by Debra Elise
“Yes, Lois?” T.S. turned toward his stylish, fifty-something employee.
Hmm, I wonder if she has anything I could borrow? But her hopes were dashed when Lois answered her boss.
“Mr. Scott, Henry is waiting for you down in the garage. He has the car ready to go.”
“Thanks, Lois. Please let him know we’ll be down shortly.”
“How late are we?” Kelsey asked.
Lois answered for T.S., “Thirty minutes. The reception began at five thirty. They’ve been expecting you for fifteen. I’ve had a phone call every five minutes asking for your status.” She sent them both a stern look over her glasses.
Kelsey had to turn her head away. She concealed her laugh with a pretend cough. Good for Lois. T.S. needed someone to keep him in line.
T.S. thanked Lois again, but before he could finish sweet-talking Kelsey into taking on his star pitcher, she cut him off.
“Listen, I appreciate you giving me this opportunity, but as I said on the phone I’m slammed with high-maintenance clients and I’m breaking in a new partner. If it was anyone else, T.S., I would have hung up the phone. So, I’ll hear you out and weigh the pros and cons and then turn you down. Probably.”
She had no room in her schedule for a self-absorbed athlete who refused to help himself.
“Kelsey, you’re killing me here. I need you on this ASAP. Send Lois your invoice for the flight and I’ll cover it for you. Oh, and your Social Security number. She’ll set you up on the payroll tonight.”
“I haven’t said I’d take the job.”
“But, you will.”
“We’ll see,” she countered.
“Kelsey, name your price. I need you on this. Despite our friendship, you’re the best public relations consultant I know—”
“I’m the only one you know.” She laughed.
“— and how you handled the drama between the Carell sisters was brilliant. I need your expertise in handling this situation. Besides, you owe me and I know you too well. You’d never turn down a friend in need.”
“I. Owe. You. Really?” Kelsey loved a good sparring match, and it’d been years since she and T.S. had gone a round. “If you’re referring to the infamous double date, I’d say the statute of limitations has expired on that one. Sorry.”
“Actually I’m referring to three years ago when that Italian businessman wouldn’t take no for an answer. I think I played a very convincing jealous lover, don’t you?”
Kelsey snickered. T.S. did save her from an embarrassing situation, but she’d never let him know that. “If you want to convince me to help you out and take a job I’d normally never consider, you need to do better than that.”
T.S. did better than that. He used his old standby move from their childhood. Dammit.
“All right, all right. Stop flashing me those puppy dog eyes. Jeez, I’m hoping this isn’t how you are in the boardroom. Charming the pants off your adversaries. Eww, just the thought of it gives me the heebie-jeebies.” She shivered for effect and watched him squirm at her teasing.
“So, dazzle me with your pitch, Mr. More-money-than-God.”
T.S. switched back to corporate mode and guided her toward the elevator.
“We can talk in the car and during the party. I need you to jump right in and get this situation contained—as in yesterday.”
“Now there’s the all-business, no-bull billionaire CEO I know and love. Oh, and just because I’m going to this event with you doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to anything. And, my rates will be double what they usually are—if I agree.”
T.S. ignored her comment and continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ve put a lot of my personal money behind this team, but I have investors to answer to, so getting Maverick back on track in the public’s eye and on the pitching mound is my number one priority. My goal, after tonight, is that it’ll become yours as well.”
“T.S., based on the video, I think it’s going to take more than a few days to contain the public outrage over Maverick’s remarks. Plus, there are the rumors that his problems are deeper than losing his pitching control. Any truth to his drinking getting out of hand?”
“Maybe. But I believe there’s no one better than you to get my star player back in the good graces of the league and the locals. More importantly, the ticket buyers,” T.S. said.
“Thanks for the confidence, but until I can spend more time following every lead on his past, I won’t know if it’s possible to fix his reputation. Don’t let our friendship overrule your good business sense.” Kelsey knew he wouldn’t, but this was a negotiation and she rocked at negotiations.
He continued to stare her down. Like when they argued over who was better, Superman or Batman. Superman, of course.
“T.S., I’m concerned that he fired his agent and hasn’t taken any steps to respond on social media to the video. It’s been ten hours since this thing exploded. And there’re a dozen other questions I have that I don’t think you can answer right now. More importantly, I need to figure out if your ballplayer is worth my talents and my time. So, let’s get to this party you didn’t tell me about. I need a drink.”
T.S. flashed her a crooked smile. “I dare you,” he challenged.
Dammit, he knew her too well. She never could turn down a dare. Secretly though, she wasn’t so sure she was up to dealing with the Bad Boy of Baseball. She liked the sport, but not always the men who played it.
Kelsey ignored his dare and followed him toward the waiting limo. “So, where’s the party being held?” she asked.
“At the Lakeside Resort in Coeur d’Alene. It’s a short drive and after we arrive and get some drinks, we’ll talk more about what I have in mind. I’ll introduce you to some of the city leaders. Maybe you could field some of their concerns with Maverick blasting the city and its inhabitants?” T.S. settled back in the rich leather seat of the late model SUV. He was definitely a man used to getting his way.
Within ten minutes they’d arrived at the resort. “Thank you, Henry. I’ll call you when we’re ready to return to the stadium.” T.S. walked over to her side of the car and placed his hand lightly on her elbow. They began walking toward the revolving glass doors leading into the lobby of the luxury hotel.
“You know this is plain weird, right? We’ve never worked together. What if it ruins our friendship?”
“We won’t let it. Short of posting childhood pictures of me on Twitter, there’s nothing you could do to end our friendship,” T.S. assured her.
They skirted the tiered fountain in the lobby. Kelsey noticed others on their way to the charity event in cocktail attire. She tugged at her suit jacket and wished again she’d been able to change into her favorite armor—her little black dress from Chanel.
“Well, the evening’s just begun. You shouldn’t have planted the idea,” Kelsey teased. “I’ll help you with the locals tonight, as a friend, but that doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to anything.”
“This isn’t a job interview, Kels. As far as I’m concerned, the job’s yours. I need to get you to agree to take it, friendship notwithstanding.”
“Are you sure he even wants to change? From what I’ve read, he quite enjoys ticking off the league and providing plenty of talking points for the news media. Not to mention his revolving stable of women.”
T.S. chuckled and placed an arm around her shoulder.
“Glad I amuse you.” Kelsey sidestepped his hug and punched him. Not as hard as she wanted, but enough to let him know she was serious.
“You know, I expected you to be equally upset with Maverick. After all, he went after you in the video too. Yet, not once have you said anything derogatory about him. Why is that?”
“Because that’s what everyone would have expected. Don’t worry, he’ll hear about it, in private. I’m not interested in airing the team’s dirty laundry tonight. Plus, I know if he hadn’t still been reeling from the loss of the division championship, he most likely wouldn’t have had such an ugly reaction.”
&nb
sp; “Smart. Tell me why you gambled so much on a boyhood dream? Owning a USBL team and moving it to Pineville means that much to you, does it?” Kelsey asked.
“Life’s a gamble, Kelsey. Nothing is achieved if you tell yourself it can’t be done. Plenty of people did that to me in my life. I still run into that type of person from time to time, especially since I bought the team. Maverick just got caught talking about what a lot of people are still thinking about this ball club. And yes, bringing the organization to Pineville means everything to me. I’m not naïve enough to think it’s going to be a piece of cake, but it’s going to be worth it. And I have every belief that I will succeed and ‘Scott’s Folly’ will not be a failure.”
Kelsey raised an eyebrow at the mention of the media’s nickname for the team’s move to Idaho. No one in the sports world was betting he would succeed. Probably because they’d never been in his presence.
“What do you say, Kelsey? Do we have a deal?” They’d arrived at the penthouse and after stopping for introductions, T.S. guided them toward the bar for her promised drink.
What could she say? She’d already begun mapping out an aggressive social media campaign using Twitter, a few blog posts, volunteer opportunities in the community, and first and foremost, a sincere apology.
She knew she could handle the logistics of the job. But did she want to? Could she set aside her past prejudices toward baseball players and be the professional both Maverick and T.S. needed? Yeah, she wanted this job.
“So since you’re back in town, do you plan on getting together with Lara and Noel while you’re here?”
Well, well. When had T.S. become so interested in her two best girlfriends? They had been inseparable all through school until Kelsey had left for college. She’d texted them both after she booked her plane ticket to let them know she was coming to town. She couldn’t wait for some girl time.
“We don’t have anything solid planned. They know I’m in town for a short period. Why are you so interested?”
“Just wondering. Thought it would be another perk for you to agree to stay and work with Maverick.”
Uh, huh. The man was digging for information.
They arrived at the bar and while T.S. ordered their drinks, Kelsey decided to have some fun with him.
“That’s so thoughtful of you, T.S. Now, why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re asking? Which one is on your radar?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and honest to god squirmed. Oh, how she was going to have fun with this.
“Nothing like that, Kelsey. You know me better. I don’t have time for relationships. I was only asking because Noel had bid on my new condo project and she didn’t win. So . . .”
“So, you want to know if she called me to curse you out or maybe to see if I could pull some strings for her?” Kelsey took another sip of chardonnay and waited him out. She’d never seen her friend speechless before.
“Nothing like that. I was only curious if she had mentioned it.” He took a large sip of his own drink and plastered a bored look on his face. Nope. She wasn’t buying it.
“No, T.S., she didn’t say a word to me. But I can find out if you want to know. Then I’ll see if she likes you or if—”
“Hell, forget I said anything. Can we get back on subject here?”
The intensity in his plea got to her. So she let him off the hook—for now.
“Sure thing, T.S. It’s important that Maverick apologizes immediately. Tonight is preferable. And he needs to mean it. He needs to prove to the national and local fans that he regrets his actions, his word choice. It’s crucial for the Pineville residents and surrounding communities to see and believe that what he said while drunk was not how he truly felt.”
“Perfect. I knew I could count on you. If he doesn’t show up tonight, we’ll get you two together first thing tomorrow morning, afternoon at the latest.”
“Wait, I have terms. Don’t you want to hear them?”
“Kelsey, I know you better than anyone else. You thrive on the challenge of turning public opinion around. You wouldn’t have flown here on a moment’s notice and come to this party if you hadn’t already committed, in your own mind, to helping me out. Name your price.”
“Damn you, T.S., you think you have me all figured out, don’t you? You have to know how tough this is for me, and yes, I really do want to help you, but—”
“Look, I know you have some concerns, so how about we do this on a trial basis for say the first week? Meet Maverick, set up a few strategy sessions, and see how it works out? I’ll pay you a retainer fee until you decide to sign a contract. And to sweeten the deal, if this goes well, I have an opening for vice president of communications I need to fill.”
“What? All this time you’ve been holding that tidbit of information back from me?” How could she turn him down now? He was talking more than a short-term job. VP of anything with a major baseball organization would mean she would no longer need to convince potential clients she was the best, even though she was. She would have a set schedule, guaranteed income and most importantly—stability.
But could she separate the heartache of her childhood with the career challenge T.S. offered her? Seemed like Maverick’s poor choices would end up bringing her the new opportunity she’d been searching for. Kelsey looked at T.S., grateful for their friendship, and decided on the spot she was ready to take on the challenge. She’d deal with her own issues later.
She had “yes” on the tip of her tongue when he walked into the room.
Chapter 3
Maverick strode into the resort’s penthouse with a measured gait and a hooded glare. It may have been due to his reluctance to make an appearance tonight, but Kelsey guessed it had more to do with one too many drinks consumed.
“Well, speak of the devil. Your favorite troublemaker just arrived.” Kelsey said. She noted the pitcher’s shoulders were thrust back, his arms held tight against his body. Hmmm. “And, he doesn’t look too happy to be here,” she murmured.
But he did look determined and movie star gorgeous. She noted he cleaned up rather well, wearing a midnight-blue evening jacket that showed off his broad shoulders to perfection. His thick, dirty-blond hair went from buzz cut to wavy locks brushing his shoulders and back again and everywhere in between, depending on his mood. Today it was in a faux hawk, which was her favorite. She’d read that if he was on a winning streak he refused to cut his hair, so this new shorter style fit the rumors.
Much like Samson, he considered his pitching strength was directly tied to his hair. He once told a reporter about this superstition and all the players wore wigs to the next home game. The public ate it up and now the diehard fans wore blond wigs to the home games. She wondered if that would carry over to the team’s new hometown.
“Kelsey, I’d like to introduce you two as soon as possible. But I was thinking we’d give him a few moments to settle into the room. I’ll go get us a fresh drink.” T.S. left her side.
She barely registered his comment. She was too busy sizing up her new client and admiring his . . . form.
If the rumors she heard were true, Maverick’s new best friend was a bottle of whiskey. Which might explain his rigid posture tonight. Was he working off a bender? She noted he arrived solo, which was, according to the tabloids, out of character for him. His last relationship had been splashed all over social media. The ballplayer and the stripper. I’m sure his parents were so proud, Kelsey thought.
Kelsey hoped he wasn’t fighting another demon because he already came with more baggage than the team on a road trip. Add even one more issue to his list of problems and she would have to think twice about his chances of repairing his image.
T.S. returned and as she accepted a fresh drink, Maverick caught her eye. His face relaxed into a heart-stopping smile, and unfortunately it was aimed straight at her. His cornflower-blue eyes dared her to look away and he continued to gift her with his trademark lady-killer smile.
Lord hav
e mercy, she thought. No wonder women threw themselves at this man.
Maverick held her stare and raked his gaze over her warm face. He made sure she knew he was checking her out and winked. Time stopped and all rational thought disappeared.
Not easily seduced, she prided herself on controlling any situation in which she found herself. And that included dealing with men of any form, stature, or reputation. But this man, the player she was here to “fix,” held her in thrall as he continued to slowly look down and then back up her now humming body.
Well, two could play at this game. She held herself still and controlled her rapid breathing for all she was worth. By the time his eyes settled back on her face, she had created a bored look. She hadn’t earned the nickname “Ice Princess” in college for nothing. His eyes widened at her response.
She needed to appear in control. Confident in her own skin. And Maverick Jansen didn’t need to know he’d grabbed her attention with one wicked smile. No, all that mattered was that she appeared unaffected.
Professional.
A heated glance from a handsome man was not going to throw her off her game. She was here to do a job, not flirt with the man she’s supposed to help. She turned her attention back to T.S. “Does he know your plan?”
“Not yet,” T.S. answered. “I was going to give him tonight to stew about what I’m going to say. I want to see how he reacts here, in front of the hometown crowd first. See if he can hold it together. Tomorrow, I’ll drop the bomb.”
“Not bad. But are you sure that’s the best course? Lulling your opponent and going for the quick and painless strike doesn’t always work.”
“Hey, it’s my go-to move. How do you think I convinced the USBL to grant me the right to move the team?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Kelsey smiled.
T.S. chuckled. “Kelsey, this is exactly why I need you. Why Maverick needs you. You don’t take any bullshit and I admire that. Always have.”
Glancing around the room again, she saw that the object of their conversation was now leaning up against the bar and chatting up a couple of his buddies and their dates. He was no longer looking her over, head to toe, but damn if that look’s after effects weren’t still affecting her.
