Page 3 of Their After Hours Playbook

“Why are you here? Are things so bad at Armstrong that you had to come for the open bar?”

He laughed and shook his head, which only drew attention to his alarmingly square jaw and the way his dark hair perfectly peppered it. When he focused on her again, it felt as though his steely blue-gray eyes were staring straight into her soul. Funny, but she’d felt a lot less exposed when he was staring at her chest. “I’m here because I’m changing the Armstrong playbook.”

“Changing? In what way, exactly?”

“I’m taking us in new directions. Expanding our purview.”

“You are aware that the athletes here tonight are women, right? Your agency doesn’t venture into those waters. Your stepfather made sure of that.”

“I’m in charge now.”

“And you decided to start by stealing one of my clients?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She took a deep breath and inched closer to him, raising her chin and facing him head-on. “Do not send flowers to my client and think that I won’t say anything. I have been building my relationship with Alexis and her family since she was in high school. I went to her games. I made sure her family knew who I was. I know her grandparents. I know her siblings. And I was there in college, keeping a respectful distance until she was ready to go pro.”

“I sent her congratulatory flowers. Read the note. It doesn’t say anything other than my name on it. I just want important women in sports knowing who I am. It’s PR. Nothing sinister about it.”

“If your agency was serious about this, you would have been courting the women in this room years ago. You would have been there for them from the very beginning.” Paige hoped she didn’t sound like she was on a soapbox, but she got fired up about this topic. She often put years into a client before taking them on.

“Paige, I know you don’t appreciate my father’s stance on women in sports or the shortsighted attitude that goes with it. So why be mad because I’m trying to change that?”

She was mad, but mostly because she felt so much resentment toward Tom. He’d sabotaged her in more ways than one over the years. “This whole thing just seems completely out of the blue.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about the timing. I’d worry about what another competitor will do to your business. Do you think you’re up to the task? Can you take us on?”

Paige could not believe this was happening. She’d deplored Tom Armstrong’s take on women in athletics, but she couldn’t deny that not having to compete with him had only helped her. So much for that. “Take you on? I will smother you.” For an instant, she wondered if he might enjoy being deprived of air by burying his face in her cleavage. But no. She had to not think things like that.

“Good to know I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

“Speaking of work, I need to go. I need to sit with Alexis. The draft is going to start soon.” She turned away, but didn’t get far. Zach’s hand grasped the bare skin of her forearm. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the sight of his strong fingers wrapped around her. Why did she have goose bumps? Why did his skin feel so good against hers?

“Paige. Hold on. Will I see you in Vegas?”

“Vegas?” She looked up, again vexed by his eyes.

“The Las Vegas Sports Expo? The biggest event of the year for agents? It’s the best possible chance to land your clients those big endorsement deals and sponsorships everyone is chasing these days.”

It was utterly humiliating that she hadn’t realized what he was referring to, but she also felt as though she shouldn’t be expected to know superfluous things like facts right now. Zach’s touch was doing something to her. The thought was bothersome at best. Not only was Zach the enemy, he was a good decade younger than her. “Of course I’m going to Vegas.”

“Great. Maybe we can grab a drink or dinner or something.”

Paige felt a disconcerting wave of warmth between her legs. She needed to get away from Zach, ASAP. “I’m always very busy in Vegas,” she lied. Often, Vegas was a disaster.

“Good for you.”

The lights in the room darkened. Paige looked up. “I need to go. The draft is about to start.”

He dropped her hand, which left behind a lasting tingle. “Good luck to your client, Paige. I’ll see you in Vegas.”

Lord, help me. “Yeah. Maybe.” She rushed away from Zach and over to Alexis’s table, taking the seat right next to her. “I told you I’d be here in time.” Paige couldn’t help but notice the way her words came out in a choppy fashion. She was struggling for breath. That was all Zach’s fault.

“You know, I looked up Zach Armstrong on my phone while I was sitting here. His agency gets their athletes tons of endorsement deals,” Alexis said. “Why have we never talked about that?”

“Because we’ve been so focused on getting this far. The last few years have all been about tonight.”

“It seems like I should be able to get in on some of that. Especially if I end up getting drafted first.”

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