by Debra Elise
He needed to take this opportunity for what it was and find out what the hell was really going on in his head and keeping him from throwing a cut ball. “I’ll be an open book, Dr. Sloane. I know my days are numbered in the USBL and I want nothing more than another chance at a championship. You have my promise to work with you and find that new perspective you talked about.”
“Glad to hear it, now maybe we could start with your brother,” Caris said.
For the next hour they talked about every detail of the events that led to the accident that killed Connor and the aftermath. How he still woke up in a cold sweat screaming his brother’s name and how his parents continued to blame him, if not for actually taking Connor’s life, but being the one responsible for their youngest child’s death.
Maverick didn’t realize he had zoned out until he heard the doctor softly calling his name. “Maverick. Maverick, I think we had a good start here today. I’d like you to go home and think about what brings you joy, besides baseball, that is.”
He blinked several times to bring himself back to the moment and looked at Dr. Sloane. “Joy?” he asked.
“Yes. Something totally unrelated to the game, another hobby perhaps, or another physical activity or even getting lost in a good book.”
Hell, she was serious. He thought a moment and pictured the woman he held in his arms yesterday. Kelsey. Yeah, she definitely brought him some joy.
Maybe he should use this opportunity with the doc to find out a little more info on Kelsey. They were in college together, so maybe Caris had some insight on what made the cool-as-ice-media-consultant-and-sultry-sex-kitten tick.
“Okay, I thought of something or rather, someone.” He sat there for a moment thinking how to phrase his request.
“That was quick. I meant take a day or two to think about it.” An edge had seeped into her tone that warned not to mess around.
“I want to know what Kelsey Sullivan was like in college,” Maverick asked.
Caris leaned forward and grinned. “And why would you need to know about Kelsey? Isn’t she working for you?”
“No, technically she works for the team, its owner T.S., to be exact. I’m looking for some insight on her and well, I guess since you’re my doctor I can tell you, confidentially of course, that I plan on wooing her.” He couldn’t say take her to bed and make love to her until she screamed his name, so “wooing” worked. “She told me you two were in college together and I thought you might be able to help me.”
The good doctor stood and motioned for him to do the same. He stood and waited while she took her time deciding if she would answer his question. He crossed his fingers behind his back.
“I think that’s all for today, Maverick. Please check with Amber and make sure your next appointment is all set up. I told Kelsey I’d make myself available around your schedule.”
“Sounds good. How about my request. You think you could help me out?”
“I’ll think about it. But something tells me, Maverick, you don’t need my help getting a woman to like you or do anything else with you.”
“You’d be surprised, Doc. She’s a tough cookie, but I plan on showing her I’m not just some dumb jock who needs her to hold his hand in the public eye.”
“Oh, I know how tough Kelsey can be, and there are reasons why she is probably giving you the cold shoulder. But I’m not going to betray her trust. And I’m here for you right now. So my suggestion? Tread lightly with her. She and I haven’t spoken in years, but I can assure you, I have her back.”
“Looks like Kelsey’s not the only tough cookie I’ve met recently.” He smiled and walked out of the no-nonsense doctor’s office. He was rather proud of himself for his strategy. He’d bet Caris would be calling Kelsey as soon as he left, asking her what’s what. Good. He needed Kelsey to know how serious he was about her.
Chapter 13
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Mav. What idiot would send you a text that could be easily traced?” Luke was in the gym of their building, using the free weights. Mav knew he was concerned about maintaining his throwing shoulder in the off-season, but it looked to him as if his catcher was putting on too much muscle.
He looked Maverick straight in the eye and asked, “What are you going to do? Ignore it and hope it goes away?”
“That was my first thought, well, actually my second after I said a few choice phrases my grandma would take her switch to me for, but then I calmed down,” Maverick said.
“Mav, I swear, lately if you didn’t have bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all. Sounds like you should be talking to that pretty PR lady instead of me though. By the way, any luck with her? I’ve never seen you so tied up in knots over a chick.”
“She’s not a chick. You had it right the first time, she’s a lady. Besides she’s not answering. I’ve left her a couple of voicemails,” Maverick interrupted.
“Hey, no disrespect. Poor choice of words and even if she wasn’t way out of your league, pun intended, you have to admit she’s not the type you usually go for.” Luke finished his reps and set down the weights.
“I mean, don’t you think you should maybe not chase after this one? She reports to T.S. Hell, they’re friends from way back. I can’t see good things coming your way if you dump her after a month or two,” Luke said.
Maverick hadn’t expected his buddy to be so deep, but maybe he was right. Could he afford to get involved with someone who basically was in his life only for a paycheck? He had the pick of ball girls wherever the team played. One of the perks many players took advantage of, even some of the married ones.
But did he want to continue that lifestyle? Even before the car accident, he’d been growing tired of dealing with bubbleheaded women who were looking for nothing more than a trophy, or a ticket out of their low-paying jobs and into a rushed marriage because some randy baseball player was so overcome with lust instead of love.
His sport, and most other professional athletics, had a high divorce rate. He wanted more, and maybe he should put a bit more thought into seducing Kelsey. As much as he wanted to bend that sweet ass over and show her a good time, what would happen the next morning?
“Well, your hunch was right, Kelsey.” Caris Sloane sat across from her at the coffee shop she’d recently dubbed her favorite space. Kelsey looked up from her smartphone and assessed her onetime frenemy. What were they now that she’d asked Caris for her help?
Professional allies? Possibly. But in the back of her mind she always admired Caris and her easy way with people even when she was being a mean girl back in their college days.
A natural blonde with gray eyes that didn’t miss a thing, Caris paused while Kelsey waited for her to expand on her statement. Caris was a cool customer these days, and Kelsey had to admire her for that alone.
So Kelsey blinked first. “Caris, thank you again for working Maverick in on such short notice. I know you’re in high demand. You’ve made quite a name for yourself. Not that I ever doubted you would. This, well . . . it means a lot to me and I needed someone I could trust,” Kelsey said.
“Funny, we never really got along in college, but I can see you’re being sincere and I appreciate that as well as the opportunity. I know you could have called Dr. Goodwin,” Caris said.
“As much as I would like to fix this situation with press releases and photo ops, I know that’s only half of the solution.” She fidgeted a bit under Caris’s continued perusal as she prepared to ask the question that she didn’t want to but needed to, in order to secure her position with T.S. and the Outlaws.
Still, she hadn’t quite earned the position so much as it was handed to her by default. Plus, she now realized how much she really wanted to succeed and become the vice president of communications, or whatever title T.S. wanted to give her, for a major league sports team. Huh, funny how something you didn’t think would ever be a goal turned into the perfect fit.
“So, how’d it go with Maverick? Do you think you could work with him?
Help him?” Kelsey asked.
“I can’t tell you much because of the privacy laws, but your ballplayer definitely needs counseling and yes, I think I can help,” Caris said.
“He’s not my ballplayer; he’s my client and now he’s yours as well. Thank you. I’ll contact T.S. later today and let him know you’re on board and to expect session invoices soon. I know he’ll pay you more than what you normally charge, so please don’t be shy in charging him for clearing your schedule for us. At this point, I think T.S. would buy you a Ferrari if it meant getting his star pitcher back on track and—”
“Kelsey, backup. Listen, I’m not going to overcharge for my time because the owner is a billionaire. I’ll charge my going rate and if time becomes an issue I’ll look at overages, but really, there’s no further need to convince me to take Maverick on as a client.” She gave Kelsey a tight smile and finished her drink.
“Caris, of course, I didn’t mean to imply . . . well, I’m . . . grateful, okay? I know I can trust you to handle this situation.”
“Thank you for that, Kelsey. I’m looking forward to working with Maverick. I think once we have a couple of sessions and he becomes more comfortable with me, he’ll open up about what’s really holding him back. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to the office and talk to my secretary. Looks like I’ll be rearranging my schedule, and I need to stop taking new clients for a while.”
Caris rose from the table and collected her Louis Vuitton and grabbed her sunglasses.
“Thanks again for this opportunity, Kelsey. It seems all I’ve had to deal with lately are husbands complaining about their wives draining them dry. Apparently when I tell them to cut up the credit cards they take it as the end of the world, if not their marriage. It’ll be nice to work with someone who seems to want my help. And of course it doesn’t hurt that he is one fine specimen.”
Kelsey felt a heat bloom start from her chest, travel up her neck, and flush her cheeks. She saw red at Caris’s last comment. She’d never been the jealous type, but Caris set it off. Damn.
“Oh, and by the way, Kelsey, he asked me what you were like in college. As a matter of fact, he asked me to help him get you to loosen up a bit where he’s concerned. Is there more going on between you two than just the surface stuff?”
Caris had a small smirk on her face as she waited for her to reply.
“No, I . . . no.”
“Hmm. Well, whatever happens between you two off the clock is not my concern, but if he talked about me the way he does you, well now, I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed.”
“And there’s the Caris I remember from college. I was wondering if she’d show up.” Kelsey laughed. She stood up next to her friend, because she’d decided she wanted Caris as her friend, not a frenemy.
They walked toward the door together. Kelsey gave her a quick hip bump. “By the way, Caris, I heard you’re single. Play nice and I can hook you up with an Outlaw.” She pushed through the door and heard laughter following her out.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Caris continued to chuckle.
Maybe this friend thing could work out between them after all.
Chapter 14
Kelsey drove back to the stadium where T.S. had given her an office to use. She checked her messages and noticed Maverick had called and texted her several times. He didn’t give Kelsey a chance to say anything beyond hello when she called him back.
“It’s about time you answered your phone.”
She walked into the team offices and nodded at T.S.’s secretary on her way to her new digs. “I was in a meeting, Maverick.”
She dropped her keys on the desk and toed off her navy pumps. Ah, relief. She had to remind herself to just say no the next time she reached for the beautiful toe-pinching shoes. They were headed for the donation bin at the next opportunity. Maybe.
“Kelsey, you told me to call or text you if I had a question or needed your advice on anything and when I do that, the very first time, you’re not available to me. So sorry, I’m a little teed off.”
“Listen, I was arranging some things so I can stay here without having to fly back to L.A.” This was a new side to Mav, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
“Shi . . . no, relax. I’d like to have access to my ‘consultant’ anytime I need her,” Maverick replied.
“It’s been an hour since your first text. I think even you can handle whatever it is for an hour until I am able to get back to you.” She began pacing her office. He was having a temper tantrum and she’d handled worse.
“I guess that’s a matter of opinion, Kelsey. You know you sound really hot when you’re mad. Maybe I should have tracked you down to your place. Where do you live anyway?”
Kelsey held back an urge to scream. Instead she stomped her foot and took a deep breath. She seemed to be doing a lot of that during her conversations with him.
“You don’t need to know where I live and we’re going around in circles here, so why don’t you tell me what’s got your boxers in a twist so I can put out the fire you seem to think is burning.”
“I got a text,” Maverick said.
“You got a text? How nice. Care to share?” she asked.
“You have a smart mouth. Someone really ought to show you how to put it to better use. As a matter of fact, I think I’m the man for the job. What do you say, Doll Face? Give me your address and I can show you exactly how to use your sweet mouth to its best advantage.”
Lord help her. Her pussy clenched at his words. She sat in her chair and squeezed her thighs together to stop the pulsing and tried to think of a way to shut down his sexual teasing.
“Kelsey, you still there?”
“Y-yes, I’m here. I was contemplating your predicament. It seems you have another problem neither one of us could have foreseen.”
“Oh, and what’s that Kelsey?” Maverick asked.
“It seems receiving text messages is some sort of turn-on for you. Does this type of reaction happen often or can we chalk it up to the new state you find yourself in?” She desperately needed a glass of water—or a gallon.
“Oh, I’m in a state, all right. You keep talking to me in your sweet-as-sin voice and the state of my jeans will require some . . . adjustments.”
Maverick had dropped his tone at least two octaves and Kelsey’s nipples hardened.
“W-what did the text say?” she asked. Breathless and turned on, she questioned her sanity in continuing the sexy conversation.
Maverick was silent for so long she thought he was indeed taking care of the adjustment problem. “I got it, the text, right before I went into see Dr. Sloane. It said, ‘I saw you with her yesterday. She’s not good enough for you. I am.’
Kelsey got her wish. It was as if she’d been splashed with ice water. Someone had called his name when they had been all over each other downtown. Was that person responsible for the whacked-out text? She squeezed her eyes shut, and let slip with the F-bomb.
“Exactly,” Maverick said. “So, what do you think we should do?”
“First of all, did you save it?” Kelsey asked.
“Yes, Ms. Sullivan. It’s still on my phone. And before you ask, I think it came from one of those burner phones.”
“Why would you think that? Have you had experience with them before?”
“No, but I watch a lot of movies and usually in the thrillers someone always uses a toss-away phone. Besides, I googled it and the area code is not local, not even regional, and the prefix came up as one that’s sold by a pay-as-you-go company.”
Impressed, Kelsey held back any praise she might offer someone else. He already had an inflated ego, so there was no need to stroke it at this point. Damn, wrong image to put in her head when she was still feeling the effects of their heated conversation.
“Good to know. I don’t think you should respond to it at this point. It could be a jealous ex or maybe a fan who was in town visiting and a bit annoyed that her dream lover was kissing another woman.” Kels
ey thought that sounded reasonable.
Maverick thought over what Kelsey had said and in a strange way it made sense. Not the “ex” part because he hadn’t had any long-term relationships in the past couple of years, but the speculation that a super fan might be upset, well, that seemed to have some merit.
“All right, I’ll play it your way. I don’t need another hassle in my life right now.” He leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a pull on the beer he’d opened before he called her. Warm but still satisfying. He went to his freezer and pulled out a cold glass and poured.
“Where are you calling me from, Maverick, a bar? she asked.
“No, I’m at home. I’m pouring my now warm beer into a frosted glass. Maybe you could come over and join me? I’d like to show you my baseball card collection.” Maverick couldn’t help the cheesy offer, but damn, he liked the sound of her voice.
“Um, that would be a big no. I’ve been thinking and I really believe that we should keep our association a professional one. I know I acted interested yesterday. And . . .”
“You are, Kelsey. You are interested, and I’m of the firm belief that life is too short not to follow through when something feels right. And you and me? It feels right. You sure as hell felt right in my arms when you were sucking my tongue the other day. Don’t you want that feeling again? I know I do.” Maverick finished off his lager and set the glass down hard. He knew what she was going to say before she said it.
“Maverick, I’m flattered, but I can’t handle having a physical relationship with a client while still maintaining the level of professionalism this job calls for.” She hesitated. A pit in her stomach appeared because she did wish it could be different. She wished he wasn’t a ballplayer and she wished he wasn’t a client. Then maybe she’d let loose and let herself explore the sensual pleasure his voice and his words were promising her.
“Call me if something else happens, Maverick. I’ll be in touch tomorrow morning so we can prep for the press conference and finalize some appearances I’ve set up for you.”
