“What the hell kind of name is Hugo?”
“I panicked! I just wanted something normal, alright? And it’s not like she was honest! She told me her name was Ashley!”
Matt pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, then grabbed his phone and pointed it at me like I was getting disciplined. “You realize this can blow up in our faces even more, right? Tell me you’ve turned on the charm with her, tell me that she’s not going to go to the press, or worse, try to claim you got her pregnant.”
“We used protection.”
“Oh good, you used protection. Well, that solves everything!” Matt jumped to his feet. “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to back her into a corner? Force her signature on something? What’s the play?”
I sighed. “I’ll get her to sign something . . .”
He exhaled. “Good, we just need her to agree to not talk about it to the press. The last thing you need is more bad press, and a woman scorned is a scary thing. Reporters are fantastic at getting them even more pissed off, or convinced that you somehow owe them for psychological damage because the orgasm was too hard.”
I winced.
I didn’t tell him the rest.
I didn’t tell him she’d been a virgin.
I didn’t tell him that I’d taken something from her that she hadn’t given anyone else.
I didn’t tell him I was a dick to her.
I didn’t tell him I left her alone in her bed.
I didn’t tell him that I was petrified she would tell Jagger and make things worse for me. Out of everyone in the universe, he had a legitimate reason to hate me the most for what went down. For what I did. What I encouraged.
My thoughts spiraled out of control until I felt Matt touch my shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”
I flinched. “Yeah, just tired.”
He patted my arm. “Get some sleep. And keep me updated, alright?”
“Yup.” I stared at the pizza box long after the front door closed, and then with increasing bitterness and misplaced rage, I grabbed my cell and walked into the kitchen in search of the phone number she’d left attached to the fridge on yet another sticky note.
Woman loved her sticky notes.
Me: Hey, it’s Slade, I’m going to need you to sign some legal stuff for me in the morning, if that’s okay?
Mackenzie: Are you suing me?
Me: Why the hell would you think I was suing you?
Mackenzie: It just seems like something you would do, that’s all.
Me: On what grounds could I even sue?
Mackenzie: Oh, I don’t know . . . incompetence.
My stomach felt sick.
I had been such an ass, and this was me trying not to be. It’s like the guy that smiled and laughed was trapped inside this angry body that refused to let go of anything.
And the more I refused to deal with it.
The more the anger took control.
And the more I needed someone to blame for it rather than myself.
What would my dad say?
Other than go dig a hole?
Me: I’m sorry.
That was all I had.
And even typing it had my hands shaking a bit as I waited for her to lash out.
Mackenzie: I’ll pick up coffee for you in the morning.
Me: That’s it?
Mackenzie: You’re forgiven.
Mackenzie: For one instance of yelling . . .
Me: How many instances have you kept track of?
Mackenzie: All of them. Sleep well!
Chapter Twenty-Four
MACKENZIE
I braced myself for another stellar day with Slade and Alfie. At least Slade would be leaving for practice soon, and then I could unpack more boxes and take a nice long walk.
I juggled the coffee carrier in one hand, my purse in the other, and tried to type the code in without spilling. I finally managed to get it when the door suddenly opened and Alfie came barreling out with Slade.
I jerked back, catching my left foot on the stair, and saw my life flash before my eyes as the world tilted backward and I landed flat on my ass with searing coffee all over my white shirt.
“Shit!” Slade was at my side instantly, pulling me to a sitting position on the concrete. “Are you alright?”
“I’ll make it.” I gave him my best smile as he helped me to my feet. “Sorry about the coffee.”
“Sorry about the concrete on your ass and the spilled coffee. Alfie was getting anxious, and I didn’t want a repeat of last night, so I was going to take him out front.”
“Gotcha.” I tried wiping at my shirt, but it was completely ruined and starting to stick against my bra like a second skin.
“Why don’t you find something to wear from my room?” he offered in a nice tone that reminded of the guy I’d met on vacation. “And I’ll take Alfie out.”
“Sure.” I gulped, struggling a bit as I recalled the taste of his lips on mine. “Okay.”
We walked past each other. He cleared his throat. I cleared mine. Like we both had the same frog, just different reasons for swallowing it.
I deposited my purse on the kitchen table, then slowly made my way up the stairs and into his massive bedroom. The same boxes were scattered around like he still wasn’t sure he was going to stay in Seattle.
With a sigh I walked over to the dresser in search of a white T-shirt I could knot at my waist or tuck into my black skinny jeans.
The first drawer had socks.
The second held numerous tanks, and finally a cute band T-shirt that looked like it would be way too small on him.
I tossed it on the bed, then peeled my wet shirt over my head just in time to hear barking.
“Traitor,” Slade said under his breath when Alfie came running into the room. I had nothing on but my bra. He looked his fill like he was actually allowed to after the way he’d treated me.
Shame washed over me. In a new way.
Shame that he could see me and not be affected.
Shame that I was that easily forgotten.
Left behind.
I quickly turned around, grabbed the shirt, and pulled it over my head, then pulled my hair out from underneath.
“Nice choice.” He seemed amused.
I looked down, noting how it fit tight across my chest. “This can’t be a guy’s shirt.”
“You would be accurate in your assessment. I was actually planning on burning all memories of the fiancée. I must have grabbed one of her shirts without noticing it . . .” He shrugged. “Silver lining? That was never tight across her chest.”
“Are you calling me fat?”
His eyes widened. “No . . . I know it’s shocking, but I actually mean it as a compliment, you have nice . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind, let’s go sign shit.”
“I think this house has seen enough shit,” I grumbled, glaring at Alfie. He whined and started licking my heel.
With a sigh I bent down and kissed him on his head. “No more mice or birds, and if you see a pet parakeet . . . self-control, buddy, self-control.”
He licked my hand again and tried nuzzling my body.
Slade folded his arms as a pained expression crossed his features. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah.” I stood and followed him back to the kitchen while Alfie trailed behind us, nearly falling head over paws down the last few stairs because he built up so much speed. The guy ran sideways, he was going to be big.
I smirked as his paws slammed against the kitchen floor in an effort to stop himself from running into the table.
Slade stepped over him and grabbed a stack of papers from a black portfolio.
I sat at the table and waited for him to say something.
He didn’t.
He just handed me a pen with a weird expression on his face.
I narrowed my eyes. “What exactly am I signing?”
“Another NDA, nothing fancy. I just need to cover every angle, every possible outcome . . .” He drummed
his fingertips on the table. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“As long as you promise not to throw it at my chest,” I teased lightly.
His eyes lowered. Damn, the man had the lazy, half-lidded gaze down like a champ. He didn’t answer, just turned and went over to the Keurig.
I pulled the cap off the pen and skimmed the first page. Everything looked normal until I saw the words Puerto Vallarta.
“What?” I bit down on my tongue and read further. “Sexual relationship?”
A mug of coffee appeared in front of my face. “Here.”
I took the coffee, set it on the table, and crossed my arms. “Is this what I think it is?”
His calm demeanor was really starting to piss me off. I’d rather have him angry than silent. “It’s an NDA—one I would have given you in Mexico had—” He shrugged. “It’s something I missed, alright? I need you to sign it.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes as anger surged to the surface just a little bit faster than the sadness and embarrassment. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
He sighed and then put both of his hands on my shoulders like I was the one that needed to be calm. “Mackenzie, it’s to protect both of us, alright? What if a reporter asks you about me? If you sign something, you don’t have to say shit.” The asshole actually smiled like he’d just made it all better. And I wasn’t stupid! I didn’t have to say anything with or without the NDA.
“No.” I dropped the pen.
“No?” He ran a hand through his overgrown gorgeous hair. “What do you mean no?”
“I mean no. I won’t sign it. I wasn’t . . . I don’t need your money. I don’t need your fame. Trust me, the last thing I want is to be in the spotlight. I’m taking care of your houseplants, for crying out loud!”
“Do I even have houseplants?”
“That’s not the point!” My chest hurt. I jerked away from him and stood. “That’s . . . you’re making it . . . you’re making what happened between us . . . like a business deal gone wrong. You’re making it . . . so heartless.”
Slade wiped his face and sat back in the chair. “I’m protecting you.”
“No! You’re protecting you. Because you’re all you care about! This isn’t about me! This is all you. And you know the worst part? I missed you. I missed you so much, and when I found out you were gone I felt so used. You were so—”
“Don’t.”
“Tender,” I whispered. “You’re not even that person. It wasn’t even real, you know? It wasn’t . . .” I wrapped my arms around my stomach. “I’m going to go take Alfie for another walk.”
“Mackenzie.” He stood and grabbed me by the elbow. “I’m trying, can’t you see that? I’m doing the best I can!”
“Do. Better.” I grabbed the leash.
“Fuck!” I could hear his loud, angry footsteps as he followed me into the entryway. “Would you just stop walking away and listen for one damn minute!”
“No!” I bent down and hooked the leash to Alfie’s collar. Before I knew what was happening, Slade grabbed my hand and pulled me against his chest. I stumbled and braced myself against his biceps.
“Let me go,” I said weakly.
His golden gaze darted to my lips and then back up to my eyes. “What’s it going to take for you to sign this? To promise me you’ll never go to the press about that night. To promise me you’ll never come back and write a tell-all for some blog about your night with—” His eyes lit up and then he was kissing me, backing me up into the wall, his tongue deep in my mouth, his taste etching itself on my soul.
My heart thudded to life as he pressed his body against mine, trapping me, tasting my lips between his in slippery hot kisses that made my blood heat. The back of my head pressed against the wall while he cupped my chin with his hands, tried a different angle, then kissed the corner of my mouth again and again before pulling away breathless.
“Sign it. Please.”
I slapped him across the face.
Uh-oh. Not part of my plan.
In fact, I was so shocked I did it, I immediately covered my mouth with my hands. “Never . . . kiss me again to get me to do something. You’ve already taken enough, don’t you think?”
I wouldn’t let him see the tears escape my eyes in rapid succession.
I wouldn’t let him hear the sound of my heart breaking for a second time since seeing him again.
I wouldn’t let him think he’d won.
I would, however, call Jagger first thing after my walk with Alfie.
Chapter Twenty-Five
SLADE
I shouldn’t have fucking kissed her.
I saw her tears.
And it haunted me the entire ride to practice. When I passed her on the street, she didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge me even though Alfie started barking.
Shit.
I dialed Matt’s number. “Hey, I need you to send flowers to my house.”
Matt sighed like I was the most irritating client in the world. “Sending flowers to yourself to make your lady friend jealous? Is that what we’re doing here? Nothing better up your sleeve, huh?”
“Ass.” I rolled my eyes. “They’re for her, not me.”
“Shit, what did you do? Again?”
“Nothing.”
“Slade.”
“I asked her to sign papers.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
“She said no.” I got on the freeway and clutched the steering wheel the way I still wanted to clutch her hips.
“End of story?”
“I may have”—I coughed—“tried to persuade her.”
“Be honest. Are we talking lawsuit sort of persuasion?”
I gulped. “Well, I guess since I technically employ her—”
“Well done, Harvey Weinstein, let me know how they treat you in prison.”
“I just reacted!” I said defensively. “I wasn’t even thinking about using the kiss to persuade her, I just—”
“Damn, you need a keeper.”
I stared straight ahead. “Just send the flowers, alright?”
He cursed. “And the note? What should that say? ‘Please don’t press charges, my dick knows not what it does’?”
“Sorry.” I croaked out the word. “Have it say I’m sorry.”
He let out a low whistle.
“Yeah.” I took the next exit and sped toward the stadium. “Sometimes the simplest messages are the ones that mean the most.”
“How poetic of you—did you just pull that out of your ass?”
I ignored him. “Gotta go, I’m at practice.”
My mouth felt different, it kept reminding me that the reason for the difference was the fact that it had touched hers intimately and liked it. I pressed my lips together then licked, tasting her there.
I hadn’t been thinking.
I’d just reacted! Poorly. Really. Poorly.
It seemed that was the only thing I was good at lately, making a mess of things.
“Why do your lips look swollen?” Jagger asked once I walked into the locker room.
I gave him a funny look. “Why the hell are you noticing my lips, Jagger?”
His eyes narrowed. “I would tell you to stay away from her, then again you’d take that as a challenge, so I’m just going to say this . . . she’s too good for you.”
“True,” I admitted. “Which means she’s really too good for you.”
He shrugged. “I’m her friend.”
I laughed. “Yeah, alright. You do know the definition of friendship, right?”
“This coming from the guy who only has one friend?”
I squeezed my hands tight, thinking back on when she’d admitted she couldn’t trust people, that she didn’t have friends.
More shame heaped on my already heavy shoulders.
“Isn’t fucking your employee frowned upon?” Jagger asked out loud.
“I’m sure it is. Probably a good thing that she didn’t work for me when w
e did!”
His eyes widened.
And I mentally punched myself in the face.
It just slipped!
“Tell me that was a sick joke.” He looked pale—why the hell did he look pale?
“It’s none of your fucking business,” I growled, trying to sidestep him only to have him slam me against the nearest wall and ball the front of my shirt in his hands.
“Her ex did a number on her, you asshole. Tell me you weren’t her rebound.” He shook his head. “The guy never even slept with her, said he wanted to save it for marriage and then just . . .” He let me go. “You know what? This is bullshit. Stay away from her.”
“Funny, I said the exact same thing to her last night, to stay away from you. What makes you think you’re any better than me? Huh?”
“Easy.” Jagger shrugged. “I’m not an idiot. Girls like her? They aren’t fucking one-night stands, you dick.”
I kept my face impassive.
When inside, my chest cracked a little.
It was never supposed to be a one-night stand with her.
But it had been.
And I’d left.
I didn’t have a leg to stand on.
And for the first time in months, I was finding it hard to blame her for my father’s death instead of myself.
Jagger walked out, slamming the door behind him.
And as I passed one of the mirrors and glanced up.
For the first time in my existence.
I hated what I saw.
Chapter Twenty-Six
MACKENZIE
The doorbell rang.
I prayed it was a misplaced pizza or some lost fries. I needed something to make me feel better about this morning, and I imagined it would just be another strike against me if I cracked open a bottle of wine during the workday.
Plus I was making amazing headway in his bedroom.
I cringed.
That sounded wrong.
It also made my mouth tingle.
And made me wish that the kiss this morning was more than a crap seduction to get me to sign a stupid piece of paper.
Every time I thought about it, I was insulted all over again.
When I finally reached the door, I was fuming.
Two dozen roses were held in the space between me and outside. “Are you Mackenzie?”
Risky Play Page 9
