Fingers snapped in front of his face. "Your attention span really is worse than that five year old you claim to hate being treated like."
Dan snorted in laughter again. Brett shot him a quit laughing look.
"Hit me with all the details," he said, focusing his attention back onto Cassandra. Man, he hoped whatever it was wasn’t something totally embarrassing.
"I think I’ve found the perfect vehicle that will showcase to the public there is more to you than what they think they know. This promotion will allow us to piggyback onto other opportunities which, I believe, will help transform the public’s perception of you.”
“Are you sure that’s possible?”
Brett was under no illusion the task was going to be easy for Cassandra and her team. He’d done a bang up job of tarnishing his halo to the point of it being almost black in the eyes of the world.
“Anything is possible if you’re willing to work at it. And from what I understand…” Cassandra paused and looked from him to Dan. He braced himself for what was about to come next. “…you’re prepared to do whatever is necessary. Is that correct?”
The noose of good behavior tightened around Brett’s neck. He had nothing against behaving well, but sometimes he had to push the limits just to see what he could do. If testing himself meant he acted a little out of line at times, he didn’t have a problem with it.
He had to remember, this was only for a short time, just long enough to keep his sponsors happy so they would stop threatening to pull his endorsements. He might even gain a few new sponsors out of this little marketing stunt. Anything was possible.
Even asking Cassandra Fielder out on a date?
Brett squashed that thought with the force of a hammer pounding a nail into a piece of wood. Dating Cassandra Fielder wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. He didn’t date career women. He also didn’t date older women and he had a feeling she fit that criteria, too. He knew better than to ask.
“Brett, get your act together, will you?” Dan’s muttered words reached him at the same time as Dan’s foot connected none too gently with his shin.
“Yes,” he blurted out and then gave a mental shake of his head. “Yes, you understand correctly.”
God, he hoped that they were still talking about him cooperating and not something else.
“Good.” Cassandra responded. “The project is being sponsored by the Build a Dream Foundation. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re an organization that goes to local elementary schools in disadvantaged areas and build whatever the schools need for their students. Generally, they’re small construction projects, like updating playgrounds or helping the students build gardens so they can grow vegetables and fruits that they can take home to add to their family diets. It’s a fabulous organization.”
Brett sat forward, his interest piqued. “It does sound great. What do they need from me? To be a spokesperson for them? Emcee a fundraiser?”
This was going to be a piece of cake. He could do all those things with his eyes closed.
“Not quite. Their aim is to bring community awareness of what they’re doing. Like all of these types of organizations, they need to raise funds so they can help more schools. They’ve teamed up with a television network and come up with four-week TV special that will have three teams of students competing against each other to build the best garden or playground. The public vote for which team’s project they think turned out the best. The winning team’s school will receive a check for ten thousand dollars and the two runners up will both receive five thousand dollars, so really everyone’s a winner. Those cash prizes will be provided by the network. Various businesses will donate the supplies. Build a Dream will get their name out there and, hopefully, lots of monetary donations to help them. You’ll be seen as a great guy for helping out the kids.”
He’d been onboard with all of it until she mentioned going on television. That was the last thing he wanted to be part of. How many times had someone who participated in some sort of reality show complained about the editing? How it was manipulated so they were seen as a villain when they weren’t. It didn’t take a degree in rocket science to know the network wanted him because of his bad boy reputation. That shouldn’t bother him, but it didn’t sit well. With this show, kids would be affected by how the public saw him. Their team would have no chance at winning and while they would receive a nice check, he didn’t want to be the reason they lost.
“If, and that’s a bit if, I was to do the show, can you guarantee that my team won’t be at a disadvantage because of me?”
Cassandra canted her head slightly and her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would you say that? How would you being on the team affect the outcome?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I have the reputation of being a bad boy. Who’s to say the network won’t make it look like I’m being mean to the kids or the parents or the school staff? What guarantee do we have that they won’t give my team a fair chance? How is that going to improve my image?”
“I’m sure it won’t be an issue.”
“Do you really think that? TV producers will do anything for out-of-this-world ratings. It would be boring television if there wasn’t any drama. That’s what reality shows are all about these days. Viewers want to see people yelling at each other. Or throwing drinks in people’s faces. So, Cassandra, can you guarantee that I’ll be represented honestly if I agree to do this show?”
Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times and nothing came out.
She has no idea what to say.
In fact, her face appeared to lose a little bit of color with each word he spoke. What was going on? He glanced over to Dan—he was staring out the window.
“Dan, you’re not saying anything. Do you know something I don’t?”
“Look.” The agent turned back. “Sure, it’s television and, yeah Brett, drama equals ratings, which means advertisers jump on board to spend cash for prime time. At the end of the day, it could mean more money for the charity, too.”
“But I have to be the scapegoat?” Brett pushed away from the table, anger firing through him. “And before either of you say anything, I’m aware me getting upset over the possible way the network could portray me is exactly the sort of publicity that normally surrounds me. But kids are involved. I’m not that much of a monster that I want innocent children I’m associated with to be ridiculed because they’re on my team. And, speaking of teams, what about the other two? Who’s signed up to lead them?
He was shocked when the last of the color drained out of Cassandra’s face. What the hell had she gotten him into?
5
Hell.
That was the last question she wanted Brett to ask. She wanted to get his signature on the contract that was burning a hole in the folder she rested her hands atop. His reaction to how he could be portrayed seemed, as he said, the total opposite of how he normally was. However, his reaction also exposed a different side to Brett than the bad boy he was known for. His caring for the kids struck a chord inside her. Her ex, Michael, had always smiled and signed autographs for his young fans, but when they were in the privacy of the car, he complained about how they pestered him for pointers. Michael would never do a show like this.
But she needed to answer Brett’s question before the silence dragged on too long.
“I-uh-I haven’t received confirmation from the casting director about who else will be involved.”
God, another white lie. She was getting pretty proficient in telling them. She hated doing it. It wasn’t how she did business, but she knew this show was going to be the best thing for him. It was crucial that she got their signatures on the contract.
“Why don’t I believe you?” he fired back. “This whole deal is starting to smell a little off to me. Dan, aren’t you the slightest bit concerned about it as well?”
Dan knew exactly who the other two participants were. He’d thought it would be good for Brett to be around Mitch and Drake.
Dan sighed and Cassandra knew he was battling with the need to tell Brett who the other participants were. “I’ll speak to the producer once the contract is signed. I’ll make sure you get fair coverage and express your concerns that filming should be concentrated on the kids and not you.”
Good luck with that. Cassandra wanted badly to say that to Dan, but she held back. At the end of the day, all she needed was Brett’s signature on the contract.
“Fine, I’ll trust you to do that, Dan,” Brett conceded, but she wasn’t convinced he was happy about it all.
Wanting to take advantage of the situation, she opened the folder and pulled out the contract. “Dan has looked this over and he’s happy with it. All it needs is your signature.” She flipped over a page and pointed to an amount listed. “This is what the network will pay you for appearing on the show.” Once he saw the amount, Cassandra was pretty sure he would no longer object to doing the show.
Without even looking at the figure, Brett reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. When he unscrewed the lid, she saw the unmistakable Mont Blanc logo. The man had good taste in pens. She had one herself, but she didn’t bring it into meetings for fear of it being accidentally put in someone’s pocket or briefcase. With a flourish, the contract was signed and she passed it to Dan for him to countersign.
Guilt-tinged relief poured through her. The deal was done. There was no getting out of it for Brett. She hoped he wouldn’t crucify her when he found out about Mitch and Drake’s involvement.
“Now that I’ve signed on the dotted line, how about you fill me in on who I’ll be sharing this little adventure with?”
Crap, not so lucky after all.
“I have another meeting to get to,” Dan said. “I’ll leave you to it.”
The agent left in a hurry. She couldn’t help wondering if he really had a meeting or was just making his escape and leaving her to deal with trying to avoid spilling the beans.
“So now, it’s just the two of us.” Brett moved his chair a little closer to hers. His muscular leg brushed her stocking clad one, eliciting little darts of pleasure zigzagging up to settle at the juncture between her thighs. Great, if she shifted away, he would know she found his close proximity uncomfortable. If she didn’t, she could find herself falling into the same trap she had when she’d first met Michael—letting her hormones rule her sensibility. Hormones equaled bad decisions for her. Besides she was older and wiser now than to let her hormones control her.
“Yes, just the two of us.” She cleared her throat. “At this stage, I don’t have much information about who will be with you on the show, Brett. The network wants to get genuine reactions from all the participants.”
While not the whole truth, it was pretty close to it. Part of her wanted to blurt out Mitch’s and Drake’s names so as to give Brett a heads up. She would hate being blindsided if she were in his place.
“I suppose I can believe that, but I can’t help feeling there’s something you’re not telling me.”
His perception surprised her. Once again, she questioned why he seemed to actively seek out trouble. These little glimpses of maturity gave her hope that maybe he wouldn’t react badly that first day on set.
“There are aspects of the show that are still in the planning stages. I’m sure once everything has been properly finalized, I’ll have more information to pass on to you. In the meantime, I’ll write a press release. When I get the go ahead from the network, we’ll announce that you are appearing in a new television special. Of course, the producers may not want us to say anything more until shooting wraps.”
“Any idea how long it’ll take and where I’ll be? If it’s outside Colorado, I’m going to have to speak to my coach about finding a facility to train in and maybe an interim coach.”
“I’m sure the producers will be happy to accommodate your training schedule. As for the location, the production company is L.A. based, so I’m guessing they will be looking around California. Although Build a Dream has its main office in Louisiana, so they could have a say in what locations they want to improve and may well choose to remain close to their offices.”
He pushed away from the table. “I can’t do Louisiana. I’m happy to go anywhere else except there.”
“Why? I thought everyone loved that place, especially New Orleans?”
“It doesn’t matter why. It just has to be somewhere else.”
His chin jutted out, daring her to question him. He looked every inch the arrogant sports star she took him for at that moment. Any thought of arguing disappeared. They would cross the location bridge when they came to it. For the time being, he had cooperated and signed the contract.
“I’ll pass that along to the network when I forward the contract to them. I’m sure we can come up with a location that will work for everyone involved. Now, if there’s nothing else, I have to get back to work.”
Cassandra stood, collected her folder and held out her hand toward Brett. “Thanks for coming in today.”
Once again, when his hand enveloped hers, warmth stole into her bloodstream. She had to get this irrational, emotional response to him out of her system. It could only lead to disaster. He was a client. He was younger than her. He was an athlete. He checked off every item on her men to avoid in relationships list. So why did her body burn hot every time he touched her or even came within two feet of her?
A slight tug on her hand caused her to step forward, right into his hard chest. This was bad, oh so bad, but her feet refused to move and the hand not clasped in his lay flat against the soft cotton of his t-shirt.
She looked up, her throat closing at the look of sheer intensity burning in his blue eyes. Her insides trembled. Her earlier resolve to not let her hormones rule her dissolved with that one look.
Yep, she was in trouble.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
All questions fled when he dipped his head and his lips connected with hers. A light, sweet touch. Innocent almost, but there was nothing innocent about the way he made her feel. Her hand fisted his shirt as she pressed closer to him, hoping he’d deepen the kiss. For a few seconds, she allowed herself this brief moment. A moment in time when insanity overrode sensibility. A moment when she released the tight bonds she’d held around herself since her divorce and let a long hidden desire to be wanted for who she was wind its way through her. A moment solely hers.
Then reality crashed in on her when the sound of laughter outside the room pierced her consciousness. Thank goodness the conference room didn’t have glass walls or she’d be in deep trouble. She pushed hard against Brett’s chest and he immediately released her.
“Well, that was surprising,” he muttered. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, speared her with one last glance before he walked out, leaving her standing there, mute, her trembling fingers touched her still vibrating lips.
What the hell was she thinking allowing a client to kiss her? That was the problem. She hadn’t been thinking. She’d been feeling. And feeling anything at all for Brett Hunter was bad.
Very, very, bad.
6
This is going to be fun.
This is going to be fun.
Brett repeated the sentence over and over in his mind as he sat in the back of a limo on the way to the lion’s den. The lion’s den being the location where he would meet the kids he was working with and the other athletes joining him on the still nameless show.
In the two weeks since he’d last been in Cassandra’s office, their kiss had replayed in his mind more times than he cared to count. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her since then either. She’d turned up at a photo shoot for one of his sponsors. No doubt she was there to make sure he didn’t do anything to upset the image she was working so hard to change.
He’d been on his best behavior since their meeting, and he didn’t understand why. In the past, whenever Dan or Jeff from Powerz had told him to pull his head out of his ass, he’d gi
ven them a mental middle finger and continued doing what he’d always done—walk that fine line between bad and disaster bad. He’d even ignored the less than subtle overtures the model had been giving him during the photo shoot that day. It was clear by the way she continually brushed her breasts against his arm that she’d be more than happy for them to go at it in the dressing room. A couple months ago, he would’ve been tempted. That day, the idea turned him off more than turning him on.
His pocket vibrated and a second later, the musical ring tone of his phone sounded in the quiet confines of the car. He pulled it out, a small smile playing across his lips when he saw Cassandra’s name flashing on the screen.
“Good morning. And before you ask, yes, I’m in the car.”
Her husky laugh travelled down the phone line and straight to his dick. “Good to know, but that wasn’t why I phoned.”
He straightened in his seat with the way her tone went from playful to serious in the space of a few words.
“What’s wrong? Have they cancelled the show?”
A stab of disappointment at the possibility landed low in his belly. Over the last couple of weeks, he’d begun to get excited about the prospect of helping those kids.
“No, the show’s not cancelled. I—uh—crap, I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
“Telling me what?” He gripped the phone tighter in anticipation of the news she was about to drop on him.
“I know who the other participants are. The network didn’t want me to tell you because they wanted to get everyone’s first reactions on camera. I didn’t want to let you go in unprepared though, so…” her voice trailed off.
“So?” The silence stretched between them, upping his tension from mild to intense. He knew she hadn’t hung up because he could hear her breathing. “Look, I won’t say anything, I promise. I’ll act surprised. Haven’t I been doing everything you’ve told me to do the last couple weeks? Just tell me, Cassandra.”
Fighting for Redemption (The Elite Book 4) Page 3
