Page 13 of Playing with Temptation

He’d been wrong.

Kendra had walked away unscathed, while he was left brooding like a wounded animal, lashing out at everyone around him.

Nate finished his beer and tossed the bottle in the recycle bin before hopping into the shower.

This time he’d keep his hands and his heart to himself.

* * *

Kendra settled in behind the rickety old secondhand desk in her office, which doubled as the spare bedroom.

Marcus had already arranged for Nate to be a guest on a few of the smaller sports commentary shows on the major sports network.

She reviewed the list of media personalities she’d compiled. Kendra was confident that half of the people on the list would agree to their stipulations about topics Nate wouldn’t discuss. The other half were iffy, but the riskiest options offered the biggest return. She needed to see what Marcus thought of those. She dialed his cell.

Marcus answered immediately. “I was just about to ask Kara to call you.”

“Why, what’s up?” Kendra stopped scrolling through the list. Something in his tone told her she wouldn’t like what he was about to say.

“Nate called everyone on the list.”

“Great. Will he be meeting with all of them?”

“Bud Flynn’s out of town. They’ll meet when he gets back, but he accepted his apology, for whatever that’s worth.”

“And the rest of the team?”

“Wade was cool. Everyone else was pretty pissed, as we expected. Two of the guys haven’t returned his calls.”

“Let me guess, Tyree Thomason and Dade Hendricks.” According to Nate, his relationships with the tight end and running back were strained even before the video was leaked.

“You’ve got it. Nate also arranged a sit-down with Lee Davis, the team’s personnel manager. The guy is definitely not a fan. He’s been trying to get the team to trade Nate since the upheaval Stephanie caused three years ago, but Bud Flynn won’t go for it.”

“Nate needs to be smart about what he says when he talks to these guys. It’s one thing to be contrite during a phone call. It’s another to keep it together in person. I hope he remembers everything we talked about.”

“He won’t have a choice. I’m sending you with him.” Marcus said the words so fast she nearly missed his meaning.

“Wait…what? We didn’t discuss me going.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to spring this on you at the last minute, but I’ve been thinking about it all day. It’s too risky to send Nate alone.”

“Then why don’t you go with him?”

“I would, but I have meetings scheduled with the networks and one of the team execs. I can’t miss them.”

Kendra groaned. “Fine. When is he leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, and again I’m sorry about this. I realize how inconvenient this is, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t so critical. Will your mom or Maya be able to watch Kai for a few days? If not, my mom or Alison would be happy to.”

“I’ll make arrangements. Just have Kara email me everything I need to know.”

“Great. Oh, and Kendra?”

“Yes?”

“Pack for a week. Just in case.”

Kendra ended the call and gritted her teeth. There was an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. She curled her fingers to her palms in response to the visceral memory of the electricity she felt when Nate’s fingers brushed her skin.

Sitting across the table from Nate during their first two meetings had been tough, but she’d found strength in the knowledge that their meetings would be brief. She could retreat, lick her wounds and summon her courage before it was time to do it again. Being confined on a small plane with Nate for hours would be difficult for both of them.

Kendra drew in a deep breath and picked up the phone. First, she called her mother to make arrangements for Kai. Anna Williams didn’t bother to hide how ecstatic she was that Kendra would be spending the next few days on the road alone with Nate. She gladly agreed to care for Kai.

After messaging her sister to let her know about her trip, she dragged her luggage out of the closet and packed.

---