Since McCade died, the team was in chaos. I saw grown men panic. It did something to me. Someone had to take charge.

I’d seen stuff like this happen before. Ownership changed. Teams were bought and sold. The first one in the door. The first one who had ownership’s ear was the one who pulled the strings. Maybe I was stupid for thinking I could be that person, but someone had to represent the players. Someone had to stick up for the guys on the team.

It might as well be me. We were a brotherhood. It wasn’t the same bond I had with the guys on my Seal team, but there was something that held us together. I think that happened when we bled and sweated together on the field. I wasn’t going to leave them behind without a fight.

Candy walked in front of us, straightening her short skirt and lowering her eyes to the chipped floor. The old man had always liked pretty assistants. He didn't seem to care how young they were. Maybe he thought they camouflaged the rest of the office. She opened her pouty lips.

“Ms. McCade would like to see you, Isaac.”

“What the hell?” Coach roared, his voice echoing off the walls. “I was here at 7 am. I want to have a meeting with her now. I’ve had to wait two weeks for this.” He pressed his index finger into the center of the coffee table, leaving smudge marks.

Candy took a step back, almost tripping on her high heels. I lunged forward thinking she was about to fall and grabbed her by the waist. She laughed nervously. “Thank you, Isaac.”

“No problem, girl.”

Candy had a reputation for making her way through the team. I had never fucked her, but it didn't mean I hadn’t thought about it. Dylan had a few times, and that meant she was automatically off limits. We shared a lot of things, but never women. I wasn’t going there, no matter how pretty she was, or how many times she offered her bed.

I let go of her waist. Coach stood, eyeing me sharply. “Let me handle this, Price. I don’t think McCade’s granddaughter knows what she’s doing. I’ll talk to her. Why don’t you head down to the locker room?”

I scratched the back of my head, feeling the irritation blister through my veins. He might be in charge of me on the field. During practice. And during a game. But this man did not dictate my career, or my paycheck. Like hell if he was getting in there ahead of me. I stepped to the side, moving Candy away from me.

“Coach, I think I’ll take my meeting.” My eyes bored into his. There were other men who counted on me to be here.

“Son, I don’t think that’s wise.” Applewhite was at least six inches shorter than me, but the man had a bark. A loud voice that would make women shrink and some men tense up. But I wasn't one of those men. “I don’t think you understand the relationship between the team and ownership runs through me.”

I respected the man on the field, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him get to ownership first. My contract meant everything to me. This was my legacy. This was the only insurance I had that if I stepped on the field tomorrow and broke a leg, that I could survive the rest of my life on what I had given to this team. He wasn't going to take that away from me.

“Coach, I'm going to have my meeting. I’ll let you know what ownership says.”I brushed past him, ignoring the glare dripping off him. There might be hell to pay at practice, but I’d pay it.

I walked down the hall. The florescent light flickered overhead, reminding me just how shit-broke this team really was. I arrived at the door and knocked.

"Come in." I heard a soft voice on the other side.

I pushed the door open, widening my shoulders, prepared to take ownership to its knees. Prepared to demand I get everything I wanted. I had a responsibility to my brothers on the team.

“Hi.” She rose from behind the desk and walked around to the side.

My eyes made a trail from the red polish on her toes along her thin legs over her curvy hips to her round breasts, and landed in deep pools of blue eyes. Her blond hair hung loosely on one side of her shoulder, showing off the creamy skin of her neck and throat. My ribs tightened against my lungs. My cock twitched with an unexpected shudder.

She extended her hand toward me. “I know who you are, but we’ve never officially met. ‘'m Vanessa McCade.”

My cock wanted to do the talking. It was animalistic, the urges running through me. I was used to beautiful assistants running around the corporate office. McCade kept the inventory high. Girls like Candy were all over the place. But I'd never seen a woman like Vanessa. There was a softness. And innocence. I didn't know if it was her long lashes, or the fullness of her lips. I’d never wanted to tell a woman to drop to her knees so fast in my life. I had an instant flash of those perfect lips wrapped around my dick. Sucking and teasing me until I exploded in the deepest part of her throat. What was wrong with me?

“Isaac? Or do you prefer Price?”

“Yeah. I-I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.” I needed to say something that didn’t make me look like a complete asshole. Because the truth was I didn't give two shits about that man. “And Isaac is fine.”

“Thank you," she whispered. “It was a shock to everyone. My grandmother still hasn’t left the house.”

I shifted from one leg to the other. I wasn’t interested in getting into the McCade personal family business. I had to forget the tits on this woman and the curve of her hips and get down to business. I wanted a $20 million signing business for this season. I had to forget the idea of fucking her. No matter how damn gorgeous she was, no fuck was worth that much money.

I licked my lips.

Or was it?