The BFD (A Big Deal Romantic Comedy Book 1) Read online

“Have a seat,” Mike said. “We’re back on in forty seconds then I’ll introduce you two. Jeff and I will ask some questions, you answer, we’ll play a couple songs, then come back and close it out. You both good?”

  I saw Rori’s body stiffen when I sat in the chair next to her. Jesus.

  “This really is good,” I turned to her and said, nodding at my plate.

  “Thanks,” she again muttered.

  “Headsets on,” Jeff ordered. “You’re tuned in to Wake up with Mucus, with Mike and Jeff. I’m Jeff.”

  “And I’m Mike. We’ve got two special guests this morning to talk about KIDS Klub. The gorgeous Rori Flannigan is here from Flannigan’s Flowers and Fare, and let me tell you, folks, she makes a mean cinnamon roll. Make sure to head over to her bakery at 1346 Fourteenth Street Northwest for an orgasmic experience.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rori flinch, and I turned to make sure she was good which got me a frown. Damn. What was it going to take with this woman?

  Jeff began talking then. “Our other guest you might know as The BFD. And let me tell you, he is one big bleeping deal. Over five-thousand passing yards and twenty-five touchdowns. Great to have you back, quarterback Calder Castleman.”

  “Thanks, Jeff. It’s great to be back again,” I stated.

  “So, Rori, can I call you Rori?” Mike asked.

  “You sure can, Mike,” Rori replied jovially, and I looked over to see her smiling, noting she’d quickly recovered from her tenseness.

  “Just what is it that you put in this glaze?”

  Jeff concurred, “Yeah, it’s like rainbows and fairies and unicorns all got together, put a bucket in the middle of them all, pulled out their stuff and…”

  Please don’t say jizzed into it, I thought with a wince.

  “…made it,” he finished.

  Mike smirked as he touched the screen of what looked like an iPad which produced a rimshot sound.

  Rori chuckled and I was pretty sure she’d been thinking the same. “It’s a family secret,” she declared. “If I tell you, my Mimi Sue would have to kill you.”

  “Mimi Sue. That’s your grandmother, yes?” Mike asked.

  “Yes. She’s the silent partner of the two businesses my best friend Mara Lewis and I own. Mara runs the flower shop while I run the bakery. So, you can come in to get a coffee and cinnamon roll, then go to the other side and order a bouquet of roses to be sent to, oh, maybe your girl, Nevaeh, and attach a card that says you can’t wait to see her birthmark again.”

  Holy fucking God.

  I stared at Rori in shock, knowing my mouth was hanging open, and if my mother had been there, she’d have smacked me upside the head for “trying to catch flies.”

  Rori smirked as she looked at the hosts, fully aware that she’d thrown me for a loop.

  “Nevaeh. Mm, she sounds heavenly,” Jeff threw out there.

  “I wouldn’t mind looking at that celestial body,” Mike added, pressing the button again which let out a wolf whistle. “So, Castle, have you ever patronized Ms. Flannigan’s shops?”

  I felt Rori’s eyes burning into the side of my head as I answered, “I have, Mike. Many times.”

  “Bakery or flowers for the ladies?” Jeff asked, touching his own iPad which played Ace Ventura saying, “Flowers for me? I do declare, Mr. Beauregard” and the sound of a woman moaning in the background.

  Fuck.

  “I’ve only ordered flowers, but I actually did make it inside the shop just the other day,” I commented.

  “Oh, yeah? Did you try one of her fabulous muffins?” Mike questioned, wiggling his eyebrows. Then iPad poked, another quote rang through the studio. “Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?”

  “Mean Girls,” Rori murmured and I looked at her with a frown not knowing what she was talking about.

  “No. But I plan to go back soon and try one,” I shared.

  “So, you stopped by to order flowers then?” he pried.

  I peered at Rori who’d tensed up again, and God, I was an amazingly nice guy for not mentioning her screwing up my orders and instead answering, “Yes. They have excellent customer service. Matter of fact, on this visit, I was offered, I guess what you could call dating advice.”

  “Do tell,” Jeff said, pushing his iPad again that played Kirk Lazarus saying, “Hey, baby, you and me’s goin’ on a date.”

  How the hell these guys knew which damn things to push for these blurbs, I had no idea, but they were fucking pros at it.

  “Well, one of the employees, I think her name was Shannon, told me I should, uh, go out with her coworker. She said this woman needs a little TLC to help her not be so uptight.” Rori then employed some Maze Runner shit and I heard, “Fuck you” inside my head. Or she could’ve said it out loud. Either way, I swear I heard it.

  “Are you talking about a romp in the sack?” Jeff inquired with a snort.

  Wanting to give Rori a little payback for her Nevaeh comment and the it-did-or-didn’t-happen telepathy, I nodded with a smirk and shared, “I could be.”

  “Rori, do you have any idea who he’s talking about?” Mike asked.

  “I’m not sure, Mike. But I doubt anyone at our shop would be interested in Mr. Castleman. I mean, he’s a notorious playboy who’s been photographed with tons of women he’s…had relationships with,” she did air quotes when she said relationships, “so no telling how many STDee…” she caught herself, dragging out that fucking “Dee” before resuming, “defenses he’s put against ever having a monogamous relationship.”

  What the fuck?

  I narrowed my eyes at her and saw she at least had the decency to appear totally abashed at what she’d said, but she recovered quickly.

  “But he-he’s very handsome and all but he’s known for dating a lot of women, so I’m sure whomever he’s talking about from my store knows she’d just be another notch in his bedpost.”

  “Hold that thought,” Jeff said. “We’ll be right back after a word from these sponsors then Highly Suspect will entertain you with ‘Little One’ followed by In This Moment’s ‘Oh Lord.’ Stay tuned, D.C.!” He looked at Rori and me. “Two-minute break!”

  Before I could ream her ass for her comments, I turned to see she’d taken off her headset and stood then asked, “Do I have time to run to the ladies’ room?”

  “Of course,” Mike told her. “Down the hall and to the left.”

  She rushed out of the studio, and I saw her take a stutter step when she saw Melissa, then ducking her head, Rori walked quickly down the hall, disappearing into the restroom.

  “She’s pretty sassy,” Jeff pointed out.

  “Yeah, if that’s what you wanna call it,” I answered, standing.

  “Now, Castle. She was just goofing around.” I raised my brow and Jeff shrugged with a chuckle. “She very well could’ve been talking about your dee-fenses.” He and Mike burst out laughing.

  “Hilarious, guys. You know I don’t fuck around that much. And even if I did, my shit’s always wrapped up tight to protect my,” I glared at them, “Dee-fenses.”

  They laughed and Mike shared, “Ah, don’t worry, man. We’ve got you covered. Seven-second delay and all.” He held his hand up like a gun making a clicking sound with his mouth, “shooting” me with his finger.

  “Thank fuck,” I mumbled as I headed toward the door. “Be right back.”

  Leaning my shoulder against the wall, I let out an annoyed breath waiting for Rori to come out of the ladies’ room. What she’d said was totally uncalled for, even though it’d been edited out and all of D.C. hadn’t heard it. But I had, and it pissed me off that she had that low an opinion of me.

  The door opened and coming out, she startled upon seeing me, stopping dead in her tracks and gasping out an, “Oh!”

  “Yeah, oh,” I said standing straight and crossing my arms over my chest, blocking her from moving down the hall. Biting her lip, she darted her eyes to either side of me, looking for a way around. “What
the fuck was that, Rori?” At her blank stare, I bit out, “You have anything you want to say to me?”

  Letting out a breath and eyes full of what I hoped was remorse, she looked up at me. “I’m sorry…”

  Finally.

  “…I mentioned your STDs on the radio.”

  Jesus. That hadn’t been remorse in her eyes. It’d been the goddamn devil. I opened my mouth ready to lay her out, when I saw she was biting her lips as if to keep from laughing.

  What the hell. Who was this woman and how was she able to set my emotions to churning within minutes of simply being near her?

  Without thinking, I took a step into her, and grabbing her by the shoulders, leaned down and smashed my mouth to hers.

  But it wasn’t what I thought it’d be.

  Lips still on hers, I opened my eyes only to see her green ones glaring back at mine, and I pulled away, disappointed that I’d been wrong in thinking there’d actually been heat, chemistry, between us.

  But when her hand flew out and slapped me across my cheek, I stood there shocked, thinking in that millisecond, Ah, there’s the fucking heat, but it was in her temper not in any kind of desire for me.

  Then my shock grew even, well, shockier when her hand suddenly darted out to clutch my shirt and pulling me closer, she kissed me.

  It took all of .005 seconds for me to let go of any thoughts of anger, because kiss.

  Tongue.

  Female.

  Good.

  My hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers threading up through her hair, anchoring her mouth to mine, as her hand followed suit at my nape. In the meantime, my tongue matched every move of hers, stroke for stroke, before it upped the ante, taking over and doing its thing, garnering a sexy moan from her, fuck, that moan, almost bringing me to my knees as the electric current I’d imagined would flow between us, the heat I’d assumed would be there, flowed and burned like crazy.

  When I let out a growl, she instantly tensed, all tongue action ceased and we were back to staring at each other, close range.

  Her hands landing on my chest shoved me away, then we stood breathing hard and staring at each other, both of us in a stupor at what’d happened. Pointing at me, she snapped, “This never happened!”

  Before I could say a word, her hands at the bottom of her sweater tugged it down in a snap straightening it which made her hard nipples even more noticeable. At my quiet groan, her eyes skated down my body landing on the huge bulge in my jeans, at which she smirked impishly, then walked around me and headed back to the studio as if nothing had happened.

  Christ.

  Thinking of all things disgusting—booger eaters, rotted teeth, Sam’s baby barf that went in my mouth once—I adjusted myself and returned to the studio. Entering, I glanced at Rori who was finishing up a story she’d been telling to the guys.

  “Then my friend looks at me and says, “That’s a lot of dough.”

  They all laughed and the show started as Mike announced, “We’re back with Wake up with Mucus. If you missed the first segment, we’ve got Rori Flannigan from Flannigan’s Flowers and Fare here along with The B-F-D,” he accentuated each letter loudly, “quarterback Calder Castleman.” Jeff played a clapping track then stated, “So, Castle, you set several records this year, which was amazing to watch, by the way. I know the fans love you, hence the nickname, but off the field, you’re also The BFD when it comes to charities. What can you tell us about the almost five million dollars you’ve donated over the past five years to KIDS Klub?”

  I heard Rori gasp, probably at the amount I’d given, before I answered, “Well, Mike, besides loving that I can help kids get into sports, I have to tell you that KIDS Klub was started mostly because of my best friend, Jack Watson. See, I grew up in an upper-middle-class family in Delaware, but Jack, I guess you could say, grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He had a great family and his parents worked hard at what they did, but there never seemed to be enough to go around for him and his brother and two sisters.” I snorted previous to saying, “He hates when I tell this story, by the way, so I’m sure I’ll get an earful later.” The guys chuckled because they’d heard this story the previous times I’d been on, but they’d also met Jack, so they knew there was a positive outcome to it all. “Anyway, Jack’s dad, James, was a ship loader and hurt his back when Jack and I were in junior high, so things really got tight when he had to go on workman’s comp for over a year. Long story short, my parents knew the Watsons’ situation even before James’s accident, and they’d helped with sports equipment and other things for Jack, but after James was hurt, when they wanted to help even more, James was too proud and wouldn’t let them. So they started the KIDS Klub, which was a way they could help not only Jack, but other kids too, and Mr. Watson couldn’t get mad. Jack’s now my agent, which he charges me an arm and a leg for, and believe me, his parents are presently being well taken care of,” I informed with a chuckle.

  I heard Rori suck in a breath again, certain it was because she’d just found out my family had started the Klub, and I turned to see her looking at me, mouth hanging open. When she realized she was staring, closing her mouth, she turned quickly away.

  I continued, “KIDS actually originally stood for ‘Kids in Delaware Succeed,’ but it’s taken off and we’ve opened facilities in three other states as well. Delaware now has four Klub facilities, including two in Wilmington, which makes me proud of my family and the work we’ve done,” I added. “The Klub is for kids ages six to eighteen of all financial situations, so everyone’s welcome. On top of providing programs that run year-round, such as education and career development, health and wellness, the arts, and character and leadership, we also sponsor many field trips that aid in these programs.”

  “That’s great,” Jeff said. “My nieces loved the summer reading program too.”

  I nodded in agreement and grinned as I said, “The best part, in my opinion, is we have sports leagues where kids compete in football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and swimming, so there’s something for everyone. And I have to mention that our sports leagues are superior to many others, with most competing against surrounding states’ AAU teams which aids in getting kids seen by college coaches. Matter of fact, Matt Helman, longtime KIDS Klub’er and who was DeMatha’s quarterback the past two years, just signed to play football with USC back in the fall.”

  “That seriously is very cool,” Mike said. “You have such a generous family that works to help these kids succeed. When I met your parents a few years ago, I could tell they love what they’re doing.”

  “They do,” I agreed. “And this year, with the help of generous donations from the public, we’ve also added twenty-five college scholarships, based on need, for kids who are or were Klub members to apply for.”

  “Wow. I know Julie at the D.C. Klub will be ecstatic about this,” Jeff jumped in as Mike hit his iPad and Meg Ryan’s “Yes, yes!” scene from When Harry Met Sally reverberated throughout the studio.

  I chuckled. “She already is. Oh, and don’t forget to remind your listeners about the fund-raising dance a week from this Saturday at the Klub downtown. It’s 80s and 90s themed, so pull out your leg warmers and the Jinkos, I think that’s how it was pronounced?”

  “You mean those huge-assed skater jeans from the 90s! J-N-C-O was the brand and I think ‘Jinkos’ is correct.”

  I chuckled. “Works for me. Oh, and I’ll be deejaying. Might need to get some scribbling tips from you guys.”

  “We might be DJs, but we’re not cool ones that know things like that,” Mike said with a laugh.

  “My wife and I’ll be there,” Jeff said. “I promised her I’ll drop it like it’s hot, so you’d better be laying down some mean tracks.”

  Of course, the song, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” started playing for a couple seconds.

  Everyone laughed then Mike asked, “So, Ms. Flannigan, as a supporter of KIDS Klub, are you also going to be dropping it like it’s hot a week from Saturda
y?”

  Rori chuckled nervously. “I’ll see what I can do, Mike.”

  “Your business has been a big supporter of the Klub for the past two years. Anything you want to add?”

  “Well, two of my brothers live in the D.C. area and their kids have been involved in KIDS Klub for several years now, and they love it. Every time I see them, they go on and on about something they did with the Klub, so when I decided to contribute to a charity, the Klub was the first thing that came to mind.”

  “You gave a generous donation last year, and you have collection jars in both your bakery and flower shop, yes?”

  “Yes. And I plan on making an even higher donation this year, God willing.” She smiled humbly at the guys.

  Snapping his fingers then pointing at her, Jeff tilted his head, and sporting a sly look asked, “You’re a mizz and not a missus, right?”

  I watched Rori’s face turn beet red. “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Well, you and Castle should attend this dance gig together!”

  Once again, I felt more than saw Rori go rigid at Mike’s suggestion. When he touched that dumbass iPad again, I cringed hearing the soundbite of Julia Roberts saying her, “I’m also just a girl standing in front of a boy” line. Fuck.

  Rori chuckled at the movie quote just before uttering an emphatic, “No.”

  Timeout.

  We need to talk. Yeah, me and you. Mano a tú-o, if you will. So, there are some things you need to know to understand why I’m me.

  First off, you gotta know that I don’t embarrass easily. These radio guys? Bang-up job at getting me completely discombobulated that morning. Assholes had me sweating like Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars.

  Second, I’m a hunter as are most men. Modern Darwinism says we’re hardwired to be this way because of our cavemen ancestors. Therefore, I love the hunt, aka the chase, and Rori just sweetened the pot with that kiss. There was no stopping me now.

  Third, which goes hand-in-hand with the second one, I need you to understand what I mean when I tell you I’m competitive. I’m saying, I’m COMPETITIVE. I hate losing. Hate it. Just so you can fully understand, here are examples of my competitiveness: