It wasnāt a great one, but hey, I was out of practice. I deserved some slack.
āI know,ā she said with a shudder. āThat freaks me out even more.ā
āHilarious,ā I said dryly. āWhen youāre done with your stand-up routine, connect me with Asher. If heās late to a meeting again, Iām adding a waiting fee to his monthly bill.ā
āSure.ā She gave a dreamy sigh. āAsher days are my favorite.ā
I shook my head and waited for the door to close before I logged on to my private video-conferencing system.
Jillian wasnāt wrong. I was smiling a lot, to the point where I annoyed myself, but I was still riding high from the past week.
Last Wednesday had been a rollercoaster of emotions. Penās hospitalization and seeing my family were unpleasant shocks, but my night with Xavier, both at the club and his house, smoothed the jagged edges of an otherwise epically shitty day.
I hadnāt planned on sleeping with him. Part of me actively resisted it because I knew it was a bad idea. But there was something about the way he held and looked at meā¦He posed the greatest danger to my perfectly constructed world, yet Iād never felt safer than when I was in his arms.
Take your hair down, Sloane.
It was a simple request, but when I did it, itād felt like more. Itād felt like trust.
I stared at my screen. Asher wasnāt on yet, which was just as well. Once they got rolling, my memories couldnāt stop replaying the past few daysāthe way Xavier felt inside me, the way we moved together, the way heād planned the outing with Pen and how great he was with her. I didnāt have much of a maternal instinct, but my ovaries had almost exploded when they hugged goodbye.
There was nothing sexier than a man who was good with children.
Heād chosen an activity she would like that wouldnāt aggravate her symptoms, but he also treated her like a normal kid, not a porcelain doll. That was what Pen wanted, and it was probably the reason sheād gotten attached to him so fast. My only worry wasā
āSorry, boss.ā Asherās perfect face filled my screen, his smile as roguish and charming as his British accent. Despite his words, he appeared unrepentant about his latest mishap. āBefore you say anything, know it wonāt happen again.ā
I almost jumped before I caught myself. Iād gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts, Iād nearly forgotten about the call.
I straightened, brushing aside concerns about my personal life to focus on my most high-profile client.
Asher was in his house in Blackcastle. He wore an old gray T-shirt, and his hair was damp from either sweat or a shower. He mustāve come straight from his daily workout.
I wished he were as dedicated to maintaining his reputation as he was to his fitness. Youād think the most famous soccer player in the world would be too busy with, and protective of, his career to engage in illegal street races, but this wasnāt the first time Iād had to clean up his mess before the press got wind of it.
āIām not your boss. If I were, you wouldnāt ignore me every time I tell you to do something,ā I said evenly. āLet me make something clear, Donovan. I donāt care how great your scoring record was at Holchester. Youāre the new kid in the club at Blackcastle. You have a nine-figure contract riding on your ability to control your impulses so keep your head down, obey the speed limit, and for Godās sake, stop fighting with Vincent DuBois. Heās your teammate.ā
Asherās $200-million transfer earlier this year had made headlines worldwide, but it came with a unique stipulation: a two-year probationary period, during which he must uphold the contractās ironclad morality clause, among other things. If he didnāt, his contract would be terminated, and heād have to pay back half of his first two yearsā earnings.
Asherās face clouded at the mention of his rival. Vincent was the only player who came close to matching his fame and talent.
āVincentās an asshole,ā he said.
āI donāt care. Your rivalry is whipping the tabloids into a frenzy, and we donāt need that right now. Shape the hell up, Asher, or I will personally hire a mercenary to repossess every car in your garage and make sure Rahim never sells you another vehicle. That upcoming limited-edition Bugatti you have your eye on? Gone to the next highest bidder.ā
Asher was famous, but I was determined, fed up, and pissed off. Plus Rahim, his luxury car broker, owed me for the sheer number of referrals Iād sent his way (for people who were more responsible drivers than a certain athlete).
Asher swallowed at my threat. āCome on, Sloane. Thatās notāā
āTake care of it. Now.ā
I ended the call. Some clients required tougher love than others; Asher required freaking titanium.
I had a few minutes before my next meeting, so I quickly checked my phone.
XAVIER
Black coffee, two sugars?
A smile touched my lips, easing my frustration over Asher.
Iām working
XAVIER
That wasnāt the question, Luna
ā¦
No sugar today. Iāve had too much already
I blamed the doughnuts Jillian had brought for breakfast.
I didnāt get an immediate answer from him, so I turned to my group chat with the girls.
ISABELLA
Operation PW is in full swing ;)
ISABELLA
I MAY have gone to PWās favorite cafe to write today, and I MAY have overheard him discussing an upcoming blog post
My heart skipped a beat.
Is itā¦
ISABELLA
Mmhmm. He didnāt name names, but Iām almost positive itās what we planted
VIVIAN
Do you think heāll actually run it?
VIVIAN
Sheās one of the few celebs heās been too afraid to go after