Page 35 of Playing for Possession
Irritation shot up my spine. “How do you know what makes me comfortable? You don’t think I’d look good in a bikini?”
He measured me with a cool stare. “I think you’d look fucking incredible. That’s beside the point.”
Heat stroked my face. What did he want from me? This was a weird decision for me to have to make. He didn’t need to make it more difficult. “We’re not all Premier League stars, Kieran. I don’t get to pick and choose my endorsements, but I have to start somewhere.”
“Your dad is loaded. You don’t need to do this.”
“Yes. My dad is rich. I’m not.”
“Is this how you want people to see you? A woman in a bikini? Wouldn’t you rather be known for being a talented footballer?”
Rage snapped inside me.Stay calm. Don’t draw attention to yourself.It was no use. Anger overwhelmed me. I threw my arms in the air. “No one is going to remember me as a great footballer. I haven’t stepped on a pitch for nine months. I don’t know if I ever will again.”
Tears pressed at my eyes, and I turned my face toward the horizon so he wouldn’t see how upset this was making me.
His voice was gentle. “Of course you’ll play again, and you’ll be great. Please don’t rush into a decision over this. Let’s ask for some time to think about it.”
I did everything I could to hold my tears in check. “I don’t want to get into trouble with Claire.”
“You won’t. I promise. Let me have a word with them. There might be a compromise.”
I swiped at my cheeks and turned back to him. “I don’t want to be difficult.”
“Speaking up for what you want isn’t being difficult.” His hand hovered around my shoulder, but he drew it back when my eyes met his. “Let me be difficult on your behalf. I’m good at that.”
I lifted my glasses and pressed at my eyes, stemming the tears. This was embarrassing. It was all the buildup and stress of being here. I’d never wanted to do this in the first place. “Fine. Talk to them if you think it will make any difference.”
We walked back to where Elena stood tapping her foot impatiently against the sand.
“We need time to think about the wardrobe choice,” Kieran said.
Elena let out an audible sigh. “There is no time. This is going to cause a problem.”
Kieran’s lips thinned with displeasure. “Your problem. Not ours.”
Elena tapped her pen aggressively against her clipboard. “It’s been signed off by people higher up the chain.”
Kieran’s voice took on an arrogant edge. His face was mean and stony. It was a glimpse of the grittiness he was famed for on the pitch. “No one signed it off with us. Give us the day to mull it over. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
I wasn’t even named in the script. For them, I was just an interchangeable female body. They could find someone else and send me home. I didn’t care about inconveniencing Fizzz, but I cared about not living up to everyone’s terrible assumptions about me, and also I didn’t want to irritate Claire. We were going to be in so much trouble with the club if we didn’t do this commercial.
Elena transferred her gaze to me. “This isn’t a big deal. You’re going to look great.”
Adrenaline crashed through me like the waves on the shore. I could back down like I always did or I could make a stand. I glanced at Kieran. He stood, tall and imposing, with a hint of contempt under his level stare. Kieran Earnshaw didn’t do what was expected of him. He was wild like the waves. Nobody could force him into a role.
Kieran’s eyes locked with mine and something in his stern expression softened. He inclined his head in a supportive nod. He’d back me. This wasn’t something I had to do alone. It terrified me, but the anxiety would pass. I drank in Kieran’s strength and it emboldened me to roll my shoulders back and stand up straight.
“I need time to think about it.” I fought to keep my voice firm and level. “If we have a problem, you can... talk to my agent.”
Kieran’s lip twitched. A rush of heat climbed my neck. Where had that come from? I didn’t even have an agent. I resisted every urge to throw my hands over my mouth. It was too late to take it back. I’d said it.
“This is all significantly delaying the schedule.” Elena wore an overbright smile even though I got the sense she would happily drown us both in the sea.
Kieran’s hand clamped possessively over mine. I let him pull me over the sand. Mostly because I was too astonished that he was holding my hand.
“You can’t just walk off,” Elena cried.
“We’ll see you tomorrow. You heard the woman, if you have a problem, speak to our agents,” he called over his shoulder.
