Chapter Fourteen
Payton
“That son of a bitch was trying to play me, Val!” I yelled into my phone as I paced my living room floor trying to think of a way to make Dax Connor pay for being the ultimate douche-bro.
“Chill out, PG,” Val said on the other end. “Tell me exactly what happened and what you did.”
I relayed the details of the date, making sure to emphasize the way in which he’d pulled back from having sex after he’d brought me into his bedroom. Years of having been guarded around the boys I went to school with, most of whom would have, and often times did, do anything I wanted them to do to get a chance to sit in my family’s sky box at Soldier Field, and meet the Bears players had caused me to develop a healthy skepticism and keep most men at arm’s length.
“He said he wanted to date me, not have a one-nighter,” I said rolling my eyes as I walked to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Prosecco out of the fridge and popped the cork. I poured myself a glass and went back out to the living room where I sunk down on the couch and sipped my drink.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Val laughed. “He wants to treat you with respect.”
“That’s bullshit, Val, and you know it as well as I do,” I said. “He’s got an angle; I just don’t know what it is, yet.”
“Paranoid much, girl?” Val asked, only half kidding. She knew what I’d been through, she’d comforted me on the nights when boys had ditched me after having been to the games and I was no longer of interest to them.
“No, but I seem to attract these kinds of yahoos,” I said. We were silent for a few moments and then I said, “I thought I might actually like him, Val.”
“I know, kiddo,” she replied sympathetically. “Those are the ones that suck the worst. So, the question is what are you going to do about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the man obviously wants something you have,” she replied. “Why not see if he has something you want and make a trade?”
“What in the hell could he possibly have that I could want?” I laughed. “I mean, aside from more money than God.”
“He could be the solution to your problem with Joanna,” Val suggested quietly.
“In more ways than one,” I replied. “If I hooked up with him and told her I was going to marry him, she’d have a stroke.”
“Mmm hmmm,” Val intoned on the other end.
“Oh my God, Val,” I whispered. “I could do what she ordered me to do and also drive her insane by doing it.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” she replied. “But I think you need to go bigger with this one. He has no idea about Joanna’s ultimatum, so you can negotiate for something you want.”
“I’m so glad you’re my friend and not my enemy,” I laughed as I considered her suggestion. “But what do I want that he can give me?”
“Experience,” Val said. “He owns a football team, PG. You can get him to put you in a position of power so that you can add it to your resume once this whole thing is over. Hell, didn’t he just fire his GM? Make him appoint you the new GM for the Storm!”
“That’s insane!” I cried. “Val, I’m a twenty-eight-year-old woman with minimal experience in recruiting and managing; why on earth would Dax put me in charge of something so essential to the team’s success?”
“Maybe he wouldn’t, but it couldn’t hurt to ask, could it?” she said. “I mean, you obviously have something he wants, so…”
“So, ask and see what he says,” I echoed. Suddenly dating Dax Connor started looking a whole lot better from my perspective. I backed up and asked, “Did you talk to Joanna yet?”
“Nah, she was too busy to take my call today,” Val said. “I thought I’d stop by tomorrow and say hi. Maybe bring her some chocolate or something.”
“You know she refuses to eat any dairy; she’ll have a fit,” I said.
“I know,” Val said in a way that made it obvious she was grinning from ear to ear on the other end.
“You’re so evil,” I laughed. “Again, glad you’re my friend not my enemy.”
“I’ve got your back, PG,” she said solemnly. “Always have, always will.”
“Right back at you, Val,” I said and smiled as I confirmed our bond. “I’m going to work up a list of terms for this contract, and then I’ll go down to the office and present it to him.”
“Very professional of you,” Val laughed.
“Well, if we’re going to do this, then we should do it professionally, don’t you think?”
“Indeed,” Val affirmed.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” I asked, suddenly remembering that Val had her own challenges.
“Meh, it’s all being taken care of by his mother’s wedding planner, so I basically just have to show up and be able to fit into the dress,” she said in a disinterested tone. She sounded a bit more excited when she added, “But I found out that we’re going to tour North Africa on our honeymoon so that Richard can participate in a desert run. I, on the other hand, will spend my time at spas in Marrakech and shopping in the souks.”
“Sounds like the perfect honeymoon for you two,” I said. “Val, are you—”
“Yep, I’m sure as sure can be,” she said cutting me off. “But thanks for asking. I really am okay with all of this, Payton. I promise.”
“Okay, but you know you could tell me if you weren’t and I’d help you get out of it, don’t you?” I asked softly.
“Yep, I’m well aware of that,” she replied before adding, “I gotta run. Love you, girl! We’ll talk soon!”
“Love you, too, Val,” I said before she disconnected.
I got up off the couch, went into the second bedroom that served as my home office, and grabbed my laptop before heading back to the living room where I spent the next several hours drawing up the terms of an agreement that I thought Dax might want to see. I started by listing every single thing I’d ever wanted, and then winnowed the list down to the top five most important things.
“No, ask for everything,” I murmured as I turned the list into the top ten. “It never hurts to ask.”