Page 101 of Second Down Fake

I nodded. "Yeah, sure thing."

He slanted his mouth over mine, his kiss insistent and firm. When he pulled away, I couldn't read his face and my stomach tumbled, waiting for bad news. I shook that thought away. "Get out of here. I'll see you tonight."

He backed away from the bedroom, eyes locked on mine until he left the room.

THIRTY-FOUR

CASSANDRA

I carried my bag down the stairs just as the doorbell rang. After spending too long lazing in bed, I’d finally rounded up my laundry at Diego’s house, waiting for James to show up.

“Just a minute!” I called, grabbing a sweater from the couch to pull over my tank top before I opened the door. “James, nice to see you again!”

He beamed, his teeth bright enough to expertly walk the line between real or veneers. “Always a pleasure, Cassie.”

“Do you want something to drink? Eat?”

“No, thank you. This won’t take long.” He surveyed the living room, eyes flitting over my suitcase placed by the door as he held up a manila envelope. “Would you like to talk here, or perhaps the dining room?”

He didn’t wait for my reply, striding into the dining room. He unlatched the envelope, laying out two stacks of familiar looking paperwork out and gesturing for me to sit. I took a seat, glancing down at my initials scribbled on the first page of the NDA I’d signed months ago.

James unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat opposite me. He pushed one stack of paperwork in my direction and placed the other in front of him, straightening the edges so the stack aligned. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am that this arrangement worked out the way it did. Truly. When I launched the idea to Diego, I wanted to bring in a third-party and when he proposed you for the position, I was…concerned.”

“Concerned?” I raised an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh.

“Becca has proven herself a pivotal part of Diego’s off-season training and success. I was reticent to challenge that relationship. And then I ran a background check on you before moving forward.”

“Didn’t like what you saw?” I asked, only half-teasing. Men like James liked known quantities. Reliability.

He shifted in his seat but looked at me straight on. “No. Just unconvinced that you’d fulfill the terms of the contract.”

“Afraid I’d take off?”

“A mid-season break up after the flurry of press Diego and you generated would have made the Zoey situation much messier. But clearly, my concerns were unfounded. You’ve really gone above and beyond to fulfill your end of this deal. I can’t thank you enough.” He took a deep breath before his demeanor changed, shoulders straightening and jaw set. “And now that the contract is complete, I’d like to close it out before the holidays.”

“Got big holiday plans?” I asked.

“Not at all.” He shook his head, refusing to drop his business facade he’d put in place for this conversation. “Now, I wanted to review the agreement you signed to make sure that you handle any future press in compliance with the contract, of course. And then you can ask questions. If I can’t answer them, I’m happy to schedule a future meeting with the legal firm that drew up the contract. And finally, we’ll settle the matter of remittance.”

“Remittance?” My eyes widened.

“Your salary.”

“Salary?” I echoed.

Not for the first time, I wished I’d read the contract. While admitting to Diego I hadn’t bothered didn’t bother me, James had a school marm-esque look of disappointment that made me feel like a naughty student.

And sorting through my memories of talking to Diego about the contract, I didn’t remember a salary. Just football tickets, free drinks, and swag rooms, though those had been in low supply.

“Yes.” He pushed aside the NDA, flipping pages on the second contract. “As we agreed on in the initial contract.”

“Diego paid for all my travel and expenses.” I spoke slowly, sticking to the facts as I knew them, which wasn’t much. Faking my way through homework I didn’t complete.

“Right,” James drew the word out, eyes ripped away from the paperwork and onto me. “Those were business expenses. You weren’t contractually obligated to attend away games, but he paid for any expenses incurred for the games or vacations you chose to attend, such as Las Vegas and Mississippi.”

My cheeks heated as he pointed out two trips I’d definitely place in the “pleasure” category of travel. Not business.

“And, per the agreement, you receive a lump sum at the end of the contract and the final payment one year after the end of the relationship,” he continued.

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