I stop my mindless twirling and plant my feet on the floor. “Wyatt.” I’m getting dizzy anyway. Or is that the effect of seeing him again? “What are you doing here?” He better not be here to see me and try to persuade me to go out with him again, because that is not happening.
“I was asked to come to some meeting. About that blog article.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Don’t know what the big deal is.”
I stare at him. My heart is galloping in my chest. I rub my sweaty palms on the upholstery of my chair.
What should I do?
Throwing up probably isn’t a good option.
I know I’m not in the picture, and I’m not involved in this…I could just stay here and pretend it’s not happening, and let Wyatt fend for himself.
But I was there. I know what was going on. I know the truth. And I also know how bad this could make the Condors look if it gets blown up.
Shit. I sigh and push up out of my chair. “I’m coming with you.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I was involved.” I start toward him and my heart scampers. Why does he have to look so good? Dressed in casual tan-colored pants and a navy sweater with a brown-and-blue-checked shirt beneath it, he nonchalantly leans against my door. His light brown hair is tousled, his jaw dusted with dark gold stubble, and his hazel eyes gleam as he watches me advance across the carpet toward him. “Let’s go.”
I assume the meeting is in the boardroom and I start down the hall.
“You know, your ass looks amazing in that skirt,” he says from behind me.
I stop dead and whirl around. “Shhh!”
He grins. “There’s no one around, princess.” He drops a light kiss on my nose.
My chest expands with the deep, fortifying breath I take, my heart giving a couple extra beats. Dammit, his gaze drops to my breasts, which lift as I inhale. “Behave!”
Still smiling, he shakes his head. He’s not taking this seriously.
Maybe I’m overreacting. I hope I’m overreacting. I hope I’m doing the right thing by crashing this meeting.
Chapter 11
Wyatt
I watch Everly’s sexy ass sway as she hoofs it down the hall in her killer heels, tight pink skirt, and silky blouse. Her hair bounces and I can tell her body is filled with tension.
I guess some guys might be embarrassed about that photo being out in the world, but I really don’t care. So if this meeting is because they think I’m upset about it, I can just reassure them there’s nothing to worry about and get on with the rest of my All Star break.
I’d hoped that I’d spend more of the weekend with Everly, after being gentlemanly enough to leave her at her door Thursday night. Leaving her wanting more. Always a good strategy.
Seems to have backfired right now.
She made it pretty clear that she never wants to see me again when she called on Friday.
I follow her into the boardroom and the atmosphere in there is, shall we say, uptight.
Hmmm.
The office dudes all greet me with big smiles. Everyone treats the players like royalty. I could probably ask for some Russian caviar, a bottle of Dom Perignon, and some Cuban cigars and someone would rush out to get them.
Instead I’m holding a Venti Starbucks cup.
Crap. Bob Wynn is here.
I glance at Everly. For the first time, a little nudge of worry prods me. What is she going to say about all this?
Bob frowns at his daughter. “What are you doing here, Evvie?”
Her lips tighten at his nickname for her. “I was involved in this.”
Bob’s forehead furrows as Everly takes a seat at the far end of the table.
Everyone else exchanges puzzled glances too.
I feel like there’s a rock in my gut as I too sit and wait for whatever shit is about to hit the fan.
“Anyone else coming?” Dave asks, looking around, preparing to close the door to the meeting room.
“This is it,” Murray says. “Okay, we need to discuss that blog article and photo of you that’s online, Wyatt.”
I nod. Not surprised.
“Can you explain to us what that was about?” he asks.
I almost laugh. I’m used to a coach asking me “What the fuck did you do?” and this is so polite. I open my mouth to answer, but Everly jumps in.
“I was with him,” she says. “We were out for dinner and we were walking down Melrose and decided to look in the shop.”
Bob makes a noise that I think might mean he’s having a stroke. I shoot him a worried look. Then I glance at Everly. She doesn’t seem so well either.
“We were just goofing around,” she says, clearly striving to keep her emotions in check. “I told Wyatt he’d look good in that…um, outfit, making a joke. I didn’t think he’d do it, but he tried it on.”
I catch her eye. So far this is accurate.
“We had no idea there was someone there taking a picture. That was all it was. But I know how bad it looks.”
“It doesn’t look bad.” I finally speak up. “It looks like we were, uh, goofing around, just like you said.”
“You’re the ambassador for Hockey for All,” Murray says. “Part of the initiative is to include the LGBTQ community.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “I know.”
“But you’re not gay,” Murray adds.
“No.” I shrug. “But if we want to let people think I am, that’s okay.”
Everly jumps in again. “We can’t let people think you’re gay. Because you’re not. We can’t pretend for this campaign. It would be an even worse PR mess if that came out.”
“I don’t get it.” I’m confused as fuck and I don’t even care about this.
“If we let people think you’re gay and don’t correct it, the LGBTQ community would be offended when the truth comes out. Which it will…since you’re not gay.”
I nod slowly.
“I know what to do,” Everly continues. “We’ll make a statement, just what I told you, and I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Murray nods. “I like that.”
Bob’s face is tomato red. “I don’t like it.”
Everly turns to her dad. “It’s okay, Dad. I got this. It has to be done.”
“What would be better is if you two were actually in a relationship,” Murray says thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “Then there’d be no question about his sexual orientation.”
I can only shoot him a what-the-fuck look about my sexual orientation.
“We’re not in a relationship,” Everly quickly puts in.
“But you could be.” Murray is still rubbing his chin. It’s starting to annoy me. “Make a few appearances together. That way there’d be no question when you tell the story of what happened that it’s true. It’ll add credibility.”
“It is true,” I snarl. At Everly’s wide-eyed warning look, I shut my mouth.
“Of course it is.” Murray smiles broadly. Fakely. “But we all know how rumors start and social media can be a nightmare.”
I do know this. Not from experience. But I know other guys who’ve gotten themselves in trouble on social media. Best advice I ever got was from my agent, Steve Walsh. He told me years ago to stay off social media, that it’s a tool to brand myself but nothing else. His number one rule: do not read your mentions. I don’t know what people say about me and I don’t care.
Hell. I was just having a little fun with Everly. And it’s turned into a shit show.
I look over at Everly and meet her eyes. Her mouth is puckered up and she looks like she just ate a lot of bad seafood. But then her expression changes to resigned, she lifts a shoulder, and her eyes say to me, Why not?
Then it hits me…this is perfect!
I clear my throat and try not to appear too enthusias
tic. “I don’t know…”
“Are you seeing someone else?” Murray asks. “I mean, usually it’s not my business. But it kind of is. If you have a girlfriend, this could be a problem.”
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend. But if we’re trying to be honest about the situation, this seems…deceptive.” I don’t even care.
“I know what you’re saying,” Dave jumps in. “But we won’t make a big deal of it. Like Murray said, you two just go out a few times, hit some events so people see you together, you don’t even have to talk to the media or say anything.”
“Well.” I twist my mouth up like I’m thinking about it. “I guess I could do that.”
Bob still looks like he has an aneurysm. He rounds on Everly. “This is—”
“Would you like to talk about it in my office?” Everly interrupts her dad sweetly.
He snaps his mouth shut, but is still frowning.
Everly rises gracefully. She places her hands flat on the boardroom table and gazes around at everyone. “Anything else?”
I’m surprised they don’t all bow to her, Princess Wynn.
“Good. I’ll be in my office if you want to talk more, Dad.”
I hide my grin. “Let’s go make a plan, Ms. Wynn.”
She shoots me a skeptical look.
I open the door and hold it for her.
“Thank you.”
I let her lead the way back to her office.
She closes the door and throws herself down into the chair behind her desk, shoving her hands into her hair. “Shit!”
I perch my ass on the edge of her desk. “It’s not that bad.”
“Maybe not for you! My dad’s having a heart attack and when my mom hears about this, she’ll freak out too.”
“Why?” I regard her steadily. “We didn’t do anything wrong. I get that it’s a bit of a PR issue, because of Hockey for All, but otherwise it’s not a big deal. We went out on a date and we were having fun.”
She blows out a heavy sigh. “It’s a long story.”
“Are you okay?” I gnaw on my bottom lip, studying her. Her face is shiny, like she’s sweating, and her hands are shaking.
“Of course I’m okay.”
I don’t believe a word of that. But I admire her ability to rise above whatever is making her look freaked out.
She swallows, sits up straight, and clenches the armrests of her chair. “I’m fine,” she repeats.
“Okay. So when should we go out again? I’m off until our next game on Monday in Toronto.”
She presses her lips together. Clearly she’s unhappy about this. “We need to be strategic about it.”
“What does that mean?”
“If we’re going to do this, we have to be seen somewhere for maximum exposure.”
I open my mouth, and she holds up a hand. “Don’t make this about something dirty. Exposure doesn’t mean nudity.”
I have to laugh. “You know me so well already.”
“I don’t know what’s coming up…” She scoots her chair forward and clicks the mouse on the desk. I peer over at her computer and see she’s brought up her calendar. “We don’t have any big events planned.” Her eyes rove over the screen. “Oh…there is something next weekend.”
“Next weekend?” Disappointment settles like a rock in my gut. “That’s too far away.”
“Hmm. Maybe so. Well, we could just do something really public like…Hey, I know. My dad has courtside tickets to the Cougars.” One of the local pro basketball teams. “We could go to a basketball game. We’ll let it leak to the media that you’re going to be there, and they’ll put us on camera for sure.”
“Excellent.” I rub my hands together.
She’s already checking the basketball schedule. “Perfect. Saturday night there’s a game.”
“The stars are aligning.”
She frowns at my flippant comment.
“What?” I give her an innocent look.
A sharp knock sounds on the door.
She gives me a shove to move me off her desk. I take a few steps away as she calls out, “Come in!”
Bob enters. His face is still ruddy, his lips turned down. He eyes me like I’m something that fell out of a dog’s ass. Eeesh. Clearly he blames me for involving his princess in this mess.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Everly immediately says to her father. “Relax, Dad.”
“Your mother’s going to shit a brick,” he says in that famously gruff voice.
I do like a man who’s blunt.
“Do you want me to talk to her?” Everly asks.
“I should go…” I edge toward the door.
“No, it’s okay!” Everly waves me back. “We should, uh, go out for lunch!”
“You don’t have to do this, Evvie,” Bob growls. “Murray’s lost his mind. I’m going to fire him.”
“No, you’re not.” She stands and pats her dad’s shoulder. “It was a reasonable suggestion.”
I’m watching, agape.
“It’s crazy.” Bob shoots me a cutting look that I swear I can feel slicing across my skin.
Okay, enough of this shit. I straighten my shoulders. “Mr. Wynn, I know Everly and I aren’t really dating, but you can rest assured that I will treat her with the utmost respect.”
“You’re a ladies’ man,” Bob says.
I want to smile at the old-fashioned term, despite the contempt in his voice. “I’m a single guy, and yes, I like ladies.” I put on my most guileless face. “But I’m a good guy.” I lay my palm on my chest.
He still scowls. “You don’t date anyone else until this whole thing is done. I sure as hell don’t want rumors about you cheating on Evvie. And no more shenanigans in sex stores.”
“Of course not.”
“Anything you do to her—”
“Dad. Stop.” Everly steps closer. “I’m a grown woman. Give me credit for having been brought up well enough that I can know how to look after myself when it comes to men. Do you say things like that to the women Noah and Archer and Harrison date?” She pauses. Bob doesn’t answer. “No, you don’t, because I’ve seen you with them. You’re all flirty and complimentary. Well, don’t treat me any different than you treat the boys. It’s insulting.”
Go, Everly. Admiration for her heats my chest. I kind of want to kiss her right now.
Bad idea in front of her dad.
“Okay, okay. I get it.” Bob points at me. “But I’m keeping an eye on you.”
“I totally understand.”
He leaves and I turn to Everly. She has her hand over her eyes, her thumb pressing into one eyebrow. I move closer. “Headache?”
“Yeah. And his name is Bob Wynn.” She looks up and sighs. “So. Where should we go for lunch?”
Everly
I’m freaking the fuck out.
On the inside. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of keeping it on the inside.
I need to reel it in. Chill down. Settle the kettle.
We climb into Wyatt’s Land Rover. As he drives, I focus on breathing, without being obvious about it.
This is my worst nightmare. The media getting hold of something and turning it into something it’s not. Broadcasting my mistake to the whole world.
One stupid mistake almost ruined my life years ago. I can never screw up like that again. That was why I’d decided I can’t date Wyatt again, and here I am…forced into it.
“How about Lard Boy?”
“Uh…sure.” It sounds like a dive, but it’s actually a new and trendy restaurant on Wilshire. I guess if we’re going to do this, might as well make sure people see us, even if it’s just lunch.
When we’re seated, Wyatt leans forward. “I’m really sorry. I feel responsible for all this.”
“It’s not your fault.” Although I kind of have been blaming him in my inside voice. In fairness, though…“Who knew there was someone there taking pictures?”
“Yeah. But I guess I should have known it’s a possibility.”
“I should have known too.” I sigh. “It’s done. We have to make the best of it. I just don’t want this to be negative PR for the team or for the league.”
“Neither do I. Seriously, I don’t care about myself. If people want to start stupid rumors, I don’t care.” He scrunches up his face. “Maybe I’m not the best person to be the ambassador.”
“Too late now. We’ve already put your name in and done the marketing photos. Your name is on everything now. And next week we’re filming the video we’re making.”
His smile melts my panties. “Well, it’s not exactly a hardship to spend time with a beautiful, sexy, fascinating woman.”
My heart bumps with pleasure, but I ignore it. “That’s laying it on a bit thick.”
He puts on an affronted look. “I mean all that.”
“Oh.” I drop my gaze. “Well. Thank you.”
“Does your dad get that upset about every man you date? Or just me?”
“Pretty much everyone,” I admit.
“Even Dan Diaz?”
“Especially Dan Diaz.”
I beam a smile.
“He thought Dan was too old for me.”
“He’s not the only one,” Wyatt mutters.
“And even though he keeps saying he wants grandchildren. Apparently I’m supposed to produce them through some kind of immaculate conception.” I make a face.
“Hmm. Don’t think that’s gonna happen.”
We pause our conversation to order lunch.
“What if your dad fires Murray?” Wyatt asks.
“He can’t. Théo’s in charge now.”
“Ah. Okay. Have you talked to your dad about going to the doctor?”
I grimace. “No. I’m waiting for the right moment. Today he seemed fine…”
“If by fine you mean furious.”
I smile, relaxing a little. It’s hard to be wound up around Wyatt. He’s so laid back. I wish I could be like him and not give a shit. “Yeah.”
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