My spine straightened as I wondered if I was right. Did the condom break? Had he known? Or was it too difficult to tell beneath the spray of the shower? Would I have even been able to tell if I had been the one to take it off him?
Unable to answer any of my questions, I gathered up the sticks and wrapped them in a wad of toilet paper before shoving them into my purse. My phone beeped as I was washing my hands, signaling the end of my lunch break.
The situation still felt quite surreal and I thankfully hadn’t burst into tears, at least not yet, so there was no need to retouch my makeup. Still, I had to try hard to muster up a brave face before I finally took a deep breath and made my way back to Lauren’s office.
If she noticed anything wrong when she spotted me, she chose not to comment. But I liked to think that I was doing a pretty damn good job of keeping my upper lip stiff. What other choice did I have until I figured out what I was going to do?
“I left your outfit hanging up in the break room.”
“Thanks, darling. God, that Mike kid is so useless,” she said with a groan, shoving the salad container across her desk. “He can’t even get a fucking salad order correct. If he wasn’t William’s nephew, I’d fire his ass right now.”
The relation between my coworker and Lauren’s new husband was news to me, but there was something else I was more curious about.
“What did Bruce want?”
She stabbed at the salad with disgust, glancing up at me for only a second before she told me, “Not him—Me. I’ve set up a spread to bring Jared back to the spotlight in a positive manner. I just needed his clearance to take a team to the field.”
“You’re going to Wolfpack stadium?”
“For one night, yes,” she replied with disinterest. “God, I can’t eat this. It’s drowning in dressing. If you see Mike, tell him to get in here. You can go home for the day and start reading up on Killian. Make me a summarized list of what I’ll be dealing with if I take him on as a client.”
“I’ll start working on Killian right away,” I assured her. I was completely aware that I had been dismissed, but I wasn’t quite ready to go just yet. “Are you taking an assistant with you on the Moore job?”
“Mike already volunteered.”
“Mike is fucking useless. Remember?”
Lauren froze and looked up, the surprise written plain as day on her face. But beyond that was respect and soon enough, she was grinning at me.
“I totally forgot that you’re a fan of the team. I suppose if you can finish up that Killian list by tomorrow afternoon, I’d be willing to take you instead of Mike,” she offered, pausing to glare at the salad. “Maybe it’ll teach the kid to stop fucking up my lunch.”
“Sounds great. I’ll find him and send him up here. Please e-mail me the trip details as soon as you can and I’ll send over the Killian document as soon as it’s finished.”
Without waiting for confirmation or giving her a chance to rebuff me, I took my professional attitude and rushed out of her office. I blew out a long breath as I searched the office for Mike, locating him coming out of the elevator.
“Another important call?” I cheerily asked, not bothering to hide my smirk.
“None of your business.”
“True, but it is Lauren’s business. She wants to see you again and she’s really not happy about you screwing up her lunch again.” My evil grin grew at the look of horror that appeared on his face. Unable to resist the urge to dig the knife a little deeper, I lowly added, “And I’m well-aware of the reason you have this job. I’d be careful if I were you. Your relation to William will only get you so far.”
Mike stalked away angrily and I smirked at his retreating form. I had no idea whether or not I was far enough into the pregnancy to be affected by hormones, but I told myself that was the only reason why I took so much joy in the confrontation.
But, really, Mike was just an asshole and I was channeling my inner Jared. Shrugging at my newfound ‘don’t-give-a-fuck’ attitude, I pressed the call button and waited to go downstairs.
The moment after I gave the cab driver my address, the severity of my situation sunk in and I burst into tears.
Researching a potential new client while is the midst of a mental breakdown was even harder than it sounded. I kept having to take breaks to dry my tears, only to return to whatever gossip site or social media account of Killian’s I was browsing, finding myself depressed by how similar he seemed to be to Jared.
Granted, Killian was a musician instead of an athlete, but the similarities were still there: Cocky, gorgeous, a total player. The tattoos were different and the beard definitely wasn’t Jared’s style… but my research still led me to Googling Jared’s name and scrolling through the results.
I tried not to cry—I really did. I made it through at least four articles complete with pictures of his charming smile before the tears started and wouldn’t stop. But I felt like I deserved a pat on the fucking back for making it as far as I did.
I exited every webpage and hastily wiped at my eyes as I opened up a new document to begin typing my notes for Lauren. My phone was looming at the edge of my vision—the urge to text Jared nearly too strong to resist—but this was something that I needed to do face-to-face.
All I needed to do for the opportunity was to finish this damn job.
During a break from my report, I checked my e-mail. Lauren must have had faith in my ability to get it done because the trip details were already in my inbox. Leaving Thursday morning, arriving at the field for the spread in the afternoon, then one night booked at the airport Hilton before returning to New York on Friday morning.
The only noteworthy information in the e-mail was the lack of details for my accommodations. I scrolled further down and found the note she had obviously added onto the itinerary that was originally typed up by her secretary.
April,
The airport Hilton is fully booked so Faye’s set up for a car to take you to the Marriott after the photo shoot and to the airport Friday morning. We’ll meet at the gate. Spend all night on that Killian write-up. Take the morning off if you need to.
“This is perfect,” I muttered to the screen, sending the e-mail to my printer and highlighting the information about where I was staying and the times we were leaving each airport.
I admit, I hadn’t fully thought out how I planned to get Jared alone without Lauren and her paranoia breathing down my neck, but it looked like I had someone looking out for me. Maybe it was fate—maybe it was just my luck finally turning around.
Either way, it made it a hell of a lot easier to keep the tears at bay while I stayed up late into the night finishing my work. I was dead tired when I finally sent off the e-mail to Lauren, thankful she was allowing me to take the morning off to catch up on sleep.
As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.
28
Jared
It was a hell of a challenge, but I spent the entire week forcing April out of my mind the moment I stepped within fifty yards of the stadium. By Wednesday, I was starting to feel and play a little more like myself again.
The added pressure of Lauren dropping by on Thursday for some magazine shoot was also helpful. But for the sake of my sanity, I tried not to think of her arrival.
Because thinking about Lauren meant thinking about April. Which ended up with me being unable to make a play to save my fucking life. So, best just to put it out of my mind.
It worked until I was gearing up for practice Thursday morning. Just as I was about to slam my locker shut, my phone chimed from within my bag. I pulled it out and opened the message, frowning down at the unknown number.
Hey.
I blinked a number of times, cocking my head as I considered that it was probably a wrong number. Still, I parroted back the greeting and waited for a response.
Lee stopped at my side when he saw my expression and asked, “What’s up?”
I turned my phone so he could see the messag
e. “Random text.”
“It’s probably a wrong number.”
I nodded in agreement before glaring at Fred as he leaned over to put his nose in my business.
“It’s a New York exchange,” he helpfully supplied. “Probably some chick you boned and forgot about.”
Fred chuckled at his joke and walked away, but I was frozen in place. I looked back at the unfamiliar number, realizing that he was right. It was a New York number.
“You think it’s her?” Lee whispered, his eyes darting around to make sure nobody was listening in.
I just wanted to give you fair warning that I’m coming with Lauren. Boarding now.
“Oh shit,” I breathed out, my heart pounding hard. “What the hell do I say?”
Lee lowered his voice and incredulously said, “Just tell her you miss her or something, man. Or that you can’t wait to see her.”
I considered his suggestion for a brief moment, but my thumbs had a different idea as I typed out a response. Lee leaned back over to read my response and groaned.
Couldn’t stay away, huh?
“Why do you do this to yourself? Fuck, you’re such a jackass.”
Cute. See you soon.
Lee pointed at the screen like his point had been made. “See that? That’s sarcasm. Why don’t you try not being an asshole when she gets here?”
I shrugged, uncomfortable at the idea of acting nice to her in front of the boys on the team. They’d figure out that something was going on in a heartbeat and I’d never hear the fucking end of it.
“We’ll see,” I grimly said, ignoring Lee’s pained groan of disapproval.
I slammed the locker shut and failed miserably to keep April out of my head after we got out on the field.
Needless to say, I ran a lot of fucking laps.
“Moore!”
I stopped running and squinted across the field, immediately spotting Lauren and two others standing beside coach. I started to jog over while my eyes darted around in search of April, frowning when I came up empty.
Lauren greeted me with an air kiss and a brief introduction to the photographer and makeup artist before she finally said, “Your ex-babysitter is around here somewhere as well, if you’d like to say hello.”
“April?” I dumbly asked, hoping she’d take the hint and elaborate. “Where is she?”
Surprisingly, coach was the one to answer my question.
“Pratcher offered her a tour of the stadium. She’s a big Wolfpack fan.”
“So I’ve heard,” I commented, relieved. If Lee was showing her around, I could rest-assured that she was in good hands and not being chatted up by some of the other assholes like me on our team.
“Ready to do this? Get to the locker room and get cleaned up. Marcus will be in after you shower off some of that sweat.”
“Give me ten minutes,” I replied, already jogging off in the direction of the locker rooms to quickly rinse off and silently praying that I’d run into Lee and April along the way.
I needed to see her. Maybe it’d just make it all the more difficult to say good-bye again, but I didn’t care. We didn’t even have a chance to say an actual good-bye in the first place.
When I got to the entryway to go under the stands and down to the showers, I turned back for a moment to take a survey of the field.
“Where are you, princess?” I mumbled.
I was letting the makeup artist prepare me for the shoot when I heard the sound of Lauren’s voice. She barged into the room and loudly announced, “Ladies present! Cover your bits or risked being judged!”
I snorted at the joke and almost wished that some of the guys were around to be ‘judged’, but the room was pretty much empty. Most of the starters had already taken off for the day and the second-string still had at least an hour with the assistant coach.
Such a shame. That would have been highly amusing.
“Ah, there’s my favorite client!” Lauren said with a smile when she came upon Marcus and I.
When Lee and April rounded the corner behind her, I felt my lips curl up into a wide smile. I knew Lauren assumed it was for her, which suited me just fine.
Damn. Five weeks apart was apparently long enough for me to forget just how radiant April was. My breath caught in my throat as I let my eyes wander over her, drinking in the sight.
In the back of my mind, I tried to remember if I thought her to be this beautiful when I first saw her, or if it was a product of the feelings I had for her. Likely, it was a mixture of both.
Before any of us could speak again, coach was storming into the room, muttering about the incompetence of the second-string. When he realized he wasn’t alone, he froze, drawing a laugh out of both Lee and myself.
“How’s it going in here?” he asked, focusing his attention on April. “You enjoy the tour?”
“Yeah, it was awesome. I’ve been here before for a game, but never thought I’d be wandering around on the field.”
“Especially not with a specimen as fine as this one, I bet,” Lauren chimed in with a sly smile as she slid up next to Lee. “Do you have representation, darling?”
Lee chuckled. “Thanks, but I’m really not a big enough name to need it.”
April’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? You’re easily a top five receiver in the entire league. If you guys make it to the playoffs this season—I bet you’ll be getting sponsorship offers out the ass.”
April blushed when Lee laughed and I frowned at the sight. Lauren was digging around in her purse for a business card and coach was moving in closer to April.
“Sounds like you’re quite the fan of Pratcher here.”
Another blush stained her cheeks. I could feel my blood beginning to boil.
“He was my first pick in the fantasy league I play in last year. Probably will be this year as well.”
My eye twitched as April practically gushed over Lee. Unable to bite my tongue any longer, I asked, “What about me?”
Four sets of eyes turned to me at once and I slightly regretted drawing their attention. Slightly.
“I-I usually don’t pick a quarterback until at least the fourth round,” she admitted with a sheepish shrug. “You were gone.”
“Well maybe you should pick me first this year.” Lee was shooting me warning looks and I noticed Lauren cocking a brow in my direction, so I hastily added, “I plan to be top three this year. I’ll make sure to earn you some points, sweetheart.”
April’s smile was tight as Lauren laughed. Maybe the ‘sweetheart’ was a little too much, but I knew that Lauren was aware that it was just the kind of man I was.
Or used to be. Whatever.
“You’re done,” Marcus announced. “Go forth and be beautiful.”
I stood up and followed Lauren out. I purposely brushed against April’s arm like I had done before we were split apart weeks prior, taking a split second to lock eyes with her and hoping that she could read what I was trying to tell her with my expression.
Which was: We need to talk.
To my surprise, her face mirrored my own. With a small smile, I strutted back to the field, high on the thought that maybe she missed me just as much as I had been missing her.
Once the shoot was finally over, I got redressed and quickly made my way back out, watching Lauren as she directed the photographer and makeup artist. Lee was long gone and second-string was just now wrapping it up, but amidst all the chaos, I didn’t see a sign of April.
“I think that went well. How about you?”
I shrugged. “Pretty good. Where’s your other worker-bee?”
“Oh, April? The car I had arranged for her arrived early so she headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Poor thing’s been working like a dog lately, picking up all the slack from her dumbass coworker,” she stated, shaking her head sadly for a moment before her expression returned to neutral. “She asked me to tell you good-bye for her and that it was nice to see you again.”
My smile was as fake as Lauren�
�s long-ass nails. There was no fucking way I was letting her give me a good-bye like this.
“Tell her the same. And maybe hire someone who won’t make her work her ass off. She deserves better.”
Lauren scoffed. “I know that and she’ll be rewarded soon for her hard work. But I admit, it’s surprising to hear you standing up for her.”
“Well she’s pretty much married to her job. Working for you means a lot to her,” I muttered, wishing that the words weren’t true. It would have made things so much easier.
“Still bitter that you couldn’t talk your way into her pants?” Lauren asked with a smirk and an eye roll. “Don’t be offended, Jared. She’s a very loyal employee.”
I figured that was a good enough note to end on, so I reluctantly agreed before I said good-bye, using my tiredness as an excuse to head home. I was fucking exhausted from practice and the shoot, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from seeing April.
I drove myself home to hurriedly clean the body oil and makeup off before changing into standard clothes. Once I was clean, I pulled out my phone and unlocked the screen with the intention to text her, only to find an unopened message already waiting for me.
Marriott. Room 412. L is staying at the Hilton so don’t worry about running into her.
I closed the message and called down to the lobby of my apartment building to request a cab while I rushed for the elevator. By the time I made it to ground floor, the doorman was already speaking to the cab driver and opening the back door for me.
“Marriott.”
“Airport or downtown?”
I paused—not sure of the answer. With a shrug, I guessed, “Airport.”
It had to be the airport. Lauren never stayed in town if she was only coming for one night so it made no sense to send April there.
Then again, it didn’t make much sense to me to have her staying in a different hotel, either. Not that I was going to complain about it.
Infamous: A Bad Boy Sports Romance Novel Page 13