Touchdowns and Tiaras: The Complete Boxed Set Page 4

  I never trusted Jack before, and I certainly didn’t now.

  “You think people want me in a committed relationship?” Jack’s voice changed, suddenly excited. Thoughtful. Scheming.

  Frank didn’t hesitate. “Yes. It would show you’ve matured. Grown. Become a wholesome, trustworthy man.”

  “Well…” Jack’s smile grew, though he steadied his voice into a mockery of respectability. “As nice as that sounds for me...my girl deserves better than getting tossed to the media sharks.”

  I frowned.

  “Your girl?” Frank repeated.

  “Why should I have to parade my girlfriend around to prove my behavior is honest?”

  “Your…” Frank shared a moment of utter confusion with the rest of the room. “You have a girlfriend?”

  Jack’s eyes darted to mine.

  I silently mouthed to him. “What are you doing?”

  He grinned. That was a bad sign. Jack was just getting started. He savored the attention and that meant everyone was in trouble.

  “Yeah, I have a girlfriend. Long term. Which is why this whole issue is insulting to both of us.”

  Jolene and Finn shared a puzzled look. They asked Jack the question at the same time.

  “Who’s your girlfriend?”

  His dimples flashed at me.

  My stomach flipped. Twisted. Rebelled.

  No way. He wasn’t about to drag me into this. He wouldn’t lie to save his own ass.

  Would he?

  I chilled in rage and warmed in indignation. The penetrating and undeniably fierce gaze of a prowling Jack Carson focused on me.

  Yes, he would.

  He would totally lie, and he would drag my reputation down with him.

  He was going to use me to get out of trouble!

  “We haven’t made it public…” Jack said.

  His smile would slay me. My heart crashed against my ribs.

  Don’t you dare.

  He shrugged. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let everyone know.”

  He wouldn’t.

  “Kiss, you know I’m crazy about you.”

  I saw red. I’d never count to ten without exploding, so I tried in different languages, only making it to tres, trois, and drei before Jolene freaked out.

  “You’re…you’re dating Leah?” She squealed.

  No!

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m head over heels for her.”

  No, no, no!

  I didn’t have the air left in my lungs after that gut punch. I stared at him, dumbfounded, trying to figure out how to scream without any breath.

  “We’ve been keeping it quiet.” Jack looked too goddamned proud of himself. “You know how she is. Leah would rather put someone else in the spotlight. I think she cares about my career as much as she cares about me. She’s got a big heart. That’s what drew me to her in the first place.”

  I’d kill him. I’d absolutely, positively kill him.

  Was he trying to give me a stroke? Or get me fired? I denied his advances, but that was no reason to destroy my career! He was a lunatic!

  Oh, sweet baby Jesus, he lied to the league president.

  Frank’s voice hollowed. “You, Jack Carson, are in a committed relationship with your publicist?”

  Jack wagged his eyebrows at me. I’d smack that smug grin off his face. “We wanted to keep it low-profile, but, with all the talk of running me out of the league, I’m sure Leah won’t mind vouching for me—her loving boyfriend and biggest client.”

  He used the PR firm against me. He knew how much I needed him as a client to advance my career!

  This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t pretend to be in a relationship with a cocky, playboy like Jack. No self-respecting woman would ever admit to being his girlfriend. Jack was nothing more than a woman’s naughtiest fantasy. No future. No promises. No family. No anything besides a night of pure sex and a regretted mistake for notching on his bedpost.

  Jack insulted me, tried to ruin my reputation, and would destroy me to save his own ass.

  Except…he was right. He was our biggest client. And he paid us a lot of money.

  Jolene’s crush gave me the lead on everything. I headed most of his interviews, organized his media exposure, and called for his sponsorships. Another year or two of working at this level, and she’d promote me to partner.

  My dream job…all at the whim of a man who kept his brain zipped up tight in his pants.

  If he lost his job, I’d lose an opportunity to build my own career.

  I’d heard of women sleeping with their bosses to get to the top, but faking sleeping with someone? That was just as distasteful. Especially since I was the one woman in a tri-county radius not sleeping with Jack Carson!

  No way was Frank going to buy this once I leapt across the table and choked the life out of that arrogant son of a bitch.

  But I wanted my job as badly as Jack wanted his.

  He grinned in excitement, loving the game almost as much as his new chew toy. I didn’t have time to think of an excuse, and I couldn’t imagine any other way to dissuade Frank Bennett from expelling Jack from the league.

  Pop the damn champagne. Apparently I was dating the hottest, most depraved bachelor in the league.

  “It’s…true.” My voice wavered. God, I hoped becoming partner in the firm was worth all this. “We’re, uh, very…happy.”

  Finn’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t believe it! Leah, you’re such a…nice girl!”

  Jack crossed his arms behind his head. He knew he got off with absolutely no consequence.

  Lucky for him.

  What the hell did it mean for me?

  “That’s the reason I wanted to keep our love on the DL,” he said. “A good girl like Leah, caught with a rogue like me? That’s a scandal. But I guess it was bound to come out sooner or later, right, Kiss?”

  I gritted my teeth. “Right.”

  He enjoyed watching me squirm. “Guess we’ll have to go public. Don’t worry.” He flexed again, intentionally, knowing I studied every inch of his sculpted biceps. “The media will eat this up.”

  Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Jack grinned, and I wished it didn’t warm me from the inside out.

  “It’s time for the world to meet the lucky girl who belongs to the one-and-only Jack Carson.”

  3

  Leah

  Oh, this wouldn’t work.

  His girlfriend? The idea was insane. He was insane.

  That had to be it. Jack Carson wasn’t just a playboy trouble-maker brandishing muscles, tattoos, and indecent one-night stands. He was certifiably crazy. A meat-head that went rancid and decided to spoil my life too.

  The meeting ended. I didn’t move, didn’t even offer my long-term, committed boyfriend a kiss before he strolled out of my office without even a slap to his wrist.

  Though he slapped my ass on the way out the door.

  His girlfriend?

  Of all the idiotic, ill-conceived plans…

  Jack came out looking like a damn martyr by protecting his girlfriend from the public eye. Not only did it give him cause to refute the allegations of his womanizing, now he had my word to say he was an honest and responsible man. Frank Bennett might have swallowed his own tongue by the end of the call, but his displeasure was as evident as the condom imprint in Jack’s back pocket.

  This was more than a mess, worse than spaghetti on a white carpet or skirt tucked into pantyhose.

  Except, for the first time, I was the one causing the problems.

  “Leah.” Jolene called from her office doorway. “Can I have a moment with you in private?”

  Cripes.

  “Be right there.” I gathered my laptop and paperwork, pretending the tremble of my fingers was a result of my newly exposed relationship and not the peak of my blood-pressure before I stroked out.

  For all I knew, Jolene planned to fire my ass on the spot. We never had a conversation about sleeping with our most expensive, temperamental, and important
client, but something told me it wasn’t acceptable behavior. I wasn’t dating Jack Carson. Hell, it took me a year to even consider seeing another man after I left Wyatt. I didn’t have enough coffee to deal with this disaster.

  But this was one hell of a PR masterpiece, something I never would have thought to do. Tame Jack Carson with rumors of a real, committed relationship? Let him look dependable and controlled?

  If only his chosen girlfriend wasn’t me.

  The only relationship I wanted with Jack was strictly professional—preferably separated by multiple layers of clothing, a couple miles of distance, and a bad cell connection.

  Jolene waited at her door. I took the seat opposite her desk. Her heels clicked as she paced the room.

  I earned forty grand a year, but I had the possibility for six figures once I made partner. I was promised a company car. Fancy parties. Jet-setting around the world. This job was everything I ever wanted.

  And now it was ruined because of a wild, bad boy quarterback who wasn’t satisfied tormenting me in the office. He wanted me to go down with him.

  Or go down on him.

  Absolutely not.

  Jack Carson was trouble, bundled in the body of a Greek god with a flashy smile and bandit blue eyes. Anytime he gave me butterflies, I got out the wasp spray.

  “Leah…” Jolene took her chair with a sigh. “I had no idea you and Jack were a…couple.”

  Yep, it was a big surprise to me too. The truth settled like a thick lump in my stomach, pitted next to my courage which hid under what remained of my pride. I needed to fess up. I wasn’t dating Jack. I wasn’t anything with Jack.

  But I froze.

  God...if Jolene knew we lied to the league?

  PR wasn’t about lying, it was spin. I highlighted the positive aspects of Jack’s life, all the facts the public found more tolerable than his harem of woman, collection of speeding tickets, and out-of-court settlements for fist-fights.

  If she knew I lied, I’d be out of her company quicker than Jack could run the forty, that was for sure.

  Jolene stared at me, slouching despite her jacket’s shoulder pads. “Leah, I can’t see you and Jack Carson as a…I mean, he’s got such a reputation. And you…”

  I bit my lip. “What about me?”

  “After Wyatt broke your heart, you didn’t let anyone else get close…” Jolene watched as I awkwardly shifted. She apologized. “Not my place, I know. But Leah, I took you under my wing. You are the next me. I see these things.”

  “This has nothing to do with Wyatt.”

  “It’s just, after what he did, I couldn’t imagine you dating a man like Jack, someone who seems…”

  Lord. “It…it certainly wasn’t planned.”

  “Of course. Right. Working with someone this closely was bound to create a spark.”

  Oh, Jack was fanning some flames now—hellfire, mostly. “Jack always was a special case.”

  “That’s the truth.” Jolene stirred her coffee—brewed extra strong for the times when the crises hit harder than linebackers. “I guess we should have a talk about interoffice conduct and relations with clients.”

  “Really, I don’t think that’s necessary—”

  “I’ve never specifically prohibited these types of relationships.”

  “Jolene, I swear. You won’t notice a difference in my quality of work. Nothing has changed about my commitment to our clients, including Jack.” I hesitated. “I doubt you even noticed anything was unusual.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t know you two were dating.” Jolene laughed. “You’ve always been the epitome of professional, Leah. But, when I hired you as my assistant, I did it because you could handle the responsibilities and sensitive nature of our work. We are to remain invisible. We aren’t the story; our clients are the ones in the spotlight.”

  Jack wasn’t going to make it out of the huddle at practice. Didn’t matter how many linemen protected him, I’d kick his butt from one side of the field to the other.

  “I completely understand, Jolene. And I can swear to you—”

  “I know, I know. You wouldn’t let this…fling interfere with your work.”

  “Oh, I can absolutely guarantee it.”

  Jolene nodded. She sipped her coffee, grimaced, and choked it down. She offered me a cup from the pot behind her. I smelled the bitterness from across the desk, and that much caffeine would only encourage me to bean Jack off the goal posts.

  Her voice turned heavy. “This is hard to say.”

  I braced myself for the words I had never heard in my life.

  You’re fired. We’ll have to let you go. Get the hell out of my office.

  Two humiliations in one day?

  I’d never find a job as good as this one. I’d be forced to move. I’d have to sell my new car. Wasn’t it bad enough my plan for a family and marriage was ruined when I walked in on Wyatt humping his way into bachelorhood? I couldn’t lose the one job that promised every success I ever dreamed.

  Marriage. Kids. Travel. Fantastic job.

  This opportunity slipped through my fingers, even more tragic since it was all I had left in my life.

  I hid my trembling hands. “Jolene, I promise—”

  “Before you go back to work, I just have to say that Jack Carson isn’t the right man for you.”

  I stared at her, wide-eyed. “You aren’t firing me?”

  Jolene frowned. “I’m not worried about your job performance.”

  “You’re not?”

  “I’m worried about you.” She sipped the coffee before dumping three packets of sugar into the mug. “You know Jack’s reputation better than anyone. I know he must be fun, but he’s never going to give you what you need.”

  “I—”

  “You aren’t looking for a fling. Don’t let Wyatt’s behavior scare you away from a real relationship.”

  “It’s not that—”

  “Do you still want to find the right man? Settle down? Leah, you couldn’t wait to have kids.”

  I pretended the folder full of information from the local fertility clinic wasn’t sitting in the bottom drawer of my desk. I wanted a family more than anything. Hell, I wanted it more than the marriage with Wyatt. It was unconventional, but I wondered what Jolene would protest more—an apparent relationship with the renowned manwhore Jack Carson…or the information on sperm donors I had meticulously catalogued in a hidden folder.

  Both ideas were sounding crazy to me at the moment.

  “Jack will not give you that life.” Jolene held her hand up. “This is me talking as a friend. He’s only going to run around on you. Do yourself a favor and stop before you get hurt. You’re a smart, lovely girl. Don’t let him break you.”

  “Jack Carson will never break me.”

  “I hope so, Leah. Just…consider my advice. End this before it gets too serious, for your own sake.”

  She was right, more than she realized. I excused myself and marched to my office. My emails dinged with a dozen new requests for information, interviews, statements, and explanations. My first priority was spinning the accident and details of Jack’s latest indiscretion.

  But I couldn’t do it now.

  Jack’s plan wouldn’t work. We had to stage a breakup before the lie spiraled any further out of control.

  I took an early lunch and raced to the Rivets’ practice facility, slipping through security with a flash of an issued badge courtesy of Ironfield’s star, trouble-making quarterback. Usually publicists didn’t get access to the field, but most publicists handled normal clients—clients who showed up on time, did their jobs as best they could, and managed their sponsorships with an ounce of professionalism.

  I stormed through the tunnels and onto the field. The team wasn’t in training camp yet, but the players were encouraged to return to standard practices and exercises in preparation for the season. I thanked my lucky stars Jack was back where he belonged. He could make a spectacle out of himself on the field instead of in a bar, pu
blic restroom, concert venue, or roadside accident.

  I didn’t recognize the receiver who caught the pass in the end zone, but he circled around the goal posts and walked beside me on the sidelines. His dreads clacked with crimson beads, matching his eventual uniform once the guys donned pads to practice. He grinned. It was a nice smile, but I knew where his goodwill was aimed.

  “Hey, there, baby. I was hungry for something sweet.”

  He was a worse flirt than Jack. I wasn’t in the mood. Didn’t stop him from trying.

  “You’re the little drop of chocolate I’d love to—”

  Caleb West, the largest man on the team as well as the gentlest teddy bear they signed, thundered from the sidelines to my side. He carried a water bottle and nearly chucked it at the receiver’s head.

  “Whoa.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “She’s too good a girl for you. Beat it, rookie.”

  The receiver scowled, took his chances, then bolted when Caleb took a step too close.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “No problem, little lady.” Caleb grinned. “You’re not here for me, are ya?”

  “Not today, but do you remember you have a radio show tomorrow afternoon, broadcasting live from the new sushi place on fifth?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Looking forward to it. Bringing my kids so I can see their faces when I give them raw fish. They still haven’t forgiven me for squid ink pasta.”

  “Why can’t all my clients be like you?”

  He laughed. “You here to kick Jack’s ass?”

  “Changed out of my heels into flats to do it.”

  Caleb pointed to the crowd of players running exercises. The men were working on a feat of strength that ached my abs just watching.

  “Give him hell…but leave him in one piece?” Caleb said. “We’d like to make it back to the championship.”

  “A quarterback doesn’t need both kneecaps, does he?”

  Caleb sauntered away, shunning me as a hellcat. He had no idea.

  I picked a cautious path between segments of the team completing their conditioning exercises and running laps. Now was the toughest time for the players. Eighty men competed for fifty-three active roster spots—every one of the players bigger, badder, and built stronger than the last.