Page 25 of Fair Trade
An illicit thought flashes through my mind, leaving as quickly as it arrived, making me equal parts furious and aroused.
I think I just lost my first fight with my future wife.
eleven
I shouldn’t have donethat.
Doesn’t mean it didn’t feel good.
Especially while watching him try to avoid eye contact with me as he spoke to the front office staff.
Meanwhile I relaxed back in my chair, hands clasped over my stomach, looking like I didn’t have a care in the world.
It gave me a good vantage point. Allowed me to see how the women from other departments reacted to Nick, and it was clear that they were hanging on his every word.
I pushed down the stupid feelings of possessiveness that surged inside me. Because Nick was mine in the same way that yearly taxes were. Something you have to bear and play nicely with in order to not end up in prison.
But as I head into one of the smaller conference rooms, preparing to meet with my three assistant general managers and pitching coach Luke Weston, I start to feel my nerves creeping up.
Could I do this job on paper? Yes. In my sleep.
But stepping out and doing it now that the season has begun? It feels like a much different ball game.
Thank God Daisy has coordinated our schedules so we can have daily lunches and coffee breaks to help me release some of the tension I carry.
Walking down the hallways with a bunch of old, rich white men in suits will do that to a girl.
Lucky me, the person I’m meeting with now is nothing like that.
Luke arrives first, which is how I planned it, since I need to run something by him before the AGMs arrive. I probably should have allotted more time for this conversation, but I figured the element of surprise might work to my advantage.
It also gives me less time to chicken out.
The fact that Luke Weston has come out of hiding and is gracing the Monarchs with his presence is nothing short of a miracle.
He left his professional baseball career behind at the top of his game—after winning the World Series for his team.
The tragedy that followed shortly after was to blame, and I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if he decided to never walk back into the limelight.
Which is why I was shocked when Arthur told me that Weston had signed on to be our pitching coach. I have no idea how he managed that, but once I discovered he was on staff, I wanted to see if I could make my first big professional team shuffle of the season.
“Álvarez.” He nods as he takes the seat next to mine.
I’m here in a professional manner, but I’d be a bald-faced liar if I said that Luke Weston wasn’t an attractive man. At the height of his career, he looked more like a Hollywood movie star than a starting pitcher of the Texas Stars. But now, after years away, he’s taken on a new look.
His boy-next-door vibe has been switched out for wilderness hunk. I wouldn’t be surprised if his workout routine included splitting wood with an axe or carrying logs over his shoulder while he builds a cabin with his bare hands.
His glacial blue eyes have a way of pulling you in. And his unkempt beard and wavy brown hair keep you intrigued about the man behind the scruff.
But his obvious beauty truly does nothing for me. Seems like I’ve been cursed to be aroused solely by men who rule the underworld.
“Luke, I’ve told you to call me Luisa a million times.” I smile.
His lips twitch slightly. “Sorry, ma’am.”
I raise an unamused brow. “Oh, I’ll report you to HR if you ever call me ma’am again. I’m younger than you. That keeps me safely out of ma’am territory.”
He shakes his head, ignoring my banter. “Did I get the meeting time wrong?” He looks around the room, reminding me that it’s time to make him an offer I pray he won’t refuse.
