Showdown (Gridiron Book 2) Read online

  “Me…? Nothing.”

  “That’s the biggest lie to cross your lying mouth.”

  “I just wanted you to take a look at my portfolio, and now that the babies are coming sooner than I thought, it’s probably wise to make sure my seventy-five-million-dollar portfolio is going to be enough.”

  “I don’t need your money.”

  “But you may need something else I have.”

  Groaning, she packed her briefcase with folders. “Fine, I’ll have one meal with you, but please understand that you’re not a candidate.”

  Standing quickly, he took his portfolio folder off her desk, shoved it into her bag, and then took it out of her hand. “For now.”

  Rolling her eyes, she walked out of her office and locked the front door. “Why are you frowning now?”

  “You need better security. Let me call a friend and see if he can come out this week and put a system in for you.”

  “No, thanks.” She walked over to the elevator and pressed the button.

  “Ronnie, one small lock on your front door isn’t sufficient. What if someone waltzes into your office? What are you going to do?”

  She looked him over and then smiled. “Apparently, I’m going to agree to have dinner.” He shook his head and, by the looks of it, let go of some kind of lecture. “Don’t get your boxers in a twist. I have someone who’s going to put a system and simply haven’t had time to arrange the installation.”

  “Did you kiss him?”

  She gave him a bored look and watched the elevator doors slide open. “I think that’s your favorite question.” He followed her into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. “As a matter of fact, I did and liked it a lot.”

  The doors slid open, and she walked off and watched him grab her hand as he stepped in front of her. Hurt and raw emotions flickered over his strong features, and she didn’t know why he was letting her see them. “Don’t ask me who I’m kissing because it’s none of your business.”

  He squeezed her hand and nodded. “I know, but I’m working on a plan that will make it my business and then I’ll be the only one who can taste your lips. I had a successful career because of all the hard work I put in, not raw talent, and I’ve found someone I’m going to work for.” Taking a step closer, he whispered, “And, the next time you tell me about a baby, it’s going to be about the one I put in you.”

  Stunned into silence, she looked up and could see he believed every crazy word he uttered.

  “Where is your car?”

  Staring at him blankly, she couldn’t process what he was saying. His declaration was flying around in her head, and it couldn’t land because it was too crazy. She felt him lean down and peer into her face. “What?”

  “Where is your car?”

  Lifting her hand, she pointed to an open lot on the corner. “Down there.”

  “That’s not safe.”

  “Either is being in your company since you seem to be one step away from being committed.” Stomping down the sidewalk, she felt him keep pace.

  “Which one is yours?”

  “It’s the Audi Q5 over there.” Holding up her keys, she unlocked the car and opened the back door. “I’ll put my briefcase back here.” He handed her the bag, and she set it on the floor, then got in the front seat. Once he was seated, she handed him her purse. “Hold this.”

  He gingerly held it on his lap and nodded. “Of course.”

  “Are you afraid of my purse?”

  “No, why would you ask me that?”

  “Because you’re holding it like it’s a bomb and if it explodes then tampons are going to come flying out of it.”

  Letting out a loud laugh, he shook his head. “I have four sisters, and we shared a bathroom until I left for college. Girl stuff doesn’t bother me, and I can’t tell you how many times I was sent to the store to pick something up for them. I’m the oldest, and one of the rules of having the car was that I had to take my sisters wherever they needed to go. So, your purse and anything else you have going on don’t bother me.”

  She checked her mirrors before backing out of her space. “Good to know.” She drove them out of South Beach and made her way to the freeway toward Coral Gables. “By the way, telling a woman you’re going to put a baby in her is not considered casual or appropriate chatter. One of my best friends, Ella, struggles with casual chit chat and even she knows that.”

  “Is this the Ella that’s dating Clark from the Sharks?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact. How did you know about them?”

  “Their picture was in the paper, and the article mentioned that she went to Stanford.” Taking her hand, he grinned. “You know, it’s interesting that the two most important women in your life are in relationships with football players. Maybe it’d be a good idea to give this old retired one a chance.”

  “We’re having dinner, Chase, and nothing more. I’ve got no use for your nonsense and don’t plan on changing my mind.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Yes, we will,” she replied quietly, knowing there wasn’t a thing he had that she needed. No matter how good his hand felt.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Chase walked down the street toward Ronnie’s office with a bakery bag in his hand and a grin on his face. Having discovered her sweet tooth during their meal, he decided bringing her cookies was a perfect excuse to stop by and smiled to himself as he remembered their conversation. They hadn’t once stopped talking during their time together and couldn’t wait to spend more time in her company.

  Feeling someone come up on his left, he glanced over and noticed a woman giving him a less that friendly smile. He gave her a faint nod, then slowed his pace as his old habit of being careful in public kicked in. Noticing she kept pace, he let out an internal sigh and guessed she had an agenda, so he checked his surroundings and made sure there were plenty of people around. Because if the encounter went south and he got caught in a he said, she said situation, he wanted witnesses.

  When he approached Ronnie’s office building and the woman hadn’t made her move, he decided make a loop around the block and see if he could shake her.

  “Are you Chase Bedford, super-star football player, ‘cause you look like him?”

  He gave her a cursory nod and kept moving. “I’m Chase, but don’t know about the rest of it since I’ve been retired for a few years.”

  Grabbing his arm, she made him slow down, and he knew there was no way to shake her off without causing a scene, so he stopped and plastered a patient expression on his face. He took a moment to study her and wondered what kind of drugs she was on because her eyes held a menace that he wasn’t used to seeing unless a defensive end was trying to get at him.

  “What’s it like to have all that money and fame? I hope you don’t have some bitch controlling you.”

  Slipping his arm out of her grip, he slowly took a step back and shook his head. “Can’t really say that I do.” He continued to move away and prayed that having her say was all that she needed. “You have a good day now.”

  Creepy and strange was the only way to describe the encounter and he was surprised to have one so far away from the town where he’d played. When he was in San Francisco, his encounters were varied and sometimes wild, but never anything quite like the one he’d just experienced.

  Making it around the block in record time, he opened the door to Ronnie’s office building and felt a hand on his back and turned.

  Crazy lady was back, and it looked like she was ready to go off the deep end.

  “I hope you’re not going to go see that bitch Ronnie. That woman has some kind of nerve, thinking she can control a man’s money. It isn’t right. A man should be able to do what he wants without answering to some bitch who thinks she knows everything.” Turning, she stalked off down the street, swinging her purse like she was thinking about hitting someone with it.

  Staring after her, he shook his head and wondered what the hell that was about. Why would
someone have it out for Ronnie? As he walked to the elevator, he remembered his early conversations with her about his players and knew it might be possible that the woman was pissed about someone’s lack of funds.

  Making a mental note to look into Ronnie’s security measures, he let out a breath and hoped the woman just needed to vent and nothing more.

  ***

  Ronnie stared at her client, Andre, and couldn’t believe his ex-girlfriend still had it in for her. “Are you sure she said all of those things?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and looked around the office. “Yeah. She turned out to be more of a nutcase than I originally thought.”

  “I trust it was worth it,” she replied flatly.

  “Is it ever?”

  “No,” she sighed. “I was hoping after she was hauled off my property last month that it would be the end of it, but I guess that was wishful thinking.”

  “Are you going to fire me, Ronnie?”

  “No, Andre. But please try and date a nice girl next time because there’s no reason for you to keep dating the crazy ones.”

  “They don’t seem crazy during the first couple of dates. They seem really nice.”

  “You meet them in clubs and at parties. Why don’t you try something else?”

  “Maybe your new receptionist, Amanda, would be interested in me.” Glancing over his shoulder, he waved to the woman. “She always gives me a big smile when I come in.”

  “She gives everyone a smile because that’s her job.”

  Sitting up straight, he fidgeted in his chair. “Does she have something against baseball players?”

  “No, but she has a boyfriend.”

  “Maybe they’ll break up, and then she’ll want to go out with me.”

  “You never know, Andre. Anything is possible.” Moving things around on her desk, she stared fondly at her bowl of voodoo dolls. “All right get out of here and go meet your trainer because I have work to do.”

  Standing up, he smiled. “Sorry about the ex-girlfriend; I didn’t mean to put you in the line of fire.”

  Waving her hand, she stood up. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “I’ll check in with you next week.”

  Ronnie watched him leave and moved over to the window to stare out at the beachgoers, wishing like hell she could be one of them. Letting out a long breath, she let go of the thought and turned back to her desk. “Time to get back to work,” she told herself as she opened a program. Hearing voices, she looked up and saw Chase walk in with a winning grin.

  “Hi, honey.” Holding up the bag up, he nodded. “I brought you some cookies.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought you might need some afternoon chocolate,” he replied as he walked around her desk and kissed her head. “I bet you’re hitting the three o’clock scaries and need a pick me up.”

  She took the bag and nodded. “Thank you for the chocolate cookies. Now, please leave.”

  Planting himself in the chair that faced her desk, he glanced around. “I had so much fun sparring with you last night at dinner that I want to do it again. When are you going to be done today?”

  “I’m not available this evening or really any other. My dance card is full, so please don’t waste your time.”

  “Didn’t you enjoy last night?”

  “Sure, it was fun, but I think once was enough.” Opening the bag of cookies, she took one out and tried it. It was a soft dark chocolate delicious treat, and she knew that his good taste in cookies didn’t mean he deserved a second chance. “One dinner together doesn’t mean a thing, but if we have another one, then it will. I’m not giving you another chance, even if you did bring me these yummy cookies.”

  Reaching across the desk, he grabbed one out of the bag. Popping it into his mouth, he ate it quickly. “Gerald likes me; maybe we should see what he thinks.”

  “Sure, why don’t you do that?” She pulled the bag in her direction and took another one. “He isn’t going to give you his blessing, but if you think you have a chance, then, by all means, be my guest. Go have a chat with him and let me know how it turns out.”

  “I think I’ll head on over to your house and do just that.” He stood and gave her a confident grin. “You know, the funny thing about dance cards is that they can be rearranged in the blink of an eye.”

  “Not mine,” she replied as she watched him walk out of her office. The man was too handsome for his own good, and she wasn’t going to fall at his feet like the hundreds of women before her.

  She had a full life, lots of interesting friends, and a date later that evening with a man who was considered a hell of a catch.

  Which made Chase and whatever he was offering easy to ignore. Staring into the bag, she realized that she’d eaten all the cookies and decided she’d tell him to bring more the next time he stopped by.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Ronnie sat in the car and waited for Scott to come around and open her door. Glancing over, she noticed a large black SUV parked next to the side of the house and wondered whose it was. Gerald had left earlier for his month-long vacation and figured he’d left her a note explaining

  The car door opened, and she admired the pretty blue eyes of a man who was showing more interest in her than she felt comfortable with.

  Why, oh, why couldn’t she fall for someone who made sense?

  Not that the quarterback was really interested since the energy between them was nothing more than platonic. Maybe he just needed a friend and figured, if they could kiss while they got to know one another, it wouldn’t be half-bad.

  He held out his big hand, and she took it, unfortunately feeling nothing. The lack of chemistry and electricity was so disappointing, and she knew the kiss he was going to give her at the door wasn’t going to help her forget Chase.

  Pasting a smile on her face, she climbed out of the car and led him toward the front door. “Do you want some dessert?”

  “I’d love some of your dessert.”

  Realizing her mistake, she looked up and patted his solid arm. “I’m talking about ice cream, Scott.”

  Stepping back, he shoved his hands in his pocket. “I was afraid of that.”

  “You’re not really interested in me, so don’t give me that sad smile.”

  “I could’ve been, but I know you have someone on your mind.”

  “Not really, it’s just that…”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Giving her a smile, he rocked back on his heels. “It’s probably best anyway, since I need some new friends.

  “You can never have too many,” she replied as she opened the heavy door. Walking in, she skidded to a stop and felt Scott bump into her back. “Chase Bedford, what the hell are you doing in my house drinking my liquor?”

  “Are you kissing Scott?” he yelled as he stood.

  “Don’t you ask me that and wipe that mean ol’ look off your face.” She straightened her shoulders and took a step in his direction. “I’m gonna…”

  “If I was smart, I’d start apologizing.” Standing his ground, he crossed his arms. “But I’m not and want to know why you’re wasting Scott’s time.”

  “I’m not wasting my time or his.” She twirled around, grabbed Scott’s hand, and pulled him down. “If you like me at all, then I’d appreciate you giving me a kiss that will make him blow his top.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” he replied before dropping his mouth and kissing her slowly.

  “Damn,” she muttered against his lips. The man could kiss, and things heated up quickly enough to make her forget their lip-lock was just for show. Chase’s loud bellow interrupted them, and she slowly lifted her head.

  “I think it worked,” he said quietly against her lips.

  “It certainly did, and you can kiss me again if you want.”

  “Quit kissing the mother of my children or I’ll have to do some damage to that throwing arm of yours,” Chase yelled.

  Scott stepped away and flattened his shirt. “
Ronnie, is there something kinky going on here? Because no matter what you hear, I’m not into that sort of thing.”

  Swatting his chest, she pulled away. “That man has broken into my home and is an uninvited guest. So whatever nonsense comes out of his mouth is not to be believed.” She gazed up and realized that she’d left some lipstick on Scott’s mouth. Rubbing her fingers over his lips, she slowly wiped it away. “By the way, that was some kind of kiss.”

  Tipping his head against hers, he grinned. “Ronnie, I couldn’t agree more and think we’re going to be more than friends. In fact, let’s get rid of that angry bear, so we can do it all night long.”

  “No more kissing,” Chase stated loudly.

  Stomping over, Ronnie got in his face before addressing him. “Why have you broken into my home?”

  “I have not broken in. Gerald invited me to stay while he was away on vacation. He’s worried that the woman who’s been threatening you will make good on it and doesn’t like you being here alone. I volunteered to move in and make sure you were safe.”

  “If you’re here, then that’s the last thing I’ll be since finding my gun and shooting you will be my first priority.”

  Ignoring her comment, he put his hands on her arm. “I think I may have run into the woman earlier today near your office, and she’s as crazy as they come.”

  “You don’t know crazy until you’ve seen me lose my temper.”

  “Just don’t kill me in my sleep and Gerald said to give him a call if you have any questions.”

  “He’s fired. When he gets back next month, I’m releasing him and sending him back to Mama.”

  “He told me to tell you that you couldn’t fire him because he works for your parents and not you. So, your idle threats mean nothing. He also said something about December 2012. Whatever that means.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at him with every fiber in her being. “I hate you.”

  “I know.” He stepped around her and made his way over to Scott. Holding out his hand, he nodded. “Great season, kid. Watching you this year was a real pleasure, and the Sharks are lucky to have you.”