Page 23 of Offsides Attraction

Their explosive kiss had moved him, too, and she could exploit that. Who wouldn’t want more connections like that? They were attracted to each other, and she could use that. If she played her cards right, this would work. She’d conquer the challenge and her gifts would strengthen. She could do this, but he wanted nothing to do with her. Crap.

Chapter 11

Thanks for the info. Skimmed it. Interesting. What’s the breakdown by market size, sales, and genre?

Call me to discuss.

??

You took some hard hits on Sunday. Need proof of life. Your mother worries.

Bash groaned. He didn’t need his dad’s attempts at guilt on top of being mentally and physically exhausted. Sunday’s game had been brutal, and their next one was against the toughest defense in their division. But they had weaknesses, and Bash had spent a good portion of his day studying game tape to find and exploit them. Find the patterns and their weak links. He might take a pounding, but the Tetons also had an excellent chance to win.

Mom’s not the worrier he is, Bash thought as he hit the Call button.

“I’m alive. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.” Silence followed, and Bash stared at the ceiling. If his dad wanted to talk, he could talk. “Tough game to watch.”

“Tougher game to play.”

“Touché,” his dad chuckled, and Bash pictured him raising his arm in a mock salute.

“About my questions?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“You could have said that in the text,” Bash grumbled.

“And miss hearing your sweet dulcet tones? You can’t hide behind texts, Sebastian. When it comes to business, you need to pick up the phone and call.”

Bash rolled his eyes. “Well, since I have you on the phone, and talking is so much more efficient than texting, I have a few more questions. Grab a pen.”

Bash didn’t, or at least he hadn’t had more questions until now. After the kiss, he’d wanted nothing more to do with Penny the liar. He’d never had a kissing complaint before, unless he’d misunderstood her soft moans as she’d melted into him as complaints and not longing. That kiss had nearly knocked him on his ass, and he’d seen stars behind his eyes. For her to tell him it was bad was a lie.

He’d never felt more comfortable yet challenged around someone. He’d watched Penny with customers, so at ease and relaxed, wishing he could channel that. Bash thanked his lucky stars she’d opened that letter before he’d approached her with his original query that day—to tutor him. If she could bestow some of her people skills on him, it would be advantageous for him and lucrative for her. He didn’t know how much shopgirl made, but she’d have been stupid if she hadn’t jumped at the money he’d intended to wave at her.

He was done with her, except he wasn’t. Bash couldn’t turn his back on the informational goldmine of Get Lost.

His dad sighed as if greatly put out by acting as Bash’s secretary, but Bash knew he lived for the moments when he showed an interest in VV Pub. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Mom used to travel more. Going to book readings and reader events. Why did she stop?”

“I think you’d have to ask her that, but from a business standpoint, the marketing budget has been slashed for most authors and travel is a huge piece of that. It’s an easy place to cut that makes a big impact on the bottom line.”

“But what if that’s shortsighted? What if the best way to build readership is to connect with them? Go to the indie bookstores and meet readers. Sign books.”

“That would be a hard argument to make, and it might be a costly mistake.”

“What about a trial or test run?”

“When? And who would decide which authors to include?”

“Let fate decide. See if any of our authors have time between now and the holidays or just plan on the spring. Maybe focus on the authors in the Pacific Northwest, so we wouldn’t have to deal with air travel.”

“I like the initiative and the thought, Sebastian, but I don’t think it will work. You’re dealing with a bunch of introverts and little notice.”

“But mom enjoyed them.”

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