Page 8 of Playing for Possession
Sean’s expression twisted with mockery. He watched me with a goading smirk. “There he is. I see you. You’re nothing but athug, Earnshaw. You can’t hide it. I heard your hooligan dad’s back behind bars.”
My heart hammered. I tried to get a grip on myself, but I could barely take a full breath.
Sean patted my back and spoke in a casual, jesting voice. “Don’t worry about it. We’re a team, aren’t we? I won’t gossip, and you’ll step back. We both know where we stand. I’ll drink to that.” He chinked his bottle against my glass and his gaze slid back to the dance floor. “Let the kids have their fun. Better to get it out of his system now before the season starts.”
Chapter 4
Kieran
I spent a long time in the shower. Longer than any of the guys after training. There was something addictive about the pound of hot water on sore muscles. It was one of the few times I could get out of my head. By the time I’d dried myself and wrapped a towel around my middle, the team had cleared out. I dropped on a bench to check my phone.
“Hello, Kieran. I was hoping to catch you.”
Mortimer Fox strode into the locker room. A glittery black jacket sparkled around his slim frame, and emerald trousers encased his legs. A black felt hat with a silver feather sticking out of the top perched on top of a lustrous head of hair. He pulled out a vape and put it to his lips. Clouds of fruity smoke filled the locker room. I didn’t appreciate being ambushed while I was half naked, but Rob had already collared me about being polite to the board.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Fox?”
“It’s Morty, please, and I want the two of us to have a man chat.”
A man chat?Whatever that was, it sounded like something I’d rather not be involved with.
He puffed out another plume of fruity smoke. “I heard you turned down the commercial. I want you to reconsider.”
Nope.“And why would I do that?”
He parked himself on a bench opposite me. “Joanie’s had a tough year. I’m hoping that getting involved with the PR side of things might rebuild her confidence after the injury. This should be good for her.”
Right. So, he wanted me to fall in line because his daughter had cried to him over the commercial. Heaven forbid she didn’t get a chance to post the content of her sunning herself to social media. “Look, I’ve been through this with Rob. It’s not for me. I’m not doing it.”
“You need to do it. What’s it going to take?”
I snorted. Was this the part where he tried to buy me off? There was nothing this man could offer me that I couldn’t buy myself. “It’s not happening.”
“There must be something.” He gave a significant raise of his eyebrows. “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”
“I scratch my own back.” I retrieved my watch from my locker and wrapped it around my wrist. “This has been... entertaining, but I need to get dressed.”
He stood. “You want to be captain?”
His words made me freeze. “What?”
“Some captains wear the armband, and some captains are picked by the team. You’re clearly the captain on the pitch. These kids look up to you. You just need someone to back you on the board.”
As if.No one had that kind of influence. Not even world-famous rock stars.
“That’s not how these things work.”
His lips curved into a shrewd smile around his vape. “I can make it work. I want Joanie doing this commercial and you’re goingto make sure it’s a positive experience for her. Joanie needs a friend to help her loosen up. Keep my daughter safe and happy. Make sure she has a great time on this trip, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you get the position you deserve on this team.”
Was life really that easy for people like this? “You’re not serious.”
“Deadly. I fucked up with my kids. I was never there for them the way I should have been. I’m determined to put my mistakes right before I die.”
“By interfering in your daughter’s life?”
“By doing what’s best for her.” Mortimer gave me an intense look for longer than was comfortable before his face broke into a huge, relaxed grin. “That’s what parents do.”
Could he really do it? As a kid, I’d dreamed of being a leader. I’d worked so fucking hard all my life. Mum had sacrificed so much to keep me playing after Dad left. She’d be so proud of me wearing that armband, but I’d been naïve. You didn’t get things because you worked hard. Life wasn’t a meritocracy. It was about where you’d come from and who you knew. Maybe this man could give me a leg-up, but this was seedy as fuck.
