Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
I nod and stand up. “Okay. Thanks.”
Deep down, I wonder if I’m getting this assignment because Jane believes in me or just because it sucks and she doesn’t have the guts to ask another employee to give up their life for the next three months.
Either way, I’m going to succeed. I have to.
CHAPTER TWO
Josie
“Is this a joke?” Dane Foster looks between Arnold and his head coach, Tim Benton.
“Was your public indecency arrest a joke?” Tim fires back at him. “Because if that was all just a prank, we can clear this up real quick.”
Dane hangs his head for a second. “Coach, I couldn’t have known that woman would steal my clothes and handcuff me naked to a park bench.”
I force myself not to smile. Arnold left out that detail yesterday in the meeting with me and Jane. Twenty-four hours have passed since then. I packed up some clothes and toiletries and now I’m in the head coach’s office at the downtown Minneapolis arena where the Mammoths play.
“Funny thing, Dane,” Tim says. “When you don’t get so drunk you pass out, you can stop yourself from ending up in a situation like that.”
Dane looks like a classic playboy. He’s tall, lean and muscular, his dark hair cut short and his face coated with short, dark stubble. I can see how women fall fast for his perfect smile and bright-blue eyes, but I don’t find him charming at all.
“I fucked up,” Dane admits, casting a quick glance at me. “It won’t happen again.”
“You’ve fucked up a lot this season,” Arnold says. “If you weren’t such a great player, we’d have already dumped you off on another team. You’re what team owners call a PR nightmare.”
Arnold leans against the back wall of Tim’s office, looking at his watch every thirty seconds or so. He doesn’t seem to want to be here, and I don’t, either. As someone who hates tension, I’d rather be literally anywhere.
“Thanks for that,” Dane says wryly.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” Tim says. “No more women. No more drinking. No more bullshit. Josie will be like your shadow. She has my cell number, and if you break any of these rules, she will immediately call me. This is your last shot.”
“No.” Dane crosses his arms and looks directly at his coach. “This is over the line. No one else on this team has some college intern following them around.”
I won’t let that slide.
“I’m twenty-seven and I’m a publicist at JG Publicity,” I say, somehow managing to keep my voice level and confident.
He gives me a dismissive glance. “I don’t care who you are. No one’s going to follow me around and tell me what I can and can’t do.”
Arnold scoffs with disgust. “Tim, I told you this was a waste of time. I’ve had it with his attitude.”
Dane responds before his coach has a chance to. “You can’t control me every second of the day, Arnold. You don’t own me just because you signed me to a contract. And speaking of my contract, I’m sure my agent will have a few things to say about this.”
“You’re a petulant child,” Arnold yells. “I’m done with you.”
“Gentlemen,” Tim says, putting his palms out in an effort to calm them. “Let’s all take a step back.”
The room goes silent for a few seconds, but Dane and Arnold still look like they want to step outside and fistfight.
“Dane, you’re my top player, but your personal life is out of control,” Tim says. “And you know how bad it is for our team’s image. Your teammates deserve better.”
The fight falls from Dane’s expression. After a moment, he nods.
“I’m sorry, Coach.”
“This has been run past our legal team, and it’s not a violation of your contract terms,” Tim says. “If you do what you’re supposed to do and stay out of trouble, you won’t even know Josie’s there.”
Dane sits up straight in his chair, his expression a mix of aggravation and resignation. “Is she moving into my house?”
I wish they would have had this conversation without me here. Dane asked the question like I’m soap scum or a leaky pipe--an annoyance no one wants around.
“Yes,” Tim says. “And traveling with the team. We’ll call her your assistant if anyone outside the organization asks about her.”
Dane sneers. “That makes me seem high maintenance.”
Arnold bursts out laughing in a hearty, genuinely amused laugh. “It’s a little late to start caring about your reputation.”
Dane turns to look at me. It’s the first time he’s given me anything more than a quick glance. I can feel him sizing me up based on my clothes, my hair, my expression. And I don’t like it.
“What about the cat?” he asks.
Mr. Darcy, the black cat I adopted from an animal shelter last year, meows from his spot in my arms like he knows he’s being discussed.