Bedding the Bad Boy (Bad Boys of Football Book 1) (18 page)

Tears welled in her eyes. I felt like an asshole, but she needed to know where I was coming from. This was who I was. I had football before her and I intended to have football after her. She had to get with the game plan or this was never going to work.

Fran
k
held the car door open for me.

“Thanks for doing this,” I said. “I know this is putting you in a compromising position, but you understand why it had to be this way, don’t you?

He nodded. I couldn’t tell if he was being polite or if he agreed with me. I’d only lived in Beck’s house for three weeks, so there hadn’t been enough time for me to get to know Frank and gauge where he stood on matters. I knew he was protective of Beck. That was sweet, but I wasn’t sure how deep his allegiance ran.

What I had managed to learn while living with Beck was that his security team seemed to have an ax to grind with everyone. Their relationship with him was strained and I didn’t understand why he kept them on the payroll and why they continued to work for him, considering he wasn’t kind to them.

“It’s not my place to judge,” Frank replied before closing the car door behind me.

That didn’t make me feel any better.

The ride to the team clubhouse was quiet. I tried to use the time to calm my nerves and reconcile my feelings about my former boss -- the asshole, Cole. When he’d called me, I almost didn’t pick up the phone, but curiosity got the best of me.

“Miss Johnson,” he said. “I’d like to meet with you tomorrow.”

What could I say? No, I suppose, but why would I do that? I’d end up spending the rest of my life wondering why he’d wanted to meet with me. I was too nosy for that. I had to know, so naturally, I agreed to meet with him at the clubhouse. For all I knew, he probably wanted to chew me out some more. According to him, I was the reason his star player had so many problems. Yep, he blamed it all on the black girl because Lord knows that hussy of a man never had any problems before me, right? Nonetheless, here I was, in Beck’s car, traveling to the clubhouse to see what the puny man had to say to me.

“When should I be here to pick you up, Miss Johnson?” Frank asked as he pulled the car in front of the clubhouse.

I looked at my watch. “I’m not sure. You don’t have to wait if you don’t want to. I should have driven myself. I’m sorry about dragging you into this,” I offered, feeling guilty for getting him involved in the first place.

“I’ll wait for you. Mr. Alexander might have a problem if I let you find your own way back,” Frank said, offering a grin.

“Am I making a mistake by coming back here?” I asked, leaning back in the seat.

“That depends, is the reason you’re here because you want to be or because you feel obligated, because in my experience, doing something that people expect you to do isn’t always the best choice,” Frank said.

“I guess I don’t like living in someone else’s house and not doing anything to contribute. I’ve always worked. I got my first job when I was thirteen. I stuffed envelopes for a local newspaper by my house. I don’t know how not to work. I don’t like someone else paying for things for me. It makes me feel… cheap,” I explained.

“Miss Johnson, you’re anything but cheap. I don’t know why you would even associate that term with yourself. You’re a fine woman with a good heart and, if you ask me, a lot of courage - a lot more courage than any other person I’ve ever met. Mr. Alexander is not an easy man to get along with. He’s a party guy. He likes a good time and doesn’t always think before he acts, so that can complicate things for everyone involved.”

I looked up at the building, weighing my options. “I’m going to go in now. I have to know why Cole asked me to meet with him.”

Frank nodded.

I walked in, holding my breath.

The receptionist’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she noticed me. “Um, can I help you with something?”

Damn right, witch!
I feigned excitement. “Oh, how are you? Did you get your hair done? It looks fabulous!”

That settled her down. She let go of the attitude, she thought she was going to have with me and offered a smile. “How have you been? You’re looking… um… healthy.”

Well, I guess that was nice.

“Thank you. I have an appointment with Cole. Is he available?” I asked, peering over her shoulder toward Cole’s office. The door was closed and the curtains drawn.

She flinched, making it obvious the bully hadn’t informed her about any such appointment. “He’s in a meeting with the team owners now. Are you sure your appointment was for today?”

Cole and the team owners stepped out of the office. Cole called over to me, “Miss Johnson, we’re ready for you.”

I nodded to the receptionist. “Thanks for all your help.”

“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Cole didn’t waste time. He dived right into the reason why he’d summoned me back to the place, he’d told me never to return to not so long ago. “We need you to come back to work. Sooner rather than later. Plan on being here by seven tomorrow morning and every morning after that until we can get the team back to what it used to be or better than it ever used to be.”

“Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you right,” I said, shaking my head.

Coach Lawson chimed in, but his words didn’t help me understand any better. “You’ve been rehired. We need to clean up the team’s image and you’re the best person for the job.”

Cole continued, “You’re being given a promotion. Of course, your pay will increase. We’ll get a new contract in order for you. You’ll also be moving into another office. A larger more proper office.” He tossed a couple of catalogs on my lap. “Let us know what you want and we’ll get your office set up.”

My knees went weak.
Was this really happening?

“Miss Johnson?” Coach Lawson called my name. “Why don’t you sit down? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The team owners chuckled while I resisted the urge to swear at them.
How dare they call me in here and try to buy me back! But, new furniture, more pay, a bigger office? Yeah, that sounded really good to me.

Cole found a way to ruin my surprise. “There’s a caveat.”

Of course there is. Why would I expect anything less from him?

“You have to break off your engagement with Beck,” Cole said.

Now, this was getting ridiculous!

“I’m sorry, but you can’t tell me who I can or can’t be with. That’s not your place. I’m a grown ass woman,” I challenged him.

Uncomfortable laughter filled the room before the team owner leaned forward, his large hands on his knees. “Those are the terms. You can have your job back. You’ll get fancy new digs, a company car, travel expenses, a company credit card, and a host of other benefits. All you have to do is comply with one simple request -- cut off your relationship. I think we all know that relationship isn’t going anywhere; Beck’s not that kind of guy. He loves women too much to give them up. Not even this child you plan on having will make him settle down.”

I never wanted to hurt someone as badly as I wanted to hurt this man right now. If he knew what was good for him, he’d shut his mouth.

“I don’t know what to say besides kiss my ass!” I turned to storm off, but they’d planned ahead.

“A clothing account. I know you must love clothes,” Cole said, trying to sweeten the pot for me.

“You’re seriously going to continue with this? You want to buy my loyalty? Why? What’s so important about me? You don’t need me. I’m sure there are others clamoring to have this job,” I said.

Coach Lawson tried to reach out to me. “You’re the best. You know how to handle the media. You know these players and you’re the right amount of...” He struggled to find the right word.

“I’m what? Just the right amount of not white for you? I’m your token black woman?” I was more offended by that statement than any of the other bullshit they’d spewed at me. I hated them. I hated every last one of them.

The team owners stood up in unison, like they were connected at the hip. One said, “I think we’ve made our demands clear. You have twelve hours to make your decision. If you make the right decision, I look forward to a long, happy, working relationship with you. If you should choose to let this unique opportunity slip through your fingers, good luck ever finding another job in this industry.”

I watched them walk out, smug grins planted on their faces.

“I’ll show you to your new office,” Coach Lawson grabbed my elbow.

“Let go of me.”

“We should talk,” he said. “Now, calm down and walk.”

I had no other choice. They were talking about ruining my career. I let him lead me, but no matter how great this new office was, no way was I severing ties with Beck.

He showed me to a bright corner office on the other side of the building, near the trainers’ offices. “This is going to be a great office. Right now we seem unreasonable, but I’m sure you can understand how important a job it is we’re offering you. No other team is going to give you what this team can give you. This is the beginning of a very lucrative and rewarding career for you. Don’t squander your opportunity.”

I had to admit, the space was beautiful. I’d have a full view of the city. There were shelves all the way around and ample room for a wide desk and a sitting area for guests, but for as gorgeous as it was, having it meant I’d have to walk away from the man I loved more than any other thing on Earth.
What kind of woman would I be to walk away from a man -- the father of my child -- in exchange for a fancy office and new furniture?

The coach placed a contract in my hand. “Here you go.”

“Where did this come from?” I asked, my eyes skimming over the document.

“Look it over. I think it will help you make the right decision.”

I scanned it quickly, noticing a very large sum of money written on it. “Are those numbers real?”

“Very real.”

“But this is a lot of money. Are you sure this is right?” I asked, squinting my eyes at the figure. “That’s a lot of money. Too much money and for what?”

Coach Lawson sat down on the ledge by the window. “That’s only the beginning. Don’t forget, you’ll get all the additional perks. Hell, if you wanted an apartment, I’m pretty sure they’d buy one for you. Where do you live, by the way?”

I bit my lip, refusing to answer the question.

“You live with him? That’s not good. I guess, you should ask for an apartment then.”

Was
this for real? They would buy me an apartment if I left Beck? This was all so surreal.

“I’ll get out of your way so you can think. I don’t want to tell you what to do, but if it were me and I had a child to think about, I’d lean toward the guaranteed money, not the unpredictable hothead with the inflated ego and a bum leg. Some injuries are harder to recover from. I’ve seen many players lose everything due to an injury.” He walked out of the room after making his ominous statement.

I thought I might be sick. None of this made any sense.
Why was I such a hot commodity all of a sudden? What could I bring to the table?

After a few minutes, I folded the contract and shoved it into my purse. I walked past the receptionist and Cole’s office without bothering to glance in their direction. They weren’t going to bully me into doing anything. I was not their property. I was in charge of my life. My love life was my business, not theirs.

When I stepped outside, Frank was waiting where he said he would be. He jumped out of the car and opened the door for me. “How did your meeting go, Miss Johnson?”

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him with tears in my eyes. “I need help.”

He took my arm. “I’m here to help. Let’s get you into the car so we can talk.”

“Yes, please,” I agreed.

I waited until we were a couple of miles from the clubhouse before I told him about the contract I’d been offered. He didn’t interject or offer words of advice. He listened and waited for me to stop rambling and raging at the injustice of it all.

“What am I going to do?” I asked when I finished telling him everything.

He swallowed hard. “You’re going to do what feels right for you and your child. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you that Beck is a good man. He wants to do right by you and the baby. But no one would fault you for whatever decision you make.”

That wasn’t helpful at all. In fact, that made my decision so much harder.

My heart sat at the bottom of my stomach as we made the drive back to Beck’s house. He was asleep when I slipped out of bed this morning, so I didn’t have to explain where I was off to when I left, but now, it was mid-morning and chances were, he’d be awake when I got home.

“I’ll get the door for you, Miss Johnson,” Frank said, noticing my reluctance to get out. “Why don’t you go inside and enjoy the day with Mr. Alexander. Your decision will wait a few hours. Spend some time mulling it over.”

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises. How did things get this bad?”

I hadn’t directed the question at him, but he answered me as if I had. “Life does what it’s supposed to do. There is no reward without a little bit of risk. The question is, what are you willing to risk to get your reward?”

That was it; I had no idea. It’s like I’d forgotten what mattered to me. Somehow I’d lost myself along the way and I had no idea how to get myself back.