Page 9 of The Only Shot that Mattered

Annalise’s eyes ballooned. “Oh no. I wasn’t telling you so you could help. I’m so sorry. I just… I honestly haven’t had much adult conversation in a while, and I should have been more mindful?—”

“Ms. Annalise, please,” Kenna said in a soothing tone. She wasn’t even sure where that tone came from because most of her words normally came out clipped with irritation. “You didn’t ask. I’m offering. Please, just send me the list.”

She barely had time to nod before there was a commotion behind them. Kenna stiffened and whirled around, ready to grab Alanzo and bolt. Never would there be a time where she would leave kids behind ever again. She had done that once. She should have tried harder to get her classmates to freedom…

The images of her high school flooded her, but Cam was there. He was always there. She felt his hand on her back before he whispered, “You’re good, girl. It’s all good.”

Finally, Kenna’s eyes focused, and she noticed a couple of big men standing by the stairs, scoping the area out. One of the men was tall, really tall, with skin the color of chocolate, while the other was shorter and white. Both had muscles for days and wore all black with earpieces.

“What do you think is going on?” Kenna asked Cam. Her nerves bounced around as sweat formed on her forehead. She felt like she might be sick as anxiety clawed at her, trying to make her believe something terrible was wrong.

“Ohhh, girl.” Cam bounced up and down excitedly, his hand leaving her back and clapping Alanzo on his faded head. Alanzo immediately got annoyed and scooted back onto her lap. She was thankful for his weight once again. “I bet you anything it’s Damien Blaze!”

“Who?” Kenna asked, trying to keep up. She breathed deeply and bounced Alanzo in her lap since her legs couldn’t stay still.

“Kenna,” Cam groaned, “you have been living under a rock. No matter how hard I try to get you out from under said rock, you refuse. How is it that you don’t know who Damien Blaze is? He’s the sexiest man in the NBA. He has been for years. He’s seasoned and looks like he knows what the hell he’s doing…” His words trailed off when he glanced at Alanzo, who looked at him curiously. Cam cleared his throat. “Well, anyway, he’s known for picking random people to do a meet and greet with him after the game.”

Kenna glanced behind her again, and this time, the two men with earpieces were accompanied by a man who was obviously a celebrity. Kenna couldn’t lie. He was handsome as hell. He also towered over his two security guards and had a megawatt smile. His dentist needed a raise because his teeth were perfect. Matter of fact, his barber needed a raise, too, because his goatee and waves had a crisp lining. His chocolate skin had tattoos all over, and his body looked chiseled from the finest midnight marble, smooth and blemish free.

He had on a black jersey with red and white writing. He smiled and waved at the people that took notice of him.

He turned his head slightly and made eye contact with Kenna. Her nerves multiplied as she looked at him, and she wasn’t sure why. Energy pulsed in the space between them, so tangible she felt she could cut it with a knife. They stared at each other for a moment before he said something to his bodyguards, and they advanced toward where they sat.

Kenna felt Cam nudging her in the ribs and Alanzo crawled over to speak excitedly to Annalise, but none of it registered to her.

“How y’all doing?”

His voice was magical. It was deep and sultry. His full lips looked smooth and luscious, and Kenna couldn’t stop staring at them. She also couldn’t stop wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Today was way out of the norm for her. In a large crowd, making new friends, and now lusting after a man? The world had to be ending. That thought had her spiraling once again, but Cam hit her in the leg, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry, she’s a bit dim sometimes,” Cam said, speaking to the man. “Damien Blaze, right?”

The man looked at Cam and smiled. “Yeah, and you are?”

He didn’t say it rudely, Kenna noticed. He was very polite. Most men took offense to Cam because of his feminine looks and his outgoing attitude, but Damien didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Camden,” Cam said, shaking Damien’s hand.

“And is this your girlfriend?” Damien eyed me.

“Now, why do people keep saying that? Is it the jersey?” He looked down at The Infernos jersey he wore before cutting his eyes at Kenna. “I told you I should have gotten the jersey dress like you.” Unfortunately for Kenna, she did end up spending a couple of hours at the mall the night before, but it didn’t turn out to be that bad. She wore a cute, tight fitted, jersey dress with the nameRiversacross the back and some red and black sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a cute ponytail. Cam had decided to wear a jersey with some skin-tight black leggings. It was for sure on the more normal side of outfits when it came to him. Still, nobody would mistake him for being straight. His long nails and lashes and the makeup on his face screamed gay. He didn’tunderstand that people were only being polite. “I wouldn’t date her if she was the last woman on earth.”

When he finally responded to Damien, Kenna was broken out of her daze. She kicked Camhard. He yelped in pain as she cut her eyes at him and then looked up at Damien.

“I’m sorry. My name is Kenna, and no, we are not a couple. This is my best friend.”

She didn’t know why she put emphasis on her and Cam not being a couple, but somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she felt it was necessary.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kenna. As much as I would love to sit here and chat, I can’t, but I would love to do so after the game.” He looked at the pole in front of them and then back at her. “I would love to upgrade your seats and then have you for a meet and greet after the game.”

Kenna stared at him for a moment before glancing at Alanzo, who was now holding onto her arm in excitement.

“My bad. Who is this? Your lil man?” Damien asked.

“Oh no. I actually just met him, believe it or not. This is Alanzo and that’s his grandmother, Annalise. Thank you for the offer, but I would love to give those seats and the meet and greet to them if that’s possible.”

Damien walked toward them, and Kenna peeped his swagger. He was confident with his walk and not afraid to be nice and smile, which was refreshing to see. Not that she had much experience with other men, but none of them made her want to get to know them. She found herself drawn to his aura on a deep level.

He kneeled down, so he was somewhat at eye level with little Alanzo, who was now jumping up and down with a big smile on his face. “Hey, lil man, what do you say? You wanna watch the game up close?”

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