The Deal with Love (One on One) (5 page)

Chapter Five

The next day had arrived entirely too soon, as far as Elise was concerned. She fidgeted in her desk chair while Christian pointed a video camera at her. Filming had officially begun. It felt like he was looking into her soul through the camera. A ridiculous notion, of course, but she couldn’t help how she felt. She tossed aside the paper she’d been trying to read. “What are you doing?”

“Recording you,” he said.

“Do you have to be so close?”

“I’m all the way across the room. Where else am I supposed to be?”

“I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “But somewhere else.”

He stepped away from the camera stand to send a
come on
look her way. “That’s not going to happen, and you know it. What are you doing?”

“I
was
reading a scouting report on a player.”

“Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

“Yes, I mind, but you’re going to do it anyway, so go ahead.” She sounded grumpy. She didn’t care. She
was
grumpy. She didn’t want to do this. She wanted to be left in peace to do her job and not have the sexiest man she’d encountered in far too long recording her every move. Was that asking too much?

A spill of deep laughter reached her from across the room. Damn. Even his laugh was sexy.

“I like your enthusiasm.” Christian returned to his position behind the camera, still chuckling. “When people aren’t talking about you becoming GM, they’re wondering about your plan to re-sign your premier free agent Brady Hudson. Are you concerned about signing him?”

Elise stared at the man behind the camera. “Worried about your future brother-in-law?”

“No. Brady is a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

“Very true. To answer your question, no, I’m not worried.”

“Why not? He just won a title. He was the Finals MVP. That makes him a hot commodity. He can go anywhere he wants.”

Her lips pursed of their own accord. “I’m well aware that he can go anywhere he wants.”

That was the peril of not signing Brady to a long-term contract like she’d suggested when they’d traded for him, but her predecessor, Jim Michaels, had wanted to play out the season first. He hadn’t been on board with the trade, which had been her idea in the first place, though he’d certainly taken credit for it when they’d won the championship. He’d retired knowing he couldn’t top that accomplishment.

“What do you say to all those people who don’t think you’ll be able to re-sign him? Rumor has it the Chicago Bulls are set to make a strong push for him.”

She knew that as well. The Bulls weren’t alone. Now that Brady had restored his reputation, every team in the league that hadn’t wanted to touch him with a ten-foot pole a year ago would be sniffing around him like a gigolo in a club full of single women on a Saturday night.

“Those people don’t know what they’re talking about. Brady and I have a great working relationship. He loves playing here, and we love having him.”

“So no doubts that you can get a deal done?”

Although she’d had a couple of good conversations with Brady’s agent, as far as she was concerned, nothing was guaranteed until the player signed a contract. It wasn’t likely that Brady would leave, but crazier things had happened. Still, she’d be damned if she’d reveal that insecurity. Or let it be captured on film to be used against her for all eternity. She spread her lips wide. “No, none whatsoever.”

Christian stepped away from the camera and studied her for a few seconds. She clenched every muscle in her body to stop herself from squirming under the attention. “So what are you concerned about?” he finally asked.

A question she could answer honestly. “We can always get better. There’s no such thing as a perfect team, but I want us to get as close as possible. My job is to figure out how we can re-sign our players along with a few key free agents without going over the salary cap. We want to sign players who will complement Brady and make the team better. Mack has a very specific coaching style and knows what type of player fits best into his system, and I want to be true to his vision.”

At the mention of Mack, Christian’s face went blank. Elise bit her lip. Should she acknowledge the elephant she’d just escorted into the room? Yeah, she had to. Christian was going be shadowing her for the rest of the week. “Is it going to be a problem if I talk about Mack?”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No, I’m fine. He means nothing to me.”

She pressed her lips together. It wasn’t her place to challenge him on what he’d said or get involved in his relationship with his father. She’d said plenty the night of the engagement party. “Okay.”

“So what free agents do you have in mind?”

She didn’t answer right away. She’d only talked about their free-agent targets with other people in the front office. Sharing sensitive info with someone who wasn’t part of the team went against everything she knew and understood.

Christian stepped around the camera and made his way to the front of her desk. “You can talk to me. Remember, this is going to air after everything we’re talking about now has come to light. I’m not here to embarrass you. I’m here to get a sense of who you are and how you think.”

He reached out as though to touch her, to offer comfort, but he pulled away before he made contact. She wouldn’t be disappointed. They weren’t dating, and they weren’t going to date. They’d both agreed.

She nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. I want to go after Drew Newsome.”

He didn’t react visibly. No shrug, no condemnation, no disbelief. Nothing. Others had offered all of those reactions when she’d told them who her main free-agent target was. Drew Newsome was a superstar. He could go to any team he wanted. Why would he choose the Stampede when he could write his own legacy by leading another team, such as his current team, to a championship, and not jump on the bandwagon of a team that had already proved it could win without him?

“How do you think Drew Newsome will make the Stampede better?” Christian asked.

“Everyone knows he’s a great scorer, but what I love about him is that he’s a top-notch defender,” she said, scooting forward on the chair, forgetting to hold her thoughts close to her chest. Forgetting about the camera. There were few things she loved more than talking basketball. Talking strategy. “Yes, we won a title, but, by far, our weakest point was our perimeter defense. Our opponents’ percentage from the three-point line was entirely too high. Next season, if we can defend the three-point line better, that makes the court even smaller for our opponents and makes our players’ jobs easier.”

He nodded in understanding. “Do you think signing him is going to be tough?”

“Tough, but not impossible. Every team wants him, but the Stampede is the best spot for him. I know it, and I plan to convince him of that.”

His eyes narrowed. “I heard some nervousness in your voice. You make a strong case for why he should come here, but I get the sense you don’t think you have this in the bag.”

He’d picked up on her nervousness? She’d made her tone confident, and her body language hadn’t changed, yet he’d noticed. But that was the thing about Christian, the thing that had made her run. He saw so much. Too much. She offered up her most charming smile. “Well, nothing’s in the bag until you’ve double checked the contents and tied the bag with one of those fancy knots they teach you how to make in the Girl Scouts.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

She struggled to not let her smile slip. Why wouldn’t he accept her pat answers? But really, in this case, there wasn’t much harm in revealing the truth, especially since everyone who cared already knew about it. “You’re right. Drew didn’t get drafted by us even though my predecessor basically promised him we would. That happened before my father bought the team, but athletes love holding grudges. Every time he plays us, he makes it his mission to make our lives miserable. I have to convince him to put aside that animosity and join us instead.”

“Do you think you can do it?”

Sure. Every now and then. Once every blue moon. “I know I can. I have no other choice. This is what I signed up for. The challenge is what I love.” The art of the deal. Identifying the team’s wants and needs and finding solutions that would put everyone in the best position to succeed.

Christian sat in the chair opposite her. “Let me know if I can help with signing Drew.”

She squinted. “No offense, but how can you help?”

His gorgeous lips split into a wide smile. “You doubt me?”

She nodded once. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

He laughed, the confident sound once again doing funny things to her insides. “It just so happens I know Drew.”

“Pfft. No, you don’t.”

“Still doubting me, huh?” he asked on a chuckle.

“Yep.”

“I do know him.”

She swiveled in her chair, searching the ceiling and the walls for abnormalities. “Are there cameras I don’t know about recording this? Am I being Punk’d?”

Christian’s laughter got louder. “Hey, 2003 called. It wants its joke back.”

She uttered a low, menacing growl. It didn’t have the desired effect, if his continued laughter was any indication.

“No, you’re not being Punk’d, and yes, I do know him. I went to college with him in California.”

He looked at her like he expected her to be impressed with his revelation. Too bad it took more than one outlandish statement to impress her. She did squint harder though. “What do you mean you went to college with him? Lots of people go to college at the same time as people who become famous, but that doesn’t mean they
know
them.”

Christian tipped his head in acknowledgement. “You’re right. It was a little more than attending the same college at the same time. We were roommates.”

“Are you serious?” Her voice rose on the question. Coincidences happened, but this was a bit much.

“Well, it didn’t start out that way. We lived on the same floor in our dorm freshman year, and I got to know him. He was a cool guy. Sophomore year, we got a place off campus together. He turned pro after that year.”

She relaxed back into her chair. “Wow. Okay, I guess you do know him.”

His lips quirked. “Do you want me to call him? Put in a good word for you?”

She didn’t hesitate to shake her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

He peered at her for a second like he was surprised by her answer, then he shrugged. “All right, if that’s how you want to play it.”

“It is.” She wanted to get this deal done on her own without any help from anyone. Maybe that was shortsighted of her, but she had something to prove. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to make a mistake. To fail. But she wouldn’t. She’d sign Drew her own way, and no one would doubt her abilities ever again.

A knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” she called out.

Mack walked in. “Hey, Elise, ready for me?” He halted. “Oh. Hi, Christian. I didn’t realize you were here.” His voice came out hesitantly, cautiously optimistic.

Christian didn’t rise from his seat. Once again, his face had turned to stone, all traces of the affability that had been there a moment ago gone in a flash.

“Well, I’m here,” Christian said. He sounded so cold, so uninterested.

“He’s filming a piece on me for NBA TV,” Elise said, pointing to the camera.

Mack blinked. “Oh. That’s great. Is it going to be a problem for you that I’m here?”

“Not at all,” his son said.

Elise wasn’t so sure. The tension in the room was so thick she was finding it hard to breathe. And it wasn’t going to get better any time soon. While she sympathized with Christian’s position, she and Mack had scheduled this meeting last week to discuss free agents and summer plans for their rookies. She couldn’t reschedule or cancel the meeting because Christian wanted nothing to do with his father. She’d just have to get through this meeting with Mack first and discuss the situation with Christian afterward.

Ten minutes later, she realized how foolish her plan had been. Christian had returned to his position behind the camera, but his presence alone was enough to derail Mack’s attention. He kept sneaking glances at his son, barely listening to what she had to say about sending their draft picks to play in the NBA’s summer league.

Her attention was affected, too, if she were honest with herself. She glanced at Christian out of the corner of her eye. His face was blank. Too blank. He’d never admit it, but this couldn’t be easy for him. But how could she make things better? Was it her place to try? She didn’t know Christian well. A one-night stand didn’t count in the grand scheme of things. Hell, it didn’t count in the small scheme of things. And while she had a terrific professional relationship with Mack, who’d been supportive of her appointment to GM from day one, they didn’t share confidences.

“Are we in agreement that our two rookies will be in the starting lineup for the summer league team and that we’ll sign Adam Bateman to play as well to see if he can help us in the fall?” When no response was forthcoming, she cleared her throat. “Mack?”

He blinked like she’d jarred him out of a deep thought. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

She sighed. Things between father and son couldn’t continue this way. She glanced at Christian. Even if he wanted them to.

…

Christian prided himself on being a professional. Which is why he hadn’t faltered when Mack walked into the office. And why his hand never shook while guiding the camera no matter how many times Mack glanced his way.

He hadn’t considered the possibility of running into Mack during this assignment. He’d been too busy thinking of all the good he could do with the money Dale would give him and trying
not
to think about how being around Elise tested his resolve to leave their relationship as a one-night stand. Besides, why would he think about him? Ever since his sister had told him who their father was, he’d gotten very good at not thinking about Mack.

But they couldn’t go on this way. He didn’t want to make Elise any more uncomfortable because of his drama. He was committed to this project. Mack was the Stampede head coach and would be hanging around, so at the end of the meeting, when Mack angled his head toward the hall, Christian gave a brief nod of acceptance.