Authors: Debra Elise
Kelsey took the phone but didn't look at the screen. Instead she looked deep in her friend's eyes. This had to be bad if her usually calm friend was acting like she expected Kelsey to fall apart.
When she finally looked down, she gasped. The hottest moment of her life had been immortalized and displayed for all to see. Maverick's back blocked most of her body, but that wasn't the part that needed shielding. The photographer had snapped the exact instant she had thrown her head back and submitted to Mav's caresses and kisses. The moment she'd given herself permission to enjoy him and forget about her damn rules.
“Kels, you with me? Tell me what's going through your mind. You're scaring me.”
Lara was still standing in front of her, running her hands through her tangled hair and biting her lip.
“I know, water! You need a glass of water.” Lara sprinted off to Kelsey's kitchen.
Kelsey heard Lara banging cupboards and running the water, but it didn't fully register. Her PR wheels began turning to make sense of what this meant for Maverick. For her. For the Outlaws. How the hell was she going to spin this, so everyone came out unscathed?
Her
hopes of a long-term position with the team faded away as she imagined what the phone call with T.S. would be like.
Kelsey, what the hell? You've blown it in less than a week? Shame on you. It's over, you know that don't you? Didn't our friendship mean anything to you?
She'd allowed her body to overrule her judgment, and now she'd ruined not only her career but her friendship with T.S. and made it all that more difficult for Maverick to shake his bad boy image.
“Maverick, please sit down. I've got this,” Kelsey said.
He'd been pacing the reception area for the last five minutes, checking his watch and watching the door to the inner sanctum of the team owner.
T.S. had called them in to see him as soon as they could manage it. Maverick was at practice and Kelsey was working on calming down Lara when he'd sent them both a text.
“You've got this. Really?” Mav asked her. “And how are you going to convince him that his star player, who by the way sucks goose eggs right now, and whose image is still taking hits from a damn viral video, and the woman he hired to turn his image around, who just happens to be one his best friends, were photographed in a heavy-duty lip lock. Huh? Because I sure as hell don't know what to do about it.”
“I'm impressed. That was quite a display,” Kelsey said.
“A display? What are you talking about?” Maverick asked.
“That you were able to spit all that out without taking a breath and hyperventilating.” She crossed her arms and continued. “How about I ask you what you plan on telling T.S. about the kiss? What's your explanation?” Kelsey asked.
“Well, for one thing it was hot.” Maverick smiled.
“Ah, okay, and second?” Kelsey hadn't expected that answer.
“
Given the opportunity for a do-over, I wouldn't change a thing.”
“Brilliant. That's your explanation? That you let your hormones rule your actions and consequences be damned?” Kelsey walked over to the picture windows that overlooked the baseball field and beyond to where the river joined Lake Coeur d'Alene. She watched one brave sailor brave the windy and bitter cold day. She was getting addicted to this view.
“I used to know someone just like you. I thought he might be an anomaly, or a little boy in a man's body who refused to grow up and face reality. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're all like that. And now it's my problem to fix the bad behavior bred into all little boys who think being a baseball star gives them a free pass. And yes, I said âfix.'”
“Whoa, hold it one damn minute. Don't lump me in with whoever it was who hurt you in the past. Sure, I've had a couple of bad dings to my image lately, but that doesn't give you the right to brush me off as a man who doesn't have any self-control or redeeming qualities. We haven't known each other long enough for you to pass judgment, Ice Princess.”
Kelsey stood completely still during his speech and didn't as much as twitch when he now regrettably called her an Ice Princess. He should have held his tongue and taken the high road instead of calling her names.
Mav continued to watch her back as he wondered what to say next. Should he apologize or take the wait-and-see approach? He didn't get to make that decision. Lois, T.S.'s secretary, called out to say T.S. was ready for them.
“Kelsey, I'm . . . hell, whatever. Let's go and see if we both still have jobs.” Maverick waited until she turned around and looked closely at her face. She looked calm and unaffected by his hurtful comment, yet he had a bad feeling. From past experience it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
She
walked right past him into T.S.'s office and took a seat. She didn't look at him. She didn't say anything. He made his way into the room and looked right at the youngest owner in baseball. “Before you say anything, T.S., it's all my fault. I thought Kelsey was attracted to me as much as I am to her. I followed her out of the coffee shop where we met to discuss the plans she had come up with and . . . stole a kiss.”
He didn't look at Kelsey once, instead kept a level gaze on the owner. “It was a rookie move and I took her concern for my welfare as something else. Something she wasn't offering. So I'll do, say, sign a piece a paper, whateverâanything to turn this around. However you want it played out. Just let me know.”
T.S. looked from him to Kelsey and back again, and motioned for Maverick to take a seat. He leaned back in his chair and instead of blasting him and Kelsey for losing their minds in such a public place, he dropped a bomb.
“Okay, how about I trade you? Does that work for you?”
Stunned silence crept through the room. Mav saw his entire baseball career flash before his eyes. He hadn't even taken the field with the new team and now he would be cast off to the highest bidder.
He didn't know what to say, and T.S. didn't give him a chance.
“You're damn right you two need to do something. The team does not need this distraction and my investors won't tolerate anymore bad publicity. So unless you have a solution, I will be forced to do something about it myself. And I have a feeling neither one of you will like it,” T.S. said.
Maverick
opened his mouth to reply, but T.S. kept going. “Ace told me you're getting there with the pitching, Mav. But you can't afford this shit. This club has to prove itself on too many levels without your personal life being splashed everywhere.”
T.S. had worked up a full head of steam and addressed Kelsey next. “Kelsey, I'm not sure what to tell you. I've been trying to come up with a delicate way to say this, and not sound like a sexist ass, but you need to keep your own libido in check and come up with a damn good reason why you were pinned to that brick wall.”
Kelsey stared at T.S. She didn't have a good enough response to give to her friend, her boss.
After several long moments of silence, T.S. sat forward and thumped his desk.
“Okay, so here's the plan. If you two were a couple, then this would make sense, but to have you in the position of trying to fix his reputation . . . shit, this adds fuel to the fire already lit and . . . hell, I should fire you both.”
What T.S. said next shocked Kelsey to her core.
“But I won't. So here's my solution. You're going to pretend you're a couple, better yet you're engaged. It was love at first sight and now you're madly in love. The photo of you two with your hands all over each other was a momentary lapse in judgment. You had no intention of taking the relationship public because it was so new, but now that you have, you're happy you don't have to keep it a secret anymore.”
No, no, no. This was not good. Kelsey wanted to run screaming from the room. It was a brilliant idea, and one she should have thought of herself, but no. Not good. For someone else. Anyone else, fine. She only wanted a bit of fun. Excitement and maybe great sex, but this? This
was
not what she signed up for. To be placed in front of the public and held up as the woman who could tame the Bad Boy of Baseball. Not happening.
T.S. directed his steely eyes to Kelsey. “You are going to continue your plan to make people forget about his mini-movie and get him back in the public's good graces. I read your proposal last night and I like the plan to have him volunteer at the Children's Club. Smart move. And makes me almost forget about the photo. But not quite.”
“Maverick, I want to see real effort on your part with the counselor. You need to get to the heart of why you're not pitching like the star you are. The star I'm paying a lot of money for.”
Maverick stood up and paced the room. She'd give anything to know what he was thinking right now.
“The disabled list is not going to hide your real problem forever. Blake Anderson knows you're faking the injury and I can't believe our physical therapist hasn't come to me with his suspicions. But you need to come clean with them both. Lying to your manager isn't doing you any favors and he's sure as hell not going to want to put you back in the game when he finds out you've been playing him.”
Kelsey let T.S.'s words wash over her as he continued outlining his demands and expectations. Maverick nodded at everything that was said, as if ready to jump in and play the happy couple.
It was up to her to put an end to the ridiculous notion she and Maverick would now have to publicly act love struck. Lust struck, maybe. She wasn't putting herself in the public eye, swooning over a ballplayer. Not for any amount of money.
“I'd like to say something,” Kelsey interrupted T.S. and perched on the edge of her chair. She ignored the storm warnings shot her way.
“
This situation can easily be handled but in a different way. I propose we issue a statement that I was acting as a stand-in for an actress who never showed to a photo shoot. We can say Maverick had been considered for a guest role in
Northern Nights
and the studio requested an audition tape. We could also . . .”
“Kelsey, what happens when someone starts researching the claim and finds out the studio hadn't requested anything and that no video crew had been sent to tape it?” T.S. said. “Also, it's a lie and I don't think this situation can take anymore inconsistencies orâ”
“What do you call what you proposed, T.S.? It's crazy to think Maverick or I would agree to pretend to have fallen in love at first sight. It's not going to work.”
She looked at Maverick and noticed he was nowhere near as upset as she was. “Maverick, don't you have anything to say to this ridiculous idea instead of standing there grinning like an idiot?”
“Oh, I have plenty of thoughts on the suggestion, but I'm with T.S. It's the perfect plan, and besides we already know we like each other so why not give it a shot and see how it plays out?” Maverick gave T.S. a nod. “Don't worry. She'll come around. I think she's bent out of shape because you thought of it first,” Maverick said.
“You're both out of your minds. It'll never work. Besides, everyone I know is going to think this is a setup. They'd never believe I'd date a ballplayer.”
“And what's wrong with ballplayers? I'm good enough to work with, but not good enough to date, huh?”
“Considering your track record as of late, I'd say it's a good bet you'd dump me after two weeks when the next ball girl caught your eye.”
“
Is that a dare, Ms. Sullivan? Because if it is, I'm up for the challenge. After one week I'll have you singing my praises.”
Kelsey was livid. She looked at Maverick and considered murder for the first time in her life. She wondered if she could drag his body down the stairs by herself or if she'd have to call Lara for help? Better yet, go along with this crazy idea, and then dump him spectacularly in public. Maybe right before a game, while he was practicing. Yeah, the reporters would be all over that and she'd be able to walk away without having to do any hard time.
“It really doesn't matter because we're not going to date, for real or otherwise.”
He flashed her the same killer smile she received the first night they met. A rush of excitement traveled through her. Her body screamed yes, her mind called her crazy. “I'd say you are,” T.S. said. “You both have put yourselves in this position by giving in to a momentary indiscretion. And I might add you both have jobs that hinge on the success of turning Maverick's public image around.
“Look, I also don't need Mav having any further distractions. You can pretend to date, but also be there to make sure he doesn't get too wild in his off hours. It's win-win as far as I'm concerned and if you don't like it, then the door is behind you. I'll send you a check for your time.”
Maverick sat and took one of her hands in his. “Kelsey, I'm not as bad as everyone makes me out to be. You agreed to help me once, maybe you could loosen up and do it again. What do you say, Kelsey, wanna go steady?” Maverick asked.
“Kelsey, my investors, Blake, and the rest of the ball club are anxious to see this media circus end. We have tickets to sell and it's hard enough convincing the locals to put their hard-earned money down on USBL tickets. The team needs to prove itself. We need to show all the
naysayers
we can win and that we'll stick around long enough to make the community's investment in us worthwhile.”
“Listen, Kelsey, we're going to be seen together anyway, right? So it makes sense that all this time we've been spending together has grown into a real connection,” Maverick said. He sat back in his chair and gave Kelsey a sidelong glance. She was so damn gorgeous, and maybe this would help him get her into bed. His cock grew hard at the thought of having free rein to touch her anytime he wanted, even in public. Especially in public. He felt a need to mark her as his, which thrilled and scared him in equal measure.