The Playbook

by Kelly Elliott

  With pure determination in my voice I announced to him and practically the whole country club, “I’ll be an ESPN sideline reporter before the ink is dry on the last college tuition check.”

  My mother’s voice drew me from my thoughts.

  “You do know you can be a working mom, right?”

  With a shrug, I chuckled. A part of me longed to be the type of mom who stayed home with her kids. Not one that traveled most of the time. “I know. I’m feeling sorry for myself because I haven’t met my own crazy goals and my piece of shit boyfriend isn’t even at my damn party.”

  My mother stood and peered at me. “Now that is the first thing you’ve said that I completely agree with.”

  Standing, I followed her to the office door. “Which part?”

  She opened the door and looked over her shoulder at me. “The piece of shit boyfriend.”

  I couldn’t help myself; I let the laugh roll out like I’d been holding it in for months. Years probably.

  As I walked back into the party crowd, I decided on two things. First thing was to break up with Cliff. The second, prove to Joe he made a huge mistake by not putting me in the NFL and keeping me in college football. If I had to do college first, though, I was going to be the best damn college sideline reporter in the history of sideline reporters!

  I sat in Joe’s office with a dumbfounded expression on my face.

  “Did you hear me, Aubrey? We want you to do an article for the magazine on the University of Austin and, more importantly, Brett Owens.”

  Closing my eyes, I shook my head to try and rattle out the words that were still bouncing around in there.

  “Wait. I need a moment to process this.” I let out a chuckle. Is he for real? “You can’t be serious.” I swallowed hard. “An article? A month? Why a month?”

  Joe leaned back in his chair and rested his chin on his fingers. With a smug look he replied, “You’ve done interviews before for the magazine so that can’t be why you’re so unsure. Are you afraid of him?”

  Rage instantly raced through my veins. How dare he think I’d be afraid of some stupid playboy college coach who acts like his shit doesn’t stink? Who cares that he has a smile that rocked my world a few months ago. Or the fact that I couldn’t sleep that night thinking about how he kept looking over at me.

  I let out a gruff laugh. “I’m neither unsure or afraid? Why would I be afraid of Brett Owens?”

  The smirk on Joe’s face spoke volumes. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had caught me staring at Brett during the championship game and made a smart ass comment about it. This was my do-or-die moment. Brett Owens had a reputation. A few of them really. He was a ladies’ man, he didn’t like female reporters in his locker room, and he thought he was the best football coach on the planet. Needless to say, he had taken the University of Austin to three straight national championships over the past three consecutive years. So yeah, maybe that last one was somewhat true. The others were rumors.

  “Well, the main reason would be his dislike of women sports reporters. I’m not sure how he’s going to feel about you following his every move for an entire month.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I took a few moments to let my heartrate settle back down. Joe was setting me up for failure. He didn’t think I could handle this. He thinks I’ll sleep with Owens.

  Asshole.

  “Then it looks like I’m the perfect reporter to get him over that. I’m sure Mr. Owens and I will be able to forge a good working relationship together.”

  Joe lifted his brows. It was obvious the bastard was attempting to hide his smile. “That’s the attitude to have, Aubrey.”

  Standing, I smoothed out my pencil skirt and flashed my famous “I’ve got this smile” at him. “When do I leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Now, I was positive my mouth hit the floor. “Tomorrow?! Joe, you’re giving me no time to research my subject. You’re throwing me into the ring without even a warm up.”

  He stood. “Calm down, Aubrey. I want you in Austin early to get familiar with his turf. Research the shit out of him all you want. You have two weeks before the first meeting will be set up.” So now my month turned into a month-and-a-half.

  Pulling my lower lip in, I chewed on it before realizing what I was doing. Don’t show fear, Aubrey!

  “Should I introduce myself to him early?”

  Joe’s smirk grew wide. “Oh, he hasn’t been told yet. The university will tell him a few days before you’re set to meet him.”

  I groaned internally. Great. They were springing it on him and that would for sure piss him off.

  “Perfect,” I replied, trying to keep the nerves out of my voice. “I’ll let you know when I’m settled in.”

  Spinning on my heels, I sprinted out of his office and straight to the ladies’ room.

  Michelle Brown, my best friend and co-worker, was hot on my heels as she followed me inside.

  I placed my hands on the sink and inhaled a few deep breaths.

  “So? What was that all about?”

  Lifting my gaze to the mirror, I got a good look at myself. My light brown hair was worn in a French twist with a few loose tendrils hanging. Moving in closer, I looked into my brown eyes.

  Is that fear I see? Hell no! Brett Owens is not going to be the one to bring my career down before it even gets started.

  “Brett Owens. I have to do a piece on him,” I mumbled.

  Michelle leaned against the other sink. “He’s an asshole. I covered his first national championship win. He actually asked me off camera if I wanted to go back to his hotel room and celebrate with him.”

  My head jerked to the side to look at her. That auburn hair of hers fell just below her shoulders and her green eyes sparkled. Almost as if the memory of Owens gave her a small thrill. “What?”

  “Yep. I tell ya, for a few seconds, I sure as hell was tempted to take him up on it.”

  Turning my body to face her, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at her in disbelief. “Michelle!”

  She chuckled and waved off my surprised reaction off. “Never in my life have I been that close to a guy as handsome as he is.”

  I huffed. “Please, he’s not that good-looking.”

  “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. You only saw him that one time. From a distance. Up close, girl, it is totally different when you are standing in front of him. Good thing you have a boyfriend to keep the temptation at bay.”

  With a frown, I replied, “I broke up with Cliff.”

  “What? Why?”

  With a shrug of my shoulders, I attempted to push away the sick feelings in my stomach. I’d dated Cliff since my last year of college. He’d promised me the moon and never delivered. I was the stupid one who hung around and waited.

  “Cliff never showed up for my birthday celebration with my family. Turns out, he had other plans. That night, I told him I was done and he didn’t even argue with me. He packed up a bag of stuff and said he’d make arrangements for the rest of his things to be picked up.”

  Michelle snarled her lip. “Just like that, the jerk walked away?”

  “Yep. Like it wasn’t a big deal at all. I can’t even cry over him because I think I’ve known it was over for awhile now.”

  “Well, I say good riddance. He was an ass anyway. He didn’t even come to the winter gala. He never did support your career.”

  I nodded in agreement, but the words still hurt to hear. I’d give anything to have a man actually support my career choice and me. Cliff thought it was ridiculous to be working in sports.

  Taking in a deep breath, I sighed and leaned against the sink. “You know what Joe is doing, right?”

  She frowned. “Setting you up to fail. We’ve all been through it, Aubrey. The big boys don’t like it when the girls come play in their sandbox. Especially when we can build the castle bigger and stronger.”

  My eyes closed and I shook my head “My father warned me, and there are days I wish I had listened. But
I love my job, and I can tell you right now, I won’t fail.”

  “Hell no, you won’t. What is it, a one-on-one interview?”

  With a groan, I turned to face her. She had been there for me since I first started my internship. Everyone whispered about how we all don’t get along, but I work with some of the most amazing women I’d ever met. We all supported and cheered each other on. Michelle was no exception. Career-wise, I had a few years to go to get to where she was, but every Sunday, when I watched her on the sidelines of an NFL game, I beamed with pride. Her guidance helped me more than she would ever know.

  “A full spread on him. What makes him one of college’s best coaches is what they want me to focus on. Also, what he does in his spare time, right down to his playboy ways. I’m spending an entire month following him around for an exclusive college edition on the great Brett Owens and the University of Austin.”

  I’d never seen Michelle wear a look of dread like she was.

  “You have to spend a whole month getting into the life of Brett Owens?”

  With a nervous laugh, I replied, “Yes ma’am.”

  Michelle pushed off the sink and stood in front of me. Placing her hands on my shoulders she slowly shook her head.

  “Aubrey. You. Are. So. Screwed.”

  PAT STEVENSON SAT on the other side of the desk and grinned at me like he had just given me the best gift ever. I swear, if he wasn’t the athletic director and my boss, I’d tell him to go fuck himself.

  “You want me to let some reporter follow me around for a month for an ESPN: The Magazine article?” I let out a laugh. “No wait … let me clarify that. You want me to let some chick follow me around for a month. Are you insane, Pat?”

  Clearing his throat, he leaned forward. “They’re doing a special college football edition and you’re the featured coach. And that chick is a reporter for ESPN and has been with them for some time. Brett, this is more than an article. You’ve damn near got the biggest magazine in sports doing a feature on you, along with the University of Austin.”

  “Then why is she covering college football? Why isn’t she following around the head coach of the Dallas fucking Cowboys? Why me?”

  “Because everyone wants to know something about you. Anything.”

  I laughed. “It’s called privacy, Pat. I like it. A lot.”

  “Listen, Owens. I’m not beating around the bush here. I know you are loyal to the school and me. I appreciate that. I also know you’re hiding here.”

  My blood boiled. “Hiding? What the fuck does that mean?”

  He lifted his eyebrows and gave me a look as if I knew exactly what he was talking about. “It means we both know if you were to say you wanted to move up to coach in the NFL, you’d have a plethora of owners knocking at your door. Yet you choose to stay here.”

  “Are you saying you want me to leave?” I asked, giving him a questioning look. I knew Pat would never ask me to leave. He was like a second father to me. Had been since I played football here. I also knew he was a hundred percent right when he said I was hiding. This place was my safety net. The place I knew I could thrive in.

  “You know I don’t want you to leave. But, I think by doing this, giving the world a glimpse into your life, you’re not only helping your career, but you’re helping our college football program as well.”

  I grunted and combed my fingers through my hair. “What’s her name?”

  “Aubrey Cain.”

  My dick jumped. “No shit,” I uttered with a wicked smile. I instantly thought back to a few months ago when she flashed me that sexy ass grin of hers at the championship game. She was all I thought about the rest of the fucking day… and night.

  Pat rolled his eyes. “Don’t even think about it, Owens. Keep your hands and, most importantly, your dick in your pants. I have a feeling Joe Evans is testing Ms. Cain.”

  My interest was piqued. “Testing her? Why? She’s damn good at her job from what I can tell.” That night, I spent the next three hours google searching the hell out of her. Reading anything I could find on her and looking at every damn picture out there. My dick was raw by the end of the night.

  With a stunned look, Pat asked, “Was that a compliment to a female reporter?”

  “Yes. I have nothing against female reporters. I just don’t want them in my locker room. They’re a distraction.”

  “For who? You or the team?”

  “Both!”

  Pat chortled. “I guess Ms. Cain has been pushing to sideline on Sundays. Joe feels like she’s better in college and not ready to handle the NFL.”

  I had to admit, I wasn’t surprised to hear that Joe was keeping back a female reporter. He acted as if he was okay with women in sports, but one drunken night at a bachelor party revealed how the asshole really felt. The last place he thought a woman should be was on the sideline of a NFL game.

  “What makes him think she couldn’t handle the NFL?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t think he’s sure if she can or not. What a better way to test her ability to stick it out with the tough stuff, than to throw her at you. If she can handle you, she might be ready to move up.”

  Holy fuck. I was being used. I didn’t like being used.

  “And if I say no?”

  “You won’t.”

  I stood and laughed. “Really? Why’s that?”

  “Because if you say no, I’ll fire you.”

  My eyes widened. There was no way I’d get fired for not doing an interview. It pissed me off that Pat was trying to strong-arm me on this. Then again, if it was a huge special edition spread, the university would be all for it. Which meant, I was doing it whether I liked it or not. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

  “Then fire me because I’m not doing it. That fucker is using me to test one of his damn reporters. He can use someone else. I’m not going to be a part of it.” I spun around and headed to the door.

  “Sit down, Brett.”

  Pat’s voice was full of control and I knew he wasn’t fucking around. Slowly turning around, I stared him down. “No thank you, sir. I’d rather stand.”

  “We need to show people you’re more than a pretty face. I’m not sure if you happen to notice the signs all the girls hold up every Saturday claiming how hot you are.”

  I couldn’t help the smirk that curled at the corners of my lips.

  “People need to see the side of you that is driving this college program to what we hope is our fourth national championship. This girl, excuse me, this reporter is going to be the one to do that. She knows her stuff when it comes to college football and is probably the only person who could stand to be around you for a month.”

  I huffed. “Joe doesn’t seem to think she’ll be able to stick around.”

  Pat stood. He inhaled in a deep breath and exhaled out. “I don’t want to have to force you. I want you to go into this with a positive attitude and see it for what it’s really about. You. I don’t give a shit what ESPN’s reasons are for sending Aubrey Cain. That’s not my problem. You’re doing the piece and you’ll invite Ms. Cain into your world with open arms.”

  My jaw was beginning to ache from clenching it. I’d never been so pissed off in my entire life. And it wasn’t because I was being forced to do this. It was because I knew it needed to be done. “Fine. I’ll do the piece. But I want you to know, I’m not changing anything about me. If something comes out in this piece that Ms. Cain decides to print, it’s on your shoulders, not mine.”

  Pat nodded. “Agreed. That’s why I need you to be on your best behavior, or at the very least attempt to be, or you could very well not be coaching next year.”

  Fuck. I can’t believe this.

  “When does this all take place?”

  “Ms. Cain will be here tomorrow at ten in the morning. Be sure to get here early. I don’t want her starting off with a negative opinion of you.”

  My stomach dropped. “Tomorrow morning?”

  The only thing I got in return from m
y question was a blank stare. “Pat, tell me you didn’t give me less than a day’s notice for this.” My heart started racing. I needed more time.

  More time to prepare.

  I need more time to prepare for that smile. That body. Those lips around my thick hard cock.

  Shit. I was already losing focus and she wasn’t even here yet.

  “Go home and get a good night’s sleep, Brett. You’re going to need it.”

  He sat and lifted his phone. “Betty, will you please get me Joe Evans with ESPN.”

  Balling my fists up, I turned and left Pat’s office.

  Fuck sleep. What I needed was a drink. Or ten.

  My hand slipped around the waist of the blonde standing next to me. She’d been hitting on me since I first walked into Moontower at one in the afternoon. It must have been written all over my face I needed a good lay.

  “So, what do you do for a living?” she purred into my ear.

  Turning to brush my lips against her neck, I replied, “My father owns a couple cattle ranches, so I live off his money.” So maybe only half that statement was true.

  Her body trembled. I never told people what I really did. If they didn’t know, I wasn’t about to offer up the information.

  “How about we get out of here?” she softly spoke.

  “My place or yours?”

  Her face lit up. “Yours.”

  I dropped a few twenties on the bar and grabbed her by the hand, leading her out to my Dodge Hell Cat.

  Stopping in front of my car, the blonde started clapping. “Oh, my. Look at that sexy muscle car!”

  With a grin, I opened the passenger door. I wasn’t going to argue with her. It was a badass car. And it also happened to be a fucking chick magnet.

  She slid in and made sure her tiny little skirt didn’t leave much to the imagination. My dick was throbbing. Rounding the front of the car, I got a text from an unknown number. Hitting ignore, I got in and started up the engine. Turning to the blonde next to me, I smiled and winked. “Maybe you should at least tell me your name before I sink my cock inside of you.”