CHAPTER 3 #2
“Son of a—” Jackie whispered, then bit the inside of her jaw to keep from cursing. Of all the boardrooms in the world, he had to be in hers.
Antonio scanned the room, nodding hello to her colleagues.
When his eyes got to Jackie, his mouth opened slightly, and his eyes scanned her face.
Jackie followed his gaze; he was clearly looking at her lips.
Lips that he knew intimately—albeit briefly—from a lifetime ago.
Like a petulant child, Jackie folded her arms over her chest and tucked her lips in.
She watched Antonio take a seat next to Patrick, directly across from Jackie. The other agents trailing behind him were, just as she thought, a bunch of bland, generic dudes. Antonio gave her a smile from across the table, and she rolled her eyes. In response, he smirked and shook his head.
“Well,” began Patrick, “if it isn’t obvious by now: Elite is merging with Athletics Management Worldwide.
Together, we will be managing some of sports’ greatest talents.
On the AMW side, we have Antonio Steele here as a representative.
He’s going to assess where we can expand our reach. Antonio? Want to say a few words?”
Antonio nodded. “Thanks Patrick. AMW is super excited to be joining forces with Elite. Two powerhouse sports management teams.” His eyes landed back on Jackie, whose scowl just made him smile bigger. Clearly, he was a sadist.
“I assure you, AMW isn’t here to take over,” he continued. “The founding partners don’t want to overhaul how you all do things. We want this to be a harmonious merger. I have a good feeling that we are going to make magic together.”
With those last words, Antonio’s gaze—still on Jackie—intensified. She moved uncomfortably in her seat.
The rest of the meeting was less eventful.
There was a full inquiry into the roster of athletes AMW represented and those on their radar, cross-referenced with Elite’s list. Each time Jackie looked up from her tablet, Antonio was staring at her.
She hoped that no one else noticed. She didn’t have the patience to field questions from people who assumed that all Black people knew each other.
Once the meeting ended, Jackie couldn’t book it to her office fast enough.
“Shit! Shit!” she yelled as she walked around her office.
Her heart was beating as fast as Sha’Carri Richardson running the 100m race.
She sat herself on the edge of her desk and took a few deep breaths to try to steady herself.
After the baked bean incident at her cookout, she’d thought that would be last she’d see of Antonio Steele.
“Jacqueline?”
Jackie turned to see Antonio leaning against the doorframe, all 6’4, 250 pounds of him. Antonio was a massive, imposing presence, and not just because of his size. He had that way about him. He was having that effect on Jackie now.
“I swear you keep popping up like a zit,” sighed Jackie. “What do you want?”
Antonio eased into the room and closed the door. Jackie felt like a rabbit trapped in a cage. “You ran out the boardroom before I could talk to you,” he said.
“Were you ever going to tell me that you were coming to Atlanta? That Elite and AMW would be merging? That we would be working for the same firm?”
“I swear, Miles, you can never let me get a word in edgewise.” Antonio ran a hand down his face. “I tried to tell you at your cookout, but instead of having an adult conversation, you threw beans at me. By the way, that’ll be sixty-seven dollars for the dry cleaning.”
“Put it on my tab,” Jackie said dryly. She leaned against the edge of her desk. “This isn’t going to work. I can’t work here with you. Either you go or…nah, you gotta go!”
Antonio loosened the last button of his suit jacket. The damned suit looked sewn onto him. He had impeccable taste in clothing, just like her. “Jackie, it’s not like I’m going to be your boss. I’ll be your teammate. Think about all the deals we could close together. It could be fun.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Or all the deals you’re going to steal from me.”
“Jesus, Jackie! How many times do I have to explain that I’m not trying to steal anyone or anything from you? I’m just trying to make the merger go as smoothly as possible. That’s it.”
“If you say so,” Jackie retorted. “Just make sure that’s all it is.”
“Look,” Antonio pressed his hand against his broad chest. “I promise I’m going to stay in my lane.”
“You have a tendency to swerve into mine.” Jackie wasn’t going to be charmed easily by Antonio’s promises. Or the way those well-manicured fingers flexed against his chest. Nope. Not at all. “I haven’t forgotten the shit you pulled with PJ.”
“Listen, Jackie—” Antonio rubbed the back of his neck.
“There’s no excuse for being a backstabbing bastard. But why should I expect anything different from you?”
“Yo, what does that even mean?”
Jackie hesitated. Maybe she should finally let him have it for what he did ten years ago. Instead, she deflected. “Maybe I’ll just take my clients and go. Start my own firm.”
“You could do that,” Antonio chuckled. “So, you’re going to pull a Jerry McGuire?”
“Think I can’t make it on my own?”
“I’m not saying you couldn’t. It would just be tough. You know the Elite name carries a lot of weight, and it’ll be even stronger with the AMW merger.”
Jackie frowned. She refused to admit that she’d had those same thoughts. “And the name Jackie Miles carries a lot of weight too.”
“You and I can take this firm to the next level, Lucky.”
Jackie pointed a finger at him. “Don’t call me that.”
Antonio smirked, showing off that deep dimple, and Jackie despised the way it made her melt. A fine Black man with dimples was just unfair.
“Then what should I call you?” he asked. “Ms. Miles? Jackie? Jacqueline…”
The way Antonio said her full name in that deep baritone made her nipples hard. Her body stiffened as Antonio came close to her, closing the space between them. Her throat felt like sandpaper. “Just…not that.”
“But Lucky fits you so well.” Antonio put a finger under Jackie’s chin, forcing her to look into his smoldering brown eyes. “C’mon Lucky, we work well together, remember?”
Jackie felt heat tickling the nape of her neck. She was sure the air was on full blast in the building, but she could feel herself starting to sweat. “Ant, I…”
Just then, the door of her office flew open. Jackie and Antonio stepped back as Calvin entered unannounced.
“Ms. Miles, there’s been a change to your lunch appointment and…oh…should I reschedule?” Calvin looked between Jackie and Antonio, one well-plucked brow raised.
“Do you want to get fired today, Chuck?” Jackie snapped. “You just don’t come into my office unannounced!”
“You said if something on your schedule changes, I should tell you right away. Ms. Ryan said she’s going to have to change the lunch location to Thuk Thai because Garden Patio is under renovations. Should I tell her you’ll be late, or…?”
Jackie waved her hands. “No. Tell her I’ll be there. Mr. Steele and I were done anyway. Weren’t we, Mr. Steele?”
Antonio adjusted his suit jacket. “I guess we were. We’ll talk later, Ms. Miles.” Jackie watched as Antonio left her office, moving past Calvin, who eyed him hungrily.
“Is that the rep from AMW? I heard the girls in accounting talking about the merger. Former football player, right? I can definitely tell. The man is fine.”
“He’s alright.” Jackie knew that was a lie as soon as it left her lips. “And don’t gossip. It’s counterproductive, and you have work to do, Curtis.”
“Uh-huh,” said Calvin as he exited the office, looking smug.
Jackie sat at her desk, cradling her throbbing head in her hands. How the hell was she going to be able to work with Antonio just down the hall? She was not about to let this merger get under her skin.
She grabbed her brand-new Saint Laurent purse and refreshed her red lipstick, readying herself for lunch with the boss chicks. Jackie knew she’d have to tell her girls the truth and the whole truth, so help her God.