Page 11 of Vegas Baby

“What can I say, I’m an ass man, and that skirt hugged your ass.” He shrugged while flashing her a charming smile.

Don’t you dare blush. She clenched her thighs and resisted the urge to fidget. Yes, Howler was attractive, but he was also a player. Soon to be her ex-husband. A man just like her father, the last type of man she’d ever pictured herself marrying. “Okay, we met in the coffee shop and then…” she tapped the pen against her lips. “Then we met again in the board room?”

“We sat on opposite sides of the table playing hardball. I have to say you had guts to come in with a lowball offer.” He played his thumb over the leather of the steering wheel.

“What I initially offered was more than generous for a player on the injured list. Miller was furious with me but my faith in Sam paid off. Big time.” She’d done it out of guilt over her treatment of Sam and her faith in his recovery. By the end of the season, he took the Pioneers to another Super Bowl win and she’d never let Miller forget it. Petty, yes but she’d made a powerful point, she was nobody’s fool, most especially her father’s.

“The Pioneers picking up his option was the smartest thing you could have done. It’s our selling point to Patel. The chance to take the team to greatness and he can’t if he doesn’t have good representation.”

“I don’t know if I’ve apologized for all this. But if not, I am now. I’m sorry. This was my fault.” She plucked at the material of her dress, her chest heavy, the pressure behind her eyes threatening tears. She wanted to say more, to explain, but what could she say? She’d made a mistake. A costly mistake. The sleeping pill lowered her inhibitions and the proof of her rashness encircled her finger. While she’d been playing games with Howler’s life, Veer and Anaya conned them both. Well played on their part. Despicable on hers. She owed him this weekend and she’d swallow her pride to make restitution.

Howler reached across and clasped her hand, strong fingers offering a comforting squeeze. “We can’t undo the past forty-eight hours. Let’s get through this weekend.”

She nodded and cleared her throat. “Agreed.”

Chapter Five

Howler pulled into the two-lane highway leading to the private resort. Her apology came out of left field and despite his better judgement, he softened more toward her. This was about business and the less emotion in business the better, except they had to play a part and play it well. It had been a week since he’d been out with a woman other than Raina and it’d be a lot longer with this whole Veer affair. Only a few days and he already felt trapped. He dropped her hand and scanned the empty road ahead.

“We still need to get our story straight. How about we begin with birth dates and family history? What are your parent’s names?” Raina said.

“My birthday is August thirteenth. My mother died when I was a kid and my father is dead to…” he cut off the statement, telling only a partial truth but it was all she needed to know. He flipped on the blinker and returned to the right lane, using the action to formulate what exactly he wanted to share with her. His past brought up old rage. He’d been angry enough during his youth for a lifetime and he’d channeled the rage into work. “I was raised by my grandparents along with five foster kids.”

“They foster kids? Fantastic. If I remember correctly, Sam said you were friends since youth football league and attended the same college.”

“We met on a pee-wee baseball team but we didn’t become friends until football. And yes, we went to the same college.” Offers for Sam had rolled in from the professional teams but Howler hadn't been as fortunate. He was an awful student and without Sam’s help, he would have lost his scholarship. However, he’d managed to negotiate himself onto the Pioneers and then discovered he was better at being a talent agent than a running back.

“How many people do you have signed with you right now?” she asked, genuine interest in her smile.

“Right now, I have one hundred and seventy-three not counting Veer. Small compared to some but it takes time to build a reputation.” The first athlete to sign with his agency, Sam became a partner last year when Howler expanded his business to other sports besides football. On paper, he was a success but no matter how hard he worked, it never seemed like enough.

“Where was our first date at?”

“Dinner at Vicenzo’s. I ordered the Truffle Mac & Cheese and you ordered a Caesar salad.” His friend Ivy owned the restaurant and she’d make the recipe especially for him. If he wasn’t attending an industry party with his date. Most of his social interactions revolved around his work and having a woman on his arm made the events more palatable.

“Why do I have to eat the salad?” she complained.

“Because every woman I take out to dinner always orders the salad and never eats it. Why is that?” It was one of those little dating rituals that always perplexed him. Normally, he wouldn’t dare ask but nothing about his situation with Raina was normal. Nor did he feel hampered in asking. He was well aware of her opinion of him and had no need to impress her. Except a small part of him wanted to and for no other reason than pride.

“Bloating. No woman wants to be bloated on a date. Ironic since lettuce is full of water, but I digress. Once we’re home, it’s no holds barred ice cream and chips. Well, I used to. Being busy at work takes a lot of my time. A night out for me is a movie and dinner with Trent.”

She had a boyfriend? Why hadn’t she told him? A sharp thump hit the bottom of the car. The steering wheel jerked under his hand, and the car began to fishtail into the oncoming lane.

Raina released a low-pitched screech, one that rivaled the tires on the pavement. Howler corrected the car by letting up on the gas and playing his foot over the brake. Down shifting, he managed to slow them to a full stop. “I think we have a flat tire.”

“You think lead-foot Larry? There’s a speed limit for a reason.” She twisted in her seat, eyes snapping fire. “You almost ran us off the road and into a ditch.”

He slammed the car into first gear and cut the engine, glaring back. “But I didn’t, did I?” The car’s performance exceeded his expectation, despite the flat. He climbed out of the car and the stifling heat hit him in the face. It stole his breath, giving him an instant headache. There was a reason he lived in Seattle where it was moderate most of the year. He’d take the rain over the heat any day. Sighing, he inspected the flat back tire where a big chunk of rubber was missing, the tire ruined beyond repair. Cursing a litany of every profanity in his vocabulary, he slid back into the car. Great, just great.

Raina held his phone out the window.

Panic sent his heart to racing. His phone was his lifeline, and he’d be lost without it. Howler wanted to snatch it out of her fingers but forced himself to calm down. If he got this worked up over another person touching his phone, perhaps it was time to reevaluate this dependence on the device. “What are you doing?”

She moved it to a different angle, frowned and settled back into her seat. “I don’t have any bars. I was hoping your phone might have reception. Otherwise, we’re screwed.”

Holding out his palm, he waited for her to return his phone. He curled his fingers around the device and popped the lever on the trunk. “Why would we be screwed? I can change the tire.”

Her bark of incredulous laughter followed his comment, grating on his nerves.

---