Page 39 of Playing By His Rules

“I’m Mac’s wife, Stephanie,” the gorgeous blonde said, then indicated the equally stunning brunette next to her. “And this is Dean’s wife, Jillian. We’re very . . . well, shall we say . . . excited to meet you.”

Madison couldn’t stop the confused frown that furrowed her brows. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “You are?”

Jillian laughed, the sound light and friendly as she took Madison’s hand in hers. “Oh, my God, yes. When the guys told us what happened with Rick and that asshole who attacked you, and they were heading to Vegas to straighten everything out, we insisted on coming with them to meet the woman who Rick nearly killed a man over.”

“That’s a bit overly dramatic,” Rick said, butting into the conversation. “I didn’t nearly kill him . . . but I fucking wanted to.”

Stephanie tossed a knowing look over her shoulder. “You defended Madison’s honor, and that’shuge, which tells us she’s not just some random woman to you.”

Rick’s gaze shifted to Madison’s, and he smiled affectionately, making her heart flutter much too wildly in her chest. “No, she’s not.”

Madison’s breath caught, but before she could process his meaning, Stephanie and Jillian exchanged a conspiratorial look, both of their eyes bright and perceptive.

“Alrighty then,” Jillian said, amused. “That was easy enough for him to admit.”

The man named Mac strolled up to Madison, startling her as he placed his warm fingers beneath her chin and tipped her head back to inspect her face. “Did William do all this?” he asked, his own expression darkening with anger on her behalf. “The bruising on your face and neck?”

Obviously, she hadn’t used enough make-up to conceal the marks, so she didn’t deny the truth. “Yes.”

“Little fucker,” he said beneath his breath.

“I’m fine, really,” she assured him.

Dean moved closer, too. “Without even seeing what Rick did to William’s face, I’m going to have to say that he got what he deserved, and he should consider himself lucky that he was able to walk away at all.”

She anxiously worried on her bottom lip. “I’m . . . I’m really sorry about this.”

“Don’t worry,” Mac said, putting her at ease. “We’re going to get all this straightened out.”

“So, the three of us are going to do some strategizing before we meet with Charles,” Rick said, glancing at Madison with a warm smile. “Since you’ve been couped up in the hotel all day, why don’t you take Stephanie and Jillian down to the lounge and have a drink and get to know each other better?”

“I’d love that!” Stephanie said, and Jillian echoed her enthusiasm.

Knowing the men wanted privacy to discuss everything, Madison grabbed her purse and led the way down to the lounge. Once the three of them were seated in a quiet corner, with their drinks delivered, the two women made it their mission to learn everything they could about her, and Madison found them incredibly easy to talk to. The three of them hit it off, as if they were old friends instead of new acquaintances, and she appreciated the distraction from thinking about Rick, their meeting with the CEO to discuss William’s assault, and what kind of consequences they might be facing. Thinking about the entire incident still made her stomach churn.

Taking another drink of her cocktail, Madison glanced at Stephanie, ready to shift the focus of the conversation off herself. “Rick mentioned that you own Fantasy Bedrooms and Interior Designs. I love what you do. It’s so innovative and unique.”

“You know about my company?” Stephanie asked, blinking at her in surprise.

Madison nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve seen photos of your bedroom designs online and in lifestyle magazines. I’ve worked in the interior design business for a while now, so I’m always researching the industry and what’s hot. I’d love to have that kind of creative freedom, but the companies I’ve worked for seem to stick with more traditional, moderate concepts.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes at that. “There’s certainly no fun in being conservative when you can be so much more creative with an open mind and an eye for the more exotic and unconventional.”

Jillian tipped her head and eyed Madison curiously. “Do you happen to have a portfolio of your work?”

Thinking that they were just bonding over a shared passion, Madison nodded. “I do, actually.” She pulled up the folder of photos that were on her phone—the ones she’d included with the resumes she’d sent out—and handed the device to Jillian for her to see.

The two women huddled together as they scrolled through the pictures, then they exchanged one of those conspiratorial looks between friends where you knew what the other was thinking without them saying a word—though Madison was completely out the loop. Stephanie gave Jillian an imperceptible nod, then handed Madison her phone back before she opened her purse to retrieve something.

“So, this isn’t something I would normally do, but Jillian and I really like you,” she said, smiling warmly as she continued to rummage around in her big, designer bag. “We definitely see the potential in your work, and the fact that you’re passionate about the kind of designs that we do is exciting to us, especially with the business growing and expanding.”

She pulled a business card from a slim case and handed it across the table to Madison. “So, that said, if you ever find yourself in the San Diego area and need a job, just know that we’d offer you one in a heartbeat.”

Madison stared at the professionally embossed business card. “Oh, wow. Thank you.” The initial shock of excitement she felt was quickly doused by the reality of her own situation—and the fact that she wasn’t going to up and move to San Diego anytime soon. Not when she had her sister to consider, as well.

She lifted her gaze back to Stephanie and Jillian. “I really appreciate that, but I just got a preliminary offer from a design company here in Vegas.”

Stephanie shrugged and smiled. “No pressure. Just know if you ever change your mind, it’s an open invitation. We’d love to have you as a part of our design team.”

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