Page 44 of Match Point

“I know, right? I have everything and I’m feeling sorry for myself.” Because I miss Leo. At Grams, they’d be in the living room, her watching TV, him on his computer. But he was at home and she was here.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Trent asked, scrolling through the applications.

She studied his profile, unsure whether to be honest, but she needed a friend, and what she was about to disclose she couldn’t tell Tucker. “I think I have feelings for Leo.”

Trent snapped his head back, finger poised on the tablet screen. “You naughty girl.”

She fought the blush at his wry grin and shifted in her seat. Vegas Baby jumped onto the couch, his large body pushing hers back into the cushion.

“Oh no you don’t, you mangy mongrel. The adults are talking,” Trent said, pulling at the dog’s collar until he jumped down. He ruined the chastisement by massaging the dog’s spine. “You have feelings as in your lady parts are all a tingle, or feelings feelings?”

“Both. I, well, I kind of seduced him in my dressing room at Seattle Today and now I can’t stop thinking about him.” She fiddled with the edge of the blanket, the warmth in her chest spreading to her cheeks.

Trent laid the tablet down on his thigh and relaxed his elbow on the back of the sofa. “You seduced him, and I’m going to guess he didn’t put up much of a fight.”

“No, he didn’t, and that’s the crux of it. After we left, it was awkward, not in an I regret it way but, well, it’s hard to explain the shift between us. I mean, he flirted with me at dinner, but this morning it was all business. Since I’ve gotten to know him, he’s able to compartmentalize things, and I’m afraid I’m not very good at separating my emotions from business. It’s why I’ve had so much controversy in the past few years on the court.”

“Leo is the stereotypical strong, silent type. They’re hard to read sometimes. Have you tried talking to him?”

“I’m not sure I want to tell him. He works for me. The last time I had an affair with my bodyguard, it was a fiasco.”

“Was that the hunky blond in the picture that you were fighting with in the grocery store parking lot?”

The story had been the front page of the rag-mags for months. “He fell in love with me and even asked me to marry him. Ironically, two months later, my assistant married him. They have two kids.” Kids that could have been hers. Nonsense. She didn’t have stronger feelings than lust for the man. He’d been a convenient source of physical release and she’d used him. “It’s scary how much you know about me. Should I be worried?” she teased.

“I told you, I’m a super fan. Your story is safe with me. I’m good at keeping secrets.” He offered a sad smile. “I was married for six years and living a lie, but then, you already knew that.”

“Yes, I did.”

He was holding back more but she didn’t press.

“What are you up to tonight? Any cage dancing or making out with cute guys?” she asked.

“Nope” he shook his head and scratched at his chin. “Not tonight or any night in the foreseeable future. I’m burned out on men and need a change of scenery.”

“You’re welcome to hang out with me. I’m not doing much, mind you.” She plucked at her comfy sweatpants. “I’ve been forbidden from cage dancing myself. Although I did enjoy the outcome last time.”

“You were all over the internet, not to mention your kiss with Leo. I should have known you’d fuck him. That kiss was hot.” He waved a hand over his face and looked up at the ceiling.

The flush returned and she laughed. “It was hot.”

“It’s always the silent ones who pack the most punch. Sometimes it’s a sucker punch right here.” He pointed to his chest, a raw edge to his voice.

“It’s the quarterback, the one that showed up at the bar, isn’t it? I saw the way you looked at him. Did you break up?”

“You can’t break up with someone you never had a relationship with. He’s made his decision to stay in the closet and I have to honor it. I don’t have to like it, but I will honor it.” He didn’t look happy about it.

“I’m afraid I have to agree. It’s best if I let what happened between Leo and me fade into the past. I don’t have to like it, but I need to accept it. Like I have to accept some stranger as my assistant, and a bodyguard I wish I didn’t need,” she said with a wry smile.

He tapped the screen and an image popped up of a baby-faced woman who looked like she was twelve. “Bodyguard or assistant?” Trent asked, flashing her a teasing grin.

“Most definitely a bodyguard.”

He flicked to the next page, a man about her age. “He looks mean.”

“He’s even scarier in person.” The man was big, stoic, and oozed testosterone. Perfect for a bodyguard. “He fit the criteria, so he’s my bodyguard.”

“Good pick then.” Trent tapped on a picture. “I know her.”

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