Play Me

It was late, and I kicked off my heels as I went over some of the accounting information. My mind was everywhere but on the books. We were within two months of our first game, and the team was a wreck. I understood things typically got worse before they got better, but not having a complete team on opening game day would be catastrophic.

My phone rang. I looked at the display to see it was my mom. I needed a break. I rubbed my temples as I put her on speaker. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”

“I’m good. I miss having you close. How are you doing?”

She had such a sweet innocence about her. It had been soothing as a child—still was, actually. Mom and I had always been close. I loved how open I could be with my family and still have their support. “I’ve been better. I had to fire another player today. Another one bites the dust.” I let out a stressed sigh.

“Your dad mentioned that. I had to force him to stay here and not fly out to Kentucky.”

I chuckled. “I bet it’s hard for Dad to sit back and let this ride. I remember when I was learning to ride my bike, he ordered me and Ryder rubber padding that covered us from head to toe. We were so padded we couldn’t pedal our bikes.” I laughed at the memory. Dad had always been a bit over-the-top protective.

“He just never wants you to think we aren’t here for you. And he never wants his kids hurt.”

“I know. And that’s one of the things I love most about him. Please assure him that Hunter and I have this under control.”

“Oh, your dad mentioned Hunter Owens. Your dad was so proud you talked him into coming. What a phenomenal coach. How’s that going?”

I cradled my face, thinking about the mess of feelings in my head about the tattooed coach who confused me in so many ways. “Good. Well, good when I’m not ready to throw him in the wood chipper for being difficult. He’s got such an amazing gift. And I know he’s locked it away. I feel like it’s right there under the surface, waiting to break free again, but he’s scared, too. He’s got a kind and gentle side, too. One of the players called me a bitch, and Hunter threatened to ram his fist down his throat so hard he would have to eat from a feeding tube.”

I stopped talking, and the line was silent.

“Mom, you still there?”

“How much time are you spending with him?”

That was an odd question. Why is she asking that? I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me. “We see each other from time to time in the office. Run into each other at the apartment complex. That’s about it.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s working out.”

“I guess it is. I mean, he drives me crazy at times. And his cologne has driven me to the point of having to disinfect my office. It just lingers. I went a little overboard on the Lysol and then had to switch to lemon candles and Febreze. So, yeah, when he’s not being difficult, or smelling things up, things are working out well.” It felt good to release some of my mixed-up thoughts to my mom.

“That’s interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” What did I say that would be interesting? Hunter and I fought. He drove me mad. But he was nice. End of story.

“Nothing. It’s just interesting. I worry about you, Kendall. I don’t want you to wake up later in life and all you have to show for it is work.”

Here we go again. I was so tired. And my filter was failing. My head just needed a break. “Dad said something similar. I promise I’m okay.”

“What about Weston? Has he reached out?”

“No, Mom. No, he hasn’t.” And he wouldn’t. I’d tried to make sure my parents understood that things weren’t serious, but Mom wanted me happy. Weston had accompanied me on a couple of business events, and that was it. He’d never come to family dinners or anything that wasn’t business related. “I promise, I’m okay, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

“That’s a mother’s job, sweetheart. One day you’ll see for yourself.”

One day. Or maybe never. There was something deep inside me that wanted a family and kids. But I was afraid to throw away all I’d worked for in my career. Terrified. What would define me as a person? Being a mother or a businesswoman? How would I balance a career and a family? It would be nearly impossible. I loved working and the thrill of closing a deal.

It wasn’t worth arguing over with Mom. “You always make me feel better. Love you. Give Dad a hug for me and assure him that I’m okay.”

“Love you, too. And I’ll do my best to keep your father occupied. I threatened to have the keys to the planes misplaced.”

I giggled. “Thanks.”

We hung up, and for a few minutes, I just stared into space. It was time to go home and go to bed.

“Knock, knock. You in there?”

I turned at the sound of Hunter’s voice. “Come on in.”

He looked me up and down. There was something about having his eyes caress my body that I enjoyed. Something I shouldn’t want to feel with him but enjoyed anyway. I was tired and my willpower was giving out.

“You okay?” Hunter asked.

It was so sweet that he was checking up on me. I ran my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, that’s not the first time I’ve had a run-in with a player. They seem to think they can push me around because I’m female. But thank you for taking over. I was about two seconds from swinging that bat at one of them.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “Yeah, I heard. After you texted me, Amber sent me the video, and I hauled ass here. I was out in the hallway for your first swing. Way to put some power behind it.”

“You didn’t just come in?” I was shocked. Most men would have bulldozed in and taken over.

“I wanted to see if you’d really swing that bat. And you had it under control. However, I don’t put up with disrespect, especially to women.”

I stared at Hunter for a few seconds, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Then he winked. “Admit it, it felt good to hit those lockers.”

I laughed. “It did. I think we need to keep that set of lockers in there. Just in case.”

“I agree.”

It felt like something shifted between us at that moment, but I wasn’t sure. My brain was definitely tired. Tomorrow, I’d probably be debating between a wood chipper or a shovel again.

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. He was tired, too. “Tomorrow, I’m going to head to the high school down in Franklin to look at a coach. I’d prefer the new coach be part of picking the three players you’ve vanquished.”

I held up my hand. “Whoa, Mr. Owens, let’s back that horse up and revisit the facts. One quit, one I fired, the other you vanquished.”

“Fucking bastard. He deserved it. I don’t understand what is up this team’s ass. It makes no sense.”

I sighed. “Yeah, trust me, I get it. There’s a lot about this team that doesn’t make sense.” Hunter raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering what I was talking about. It was too late to get into the accounting debacle. And I wasn’t sure if I should talk to him about it. He was here to get the team in order, not worry about the finances. “Anyway, I need to go with you to interview the coach.”

“I’d rather not be micromanaged, Kendall. I will make the right choice.”

That was ridiculous and unacceptable. “If your choice hates my guts and I end up taking a baseball bat to his head, that isn’t going to win you a championship, Hunter. I need to get along with the coach. I don’t need to become recipe buddies with the guy, but there has to be some sort of mutual respect or this will never work. You know it. I know it.”

That fire I was used to seeing in Hunter quickly returned. He said nothing, just flexed his fists. Yeah, I had pissed him off. Of course I had to push his buttons more. “Go run. Go do those one-armed pull-ups. Do whatever you need to do in order to work out your aggravation. But come tomorrow morning, we’ll be headed to Franklin together. I’ll pick you up at seven. You said Starbucks was a hard pass, so is there somewhere else you’d like coffee from? I’ll also be sure to pack you a lunch box

full of the candy you requested.”

“I’m driving.”

Oh, I had plans to keep that from happening. But it was easier to simply agree with him and let him think he won that battle. “Okay.”

“Wait, you’re going to agree that easily? What are you up to?”

“Nothing.” I said that too fast. Damn it. Hunter had a way of disarming me at times and breaking through the impenetrable wall I’d spent years perfecting.

For a second, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to go for a run.”

“Have fun!” Then I remembered my present. “Oh, I got you a gift you may need tonight.”

It was really one of those things that technically crossed the line. But I’d convinced myself that Hunter was a consultant and not an employee. I handed him the pretty blue box with the huge white bow.

“What is this?”

“You’ll have to open it to find out. I was shopping this weekend, and I thought this might be helpful. I mean, it will definitely be helpful to me.”

Cautiously, Hunter opened the gift and read the card aloud. “To help with your moaning sessions. All the best, Kendall.”

He pulled out the ball gag I’d found at a BDSM store. “What the fuck?”

I pretended to misunderstand his comment. “It’s a ball gag I bought in a specialty store. You put it in your mouth, and it stifles your moans. The instructions say you can also bite down really hard if the sensations get too intense.”

“I know what the fuck this is, Kendall. I’m asking why the hell are you giving it to me? And why the hell were you in a BDSM store?”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Well, to your first question, I can hear you moan through the thin walls. And to answer your second question, a girl has needs. Surely you understand the concept of sex.” I held up my finger. “It was explained to me like this: the P goes into the V.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Stop. For the love of all that’s holy, stop talking.” Abruptly he turned and stalked out of my office after trashing the ball gag. “I need to go run ten miles.”

I called after him, “You’re welcome! See you in the morning, bright and early. We’re going to have so much fun!”

14

Hunter

I couldn’t get her words out of my head. After threatening to kill every player on the team if I ever heard them to speak to or about Kendall disrespectfully, I worked their asses off for the next few hours. Then I went to Kendall’s office to check on her. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on her conversation. But I’d been frozen in my tracks when I heard her talking about me. There hadn’t been a bit of distaste in her words. They were heartfelt, even kind. And they had me even more confused than I already fucking was.