Madison
“He asked me out, right there in front of everyone, knowing I'd say no,” I said. Julie giggled and continued packing meals. “They all know I’m off-limits. I think RJ was testing me.” I stuffed a box of macaroni in the bag.
“Are you?” Julie asked, her perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised.
I started to nod, but then I knew better. Of course I was off-limits to RJ. He knew better than to ask. But then what if Bryce pressed the issue? What if he wanted to reignite our old flame? “I can’t sleep with Bryce.”
Julie sat the full bag onto the shelf, and we started the next bag. The community food pantry was an idea I presented to my father years ago. But like everything with my father, he wanted a full business proposal complete with a five-year plan. He asked if I were passionate about it, but instead of answering with a simple yes—I proved myself to him. I didn’t just plan the proposal and leave it in his hands to execute. No. I got in the weeds, crawled through the mud—so to speak—to bring my vision to fruition. He saw my hard work and dedication and pulled out his checkbook, ready to throw money at me for the cause. But I was one step ahead of him. Yes, I needed his money, but not as much as he’d expected. I partnered with other businesses in the area to make the food pantry a community effort. My dad was astonished that I was willing to tighten the bootstraps and pour my heart into something so selfless where I had nothing to gain, but that was where he was wrong. It was a learning experience. A bridge built with my hands—not my father’s. We had a small organization, but we made a difference. Julie and I ran the distribution and did all the meal packing to keep our overhead low, which allowed us to feed more families.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Julie said. “You know you want a piece of him. Better get it or someone else will.”
“It’s too much of a chance,” I said. I stuck a box of macaroni in the bag and closed it. The shelf was full. “That’s two-hundred bags in three hours. I think we set a new record.”
Julie grabbed her water, and we left the room. “When was the last time you got laid?”
“Uh, that has nothing to do with my relationship with Bryce.” I sat on the couch in my office and tucked my legs beneath me. Julie did the same. “Too long ago,” I finally said. “Starting to grow cobwebs down there.” Julie laughed. I didn’t.
“What’s wrong with hooking up with an old flame every once in a while?”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
Julie and I had known each other since our freshman year in college. We shared a dorm room the first year and then an apartment on campus our last three years. When Bryce and I had our fights, she was there to help pick up the pieces. She dated sporadically and was never shy about telling me about her adventures. She also helped me through the loss of my mother.
Julie also came from money, but she wasn’t tied to a set of rules like me. Neither of us flaunted our wealth, opting instead to help others.
“The team is worth five billion,” I said. “You weigh my options. Hooking up with anyone associated with the team would be a bad idea. The tabloids would be all over it, especially after what happened to Dad.”
Julie shrugged. “I’m just saying you should have your cake and eat it too. I’m sure he’s tasty. Or at least that’s what you told me in college.”
“I’ve thought about it. Seeing him made all the urges of ten years come roiling back. I think I may have passed out because of him. The man is a walking pheromone factory.”
“I know you’ve thought about it. Who wouldn’t?” A smile crossed Julie’s face, and she took another drink. “He’s not married.”
I shook my head.
“Never see him with a girlfriend.”
I shook my head again.
“Maybe he doesn’t like girls?”
“Bryce Willheight loves women. He’ll not change sides. But why is he hiding his personal life?” I stared at the painting on the wall of Hurricane Stadium. As an intern, I never crossed paths with Bryce, and he managed to fly under the radar of paparazzi and the media, so I knew nothing of his love life or who may have replaced me. “What’re you thinking? I know that look.”
“Remember senior year. The team had an off weekend during fall break, and you were suspicious?”
“Bryce and some of the seniors went to his parents’ cabin,” I said.
Julie laughed and sipped her water. “We snuck into your dad’s closet and borrowed his camouflage clothes.”
“And you had the bright idea of painting our faces dark green. The next day your skin looked like a pepperoni pizza.”
“When does the team have a long weekend?” Julie asked. I could see the wheels spinning.
“Memo came out today that the team would have Friday through Sunday off. But spying on grown men is a little different than spying on a bunch of horny college football players.” Very different. Maybe that was why I thought it was such a good idea. I’m not sure it fell under the purview of my new role, but I could certainly make the case for it. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“We’ll need someone on the inside. Someone who keeps tabs on the players. Knows what the word on the street is,” Julie said. She concentrated on something across the room, a plan forming in her mind.
“The word on the street?”
Julie’s smile suddenly turned wicked. “You get the low down on what the players are doing, and I’ll come up with a plan.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” I scrolled through the contacts on my phone and found May Nells’ number.
Julie stood and grabbed her purse. “See what you can find, and we’ll plan on meeting at the stadium tomorrow.” Her eyes narrowed. I knew what was coming. “And bring a pack of condoms.” Her famous last words anytime we were going out.
“You're impossible,” I said. I gave Julie a kiss on the cheek and locked the doors when she left.
It was the wrong thing to do, reigniting my relationship with Bryce. That was the thing with being a goody-two-shoes all your life. When you did something out of character, the light of guilt on you was much brighter. You stood out, and people began to question what went wrong. None of this was hard to explain. I let the right man get away, and I’d spent the last eight years regretting it. I had traded love for a few billion dollars. With that much money, I thought I could buy love. Unfortunately, you couldn’t place a price tag on the love Bryce and I shared.
Maybe Bryce and I just needed to meet for dinner one night and come to an understanding. He had to know not only was I looking out for his best interest and the Hurricanes, but also for my little brother, who Bryce had never met. Though lunch would look more professional, dinner would be more romantic.
I planted my palm against my forehead and grabbed my purse. Nothing about Bryce was easy. It never had been. Why should now be any different?
I called May on the way home, and we talked for almost an hour. She gave me a rundown of each player. Most were family men who spent their personal time away from the field with their loved ones. But there were a select few, including Bryce, who enjoyed the fast life off the field. One of the players, an offensive lineman, had told her that he, Bryce, and a couple of others were heading to a party yacht tomorrow night to spend the weekend down at Fisherman’s Wharf, a dock that housed some of the most expensive boats in Florida. I thanked May and reiterated that once the decision was made to place me in the owner’s chair, I would move her back to the front office with me.
I went to bed thinking about Bryce and spent every sleeping hour dreaming about him. If I hooked up with him, I’d not just be letting myself down, but also my little brother, William.
***
“How do you suppose we sneak out there without being seen?” I asked. “And what happens when we get out there?”
Julie pointed toward the boat where Bryce and the others were drinking and listening to music. “My father’s boat is two over from theirs,” Julie said. Her eyes lit up like a kid at a Build-a-Bear store. “I miss stuff lik
e this. Seems so mysterious and dangerous.”
“We’re stalking a group of grown men we know,” I said. “Kind of removes the mystery part.”
“Don’t spoil the fun,” Julie said. “Live a little.”
I lowered the window, and the smell of weed hit me in the face. A good V.P. of Employee Relations would have jumped out of the car and explained to the players what they were risking. But then why was the V.P. of Employee Relations spying on them in the first place?
“So, how are we supposed to get past them?” I asked. I knew she would have a plan for just such a circumstance. In college, she always had a plan to get past the bouncers at bars. She had no problems paying a guy to pick a fight with a bouncer, and then we’d slip right in. Worked every time.
“Follow me.” Julie climbed out of the SUV, her chin held high, her chest puffed out, proud of herself.
I followed Julie to the back of her Escalade and smiled when she opened the door. “You’ve got to be kidding?”
Julie handed me a dirty jumpsuit. I turned it to read what was printed on the back. “Snappy Beaver Boat Cleaning.” I grabbed one of the hats, and the same tagline was printed on the front.
“I know people,” Julie said. She pulled a box forward, reached in, and removed a jar. “We need to smell like we’ve done this before.”
“I’m not . . .”
Julie pinned me with a pointed glare, meaning business. “You are.” She opened the jar and pulled out a sardine and wiped it on my jumpsuit. She grabbed two pails and placed one in front of me. “Now we look like the real deal. Professionals.”
“We’re worth millions of dollars,” I said.
“That’s why we need to fit in. You don’t go to a party for sheep dressed like a wolf.”
We climbed into our jumpsuits and donned our hats. I shoved my hair under the hat and suddenly looked like a boy. Taking a peek around the SUV, I noticed four women boarding the boat, one woman for each player, including Bryce. My heart sank, but then I knew it was my own fault. I practically handed him to the next woman. Not sure if I could follow through with Julie’s plan, I moved back and sat on the SUV’s bumper.
“You can’t believe you were the last woman in his life,” Julie said. “No matter what you see or hear while we do this, I think Bryce still loves you. You just have to understand he’s hurt. I agree with what you did, Madison. He would have done the same thing given your position. Quit beating yourself up.”
I nodded. “First it was the pictures of him in the training room, then the picture of us in his locker, and then seeing him half-naked. I’m struggling to walk away again. How many opportunities does a woman get to have Mr. Right? That’s exactly what Bryce is.”
“Come on before you change your mind.” Julie grabbed her bucket, and the two of us walked in single file toward her father’s boat. As we approached the players, they entered the yacht and paid us no attention. Through the door to the cabin, I could see Bryce with his arm around one of the women. The blonde stood almost as tall as him and made it a habit of flipping her hair. She wore thick red lipstick and a dress that hugged her like Saran Wrap. What had the women cost? So maybe he wasn’t in a serious relationship, only enjoying his stardom. Yeah, I had to keep telling myself that, though I was struggling to hold back the tears. I needed him in my life, but I knew it couldn’t be so.
The back of Julie’s boat faced the yacht, and the two of us sat in chairs in the darkness. We couldn’t have been more than fifty yards away.
People stirred on a few of the other boats but didn’t seem to take notice of us. I felt dumb for being there. I should have been at home buried in a gallon of cookies and cream ice cream.
For nearly three hours we watched the boat and the men. Occasionally someone would venture outside, bringing with them a lady friend. They’d make out for a bit and then go back inside. I was thankful Bryce stayed inside with his woman. They disappeared from sight at one point and then returned with the woman straightening her dress. I tried not to think about what they might have been doing.
Julie managed to find alcohol inside her father’s boat, and the two of us drank until we both fell asleep. Neither of us had careers in law enforcement in our futures. We’d failed miserably on our stakeout.
“Madison,” Julie said and nudged my arm.
I opened my eyes to morning peeking above the horizon and Bryce sitting on the ledge of our boat. He looked neither pissed nor surprised. Maybe a bit hopeful.
“Give us a few minutes, Julie,” Bryce said. He moved his sunglasses to his head, his eyes bloodshot but still seductive.
Julie looked at me, and I nodded. “It’s okay,” I said.
“You be nice,” Julie said to Bryce. “Don’t make me come back out here and kick your ass.”
Bryce waited for Julie to leave and then took her seat next to me. “What are you doing, Mads?”
Hearing the name again made me reach for his hand. “I don’t know.”
“I do,” he said. “I have the same struggle. But like you said, Mads, you have a team to run. But you can’t expect me to sit around my entire life, waiting for something that was never going to happen. You did this, not me.” He had a snide satisfaction on his face for reminding me of what I had done.
“I want to,” I said. He squeezed my hand.
“But you won’t. You need to stop following me, Mads. Do it again, and I’ll talk to Gus.” He stood as Julie joined us again. The three players who had followed him on the yacht joined us. “Don’t worry about it,” he told them. “This is Julie’s boat.” He pointed at Julie, and then both Bryce and I received a text.
I read the text and looked up at Bryce, who stared back at me. His jaws clenched, and my anxiety hit new heights. The text was from Gus. The board wanted to meet with us in two hours.
CHAPTER FOUR
Bryce
Gus returned none of my calls and ignored all of my texts. Mike thought maybe the board wanted to set the record straight between Madison and I. Basically telling us to stay away from each other. As long as I wasn’t being told I had a new boss, her, I could adjust to about anything.
Following me or spying on me, or whatever the hell she was doing last night, had been the last straw. The Hurricanes weren’t big enough for both of us. But only one of us won the team’s first championship last year. Hurricane fans wouldn’t sit by quietly knowing I might be out the door.
Mike suggested we start trade rumors. Say I wasn’t happy with the way ownership was running things. But the bigger problem was that the Hurricane community loved George Charles and would adore Madison. They wouldn’t wait much longer to have Madison as owner. Despite what Madison had done to me, she provided for the community.
I pulled into the shadows of the stadium moments before Madison.
“You know what this is about?” I asked when Madison climbed from her car. She wore a white blouse, navy-blue skirt, and high heels. She appeared to be expecting good news.
“Not at all,” she said. “I talked to Gus, but he said this was out of the blue. The board never meets on Saturdays. He doesn’t know if it’s good or bad.”
I stepped in front of Madison. “Why’d you follow me last night? Same reason you did in college?” She looked away, and I saw an opening in the wall she had tried to build. “Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind. Or do you need me to say it for you?”
“You’re so full of yourself, Bryce. What makes you think I’m still in love with you?” She looked me directly in the eye, waiting.
“I didn’t use the word love, Mads. I just asked why you followed me.” I reached out and held her hand. “I’m not the one who took off.” She deserved to be reminded.
“How many times are you going to remind me of that? I know what I did. And I’ve regretted it every day since. But there’s nothing I can do to fix it, Bryce. Nothing.”
“There is. When you become the owner, you can change the rules. The trustees will no longer have a say-so. You can replace
them.”
“Then what?” she asked.
“Fuck, Mads, what do you think.” I dropped her hand. “Damn it, you’re still making this harder than it should be.”
She stepped closer. “I want to. Every part of me. To have you, Bryce. I want it to be like it was back in college. But we’ve gotta make this work so neither of us loses our jobs.”
I reached out and pushed her blonde hair behind her ears. I’d almost forgotten the way her green eyes changed colors. Sometimes dark, emerald green, other times light-green. Either way, she was devastatingly beautiful. No woman I'd been with since could ever compare to her looks, body, or intelligence. Madison's smarts were the first thing I told my family about. That she had huge plans for her life. I was the dumb football player; she was the perfect student who had her shit together. Maybe I should have been happy with what once was. But moving on wasn’t in my DNA.
“So, we’re in agreement that both are struggling to keep his or her hands to themselves?” I asked, wanting to pull her against me. My crotch stirred, old memories roaring back.
Madison nodded and picked at her fingernails.
“You two joining us?” Gus asked. He stood at the door with Mike, my agent. The grim look on Gus’ face let me know the meeting was going to hurt one of us. Maybe both. Madison didn’t seem to notice Gus’ demeanor. For her, so much of the world was rainbows, unicorns, and waterfalls.
We joined the trustees in the boardroom. The three men looked as if they had just finished sucking on lemons. Yeah, one of us were screwed.
Albert Finch, the quieter of the trustees, spoke first. “We’ve had a change of heart,” he said. The three men stared at Madison and ignored me. They were going to do it. “We did a second review of the progress you’ve made in fulfilling your father’s wishes.” The men nodded in unison. Finch opened a folder and then glanced at me. A snarl formed at the corner of his mouth, and I gripped the arms of the chair, bracing for the final blow. They knew I was up for contract renewal, and with winning the title last year, I expected a nine-figure salary.
Inheritance Goals: A Sports Romance Page 3
