Dustin (Shifter Football League Book 3) Read online

  She didn’t stop to ask permission or see who was around. She went straight through the doors, pushing them open like she owned the place, like she belonged there, though she was forbidden from entering.

  In the first row of lockers, there was just one man. It wasn’t Dustin. He looked at her with a shocked expression as he stood there with his shirt off. At least he hadn’t been naked.

  “Where’s Dustin?” she demanded.

  His face changed, like he now understood why she looked pissed. “Down at the end.” He nodded.

  She stormed in that direction, pausing to look down each row as she passed. Then she heard him. His loud, obnoxious voice laughing and carrying on. It sounded like he was talking to a few of the other players.

  “Oh, man, that is a great shot!” Dustin said. “You can see everything.”

  Brooklyn froze. What were they talking about? There was no one in the row beside where Dustin was, so she slid in and stood where she could hear their conversation. She’d never been in the habit of eavesdropping before, but it seemed like today was the day for that sort of thing. First Annabelle, Claire, and Holly, and now Dustin and who knew who else.

  “Man, you gotta get one of Holly!” Dustin said.

  Brooklyn felt her blood heat up. Were they talking about photos? Then, she recognized Hayden’s voice. “Ah, I don’t know. We’ll see.”

  So, Holly was dating Hayden then? Was that it? And Dustin wanted a photo of her. And she was sure he didn’t want some cute pose with clothes on. At least Hayden had played it off. Sounded like he hadn’t done anything too despicable.

  “Pic or it didn’t happen.” This time it was Alex talking. She made a mental note of who said what so she could report back to her ladies and to their coach.

  Hayden laughed. “I sent you a pic.”

  Brooklyn gritted her teeth. So much for liking Hayden.

  “But it didn’t show anything. A selfie of the two of you doesn’t count,” Dustin said. “I want boobs, and preferably with some pussy. How do we know you didn’t just take her out and not close the deal?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to trust me then,” Hayden said.

  Okay, maybe he was back on her good side. For now. Tentatively. He was on probation, she decided.

  “You’re never going to win with that attitude,” Alex said.

  “Nice to see you’re finally getting a little competitive,” Dustin said. “I thought I was going to cruise through this one all alone.”

  Win? This one? What were they talking about?

  “Nah, just because I got off to a slow start doesn’t mean I don’t plan to beat you in every way,” Alex said. “It’s Hayden who we have to worry about dropping out.”

  “Pfft. Okay,” Hayden said. “Just because you two run off and hit on all the ladies to see which one might bite doesn’t mean that’s my game. I have a plan.”

  “So, you’re done with Holly?” Dustin asked. “Who you moving onto next?”

  “Oh, I don’t know that I’m done with Holly,” Hayden said.

  “How will you ever sleep with all the cheerleaders if you don’t move on fast?” Dustin asked. “I’ve slept with two and Alex with one. We’re going to beat you easy. You better step up your game if you want any chance of winning.”

  Brooklyn gritted her teeth and now her blood was full on boiling. Sleep with all the cheerleaders? So, they were having some sort of contest to see who could sleep with the most cheerleaders?

  “I’m going to sleep with them all first, and you’ll have to take my sloppy seconds,” Dustin said, laughing.

  Or was the contest to sleep with all the cheerleaders first? She balled her hands into fists, and it was all she could do to not punch the locker. Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to pull some sort of shit like this? Like he had some right to just go and sleep with them all, mess with their heads and feelings, all for the sake of some contest. She wished she’d had this recorded so she could play it for her ladies. They might not believe her. They might not think these guys were capable of something so awful. Yet, here they were, discussing who their next victim would be. Well, not if she had anything to say about it.

  She was about to step around the side of the lockers, ready to tear into them, when she heard something that made her pause.

  “I got so many likes on this one, it’s crazy,” Dustin said.

  “You’re barely beating me,” Alex said. “The internet loves Lucy as much as Ricky did.”

  “I wish this photo of Annabelle was better. Everything with her just happened so fast, and it was dark when I tried to take it. This one of Claire is perfect, though. Full bush and everything!”

  They all laughed. That was it.

  Brooklyn stormed around the side, her face so hot, it might explode.

  “What do you think you’re doing?!” she shrieked.

  Three startled football players turned and gave her a wide-eyed look. They were dumbfounded into silence.

  “Who the hell do you think you are, sitting around posting photos of my squad?” She put her hands on her hips and looked at each of them pointedly.

  They exchanged looks with each other. Hayden, at least, had the grace to blush and look away.

  “Just a little innocent fun,” Dustin said.

  “Innocent? Posting naked photos of someone online is innocent?”

  “Sure. Just fun. I mean, come on, everyone is loving them. It’s not like people are putting them down. People think they’re hot.” Dustin smirked.

  “And you think that somehow makes it okay? You can’t go around posting photos like that! Take them down immediately!”

  “Calm down,” Alex said. “It’s not as big of a deal as you think.”

  “Oh sure, easy for you to say when it’s not your private areas displayed for the world to see,” she said.

  “How do you know there aren’t naked photos of me up there too?” Dustin said.

  “Who the fuck cares if there are?” Brooklyn could barely hold herself together. “Take them down now. And you will all stop this contest immediately. Stay away from my ladies. All of them.”

  “You can’t tell them what to do,” Hayden said. “If they want to spend time with us, they have that right.”

  “If anyone of them are stupid enough to do that, I will be sure to let them know everything that happened here today. And I’m not telling them. I’m telling you. Stay away.”

  Dustin laughed. “I’m not going to turn them down if they come after me. And it seems like they all want me. Sorry, princess. You’ll just have to deal. I’m sure it’s hard not being the one to get the hookup, but you can still have me anytime you want me, baby.”

  Brooklyn pulled her fist back and let it fly directly into Dustin’s chin. She didn’t take her self-defense class for nothing. She was trained for this sort of thing, and she was going to use all her skills and training when she needed to. This was the best time to put her fighting skills to use—to put an end to the injustice she overheard today. She couldn’t wait to tell the ladies and the Polar coach what was going on.

  Alex laughed as Dustin stumbled backward. “Oh, damn, you got clocked.”

  Dustin rubbed his jaw and glared at Brooklyn. “I should have you arrested for assault.”

  “Go ahead,” she said. “And I’ll be sure to tell the media exactly the type of person you are. All of you. I’m sure even the star quarterback couldn’t come out unscathed from this sort of sexiest, despicable act.”

  “Look,” Hayden said. “No one’s been seriously hurt. I’m sure Dustin will take the photos down. It was just a little fun between us guys. Nothing to get upset over. I’m sorry if it sounded like we planned to use your ladies. We would never want to mistreat women.”

  “Don’t try to make yourself sound better and save face now, pretty boy,” she said. “The damage is done. I’ll say it one last time. Stay away from my ladies. All of them.”

  She spun on her heel and barged her way into the hall wher
e the coach’s office was. The door was locked, and it didn’t look like there was a light on. He must be gone for the day. Well, fine. It would give her a chance to gather her thoughts and make sure she said all she needed to say.

  Brooklyn stormed out to her car, rage still boiling hot in her veins. She could barely see straight enough to get the door unlocked and the car started. All of her rage from her ex-boyfriends came flaring up, the fresh indignation of what she overheard in the locker room mixed with her ladies’ outright refusal to do what she’d asked to protect themselves. She screamed at the top of her lungs and pounded her fists on the steering wheel.

  She managed to make it home, and when she got there, she typed fervently into her computer an angry letter that she planned to send to the guys’ coach the next day. She also typed up a less angry letter to her own squad’s coach, Sarah, so that she would know what had happened to the Princesses and what she had done about it.

  She drank half a bottle of wine, reread her letters before hitting send, and felt confident in what she’d done. She was taking action, standing up for her squad mates, and hopefully preventing anyone else from being hurt. This could not be allowed to continue. And as long as she had a say, it would not.

  Chapter 16

  They waited until they heard the door slam then burst into laughter.

  “Whoa, that chick is intense!” Dustin said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard, then going back to rubbing his jaw. She hit hard. That bitch.

  “Seriously,” Alex said. “What she needs is a good lay.”

  “I hope she doesn’t really tell all the cheerleaders, though,” Hayden said.

  “Yeah, that would kinda mess up our contest,” Dustin said.

  “Meh,” Alex said. “There are ways around it. Convince them you’re different or they’re different. Like they changed you or something. It’s worked for me before.”

  “Oww, that’s a good one,” Dustin said. “I’ll use that next time.”

  Dustin hadn’t thought that much more of Brooklyn or her threats. He was going to try to talk to Rachel next and see how far he got. He had a thing for redheads. But after practice the next day, Coach did not look happy when it was time for their morning meeting.

  “Something has been brought to my attention,” Coach said. He waved a piece of paper in the air. “This is an email from Brooklyn Wells, the Polar Princess captain. She outlines in this very angry email a scenario which I’d like to believe is quite an exaggeration. She claims that not only are several members of this team making contests to sleep with the most cheerleaders but have also posted naked photos of them online and said other derogatory things. Now, I haven’t observed this and I’ve not seen any proof, but know this. Should there be any proof, there will be hell to pay. We don’t have room for a scandal. Anyone caught involved in something like this will be removed from the team immediately. Is that understood?”

  He looked around the guys as they took turns nodding. Dustin gritted his teeth but nodded anyway.

  “She did name names, and I will be watching those players especially closely. Keep your junk in your pants and your attention in the game where it belongs. I’m starting to wonder if maybe this isn’t the reason some of you aren’t quite living up to your potential.”

  He met Dustin’s eyes, and Dustin felt his face go hot. How dare she name him in this and cause him this trouble? That bitch.

  Once the meeting broke up, Dustin made a point to seek out the coach. “I just want you to know,” Dustin said, “that I take these accusations very seriously. I don’t feel I’ve done anything less than honorable when it comes to the cheerleaders, but I will make sure that my behavior is even more exemplary than it’s been.”

  Coach narrowed his eyes slightly. “You talk a lot of talk, Perry. You have yet to prove yourself. I suggest you follow my warning. Keep your head in the game and out of your pants.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said as Coach Kent walked away.

  He stood there for a moment, basking in his pure rage. Just when he’d started to pick up a bit, to rise up in the rankings, now this. She had to come over here and ruin everything, when all he was trying to do was have a little fun with his teammates and get laid a few times. Where was the harm in that? She was severely overreacting.

  But now the coach was aware of things, and they’d have to be much more careful about how they went about this. As he walked back to his locker to check his phone, he had a thought. Alex and Hayden were there, ready to walk out on the field.

  “Guess our fun is over,” Hayden said. “And I was just getting started.”

  “Well…” Dustin leaned in close to them. “Maybe our original contest has to be put on hold for now, but I have a better idea.”

  Alex chuckled. “Okay. What is it?”

  “Instead of all the cheerleaders, we focus on just one. Brooklyn.” Dustin pulled his lips to the side in a snide smile.

  “Dude,” Hayden said. “That chick hates you.”

  “She hates all of us,” Alex said.

  “Exactly,” Dustin said. “That’s what makes the challenge so good.”

  “I don’t know, man. Maybe we should just let it go,” Hayden said. “I don’t want to get in trouble with the coach.”

  “Oh, I see,” Dustin said. “You’re not up for it. You don’t think you can convince Brooklyn to change her mind about you? Or any of us?”

  “Didn’t you say Holly was pretty pissed at you over this?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah,” Hayden admitted.

  “Perfect. If you can get Brooklyn to crack, you can also convince her to talk to Holly and make her see reason,” Dustin said. “This is your way to get Holly back.”

  “I doubt that will work,” Hayden said.

  “But if you’re not dating her, then you have nothing to lose,” Alex said.

  “We’re still dating.” Hayden gave him a quick glare.

  Alex shrugged.

  Dustin put a hand on his shoulder. “Who knows what poison Brooklyn will feed them about us over the coming weeks. Your only chance is to get her to come around.”

  “I guess,” Hayden said.

  “Then it’s on,” Dustin said. “First one to fuck Brooklyn wins. And there must be a naked photo as proof. None of this selfie crap with clothes on.” He put his hand in the middle and held it there, waiting.

  Alex put his hand on top. After a moment, Hayden sighed and added his hand to the pile.

  “Let the fun begin,” Dustin said. They broke hands and headed out to the field. Dustin started planning his next move.

  Chapter 17

  First, he needed to convince Brooklyn that he wasn’t all bad. He had to break past her image of him. That was the only way. She’d never talk to him if she thought he was the king jerk who wanted to sleep with all “her ladies” as she called them. He was distracted for a moment by the thought of her and her ladies, all in the locker room together, all naked and showering. Did things ever happen between them? If they were so man-hating, maybe a few were lesbians.

  He had to adjust his pants picturing it. Maybe there was a way to sneak in there or set up a camera. But that wasn’t his focus right now. Couldn’t be. Brooklyn. What would make this girl tick, and what would get through to her? What was the best way to prove he was a good guy?

  His first plan of action was to write her some sort of email or message. She’d never talk to him in person, he knew that, so a nice long message telling her that he wasn’t what she thought. After practice that night, and after thinking about it all day, he sat down at his computer and started writing what he’d been thinking about.

  “Brooklyn, I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t want you to think that I’m the type of guy who just runs around using women, looking for a cheap hookup. I’m sure it seems that way, but that’s not what’s actually going on. Guys tend to be competitive about everything. We make bets to see who can chug a milk carton first at breakfast. We see who can go the longest without showering. Once, I w
as even in a contest in college to see who could call their mother the most. These contests make no sense, and they hurt no one. They’re for fun, and they’re a way to show each other that we can win. Especially for football players, we’re all about winning, and shifters have had to fight even harder to win in this world. I think our animal instincts makes us more competitive, as well.

  “But my point is this. Yes, there was something of a contest to see who could sleep with the cheerleaders. But it wasn’t about just getting laid. If that was the case, we would have done it in a bar while drunk and made it the most hookups in general. But instead, this ‘contest’ if you can even call it that, happened in the locker room after a hard day of practice when we were feeling downtrodden and like we were losing at everything. All three of us were single and expressed the desire to have a woman in our lives, someone to love and cherish, to comfort us at the end of the day, especially a hard day. And the only way to discover that person, to see who could be the one for us, is to talk to them, date them, and hook up with them. So, it’s basically about finding love and a relationship. Just because on the surface it seemed crude, I can assure you that underneath, there were good intentions. But men won’t come out and say, ‘let’s have a contest to see who finds love first’ because that sounds wussy and girly, where saying ‘let’s have a contest to sleep with the most cheerleaders’ sounds much more manly and testosterone driven. I’m sorry our nature makes us come off as jerks sometimes. But if you get to know us, you’d see that we’re not all bad, and we’re certainly not as bad as we seem—a little misguided maybe, but that’s just another reason we need good women in our lives. Women like your ladies.

  “I’d love to make this up to you somehow and show you the real me. I’m not proposing a date by any means. I wouldn’t want you to think of this as some ploy to get you to go out with me. I’d like to simply talk, over text message, on the phone, or meeting for coffee or dessert. Whatever you want. Just so I can prove to you that I’m not who you think I am. Here’s my number. Feel free to text or call anytime. Dustin.”