Chapter Thirty
Payton
Down in the lobby, I asked the concierge to call a cab and asked him to tell the driver I was headed back to the city. Once I was tucked into the taxi, I dialed Val and hoped that she wasn’t out at some wedding party or on a shopping trip.
“Hey, PG, what’s happening?” Val’s playful tone made me tear up as I thought about how much I missed her.
“Not much; what’s up with you?” I asked, trying to mask my feelings by matching her tone.
“Oh girl, don’t bullshit me, something’s going on,” she said in a sassy voice usually reserved for bartenders and pushy, wannabe suitors. “Spill it, PG.”
“Val, this is all headed for disaster,” I said morosely.
“What did Joanna do now?” she asked knowing me all too well.
“She’s said she’d disinherit me, if I didn’t stop seeing Dax,” I said, summarizing my mother’s phone call as succinctly as possible. I was angry at my mother’s response, but I had been hurt by Dax’s dismissive comment about my understanding of how to run a football team, and I didn’t know how to explain this to Val.
“Okay, but Joanna is a bitch, and we’ve known that for a long time,” Val said. “What’s really bothering you, Payton.”
“Oh, so it’s Payton now, is it?” I countered, trying to keep the discussion about Dax and me at bay. “I’m just mad that my mother told me to do one thing and then when I did it, she got pissed that I did.”
“C’mon, PG, you know that you went looking for that one,” Val chided. “You wanted to bait your mother, so this faux outrage isn’t really holding water with me.”
“Fine, whatever,” I said, feeling frustrated with Val, too. She was supposed to have my back! “If you want to side with her, then just do it.”
“Oh my God, stop the dramatics, Payton,” Val said in a tone that made my heart sink. “I’m always on your side and you know that. I’m just saying that I think there’s something else going on, but if you won’t tell me, then I have to assume that you’re overreacting to Joanna’s brand of bitchiness.”
“Val, I think I like him,” I blurted.
“Like who? The blue-collar, football billionaire?” Val laughed. “I thought he was just a means to an end and the possibility of a job.”
“He was—is,” I said, correcting myself quickly. “It’s just that there’s something about him that’s familiar, and he’s…”
“He’s hot as hell,” Val finished. “Please tell me that you’re taking full advantage of the sex clause you put in that contract.”
“I…yeah, well, I did,” I said, blushing on the other end of the phone. I’d talked about everything under the sun with Val, but I’d never had feelings like this about a guy and I’d never been in a situation quite like this with a guy I had feelings about. It felt weird talking to her about it.
“And was it good?” she asked.
“Uh huh,” I replied, uncertain how to tell her how I felt about it all.
“Then what’s the problem?” Val asked. “It would seem to me that you’ve got a hot, rich dude at your beck and call. That seems pretty ideal to me.”
“Oh, he’s not at my beck and call,” I said shuddering a bit as I thought about how Dax would react if he heard her say that about him. “He’s kind of bossy, and he’s definitely trying to show me he’s in charge. I mean, he’s said some things that made me really mad.”
“Is that so?” Val said knowingly. “What exactly did he say that made you mad, PG?”
“He told me I knew nothing about running a football team!” I shouted, feeling the anger and humiliation rising in my chest again. “He talked down to me, Val.”
“But you don’t know anything about running a football team,” Val pointed out.
“Not you, too,” I grumbled. “I know I don’t, but he didn’t need to treat me like a little girl. I know things that he doesn’t know, and it made me feel like…”
“Like when you have to listen to Joanna boss you around,” Val finished. “PG, he’s not your mother. He’s a guy who’s trying to run a team that he’s paid a lot of money for. Have you stopped and thought about everything he’s up against?”
“Don’t take his side!” I bellowed defensively. “You’re my best friend!”
“I’m not taking any sides,” she said gently. “I’m telling you that there are times when your pride and ego work you into a corner, and that this might just be one of those times. So, back down and take a look at what’s really going on. Are you mad at him because he’s doing something wrong or are you mad at him because he’s the closest person for you to take your frustrations out on?”
“Why do you always do this to me?” I asked.
“Because I’m your best friend and I love you to the moon and back,” she said plainly. “Think about it, PG. This guy might actually be a good guy. You should brush that chip off your shoulder and give him a chance. Oh shit, I gotta run! I’m sorry, but Richard’s family is coming for dinner and I’ve got to talk to the stylist about my gown! I love you, PG!”
“I love you, too, Val,” I said as the line went dead. I sat and thought about what she’d said and when I realized she might have a point, I slammed my fist against the leather seat and muttered, “Dammit.”
“Are you okay, miss?” the driver asked glancing in the rearview mirror with a concerned look.
“I’m fine,” I nodded. After a few seconds, I added, “Thank you for asking.”
The driver nodded and turned his eyes back to the road.
#
I didn’t see Dax again until several days after the end of training camp. His breakfast insult about my lack of experience in running a football team had stung, and after having let him into my family drama, his criticism had felt even more pointed. However, Val’s advice continued to roll around in my brain as I tried to carefully consider how much of my anger and frustration was really about the situation with my mother.
On Wednesday night, I heard Dax moving around in the living room and decided to go out and talk to him. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and dabbed on a little lipstick as I took stock of myself in the mirror. The previous day, I had asked Dax’s secretary to track down all of the files on the creation of the Storm organization and every handbook and playbook she could find. I’d carted them back to the penthouse and had spent the day reading through all the files so that I’d have a concrete understanding of how the Storm organization was run. Now I was ready to engage in a conversation with Dax.
“Hey, how did training camp go?” I asked as I walked into the living room. Dax had his back to me and was staring out the window at the lake as the last light of the day disappeared and the water turned from blue to purple.
“Oh, hey,” he said obviously startled. He turned and looked at me for a moment before turning back to the window adding, “It went as well as expected, I guess.”
“You get everything straightened out with Nick?” I asked, trying to convey sincerity as I worked my way into what I really wanted to say.
“In as much as we’ll ever get things worked out,” he sighed. “Look, Payton—”
“Dax—” I began and then stopped as we both tried to speak. I waited for a moment, and then took a deep breath before saying, “I’m sorry, Dax.”
“Wait, what?” he said turning to look at me. There was confusion in his eyes, but I didn’t want to stop.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I was mad at my mother and I took it out on you.”
“I see,” he said nodding. “I had no idea what had happened.”
“I know, but you really made me feel small,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because you said I don’t know anything about running a football team,” I said.
“But you don’t,” he said looking even more confused. I could feel the familiar anger and resentment rising in my chest, but this time I took a deep breath, swallowed hard and held back.
“I know, but I want to know,” I admitted. “I want to learn.”
“Then why didn’t you say so?”
“I did! You’re just too stubborn to actually listen to me,” I countered, feeling my defensive walls begin to go up. I took another deep breath and remembered Val’s words.
“Payton—” he began as my phone went off. I turned it up and saw my mother’s picture on the screen.
“I need to take this; I’m sorry,” I said, stepping away from the living room and walking toward the kitchen. I answered the phone with a cold, “What do you want, Mother?”
“Is that any way to speak to your own mother?” she asked in a voice full of fake hurt. “It’s so rude, Payton Gale.”
“You’re not exactly the modicum of manners yourself,” I hissed. “What do you want?”
“Fine, if that’s the way you’re going to speak to me, then I’ll just say what I have to say,” she said in a voice as brittle as dry ice. “Regardless of how you feel about me, I expect that once the season starts, you will attend all home games.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked.
“Because this team is our family team and no matter how disrespectful you’ve been to me, you are still part of this family and you have an obligation to behave like it,” she said coldly.
“You’ve cut me out of the family, so I don’t see how the home games are any of my concern,” I said. “Besides, won’t everyone think it’s strange that I show up since you’ve reported me as having been kidnapped and brainwashed by the Storm?”
“Admittedly, my methods of trying to get you back where you belong were a little over the top,” she said.
“Oh, you think so?” I replied.
“Payton, you have an obligation to this family and to the Bears football team,” my mother said. “It’s really as simple as that. I expect you to be at the home games in the skybox.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Do not test me, young lady,” she warned as I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit the disconnect button. I knew I’d pay for my actions, but right now, I didn’t care.
“Who was that?” Dax asked as I walked back into the living room where he had opened a bottle of red wine and poured us each a glass.
“My mother,” I said, setting my phone down and accepting the glass he held out to me.
“What did she want?” he asked as he sipped from his glass.
“She told me I was obligated to attend home games, and that there would be consequences if I didn’t,” I said, curling up in a spot at the end of the couch with my wine.
“What did you tell her about our contract?”
“I’ve told her nothing about it,” I said sipping from my glass. “It’s none of her damn business, and besides, she doesn’t care about whether I’m there or not, only that we’re presenting a united front for the team. I’m sick and tired of it all!”
Dax observed me silently as I ducked my head and thought about how I was going to deal with the situation. Neither one of us spoke a word, but the air was thick with tension. After a long time, Dax took a deep breath and then spoke.
“Payton, do you trust me?” he asked.
“I don’t know, should I?”
“I’m serious,” he said, holding me captive with his dark eyes. I could feel something inside of me twisting and churning as I stared back at him. I wanted to trust him, and I knew that I probably should trust him, but something told me that it was too soon. I didn’t want to mistake lust for something more than what it actually was, and, as I constantly reminded myself, we had made a deal and signed a contract. And trust definitely hadn’t been a part of that.
“I want to,” I said, holding his gaze. “But I don’t know if I actually do, yet.”
A warm smile spread across Dax’s lips as he set his glass down and moved toward me. He sat down, took the glass out of my hand, and set it on the coffee table before taking both of my hands in his. He leaned forward and softly kissed my lips before he said, “I want to take you to meet someone. Will you go?”
I felt my heart beating madly as I nodded, and when I did, Dax leaned forward and kissed me again.