Page 18 of Snowbody

Jacob

Why was my phone ringing so early?

I opened my eyes and rolled over, grabbing it from the nightstand.

Maddy was gone.

I blinked at the screen, hoping to find her name there.

No. Mark.

Shit.

I answered the call. “Hello?”

“Care to tell me why Maddy was walking back from your cabin at six AM?”

Shit.

“She came to talk to me about some marketing stuff and fell asleep. Nothing happened, Mr. Sutton. Promise. I left her on the couch and slept in my bed.”

He grunted. It sounded like he didn’t believe me. “I just had a talk with her. Why are you telling her you don’t like being the face of the resort?”

Dammit, I was screwed.

“I… well, I don’t. It’s… it’s not what I thought I was signing on for. I just want to teach lessons. Not advertise.”

“Look. I don’t give a shit if you like it or not, Jacob. Don’t forget who owes who in this situation, got it?”

I shut my eyes. “Look, you’ve made your money back. Multiple times over. I don’t understand why we can’t just let the past go, Mark.”

“Because I made you. I was the first person to invest in you and until I feel I’ve made back what I should, you’re mine. Do you understand that?”

“You don’t own me, Mark. I work for you. Big difference.”

“Shut up. You do what I say, when I say it. You get your ass out there today, shake hands, pose for pictures, whatever it takes to make people happy, so they post good shit on Facebook. Do you understand?”

“What if I say no?” I rubbed my forehead. It was too early for this kind of conversation.

“Then I tell everyone about what happened. How you took money you shouldn’t have. See how the Olympic committee likes knowing that one of their medalists took money from an unapproved source.”

I shut my eyes. “You know… you’ve got a lot more to lose here than I do. If people really want to come here for me, shouldn’t you treat me better?”

There was a long pause. Mark made a sound almost like a snarl. “Get on the mountain or kiss your reputation goodbye.”

The line went dead.

I tossed my phone on the bed and leaned back, closing my eyes.

This couldn’t keep happening.

I had to get out from under Mark’s thumb.

Maybe it was time to spill my secret, too.

Chapter Ten

Maddy

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