Luke broke the silence between them. “Thank you so much for wanting to be my wife, you have made me the happiest man ever.”
Molly nearly cried. “Luke, you have no idea how you have changed my life with your love. I will never be the same, thank you.” She really wouldn’t ever be the same. Luke took her in when she was a wild child, no family, no real ambitions in life and made her dream for once, dream for a future, dream for a family. Molly kissed him on the mouth and surged her hips up at Luke again.
Luke grinned and flipped her on top of him. “Round two already, well I’m up for the challenge doll, do your worst to me!”
***
Jane had not talked to Molly in a couple of days. Knowing Molly and Luke they were probably still in the bedroom. The other night Brady shook her hand and walked her to her car like a gentleman. He most likely wanted to make sure he at least treated her right so she did not complain to Michael. He looked a little shocked when she told him he did not have to go out with her, but he probably was not used to a woman turning down his offer, even if it was a forced offer. Oh well, that night is over and done with. It was nice of Michael to try but she could do things on her own.
She had to focus on work. She got a call from a volunteer manager for Special Olympics saying their main contributor wants to put on a fundraiser to help boost the local program and promote more awareness for the athletes. The volunteer manager, Lucy, was very set on making sure her contributor’s standards were met, which were pretty high. Normally Special Olympics puts on their own fundraising events and has their own event managers that put on the events themselves, but JB events was specifically requested by the contributor, so here she was.
The contributor asked to put on a golfing fundraiser. They made the guest list and Jane just had to make sure she booked the golf course, sent out invites, coordinated food and prizes as well make sure there was plenty of media for the event. The contributor was hoping to make a couple hundred thousand for the non-profit organization.
Jane worked her butt off, since they gave her such short notice. Putting an event together in a week was pretty difficult but since she worked by herself, it made it almost impossible. She decided to call upon Albert for a little bit of help and resources. She dialed his number on her speaker phone.
“Darling girl, I have not heard from you in a while. Last time I saw you, you were dancing and about to suck face with that baseball player,” Albert declared.
Leave it to Albert Winchester to not let a girl live something down. “Thanks for reminding me Alby, how are you doing?”
“I take it better than you since you don’t have a scandalous story to tell me. What happened? Did you chicken out?”
Irritated about talking about Brady Matthews Jane said, “No, I just don’t want to get mixed up with the wrong guy and get my heart broken again. I don’t know if I’m ready to have a relationship yet Alby.”
“Oh girl, who said anything about a relationship? I’m just looking for a guy to wash out the cobwebs that have formed in that lady cactus of yours!”
“Albert! Not that it is any of your business but I do use a vibrator on occasions so it’s not as dusty as you think it is down there.” Whoa did she just admit to using a vibrator? Where did that come from? If she said something like that when she was with George she would have been scolded. According to George, one did not talk about bedroom activities in public. Guess he didn’t mind cheating on his fiancé with Rebecca the office slut in public though.
“Janey you and I both know a vibrator is nothing compared to a man like Brady Matthews rubbing his thick muscular hands up and down that luscious body of yours and pounding you until you cream.”
“God, you and Molly are soul sisters, I swear.” Jane felt herself blushing. Her friends were so crude. She used to be able to keep right in line with their sexual banter but thanks to George she just became flustered when her friends righted her with their tongues. She missed the days of being able to snap back a snarky comment.
Jane continued to listen to Albert talk to her about how hot Brady was and she surprisingly was turning all hot inside just listening to Albert. She was not going to lie to herself, Brady was beyond hot and yes having sex with him would be incredible but she didn’t think she was strong enough for a one night stand, because she knew that was all she was going to get from him. He didn’t want anything more, who’s to say he even wanted her at all? She was delusional to think so.
“Now that I’m all hot and bothered, what can I do for you dear?” Albert finally asked.
“I need some press for a fund-raising event I’m putting on this weekend. It is extremely short notice but I have to make sure this event is recognized. It would be a great opportunity to build my business. There are expected to be some very influential people there.”
“Sure sweetheart, I will set something up with my contacts, make sure you have a press release ready and I will send it out once I have contacted everyone. Anything else I can do to help you?”
“Albert you are a doll, thank you. Would you and some of your buddies like to come golf? I know it is not your thing but there is a contest for best dressed and it has your name written all over it.”
“Count me in; you know I can’t turn down a good costume party,” Albert said.
Jane laughed, “It is not a costume party Alby it’s a golf fund-raiser.”
“Tomato, Tomato. See you Saturday sweet cheeks.”
Jane owed Albert big time, he was always there for her. Maybe she would get him one of those button up shirts he has been raving about. Something about a pattern on the outside and a crazy print on the inside, it was all he talked about. Albert really was one of the most eccentric dressers she knew. She loved him for it. If anyone could pull off neon paisley paired with polka dot pants, he could. She feared what he might wear at the golf event.
***
Michael sat in his huge house, he didn’t want one this big but Kelly insisted. She said they needed to keep up their stature. Michael could give two shits about their stature. He didn’t like the fountains throughout the yard, the pillars in the entrance, the marble counter tops or the five tiered chandelier hanging in the entryway. He just wanted a nice house that didn’t need any repairs and a loving wife. His house was too nice for his liking and his wife was nowhere to be found. She spent her days shopping and her nights out at different bars. He had not seen her in days.
Michael didn’t know what to do about Kelly. He felt like he lost her a while ago. He needed to salvage their relationship somehow. She stopped caring about their foundation that they worked so hard on. It embarrassed to him. He asked her a while back if they were going to go to the hospital to read to the children like they used to every Christmas, but she was too “busy.” He had no clue with what since she didn’t work.
One thing he knew for sure was he was extremely grateful for being traded to Atlanta. In such a short amount of time he re-connected with two of his best friends and instantly connected with most of the guys on his team. He formed such a great support system in such a short amount of time.
It was funny to Michael that Brady took such an interest in Jane and asked him to set him up on a date with her, in a clever manner. He wasn’t going to lie to himself, he was a little jealous. He always had a little something for Jane but knew he could never act upon it, especially now since he is married. Still, Brady didn’t strike Michael as the kind of guy interested in dating such a sweet girl. He made sure Brady had good intentions before he set them up. He didn’t want to set Jane up with Brady if his only intentions were to stick her and ditch her. Brady made it quite clear that was not the plan, he really wanted to get to know Jane and Michael trusted him. How could he not? The man has been nothing but honest and nice toward him.
Michael at least hoped maybe Brady could help Jane shed that awful snooty attitude she acquired while she was with George. Maybe Brady would be able to help Jane develop into the girl he used to know; fun, sassy and sweet. Only
time will tell.
***
The week went by incredibly fast but Jane was able to pull everything together. Whoever this contributor was really wanted to make sure things were going as planned and to their liking. Lucy made it very clear that this person donated not only a lot of money but a lot of time to Special Olympics and always made sure their events went off without a hitch. Jane only wished she had time to donate to a worthy cause. She admired this person and could not wait to actually meet them. There were some major high profile people who were coming to the event today. She knew there were a lot of important people on the guest list but she didn’t know almost all of them were going to show up.
Half way through the week Molly and Luke came out from their cave for some fresh air and decided to come to the event, as well as Michael. Molly took some “sick” days at work to spend some more time with Luke, lucky Luke! Albert showed up with three other men, filling out a complete golf team. Each team was made up of four and had to pay a certain amount of money to compete in the tournament. At the end of the tournament there were awards for various categories; best score, best drive and of course best dressed. There were athletes from Special Olympics who came out as well and joined where teams needed an extra player.
Everyone was registering around her making Jane too busy to notice anyone other than the people forming teams and donating money so when Brady Matthews came strolling up and tapped her on the shoulder she nearly screamed.
“Holy crap, you scared me.”
Brady laughed, “Sorry about that little lady, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s alright, are you here to golf? Did Michael tell you about the event? It was sweet of you to come,” Jane replied.
“Yea, something like that,” Brady said grimly. “Uh, do you know where Michael is? We are on a team with two Special Olympic athletes. I’ve played with the athletes before in other fundraisers. They are amazing and will be giving us a run for our money today.”
Jane smiled, hmm he had a softer side, she liked that. “Yea Michael is over there, you guys are in slot C to start. Good luck.”
Brady gave her a devilish grin and walked off. Wow, she was surprised Brady showed up. She didn’t know he made appearances at places that were not a major highlight for the gossip magazines. Her phone made a noise indicating she got a text message. It was from Albert.
Albert: Girl, if you do not pounce on that hunk of meat soon, I am going to!
Jane just shook her head, laughed and replied
Jane: “Girl” go wax your legs or something.
The event started and the golfers took off. While everyone was golfing Jane and Lucy were in the banquet hall making sure the rest of the event was in place, talked to press and touched upon any last details. Before she knew it, golfers, athletes, coaches and families started to trickle back to the clubhouse.
The first part of the event went great, better than great. She was getting compliments from every golfer she ran into. She made sure to hand her cards out to everyone and anyone she talked to. Nothing wrong with self-promotion.
Everyone was done with golfing and headed into the big banquet hall for healthy sandwiches, baked chips and a variety of sports drinks. Special Olympics was big on recognizing healthy athletes so at their events they tried to promote healthy eating. Easy enough for Jane, she did not have to coordinate some elaborate meal for a bunch of stiff shirts and fancy folk. That was one of her least favorite parts of her job; picking out the food. If it was up to her everyone would get a hot dog, a pat on their back and be sent on their way. Even though she was serving healthy sandwiches from the local deli, everyone seemed to enjoy them.
The day was flying by. It became time for speeches and awards and since she had been so busy she still did not get a chance to meet the contributor, she hoped they didn’t think she was rude. She was so concerned with everything going so well around her she forgot to introduce herself. After all the awards and speeches she would introduce herself and thank them for giving her the opportunity to make this event happen. This event was giving her a lot of exposure for her company and she could not be more grateful for the opportunity.
Lucy took the podium and rallied all the participants in the room. “Thank you so much for taking the time out of your Saturday to come and support Special Olympics. Our athletes are so grateful for your time and donations. Because of the success this event brought, we are going to be able to continue our programs and supply our athletes with more appropriate equipment and some new uniforms. We would like to call up one of our biggest supporters and catalysts for this event today; Brady Matthews.”
The world around Jane froze in time as she heard Brady’s name called to the podium. Jane knew she looked ridiculous because her jaw fell to the floor and she had to be poked by Albert to stop gaping.
She could not believe it, Brady Matthews put this event together and hired her to make it happen. He hired her! He must have thought she had some talent in order to pull this event off in a week but he had never seen her work so what was he getting at? What were his motives? Was this another way for him to get into a women’s pants?
Jane shook the pessimistic though out of her head as she watched Brady hug some of the Special Olympic athletes before he made it to the podium. Maybe she should stop questioning the man and just admit that she was shocked that she was wrong about Brady, he had a heart, a very generous heart especially after all the things she heard about him and what he did for Special Olympics.
An overwhelming feeling washed over Jane’s body as her heart started to warm toward Brady which was not a good thing. She needed to keep her distance from the dangerous man but she couldn’t help the way her heart reached out to him…for giving so much. Damn him.
Brady took the podium and applauded toward the audience as they applauded toward him. Once they silenced, he began to speak.
“Thank you so much for coming out today and supporting Special Olympics. This organization has been near and dear to my heart ever since I was a kid. My neighbor and best friend, Randy Stevens, had Down Syndrome, although he was 20 years older than me, he was the one who taught me how to throw a baseball. He would practice with me every weekend and he always told me I would make it to the major leagues one day. I always asked him why he wasn’t going to try out for the major leagues and he just smiled at me and he said he was too good for the major leagues; he was in Special Olympics!”
Everyone in the room gave a kind hearted laugh. Brady continued. “When Randy was very ill and in the hospital, I was just starting to make it to the big leagues and I promised him I would make sure there were just as many, if not more, opportunities for athletes like him to participate in the sports they loved.”
Jane wiped a tear from her eyes as she listened to the end of Brady’s speech. God she needed to pull it together, she could not be crying like a lunatic in front of all these potential clients. When she was watching Brady at the podium she could not help but notice a voice in the back of her head that was saying maybe she misjudged Brady Matthews, maybe she was wrong to judge him so quickly.
Although…he could be a kind hearted guy and still a player. His everyday life could be completely different from his media pronounced active sex life. He could be a fundraising entrepreneur during the day and a man slut at night.
“So thank you for coming out and supporting Randy’s and my dream. I wanted to raise $250,000 today and we did not come anywhere near that goal, we went over! We raised $350,000.”
Jane nearly choked on her own saliva, $350,000 in a week? Holy crap either Albert had some serious connections or someone made a huge lump sum donation and she though she knew who it was and he was standing up at the podium, gorgeous as ever. Damn Brady Matthews and damn her rusty libido.
Brady Continued, “I have a couple of people to thank, Albert Winchester, you have been a real help this week handling all the press for us, we are very grateful. Lucy Reynolds, thank you for helping set up this event and talki
ng with our event coordinator as well as making sure some of the most amazing athletes were invited to this outing. Finally I need to thank Jane Bradley from JB Events, without you we would not be standing here right now amongst all this success. Thank you for busting your butt this week and making this happen for us.” Brady winked at Jane and then wrapped up his speech. “I hope you all had a good time, thank you!” Brady finished with a wave while the room erupted with applause as Brady started to walk right toward Jane.
Jane could not talk to Brady right now, she was too emotional. She dropped her clipboard on the table next to her and ran to the bathroom. Oh my God, she was such an idiot for thinking such bad things about Brady. Yes, he was still a womanizer but he had such a big heart. Ugh, she needed to pull herself together and get back out there. She looked at herself in the mirror, she was pale and her mouth was completely dry. She sipped some water and pinched her cheeks to get some color back in them. She looked like an idiot hovering in the bathroom so she gathered herself and headed back to the banquet hall. He was just a man, a man that happened to look at her as if he was going to tear her clothes off or hold her tightly, stroking her hair all night.
When he was thanking her in front of everyone, it looked like he had pure lust oozing out of his eyes for her. Maybe Michael didn’t ask Brady for a favor the night she lost the skee-ball bet, maybe Brady really wanted to go out with her. Whatever happened in the past didn’t matter now because Brady sure looked interested today and she knew Michael did not put Brady up to this.
Chapter 6
Brady stood in the clubhouse of the golf course looking around for Jane. It had been an hour since the event had ended. Albert, of course, was awarded best dressed. He was a vision in plaid, high socks and a sweater vest. Albert told Brady when Brady handed Albert his prize that he “took his costume parties seriously.” Boy would Brady be nervous to go shopping with Albert. He could only imagine Albert picking out a nice purple shirt with pineapples across the front and flamingo clam digger pants for Brady to wear.
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