by Bella Andre
He gave her one of his patented "let's have sex" looks, then patted the seat next to him.
He was so different from Dominic. Light where Dominic was dark, full of laughter where Dominic would likely have growled at her instead.
She liked JP.
But she lusted for Dominic. Enough! JP was going to be the center of her universe from now on.
Dominic had never been this far off his game. He couldn't go the distance with Melissa, but he couldn't stay away from her, either. Worse, it wasn't just lust anymore. That first night had been purely physical. But every time he touched her, he fell further into the deep end. He was starting to care too much to lead her on, yet he couldn't leave her alone.
Dominic had learned to control any inappropriate urges long ago. One huge slip-up in high school had taught him that fucking around would never get him where he wanted to be. He needed to keep his distance until his libido cooled down. He'd head to the gym for a long workout, then sit down with his lawyer and finalize the details of taking ownership of his new restaurant.
But everything within him rebelled against the way he'd left things with her. Taking her up to his future restaurant and making love to her again, then telling her he hadn't meant to seduce her--that was the coward's way out.
He'd been a coward once, a long time ago, and it had changed him, changed everything. He refused to be a coward ever again.
Dominic pulled a U-turn in the middle of a busy intersection, barely registering the chorus of honking cars. He was a man on a mission, and five minutes later he dropped his keys into the valet's hand--something he usually never did, with a car as valuable as his--then stopped the elevator doors from closing with his forearm.
Several people muttered their discontent at being held up, but when they realized who he was, their frowns turned to smiles. A couple of women "accidentally" rubbed up against him. It was par for the course, and usually he wasn't bothered by the attention, but this afternoon it irritated him.
He wasn't interested in being a football hero today. He was focused on only one thing.
He pushed through the McKnight Agency's double doors and made a beeline for Melissa's cubi cle. She wasn't there. Shit. Jenny ran down the hall toward him.
"Are you looking for Melissa?"
He nodded and her eyes widened.
"Wow, she's really popular all of a sudden."
A surge of possessiveness rose inside him. "How so?"
"Well, first you came and took her to lunch, and then JP came to see her, and now you're back again." JP Jesse.
Dominic was going to kill the little punk. If he so much as laid a hand on Melissa, he wouldn't live to play another game.
"Where are they?"
Jenny looked surprised by his curt question. But visions of Melissa and JP naked together skipped through his head, and his fists clenched.
"JP wanted to watch some film while he waited for her to come back, and she joined him a few minutes ago."
Fuck. Melissa and JP were in a small, dark room together. Lord only knew what tricks that little prick was trying with her. Dominic didn't know him well--they were of different generations--but he'd heard enough stories. JP was the kind of guy who fucked anything that moved. And Dominic knew firsthand the kind of temptation she presented--even to a guy like him, who usually knew how to keep his dick in his pants.
Tom should never have passed JP off to Melissa. She wasn't savvy enough to defend herself against someone as wily--and charming, not to mention good-looking--as JP. He'd have to do it for her.
Dominic barged into the room without knocking and flicked on the lights.
Both Melissa and JP covered their eyes with their hands.
"What the hell?" JP said as he looked up and saw the large figure in the doorway. "Dominic, dude, turn the lights back off. You're blinding us."
But Dominic was out for blood. Ignoring JP altogether, he faced Melissa. " Do you know what people are going to say when they find out you've been in here alone with JP?"
"I'm his agent, that's what they'll think."
Dominic laughed, a short, angry bark of a sound. "Bullshit. They'll think you're just another one of his floozies, throwing yourself at him."
"Floozies?" JP interjected. "Damn, I haven't heard that word since I was a kid. How old are you, Dom? Fifty? Sixty?"
A low growl emerged from Dominic's throat. "Old enough to know how to conduct my business the right way."
JP shrugged. "I know you think you're her bodyguard, or whatever, but nothing's going on. Yet. So chill out."
Dominic clenched his jaw in an effort to control himself. The "yet" nearly pushed him over the edge. He couldn't be rational right now, couldn't stand the sight of Melissa sitting so close to a good-looking, young playboy.
Being with Melissa had flipped right and wrong around for him, but some things were still clear: He couldn't let her make the mistake of hooking up with a threat like JP.
Instantly slipping into the smooth persona he'd played so well all these years, he said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal your agent away for a while, JP."
For the first time, Melissa looked angry. "I've already helped you enough for one day, Dominic."
His gut twisted. She thought all he wanted from her was a quick fuck. She was wrong--at least he thought she was. Shit, his head was playing games with him. What the hell had he been about to say?
"They're breaking ground on the new ballpark in my name this afternoon."
"So?"
"You're my agent. I need you to be there."
JP looked at her. "You're working with him, too?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm thinking about it."
"That rocks, babe. Teams will take you way more seriously if you're also repping Dominic. Even if your daddy-O gave him the boot 'cause he's ancient," he added tactlessly.
Dominic didn't feel the need to defend himself to someone who'd ridden a wave of luck into the pros, rather than skill. He'd already dug his own grave.
But if JP was screwed, so was Melissa. Somehow, he'd have to figure out a way to help JP for Melissa's sake.
"I've heard enough from both of you right now." She pointed a finger at JP. "You may call me Melissa, or Ms. McKnight. Not 'babe.' " Then she got up and stood in front of Dominic, anger etched into her face. "I don't appreciate what you just did," she said in a low voice. "Not at all. But I intend to do my job, and my father already marked the event on my calendar. As his assistant--not your agent."
Chapter Thirteen
Concentrating on putting together a spreadsheet of teams that might be interested in JP, Melissa was taken by surprise when her father entered her cubicle and sat down on the edge of her desk. "How are things going with JP?" She gestured to the growing stack of papers beside her computer. "We've had a preliminary meeting, and I'm researching the best teams for him. I need to watch some game tapes and get a better feel for his playing style. We're meeting again tomorrow morning to discuss immediate, short-, and long-range plans for his career. I'll probably set up a showcase once we've worked through his issues."
"I see." He paused before going into the real reason he'd stopped by. "I still find it hard to believe that Dominic is interested in working with you. Why the hell would he make a choice like that? Especially since it's been perfectly obvious for years that you have a crush on him. I wonder if he feels sorry for you?"
Melissa had never been so insulted. She narrowed her eyes, more than happy to fight back. "Maybe he caught wind of the fact that you think he's an old hack."
Two red splotches rose on her father's cheeks. "You repeated our private conversation to one of my clients?"
"Of course not," she hissed, mad as hell. "But he's a pretty perceptive guy. It wouldn't take much for him to figure out that your attention has waned."
Tom raised one eyebrow, as arrogant as she'd ever seen him. "Do you actually believe you can do his career justice?"
Dominic had been right when he'd said she was green
. But she was smart and capable and willing to work her ass off for her clients.
"That's exactly what I intend to do," she stated, more serious than she'd ever been. She was going to rep Dominic. And not only would she do his career justice, she'd get some justice of her own. This time next year, when she was the top-earning agent at the McKnight Agency, her father would be eating crow. Logging off her computer, she picked up her purse and stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have an event to attend on behalf of one of my clients."
She'd never walked out on her father; never had the last word. Until now. Cod, how she wanted to look back to see if his mouth was hanging open.
Outside, she leaned against the stone wall, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths.
Baby steps. She'd just stood up to her father and lightning hadn't struck. She opened her eyes. Not only was she fine, she felt better than ever.
A wave of giddiness swept over her. She was an agent with two high-profile clients! Yes, she was scared, but she'd been doing an agent's job for the past couple of years. She knew what the job entailed. Now she just needed to do it.
Stepping out to the curb, she hailed a cab. "DiMarco Stadium, please. Inner Sunset."
The Dominator was now officially her client. Her very own heartbreaking, orgasm-inducing, bad boy of football.
Dominic resisted the urge to scan the parking lot again for Melissa. He'd done events like this a million times; he didn't need an agent to hold his hand. Hell, he shouldn't want to see her this badly--it had been only a few hours since he'd had sex with her. No other woman had ever insinuated herself into his head--and body--this badly or this quickly.
He was proud of what his success and money had accomplished in the Inner Sunset district of San Fran cisco. These kids didn't have football teams in their schools because the district didn't have the money for fields, lights, uniforms, or coaches. DiMarco Stadium was just the beginning. He headed up a board made up of some of the biggest local players in the business, along with several dot-com billionaires he'd befriended over the years. Yet his achievement suddenly felt empty.
He was listening to a teacher tell him how excited the kids were about meeting him, when his skin started buzzing. Melissa had arrived. Excusing himself from the conversation, he turned and went to her.
She looked straight at him. There was something different about her.
She looked incredibly confident, almost fierce. And even more beautiful, if such a thing could be possible.
He was tempted to pull her into the new locker room and take her against the bright red metal lockers.
Shit. He needed to shake off the fantasy. But he couldn't get his thoughts straight, couldn't figure out how he would normally have greeted her before they'd starting sleeping together. Not when she smelled so good and looked so amazing.
She broke the silence, saving his ass. "Congratulations on the stadium, Dominic," she said as she looked around at the bright green Astroturf, the gleaming wood stands, the professional lighting. "You're really doing a great thing for these kids. I'll bet we see some great college players come out of here."
God, she was incredible. How long had he searched for a woman who understood his passion for the game? Melissa was so involved in every aspect of football. She had to be, to do her job right. But it was more than that. She was truly interested in doing good with it, too--unlike some agents, who were in it only for a quick buck and would sell a player out to the highest bidder regardless of the reason.
She really did deserve better than him. She deserved the suburban house and the white picket fence. She deserved a guy who came from a solid background like hers.
Not someone who'd nearly killed his best friend.
Not a guy who lived with his past every goddamn day, who kept his secrets hidden like a coward, so they'd never see the light of day.
Dominic's mouth was tight when he finally replied. "They've accomplished a lot so far. I'm pleased."
"It's okay to take some of the credit," she said as she placed a hand on his arm. "It was your money that made all this happen."
Money was the easy part. Being happy--and living right--took work. Still, he wasn't going to take credit for all the work of the many people who had gotten this district stadium off the ground.
The event organizer came by to see if he needed anything, and Melissa introduced herself. "I'm Melissa McKnight, Dominic's agent."
Dominic schooled his face into an expressionless mask until the woman walked away. "When did you change your mind?"
"We need to go sit down on the stage," she said, leading him across the field like a dog on a leash, adding, "This afternoon," as an afterthought.
He wanted to pull her against him, kiss her senseless, and find out what her reason was. But he couldn't do that in front of all of these people. Not ever, if he listened to his conscience.
"Working with you will be no different than working with JP," she said in a firm voice.
"Watch your back around him," he warned.
Fire lit her eyes. "Seems to me I should be far more worried about you."
With that, she walked away to introduce herself to other members of his board. Since her father had been in the business for so many years, she knew several of the retired players.
"Melissa," James said, "I haven't seen you in years. You've certainly grown up well." A couple of other guys added their compliments, making her blush.
Dominic saw red. Didn't they realize she was too young for them? Too innocent? They were all married with kids now, but he knew their dirty, fuck-filled pasts.
Silently, Dominic worked out whom he was going to take down first. James had been a middle linebacker, but with his speed, Dominic knew how to make the big guys wish they'd never gotten in his face. He would enjoy taking each of them apart piece by piece. He'd easily find other players to take their places on his board.
Listening to himself, Dominic could see that he was turning into a crazy man. Jesus. How could he expect these guys to act like father figures, rather than horny guys trying to get into her pants or look down her dress, when he couldn't manage it for even thirty seconds?
A dozen teenage boys walked up to their group, and Dominic turned his attention to them. Ultimately, football had saved his life. Without it, he would have been just be another statistic. Another underage drunk driver who'd wrapped his stolen car around a tree because he had no future to live for. Dominic hoped that the year-round football program he was putting together here would help these kids stay out of trouble. Or get them out of any trouble they were already in.
He fell into the familiar rhythm of the locker room and almost succeeded in forgetting about his ridiculous fascination with Melissa. But not quite. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her charm every person she talked to. The men drooled; the women wanted to be her best friend.
When the large crowd sat down for the speeches, Dominic made sure that Melissa was seated beside him. Who knew what another guy would try?
She seemed riveted by the speaker, a high-school principal in his early thirties. Rationally, Dominic knew that this guy was her perfect match. If he had an ounce of decency, he would persuade her to go out with the guy.
Instead, it took every bit of control Dominic possessed to keep himself from tackling the man.
He couldn't let anyone else have Melissa. Not some high-school principal, not one of the has-been players salivating over her, and definitely not some hotshot like JP, who would leave her high and dry when he was done fucking her senseless.
Chapter Fourteen
Melissa sipped a glass of champagne at the reception, with Dominic hovering close to her shoulder. He hadn't let her out of his sight and all but snarled at any man who'd so much as looked her way. She shouldn't have been happy about the way he was acting--if he didn't want her, then why couldn't some other guy make a play?--but she was anyway.
She'd wanted him to pay attention to her for too long to deny herself the thrill of being wanted.
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It was time to make a decision. Should she make it clear to Dominic that she was through being toyed with, and make herself step away from the sensual web he constantly wove around her? Or, should she give in to the sheer sensuality of being with him, give in to how much he seemed to want her right now, knowing that nothing long term would ever come of their amazing lovemaking?
The cute principal came over to them, and Melissa smiled. She had a feeling that this was going to be a lot of fun. Especially given the deep frown Dominic was wearing.
"Dominic," the man said, "it's a great pleasure to meet you. I'm Hank Albright. You've done a wonderful thing for these kids."
Dominic grunted something that might have been, "Good to meet you," but to Melissa it sounded more like, "Go away."
Hank turned to her. "I don't believe we've met yet."
She smiled and opened her mouth, but Dominic was faster. "She's my agent. Melissa McKnight."
Elbowing Dominic in his impressively hard stomach, she offered her hand to Hank. "It's lovely to meet you. Your speech was fantastic."
"Thank you." Hank's eyes sparkled. "I really believe in what we're doing here."
She nodded, moving an inch closer to the high-school principal. "Me, too." It was bad of her--she wasn't interested in Hank--but she couldn't resist toying with Dominic. It would do him good to have to work for her attention this one time.
Especially since she'd made her decision: She was giving in to the joy of a no-strings fling with Dominic.
Dominic plucked her half-full glass out of her hands. "Time to go."
She grabbed a full glass off a passing waiter's tray. "See you later, then."
If she hadn't been so suddenly, utterly confident in her ability to wrap Dominic around her little finger--sexually, at least--she would have been shaking in her heels. Because he looked mad. The kind of mad that sent three-hundred-pound defensive lines scurrying out of his way every Sunday.
Amazingly, Hank seemed oblivious to the power plays around him. "How about we find a quieter place to talk?" he asked her, completely missing the look of fiery death Dominic shot him.
"I'm afraid Melissa has to wrap up a contractual detail for me," Dominic said, as smooth as butter. "Maybe some other time."