Her breathing was fine and her head seemed okay too; she just really had fainted at the sight of the rats. I’d call pest control later, right now I was going to call Zelda. She’d wound me up the wrong way and I wasn’t going to be forced into anything.
I grabbed my phone and dialed the number. Zelda answered within the first ring. I opened with a mouthful of curses that fell off the tip of my tongue.
“You ass-backwards bastard, don’t you dare speak to me like that,” Zelda retorted. One thing about her was that she didn’t tiptoe around me because I was grieving. I’d never known her to go soft on me and she wasn’t about to now. She served back twice as much as she got in an argument.
“I don’t need a PA.”
“Son, you seem to be living in a dream world, but let’s not pussyfoot around the situation,” she balked. “If you don’t want to play for the team, resign. It’s simple. Just resign. Until your management informs me of your resignation, you sure as my ass ain’t skinny will have a PA. Now deal with it and make sure you shape up for the ESPN show. Or leave.”
She didn’t give me the chance to reply. I heard the phone slam down on her end and the line went dead.
Feeling frustrated, I threw my phone into the wall and watched it smash. I’d never felt so torn in my life and so damn conflicted.
I didn’t want to retire, and I didn’t want to play, either. And I didn’t want to go to the stupid ESPN show. After that it would be one public appearance after another. People would ask how I was doing and I wouldn’t know what to tell them. I wouldn’t know what to say.
It had only been six months. Jesus, just six months since the accident that took away everything from me, and everyone was acting like I’d had enough time to grieve and be fine. Make decisions and be my old self again.
And as for this PA, it was all wrong. I didn’t want her here. She didn’t need to be here. I was certain I could do whatever was required of me in my own time. Besides, look at her, she didn’t look like a PA. I turned to face her and thought she looked like one of the dolls my sister used to play with when she was little.
She appeared smaller lying down than when she stood up, almost childlike. But the silky gray blouse she wore that molded to her fully rounded breasts enunciated that she was every inch a desirable woman and showed off her shapely feminine curves.
My eyes roamed over her figure, appreciating her assets. Unlike most women I admired, she had a sort of angelic, ethereal presence about her that really stood out. Maybe it was because I was always used to loose women who threw themselves at me and hadn’t taken note of women like her. I may have been off my face drunk yesterday, but I remembered the mortified look she gave me when she saw me checking her out.
She shouldn’t be here. Truth be told, I was hoping that telling her to clean yesterday would have gotten rid of her. My last PA was a guy and he couldn’t stand the mess either. Back then I had a maid, but apparently she left because I hit on her. I couldn’t remember.
So many people came and went, and my days all seemed to roll into one. Sometimes I didn’t know what I was doing, or saying.
She stirred a little and I poked her arm again, trying to wake her.
“Girl, woman.” She looked young, like early-twenties young, so I wasn’t sure which was best. I also couldn’t remember her name. “PA person.” I shook her arm again.
Still nothing, just that stir.
I looked at her and thought she would be right at home in one of them family films like The Wizard of Oz or sitcoms like The Brady Bunch. I smiled as the perfect name for her came to me.
“Hey Kansas, wake up.” I almost laughed when her green eyes fluttered open. Her eyes widened as she looked at me, trying to work out who I was and where she was.
As realization hit her she jumped up and looked about her with that terrified expression she had earlier when the rat ran over her foot.
“You have rats,” she shrieked.
“They live here.”
She glowered at me, looking at me as if I was crazy. “How can you say that? They’re rats. And they weren’t even pet rats either.”
“Like I said, they live here. If you don’t like them you can leave.” I drew my brows together and glared at her.
“I don’t like it, and no I won’t leave. I’m here to work and if you don’t like it you can call the cops on me.”
I almost laughed again. She certainly had spunk. I kind of liked that.
“This is my house,” I reminded her. That stalled her a little, but didn’t stop her.
“I’m you’re PA. There’s a lot that needs to be done. Particularly in preparation for your public appearances, and your upcoming game. Don’t you want all of that organized so you can just worry about playing and training? Or whatever it is you do during this time?”
I thought about what she was saying and what Zelda said. They both had relevant points, but I decided I couldn’t be bothered to deal with this now. I didn’t know what I wanted and what I was going to do. Everything was a mess and I couldn’t make any rational decisions.
I’d have to think about what I was doing, but not now. I was already more sober than I usually was at this hour and I feared the impending guilt that would hit me full force if I remained this way.
Allegra and Cindy were upstairs waiting for me, and I just wanted to grab more beer and get back to them.
“Mr. Mancini—”
I held my hand up, interrupting her. “If you must stay here, please don’t call me that. Mr. Mancini is my father. Call me Josh.”
She held my gaze with those emerald eyes of hers and I found myself lost in her beauty.
“Josh, the house is a mess. You need to have it cleaned, and call pest control. You can’t have rats running around like they live here.”
I smiled at her as a plan brewed in my mind. I wouldn’t get rid of her. No, that would cause too much trouble. I’d just drive her crazy, just like the last PA, and she’d leave on her own accord. Then I could let Zelda and the senior management know I could do everything myself.
“No, you can sort that out.”
I watched her full lips tighten and her eyes widen again. Then I walked off to grab my drinks before she could protest.
* * *
Amy
* * *
What an absolute jerk! An absolute jerk. He didn’t even ask me if I was okay. What kind of person was so heartless?
I had fainted because he was so nasty he had disgusting rats in his house, and he was practically on the brink of throwing me out again. No decent person did that.
I took a moment to steady my fuzzy mind, and when I did I called pest control and asked them to come straight away. Thankfully they came within the hour and managed to catch the two rats. They also set traps for any others that might announce themselves.
Mr. Mancini—Josh—didn’t come down the whole time the pest control men were here. He just stayed upstairs with those women doing only God knew what. Or, maybe God himself didn’t want to know. The whole thing made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
I was still feeling unsteady from the incident earlier, but pushed aside my feelings and focused on working. I resumed my cleaning tasks in the office and managed to get it to a reasonable degree so I could get myself started on my actual work. I thought I’d tackle the other parts of the house later today, or tomorrow.
I turned on the computer just to see how many emails there were, and when I did my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I had 33,205 emails to work my way through and that landmine of letters. It was crazy, completely crazy.
Feeling faint again, I chose the letters first because that would also be filing and tidying the office. I also didn’t think I could stand staring at the computer screen for so long. I’d have to set aside a day for that.
I heard voices in the corridor as I opened up the first letter. It was the women. They were talking excitedly about shopping. I then heard the front door open and close as they left.
Jo
sh came into the office. “I need these.” He held out his hand towards me with a piece of note paper.
I assessed him, he seemed different from earlier. He was drunk again. Just like yesterday.
“What do you need?” I asked, setting the letters I held down on the table.
He’d made a list for me, which he held out. I walked over to him and took it.
“You can get most of these at the drugstore.” He stated.
The first item on the list raised my eyes to him with disgust.
It was a large box of extra-extra-large condoms, ribbed, which he wrote in capital letters. He also wanted five bottles of lubricant, all different flavors, and ten cases of beer.
“I am not getting these.” I shook my head. But he only responded with a laugh.
“Yes Kansas, you will. Aren’t you my personal assistant? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Personally assist. Now go and assist me with my needs before my women come back.”
Lord Jesus, I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t do this at all. As I looked at the air of menace on his face and saw how serious he was I felt the backs of my eyes sting. This was day two, and I’d already been through so much.
My hands shook, as did my body, and I was ready to scream at him, but the image of my mother’s face and her frail body lying in the hospital bed after her last surgery sprung to my mind.
It sprung to my mind and stilled my soul, giving me strength to take the list from him.
I walked past him, heading towards the door and holding back the tears so I wouldn’t cry in front of him.
“Oh yeah. Hold on Kansas.” He caught up to me.
“Why are you calling me that?” I hissed. He could at least call me by my name.
“You’re my PA. I’ll call you what ever in the hell I want, Kansas.” He gave a cruel laugh. Then took hold of my elbow and ushered me to the sitting room. “Do you see that?” He pointed ahead to the glass wall.
“What am I looking at?”
“That kid,” he hissed.
I had seen the boy when I first looked but didn’t think he was actually referring to him as a that. “You know what’s worse than your four-legged friends from this morning? Those things.”
I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. “You mean children?”
“Yes. Children. Get rid of it.”
He really was vile, and simply just awful. What kind of man was he?
The boy looked to be no more than ten. He had short dark hair, a backpack on his back, and a football shirt. But it wasn’t any ordinary football shirt. It had number forty-eight big and bold on the front. Above the numbers was the Gladiators’ logo and below that was written Mancini. The boy held a football under his arm and just stood there looking on as if he was waiting for something.
My heart broke as I watched him.
Josh cleared his throat and inclined his head to the side, taking pleasure in my reaction. “Get rid of him and tell him not to come back, or I’ll call the cops and have him sent to juvie.”
He was serious; every word he said reflected the seriousness in his voice. Even if he was drunk. I was speechless.
“Okay.”
He smiled the same cruel smile and laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Good, I’m starting to like this relationship of ours. Having a PA definitely has its perks.”
As I watched him saunter away I planned to call my mother’s consultant when I finished work. I wanted to get his thoughts on the maximum time that Mom could wait for the surgery. Last time when we spoke he said it was imperative that they plan for the surgery, but he also knew we had no more money.
Maybe I’d jumped into this too quickly without thinking. If Mom could wait, then I’d find another job. Maybe I could go back to New York and Teddy would give me my old job back.
All I knew for certain was that I couldn’t stay here. Not with this man who had to be the optimum definition of the worst guy I’d ever, ever met in my life.
Chapter 5
Amy
* * *
“Hi, my name’s Riley,” the boy said with a bright smile that made his brown eyes sparkle. He looked like a sweet kid with his adorable full cheeks and long lashes.
“Hey Riley. I’m Amy.” I smiled down at him. The wind picked up my hair and blew it up behind me. I tucked the strands that had come forward behind my ear.
“Did you just come from inside Joshua Mancini’s house?” Excitement beamed from his eyes.
“Yeah. I did.” I was trying to think of the right words to say.
How was I supposed to tell this sweet boy to move away from the property and don’t come back?
What kind of person would talk to a kid like that?
People spoke to me like that a lot when I was a child, including my father. Especially him, actually. People like him shouldn’t be allowed to have children. Just like Josh.
“Do you think he’d sign my ball? I come here every chance I get hoping to catch him. I’m his biggest fan.”
This was so heartbreaking.
I pulled in a breath. “I don’t think he’ll be able to sign the ball for you, Riley.” His face fell and the disappointment in his eyes made me feel guilty. “Not today. But perhaps some other time.” I couldn’t help myself. I felt bad to disappoint him. I’d been through it so many times that I couldn’t bring myself to do it to another person—a child for that matter.
He smiled. “Do you work for him?”
Did I? Right now I didn’t. And I wouldn’t be stepping foot back in that house unless I had to. My hopes were hanging on my mother’s consultant. I knew what was discussed before and the urgency in the matter, but here was hoping. I was just hoping he’d say I had some time. That would give room for flexibility.
“Kind of,” I decided to tell him. “What about you, did school just finish?”
“Yes, I come here sometimes after school, then make my way to Cyranose to meet my mom.”
“Cyranose?” Sounded interesting.
“It’s a cool restaurant, and there’s a basketball court and a mini football pitch where I play with my friends.”
“Do you want some company for the walk over?” The area was nice. It was Malibu Beach, of course it would be beautiful, and while I was here it would be cool to explore. The part of the beach I’d found this morning was lush and peaceful. I could imagine relaxing there with a dog and that hot cocoa with cinnamon I’d dreamed up. This morning seemed like it was years ago.
“Sure. I can introduce you to my mom and her friend. They love the Mancini Machine.”
The Mancini Machine. I remembered seeing that in my research. It was what Josh’s fans called him. I wondered if anyone had any remote clue as to what Josh was like. Zelda said they kept his life out of the media, but someone somewhere must have seen something. Maybe if they had, Zelda’s company had paid them off before the story got published. Perhaps that was how it all worked out.
“That’s nice.” It was best to be neutral.
“I want to be him when I grow up. I’m going to do everything he’s done too. That’s my goal.”
I hoped not. His words pulled on my heart, and it almost felt like telling a child that Santa Claus wasn’t real, so I listened and kept my mouth shut.
Riley’s eyes sparkled. “He’s the best player ever. Did you see his last game?”
“No. I didn’t. Do you want to tell me about it?” That was my attempt to be neutral and not crush his little vision. I didn’t doubt that Josh was a great player. It was his personality that was the problem.
Riley couldn’t have looked happier, and as we walked along the beach all I heard was how wonderful Josh was. Riley was able to tell me everything about Josh’s games and all the special moves he used to help his team win. I was impressed at the details Riley gave and agreed that he had to be Josh’s biggest fan. The kid had not only watched him play, but it was like he knew his thought process too. It was quite remarkable to listen to.
“There’s my mom.” Riley waved
at a Latina looking lady who had long black hair that flowed out against the wind. She sat at a table outside the restaurant with another lady who looked similar. Both were stunning with their shiny hair and golden skin. I wondered if they were models. Everyone I’d come in contact with since being here looked like that.
I felt slightly out of place because my clothes were dirty and my hair was a mess. I was also certain I smelled as bad as the house, too, and possibly essence of rat. I’d washed my foot as best as I could but I couldn’t get over that an actual rat had touched my skin. I shuddered at the memory.
“Come, I’m sure they’ll love you.” Riley smiled.
What a sweet boy. I followed Riley over to his mom who stood up and smiled warmly as I approached.
“Hey there,” she said. The other lady acknowledged me too. I could see that she had unusual honey-colored eyes that made her look even more stunning.
“Hi, I’m Amy. I was just…” What should I say I was doing?
“Mom, she works for Joshua Mancini!” Riley filled in with vibrant excitement.
“Really?” The ladies both said with equal enthusiasm.
“I’m temporary. Very temporary, as in I’m…” I wanted to maintain that neutral balance, but saying anything else would throw me off the path. And Riley was there.
“Riley babe, why don’t you go play some ball with Santos.” It was like she could sense my distress.
Riley happily rushed away.
Once he’d moved a safe distance, his mother returned her gaze to me and smiled. “Let me guess, did he hit on you?”
I smiled, glad that I didn’t have to continue with the façade. “Not entirely. You wouldn’t believe if I told you what I’ve been through in the last one-and-a-half days.”
They both started laughing.
“Sit.” She pointed to the empty seat opposite her. “I’m Gabriella and this is Hilda.”
Hilda did a neat bow of her dark head as she was introduced. I sat and smiled at them both.
Play of Love: The Gladiator Players Box Set Page 4