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“I haven’t thought it all the way through yet, but I could make good money. I’d have to figure out a schedule, and I couldn’t work on Sundays because of the Titans games. The occasional Monday and Thursday night would be out, too.” Her eyebrows knit together, and she sighs. “Never mind. It would never work. I need a new plan. How much are they charging for organ harvesting?”
“I’ll pay you seven thousand dollars a month to watch June,” I blurt out, and she gapes at me. “And you wouldn’t have to lose any vital organs.”
“What?” Maven asks.
“What?” Shawn repeats, and my stomach drops to the floor.
I think I might have just asked for my ass to be kicked, and I hold my hands up in innocence. There aren’t any ulterior motives underlying the proposal besides me beingreally fucking desperate, but I doubt he sees it that way.
“I need a nanny. You need money,” I explain to her, and I’m really pulling things out of my ass. “If seven thousand dollars doesn’t work, name the price that will, and I’ll give it to you.”
The room is so quiet, I swear I can hear the guys in the locker room down the hall putting on their practice gear. I’m not breathing, and I’m afraid to even move.
“Will you give us a second, Maven?” Shawn asks, and his eyes are locked on mine.
Maven jumps up and retreats from the office. “Sure,” she says, and she shuts the door behind her.
“What thefuckis wrong with you?” Shawn seethes when she’s gone, and I grimace. “Did you listen to a word of that long PowerPoint presentation I put together at the start of trainingcamp about players having a relationship with a member of the team? Do I need to remind you that it’s not allowed and a fireable offense? I’ve already had to do that shit once. Donotput me in this position again, Dallas.”
Something in me snaps.
All the frustration I’ve been holding on to, all the hours of being so fucking tired from working so fucking hard boil to the surface, and I see red.
“For fuck’s sake, I don’t want to sleep with her,” I say sharply. “And we’re not in a relationship, so no one is getting fired. If we’re being honest with each other, I’m two seconds away from walking out that door and hanging up my jersey for good because my daughter is my top fucking priority. If you know of anyone else who would pass a background check and be more focused on June’s well-being instead of becoming a wife or girlfriend of an athlete, I’m all ears. Hell, if the person just avoids trying to grab my dick when I’m in the shower that would be a huge win.”
I take a deep breath, and guilt hits me.
I shouldn’t have let all that slip out. I should’ve squashed it down like I do with everything else. Compartmentalized it and kept it to myself. I’m usually more in check with my emotions and an expert at biting my tongue.
I’m ready to offer an apology for my behavior when Shawn sighs.
“You don’t even know her and you want to hire her?” he asks.
I don’t know how to explain to him that I’ve felt a pull toward Maven since the moment she sat down next to me. The more she talked, the more I relaxed. The weight I’ve been carrying for months seemed to lessen when she smiled at me. Her questions seemed like she cared to know the answer and cared to knowme.
That’s never happened before.
“I do know her, and I want to hire her because she’s nice. Because my gut tells me I can trust her. Because she’ll be at the stadium on game days and understands how my schedule works. Because when she met June the other day in the tunnel, she talked to her and not me.” I say. “Because I can’t take feeling like a failure for much longer, and we both know this is the solution I’ve been looking for.”
“I’m going to tell you this one time,” Shawn says, and I lean forward to hear him. “If you touch her. If you hurt her. If you doanythingto make her feel uncomfortable, I will rip your balls from your body and hang them from the goalpost.”
“God, no. I wouldn’t. I won’t. This isn’t—I’m not interested in a relationship. In anything with anyone. All I want is an extra set of hands. Not on my dick, I mean. In the kitchen. Or with folding laundry. That’s it.”
“Good.” A muscle in Shawn’s jaw ticks. “I don’t care how much we’re paying you or how good your right foot is. Do something you shouldn’t, and I will end you.”
“I promise. It’s strictly professional. Business partners, if you will.”
“Don’t make me regret this.” He sighs again and leans back in his chair. “You can stop listening, Mae, and come back in.”
The door opens, and she almost falls back inside. I squash down the smile that creeps across my mouth as I watch her run her fingers through her blonde hair then fix the collar of her team issued polo shirt.
“I wasn’t listening. I was checking to make sure the door can hold my weight. Good news; it can,” Maven says. Her gaze bounces to me, and my cheeks turn red as her lips stretch into a slow and lazy grin. “You were pretty adamant with thatgod, no, Lansfield. I don’t think you answered fast enough.”
The tips of my ears are going to burn off. “Sorry. I didn’t know I had an audience. Does the nanny thing interest you? It’stotally cool if not. I thought I’d offer since it sounds like we could both use some help.”
“It definitely does, but everyone needs to calm down. I’m not going to try and grab your dick while you’re in the shower. No offense, of course. I’m sure you have a very grabbable dick, I’m just?—”
“Jesus Christ.” Shawn stands up. “Enough.”
