Page 41 of Girl Going Nowhere

Rafael

Tugging at thecollar of my button-up, that’s a little too tight thanks to the silver tie underneath, I reposition on the chair and feel the narrowed glare of the woman beside me. “Stop fidgeting,” Vanessa hisses under her breath.

Her smile reappears as she daintily shakes hands with an elderly man who spent most of the dinner staring at her tits while she talked business. If she cared about being ogled, she didn’t let on as she negotiated a bigger number on my contract.

“My tie is choking me,” I mumble back, forcing my hands to remain by my sides. “I look like a damn fool in this getup.”

Vanessa slowly turns to me with a no-nonsense smile, one of her hands drifting to my thigh under the table. “If you want to play with the big boys, you need to present yourself in a certain way. I got you an additional quarter of a million dollars because these men like what they see. Be grateful.”

I’m sure they like my stats a hell of a lot more than the suit she made me spend an arm and a leg on.

“The owners like winning,” I reply, rolling my shoulders back. “And I’m damn good at that. That’s why they decided to take me on.”

She hums, glancing around the room where the men we’ve been schmoozing with are talking amongst themselves with tumblers of expensive liquor in their hands. “You’re also damn good at charming people, just like I am. How’s that going anyway?”

I pick up my scotch and swirl the amber liquid. “I told you I’m not fishing for more information, Van. The circumstances with my brother are tense enough, I don’t need to go after his roommate more than I already have.”

She scoffs, finishing off her wine. “Oh, please. People have done far worse than seduce a pretty girl for information. It’s innocent.”

Dante has barely spoken to me since I pressed him to talk to me about what’s been going on in his life, so I’ve been treading lightly around him. “I still don’t think releasing a story is a good idea. What if it comes back on us as the leak?”

The mischievous grin spreads her red lips as she inches her hand up my leg. “Nothing is kept secret forever, Rafael. Let that be a lesson to you before you knock up a random girl and pay her off to keep quiet about it.”

I don’t know Blake well, but I respect that she hasn’t gone after him for more money. If she did, she wouldn’t be living with three men or driving the piece of shit car that only works half the time and makes her rely on public transit to get around. If circumstances were different, I’d still pursue her because she’s nothing like other girls.

Gently moving her hand away from where it’s sliding to my dick, I say, “Even if everything came to light, it’s not going to get a reaction from Dover. He paid her off because he doesn’t give a shit about Blake or the kid.”

“On the contrary,” my agent counters. “He cares so much about his squeaky-clean reputation that he made sure she wouldn’t be a problem.”

Shaking my head, I sip my drink and set it down on the table. “The last thing I need is for people to question why I made the team. I want the world to know I got a spot with the Phillies because of my stats, not because I blackmailed my way there, and they were desperate for better headlines.”

Humming, she scoots her chair out and turns to me with one of her fake smiles that she offers everybody. “You hired me to make you the biggest name in the MLB, so we do it my way. Remember who got you this far. You may be good, but you weren’t being scouted by anybody outside of the minors before you started sleeping with me.”

Teeth grinding, I watch as she stands, flattens her dress, and walks to the owner of the Phillies with a little extra swivel to her hips.

I guess Dante is right. The apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree because my father would have done this too, in a heartbeat.

*

Dante passes mea beer before sitting on the armchair with his drink. “You look like shit.”

Chuckling, I rub my sore neck. “Haven’t been sleeping well.”

He takes a swig of his beer. “How’s the apartment hunt going? You narrowed it down to two last time we talked.”

“Vanessa is helping me get the two-bedroom right outside of Philadelphia.” Popping the cap off the beer, I take a sip and stretch my legs out. “I really appreciate you letting me crash here until I get my shit together. I met with everybody today, so the new gig is feeling more official.”

The seven-figure number printed on the papers still makes me wonder how the hell I got here, where I always dreamed of being one day. Vanessa may have gotten me the extra money with her scheming, but I know all my hard work over the years is the ultimate reason I was able to sign on the dotted line.

“It’s no problem,” he answers, watching the Doritos commercial on TV. “I’m glad we got the pullout. Before Blake moved in, her room was where guests used to sleep.”

He couldn’t have offered me a better opportunity to ask about her. “What’s the deal with Blake, anyway? Obviously, her daughter’s father isn’t in the picture, so where is he?”

Dante shakes his head. “I don’t know why you want to know, but it’s not worth asking. What happened the other night needs to be a one-time thing, especially with everything you’ve got going on. Trust me.”

My brows pinch, and I can’t help but move my focus from the television screen to his direction. I didn’t peg him as the protective type, especially of someone as strong-willed as Blake. She doesn’t need anybody to look out for her when it’s obvious she can do that just fine on her own.

“Is the father trouble or something?”

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