Play Me

Keep him off balance. Give him the unexpected. Calmly, I said, “First, can you please gently place my shoes on the floor? They’re expensive, and you’re clenching them. Those types of shoes shouldn’t be clenched, Mr. Owens.”

I saw the fire in his eyes as he opened his hand and they clattered to the floor. “Done.”

So, he was testing me. I would continue to push; there was something about knowing I aggravated him that thrilled me at the same time. It was a dangerous game I was playing. I gave a sweet fake smile. “I think you missed the gently part.”

“You said you had conditions.” His smirk told me he might be enjoying this as much as I was.

Welcome to the club.

Earlier, I’d had to bite the inside of my lip to the point of pain in order to stay focused on the task at hand. In reality, all I wanted was to have him grab my face and kiss the ever-living hell out of me. Then toss me on the couch and fuck me senseless. The entire situation left me feeling off kilter.

I leaned forward to clear my thoughts and steepled my fingers. “Yes, I do. You and I both know that a year as consultant will do very little to get this team on track. It’s going to need a complete overhaul.”

I paused, waiting to see if Hunter wanted to add anything. He remained silent. Fine by me. “I would assume as a consultant, you’re going to look for a suitable coach while you’re assessing the players.”

Hunter smiled at me in that way that had my core heating. Yet he remained silent. Maybe he was testing my knowledge or he was seeing where I was going. I wasn’t sure. Regardless, I needed to stay on task. His deep voice rattled me at times. “Let’s say you find a coach within a month or two, at best, which is unlikely. At that point, you’re going to have to mentor him and the team to build a cohesive unit. The season will nearly be over before that really starts happening. I need two years minimum, unless…”

I left that dangling out there as a challenge.

The room grew quiet as Hunter assessed me with his eyes. I knew he was trying to figure out where I was going with this. I remained unreadable and stiff the way I’d seen my father be all those times in the boardroom.

Finally, he took the bait. “Unless?”

Bingo. Without missing a beat, I said, “Unless the coach can win the championship this year.”

He shot back, “That’s damn near impossible, and you know it.”

This was where I had him. I cocked my head, remembering that he didn’t like being called a coward. “Oh, I hadn’t realized you were afraid of a challenge. Maybe I misjudged you.” Picking up the phone, I buzzed Amber to drive the point home. At any time, Hunter could call my bluff. It was a risk I had to take. “Hey, Amber, will you please validate Hunter Owens’s parking? And also send me the information for my next interview in…” For dramatic effect, I checked my watch. “Thirty-two minutes.”

Amber answered in a whisper, “What interview?”

I would fill her in later. “Thanks so much. I—”

Hunter hit the button to end my call. “Stop baiting me, Kendall.”

His commanding voice made me cross my legs and squeeze. I looked at him with innocent eyes. “Do we have a deal, Hunter?”

There was something else lingering underneath the surface with Hunter. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was as if he was afraid to want to take this consultant job that was actually a coaching job. His player’s death had been a tragedy, but it hadn’t been his fault.

“We have a deal. But I’ll be out of here in a year. I’ll do the damn near impossible, but I will make it happen. Mark my words.”

That hunger to prove me wrong was such a turn on. “I hope so. I’ll have human resources draw up the contract with those conditions. Housing will be provided. For now, until a coach is found, you can use Coach Bailey’s old office. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss in the agreement I left at your house?”

It was hard to keep my emotions in check knowing I was close to closing this deal. It would change the fate of the team. And the sooner I locked Hunter in, the better. With the team’s record, it was only a matter of time before our next incident happened. All week long, I’d been fielding calls, and I was looking forward to watching Hunter kick their asses and get them in line.

He stood. “I have a condition.”

Here we go. Game face engaged, Kendall. Keep your head in the game. With practiced precision, I kept my voice level and void of emotion. “What’s that?”

“Don’t interfere with my decisions for the team. I won’t be micromanaged. I’ll go over my decisions with you, but if I’m going to win this year and be gone by the beginning of the next season, I don’t need a babysitter.”

From the set of Hunter’s jaw, this was a nonnegotiable point. The discussion had grown very serious between us, and we were near the point of breaking. I had to agree, but there needed to be parameters. “Deal. But we have to work within a budget, which I’ll share with you tomorrow morning. Amber will get you a key to the furnished apartment as well as anything else you might need. I’ll see you at seven in the morning. That’ll be all.”

Hunter stood there, unmoving, and smiled at me. Quickly, I glanced around the room to see what I was missing. Why isn’t he leaving? He sat back down in the chair ever so slowly. Hell, he had muscular legs. Legs. This is not a time to think about his legs. I wanted to groan in frustration. Why is he still here? His earthy cologne was fogging up my senses. I made a mental note to buy some Lysol for the next time he came into my office. That addictive scent needed to be neutralized. I started an email to Amber.

Subject: Lysol

Amber,

Can you please go get some Lysol and bring it to my office as soon as Hunter Owens leaves? Bring several cans. I’ll need backups.

Thanks,

Kendall

I hit send and then looked back over at Hunter. “Oh, you’re still here?”

The deep chuckle was so sexy. “Yeah, I’m still here, sweetheart. I have another condition.”

Good grief. Are we ever going to be done with this agreement? We were going to be too old to coach a football team by the time we were finished. “And that is?”

“I want you to show me around and and help me get set up. Not Amber. Consider it teambuilding.”

I’m in so much trouble.

7

Kendall

I was exhausted and ready to murder Hunter on my drive home.

Murder. Him.

I’d spent the last half hour imagining the different ways I could dispose of the body. Right now, a good, old-fashioned shovel in the middle of the woods was what I was thinking… that or a wood chipper. It depended on what point in the day I was focusing on.

First had been the tour of every square millimeter of the facility.

Then it was the rearranging of his office.

After that, he’d given me a few “requests” of some things he liked to keep on hand, such as a specific tea, which was required to be in his office at all times. Starbucks was a “hard pass” for him. He also needed to have a stash of Swedish Fish and Mike and Ikes on hand—in both his office and the break room. Additionally, Hunter informed me he would need Milk Duds on his desk the morning of every game. With that last request, he tried to hold back a smile but failed.

He had nearly driven me insane. Worse yet, the bastard was getting off on it. But a deal was a deal.

Wood chipper, definitely the wood chipper.

My phone rang. The name on the screen made me smile. “Hey, Dad. How are you?”

“Kendall, I’m impressed. Hunter Owens.” My dad’s approval made all the stress of the day worth it. Maybe Hunter just deserved the shovel and not the wood chipper.

I was pretty proud of myself, too. Somehow, I had done the unimaginable. “I’m sure you read the contract. He’s not the coach but acting as a consultant, instead. He insisted on the wording. I think that was more for future career opportunities, which makes sense.”

“It’s a

smart move on his part. I’ve always respected him. He always gave my team a good game. Win or lose, it was a clean game. I respect Hunter Owens.”

That said a lot, coming from my dad. It took quite a bit for a person to earn his respect.

I put my car in park and sat in front of my apartment complex for a few minutes to unwind. “Did you see the financial reports from Joseph?”

“Yes. Good news that we aren’t in trouble with the IRS. But I do find it odd that certain expenses weren’t being reported to management correctly.”

None of it made sense. “I know. I’m still going to investigate, but I also have to get the team ready to play.”

“Do you need me to send some people?”

I tapped my steering wheel. It would be easier if I had some help, but then it would only prove to the board I wasn’t capable of handling this myself. “I would like to do this on my own, Dad. As long as we’re legally compliant, I think it’s okay to take a little more time to figure out what was going on.”

“Okay, sounds good. Oh, hold on.” His voice grew quieter as he took the phone away from his ear. “What was that, Alli? Yes, I’ll do that right now. I will. Yes.” His volume returned to normal when he came back to me. “Your mom sends her love and said she’ll call you tomorrow. She’s telling me to hang up and let you handle it.” He chuckled. “I better listen so I’m not in the doghouse.”

I smiled. Dad worshipped the ground my mother walked on. “Night, Dad. Thanks for everything. Tell Mom I love her, too.”

“Night, Kendall. We love you.”

I ended the call and let out a breath of relief.

After playing secretary to Hunter earlier, I’d sent him to Amber’s desk to get the keys for one of the apartments within the complex Wales Enterprises owned a few miles from the stadium. After we’d purchased the team, I’d suggested this real estate purchase. The market was favorable, and the apartments were a good investment. It was also an easy solution to my search for a place to live that had security, which had been a must for my dad. The exterior had been given a makeover. The building was now a light tan with black accents. It had ten units, five on each side of the front desk with a swimming pool and fitness center behind the apartments. Hopefully Hunter was at the opposite end of the building from my apartment, or he might be back in the wood chipper again.

I opened the car door and grabbed my briefcase. It was nearly nine o’clock. Since I’d had to play travel guide to Hunter, I stayed late to finish up some paperwork. Maybe I could drop his body in the river. No evidence till spring… that might work.

As the breeze blew, I got a whiff of “linen fresh” disinfectant. The amount of Lysol I’d sprayed in my office had left me tasting it and smelling like it. But at least Hunter’s cologne was undetectable.