by Nana Malone
A prominent jaw, vibrant blue eyes, and straight, white teeth that shone when he smiled completed the face to die for. Oh, he looked good, all right…and he knew it. Between his looks and his money, Asha could understand how a guy like Dax Coulter appealed to so many women. But it was much more difficult to see what it was about Dax that appealed to her brother so much.
Damon loved Dax like he was his own brother. And Asha knew that Damon wouldn't stick by Dax so firmly if there weren't more to him than what the tabloids said to sell copies. She just needed to see it, too.
She needed to see if she could find the Dax that Damon insisted was there, and then decide whether that Dax was marketable as the black sheep of a sports dynasty.
She took a deep breath, and purposefully strode forward. She knew Dax had caught her in his periphery, when he startled. He reacted quickly and turned off the machine, grabbing a towel to wipe away the barely-there sheen of sweat from his forehead. Asha had to motion for him to take the headphones from his ears.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Hope you weren't waiting too long to get my attention. I'm afraid I can zone out pretty quickly when it comes to workouts." His eyes were going to kill her—those intent, clear-blue irises. It made her skin tingle.
"No worries. I'm Asha, your new PR rep. I just came down from my meeting upstairs," she explained. "I was told you'd be expecting me, but I don't want to interrupt your workout. I just wanted to introduce myself, and then we can schedule a time—when you're through with practice—to go over—"
"You're taller than I thought you'd be," Dax interrupted. "Damon's always calling you his little sister, so I just assumed…littler." He grinned. "Also more Damon-looking." His gaze swept over her. "Besides your coloring, you look nothing like him." He frowned, as though that fact displeased him.
A flush rose and settled in her face. Asha hoped she wasn't going as red as she feared. Was he checking her out? Easy does it. Keep your cool. Handle him. She was the one in charge of this situation. She was the one whose marketing strategy would help determine not only her fate with the organization, but Dax's as well. She was in charge, dammit.
"I need to go over how this is going to work with you. I'd like to accommodate you if I can, but if you're too full of yourself to acknowledge the courtesy of that, then you will follow the schedule I set down for you, is that understood?"
His brows shot up, but then he grinned.
"Where'd you get your degree from?" Dax asked, ignoring her statement completely. "I mean, Damon and I just graduated, but he's always calling you his little sister. I know you can't be twins, because he'd have told me that," he rambled. His eyes never left hers.
She ground her teeth. "Okay, fine. We'll do it this way, then. Public Relations underwent a large overhaul. The team is changing its approach to just about everything—the coaching style, management, interaction with players, and how we're marketing the team. The first step of the new process is getting to know our players better. To do that, players and members of the marketing team are being buddied up with one another so we can get to know you better, so we can help the fans get to know you better," Asha started speaking more quickly to avoid interruption. "I've been buddied with you, so we will be having meetings to chat and develop a plan for how to make you more palatable to fans. Our goal is to get butts in the seats out there, and to do that, you guys either need to start winning, or we need to get people to want to see you in person without winning."
She paused to take a breath, and Dax jumped in. "Are you sure you didn't go to school to become an auctioneer? Based on that demonstration, I think you'd be really good at it."
Asha glowered at him. There was a gleam in his eye. She could tell he was enjoying the fact that it bothered her when he completely disregarded what she said. It was unlikely that her complaints would get her reassigned to another player. But that didn't matter, because she had a goal. And she was not giving up just because he made her hot and itchy. She could do this.
"I'd think you'd be interested in hearing what I had to say about a new approach to your image. But if you really are as shallow, parasitic, and lazy as you come off, then maybe it would be better to let my bosses know now so you can save them, and me, the trouble." She inhaled quickly and continued before she lost her nerve. "We don't have to alter a thing, so long as you're content with people lining up to see you crash and burn. It's a bit cliché, but you know clichés only exist because there's a truth to them."
He was still smiling, but she could tell it was no longer genuine. The light in his eyes had dulled. And for a moment, Asha felt a twinge of mingled guilt and regret. She shoved it aside, telling herself that as a football player, there was no way that what she'd just said was the worst thing Dax had ever heard about himself.
Coaches were not above saying anything to rile players into performing. Hell, it was part of how her parents had motivated her to achieve academically, and look at where it had gotten her. Dax would get over it. He could sack up. If he even had feelings. And if he didn’t get over it, he'd undoubtedly complain to her bosses, and they'd reassign her to another player… Or fire her. Shit. No, they wouldn't fire her. They had told her how difficult Dax would be. How else had they expected her to handle him? She was all about the carrot and stick. Well, mostly the stick, actually. Screw the carrot.
There was a long pause in the conversation before Dax asked, "So, what've you been up to since moving here? I'm sure Damon will ask me about you next time I talk to him, so you might as well give me something to tell him. We need to pretend to be friendly for his sake. Oh, if you ever need a recommendation for where to go on a night out, you know I'm the best person to ask. Though you seem like too much of a killjoy for that."
Killjoy? Asshole. "So you're determined to do this the hard way? Ok. If that's all, I think we're done here. I'll go report back to my boss, and I’ll be in touch if there's anything further I need from you. Either that, or I'll be fired, or you'll be traded." she muttered. God, he couldn't see her sweat patches, could he? She hadn't realized just how hot it would be in here, and now she was in a hell of a hurry to escape before her skirt and blouse became permanently stuck to her skin. Or she burst into flames. Either one.
"Running off so soon? Too bad. I'll see you around, Asha," Dax called as she left. She grit her teeth as she marched away. He was an ass. A sexy ass, but an ass just the same.
She's off limits, she's off limits, Dax repeated to himself, as he moved from the treadmill to the weight station. Asha Wix was walking, talking sex appeal. She's Damon's little sister. If he cared about that at all beyond the fact that it would be a total betrayal of their friendship to hit on Asha. Even worse, Dax was pretty sure he'd never met a woman who was less interested in him. And why did that shit turn him on? All women looked. He was used to it. Took it for granted even. But not her. As Dax continued his workout, he tried to force his thoughts to a more realistic path—Jen. She was the daughter of two of his parents' closest friends, and had grown up with him and Echo. And she genuinely liked him. She was the kind of girl his grandfather would be happy about welcoming into the family. Not the angry spitfire that had just walked out.
There had been a general push in the family to pair Jen up with Brycebefore he'd met Tami. But it was Dax who’d had a massive crush on her for years. Though, he hadn't really tried too hard to get her to go out with him.
Because the thing was, the moment he did, it would mean settling down. And at twenty-three, that was not happening. The fact that everyone else in the family rejected the idea outright was…disappointing. But it only made him dig his heels in more. They didn't think he was good enough.
Even as his brain tried for an endorphin hit and tried to call up Jen in his memory, it was Asha he saw. Tan, smooth skin. Waves of jet black hair.
And those chocolate-brown eyes. Shit. She was beautiful, if maybe wound a little tight. Okay, a lot uptight.
No. No. No. He recognized the signs. The challenge thrown. She was not
on the menu. Maybe it would be a good night to head out on the town. There were probably a few guys on the team who would be willing to hit a club or two and celebrate the changing of the guard, as far as the coaching staff went.
There was a lot of pussy running around. But at the end of the season, he would make that effort to settle down. He knew his family would be looking for him to do just that after Bryce and Tami's wedding was over. He might as well get ahead of them on that front. Plus, Jen would be a great date for the wedding.
Maybe a better idea would be to get a new rep assigned. Problem solved. Except, she'd know why. And he'd promised Damon to look out for her.
"Hey, Dax," Paul Johnson said as he came into the gym and headed for one of the stationary bikes.
"Yo. Have you heard about our new babysitters? The PR guys are pairing us up with some of their staff to market us better," Dax said, taking advantage of the excuse to pause in his workout. "I think mine's just gone upstairs to try and swap me for someone else."
Paul laughed. "The one in the skirt I passed on my way in here? I'd hold on to her if I were you. Met mine for coffee on the way in. Must've asked me two dozen questions before I finished my cup. Felt like an interview," Paul joked. "Mine wasn't a looker like yours, either. You know, it'll take her a while to get upstairs with those shoes of hers. You can probably make a call in the meantime and get them to let you keep her. Lord knows, I'd take a trade if you don't."
Dax laughed as Paul settled into his workout routine, but he eyed his phone. It was exactly the kind of thing she'd expect him to do. Use whatever influence he had to get his way. She already wasn't his biggest fan. She would expect him to flex his Coulter muscles. She didn't know just how limiting that superpower was. The things he really wanted weren't things he had any control over.
Part of him was inclined to call upstairs and do as Paul suggested. Not for the reasons he suggested, but because of the promise he'd made to Damon. No. Asha would probably like that motive even less than if he did it for purely selfish reasons.
No. He'd let the chips fall where they may. He sure as hell didn't need the distraction. She's off limits, he began repeating to himself once more. She's off limits. Now all he had to do was tell his dick that.
Asha knew she was taking a long shot when she walked to Adams' office.
He looked up from his monitor. "Problem, Wix?"
"Uh, having met with Mr. Coulter—" she began, but was cut off by her boss.
"There will be no reassignments, Ms. Wix. If you do not like your assignment, your options are to shut up about it and do your job or quit. Do I make myself clear?"
She bristled. She'd been called a lot of things—like brown-noser, suck-up, and whiner—by so many of her peers over the years. She'd always been able to tell herself it was jealousy on their part. That it stemmed from their own feelings of inadequacy. The echoes of those labels rang at the edges of her consciousness.
"I was just going to say…" She thought fast on her feet. "That having met with Mr. Coulter, I think you were right to assign him to me. He needs someone who isn't willing to put up with his bullshit, and I won't. I thought I should warn you that he might try to call you to have me removed. That he might seek a reassignment."
"Oh, I see," Adams frowned, but nodded. "Well, if he does, I'll be sure to tell him the same thing I just told you. There will be no swapping. It's already two weeks into the season. We're behind schedule as it is. Unless there is a legitimate concern with him. Was he inappropriate?"
"No, of course not." Besides his eyes drinking her in. "Let me get out of your hair. I should work on getting better acquainted with the system, and then I thought I'd watch practice from the sidelines."
"Sounds like a plan." Adams turned back to what he'd been working on before she interrupted him, and Asha slunk away to begin the task of reassembling the shreds of her dignity. She'd have to find a way to deal with Dax. And quickly.
She was stuck with him, so she had to make the best of it. Lord only knew she'd been in more uncomfortable situations over the years. Some particularly heinous group projects in college came to mind. It had sucked being younger than everyone else with no way to connect socially. Not to mention the mutters of "jail bait" when she walked through the quad. At least Dax hadn't hit on her. Not outright, anyway. Looks, she could handle. It was the insinuation that breasts somehow negated having a brain that really pissed her off. Like the two were mutually exclusive.
Asha remembered one of her teachers who had suggested she look into marketing at some cosmetics company, or somewhere in the world of fashion. He'd suggested that sports marketing would be difficult if she wasn't willing to use her looks to get ahead. Just how he had wanted her to use her looks remained a mystery.
At least with Dax, she had the buffer of Damon, so he couldn't act like too much of an ass. Not that she'd ever ask Damon to step in. She could handle herself. But Dax Coulter didn't need to know that.
Seven
Problem number one: Asha Wix was attractive. Like really, fucking, smoking-hot attractive. Not that he was going to do anything about it. Problem number two: she had a massive stick up her gorgeous ass. Like shoved way up there. If she wanted something shoved up her ass, he could think of a slew of other things to shove up there. But he wasn’t going to go there.
She even sat stiff as a board while she watched practice. Like she needed a good lay…from someone other than him.
She was waiting for him outside the locker room following practice.
"Hello," she said quickly, catching him off guard and startling him. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. If I came off as rude or…well, anyway. We're going to need to work together for a while, so I figured it would be a good idea if we could just…start again."
Start again? So she wasn't quitting? Well, all right then. Challenge accepted. He grinned at her. "Okay. So how do you propose we go about that?"
She narrowed her gaze, but kept that gorgeous smile on her face. "If there's a time this week that works for you, we could meet to discuss your public image and areas where it can be…improved…for the good of the team."
Dax suppressed a snort. "If you say so. How about dinner tonight? You're new in town, and I can show you a few places. And then we can both let Damon know I checked up on you."
He could tell by her pursed lips she was thinking about declining. But then she said, "Right. I get off work at five. Why don't you meet me downstairs?"
Dax shook his head. "Why don't you give me your address, and I'll pick you up at seven? That should give you time to get home and change."
She eyed him warily. "Text me the info for where you want to go, and I'll dress accordingly and meet you there."
He worked to hold back a smirk. Man, she was stubborn. Hell, she should have been his agent, she was that good at negotiating. "I guess that'll work. I'll see you at seven-thirty then, give you extra time to find the place." He brushed past her, then winked. "I look forward to seeing you tonight, Asha." He said, goading her.
Problem three: he kind of liked it, the back and forth, the fighting with her.
Too many problems, and not enough good solutions.
Dax Coulter pulled at every single competitive, irritated nerve Asha had. He was arrogant. Pompous. An ass. He was also a walking pheromone. She was having a hell of a hard time ignoring him. He used his appeal like an axe, with all those winks and the smiles. Damn his smiles and his cleft chin. Well, two could play that game.
It didn't surprise her when the address he sent her turned out to be for one of Jacksonville's hottest clubs. What did surprise her, however, was how good it felt to dress up for the occasion. She'd chosen a simple, form-fitting dress for the night out. Nothing she was falling out of, or that she would be embarrassed to be seen in by her other coworkers, except that there was no hiding her breasts. The fuchsia hue of the fabric, along with the darker eye makeup flattered her dark coloring. Dressing up like this, she looked like her mother. She’d even added a s
imple henna pattern to her hands as a nod to her heritage. Maybe it was a bit much, but she thought she looked pretty. Not that she wanted to look pretty for Dax Coulter. Oh the lies she told herself.
The look had the desired effect. When she walked up to him at the front of the club, Dax did a double take and stared. “Jesus Christ, Asha.”
She bit back the satisfied smirk. “Just one thing, how am I going to get in? I’m not twenty-one yet.”
He blinked. “You’re not twenty-one?”
She shook her head. “This May.”
“It’s fine, you’re with me. No one will card you.” And he was right, they walked right in. The perks of being with Dax Coulter.
Forcing herself to control her smile, she added, "I'd like to say I was surprised you'd pick a place like this, but I'd be lying." She had to practically scream to be heard over the pounding of the bass, as he led them through the club.
Dax waved an arm toward a restricted area off to one side, urging her ahead of him. As soon as they were behind the Plexiglas barrier, the pounding of the music subsided significantly, but the glass still gave them an unobstructed view of people gyrating out on the dance floor.
"It's early in the week," Dax explained. "It can still get pretty busy, but nothing like the weekend. It takes twenty minutes to cross to the bar on Thursday or Friday night."
The passageway they followed opened to a small VIP area with tables and a handful of waiters. The VIP room offered more than just drinks and the handful of food options the club's main bar did.
"Oh," Asha said, as a small menu was placed in front of her. "I ate before I came," she told Dax. "Didn't want to worry about working on an empty stomach."
His lips twitched. "Of course you did," he muttered as he ordered.
"Just water for me," Asha added before the waiter left.
Some guy came stumbling over. “Damn Dax, you keeping this choice piece of woman to yourself?”
