Chapter 19
ADAM
“So, when’s that cranky son of a bitch coming for a visit? Tomorrow? Thursday?”
I laughed at Don Engelman’s question despite the fact that he had just been palming his shiny, bald head and was now grabbing the signed baseball from my desk to toss to himself—something I let him do solely because he owned the whole goddamned company.
“He’s coming tomorrow,” I said, referring to Knox, whose potential signing had flown previously under the radar here. But now Engelman himself had a personal stake in it, for reasons most anyone in the sports industry, but especially I, could relate to:
Fucking RTA.
“Well, you let me know what you need from me, son. I’ll do the meet-and-greet. Show him around. The whole shebang. He got a girlfriend? I’ll find him one.”
I snorted. “He’s all set in that department, but I appreciate the offer and I’m sure I’ll take you up on the rest—pending whatever his stupid fucking mood is that day,” I said. Engelman gave a belly laugh.
“You better keep tabs on that stupid fucking mood of his. Text him. Ask him what we can do for him. We’ll get anyone in this town to cater the meeting. Sky’s the limit,” he said before plunking my baseball back onto my desk and seeing himself out.
I laughed as I watched him waddle down the hall.
Despite the baseball thing, I did appreciate my boss’s new interest in Knox. In fact, for as busy as it was, this week was actually going fairly well despite my personal life trying to drive me up a goddamned wall.
Having AJ around obviously helped.
Saved me, really.
It had always been the case in the past, but this week, the feeling was multiplied a thousand times, because between the new background drama unfolding in my life and the scrambling to move up meetings, prepare for Knox and keep up with the often needy and dramatic clients I already had, I’d felt my patience wear thin about a thousand times since Monday.
But every time I was close to snapping, AJ sensed it and strolled into my office, making a list of everything agitating me then addressing each bullet point separately to tell me exactly why it wasn’t a big deal and why we were going to have it handled.
That part was what she’d always done in the past. Of course, this week, I got to enjoy a few added bonuses to that routine.
Namely those lips I couldn’t stop thinking about since she came over Sunday night.
They always came with her hand resting softly on my chest as she leaned over my chair, and I didn’t know what the hell it was about that combination, but it was like taking a hit of something powerful. So good you had to sit for a little after and just breathe and relax.
I was actually still riding the high of her last kiss about an hour ago, which explained my ease when Engelman rubbed his dirty paws all over one of my more prized possessions.
But as it turned out, I’d be in desperate need of another hit in an hour.
And surprise, surprise, it was because of Knox.
After Engelman left, I’d texted to see if we could provide anything for him tomorrow morning, and an hour later, he sent a casually infuriating text.
KNOX: Forgot to tell you I can’t make tomorrow
I’d stared at the message for what felt like a full minute, reminding myself that there was no asking a potential client what the fuck his problem was.
ME: That’s unfortunate. What day can we reschedule to?
This time, his reply came quickly.
KNOX: Don’t need to. Thanks
I dragged my hand over my face.
“What the fuck?” I hissed under my breath, and again when I tried Knox only to be sent straight to voicemail.
I was trying again when AJ walked in with her eyebrow arched.
“Knox canceled tomorrow and said he doesn’t want to reschedule,” I said when I hung up. “He isn’t picking up either.
She stared. “That fucking asshole. Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I was. He’s such goddamned difficult prick.”
“I mean it’s his reputation for a reason. Remind me again why we’re so eager to sign this dickhead?”
I rubbed my tight jaw as I reminded myself of the reasons. Because I’ve been quietly tracking him for years.
Because whether I like it or not, he and I have some very important things in common.
The unfortunate thought crossed my mind just as he finally texted again.
KNOX: I’m going with RTA. Meeting them tomorrow
AJ
The same four words rang through my head in the past hour.
Poor Adam. Fuck Knox.
Rinse and repeat.
At this point, I was working at my desk with my every sense tuned into Adam’s temper as we both waited for Knox to call back, just so Adam could convince him to take a second meeting with us tomorrow, before making any final decisions.
I lied—it was six words.
Because fuck RTA was also finding its way into the mix.
Fuck RTA. And Schilling. And my classmate, Corbin, who had replaced me in that internship, and was promoted to agent at RTA two years ago.
Admittedly, I’d Internet stalked one random night to find that out.
But thankfully, those nights were few and far between, because my goals were about making myself proud, not doing better than others.
But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t indulge in a quick Google of my old classmate just now and have a peep at his blog. His client list was mostly minor leaguers that he touted as “foolishly overlooked.” Mark my words. Corbin Mathews is representing a future World Series MVP.
Not before I do, I instinctively thought just as I heard the sound of Adam’s phone ring once before he picked up.
“Knox. Talk to me.”
I stilled, listening to the silence that followed, but quickly sensing Adam’s fury just from the way he said “is that right.”
Uh-oh.
I knew he’d been particularly stressed all week with whatever was happening in his family, and beyond that, it wasn’t hard to sense that something about Knox just set him off.
I didn’t know what that was at this particular moment, but I did know I needed Adam to be calm in order to convince Knox to meet us tomorrow.
So getting up, I went into his office to find him in full Angry Adam mode, his rigid shoulders looking broader than ever as he sat forward at his desk, leaning on his elbow while holding his phone in front of his face like he wanted to watch himself crush it.
I barely finished mouthing easy before he was mouthing back I’m going to kill him.
I laughed, “Breathe,” I whispered, rounding over to his side of the desk to get a better listen on Knox.
“Nothing personal, man. Just figure if I have to have some suit telling me what to do, I should at least get one from the biggest agency out there,” he said as I leaned myself against Adam’s desk. “And in case you didn’t realize, you guys are a distant second to RTA.”
Adam’s jaw clenched just as his steely eyes locked like magnets on my chest. They were right at his eye level and I had to smirk over the fact that he still had time to notice my body while looking simultaneously like he might punch a hole in the wall.
“Knox, they didn’t even know who you were until they heard Engelman Sports was interested,” Adam said in a tone so curt I practically heard Knox bristle.
Okay, breathe, Adam. Dial it way back, I wanted to say.
But I couldn’t actually say it without Knox hearing, so instead, I opted to bring Adam’s eyes back to me.
With my hand curled toward my body, I undid the buttons of my shirt. Slowly, one by one, my little smile spreading with satisfaction as I watched Adam’s heated gaze follow my hand, fixated on it till I had my shirt open enough to flash my lacy white bra.
I tried not to giggle at the sight of his gaze looking instantly heavier. Practically drugged.
And when he spoke again, his voice was audibly calmer. Much more relaxed.
“I hate to say it, but that’s just their MO at RTA.
They only show interest once another agency does, because their game is blocking others,” Adam said, glancing briefly out the door before returning his lusty eyes to my bra.
I smiled as I watched his free hand drop under the desk, his chest expanding under his pale blue shirt as he breathed deeper while stroking up and down the back of my thigh.
“It’s all about keeping the highest numbers at RTA, and the last thing you need to be is another number on a never-ending roster of clients. ”
“Yeah, well…” Even without an argument prepared, Knox was hell-bent on being defiant.
I bit my lip, Adam stroking his thumb along my inner thigh, both of us smirking at each other as we listened to Knox search for something to say.
“I think it’s just a better match at RTA,” he finally concluded. “They just know me better.”
“I can tell you now they don’t,” Adam countered easily, glancing out the door again before slipping his hand up my skirt.
There was a light pulsing in my clit as I spread my legs wider, letting Adam rub his fingertips against my wet panties as I tugged lightly down at the lacy cups of my bra, teasing him till he lifted his eyes to me and mouthed show me.
For some reason, I didn’t think twice about obliging. And when I did, I watched Adam’s blue eyes practically glaze over with lust—and a hint of surprise, like he hadn’t actually expected me to listen.
Oops, I thought. But as crazy as it was, no one outside could tell what I was doing, and I didn’t regret it. Especially as I watched Adam wet his lips as he stared in awe, soaking me in, taking so long to follow up on what he was saying to Knox that I was afraid he’d forgotten. But he didn’t.
“They know how to tell you what you want to hear, but they don’t actually know jack about you, Knox,” he said before rattling off a small handful of the things he knew off the top of his head.
Specific stats and injuries. Management preferences.
The teams Knox’s girlfriend approved for him to sign with, because she could easily transfer her job there.
All this while he felt up my tits.