him to agree to live just a little closer to my job. As I turn onto our street, I see that David’s car is in the driveway. I could have sworn he sounded like he was in the car when he called. I walk into the house and can see a faint glow coming from the dining room. David is sitting at the dining room table with two little candles, a box of hot wings, fries, and a six-pack of Bud Light.

Welcome home baby. He smiles.

I thought you were going out with Allen? I say as I sit my purse down in a chair.

David walks up to me and gives me a hug. I changed my mind. I figured I would surprise you instead. Even though it’s kind of a sorry surprise with wings and beer, hope you’ll be happy with the thought.

I’m happy with anything you do babe. I give him a peck on the cheek. Let’s eat. I don’t realize how hungry I am until I smell the wings. I dig in right away with no conversation.

David sits back and watches me tear into my meal. Tough day?

Not too tough, just disappointing. I take a swig of beer.

What was so disappointing?

The Roadsters are going to send some scrub player to the carnival.

David covers his heart and frowns. You mean to tell me they’re not going to send your boyfriend?

What boyfriend?

Come on Portia. Don’t play dumb. You know if Jared Huntley walked through that door right now, you’d forget about me in heartbeat.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. I like the guy as a football player, not as a lover.

Who are you kidding?

Are you forgetting that I’m married to the most wonderful man in the world? I don’t think Jared Huntley would pamper me with hot wings and beer. I wink at him.

What if I gave you permission?

I shake my head and roll my eyes. You’re talking crazy. Why would you give me permission? And who says I would take it?

I was talking to Mason today at work and he was telling me about this freebie list that he and his wife have.

Freebie list?

Yeah, a list of people that his wife would be okay with him sleeping with if he got the chance.

You’re making that up. Sara is too jealous to allow Mason to be with anybody but her. I laugh.

That’s the thing. It’s a list of famous people that you probably won’t meet anyway.

I think it’s crazy. I walk to the kitchen to grab another beer.

Let’s make one, David yells to me.

What in the world is going on? I feel like David is setting me up for something. I walk back into the dining room and eye him suspiciously.

Why are you looking at me like that?

What are you up to? Did you meet somebody famous and want my permission to sleep with her?

No, I just think the list is a fun thing to do.

Whatever. Let’s go for it. Who are these famous women you want to screw? At least, I hope it’s all women.

David glares at me. Very funny. Of course it’s all women. David looks around. Where’s my beer?

Why do you need another beer? You’re so excited about your little list that you haven’t finished the one you have now.

David picks up his bottle and tilts it. I guess you’re right. So, who’s your number one?

I shrug my shoulders. You’ve had all day to think about this, why don’t you share first? I’ll think about it while you tell me your list.

Okay. My number one is Sanaa Lathan. Then in no particular order, Kerry Washington, Zoe Saldana, Gabrielle Union, and Kim Kardashian.

"Wow, you ticked those off pretty quick. I guess you have been thinking about this all day. You sure you don’t want to add any more?"

I have some alternates, but you’re only supposed to list five.

Alternates huh? I guess I better keep you out of Hollywood or else I’m going to have to do a lot of forgiving.

That’s the beauty of it. The chance of me meeting any of those women is slim to none. David smiles. Okay what do you have for me?

I think this is stupid. Why even entertain the thought of cheating on your spouse? Was David trying to say that he was looking for something different? I’d fantasized about life with a celebrity before but was really having trouble coming up with a list.

Come on babe. There has to be somebody. David couldn’t believe I was having such trouble. Mason told me that Sara spouted off her list like she’d had it memorized for years.

Okay, number one would be Boris Kodjoe. Two and three - Jared Huntley and Ryan Reynolds. Um, four is The Rock and for number five, I’ll go with Jaleel White.

Urkel!? David laughs loudly.

What’s so funny? I am offended.

Only you would pick Urkel to sleep with if you had the chance.

Hey, I had a crush on him growing up. I don’t see anything wrong with putting him on there. He has grown into a fine ass man.

Well there you have it. If we ever meet any of these people and they proposition us, we are free and clear to accept.

I think that’s easier said than done.

You take things too seriously. It’s just a game. Besides if you were to meet any of those guys you wouldn’t have the guts to do anything. David chuckles.

I suppose you’ll have no trouble with banging anybody on your list?

Not at all because I know you’ll forgive me and wouldn’t leave me, right?

Yeah, I guess. I say the words but I’m not sure I really mean them.

David gives me a peck on the forehead. See, no worries because I would forgive you too.

I’m not too sure he would forgive me. No man likes to share. Luckily, I know that