Page 15 of Their After Hours Playbook

Paige nearly choked on her own drink. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, okay?”

“All I’m saying is that you are a grown woman and, regardless of the age difference, he is a grown man. You have a very stressful job and you just found out that your ex-husband is getting remarried. If ever there was a time for a woman to let loose and enjoy herself, now is that time.”

“Okay...” Paige wasn’t fully convinced, but she was getting closer.

“And you’re the woman. In case that wasn’t clear.”

“I gathered as much.” She pressed her lips together tightly. “I still worry about the business situation between our two agencies. Whether he might be spying on me or trying to get info out of me.”

“You’re a smart cookie. You can find out tomorrow night, can’t you?”

Paige drew in a deep breath, warring with the feelings and thoughts swirling up inside her. Confusion and excitement were having the biggest battle. What in the world was going to happen? She had absolutely zero clue. “I guess you’re right. All will be revealed tomorrow night.”

Five

The instant Zach had finished his day of epic negotiations, he headed straight for the hotel bar. It was only six thirty, but he didn’t want to risk missing Paige. Plus, he needed a few minutes to decompress from another incredible stint of meetings. He had done so much business while in Vegas. Seriously. Tom might have been reserved yesterday, but he was going to flip when he heard about the endorsement deals Zach had brokered for Armstrong clients over the course of the day. Zach didn’t like to brag. It simply wasn’t his style, but if anyone ever asked what his superpower was, he was going to say it was this—getting people with deep pockets to part with their money.

Before Paige arrived, it was time for a drink to help wear down his ragged edges. He ambled up to the bar and ordered a shot of Buffalo Trace’s small batch bourbon. Some people might say it was silly to spend more than one hundred dollars on a drink. But Zach had earned it. And then some. He scouted out the perfect spot to spend time with Paige, and he chose a corner booth in a softly lit corner. If there was a place for quiet and private conversation, that was it. He sat and enjoyed his first heavenly sip. It was smooth and rich. Like velvet. He couldn’t imagine anything better right now. That was until the most stunning vision came into view. Paige was walking into the bar, pure poetry in motion. She was there to meet him. And she was even a few minutes early.

He stood and raised his hand to catch her eye. In short order, she looked at him and came to a stop as a hesitant and guarded expression bloomed on her face. She might have shown up, but she still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea. “What the hell, Paige?” he muttered under his breath. He was so tired of her not taking him seriously. He drew in a deep breath, resolving to not give up. He was simply going to have to try harder. And he decided that meant trying less. So he sat down and waited for her to come to him.

He glanced at her again and smiled, then took another sip of his bourbon. Her expression softened and she shook her head, then finally started in his direction. His heart began to pound fiercely. Every step she took brought her a little closer, and that made the blood course through his veins even faster. She was an absolute vision in a snug-fitting black dress. It so closely walked the line between professional and sexy that it left him wondering if he was going to be able to have a conversation with her without falling at her feet and declaring she could have him for absolutely anything she wanted.

“I would like the record to reflect that I’m only early because the person I had a meeting with cut things short.” She eased into the booth next to him, clouding his judgment with the lethal combination of her perfume and curves.

“His or her loss if you ask me. What do you want to drink?”

She reached over and raised his glass to her nose to take a sniff. “Mmm. Smells good. I’ll have one of these.”

Zach flagged the bartender, then pointed at his glass. “Should be over in a minute.”

“Great. Thank you. I need it.”

“Busy day?”

“Busy, yes. But not...” She hesitated.

“Fruitful?”

“Yes. It’s a lot of the same old bullshit I’ve experienced in other years. People say they want to support women athletes, but they don’t really want to. Or if they do, they don’t want to pay what they should. I had too many meetings that went nowhere.”

Zach hated hearing that things hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped they would. “You must’ve landed a lot for Alexis, right?”

A waiter dropped off Paige’s drink. She took a long sip. “Wow. This is delicious. What am I drinking?”

“Buffalo Trace. The fifteen year.”

“Whoa. Not the cheap stuff. That’s for sure.”

“Definitely not the cheap stuff.”

She took another sip, this one quicker, then set down her glass and sat back in the booth. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” Her gaze connected with his, momentarily distracting him from the seeming weight of their conversation. “And to answer your question, I got some leads for Alexis. But as far as actual deals, nothing concrete. The minute I put a price on anything, they back down. They want to see how her season goes. They want to wait to see if she’s going to be an all-star. And it’s not like I’m asking for the world. She’s the top female basketball player in the world. She’s stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. She should earn what she deserves. But these companies still can’t bring themselves to pay for it.”

Zach felt more than a little guilty. He’d hardly exerted himself at all over the last two days. Meanwhile, Paige was putting herself through the wringer and getting less than stellar results. “Alexis is lucky to have you as her agent. Clearly you’re fighting for her.”

She shrugged. “Thanks. I appreciate that. It’s just disappointing. I know exactly how these things go, too. I’ll get back to the city and people won’t call me back or they’ll have some lame excuse as to why they can’t do the deal.”

“I can’t imagine that will happen with Alexis. She’s so marketable. It’s a no-brainer. Or at least it should be.”

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