“Ian, good to hear your voice.” Alex clenched his jaw, still not comfortable with any kind of relationship with his half brother.
For Riley, he reminded himself. Alex and Ian’s wife were best friends, childhood friends. He’d do anything for her, including deal with Ian. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Got a job proposition for you,” the other man said.
Alex blinked. “Are you seriously asking me to work for the opposition?” Until his injury, Alex had been the quarterback for the Tampa Breakers. Ian was the president of the Miami Thunder.
Half brothers. Rivals. In more ways than one.
“Not to rub it in, but you’re a free agent,” Ian said.
At least he hadn’t used the word unemployed. Because with his recent head injury, that’s exactly what he was, with no job prospects in sight. “Yeah,” Alex muttered.
“Are you available this morning? Your name came up, and Riley thinks you’d be perfect for what we need.”
Now Alex was intrigued. “You’ve got my attention. What time?”
“Eleven at the stadium,” Ian said.
“See you then.” It wasn’t like Alex had anything better to do.
* * *
Madison paced the confines of her boss’s office in the Miami Thunder Stadium. Ian Dare was intimidating on a good day. A day that would be defined as one where everyone agreed with Ian. Today wasn’t one of those days.
She’d been working with the Thunder for the past month, having given up social work for a hospital in exchange for starting up an exciting, grou
ndbreaking program with the hometown football team.
She glanced at Ian, not happy with his most recent proclamation. “When I took this position, we agreed this program would change lives, right?” Madison asked.
Ian straightened his tie and met her gaze with those steely gray eyes. “It is. We’ll be the first football team to institute mandatory post-career education. The Thunder will make sure its players are capable of a successful physical, psychological, and social transition into the real world when their careers end. I don’t care if it’s one year into their contract or ten.”
She nodded. She would be in charge of getting the program up and running, her schooling and work history in social work and psychology providing the perfect background. She’d also thought she’d have a say in whomever came on board to work with her.
Apparently not.
She folded her arms across her chest. “So tell me how bringing the playboy athlete on board gels with those goals?” Then, realizing she spoke of his half brother, she cleared her throat. “No insult intended.”
“None taken.” The corner of Ian’s mouth lifted in a wry grin.
Dark-haired, buttoned-up men weren’t her type, but she’d have to be dead not to notice that Ian was one very sexy man and Riley was one very lucky woman.
“I’m aware you and Alex have … history,” Ian said.
“That’s a delicate way of expressing it.” Ian already knew she and Alex had history.
Madison wouldn’t be surprised if Riley had filled him in on the ugly ending. They shared everything.
Madison had met Riley in her former position as a social worker for domestic abuse victims at the hospital. She’d briefly been Riley’s therapist and had ended up being her closest friend. She knew why Riley never kept Ian in the dark and respected it.
“You’re a professional. If you set your mind to something, I have no doubt you can handle working with Alex,” Ian said.
Madison raised her eyebrows. “Do not try and win me over with platitudes and compliments.”
“Are you saying you can’t work with him?” Ian asked.
Madison laughed. “You must really be used to people you can bullshit. Now you’re trying to challenge me into accepting him.”