Playing the Field

 

“I come bearing gifts.” With a garment bag draped over one arm, I held up a bag of bagels with the other.

Kara stood in the doorway to her apartment dressed in a robe, a towel wrapped around her hair. “Come in. Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thanks.” I followed her into the bedroom, where several dresses were laid out, and hung my garment bag on the doorframe.

“Did Logan move in?” I asked, noticing that one nightstand had an e-reader, the other a paperback about Winston Churchill, and both held phone chargers.

“Practically. He sleeps over almost every night.”

“I’m curious—what are the sleeping arrangements for your overnight team assignments?”

“The guys usually share rooms, and I have my own.”

“Does Logan ever sneak in?”

She laughed and held each dress up to her body, silently asking my opinion. “I wish, but it’s too risky. And, honestly, we’re usually so focused on our task that by the end of the day, we’re exhausted.”

“That one.” I pointed to the magenta sheath with a black skinny belt. “When I went with several of the guys to San Francisco last December, it was pretty laid-back. We even did some sightseeing.”

“Yeah, that would never fly with Scott. Did you bring your makeup?”

I handed her my bag and took a seat on the edge of the bed, grateful she offered to do my makeup. I always admired how put-together she looked, and since I was still getting used to applying eyeshadow, I could benefit from her experience. I watched as she dug through the few cosmetics I owned and selected a brush and shade. Sitting patiently, I breathed through my nose while she gently applied it to my eyelid.

“From everything you’ve told me about Scott, I’m surprised you decided to join Team Falcon in the first place.”

“Can I trust you to keep a secret?”

“Of course. You know all the skeletons in my closet.”

“Not all.” I knew she was referring to my relationship with the guys and the matter of which, if any, of them I was interested in.

“I know, I know. But, that’s a conversation for another day.” As much as I had come to trust Kara, I still wasn’t ready to share the truth. And, we didn’t have nearly enough time to go into the details this morning. We were due to meet Liam and Jackson in an hour for the Stanford Alumni Fundraiser Brunch.

“Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll save my prying. Falcon wasn’t my first choice, Coyote was.”

“Really?” I tried to imagine Kara as a member of the fierce all-girl team, but it didn’t compute. “What happened?”

“They didn’t want me.”

“Why not?” I felt indignant on Kara’s behalf.

“Officially, they claimed they already had someone with my skill set, but I think it really had more to do with a personality conflict. I went through training with one of the girls and we didn’t get along, but I thought we’d moved past it. Or, at least, I had.”

“So, you ended up on Team Falcon?”

“With a leader whose ego is the size of Texas.” Kara pulled my eye taut before running liner against the base of my eyelashes. “Did you consider joining Jaguar after completing your training? They’ve clearly accepted you as one of their own.”

“I can’t imagine working in the field, and when Patrick explained the role of a strategy specialist, it sounded perfect.”

“I think it’s a good fit for you.”

I smiled, pleased Kara approved. I was coming to find that I valued her opinion; she was level-headed, honest, and understood the challenges of being a female at Zenith.

When she finished my makeup, she moved on to her own, and I took mental notes as she applied her eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. I was slipping on my heels when there was a knock at the door. Knowing Liam and Jackson would be waiting on the other side, I eagerly offered to answer it.

I opened the door and stood spellbound, overwhelmed by the sight of Jackson in a suit, his dark curls more defined than usual.

He leaned close when he passed me to greet Kara, whispering, “You look beautiful.”

Liam appeared in the doorway a moment later, and I felt my stomach do a somersault. He always looked amazing, and this morning was no exception. His navy pinstripe suit was perfectly tailored, and the pale blue shirt and paisley tie set off his gray eyes. He smiled devilishly and kissed my cheek. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

Standing a few feet away from Kara and Jackson, Liam scanned me appreciatively, his eyes dipping to the hint of cleavage revealed by my navy cowl-neck dress. I wondered what Kara was thinking, but she seemed too preoccupied talking with Jackson to give us much notice.

“I’m looking forward to tonight.” Liam’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“So am I. I haven’t gone stargazing in a long time.”

“We both know that’s not what I was referring to.” He lowered his voice, clearly intending to remind me of my agreement to spend the night with him.

“Chase, Theo, and Knox are in position,” Jackson said. “Time to go.”

Thirty minutes later, we pulled onto campus in a company car, passing wave after wave of students dressed in cardinal-colored T-shirts and hats. Jackson wasn’t exaggerating when he mentioned it would be crowded—a field next to the stadium was full of students tailgating in anticipation of the football game. Fortunately, we had designated parking near the Alumni Center.

Knox stood just inside the entrance to the building, his face an unreadable mask. His voice in my ear, speaking through the earbud to the team, was the only indication he noticed our arrival. “Phoenix landed.”

When Liam placed his hand on my lower back, I tore my eyes away from Knox and smiled sweetly at my date. I needed to focus on the assignment; even though I wasn’t actively participating, I didn’t want to be a distraction. But, seeing my guys dressed in suits was definitely distracting for me.

Guests mingled, and I scanned the lobby for potential targets, wondering if Wilson had already spoken with any of them. When I finally spotted him, he was laughing with a woman I recognized from Theo’s presentation. She was older, the perfect depiction of a sweet, grandmotherly type, and I despised him for preying on countless women just like her.

“Wilson and Briggs at registration.” Knox confirmed my sighting.

“Spears?” Jackson asked, and I barely saw his mouth move. Was he secretly a ventriloquist?

“Wilson spoke to her earlier,” Chase said from his hidden post within the building.

Liam left us to talk with Briggs, and it wasn’t long before he returned, a jubilant expression on his face. “Count Briggs out.” I wondered how he could be so certain, but Liam was the expert.

We followed Jackson and Kara into the banquet hall. They were seated at a nearby table with another potential target, and Liam and I took our places across the table from Marilyn Spears. I made small talk with the man next to me, but I couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering to her. How much of her beauty, and her considerable cleavage, was natural?

A waiter set a plate before me topped with breakfast delicacies—a mini quiche, home fries, a huge cinnamon roll, and fresh fruit. The food looked delicious, and I nibbled at each item while continuing to keep an eye out for Wilson and his targets. When a woman approached the podium, I finally spotted Theo near the stage, arms crossed and a serious expression on his face. I did a double take, not used to seeing him in a suit. He almost looked like a different person.

“Welcome, alumni and guests, and thank you for attending our annual brunch. As many of you know, the university relies heavily on private donations. In fact, we were the first school to raise more than a billion dollars in a single year.”

She continued speaking, but I stopped listening when Liam’s hand found mine beneath the table. I looked over to Jackson, surprised to find him whispering in Kara’s ear. When she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, I smothered feelings of jealousy. They were playing a part, just as Kara probably assumed that I was with Liam. Besides, Kara was in a relationship with Logan.

The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. Could I be a bigger hypocrite? I was dating the five of them at once, and yet, I couldn’t handle seeing one of them with another girl, even when I knew it was pretend.

“Still no sign of Freeland.” I jolted when I heard Chase’s voice in my ear.

Liam gave me a questioning glance, and I smiled, thankful he wasn’t a mind-reader. With Freeland MIA, that left four potential targets, and we knew Wilson had already talked to at least two of them. Would he approach the others, playing the entire field, and leave us guessing?

Applause broke my concentration, and I quickly joined in, hoping I didn’t stand out for my lag in participation. Liam leaned closer and spoke into my ear. “You okay, gorgeous?”

I smiled and nodded. The last thing Liam needed to worry about was me. And, with the conclusion of the speeches, he now had the opportunity to approach Marilyn.

“Wilson on the move,” Theo said.

“On it,” Chase confirmed. With everyone milling about, I had trouble determining Wilson’s position, and I was grateful for Chase’s ability to be omnipresent. The communication line was silent as we waited for Chase’s update, and it wasn’t long before he said, “Wilson exited the building.”

As far as we knew, Wilson had only spoken with Marilyn and Briggs, and Liam was confident Briggs wouldn’t buy into Wilson’s scheme. Which meant that Marilyn was our best shot. Since Liam needed to get her alone, I decided it was a good time for a restroom break.

“Marilyn on the move,” Theo said.

I could still hear their commentary from within the stall, and their voices seemed magnified in the smaller, quieter space. I hoped none of the other women could hear it, but I had no way of knowing.

Seconds later, the door to the restroom opened, and a pair of heels clacked across the tile floor. Emerging from the stall, I steadied my hands under the flow of water as Marilyn approached the sink beside me. I debated whether to stay silent or talk to her, but I knew the guys were running out of time to make their move. I didn’t want to jeopardize the mission, but if there was any way I could help, I would.

After wiping my hands with a towel, I covertly switched on the microphone feature of my earbud.

“I love your purse,” I said with a friendly smile, openly admiring her designer handbag.

“Thank you. It was a gift.” She evaluated me for a moment. “You were sitting across from me at the table, right? Your date is the handsome young man in the pinstripe suit?”

Maybe this was going to be easier than I thought. I just needed to make her believe Liam and I weren’t romantically involved. “Yes. That’s Liam, but he’s not my date.”

“Ohhh?” She encouraged me to continue.

“He brought me as a favor since I’m interested in attending Stanford. He’s an old friend of the family, nothing more.” Wow, that lie had rolled off my tongue so easily, even I was surprised.

“Is that so?” She paused in the middle of applying her lipstick.

I switched the microphone back off, hating the thought of Marilyn flirting with Liam while I reminded myself that trapping Wilson was the goal. If we were successful, didn’t the end justify the means? The more I was exposed to the “inner circle” of Zenith, as Jackson called it, the grayer everything became.

I had scarcely exited the bathroom when a determined Jackson charged down the hall, his eyes trained on me. I considered ducking back in to avoid his wrath, but he steered me in the opposite direction before opening a door and following me inside. We found ourselves in a large storage room with stacks of chairs.

Afraid I’d done something wrong, overstepped my bounds, I prepared my explanation. But, before I could speak, he caged me against the door and pressed his lips to mine. His kiss was insistent, demanding, and I liked it.

“I can’t stop thinking about you.” His breathing was ragged, and he barely stopped between kisses.

I leaned my head against the door, reveling in the feel of his lips on mine, the way his hands smoothed over the fabric on my sides. We hadn’t kissed since the weekend at the tree house, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about it. Boy, had I thought about it.

“Time to go cougar hunting,” Theo said through the earpiece, snapping me out of the moment with Jackson.

I sighed, feeling more and more frustrated. Every touch, every kiss from one of the guys left me wanting more. Would it always be like this?

“We should get back out there.” Jackson lowered his arms but made no other move to leave, remaining rooted to the spot.

Despite my overwhelming desire to pick up where we left off, I pulled him out the door behind me, freezing when I noticed Kara in the hallway. I yanked my hand away, as if scalded, but it was too late, and Kara glanced curiously between us. Jackson made an excuse about having to talk to Theo and darted away. Gee, thanks.

“First Liam, now Jackson. Lucky girl, you’ve got Team Jaguar wrapped around your little finger.”

“I’m not sure what . . . I mean, Jackson and I . . . Liam was busy.” Why hadn’t I just kept my mouth shut?

She eyed me critically. “Haley, are you dating Jackson and Liam?”

I cringed, knowing I could either lie to Kara’s face (and I had a feeling she’d know) or confess and hope she wouldn’t judge me. It was easier to keep Jess in the dark since she didn’t see me with the guys, but Kara was different, and I was tired of hiding the truth from her.

“Maybe,” I hedged, figuring I could play it off as a joke if she freaked out.

“Do they know?”

“Of course,” I responded immediately. How could she even consider otherwise?

“Do the others know?”

I bit my lip and nodded, wondering if she would take it a step further. I could see the pieces falling into place in her mind as her eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me you’re dating the entire team?”

I didn’t say anything, still too afraid to admit it aloud.

“Holy shit! I was kidding, but . . . seriously, you’re with all five of them?”

I nodded, relieved that she seemed to be wavering between disbelief and amusement as opposed to judgment. Still, I held my breath as I waited for her next statement.

“So, who’s the best kisser?”

My jaw dropped, and before I could answer, or even consider how I would answer, Jackson’s voice spoke in our ears. “Kara, can you give Haley a ride back to her car? Liam and I need to wrap some things up and won’t be finished until much later. Knox will take us home.”

That was it? I was thankful the guys allowed me to shadow them, but after the lead up to the brunch, the preparations, the research, I was disappointed by the anticlimactic end to the day. What about Marilyn? Had Wilson been successful? And, was my sleepover with Liam canceled?

“Come on, Haley.” Kara led me to the Zenith car we’d arrived in.

Expecting her to grill me on the ride back to her apartment, I was surprised when she remained quiet. Perhaps she was as astonished by her revelation as I was by the fact that she discovered my secret. I hoped I could trust her and told myself maybe it was a good thing. I was in over my head, and having someone outside the team to talk to would help.