The Millionaire’s Fake Wedding

Chapter 5

The ‘so bad’ part began when they arrived at the stadium. Players and staff had a separate entrance, but to get to it, one had to drive through a mob of reporters and fans pent-up by buff security guys. Belle couldn’t believe it. Camera flashes were blinding, even though she was inside the car, and the windows were tinted. People were everywhere, like a hoard of zombies in a horror flick. People showed pictures of Allen and sharpies to the window, one girl flashed, but Allen seemed not to notice. Belle felt a bit sorry for the fans, and angry at the press guys who kept snapping shots, and hoped they were almost there.

Finally the crowds ended, and they drove into an underground parking garage. Natalie was following closely behind (she had caught up to them shortly before arriving at the place). Allen took up the spot with A. Rodgers above it, close to the exit doors, and Natalie drove down to the staff parking. They met at the exit five minutes later.

“What are we waiting for? Come on!” Natalie rushed.

They filed through the door and walked a long hallway. Allen left the women at the end of it, and went into the changing room. “I see you guys on the court.”

Belle said nothing, and Natalie went on without a word either.

“Where are we going?”

“To the staff room. Right now there’s a bunch of reporters out there, looking for easy prey. If only I knew why they let them in anyway. Let them wait for the team to come out to practice, and then we’ll watch from the back row.”

“Right.”

They walked through a maze of narrow hallways and ascended a flight of stairs before reaching a nondescript door with a plastic plaque that read staff on it. Inside were a few people, with whom Natalie exchanged hellos, before sitting down by the window. Belle sat opposite her. She saw the court down below, but right outside the window was a huge black camera with a seat attached to it. A few people walked back and forth past the glass.

“Don’t worry.” Natalie must’ve read her concern. “It’s a one-way glass. Pretty thick, too. You won’t see much from here…”

Since there was nothing to see, Belle turned away from the window. “Alright. I’m ready for the instructions.”

“Good.”

For the next twenty minutes or so Natalie was explaining how to behave and what to say. She gave Belle some tips on how to blow off especially annoying fans and reporters, and how to do that politely. They didn’t want another scandal on their hands, now did they? No, ma’am.

The gist of it was simple: tell everyone how sweet of a man Allen is, and how they were crazy in love and so on.

“How about I throw in some drama, for good measure?” Belle suggested.

“Like what?”

“Say, how hard those first few months were for Allen. We had to keep the relationship a secret. It was hard to get over the humiliation and so on.”

Natalie considered, then said: “I better watch you closely, Ms. Jameson! Soon you’ll be taking on my job, as well!”

“Really?”

“No. I like the drama angle, just don’t overdo it. Choose one thing and elaborate on it if you have to, but don’t throw everything into the mix. In fact, hold off on that. When you have some free time – come up with a coherent story.”

“Yeah,” Belle agreed with a half-smile she’d picked up from Allen, “it’s a bit overwhelming.”

Natalie uttered a laugh.

*****

They ended up getting coffee and staying in the staff room all through the team’s warm-up, talking and planning, exchanging ideas. Both discovered that they had a similar outlook on life and on business, especially where men were involved, men, who needed guidance from a smart woman. They drank to that.

Finally, it was time to go. The stadium was full – a little over fifteen thousand people, all buzzing and whistling. Natalie lead Belle through another set of corridor’s and stairs, and they emerged from the same entrance the team would later be coming out of. There were some reports down here at the level of the court, and many began taking pictures of Natalie and her.

Through the roar of the crowd Natalie shouted: “Don’t mind them, say nothing. I got you.”

A few guys did try to come up to them, but Natalie waved them away, saying the regular no comments and no interviews.

Belle made it look like she was extremely interested in the cheerleaders’ routine, which wasn’t bad, but nothing too exciting for a girl to watch. Belle had a nice ass herself, and could easily have shown those girls how to dance.

They landed in their seats, and Natalie introduced Belle to the couple of old men who were sitting next to them. Belle didn’t catch their names or professions, but the men weren’t talkative, which was perfect. The game was about to begin, and the cheerleaders danced away, giving way to the team mascots, who staged a clumsy yet hilarious fight, pumping up the crowd (as if they needed to be pumped).

All during the game Belle was mesmerized. She’d never been to a game of basketball, and it was most amazing to witness it from the first row, mere feet away from the players. Most of all, naturally, she watched Allen. Half of that focus was due to the numerous cameras she could feel on herself, but a hell of a lot of it was her fascination with the way he played. He knew what he was doing on the court, and he knew he could do it well.

In the first half Allen scored 9 points, which was pretty good, as far as Belle could tell, knowing next to nothing of basketball statistics. Allen was graceful and very technical – few unnecessary movements, precise shooting, but what impressed her most was that he passed when the pass would bring most benefit and a guaranteed 2-pointer. There were players who rushed ahead with the ball, or stopped at the three-point line, going for an unlikely shot. But Rodgers shared, and that brought his team an advantage by the time the first half ended.

The crowd roared as the players left the court, and the girls in short skirts cartwheeled in their place.

Involuntarily, Belle stood up and raised her hands so that Allen would notice her. When their eyes met, she blew him a kiss. With a wide smile he disappeared into the changing room.

“What was that about?” Natalie asked. Then: “Good job, girl.”

“I don’t know. I’m just so excited! This is amazing!”

“Overwhelmed is what you are.”

“Tomato-tomahto.”

They watched the girls dance and jumped around, do flips, spins, and the mascots were at it again, pushing each other and falling comically. It was a freak show, but the crowd dug it, and Belle was having fun, as well.

During the second half Allen played even better, perhaps because he wasn’t just playing now, but playing for Belle. She worried he’d try to show off and start making mistakes, but five minutes into the game it became clear that he was even more focused. He easily scored a clean three-pointer – the ball went swoosh – and then another one a minute later. He passed a lot, and several of those passes resulted in 2-pointers.

By the end of the game Allen’s count was 24, which was no record, but nothing to frown upon, either. Once the buzzer went off, Belle found herself and Natalie jumping along with the crowd, clapping their hands and hugging – their team won. She saw Allen approaching her, with a cameraman following close behind. That made Belle freeze. Allen swept her up and kissed her on the lips, and Belle let him, closing her eyes, lacing her arms around his neck and kissing him back. It was a bit awkward for a moment – the thrill of new lips – but then they were kissing for real, and the cameras were rolling, and the crowd cheered.