Chapter 3
All the color drained from Dan’s face as he plopped down onto the chair and stared between them, his features reflecting his dismay. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, undoubtedly not knowing what to say to this new development.
He began to loosen the tie around his throat as he sighed audibly. He began to massage his temples, and Keith watched in amusement wondering if he should say anything, or if his manager was going to kill him either way for failing to bring this up.
Dan took a deep breath before he glowered at Keith who did his best to keep his grin in check. It’s not that he wanted to make his manager’s life harder, it’s just that it was really funny from an outsider’s perspective.
“Would you care to explain?” Dan said through gritted teeth.
“What’s there to explain?” Keith plopped onto the seat in front of Dan and opted for nonchalance, as this was clearly the only way to get Dan to calm down. “Liesel and I used to be married once a long time ago, now we’re not anymore.”
He noticed the way Liesel’s eyes flickered over to his, no doubt wondering at his nonchalance, but he wasn’t the same person he was when he was around her. He had changed.
He was sure she had too.
“And you failed to mention this when you hired me because..?”
Keith shrugged. “It never came up.”
Dan slammed his hand on the table causing a nearby vase to rattle. He mumbled an apology under his breath as he gave Liesel a tight smile. “Damn it Keith. This is exactly the kind of thing you should tell me about up front, so I can have the chance to fix it.”
“Well, you have a chance to fix it now,” Keith pointed out as he popped a piece of mint in his mouth.
Dan shot him an incredulous look before he took a deep breath and pinched his nose between this thumb and forefinger. “Okay, okay, I can handle this.”
He turned around to face Liesel who until that moment sat quietly observing them, her hands crossed her chest, her cool business-like composure betraying nothing, but Keith saw a muscle tick in her jaw, and he knew she was mad at him, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, he owed her nothing now.
“You can handle this right?” Dan asked nervously.
“Of course,” she responded coolly as she organized some files on her desk. “Besides, as Mr. Roger said we were married before, now we’re not.”
Blue eyes met hazel ones, and Keith nearly flinched at the hurt that was reflected there. He supposed he deserved that after sweeping their marriage under the rug like that, but it was in the past.
Keith straightened in his chair and met her gaze squarely. Liesel didn’t flinch, she barely even blinked before she looked away from him and down at the papers in front of her.
“Right,” she began. “So first thing’s first, we can approach this in one of two ways, the first is to have Mr. Roger come forward with the story, or two we can leak it to the press and make him seem almost embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?” Dan echoed confusing lacing his tone. “Why would he be embarrassed?”
“Liesel was about to be deported, sent back to Germany because her father lost his job.”
Comprehension dawned on Dan’s face. “So you married her to keep her from being deported?”
Keith fidgeted. “Well, yes and no. She was about to be deported, but that isn’t the only reason I married her.”
“What are the other reasons?”
Keith lifted his shoulders up before letting them settle again. He could feel Liesel staring daggers into the side of his head, but he did his best to ignore that prickly feeling and stretched his legs casually as he stared ahead at nothing.
“ Look, Dan, I can’t change the past, but I can work with what we have, I can spin the story either way, work the whole puppy love angle, it would also be better if we leak it to the press, that way we make it seem like he wanted to keep it to himself, a good deed between him and I, not for the rest of the worlds’ eyes.”
“Yes, Yes!” Dan’s eyes began to flicker with excitement as he set a game plan for how the marriage would be leaked to the press, how Keith would pretend to be embarrassed then admit that he loved her and that he did it to keep her with him, but also how the split was amicable, and how they’re working together now.
“So you think we should let the press know it was you?”
“Of course, on the contrary, it makes him look more human. Being able to work side by side with his ex, letting her represent him, the press will eat it up.”
“You really are very good at your job, Liesel.”
“I try to be.”
Dan and Liesel continued to talk for a few more minutes. Keith did his best to make eye contact with Liesel to convey his gratitude and his sorrow, but she studiously avoided his gaze.
An hour later, they were finished up and heading out. Liesel got up to escort them to the door, and they briefly made eye contact. Liesel pretended not to notice as she made her way back to her desk.
“Dan, I need to stay behind for a bit to sort some things out with Liesel,”
Liesel’s eyes snapped up to meet his, and she regarded him coolly. “I don’t think there’s anything left to discuss Mr. Roger.”
“Yes, there is,” Keith insisted.
Dan gazed at Keith slowly then at Liesel. “alright, I’ll see you at dinner for the Pepsi ad meeting.”
“I’ll be there,” Keith said as Dan made his way out and shut the door behind him.
Liesel sat behind the desk, her cool blue eyes regarding him with as much indifference as she could muster, which wasn’t much. Keith could see that she was wound up by the erect way she sat, and by the way she crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s good to see you, Lis, really.”
She stared at him as if unable to comprehend what he saying. Finally, she blinked. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“ What is that supposed to mean?”
Liesel sighed, the tension suddenly draining from her body. “Look, I’m not going to fight you, Keith, but let’s cut the crap, okay? You didn’t want the whole world knowing that Keith Roger-NBA star and womanizer- had a German wife. I get it.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and anyway we’re not the same people anymore, so what does it matter?”
Liesel eyes flashed. “What does it matter? What does it matter?! Of course, Mr. Hotshot NBA doesn’t care anymore. Not now that you have the kind of lifestyle you always dreamed of, and you aren’t going to let anything get in the way of that.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Like hell it isn’t. ‘we were married once, and now we’re not,’” she quoted back at him, using air quotes to signify her rage and disgust.
“Look, Lis, calm down, there’s no need to be angry.”
“No? Maybe I should take a page out of your book and act like a douche bag.”
Keith strode to her desk and splayed his hands on her desk. “I messed up, okay? I know that, but don’t you think you’re overreacting?”
“Overreacting?” Liesel stood up so quickly, her chair nearly toppled backwards. “When my father got sick, and I had to go take care of him in Germany, you told me you’d wait for me, that we’d make it work. I did everything I could to get back to you as soon as I could, but you couldn’t wait to be rid of me, your charity case.”
Keith walked around the desk, so he was facing her. “You were not a charity case. Goddamn it, Lis! You know you weren’t. But you were gone for so long, and I wasn’t sure you’d ever come back, especially when your visa problem happened.”
“So you go and sleep with another woman? That was your solution. Goddamn you, you bastard, you nearly destroyed me.”
“And you think it didn’t destroy me? I spent months not knowing if you’d ever come back, hating that I couldn’t be there for you, and yes I know I hurt you when I slept with another woman, but I made a mistake. I was looking for comfort at the bottom of a glass, and I thought she could numb the pain, but I regretted it the second it happened.”
“It was too late by then,” Liesel tried to angrily shove past him, but he grabbed both her wrists and held them as she squirmed and struggled against him. “let go of me, let me go!”
Keith released her wrists, and as she stared up at him, her eyes filled with anguish and fury, she suddenly threw herself at him and began to kiss him.
Surprised, Keith stumbled back until he landed against the door with a thud. He reached behind his back and bolted the lock on the door before he hoisted Liesel up, so that she had her legs wrapped around his waist.
Liesel bit down on his lip hard, hard enough to draw blood, but by then they were too far gone to care. Too wrapped up in their passion for each other.
Keith tore his mouth away from hers and maneuvered them, so her back hit her desk. He set her down and began to kiss and bite her neck quite fervently. Liesel gasped as his hands moved to cup her breasts while he continued to leave bite marks all over her neck.
Liesel’s hands moved from neck, down his back till she left the hem of shirt. Keith’s whole body instantly shuddered as she touched him softly at first as she let her fingertips glide over his skin causing a ripple of goosebumps to gather in her wake.
Keith had one hand on her neck, and the other snuck underneath her shirt and lay down her breast. It tweaked one nipple gently, and Liesel moaned in surprise as her hips bucked forward.
Liesel impatiently began to claw at his back as she yanked his shirt off, so his skin was flushed against her damp shirt.
Keith eagerly helped Liesel out of her shirt, and her nipples stood erect as they brushed against his bare chest. Liesel’s legs wrapped around her waist as her hips began to move over their own accord.
Keith made a low guttural sound in the back of his throat as his hips began to move in response to hers. He reached behind him and undid the clasp on her bra and took both her breasts in his hands. He began to knead them carefully at first before he dropped his head to them and placed a gentle kiss on each breast.
Liesel arched her back and began to run her fingers up and down his back. The sounds of their moans were interrupted by the shrill ringing of her office phone.
***
They froze as they stared at the phone, trying to see clearly through the haze of desire. Liesel was the first to break eye contact as she dragged her hands away from her back and reached around to wrap grab the phone.
“Yes?” Her voice came out sounding breathy, so she cleared her throat as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. “Today?”
Keith began to kiss her neck again, moving down to her stomach as his hands continued to play with her bare breast.
He gazed up at Liesel who was gazing at him through lust filled eyes. She swallowed as Keith’s fingers brushed the top of her skirt, she began chewing on her bottom lip as she struggled to focus on what was being said.
Keith’s mouth moved upwards and began to suck on her neck. “Hang up the phone,” he murmered huskily as he gently bit down on her earlobe.
Her eyelids fluttered as she attempted to control her reactions before she finally swore under her breath. “Listen, Liv, I’ve got to go. Make a note of it, and we’ll talk about it later, okay?”
She slammed the phone shut and turned to gaze at him through hooded eyes. “That was important, you know.”
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled as he kissed every inch of skin on her neck till he reached her breasts. He took one breast between his mouth, and he sucked slowly at first, then he sunk his teeth gently into her skin causing Liesel to moan in pleasure. “Keith, maybe we should stop.”
He released her nipple and placed a soft kiss before letting his eyes met hers. “Why should we stop?”
“Because I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” she said hoarsely as she rested her forehead against his.
“Lis,” he brushed her hair back and cupped her chin, so she was looking at him. “ I know that I hurt you once, and you have to believe that I know that I was a goddamn jackass for doing that to you.”
Liesel met his gaze, and he could see the fear reflected in them, but he could see that her fear was intermingled with longing, so he pressed on. “I regretted it every second since it happened, she meant nothing to me, nothing, okay? You were the one I really wanted, you’re still the one I want.”
Liesel studied him. “But how will I know that you really want me not just to satisfy your lust? I know all about you now Keith, you’re already building a reputation for yourself, other women might be okay with one night with you, but you and I both know-“ she met his gaze squarely. “I’m not like those women, I will never be okay with a one night stand. It’s not who I am.”
Keith nodded. “Of course, I know that.” He stroked her cheek softly. “and I’m not asking you to be that. We loved each other once, I know we were young back then, and things were different, but we could try to find a compromise.”
“But things are different now, we’re different people.”
“Look, I’m not going to lie, I love being single and free to have options. Hearing women scream my name on the court, and in bed, yeah, that’s pretty amazing.”
Liesel slapped his arm and glared at him. “If you’re trying to make a case for yourself, you’re failing miserably.”
Keith leaned back and looked at her. “I can’t promise you anything, Lis,” he said quietly.
Liesel stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to be in a relationship.”
Liesel unwrapped her legs from around him and pushed herself back. She picked her shirt up off the floor and stared at Keith who still stood there standing in between her legs. “So what exactly are you proposing?”
Keith stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, we could see each other whenever the urge arises, and I can say that I’ll do my best not to sleep with any other women on the same day, not before or after.”
Liesel stared at him for a beat before a low chuckle escaped her lips. She began to laugh louder as she stared at him incredulously. She pushed Keith back, and he stumbled backwards in surprise.
“Am I actually supposed to agree to that?”
Keith stared at her in surprise. “Well, why wouldn’t you? Given our history, I think you’d agree that it’s the best way to get what we want without the chance of breaking promises.”
“And you really think that the best way to get over our shared history is by hooking up whenever we both feel horny?”
“It’s the best way, the only way, I think.”
“You actually believe it,” Liesel’s mouth pressed itself into a thin line.
“You don’t?”
“Hell no, and honestly I don’t know how you can even proposition me like that.”
Keith shrugged as he picked his shirt off the floor and slid it back on. “Honestly, most women I’ve been with the past few years have understood that and accepted it even.”
Liesel slid her bra back on and slipped her shirt on over her head. “Well, I think that’s sad. You’ve given up on love.”
Keith eyed her evenly. “You can’t seriously still believe in that, Lis.”
Liesel walked around him and switched the lock open. “I do,” she nodded her head and gestured towards the door. “I hope you won’t let this affect our professional relationship.”
Keith blinked as he realized he was being dismissed. “Yes, of course.”
He straightened his back and made his way out the door. He turned around to say something, but Liesel had already shut the door behind him. He stared at the door and considered knocking, but there was nothing he could say now that would change her mind.
He’d just have to try again later because he knew that he’d never be able to be around Liesel and be platonic.