Chapter 6 #3
Benny’s and Roger’s quick nods proved they felt the same way.
“The guy is a total douchebag, but he’s got deep pockets and he’s a huge Rays fan.
The money Steele Industries contributes to the team is, well…
Jesus. It’s significant. Ticket sales only account for about forty percent of our revenue.
The money Charles’s business contributes helps bridge the gap so the Rays can compete in terms of players’ salaries, arena expenses, and so on. ”
McKenna knew all this. “I get that.”
“It sounds to me like Charles has his eye on some rich, successful businessman he wants Lara to marry.”
“Sounds like a merger, not a marriage,” she grumbled.
Benny shrugged. “Whatever it is, Tank’s putting a wrench in those works, because Lara has set her sights on him.”
“I’m not sure it’s Tank specifically, as much as just a Stingrays star,” McKenna amended.
“According to my sources, she’s also hooked up with a couple other players on the team.
” Erika had been the one to mention that Blake had taken a few of his infamous “victory laps” with Lara, back before they got together.
“Yeah, I know her type. Regardless… If Tank’s off the market, it hopefully takes him off Lara’s—and by extension, Charles’s—radar.”
McKenna supposed that could happen. After all, Lara no longer went anywhere near Blake because he—and Erika—had made it clear, they were a rock-solid couple.
McKenna knew if she said no to this idea, Benny would drop it. But dammit, she was determined to prove she was a team player, someone willing to go the extra mile.
But more than that…she didn’t want to say no.
Which was the epitome of stupidity.
“Do we really think this step is necessary? The positive promotion has been working well. I’m not sure we need to go a step farther.”
Benny sighed and pulled out his phone. One of Tank’s former lovers had decided to get in on the “I slept with a bad boy” action by sharing an older video of the two of them frolicking in a hot tub in Turks and Caicos last summer.
The video made the rounds back then, but it hadn’t hit the same viral status as the one from a month ago.
In the woman’s video, she claimed Tank was the best lover she’d ever had, while also insinuating he was hung like a mule.
TikTok—fucking piece of shit social media platform—had once again grabbed on and rolled with it.
“It’s an old video,” she pointed out, aware that didn’t make a damn bit of difference.
“It is,” Benny agreed, “but this is only going to encourage some women to try harder to catch his attention, and we can’t afford to let them.
I get that he’s been toeing the line, but for how long?
The guy’s track record doesn’t work in his favor, so we need to take him off the market.
Now. Show them that he’s in a committed relationship, really sell him as head over heels in love. ”
McKenna wanted to argue with that, but Benny wasn’t wrong. “How long would we have to fake it?” she asked.
Benny looked slightly surprised she was going for it. She was tempted to tell him to join the club because she was fucking shocking herself too.
“We’ve been charged with keeping him in line through the summer, so…”
“So I would fake date Tank Phillips for five months?”
Roger nodded slowly. “I know you weren’t a fan of the guy when this all started, but you seem to have gotten over that. It looks like you have fun with each other nowadays. At least, that’s what the pictures and videos and you two hanging out when we’re on the road suggest.”
She couldn’t debate that. She and Tank had started to gravitate to each other whenever they were in the same room together. Whether in team meetings or at game nights with their friends or when they were traveling, they were always sitting next to each other.
And if her feelings toward him were just friendly, she wouldn’t hesitate to say no to this suggestion because she had a lot of fun with Tank. But she was struggling to keep her thoughts in the professional realm because the guy didn’t just make her horny; he made her…fuck…happy.
Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Not since Eddie.
And while being happy should be great, it was also terrifying because it was proof she was not in control of her feelings in regard to Tank.
She couldn’t go down this road again, and yet, she didn’t seem able to stop herself.
She was an idiot, and she was going to pay the price for that.
“What do you say, Mac?” Benny asked, looking like a hopeful puppy dog.
Why couldn’t she just hate her boss like most normal people?
“Fine.”
“Great! We can start slow, but I think for the next few home games, you should move from the press box to the team’s box.”
“What?” she exclaimed loudly.
“It’s a subtle move, but it would help us start to sell this,” Roger explained. “We’ve got that amazing new intern, Vicki, who needs experience, so I’m going to work with her in the press box, sort of mentor her, while we establish you as Tank’s girlfriend.”
When she first started working with the team, one of the things she’d incorporated as part of the family-friendly branding was pictures and videos and interviews of the players’ family members—mothers, fathers, wives, and girlfriends—all rooting from the team’s box during home games.
Those posts had become incredibly popular with the fans, consistently getting a high number of likes and comments.
“I really think it’s important for me to be in the press box.”
Benny shook his head. “I understand that, but let’s just give it a few games and then we can revisit.”
McKenna sighed, then realized they were putting the cart before the horse. “What if Tank rejects this entire idea?”
The second she asked the question, she hated knowing she’d be disappointed if Tank said no. Because it wouldn’t feel like he was rejecting the idea, but her.
That thought alone should tell her how NOT over Eddie’s betrayal she was, and how much she REALLY needed to stay away from Tank.
She was in deep shit here.
“He won’t,” Roger said with a certainty McKenna couldn’t understand. “The three of us can present it to him on Monday. That’ll give you the weekend to really think this over and decide if you want to do it.”
“If you change your mind,” Benny added, “then we’ll figure something else out.”
McKenna gnawed on her lower lip, then shook her head. “No. I think I should bring it up with Tank alone.”
“We can do it together,” Roger insisted. “After all, it was our idea. We’re not trying to dump it all on you.”
“I know, but I still think it’s better if it comes just from me.” If he rejected it out of hand, McKenna preferred that happened in private and not in front of her boss and Roger.
“You think you can convince him?” Benny asked.
She shrugged because she didn’t have a clue how Tank would reply to this idea.
Benny rubbed his chin. “You know, you’d probably have the best chance of selling this to Tank. The past few weeks have proven that he listens to you and does what you say. That’s more than the two of us have ever managed to do in all the years before you arrived.”
“And he just said as much in that podcast,” Roger added. “Said he trusted you.”
“Okay, yeah. Fine,” she said. “I’ll talk to Tank.”
“Wait until Monday, Mac. I still want you to take some time and think this through. I swear this is not one of my ‘other duties as assigned.’” Benny joked, smiling. “You say no, it’s no.”
“I’ll think about it,” she promised.
Benny rose. “Well, it’s after quitting time, and my husband will kick my ass if I’m late for dinner again this week.”
Benny was probably late for dinner ninety-nine percent of the time, but considering he and his spouse of fourteen years were still madly in love, she figured he was always forgiven. “Tell Kyle I said hi.”
Roger added his goodbye and the two men walked out together, leaving her alone and trying not to spiral into another panic attack.
Unlike Benny, McKenna didn’t have anyone waiting at home to have dinner with her, so she was free to work—and stress out—as late as she wanted.
Turning back to her computer, she intended to schedule posts for the coming week, write copy and edit pictures.
She needed to get ahead because she’d be out on the road with the team for the next three days.
While she was able to work on planes or buses, she preferred working on her desktop in her office because it was easier and quicker to lay her hands on the files she needed, and the screen was much bigger.
Unfortunately, all she managed to do was stare into space, wondering how in the hell she was going to convince Tank to fake date her.
“You realize quitting time has come and gone.”
She looked toward the door, surprised to see Tank leaning on the doorframe.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, glancing at the time on her phone and grimacing. It was nearly seven p.m., which meant she’d just squandered an hour and a half, lost in her thoughts.
“I had a suspicion you’d still be here,” he admitted.
That wasn’t much of a suspicion, because everyone knew she always worked several hours past quitting time. For one thing, she had a shit ton of work to do, and for another, she was never in a hurry to get back home to an empty house.
“So,” Tank said, holding up a bag of takeout. “I brought food. Redeeming me is probably hungry work.”
She grinned, her stomach growling as the smell of Thai food wafted through her office. “Redeeming you wouldn’t lead to hunger. It would lead to starvation,” she joked.
“Very funny, Mouse.” Tank crossed the office, reaching into the bag to pull out several containers and popping off the lids. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a variety.”
McKenna’s mouth watered as he opened containers of Pad Thai, Pad Krapao, Som Tum, green curry, mango sticky rice…
“There’s enough here for six people,” she exclaimed.