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 welc
ome! See you in the morning, bright and early. We’re going to have so much fun!”
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.
What did she mean when she said I was scared, too? Was she nervous about the team not being ready? About letting her father down? Maybe she was scared because she was developing feelings for me. Yeah, no, I seriously doubted that. Kendall had made it clear over and over again she wasn’t attracted to me. Hell, she even said I was difficult.
She also said I was kind and gentle.
Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?
I picked up my pace and ran faster. Why in hell am I dissecting her conversation with her mother? So she thought I was kind. Maybe she liked the whole “white knight in shining armor” bullshit. I couldn’t think about it any longer. Between her insulting me, and giving me a fucking ball gag, I was about to lose my damn mind. I needed to get screwed—preferably by Kendall, but that was never going to happen.
Finding myself in front of my apartment, I paused for a few moments. Part of me wanted to walk over to her door, kick it in, and show her exactly what I would do with her little gift. I’d use it on her, and she would be the one biting down in sheer fucking pleasure. Too bad I tossed it.
An image of Kendall popped into my mind—her arms tied up over her head, me moving inside her, a look of ecstasy etched on that beautiful face of hers. I groaned before chastising myself for it. For all I knew, Kendall had cameras everywhere, recording every sound I made.
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I headed into my apartment. Tonight I would be jacking off at the very far side of the apartment, away from any shared walls. I may have to go into the pantry, for fuck’s sake. She surely won’t be able to hear me from there.
The knock on my door made me more nervous than it should have. Only Kendall would show up on my doorstep at seven in the morning. I mentally prepared myself for her.
I threw it open and glared at her as she stood there with a smile.
“Good morning! Good morning! Good morning!”
She held the last note for entirely too long.
I pushed the bagel I was about to eat into her mouth. “It’s too early. I’m not a morning person, and I can’t deal with you right now.”
Without missing a beat, she pulled the bagel out and took a bite as she followed me into my apartment.
“Cinnamon raisin? I wouldn’t have pegged you for that. Maybe more like a plain bagel to go with your starchy attitude.”
With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed my keys and the notes I had on the coach we were going to see as well as some additional players for recruitment.
“Let’s get going. The faster we get there, the faster this day is over.”
She looked at me with a strange expression—something that looked almost like guilt. She was up to something.
Ignoring the desire to push her against the wall and kiss the truth out of her, I grabbed my duffel bag and headed back to the door.
“What is the duffel bag for?”
With a shrug, I said, “I always bring a bag with me. It has extra change of clothes, some workout things, and a few protein bars.”
Her nose crinkled in the cutest way. “Why?”
“Habit, I guess. You never know when you’re going to want to work out or need an extra set of clothes.”
“Hunter, you do realize that Franklin is only a few hours away, right? I seriously doubt you’re going to need a change of clothes and a few protein bars.”
“You’ve never driven through Nashville. It will probably take us a good three and a half hours to get there. And what if we break down?”
Kendall raised one perfectly arched brow.
“In a downpour.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and I tried not to look at her tits.
“For hours with no food.”
“Right. Way to be prepared, Coach.”
I watched her walk out the door and couldn’t help but admire the way her ass looked in those stark business pants she had on. When she had crossed her arms, her silk blouse opened just a tad, and I knew if I had really wanted to, I could have seen the swell of her breasts.
Stop or you’re never going to make it through this trip.
Whoever her fuck buddy was, I was jealous of the bastard.
We headed to my truck in the parking lot, and I came to a halt.
She did not. She. Did. Not.
Turning to face her, I narrowed my eyes. “You let the air out of my tires?”
With a look of innocence, she placed her hand over her mouth and gasped. “I wouldn’t even know how to do that! It’s quite rude of you to point the finger at someone with no proof.”
“Right. With a father like Damien Wales, you’re going to tell me you wouldn’t know how to check the air pressure in the tires on your tricycle?”
The corners of her mouth lifted in a soft smile.
“Guess we’ll have to take my car.”
She sauntered over to her BMW SUV. When I reached the passenger side, I caught her smirk.
Oh, she thinks she’s gotten one over on me. Okay. Hunter, two; Kendall, three. But the day is not over.
“Buckle up. It’s time to get going if we’re going to stay on schedule.”
I groaned in defeat.
“You do like making moaning sounds, don’t you?”
My dick jumped. We had been bantering back and forth, and I decided it was time to bring out the big guns in this war. “Why? Do you like hearing me moan? I’m sure I can use my skills and we can both moan. Together.”
I had to give her credit. The only way I knew my comment affected her was the tightening of her grip on the steering wheel. She was a hard nut to crack.
“Together? Hmm. I foresee us doing just that. Once this team hits the field and we begin losing.”
I huffed. “I’m not the type of guy who likes to lose, at anything.”
The heat from her quick glance in my direction had me turning my head to look out the window.
“In the bag in the back seat, there are some travel snacks for you. I figured if my staff was going to go to all the trouble getting you your... treats... the least I could do was bring some.”
I reached into the back and pulled her purse up front with us. When I looked inside, I smirked.
Mike and Ikes. Yes!
I ripped open the box.
“You’re going to eat them now? Before breakfast? Before we stop and get a cup of coffee?”
“Why not? I already ate, and I don’t drink coffee. I told you that.”
She gasped. “No! You told me no Starbucks and that you wanted tea in your office. You never mentioned you didn’t drink coffee. That’s blasphemy!”
I couldn’t help but laugh and then popped a handful of Mike and Ikes in my mouth.
“Um, maybe you shouldn’t eat so many at once.”
“Excuse me, don’t tell me how to eat my Mike and Ikes,” I said around a mouthful of candy. The moment I started to chew, I knew something was terribly, terribly wrong.
“Holy fucking shit!” I yelled, rolling down the window, and started to spit out the mouthful of fire.
“Water!” I cried out as my eyes filled with something foreign and it began to leak out down my face. Tears? Are those tears?
Kendall pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in Park.
As she got out of the car, she called out, “I put a cooler full of water in the back!”
I jumped out of the car and spun around in circles, searching for anything to put out the flames in my mouth. My throat
burned, and I was positive I would never be able to taste food again.
Kendall ran over and handed me a bottle of water. I opened it and tipped it upside down, letting it pour directly into my mouth.
When I finished the bottle, I whispered, “More!”
She spun around to the back of her SUV and came out with two more bottles, both of which I drank in record time. When my throat finally seemed to be cooling off, I looked at her. She stared at me, biting her lip nervously.
Anger quickly coursed through my body, and she apparently knew to take a step back from me.
“What did you do?” I growled.
“Do? Wh-what do you mean?”
“Those had something in them, Kendall. Something hot.”
“Hot?”
“Yes. You little—”
Before I could take her by the throat and strangler her, a cop pulled up behind her parked car.
This was Kendall Wales’s lucky day.
Once the cop made sure we weren’t in need of assistance, he headed back to his patrol car. He no sooner pulled away than I went to ask Kendall what in the hell she had put in my Mike and Ikes but was stopped when she turned on the satellite radio and had me plotting my own death—maybe hers, too. She did the unthinkable. The one thing that was sure to drive me over the edge of madness.
She put on eighties music. I was stunned into silence for a moment.
This is not happening. No. What are the odds? What did I do in my life to deserve this misery?
“Oh, I love this song!” Kendall cried out, reaching for the volume and turning it up.
The sounds of Wham! filled the car.
No. No. No, God, no!
My mother had infiltrated my world. Somehow, she had gotten to Kendall. This wasn’t the normal Boardroom Kendall. No, this was a relaxed, carefree Kendall. I instinctively looked around the car for cameras.
Kendall started singing a Wham! song.
I turned to her with a look of pleading. Begging. It didn’t work. She kept on singing.
“I love this song!”
Slamming my hands over my ears, I closed my eyes and thought of football, suspense movies, the Sports Illustrated calendar. I hadn’t been shocked when I started rocking in my seat. Memories from my childhood came rushing back. Hours upon hours of listening to this music.
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