I pushed through the door. I’d lost my appetite for partying tonight. Rick pissed me off. The team pissed me off. The media pissed me off. Everyone was coming at me and I couldn’t find any relief. I was knackered from the entire fucking day. I’d sleep it off.

But as soon as I stepped over the threshold, I heard my name.

I thought this place was supposed to be media-free. Did someone let one of those pissers in here?

I turned my head as a blonde ran toward me in a tight skirt. Her ass was poured into it. She was the only one in the lobby in a suit. I noticed her long legs were tan and firm. My eyes landed on her high heels.

“Lachlan, I’m Aspen Pitch from Revolution.”

I stopped. Holy fuck. This was who Revolution sent? I had done everything over the phone. I’d never met a single one of them. I let Rick handle it.

I raised my eyebrows after raking over her body. Her tan legs disappeared under the hem of her skirt. Her long hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She had the kind of lips I’d seen on enough models, but these were real, lush, and ready to be kissed. Was this some kind of a set up?

“How did you get in here?” I asked, skipping over the introductions.

“I have a pass.” She held up her badge as if I gave a shit about her credentials. “I’ve been waiting almost two hours for you.” She looked annoyed.

“Did you try calling?”

She glared at me. “Of course I did. You didn’t answer your phone. Neither did Rick, your agent. It’s been impossible to get in touch with you. We need to talk.” She sounded like a damn headmistress.

Rick warned me this was coming. I wasn’t in the mood. I hadn’t taken a call since I spoke with him. My phone was turned off for the rest of the day. But I couldn’t stop eyeing her. She was annoying, but sexy as fuck.

“I’m going to bed. I have practice tomorrow.” Truth was I hadn’t decided if I was going back to the stadium in the morning.

I tried to walk past her, but she jumped in front of me. “You don’t seem to understand how serious this is.”

“Sleep is serious.”

She sighed. “Your contract with Revolution is more serious. We need to discuss it. Do you not care about your game launch? It’s in jeopardy.”

She was gorgeous. I’d give her that. But I wasn’t going to let some American chick start dictating my life. I’d had enough of that today.

“Another time, love.”

Her blue eyes flared. “I’m not leaving until we speak.” She looked at her phone. “I only have fifteen minutes before they kick me out anyway. Let’s get started and schedule a meeting for tomorrow.”

“And why is that?” I asked.

“Curfew,” she huffed. “I don’t see how we can get this settled in fifteen minutes. There are a lot of items to go over. I’ve never had to work through something this radical before.”

I arched my eyebrows. She sounded like the kind of person who played by the rules.

I saw two suitcases next to the couch.

“Are those yours?” I asked, pointing to the bags.

She nodded. “Yes, I came straight from the airport. I haven’t checked into my hotel yet. Our meeting was my first priority. You need to realize this is my only interest in Rio.” She took a deep breath. “I have to tell you your game could be pulled from production. Do you have any idea what that would mean? Do you understand the amount of work that’s gone into it? The money? The creativity? This game is going to change soccer in America. Don’t you see that? Don’t you care?”

I took a step back and let her get the speech out of her system. She had probably been preparing it while waiting on the couch. The girl could talk.

I remembered why I had Rick handle this shit for me. I didn’t care about these kinds of details. I never pretended I wanted to be a role model.

If it wasn’t for her bright blue eyes and those lips, I wouldn’t even think about overlooking the fact that she was stuffy, controlling, and uptight. I could tell she was one of those women who liked to steer the ship. She probably stuck to a locked itinerary. It didn’t take five minutes with her to realize she was inflexible.

But I wasn’t the kind of man who shied away from a challenge. There was something about her. A strong energy that soared around her. An energy I suddenly wanted to harness. Fuck, it made me hard just thinking about it.

She exhaled.

“Are you finished?” I asked.

She nodded. “For now.”

“If you’re done with the bloody lecture, I think I have a solution for you,” I announced. There was a way I could make this work to my advantage.

“You do?”

I walked over to the couch and grabbed the suitcases. What in the hell did she pack in these things? They were heavy as shit.

“What are you doing?” She chased after me in her heels, clacking along the floor.

“You’re coming with me.” I hauled the bags to the lift.

“I can’t go up there,” she protested. “They won’t let me.”

“You can have all the access you want if I take you.” I winked.

I saw the instant blush on her cheeks. “But now we only have ten minutes. I’ll get locked in. It’s not enough time,” she protested.

“Would you rather get locked in with me or get locked out without me?” I posed the question.

Her eyes darted back and forth. “I am here to represent Revolution. This isn’t a joke to me. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing right now, but I’m not amused, Mr. Kenzie. Nothing about this is funny to me. Millions are on the line. Millions. And all you can think about is a way to get me in your room for the night.”

“I’m trying to help you and listen to what Revolution needs,” I lied. “Did I imply it was something else?”

The lift doors retracted. I stepped inside. “I’m going to my room. Are you coming with me or going back to your hotel?”

I held up the bags. I could easily set them outside of the doors, but I waited while she sorted through her choices. Truth was I liked watching her squirm.

“Fine,” she huffed, stepping inside with me. “But—”

The doors closed behind her.

“But what?”

She folded her arms over her chest.

“This is about your contract with Revolution. We’re discussing the game and your behavior in Rio.”

“We’ll see.”

I smiled for the first time all day.