Rules of Submission (Fans of Football Book 2) Read online

  Rules of Submission

  Fans of Football Series

  Leigh Lennon

  Rules Of Submission

  Copyright @2019 Leigh Lennon

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

  This book is a work of fiction and is the product of the author’s imagination. Mentions of people living or deceased are for reference purposes only.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used for reference purposes only. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms that are used.

  The E-book copy is licensed for you personal enjoyment and may not re-sold or given away.

  This book is a work of fiction and is the product of the author’s imagination.

  Editing by Chelly Peeler at Ink It Out Editing.

  Proofreading services by Deaton Author Services and Angel Nyx

  Formatting by Ink It Out Editing.Cover design by Najla Qamber.

  Beta Readers: Nancy George, Annette Brignac

  Dedication

  To those who were always told you’d never succeed and you proved them wrong.

  To those that have a dream and won’t quit.

  To the woman who was always my biggest fan on earth. And even though she’s cheering me on from heaven, I feel her support every day.

  Contents

  Rules of Submission

  Playlist

  Prologue

  1. Langston

  2. Candace

  3. Langston

  4. Candace

  5. Langston

  6. Candace

  7. Langston

  8. Candace

  9. Langston

  10. Candace

  11. Langston

  12. Candace

  13. Langston

  14. Candace

  15. Langston

  16. Candace

  17. Langston

  18. Candace

  19. Langston

  20. Candace

  21. Langston

  22. Candace

  23. Langston

  24. Candace

  25. Langston

  26. Candace

  27. Langston

  28. Candace

  29. Candace

  30. Langston

  31. Candace

  32. Candace

  33. Langston

  34. Candace

  35. Langston

  36. Langston

  37. Langston

  38. Langston

  39. Candace

  40. Langston

  41. Candace

  42. Candace

  Epilogue

  What I’ve Learned Along The Way

  Unacquainted Excert

  Foundations Excerpt

  It Takes a Village!

  Other Books by Leigh Lennon

  About the Author

  Rules of Submission

  Candace

  My whole life I’ve been told I was good for one thing. I was the family pawn, a pretty face to do their bidding.

  Then I met him, and I dared to see a future where he could make me whole again.

  But Lang has a secret—one that excites me. Now, I only want to play by his rules. But in his future, he sees things I can’t physically give him.

  Will he leave me like everyone else does?

  Lang

  Power and control—I demand it. I never had it as a kid, but now my life is arranged and ordered as I like.

  Then she comes into my life; young and inexperienced, and willing to surrender.

  I’m ready to give up everything for my sweet Candy. But she gives me all her power. I hold it in my hands.

  Playlist

  Alison Krauss “When You Say Nothing at All”

  Bea Miller “Force of Nature”

  Christina Aguilera “Bound to You”

  Coldplay “Clocks”

  Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”

  Hootie and the Blowfish “Let Her Cry”

  Janet Jackson “Control”

  K. Flay “Blood in the Cut”

  Lady Antebellum “Need You Now”

  Lo-Fang “You’re the One I want”

  Marcy Playground “Sex and Candy”

  Matchbox Twenty “If You’re Gone”

  Melissa Etheridge “Precious Pain”

  Rhianna “S & M”

  Sam Hunt “Body Like a Back Road”

  Sarah McLachlan “Sweet Surrender”

  Simon Curtis “Flesh”

  The Wallflowers “One Headlight”

  Prologue

  Langston

  Ten Years Ago

  It’s not poetic or a creative literary spiel but my childhood, or lack of one, sucked. And yet only six years later, I’ve exceeded my own expectations—becoming a partner in my sports agency. And if that isn’t enough, at the age of twenty-five, my new tech has made me a millionaire overnight. My future is something I’m finally in control of.

  My whole life I’ve been at the mercy of others. As a young kid, I was at the mercy of my father when he’d drink so much, he didn’t know if he was beating the shit out of me or my ma. Of course, I’d put myself between him and her several times. I was at the mercy of my mother, forever hoping she’d leave that worthless piece of shit that gave me his name. Throughout my life, I relied on the generosity of others for my next meal. At sixteen, I was at the clemency of the law when I was caught stealing money out of my till at Burger King in order for my ma and me to buy groceries. Even at eighteen, I relied on whatever scholarships I could get my hands on.

  With an IQ of 158 and my SAT score of 1577, I had my choice of any school, except for the one I’d always wanted to attend. After staying in Michigan for one year, I applied for a full scholarship at Stanford and was accepted when I was a sophomore. This is when my life had changed and though my first payday was due to my best friend, I fucking busted my ball sack to get him twenty-four million a year for five years—along with the number one draft pick.

  After only a couple short years, I can now have my heart’s desire. I stand outside a swanky club; one I’ve had my eye on for years. Sure, it’s a lifestyle I’ve dabbled in before. But now that I’m in the big leagues, I have the money to fulfill my dream.

  From this moment on, I’ll control all aspects of my life. This will be the start. My need to dominate in the bedroom is just a small little sliver of the new existence I’m about to partake in. This is my world now, and everyone will play by my rules.

  Candace

  Six Years Ago

  The step-witch, what I normally call my stepmother behind her back, is in front of me, smiling for once. She’s being sweet and for some reason, with the woman who never was nice to me, this sort of affection means a lot. A maternal force in my life is something I miss, though I feel it every time my sister looks at me, but having a mother is something I dream of. It’s short-lived as the subject of tonight’s pleasantries comes up while she applies my makeup. It’s sex and I cringe at the idea of chatting about it with her. Sure, like any mother, she’ll warn me that Micah Simmons may be overly-aggressive, a caution to protect my virt
ue. She won’t be telling me anything Liz hasn’t already shared with me.

  “Candace,” she begins, “Micah Simmons is accustomed to certain expectations. I know you’re inexperienced but you should understand this.”

  Regardless if this is the step-witch, it’s still a bit uncomfortable. I’m not ready for this closeness we are sharing to go away. I simply reply, “No reason to worry, Mummy, I’ll have no problem telling him no.” She has demanded I call her this since I was itty bitty. I still hate calling her Mummy, it’s not like she’s British. Like most things centered around her, it’s always better to grin and bear it.

  I smile, ready for the compliment I know is so close to forming on her lips. She moves too quickly, squaring her body with mine. In her frown, my confusion grows.

  “Candace Annemarie Declan, you’ll do no such thing.” Now with her hands on my shoulders, she continues, “Spencer Simmons is a big client of your daddy’s. You’ll make life easy for Micah tonight and in essence you’ll do what it takes to keep this client for your daddy. If that means you suck his dick, or he sticks a finger or two or whatever he wants inside of you—you do it. You understand?”

  My mouth instantly dries and I find it hard to swallow. I don’t have a chance to question her when she takes in a deep breath, still commanding me, “You can lose your surprised look. You’re a pretty face. That’s all you’ll ever be. The sooner you accept what you have to offer this world and your family, the better we’ll all be. Elizabeth got the brains, you got the body. So suck it up, my stupid little Barbie doll, and do what’s expected.”

  My eyes stay fixed on her. My body is numb and I can’t move my limbs. It’s now I know one day I’ll free myself from the family. I’ll start fresh with a new life and the Declan family name will no longer be mine to bear. I can change my maiden name and leave my daddy and stepmother behind one day. Until then, I’ll have to do what the step-witch instructs and that is to simply suck it up.

  1

  Langston

  Present

  My eyes don’t leave her angelic body taking up most of the length in my California King. She’s sleeping, and I’ll take this small victory, finally, after a restless night. My fear has been that she’d fall into a deep slumber and I’d snore or move, waking her up. It’s been three weeks since she’s been released from the best rehabilitation center money could buy. Besides the drastic recovery to her traumatic brain injury, she’s sifting through the reality of shit her real father has brought into her life.

  I sit in the corner of our room, in a soft blue velvet wingback chair she picked out. I let her have whatever her heart desires. Within one day, I had more furniture than I knew what to do with, or at least that was my thought. Then the following afternoon, a truck had come relieving me of most of my older furniture, taking it to one of the homeless shelters, at Candy’s request. Sure, my house now has more bling than Mr. T’s necklaces, but Candy is in my bed and in my life. That’s all that matters.

  My eyes wander all over her body, or should I say her nakedness. Candy claims she has to sleep that way. Man, I hit the mother load with this girl. Her body has more curves than a race track. She’s so long, with her almost-white hair fanning her shoulders. Her lean arms reach toward her side and instead pulls my pillow, bringing it in close to her. She mumbles in her sleep; it’s normally gibberish but this time it’s more pronounced. “Neal, no. Neal, why didn’t you want me?” This is a new one. She’s usually begging her biological father not to hurt her. But Neal—that’s all she’s dreamt about. In her slumber, her movements are erratic and she’s thrashing in the bed.

  Pushing off of the wingback chair, I rush to her, breaking the distance in three long strides. “Candy, doll. It’s okay. I’m here, doll. You’re all right.” I’ve made the mistake of touching her when these nightmares begin and she comes swinging out of the gates, like she’s Rocky fighting Apollo Creed.

  “Doll…” I keep imparting the one term of endearment that she knows is just for her. It’s my hope that the more I say this familiar phrase, the sooner she’ll register my voice. “Doll, I’m here.”

  It’s only another second before she flings herself up, sitting at a ninety-degree angle, looking around the surroundings she’s still getting used to. Her eyes are full of tears but I can see deep within her—a fear that petrifies her. Twisting her body square with mine, she leaps at me. As I’ve done every time since bringing her home from rehabilitation, I catch her.

  “It was so real. Neal came for me. This time, he was here in our bedroom. He told me, ‘I didn’t get rid of you twenty-one years ago but I won’t fail this time.’ Fuck, Lang, it was so real.”

  Candy’s life took a drastic course re-direct when she found out the man responsible for her traumatic brain injury was in fact her biological father. That news was the trigger that has sent her in a tailspin since finding out he’s the monster we know as Neal Alcott. Liz, being her biological mom, is the only reality that’s keeping Candy sane. There has always been a part of her that knew Liz was more than her sister. It’s been the only thing holding Candy together. As she crawls into my lap, my hand finds her forehead. I gently rub her hair, pulling her blonde waves from her eyes.

  With her skin next to mine, the sweat that pours off of her concerns me. The nightmares have increased. She refuses to talk to anyone about this except for Liz and myself. As much as I’ll listen to her until the cows come home, I’m not a professional. She needs more than I can give.

  I’m cradling her in my lap, her skin glistening from the sheen of sweat that still covers her. Tipping her head, I wait for her eyes to settle on mine. “Doll, you’re all right. I have you. No one is getting near you.” Finally, her aqua orbs lock in on mine and she stills in my stare. “Candy, honey, I’ve got you. No one is getting in here.”

  This is true. I’ve beefed up my own security. Ezra Tackleson, a scary mother fucker, is in charge of my best friend, Israel Laita’s security. I have made him responsible for mine as well. He has two men attached to us round the clock. When it comes to my Candy’s safety, I’m not fucking around.

  Even in her sweat, her teeth chatter. I reach up toward our bed and pull a blanket over us. Her lips start to move and I reassure her with a little kiss and comforting words. “It’s okay, I got you.”

  In the time I’ve known my sweet girl, I recognize it’s not that simple. She has to have the ability to express herself. For years, her opinions and beliefs didn’t matter to anyone except for Liz. But Liz had her own problems when it came to their fucked up family. Now, it’s my job to make sure that Candy understands everything she says is important and in her words lives the power she’s never had.

  Rubbing my hands up her arms, I simply say, “What is it?”

  A tear drops on my hand and the sadness that accompanies it burns through me. She looks away, “I don’t think I’ll ever be whole again.” Looking down as I attempt to cover as much of her body with mine as I can, her hands are clammy and trembling. One tip of her face lets me see the ashen, almost pallid color of her skin.

  In my inability to speak in this moment, I settle in for the long haul, bringing my back against the side of the bottom of the bed. I readjust her into my lap, attempting to find my words. Whispering in her ear, I begin, “Oh, you’ll be whole again. If I have to piece you together bit by bit, I’ll make sure it happens. You can count on that, doll.”

  It’s in my arms she cries herself to sleep. I have a bird’s eye view of everything that is Candace Parker in my hands. I never thought a girl could bring me to my knees, causing me to give up everything I had held as important in my life. Now, as I think of the fruitless life I led before Candy, I shudder to contemplate that not even four months ago, she could’ve been taken from me. This girl holds my future and I may have given up the power I once held, but with Candy, she holds all the control in her own delicate little hands.

  Ten Years Ago

  I’m holding onto the phone, only staring at it in my palm. The l
ine beeps at me, telling me she’s no longer on the other end. I was so excited when she answered a couple minutes ago, “Ma, I’ve made it big. I’m coming to get you this weekend, and move you to L.A.—I can even get you your own place.” I was stunned when she refused my offer. I had everything to take care of her and take my mother from the abusive grips of my father. It was my promise I made to her before I left Michigan to come to California. Though I’d told her I’d be back, her only wish was for me to find my own way in the world.

  Now, she wants to stay with him—a man who has abused her more times than he told her he loved her. He most likely will kill her one day and that morbid thought scares the fuck out of me. His DNA runs in my blood and it’s one reason I simply fuck women and never get attached. This way, if I’m not possessive and remain emotionally uninvolved, I’ll never turn into my father.

  Before I fully realize what my body is doing after the frustration of my ma refusing my help, I find myself outside the club. I’ve become a millionaire. I’ll continue to try to get my ma away from the drunk SOB known as my dad. But for now, this is my goal, joining this swanky place.