Page 12 of Here Be Dragons
Yes, OK. She could understand why he was still mad at her, but why was he making this so hard when she was trying to extend an olive branch?
"I'm just telling you to be there."
"No."
His voice was forceful and dark, and it made her think dirty thoughts about hearing that tone in his voice in one of their rooms later. But that wasn't why she was telling him to meet with her.
Ava looked around quickly and saw that the bar was pretty empty and there wasn't anyone around from the league -- lawyers or players. Then she turned back to the windows and held her glass close to her lips to hide her mouth from potentially prying eyes.
"We need to talk about the contract," she said quietly. "Bring Mark and a few players, but only those you trust."
He sighed behind her and she could see his shoulders slump as she watched his reflection in the glass.
"An hour?"
Shane's voice was lower now and more smooth, missing the bitter edge that it had a few moments earlier.
"An hour," she said. "Do you remember my room number?"
"I remember."
She heard him push his way out of the booth. As he walked by her, he didn't acknowledge her presence. But she saw him. He looked like a brooding hockey player who had a rough second period, walking back to his locker room to lick his wounds and figure out his next plan of attack.
He also looked like he had worn those thin athletic track pants to show off his ass and for that, at least, Ava was very grateful. She just hoped he would wear something else when they met in her hotel room later because those particular pants would be distracting.
* * *
Ava opened her hotel room door to see Jordan King, captain of her brother's Detroit Pirates, standing on the other side wearing a pair of track pants. Apparently, it was the default uniform for these hockey players. Without saying a word, she quietly ushered him in and closed the door behind her.
"So is there a reason for this whole cloak and dagger thing?" he asked.
"Cloak and dagger?"
Jordan rolled his eyes. "Shane sent me a text with a room number and a time and that was it. Now you're ushering me in as quickly as possible like you don't want anyone to see me here. Wait..." He gave her a confused look. "Who's room is this?"
"Mine."
"I'm going to have to be very careful with how I tell this story to Charlotte later."
Charlotte was Jordan's fiancee and a romance novelist. Ava had met her a few times before and liked her but wasn't sure what all of this had to do with a writer.
"Why would you tell Charlotte any of this?" she asked.
Jordan smiled. "Oh, this would be a perfect set up for one of her novels. You know, normal lawyer type sneaking around with a super-secret spy. Although that would mean Shane is a super-secret spy, and he doesn't seem the James Bond type."
Ava couldn't agree with that. Shane was definitely a bit of the James Bond type, or at least if the James Bond type was a super hot guy sleeping with the lawyer at his hotel. But Jordan didn't need to know that.
"So really, what's all this about, Foster?"
"I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you."
He gave her a teasing smile. "See? I told you. James Bond," he said. "Charlotte is going to love this!"
Ava rolled her eyes just as she heard another knock on the door. She looked through the peephole to find Shane standing on the other side with the players' main lawyer, Mark Nelson. Just as with Jordan, she quickly opened the door and let them in before anyone could see them.
Mark was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans while Shane was still wearing those track pants of his. Dammit. Ava was a professional, she could focus on the task at hand now, but so help her if she's alone with Shane in this room when she's done talking.
"Is this everyone?" she asked him.
