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“Knock, knock.” Julie, Charles’s assistant, knocks on his office door as she opens it.Seems pretty pointless in knocking if you’re not going to wait to be invited in, Jules.
“Yes, Julie?” Charles asks.
“Mr. Taylor and representation for the Bolts are here.”
“Great, send them back, please.”
I twist around to face Charles again once Julie leaves. “We’re meeting with them right now? You’re not going to let us finish this conversation?” I ask, panic resonating in my body, mainly due to the fact that in a matter of seconds I have to come face-to-face with the man I ran out on six weeks ago.
“There isn’t one to be had.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Look, I will gladly give you a bonus, I’ll reassign a few of your clients, and if this goes off well, there’s a promotion with your name on it, Pen. Senior Brand Strategist for whatever client you want on our roster. You name it, it’s yours. But I need you to agree.”
“Why is this so important to you? Why does it matter so much that you’re willing to go back on theonestipulation I asked for when I started working here?”
He stands from his desk. “Because Maddox Taylor is an NFL player that everyone knows and everyone is watching. And now he’s playing for the Los Angeles Bolts, and the team made an investment in signing him that needs to pay off. Plus, this could be huge for this firm, Penelope. You and I both know that. Most sports teams do their own PR in-house, but the team had some recent restructuring and decided to hire outside. So I want my best employee to help my most high-profile client. You can’t blame me for that.”
“Oh, I can blame you all I want,” I counter, “but I see your point, too.”
Another knock rings out, and this time when I turn around, I’m met with hazel eyes that have haunted my mind for the past month and a half.
“Penelope,” Maddox says in a deep lilt that makes my heart skip a beat. “It sure is nice to see you again.”
And right then and there, I know I am fucked. And not in the good way like when Maddox fucked me that fateful night.
Chapter4
Maddox
Do you believe in fate?
When asked that question, a lot of people tend to have a very strong opinion on the matter. I, for one, don’t usually. I tend to feel that life happens as a direct consequence of our choices, some we like and some we wish we could take back because of the outcome that follows.
But right now, standing in the same room as the woman who cast her spell on me almost two months ago—well, it’s hard not to believe in fate in a moment like this.
God, she’s even more beautiful than I remember, but by the look in her eyes, she’s not happy to see me at all.
Well, this meeting wasn’t necessarily planned, but it’s gonna happen, and I’m damn sure not going to let her run away this time.
“Mr. Taylor. Mr. Nelson. So nice of you to hang around for a moment so I can introduce you to Penelope Klein, our representative that will be working on the Bolts’ account.” Charles Edelman practically runs around his desk, right past Penelope, to kiss both of our asses again. “Penelope, you remember Maddox, right?”
She clears her throat, and a veil of professionalism slips right over her face, covering up the shock that was there before. “Yes. How are you, Mr. Taylor?”
I intercept her outstretched hand and grin back at her, enjoying this second encounter almost as much as our first—almost. “Great. Happy to be here in California. Eager for a new season with a new team,” I reply, using the rehearsed response I agreed to, when in reality, I’m still accepting the change that uprooted my life in a matter of weeks. “But the best part is seeing a familiar face again.” I wink at her, and I swear I see her plotting my death as she smiles tightly.
“And this is Liam Nelson, the representative for the team,” Charles continues as Penelope drops my hand and shifts to shake Liam’s.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Nelson.”
Liam arches one brow at her, his doubt obvious on his face. I can almost hear his internal dialogue as he takes in Penelope, and I know we’re going to have a lengthy conversation about how blatantly gorgeous she is and how I have to keep my dick in my pants in order for this little arrangement to work.
Well, news flash to Liam, but a football team consists of fifty-three men who are all going to look at Penelope the same way that I am once they meet her.
But I’ll make sure everyone knows not to even think about crossing that line.
Oh, you mean the one you’ve already crossed, Maddox?
If only Liam knew that my dick has already been well acquainted with the woman standing before us, then we’d have a much bigger problem on our hands.
Flashes of our night come back to me like wildfire—especially the end, when I woke up in the morning and realized she left without saying goodbye.
