Page 84 of Broken Play
Greyson stands behind my desk, tense and furious, his fists clenched at his sides. His face is red with anger. "Who the fuck took these photos?" he snarls, and the anger in his voice only makes my heart pound harder. I want to dissolve, to disappear, but all I can do is clutch my phone and look up at him, feeling helpless—violated and brittle, like I might crumble if he touches me.
A tear slips down my face. "Why would someone do this to me or to you? I thought everyone liked us."
He surrounds me with his long arms, and for a moment I'm safe, but am I?
"Everyone loves you. Maybe someone loves you too much. You think Bodhi's behind this?"
"How would he have access to the locker room? Sure, he could have a private investigator following us outside of here, but a key is required for the locker room, and fewer than a dozen people have one. One of those people is me."
He pushes back and asks, "Was there anything else with the photos and the bracelet?"
I pull out a typed note, which reads:
The photos will be released if you don't meet the following conditions:
Bench the quarterback.
Break up with the quarterback.
Ten million dollars to this account.
You have three weeks, or the world will see the slut you are.
"Babe, there's only one thing to do. We go public ourselves. Now. I wo
I stand and walk to the window, staring down at the field, my body shaking. "No, we can't take the chance. Do you have ten million dollars... like, on hand?"
"Yeah, but I'm not giving it to some low-life pervert intruding on other people's privacy," he scoffs.
"We shouldn't have..."
"But we did. We thought we were alone."
I place my hand over my nose, then slowly drag it across my mouth, releasing a fearful exhale. "I'll never be able to show my face around here again. I love this job. I never thought I would say that, but it's fulfilling in so many ways. Running the foundation. Helping disadvantaged children. Working with the interns and the overall camaraderie and team atmosphere of the Armadillos."
"And me... don't forget you love me." He grabs me in a tight embrace and attempts to kiss the anxiety away.
Rewarding him with a tight-lipped smile, I say, "And you. I love watching you do what you love and how skilled you are on and off the field. But we... can't see each other. I don't see any other way without my vagina being shown to millions of people around the world."
"That's not happening. You are mine, and I'm not giving you up for any reason." He pushes my hair behind my ear. "I want a list of all the people who have keys to the locker room. We have three weeks, so we'll start there, and I'm telling my family about us at dinner tonight. Can you come?"
Reluctantly, I agree.
He looks as if he's had an epiphany. "Maybe it's J.D. He's already given the blackmailer his first demand. He dropped me to the scout team this week."
"Scout team?"
"The coach says he can't give me preferential treatment."
"It's a good rule."
He gives me a kiss he callsTriple Wide Go,kissing both cheeks and then my lips. "It's a stupid rule. I thought my girl was getting back together with her ex."
I love it when he refers to me as "his girl."
FORTY-SEVEN
GREYSON
