Page 70 of The Wedding Deal
Fortunately her suitcase sat in the mix. She grabbed hold of the handle and rolled it toward the bathroom. “I’m going to rinse the sand off my feet and change into something more comfortable. And thatisa pick-up line, in case you were wondering.”
He was turned away, so she couldn’t tell if it was one that’d landed.
Well, sex would help with the stress, too. First they could blow off some steam that way and then they’d talk, and she’d find other ways to keep his worries at bay.
Charlotte sighed as she kicked off her shoes. She walked over to the tub and began filling it with warm water. Then she opened her suitcase and found the very sheer nightie the girls had talked her into buying at the lingerie shop stop during the bachelorette party.
…
He was going to have to say something. He couldn’t have sex with her andthenask about her dad. Yes, she’d told him the guy was a gambler, but he needed to know if she’d purposely left out his name, along with the other exact details.
Even if he’d rather forget about it and get lost in her. He wanted to go back to before that asshole threw who her dad was in his face. Simms had stood there waiting, too, wanting to record his reaction.
I know her.Maybe he hadn’t known her for long, but he’d always considered himself a good judge of character.
Yeah, like with Sage. And your fullback. You did a great job putting your trust in them.
But Charlotte was different.
His phone buzzed, and he dug it out of his inside pocket.
Only it wasn’t his phone—he still had Charlotte’s cell and she’d just received a text. FromDad.
Only the beginning of the message showed:I hear you, but I just need to get a leg up…
Lance’s heart pounded hard in his chest. The thunder of it echoed through his head, so loud he was sure that Charlotte would be able to hear it, even through the closed door of the bathroom. That she’d sense he was dangerously close to crossing a line.
But wasn’t it his job to keep his company safe? To ensure he could give their new quarterback and coach everything he’d promised? There was so much money at play, and he couldn’t have anyone working for him whom he couldn’t fully trust.
He’d seen her enter her code. Had made that joke about how simple it was.
It’d be so simple to type it in real quick. To just take a peek.
Back and forth he debated.
It was a violation.
Then again, so was telling people outside the organization about the team’s plans, especially if it involved a man who would use the information to gamble. To cheat.
It almost seemed like someone else was in charge of his body as he punched in the code, telling himself he’d only look at that one text. Just to ensure he wasn’t making a mistake putting so much on the line by trusting Charlotte so fully. He could even understand helping out someone you loved, but he couldn’t stand for it, and he had to know.
Dad:I hear you, but I just need to get a leg up. Thanks for the tip.
What tip?Lance scrolled up, but the text above it didn’t go along with the conversation.
Dad:Give me a call. I need a check in.
Check in on who the Mustangs were talking to? On contract negotiations?
The next message down was from Shannon, and he tapped on it, too—he was already in, after all.
Charlotte:Guess what? Lance asked me to be his girlfriend! Eep!
Shannon:Nice catch! I mean he sort of breaks your football rules on EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, but he’s smoking hot and his net worth is through the roof.
Football rules? Did she usually only go for players? Of course now he was going to be making more than the players, so maybe that’s why she made an exception. Charlotte hadn’t struck him as a gold digger, but she’d mentioned how fancy the hotel was more than once. She’d also been working in the NFL long enough that she’d know how to play the innocent, struck girl.
She hadn’t responded to that text, either. Hadn’t said she didn’t care, or that wasn’t what was important to her.
