Page 12 of Gross Misconduct

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And how are you so sure that Jeremy will go along with this?”

Clay smiled just a bit. “He has made a mess of my team, and if he wants to redeem himself and get back in my good graces, he’ll do what is necessary. And right now, it’s necessary for him to clean up his act. And you, my dear, will be the key to all that.”

Chapter Seven

Jeremy

“What is going on in there?” I asked, as I paced the hallway. More than ten minutes had passed since Clay had pulled down the shades, and not knowing what he and Jill were up to was driving me nuts. Dave had buggered off, deciding that this no longer involved him, but he’d reserved one dirty look for me as he’d walked away. Granted, I couldn’t blame him, but was he okay with Clay’s outrageous idea?

Taylor leaned against the wall, his face expressionless as usual. He’d crossed his arms over his chest and seemed deep in thought. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I imagine he’s offering her something astronomical to go through with this. Do you know anything about her? Is she the type of person to agree to this? And more importantly, is she someone we can trust?”

I stared at Taylor in shock. Was he okay with this too? I felt like I was having some kind of out out-of-body experience. Why was everyone losing it? “I know she’s Tangi’s friend. Tangi is Ethan’s fiancée. I met her once, and she was a nightmare. One of those chicks who hates the world and probablyhates all men. Can I trust her? I can trust her to be an ass to me.”

Taylor frowned before his face went back to being neutral. “And she’s not someone you think you can get along with?”

I stopped pacing. What was this shit about? The only reason I’d need to get along with her is if he actually thought this was a good idea. And had he not heard what I’d just said? If she wasn’t going to be nice to me, what was the point? “Are you suggesting that I consider this stupid idea?”

He looked up at me now, his eyes looking thoughtful. “I don’t love the idea, but right now, your reputation is in the shitter. We need to find a way to rehabilitate your image before it’s too late. Jill seems like a smart woman, and if she doesn’t have any baggage, she wouldn’t be a terrible choice. It just means you have to pretend for a few months. It’s not like Clay is asking you to move in with her. You simply have to make it believable. And right now, it makes sense for it to be her. She’s around the team, so if you’d met her around the rink, no one would think that’s out of the norm.” Taylor sighed as if weighed down by something. “I’ve been thinking about this since the news broke, and even if you and Orla deny this all day long, there is so much doubt there. The video is pretty damning. And if more comes out … This way, she moves on with her life in another city, and you move on with your life with Jill. At least until this has become a memory.”

I wanted to slam my fist into the wall. The thought of being tied to Jill, a woman who seemed to hate me, was almost too much. She obviously loathed me, as if I wasn’t good enough for her. How would I be able to put up with her in social situations? But then I thought of Tangi and Ethan. Maybe I could drag them along into this and make sure they were around all the time as a buffer. Maybe that would make it tolerable. I couldn’t believe I was even considering this.

“I need a day or two to think about it.”

“I’m sure Clay will give you that. Since we have a moment, there is something else I want to talk to you about. Given the situation, all your sponsorship deals are on hold. They are waiting to see how this plays out. If all goes well, they will resume the deals right away.”

“Shit,” I muttered. The sponsorship deals were nice, and I didn’t exactly rely on them, but it was a kick in the balls to potentially lose them.

“I thought I’d throw that out there as another consideration.”

A few more minutes went by, and finally, the blinds went back up, and Clay motioned for us to come back in. Why did I feel like I was about to be given a prison sentence? Jill was in the same spot, a satisfied look on her face that told me nothing. She either got her way, and we wouldn’t have to pretend to be a couple, or she got her way, and Clay had promised her the world to pretend to be my girlfriend.

She was about as warm as an Arctic glacier, and even though she was tall, gorgeous and all-around hot, her personality killed any twitch in my dick. If I decided to go along with this—and that was a big if—could I really pull it off? And what made me think she’d even agreed to it? It was clear to me that she liked me about as much as I liked her.

Clay focused his gaze on me with a beaming smile. Shit. Bad news. No way he would be this happy if Jill had thrown cold water on his idea. “Congratulations, Mr. Vaughn. Ms. Bowman has agreed to be your girlfriend for the season. You should consider yourself a lucky man. I imagine you’ll want to work out the specifics with her, and if you’re smart, you’ll let her handle all that. I think she’ll have this arrangement under control. Any questions?”

I was seething, but I had to keep myself in check. The lastthing I wanted Clay to know was how pissed off I was. “Don’t I have a say in this? Can’t I have some time to think about this?”

“I’m sure she’ll let you do that. Right, Ms. Bowman?” Clay said, glancing over at Jill.

She nodded in agreement.

I shook my head so hard I thought I put a kink in it. “No, about this whole thing! I would like to have some time to think about this.” Like I gave a shit about the arrangements.

Clay’s smile faded to a wretched frown. “Why, Mr. Vaughn? I thought you understood that your position is delicate. I also thought you understood how unfortunate your indiscretion was for me and for your teammates. Do you really want to keep disappointing all of us?”

Basically, he was telling me to take the deal or suffer the consequences. I took one quick look at Jill. She was staring back at me, her blue eyes wide in anticipation, and not because I thought she was at the edge of her seat. This was a game for her; I was going to be her bitch all season long—at least that’s what she thought. No fucking way was she going to make my life miserable. If we were going to do this, the playing field would be equal.

“Fine, but there will be conditions.”

“Conditions?” Jill asked. “Like what? If you’re expecting what I think you are, I’m not a hired escort or a prostitute.”

What?!

“I’m sure he didn’t mean that,” Taylor said. “Right?” He threw me a glance to clarify.

“No, of course not. I just meant that it can’t be one-sided.”

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