Going All the Way (Knights of Passion Book 1) (30 page)

He scanned further and saw his name.

Ms. Kendall is now a consultant with our very own Georgia Knights’ first baseman, Jason Friar. We all know his very public image issues, but it appears she’s up to her old tricks, traveling with the team, spending the nights in Friar’s room, even acting as his date. So the question is – is Stacia Kendall an image consultant or a high-paid escort? Or is that just fringe benefits?

Jason sat back in his chair and stared at the slider to his deck, no longer seeing the sun shining so brilliantly. Sonofabitch. She’d played him. She was no different than any of the other women in his life. Trading sex for his compliance. He should have known it was too good to be true.

He heard a noise in the hallway and Stacia appeared, wearing his bathrobe and yawning. She smiled when she saw him and leaned down to hug him. He jumped up and stepped out of the way. Ignoring the hurt and confusion in her eyes, he tossed the paper onto the table.

“So, which are you? Image consultant or call girl?”

“What?” She glanced at the article and paled. She snatched it up and scanned quickly. “That bitch! The representative was done with her. She was sleeping with his campaign manager, whom he also fired. Yes, I encouraged it, but I never slept with the man.” She stared up at Jason, a pleading look in her eyes. “You have to believe me!”

He stared at her, her words falling off of the rock wall around his heart that he hadn’t realized he had dropped until that moment. He rebuilt it in an instant, shutting her out and sealing himself away. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his forearm.

“Jason. I never slept with him.”

“So, what was this picture? It sure looks like you’re awfully cozy with the man.”

“Please,” she said, dismissing the picture. “That was my job, to keep his image clean. He had a tendency to wander and I was asked to try to keep him on the straight and narrow. I told them to watch out for jilted lovers, but he couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

“Interesting job, sleeping with your clients. Is that part of the package or is it a special service you provide at no extra cost?”

His words bit hard, as intended, and she flinched as if it had been a real dagger to her heart. “I never sleep with clients. I never slept with Glazier.”

He glanced up and down at her as she stood there his bathrobe and nothing else, then at the picture. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. This had nothing to do with my job and everything about you and me.” She stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. He flinched as if burned and she dropped her hand.

He stared down at her, his face chiseled from stone, her tears and pleading falling on deaf ears. “We’re done. My image is probably ruined now thanks to you.”

“I saved your image.” Her voice was small, weak, deflated.

“And you destroyed it in one fell swoop. Even I couldn’t do the job as well. I’m going for a walk. Don’t be here when I get back.”

He steeled his resolve and walked out of the condo as Stacia crumbled into tears.

A
loud pounding
on the condo door roused Stacia from her funk. She glanced out her bedroom window and saw a red mini Cooper in the driveway. Sophie. She should have known. Sophie had been calling and texting for the past several days, getting increasingly demanding and urgent. Then silence. When she heard nothing from Sophie was when she was most dangerous.

Stacia debated about ignoring the door but then she heard the jiggling of the handle and the door opened. She went to the top of the stairs. “No one’s home. Please leave a message after the beep. Beep.”

Sophie brushed her hair out of her face, while balancing a beverage tray and bag in the other hand. She looked up the stairs. “Bullshit. Haul your butt down here or I’ll drag your ass down.” She tossed her purse and keys on the hallway table, the clattering of keys echoing up the stairs, reminding Stacia how empty everything seemed now.

She went back into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Reflected in the mirror was a pale, drawn face, dark circles under her eyes, and lanky unwashed auburn hair. She ran a hand over her hair, then finger-combed it into a ponytail. She debated putting on lipstick and makeup, and resisted the lifelong urge to always dress and appear perfect. Screw it. Her life wasn’t perfect and neither was she, not anymore. Sophie could take it anyway. Stacia had comforted her friend through many break-ups in her life.

“Are you coming down or am I coming up for you? I have Bavarian cream and a vanilla chai.”

“Beast,” Stacia said, walking down the stairs with as much dignity as she could muster.

Sophie stood at the bottom, her shock reflected in her face. She opened her mouth a couple of times, then muttered, “Shit. I knew I should have brought the Southern Comfort.”

“Southern Comfort got me into this mess. It certainly won’t get me out of it.” Her heart twisted at the memory of that first night, that perfect night before it had all gone to hell.

“But you won’t care so much.”

“Maybe not, at least not until I have the hangover and the heartache.”

Sophie shoved the chai into her hand and led the way into the kitchen. She all but heaved Stacia onto a bar stool and waved a Bavarian cream donut under her nose. “Eat this. Looks like you need it.”

Stacia glanced at her once favorite comfort food, but the thought of eating it only churned her stomach. She pushed it away. “No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

Sophie pushed it back. “Eat it or I’ll shove it down your throat. When was the last time you ate anything?”

She shrugged and glanced at the clock. “I don’t know. What day is it?”

“Unbelievable. You always said no guy is worth this moping. Is Jason Friar really worth it? After believing that news story? Screw him.”

Stacia’s shoulders slumped. “Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.”

“Okay, so he’s an ass who doesn’t deserve you moping around here for him. You did everything for him, all but turned him into a media darling and the baseball comeback player of the year. This is how he repays you?” Sophie was really getting her mad on, anger raging through every word.

“It’s the job, Sophie. We fix them, then move on. That’s the drill.”

Sophie grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “So, what happened?”

Stacia glanced up through watery eyes. “You know what happened.”

Her friend shook her head. “You need to say it.”

Stacia yanked her hand out, the sympathy almost more than she could bear. “Exactly what you warned me against. I fell in love, okay? I fell in love with Jason Friar. I got confused between the job and reality. I was a fool.” A stupid, blind fool.

Sophie walked around the breakfast bar and gathered her friend in her arms. “You didn’t screw up, honey. He screwed up by letting you go. He’s the fool, not you.”

Stacia allowed herself a few moments to grieve, but the comfort was not the same. All she felt was the way Jason had held her after her father’s phone call, the way he wiped her tears, then the way he stood up for her and made love so sweetly to her. “It was real, Sophie. He really did love me.”

“How could he not? You did everything for him.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. He never wanted me to do anything for him; he loved me despite some of that.” And she lost it, destroyed by the media. She, the image consultant who was supposed to know how to handle the media. Hoisted by her own arrogance.

Sophie sat on the stool. “So, what happened? Was it the article?”

Stacia paced, tears drying. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. He kept ranting about betraying him.” She continued to pace, sipping the chai. Then she stopped, snapping her fingers. “Of course! How stupid could I be? He thought I was using him.”

Sophie’s eyebrow furrowed. “I don’t understand. Why would you use him? What would you have to gain?”

She seized Sophie’s arms, shaking her. “You see, the article said I used my clients. Jason’s been used his entire life, so-called friends, groupies, even his old coach, and his dad. He thought I was using him like everyone else. He doesn’t know how I feel!”

“How do you feel?”

She stared at her friend. “How can you ask that?”

“You never said. Did you ever tell him?”

“I love him. No matter what.” She truly did. Instead of fresh pain, hope sprang in her. She loved him. She could overcome this. Everyone knew love trumped everything else.

Sophie smiled. “It’s about damn time. Now, what are you going to do?”

“I have to see him.” She glanced around the room looking for her purse and keys. Sophie grabbed her arm and pointed her in front of the mirror. “Not like that, you don’t. You’ll scare the hell out of him. Go take a shower and clean yourself up. The team is playing their one-game playoff today.” She held up two tickets. “The team sent these for you. Get going!”

Stacia hugged her friend then darted up the stairs to get ready. She had a man to win back.

*

Jason sat on
the stool in front of his locker, head hanging. He tried to review the game in his mind—the pitcher, the hitters, the pitching plan. But all he could think about was Stacia, what she had done, where she was, how she had hurt him. In the past week, he had been sleepwalking through the season, playing as lethargic and uninspired and unfocused as he had accused the team of just a month prior. All the fun, the joy had gone out of the game.

He had found himself searching the stands for an auburn-haired siren, driving up to the condo hoping to see lights on, looking over his shoulder when giving interviews, expecting her to be coaching him. Instead, he was alone and all of the joy had leached out of the world when she had left. Correction, after he had driven her away. He had even stopped hanging with the guys, preferring to go home and drink his beer in solitude. But even in his condo, her touches were everywhere—from the food in the kitchen, to the arrangement of the furniture, to her perfume in his sheets. He had taken to sleeping on the couch with a blanket on it to mask her scent so he could grab a few short hours of fitful rest.

It was all taking its toll on him. His hitting was virtually non-existent. He was sleepwalking down to first. And he was a hair late on catching balls. He’d lost his good luck charm and everything was falling to shit.

But worse of all, the team was suffering and he couldn’t seem to pull his head out of his ass long enough to help. They were leaderless, unfocused, and the kids tried, but Cody was not enough to keep the team moving forward. As a result, the Knights were in a one-game playoff.

Win or go home.

And the way they were playing, they would be home before the day ended.

Two legs appeared in front of him, a shadow blocking the fluorescent lights of the locker room. Cody Patterson stood there in his uniform pants and a crude t-shirt. Great. Now the kid was even getting in on the action, telling him to get his head out of his ass.

He jerked his head to the underground batting cage and headed down the hallway, expecting Jason to follow. A perverse part of him wanted to ignore the kid, but he was too tired to fight it. He slowly stood and trudged the long mile across the locker room, the sympathetic eyes of his teammates following his every leaden step.

Cody closed the door to the room and blocked the door. “Jason, man, you’re killing us out there. We need you.”

“No shit. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Cody got right in his face and the sympathy in his eyes made Jason look away. “Look, I know your girlfriend screwed you and the situation sucks. Fine, your life sucks. Join the club. But today, this is
the
game, the one we need to win to get to the playoffs. And we can’t win without you. Now, I’ve given you your space and even tried to get Stacia to come and talk—”

Jason’s head whipped up. “You did what? No way. I don’t ever want to talk to her again.”

“That’s what she said. Fine. Whatever. I don’t give a rat’s ass about her and your situation. Believe what you want about her, about everything. I don’t care. I need your head in the game and your bat and glove on the field. Isn’t that what you taught us? You woke us up and had our backs when we didn’t know we needed it. Now we’ve got yours. We’re a team and we need you. Can you pull your head out of your ass and deal with that, then deal with Stacia later?”

He was right. The goddamn kid was right. He’d let everyone down all because some woman screwed with his mind. It was time to move on. And the kid had called him on that. He wouldn’t have done that a month ago. Jason had had some effect on the team.

He straightened and look Cody in the eye. “What the hell are you doing down here? We got a game to win!”

Cody grinned and whooped, slapping him on the back. They emerged from the cage and twenty-six pairs of eyes met them, expectation and hope shining in each one.

Jason got into the center of the room, Cody a few steps behind him. “Okay, guys. I’ve let you all down and I’m sorry.”

“Shit happens, man.”

“No sweat.”

He waved off the platitudes. “No excuses for my behavior. It was stupid and childish. It’s time to get serious and give these Tigers the ass-whipping they deserve. We
own
this league. We’re just toying with them until we destroy them. So, let’s get our asses out there and take them down! We have a Series to win!”