Game On
Book Three in the Nashville Nights Next Generation Series
Cheryl Douglas
Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.
Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to: [email protected]
Game On © 2012 Cheryl Douglas
Nashville Nights Family Tree
The Turners
Trey and Sierra Turner - Nashville Nights, Book One, Shameless
Jared and Elaine Turner - Trey’s parents
Alisa Turner - Next Generation, Book One, High Stakes
The Coopers
Josh and Lexi Cooper - Nashville Nights, Book Two, Fearless
Jay and Victoria - Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Seven, Hopeless
Mike and Tori Cooper - Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Eight, Careless
Aiden Cooper – Josh and Lexi’s son / Next Generation, Book Two, Trade Off
Brianna Cooper – Josh and Lexi’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On
Ava Cooper – Jay and Victoria’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Eight, Blown Away
The Spencers
Luc and Marisa Spencer – Nashville Nights, Book Three, Ruthless
Nikki Spencer – Luc’s daughter / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Ryan Spencer – Luc and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On
Evan Spencer – Luc and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Four, Burn Out
The McCalls
Ty and Avery McCall – Nashville Nights, Book Four, Reckless
Anna McCall – Ty and Avery’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Five, Fast Track
Nick McCall – Ty and Avery’s son / Next Generation, Book Six, Time Out
J.T. McCall – J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Nikki Spencer – McCall – J.T.’s wife / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Lauren McCall - J.T. and Nikki’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Seven, Face Value
Derek McCall – J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless
Ashley McCall – Derek’s wife, Jay and Mike Cooper’s mother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless
Book Three – Game On
When Brianna Cooper accepts a position with the legal team at Titan Records, she knows what to expect. She’s been friends with V.P. of Operations, Ryan Spencer, since they were kids. He’ll try and talk her into skipping out early and taking long lunches… it’s a good thing she’s immune to his charm.
Ryan Spencer has earned his reputation as a ladies man. He loves everything about them, so much so that he’s never been able to limit himself to just one. But when every guy in the office starts talking about the gorgeous new lawyer with the killer smile, it makes Ryan wonder how he can convince Brianna his days of playing the field are over.
Chapter One
Ryan Spencer stared at his spreadsheet, trying to make sense of the numbers so he could submit his expense report to accounting, when the source of his distraction walked in without knocking. Apparently, one of the perks of being his best friend was the freedom to storm the boss man’s inner sanctuary without warning from his gatekeeper.
“Hey, pretty lady,” Ryan said, grinning at Brianna Cooper. Ryan grew up with Brianna and her brothers. Her father, Josh, was one of his old man’s best friends. That meant her family knew his dirty little secrets, a problem he would have to overcome if he expected to convince her father and protective older brothers that he was good enough for their little girl. Easy, Ryan told himself. Just take it one step at a time.
“You’re never gonna believe what just happened.” She gripped the back of the guest chair in front of his desk, smiling from ear to ear. She’d had those same dimples since they hung from the monkey bars in the school playground, but only in recent years had he realized they were his reward for making her smile.
He and Brianna had grown even closer in the months since she started working in the legal department at his family’s company, Titan Records. They would often go out after work for drinks, dinner, or to the movies. True, the evenings never ended with more than a chaste goodnight kiss on the cheek, but Ryan had convinced himself it would evolve into more, eventually. Whoever said patience was a virtue should have said it was a bitch, because that’s what it felt like to him.
They’d watched half a dozen girly movies that made her cry while he suppressed the urge to gag. Every time, he just wanted to reach across the seat and take her hand, to let her know in some small way that he was ready to take their relationship to the next level, but he always lost his nerve at the last second and settled for the armrest instead.
“So, let’s hear it,” he said, turning his chair to face her. “What’s the big news?”
She squealed and stomped her stilettos on the carpeted floor in rapid succession.
He laughed, caught up in her enthusiasm. Anything that made her this happy was okay by him. “You’ve got my attention. Just tell me your big news already.”
She took a deep breath and pressed a hand against her stomach. “I still can’t believe it.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Do you think you can get to the story before it’s time for me to collect my first Social Security check?”
She stuck her tongue out at him, and his body responded as though she’d stripped naked and propositioned him. It was little wonder. He hadn’t gone this long without sex since he lost his virginity at the tender age of fifteen.
Shortly before Christmas, he came to the realization that no other woman would ever measure up to Brianna, and he got tired of trying to fill the void with meaningless sex. He convinced himself she would appreciate his sacrifice when they were finally a couple.
“Clint Davis just asked me out.”
Ryan barely suppressed the urge to curse a blue streak. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m serious. Why do you say it like that?” she asked, glaring at him. “You don’t think he’d be interested in me?”
Any man with a pulse would be interested in her. But Clint-freakin’-Davis? How the hell was he supposed to compete with that? The up and coming artist just celebrated his first platinum single, and they were throwing a party in his honor at Jimmy’s bar tonight to celebrate his achievement. A party Ryan had planned. This must be karma coming back to bite him for all the women he’d wronged in his past.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” What could he say? Telling her he was interested in her wasn’t an option. She obviously still considered him a friend, nothing more, and he knew if he came on too strong, he ran the risk of losing the best friend he’d ever had.
“You just what?” she asked, tapping her toe on the patterned carpet. “Expected him to go for someone taller, thinner, blonder…” She leaned forward, staring him down with the intensity she usually reserved for the courtroom. “Just say it already, I can take it.”
Her bright green eyes flashed with anger and he shifted in his seat, knowing he couldn’t escape this conversation without offending her or revealing more than he intended to. “You’re a beautifu
l woman, Bri. But…”
“But what?”
She was so sexy when she challenged him. That was one of the things he loved most about her. He’d never dated a woman because he was impressed with her I.Q. In fact, he was ashamed to say he’d never been drawn to women who were particularly intelligent. But listening to Bri’s legal jargon was a bigger turn-on than sitting in the V.I.P. lounge at his buddy’s strip joint.
“I’ve never seen him with anyone like you. You’re too…”
“Too what, Spencer?” She braced her fists on his desk and leaned over, revealing the outline of a black lacy bra beneath the slim black button down shirt. “And I’d tread lightly if I were you. I’m told these shoes can double as lethal weapons, if need be.”
He tried to hide his smile, to no avail. Despite the gravity of her threat, he was still tempted to pull her into his lap and kiss the cherry gloss off her luscious lips. “Isn’t there some law against threatenin’ your boss with bodily harm?”
“Not when he’s being an ass.” She glared at him, as though she was daring him to contradict her. “Besides, I’m on a break. I didn’t come in here to talk to you as my boss. For the next ten minutes you’re just my friend. Unless you piss me off again, then I’ll demote you to boss status.”
Ryan chuckled and lowered his head. She may be going out on a date with Clint Davis tonight, but it wouldn’t take long for her to realize she would never connect with another man the way she did with him. “I was gonna say you’re too classy for him.”
She tipped her head back and narrowed her eyes as though she was trying to gauge his sincerity. “Why do you say that?”
“He’s blue jeans and cowboy boots. You’re Armani suits and Prada shoes.”
Brianna reached behind his neck to check the label in the back of his suit, and he felt the brush of her fingers sear his skin.
“Look who’s talking.”
“Hey,” he said, grabbing her wrist as their eyes locked. “I’m not sayin’ there’s anything wrong with appreciatin’ the finer things. I do, too.”
“Yeah, well I may have a few nice suits, but I still love a worn pair of blue jeans as much as the next girl.”
And Lord have mercy, he loved to see her in those worn blue jeans. “I’m just sayin’, Clint’s a nice guy, but…” He shrugged, wrestling with his conscience. Clint was a nice guy, someone he considered a friend, but when it came to Brianna, all bets were off. “He’s not like you and me. He’s country, we’re city. Don’t you think you should look for someone who gets you?” Someone like me.
“I tried that, remember?” She sat down in the chair across from him looking endearingly dejected. “Look how well that turned out.”
“Don’t mention that loser’s name to me again.”
Ryan would never forget the night she showed up on his doorstep, her make-up streaked and eyes swollen, because she found Jared Ross, her pseudo-boyfriend, in bed with her roommate. Ryan took her in, made her tea, let her cry on his shoulder and fall asleep in his arms. All the while, he’d planned to slip out the second she closed her eyes so he could show that pig what happened when he messed with someone Ryan cared about.
But the feel of her slight body curling into his, her hot breath fanning his neck, made it impossible for him to slip away. For the first time in the history of their friendship, they’d spent the night in each other’s arms, and that was the night Ryan knew, without a doubt, that she was the one. He just had to figure out how to prove to her that he wasn’t the same guy who’d broken dozens of hearts before she could entrust him with hers.
Brianna sighed. “It hasn’t been easy for me, you know, to think about dating again. I thought you’d be happy for me. Clint’s one of the good guys. You’ve said so yourself plenty of times.”
He damned his big mouth as he scrambled to think of one reasonable excuse for her to give old Clint the brush off. “Maybe it’s too soon for you to start dating again.” That sounded laughable even to him.
“It’s not like Jared was the love of my life.”
No, he’s not. I’m the love of your life. Why the hell can’t you see that?
“He was just some guy I was dating. Still, it hurt, walking in there and seeing him with her.”
“You need to forget about him.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do. Why do you think I agreed to go out with Clint tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.” She smiled, revealing the dimples that made him feel like someone knocked the wind out of him. “Can you believe that? I mean, I know the place is going to be crawling with press. He could have asked anyone, yet he asked me. That’s got to count for something, right?”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Ryan clenched his jaw in frustration, knowing he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop her.
***
Brianna stared at her reflection in the mirror. She’d stopped by Alisa’s boutique on the way home from work, hoping her cousin’s best friend and business partner, Lena, could help her find something fabulous for the party. This dress exceeded her expectations.
She turned to look at the silver straps crossing over the low-cut back. “Wow,” she whispered.
Lena clapped her hands in excitement. “Didn’t I tell you it would be perfect? Girl, that dress looks like it was made for you.”
Brianna had to agree. She winced when she glanced at the price tag. Titan Records paid her well, but she felt guilty spending so much money on clothes when her mother constantly lectured her about saving for a down payment and investing in a home of her own.
“Don’t worry about that,” Lena said, standing in the mirror behind her. “We’ll give it to you at cost.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask, I offered. Besides, when those reporters ask you where you got that amazing dress, you be sure to tell them it came from our boutique.”
“You got it.” Lena was her adopted cousin, and close friends with Evan Spencer’s girlfriend, Erika. The six of them would often go out when Evan was able to pry himself away from his desk.
“I still can’t believe you’re going out with Clint Davis,” Lena said, boosting herself up on a tall stool. “He is so freakin’ hot.”
Brianna laughed at her friend’s assessment. “I still can’t believe it myself.”
“It must be pretty cool, working in the music industry and meeting all of those famous people.”
“It’s not all that glamorous from where I sit,” Brianna said, turning slowly in front of the three-way mirror so she could see the dress from all angles. She pulled her long, straight blond hair up, piling it in a messy up-do on top of her head. She wouldn’t have time to visit the salon or even have her nails done. She grimaced at her short, unpolished nails. Clint was probably used to dating picture perfect cover girls. She could only hope the sexy dress would distract him from her imperfections.
“What do you mean?” Lena asked, carefully scrutinizing the dress.
“I deal with contract law mostly. I draft contracts and pass them on to another department for the artist’s legal team to review. The only time I see the talent is in court, when they’re in breach of a clause in their contract.”
“So, how’d you meet Clint?”
“I was working late one night when he came to see Evan. I practically bumped into him in the hall. It turns out we work out at the same gym just down the street from my apartment.”
“How convenient,” Lena said, grinning.
“It’s not like that.” If Clint was like most men, she would believe the subsequent meetings were a ploy to spend more time with her, but he was so genuine, so likeable. Imagining a man like him resorting to deception to spend more time with a woman was difficult. “He’s sweet and kind…” Brianna blushed when she realized Lena was staring at her reflection in the mirror. “What? I like him, okay?”
“It sounds like you like him a lot.”
“Maybe I do.” After the fiasco wit
h Jared, she wasn’t ready to think about trusting someone else just yet. “We’ll see. It’s just one date.”
“I don’t mean to offend you, but why did he wait until the day of the event to ask you? I mean, if you guys see each other at the gym so often, he could’ve asked you weeks ago.”
The same question had crossed Brianna’s mind. She didn’t want to believe that his plans with his first choice had fallen through at the last minute, but she suspected that may be the case. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
“What did Ryan say when you told him?”
Brianna laughed. “Why would Ryan care? I know dating the talent is frowned upon at Titan, but Ryan’s already broken that unwritten rule so many times he can hardly blame me for doing the same.”
“So he was fine with it?” Lena asked. “He didn’t seem to mind at all?”
Brianna turned toward her friend, frowning. “No, why would he mind?”
“No reason.” Lena jumped off her stool and came up behind Brianna, holding her hair off her neck and twisting it into an up-do. “We have a hair stylist and make-up artist we use for fashion shows. Why don’t I see if I can call in a favor?”
Brianna had always preferred the simple look with a minimal amount of make-up and flavored lip gloss. She wasn’t sure she could pull off the kind of dramatic evening look the event required since people were used to seeing her with little more than lip gloss. “Are you serious? You think they’d be willing to just drop everything and come over here?”
“If I promised to use them exclusively on all of our shows this year, I’m betting they would.”
“Thanks, Lena,” Brianna said, hugging her. “I don’t know what I’d do without friends like you.”
Lena giggled. “You’d probably have to face the paparazzi wearing cherry lip-gloss.”
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