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“What?” Royal snaps in her direction. “He doesn’t, but I do? I have no choice?”
Her red painted fingernail is all I see as she points at her pain-in-the-ass client. “His career is thriving. Yours is deteriorating. He has choices. Yours are limited. Now get it through your damn head and be civil.”
For once, Royal doesn’t seem to have an arrogant reply. No, he almost seems to shrink in on himself and goes quiet. And while I don’t think it’s nearly as dire as Jenny is making it, she’s not totally wrong. People openly hate him online. There’s always an article about him being toxic to the sports world.
And maybe that’s the only way to get it across to him.
“What do I have to do?” he asks, and for some reason I don’t like the dead tone he’s using now. That normally confident spark in his eyes—gone.
Jenny seems to soften a little, sitting back in her chair. “Just let him interview you. At home. On the road. At a race. Let him see other sides of you.”
Oh yeah, that should be fun.
What the hell was I thinking agreeing to this?
Going to races is bad enough, now I have to follow an actual racer around when he goes about his routine?
I should have stuck to football.
I actually wince at that thought because no—football didn’t work out so well for me.
“Fine. I have a race in a few days. Be there,” he says as he stands up, not giving either of us another glance as he saunters his way to the elevators, I’m assuming to go up to his room.
I look over at Jenny, who’s holding the bridge of her nose between her thumb and finger. “This has to work.”
“You really think it will?”
She drops her hand to her glass and lifts it to her lips. “It has to. I know he thinks I’m overreacting, but his career is dwindling. It won’t be long before a rookie comes in who’ll play the new game.”
“The PC boring game,” I say with sarcasm. What’s so wrong with not wanting to hurt other humans? I don’t get it.
Politically correct has such a horrible connotation, but it really just means don’t be a dick.
Why does that have to be so difficult for some people to understand?
Well, it seems damn near impossible for some people, including Royal. I’ve watched him over the years, and I swear the man only becomes more offensive. Even his best friend, Axel, has softened over the years. He was known for fighting and smashing people into the walls. And okay, maybe he hasn’t changed too much, but he’s tried.
That much is clear. And I mean, the guy is married to another racer. Talk about a total one-eighty. Axel and Sebastian are the first out racers in their division. They’re a beacon of hope and change.
And then comes Royal not-gonna-change-no-matter-what Dutton.
“Yeah. That one. He’ll be fine.”
“Again, I’m not a miracle worker. I’m not sure this is going to work out, Jenny. That guy doesn’t want to change.”
“He will,” she says with fierce determination, and all I can do is nod, even though I think she should just cut her losses and maybe sign one of those new rookies she’s talking about.
But something tells me Jenny loves a damn challenge.
And that’s exactly what Royal Dutton is.
Challenging.
CHAPTER5
ROYAL
Fucking Jenny.
