Smooth Play (Brooklyn Monarchs 2)
He shrugged. “How was the postgame press conference?”
Andrea managed a wry smile. “Marc didn’t make any new fans tonight. He’s taken saying nothing to an art form.”
A mixed expression of admiration and frustration settled on Troy’s features. “He’s a media executive’s worst nightmare.”
Andrea laughed with him. The sparkle in his dark eyes, the sexy curve of his full lips framed by his goatee, made the elevator seem even warmer. She looked away, willing the conveyance to move faster.
They finished the ride in silence. When the doors finally opened, Andrea walked with Troy down a wide, thickly carpeted hallway. He led her into his spotless and spacious condo. The layout was open, made to appear even more so by the bright white walls and warm wood flooring. She hesitated outside of the large, white-tiled kitchen with its modern, stainless steel appliances. Her low-heeled shoes tapped against the hardwood as she hurried to catch up with Troy.
His combination living/dining room was at least two-and-a-half times the size of the one she shared with Faith, Constance, and Tiffany. Bronze curtains were pulled open over windows that afforded a breathtaking night scene of the lights around the Prospect Heights neighborhood.
The room housed the latest technology tucked away on modern, black lacquer shelving: a stereo surround-sound compact disc player, huge flat-screen television mounted to the wall above a Blu-ray digital video disc player.
Andrea stood beside the black leather sofa. “Your home is beautiful.”
Troy was an arm’s length from her. “Thank you.”
Andrea’s eyes circled the picture-perfect black and bronze room before settling on her host. “Your office in the Empire had more personality, though. Why is that?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Is that what you needed to talk with me about?”
It wasn’t. But now that she was here, Andrea found herself distracted from her mission by her unwise urge to know as much about the marketing executive as she could. She walked the room’s perimeter but discovered more questions than answers.
The modern art displayed on the walls said more about the artist than the man who’d made the purchases. The black lacquer surfaces of the corner tables were bare of telling trinkets and knickknacks. However, the wall-mounted shelves held a treasure trove of family photos. In one, an attractive older couple stood in Troy’s living room. They were hugging each other while laughing at the camera. In another, a young boy and toddler girl entertained the same couple as they sat playing on the porch of a wood and brick home.
Andrea gestured toward the photos. “Are these your parents?”
“Yes, with my niece and nephew.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. He couldn’t possibly see the image from where he stood. Had he memorized the pictures? Since
he didn’t appear in any of them, Andrea assumed Troy had been the photographer at each event.
She inclined her head toward a picture of a much younger couple posing with the same girl and boy. “Who’s this couple?”
His stance relaxed. His mouth eased into a smile. “My sister and her husband with their children. But you didn’t come here to look through my family photos, either.”
Andrea circled back and settled onto the sofa. “Could you sit down, please?”
Troy hesitated before joining her. “Spit it out, Andy.”
She ignored the nickname. It was starting to grow on her. “Gerry’s blackballing you with the city’s other franchises.” She sensed the shock shoot through him before he stilled beside her.
“How do you know that? Did Gerry tell you?” His voice was eerily calm.
“One of the other reporters told me, but he wouldn’t tell me his source.”
Troy stood and crossed to the window. “Gerry can say what he wants. No one’s going to listen to him.”
“You don’t know that.”
It was as though he hadn’t heard her. “It doesn’t matter anyway because I’m going to get my job back.”
“You don’t know that, either, Troy.”
He turned to her. His eyes burned with conviction. “Yes, I do. Once I prove Gerry’s the Insider, I can go back to the Monarchs.”
Frustration pushed Andrea to her feet. “Troy, you made a mistake. Face it and do something before the situation gets worse.”