Page 9 of Fair Trade (New York Monarchs #2)

seven

It’s Monday morning and I’m freaking out.

Daisy texted me that the new team owner will be available to have a quick fifteen-minute coffee break with us in an hour, so I need to get to Monarch Stadium before his tour of the facilities ends.

It’s a bit unconventional to be meeting my new boss this way. There’s usually some form of a soft handover when a team gets transferred to a new owner. But since Arthur passed away and apparently left the entire organization to a family member in his will, we’re playing by different rules today.

I want to make a good impression, since the rest of my career will hinge on how well we work together. Even though it’s my call who we trade, hire, and fire, it’s still their team, and therefore they can veto me and have final say.

I decide to pull out all the stops with my wardrobe. I pull out a cropped black dress pants and blazer, removing the staples and tags from the dry-cleaner, and choose a soft pink button-down to go with it.

I don’t have time to try on ten pairs of heels, so I go with the pair I left by the front door on Friday night.

A small tremor runs down my back.

It’s been two days since my wild night, and I can still feel his presence between my legs.

I wonder what he thought when he saw my note.

Probably not much, since he most likely already saw my name when he snooped through my bag.

Ugh, not this again. We got places to be and people to meet, woman.

I stop by the mirror by my front door and double-check that my makeup is subtle and professional. I grab a scrunchie off the entry table and start twisting my long hair and securing it into a low bun. I pull a few wisps around my face loose and consider myself ready to go.

I grab my oversized purse that has a folder with my résumé and other documents regarding my work in the sports industry. It seems silly since I already have the job, but I still feel like I have to prove to yet another person why I should keep it.

Deep breaths. It’s all going to be fine.

Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

Gridlock traffic.

I’m going to be late.

In a rookie move, I decided to take a taxi instead of the subway. I wanted to arrive looking refreshed, and lately, there’s been a guy at my nearest train station who loves to run after people while peeing, and today was not the day to test my luck.

Only in New York.

But I failed to remember how long it would take me to get here with traffic, which is how I find myself running the last two blocks and zooming past security while waving my staff lanyard.

I feel my phone vibrate in my hand, but I don’t look down until I’m in the elevator, heading for the executive offices.

DAISY:

Hey, my brother needs to leave in five. Are you here yet?

Wait. What?

Her brother ?

Sweet baby girl, Daisy. Could she not have mentioned that her own brother would be the new team owner?

I was thinking it would be an older relative, someone closer to Arthur’s age. And now I have to meet with someone who’s young enough to be Daisy’s sibling, and she’s in her mid-twenties?

That’s fine. We’re fine. No need to panic.

He is my peer. He’s probably laid back. He’ll understand that shit happens and Manhattan traffic is insane. I’ll still apologize profusely and hopefully salvage my image in the span of five minutes.

ME:

I’m here!!! Are you in Arthur’s old office? In the elevator now. YOUR brOTHER IS THE NEW OWNER???

DAISY:

Yes and… yes. Sorry, I thought you knew! But don’t worry, he’s my best friend. Dropped everything and flew out last minute to be here for me this weekend.

Aw, that’s actually really sweet. If he’s good to his family, he’ll be good to the Monarchs.

ME:

Walking there now. And that’s so nice of him. Must be a great guy!

I’m rounding the corner, my heels the only noise on this floor, since opening day is Friday and we have no scheduled meetings, just this surprise one.

As I approach the office, I catch Daisy’s laugh. For some reason it settles me hearing her be so carefree. I really like Daisy, and if her brother is half as decent as she is, this might turn out to be an amazing working relationship for me.

I’m already smiling as I reach for the office door, not bothering to knock since she knows I’m rushing in and they seem to be at ease.

My phone vibrates once more as I push the door open.

I quickly read Daisy’s text before entering.

DAISY:

Yeah, he’s a real saint!

I chuckle softly as I walk in and catch Daisy waving enthusiastically at me with her phone in hand.

Her brother has his back to me, so I give her a little wave as I stride toward them.

I barely have a chance to glance his way before Daisy starts introducing us.

“And this, my dear brother, is your new secret weapon. álvarez here has procured the best team the MLB has ever seen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she takes us all the way to the World Series during our very first season.”

I drop my head slightly, blushing at Daisy’s glowing remarks.

“That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

Time slows, and for a moment I wonder if I’m still in my bed dreaming.

This can’t be real.

I must be imagining things.

That voice. I’ve heard it before.

Last Friday, while he was buried deep inside me.

My head whips up as he turns toward me, and we both freeze the moment our eyes meet.

“Angel,” he mouths to himself.

It’s… it’s him. He’s here. He’s…Oh God.

He’s my new boss!

Daisy is looking between the two of us, her smile morphing into confusion.

I don’t need her asking any questions, and I don’t know what else to say as his eyes search mine for answers I don’t have.

So I stick my hand out and force the words out of my mouth. “Hi. Um, it’s nice to meet you. I’m—”

“álvarez.” He pauses. “ Luisa álvarez.”

Nope. I can’t do this.

I can’t hear my name on his lips as his eyes bore into mine.

This is a mistake. A massive, colossal mistake.

I don’t know what I’m doing when I start to pull my arm back, but it seems he’s not having any of that when his arm darts out and both his hands clasp mine in a firm grip.

He raises a brow, and I realize what I’m supposed to say next. “And you’re Stonehaven…Uh—”

“Nicholas Stonehaven. My name is Nick , Luisa.” He squeezes my hand, and I feel it all the way between my legs. Especially when his eyes linger on my shoes for a moment.

My devil has a name, and it’s Nick.

No. Not my devil. My boss .

As in the person holding my career in his hands. His very strong, large, and talented hands.

His gaze seers my skin, like he can read the dirty thoughts running through my mind.

“You can let go of her, Nick. Don’t make it weird.” Daisy’s strained laugh has me whipping my hand out of his grip before he can tighten it. “Sorry about that. Luisa. My brother can be intense sometimes.”

“Thanks for the glowing review, sis.”

“Anytime.” She faces me. “And to think you were anxious about meeting him. I promised you’d get along great with the new owner.”

His entire demeanor changes at the drop of a hat.

Eyes that were moments ago heating my skin have now turned cold.

He straightens, and the rigid movement makes him look like he’s made of stone.

But his voice? Might as well belong to a completely different human. “So you knew who I was,” he states instead of questioning.

Daisy’s phone rings, and she excuses herself. I want to tell her to stay, or that I’ll leave. Because I’m still trying to wrap my head around the last few minutes.

The office door clicks shut and Nick takes a sizable step forward. “So you knew who I was,” he repeats, eyes lasered in on mine like a human lie detector.

“No! I didn’t know who you were. I didn’t know the owner was Daisy’s brother either. I didn’t even know Daisy had a brother!” My voice rises as the accusations start to become clearer.

His laugh is sinister, worthy of the name I gave him while we were in the throes of passion. “Oh, now that’s rich.” He shakes his head while looking down, fixing his cufflinks. “I must say, it’s been a long time since someone’s duped me like that. Gotta hand it to ya. You really had me fooled.”

“I’m sorry. Are you really—”

“Oh, good. You’re starting with an apology,” he clips.

I put my hand up between us, my mind struggling to decide whether to defuse the situation with my new boss or curse him out six ways till Sunday.

“Look, I’m going to need you to simmer down for a second and listen like a damn adult.” His eyebrows rise, but he allows me to continue. “We had sex last weekend.”

“And here I thought you were about to tell me something I didn’t know.”

“Wow. You’re a real gem, aren’t you?” I mutter.

“You know I’m worth way more than a gem, so at least make your analogies accurate.”

“Honestly, if my job weren’t on the line, you wouldn’t even be worth the headache.” He huffs as I tread on. “What I was trying to say is that, yes, we had sex. Like two consenting, mature adults. And if you recall, I didn’t even want to know your name.”

“Because you already knew it!” His voice booms, his eyes quickly darting to the office door, probably looking for any signs of Daisy.

He takes a deep breath and lowers his voice.

“You knew who I was and seduced me, and for what? Job security? To ensure that if I tried to fire you, you’d threaten a lawsuit?

Or best case, see how much money you could squeeze out of me?

” He shakes his head, lost in thought. “Just tell me if you took photos of me while I slept, and we’ll deal with this privately. I’ll even keep the lawyers out of it.”

My jaw drops, and it takes everything in me to keep the tears rimming my eyes from falling.

The fucking nerve of this man.

This isn’t the first time someone has accused me of sleeping my way to the top. But it is the first time someone’s accused me of having sex to not only keep a job but to blackmail someone for it.

One by one, every sweet and sensual memory of my time with Nick turns to ash.

There’s a reason there’s a risk with sleeping with strangers, the main one being you have no idea how much of an asshole they can really be when the offer of sex is no longer on the table.

But he is my boss, and by the sounds of it, he seems like he wouldn’t dare fire me in case I resorted to criminal activity.

For all I care, he can take every single hundred-dollar bill to his name and shove it up his ass.

I take two steps forward, his scent now intoxicating for a different reason.

I look him square in the eye and don’t mince my words.

“I know this might be a bit outside of your depth of understanding, but my value resides in places other than my vagina. I’m not going to waste my breath trying to convince you that I didn’t know who you were, because clearly, you are extremely stubborn and quite full of yourself.

So I’ll say this instead.” I point at his face, not caring how rude I’m coming across.

“You may not believe me, but you will respect me. I worked my ass off getting this team together while having men more qualified than you questioning me at every turn.” I take a deep breath.

“And to put your wallet at ease, I have no reason to use you, nor do I have any interest in it. The last thing I want is to tell the world I wasted a single night with the most egotistical man alive,” I heave.

I should leave. I should go while I’ve left him momentarily speechless.

But I’ve never really made it a habit of doing what I’m supposed to, so why start now?

“And the real kicker? Is that between the two of us, you were the one who knew who I was. Or am I supposed to believe you went through my purse to pull out my phone without chancing a glance at my ID? For a man with so much to protect, you think you’d be a little more careful, no?”

“I did no such thing. I wanted to make sure your phone was charged so I could… it doesn’t matter. You’re completely off, and if—”

“I wrote down my name. First name only, but surely a—what was it again? That’s right—a billionaire would have the resources to find out who I was. I’m sure you have a guy for that kind of stuff, right?” My voice drips with condescension.

He opens his mouth like he was about to say something but promptly shuts it firmly.

“Yeah, just what I thought. But no worries, boss . I’m sure we can find a way to work together without butting heads. As long as you don’t accuse me of being a trifling, conniving whore, it should be smooth sailing.”

I turn and make my way to the door without another glance in his direction.

My hand touches the handle when he speaks.

“Luisa.” His voice sounds pained, but you’d need to actually have a heart to have feelings. I turn my head just enough to make eye contact. “You really expect me to believe you didn’t know who I was?”

His eyes seem a fraction softer, but his tone remains the same glacial temperature.

I turn the handle and speak over my shoulder.

“You know what? You’re right, Nick. I always knew you were the devil.”