Hot Property (Hot Zone 4)

And all the while they talked business, Roper’s invitation lay between them. Knowing she should say no to dinner was one thing. Actually doing it was something else. She had few friends in town, and like it or not, Roper was one of them.

Deep in her heart she knew she’d made her decision. Besides, dinner was harmless. Wasn’t it?

CASSANDRA GENEROUSLY TIPPED the doorman, who had brought up her many purchases and deposited the bags in the foyer. Shopping usually brought her inner peace, but not today. She was running as fast as she could from L.A. and she wondered how long she could hide the reason from her son.

John always saw through her, more so than any of her other children. She couldn’t let him know she was running not just from a role he’d demand she take, but from a man she’d once loved. She’d lived on her own for so long, she was afraid of the pull this man had over her.

All the drama she lived for in acting was suddenly part of her life, and she wasn’t ready to face it. Instead she’d decided to go to New York to help her children.

And they needed her, Sabrina and her wedding, Ben and his inability to find himself and John and his career problems. The fact that a big city like New York was the perfect place to hide from Harrison Smith was merely a bonus.

AFTER AMY LEFT, ROPER picked up the envelope she’d delivered. Just as he’d thought, his Season Ticket Holder fan had written yet again. This time he went bey

ond expressing his displeasure with Roper’s performance last season. Thanks to the recent spate of news coverage, his fan had another gripe. He said in his computer-generated note, “Instead of spending your money on women and entertainment, I suggest you work harder at digging yourself out of the hole you’re in. Otherwise instead of the Hall of Fame, you’ll be looking at the Hall of Shame.”

Roper groaned and tossed the paper into the garbage. The guy wasn’t even original. He was just a pain in the ass.

Roper spent the next two days taking care of his daily workout regimen, then either refereeing his mother and sister or spiriting his mother around Manhattan, during which time she refused to discuss her life in L.A., the role she was avoiding or job possibilities for Ben.

She dismissed a future for her younger son in coaching as squarely as she did the role Harrison Smith wanted her to take. She felt it wasn’t fair to make Ben feel any more belittled than he already did with all the failed enterprises behind him. Roper knew better than to argue with a woman who had made avoiding conversations she didn’t like an art form.

Instead he tried to call his brother to set up a meeting. He figured a face-to-face discussion might help Ben understand why Roper didn’t want to invest more cash in any more get-rich-quick schemes. Then he could pump up his brother’s ego by explaining all the good he could do by coaching kids. It wasn’t that Ben didn’t have baseball talent. He did. He just didn’t have major league talent.

Roper had thought Ben would appreciate the chance to plead his case for the gym money, if nothing else. But Roper couldn’t reach his brother. Ben had no phone other than his cell, where Roper’s number would show up. And since Ben refused to return Roper’s calls, it was obvious Ben was avoiding him—which led Roper to believe that his mother had tipped Ben off.

Which left Roper more frustrated than ever.

AMY SPENT THE NEXT TWO DAYS familiarizing herself with the New York press and media, their names, as well as those of other Hot Zone clients. Roper was her first assignment, but she wanted to show she was on top of things and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

She also was learning to check the papers and relevant Web sites each morning, and for the second day in a row, she clicked on Frank Buckley’s blog for eSports. Without a doubt, the man had it in for Roper. As she looked back at his daily rantings, each day started off with a line drive aimed directly at the Renegades’ center fielder.

Unfortunately yesterday’s was the worst, at least as far as Amy was concerned. She read aloud, “‘Guess who had lunch at Sparks Steak House yesterday?’”

Amy was outraged, and not just because she’d once again been linked romantically with Roper. “The man calls himself a reporter? He ought to check his facts. It was a business lunch,” she said aloud. And she’d rather any attention she received be for acting as his publicist rather than as his girlfriend.

A knock startled her, and she glanced up from the papers on her desk to see Annabelle standing in the doorway, an amused smile on her face.

“You heard me talking to myself?”

The other woman nodded. “Want some advice?”

“Gladly.”

“You can ignore the rantings or you can send a professional letter correcting him. My vote would be to ignore it. I wish I could say that it would make it go away, but at least it’ll keep you calm. Mind if I come in and say hi?” she asked.

Amy waved her in. “Of course not. I could use the break.” Amy put her pen down and pushed her chair back so she could relax. “You’re right. I’m going to ignore it. I wonder how Roper does.”

Annabelle seated herself in a chair across from the desk and smoothed her short skirt over her legs. “Frankly, I doubt he does ignore it, which is another reason why he’s so stressed.”

Amy nodded, knowing the other woman was right. “So how’s your daughter?” Amy asked.

“Delicious. She is the sweetest thing.” Annabelle’s expression softened at the thought of her little girl. “I don’t have pictures on me, but they’re in my purse and on my desk. Stop by later and I’ll show them to you,” she said like a proud mother.

Amy smiled. “I can’t wait to see them.”

“What about you? How have your first few days been?” Annabelle asked.

“Oh, a little like trial by fire,” Amy said, only partially joking. “Between the newspaper incident the first day and Roper’s mother showing up unexpectedly yesterday, I have my hands full. Short of getting him out of town—” No sooner had she said the words than she realized she had the solution. “That’s it!”