Page 55 of Most Likely to Score
I scoff. “Yes, you really ought to take me for another test drive.”
She wriggles her eyebrows, and I lean closer, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. When we separate, I run my fingers down her bare arm. “Hey, what did you want to talk about before? I got a little distracted by your pussy in my mouth. A good distraction.”
“Yes, and I was distracted by petting your wiener.”
I pump a fist in victory. “I knew the wiener was irresistible.”
A soft laugh falls from her lips before she goes quiet for a moment. She motions from me to her. “But seriously. We need to talk about this. About what it means.” She pauses and raises her chin as if she’s toughening up. “What it doesn’t mean.”
I don’t like the sound of the second half, but I know she’s right. “Okay, talk.”
She exhales. “I’m not going to massage words. Weboth know this is incredibly risky for my job and for your deal. You’re aware of that, but it has to be said.”
“It’s not like we’re banging in public.”
“Of course not, but secrets are hard to keep these days. Brands drop athletes like hotcakes for the slightest transgression. For a wrong word, for an old comment dredged up. Paleo Pet signed on for single Jones, and then Ford brought me on to help.” She holds up a finger, her eyes laser sharp. “But Paleo Petdidn’tsign on for the Jones who sneaked into his publicist’s room in Miami and screwed her all night long.”
I drag a hand over my jaw. “Fuck,” I mutter, hating how this time with her would be seen.
“Right now, you’re the wholesome, dog-loving, squeaky-clean guy. You don’t want to be the guy boning his colleague.Such a scandal.That’s how it would be framed if it got out. As aworkplace scandal. There’s no other way for the gossip press to spin it.”
I cringe at the way she puts it so bluntly.
She runs her hand along my arm, her voice softening. “You can’t be too cautious when you’re playing that kind of high-stakes game. We could be caught. I’m pursuing a promotion, and I’m trying to rehab your image, but I just did exactly what we’re trying to avoid.”
I furrow my brow. “That’s not entirely true. No one said to go on a sex diet. Just to be careful.”
“Fine, true. But I’m your publicist.”
“Does the team have rules against you dating players?” I ask, genuinely interested. I’ve no clue if she’s crossing some sort of formal line in an HR handbook.
She shakes her head. “No, there isn’t a specific ruleagainst it. The only fraternization rules involve getting involved with direct reports and vice versa. I can’t date my boss or any of the PR supervisors who report to me. We’re not forbidden from dating players, though.”
I curve up my lips. “Well, that’s good, right?”
“Yes, technically, but there’s so much more at stake. Even if I’m not violating a rule per se, think about how it would look, especially while I’m up for a promotion. While you’re trying to land new deals. While we’re working on those deals together. Here I am, trying to craft a good-boy image for you—one you rightfully deserve—and meanwhile, I’m on my hands and knees as you slam into me.”
Against my better judgment, I groan, “I like you on your hands and knees.” But then I turn more serious. “But I hear you. It’s risky.”
“It’s dangerous.”
Scrubbing a hand over my jaw, I ask, “Do you think it shouldn’t happen again?” Part of me is hoping she’ll laugh and say,No, take me again now and tomorrow and over and over.
“Doyouthink it should happen again?”
“I want it to,” I answer honestly, because as far as I’m concerned, everything is in the open tonight. I don’t want to play any more games with Jillian, and I won’t toy with her emotions, or my own. Given the way I’ve stored everything until now, like a pressure cooker that only needed the smallest spark of jealousy to spill over, I’ve no interest in keeping my feelings private. “I know you might find this hard to believe, but I like you. Really like you. If I could, Iwould date you. I would take you out. I would romance you. I would do all the things I haven’t done before.”
Her breath flutters over her lips, and her eyes shine. She wiggles her body closer to mine. “Really?”
“Would you want that?” I ask softly.
She nods, that flash of vulnerability back in her brown eyes. “Of course I want that.” Taking a deep breath, she looks away, swallowing tightly. “But we can’t have it.”
My shoulders sag. My chest is heavy. “We can’t, can we?” I say with a sigh, an acknowledgment that she’s right. That Trevor was right. That I need to focus on football and business only. That Jillian needs to do the kick-ass job she’s always done, without a guy like me complicating her life. Trevor’s words blare in my ears, the reminder of my track record. I’ve never had a relationship last longer than a month, and I detest the thought that her reputation could be called into question if she dated me. I care about Jillian far too much to let her be a question mark everyone has about me.
Her fingers trace my chest. “If we did that, we’d have to sneak around, and sneaking around is lying. No good can come of it.”
“Then we agree that this can’t happen again?”
