Page 31 of Their After Hours Playbook

“You mean like I did when I signed Ryan Wilson? Because, technically, that’s what I did.” Zach began coiling pasta into two large bowls.

“But you’re genuinely friends with Ryan, right? So it’s not exactly the same.” Paige could see precisely how blurry the lines could get. “I guess I shouldn’t blame Tom. But it’s hard not to hold a grudge. Especially when he apparently still holds one against me.”

Zach went to the fridge and pulled out a wedge of Parmesan cheese. “He definitely does. Although I’d like to think I could do something to make that go away.”

Paige reached for his arm. “No. Don’t do that. Really. I can’t imagine it ending well.”

He grated the cheese over the steaming bowls of pasta. “Well, you obviously came to an understanding with Andre over the whole thing. Why not Tom?”

“Maybe because it always seemed like he thought the worst of me? It really made me hate the name Armstrong. I’ll tell you that much.”

Zach leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Well, this Armstrong likes you a lot, Paige Moss. And I would never do something like that to you. Never.”

Paige smiled at his sweetness, hoping like she never had before that his statement would prove to be true.

Nine

Henry appeared in the doorway to Paige’s office with a huge arrangement of red roses and deep purple iris. “Guess who got flowers again?”

Paige jumped up from her desk and rushed over to retrieve the gorgeous blooms. This was the fifth or sixth delivery in the last two weeks, the length of time which she and Zach had been seeing each other. “Seriously?” she muttered quietly. She really didn’t want to call any attention to the delivery. People in the office had definitely taken notice, and she didn’t want to answer any questions about it.

“I’d say someone is smitten.” Henry shot Paige a discerning look. “I know. I know. Not that you asked me.”

“Thanks for bringing them in. Please don’t tell anyone who they’re from.” Paige set the flowers down on the coffee table in front of the sofa in her office. Zach was still a secret and she preferred it that way.

“You know me. I am discreet to a fault.” Henry disappeared through the door.

Paige plucked the enclosure card from the flowers. They were indeed from Zach. The terrace was magnificent. Love, Zach.

Despite wanting to keep this all to herself, Paige couldn’t ignore the rush of pure white heat that crept up her chest and down her back. It was making her feel so flushed that she had to breathe her way through it. Paige had gone to his place last night. They brought a bottle of wine out onto his apartment’s terrace, and although they did quite a lot of talking, it eventually turned to kissing, which then led to sex—on a lounge chair, barely wrapped up in a blanket. It was the most adventurous thing Paige had ever done in the sex department.

Paige wasn’t a person who took big chances. She’d never once accepted a dare. But something about Zach made her okay with living closer to the edge. He made her want to try new things, which quite frankly made her incredibly nervous. She was already flirting with disaster by seeing him. If anyone at her agency found out, she would lose so much credibility, especially with everyone who knew firsthand the way Tom Armstrong had treated her. There was even more on the line for Zach—he was jeopardizing his relationship not only with his employer, but with his family. And yet, he seemed too eager for more time with her. It defied logic. Which made Paige think that for Zach, this was all about the thrill. The taboo of professional rivals getting into bed. Or perhaps it was because she was an older woman and he a younger man. The bottom line was that she found herself questioning his motives. Not a lot. But a little. Just enough to bother her. Even when he sent flowers.

Henry appeared at Paige’s doorway again. “Alexis is on line two for you.”

“Got it. Thank you.” Paige stepped away from the flowers, sat at her desk and picked up her office phone. “Alexis. Hey there. How are you?”

“Confused, to be honest. It’s been three weeks since you went to Vegas and I haven’t heard a thing. No endorsements. Nothing. Meanwhile, I find out that Gabby Cooper is doing a campaign for Maverick Motors? What gives, Paige?”

Paige was taken aback by Alexis’s tone. She’d never heard her so angry. “Alexis. It’s okay. Take a deep breath.”

“Don’t tell me to take a breath. I’m upset. This isn’t what we talked about.”

Paige knew very well that it wasn’t what they’d discussed. It wasn’t what Paige had anticipated, nor was it the way she would’ve wanted it to go. But it was the reality they both had to live with. “I have several things in the mix right now. I just haven’t gotten to the point where I wanted to tell you about it. I don’t want to get your hopes up. These things fall through sometimes and I don’t want to promise something I can’t deliver.”

“From where I’m sitting, you’ve already promised and not delivered.”

Paige’s mouth went dry. Her stomach wobbled. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. Do you want me to send over the list of everyone I’ve been talking to? Will that help—if you can see what I’ve been working on?”

“Yes, actually. I would like to see that.”

“Give me a day or two to pull something together and I’ll send it over, okay?”

“Paige. No. I want to see it now. Whatever you have. You don’t have to polish things up for me. We’ve been working together too long for that.”

Paige nodded to herself. “You’re right. No problem. Let me put you on speaker and I’ll e-mail it to you while we’re on the phone.” Paige pressed the button for speakerphone and set down the receiver, then started a new e-mail to Alexis and attached Paige’s notes about sponsor meetings and calls. She quickly hit Send. “Okay. It’s on its way to you. It’s the unvarnished truth, okay? There might be some things in there that you won’t like. I’m not going to take a lowball offer on your behalf, Alexis. Your time, name and talent are precious commodities. They should only go to the highest bidder. I feel strongly about that.”

Alexis sighed. “Okay. Thank you. Thank you for doing this. I guess I just panicked when I saw the thing about Gabby.”

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