Page 2 of Hung Up (Shadow Ridge #1)

SACRAMENTO

who pissed in her Cheerios this morning?

I don’t know what’s pissing me off more: the construction outside or this woman’s voice.

Hannah? Haley? Hayden? I don’t fucking know her name.

What I do know is I need to get her out of my hotel room as soon as possible, or my PR team is going to rip me apart for being late.

“This has been fun,” I tell her as I grab her arm and try to gently lead her toward the door. “But there’s things I need to do, places I need to be, so if you’d just?—”

“Can I come by again tonight?” Why is her voice so loud and shrill?

I reach for the handle as I give her a strained smile. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” She pouts, placing a hand on my chest and pushing me back against the wall. “This time, we can actually have sex.”

“I already have plans after my ride tonight, and I have to ride tomorrow, too.”

Her nails trail up my chest before she lightly scratches my neck and says, “I can join you tonight. Just tell me where.”

“Look, Hannah?—”

“It’s Tracy,” she corrects, her eyes narrowing as her hand freezes. Well, shit. I wasn’t even close.

“Tracy,” I start as I grab her wrist and move her hand away so she’s no longer touching me. “I’m just not interested. I’m sorry.”

“Jesse, please?—”

“I think it’s time you go.”

I pull the door open and extend my hand toward the hallway, gesturing for her to finally let me get on with my day.

She huffs as she walks by, flipping her hair dramatically over her shoulder and disappears out of sight.

I release a heavy sigh as I close the door, pinching the bridge of my nose when my phone pings.

Mr. Boss Man

If you’re not early, you’re late.

Me

Okay, grandpa. I’m on my way.

Me

Had to stop for your arthritis medication.

Mr. Boss Man

I’ll give you your hemorrhoid cream back then.

I bark out a laugh before I grab my black cowboy hat off the bed and my wallet from the dresser, heading out the door. Thankfully, I only have to go downstairs to one of the conference rooms in the lobby for this meeting. Otherwise, I would’ve been hella late. What’s five minutes?

After what feels like an excruciatingly long elevator ride— seriously, what the fuck is up with elevator time?

— I emerge on the main floor and make a beeline for the room my PR firm had rented out the night before.

Henry, my PR manager and owner of the firm, refused to tell me what the impromptu meeting was for.

He said something about how if I didn’t already know, then we had a problem, which means I’m definitely going to have to finagle my way out of whatever mess I unintentionally got myself into.

Pushing open the door, I plaster on the largest smile I can muster, but it falters when I see a young brunette sitting at the table next to Henry.

Turning my attention to him, he’s already staring at me with a smug smile tugging at his lips.

My eyes narrow slightly in response. What the fuck is this?

“Jesse, take a seat,” he greets, gesturing with his arm to the five remaining open chairs. I plop down in the seat opposite him at the other end of the table. The head of the table. “I presume you’ve figured out why I’ve called this meeting on such short notice.”

“Let’s pretend I haven’t,” I retort, taking off my hat and tossing it onto the table. Running a hand through my longer brown hair, I ask him, “What would you say to me right now?”

The woman laughs and attempts to cover it up with a cough, and a smile tug at my lips.

Raising a brow, Henry narrows his eyes at her for a moment before turning his attention back to me.

“I’d say that you need to realize where you’re at and who is around you before you start making out with someone—three different someones—at the same bar before taking a different one home. ”

Fuck me.

“Three of your sponsors called me late last night expressing their concerns.” He folds his hands together on the table as he leans forward. “They don’t want their image tainted by, what did they call it, Kate? Some arrogant, bull-riding playboy?”

“Henry—”

“No, no,” he interrupts, holding up a finger. “You let me speak. What the fuck, Jesse? Do you not remember that sixty-five percent of your income comes from these sponsors? Are you really trying to tank everything you’ve been working toward these last few years?”

I cast a sideways glance at the woman, Kate, only to see her fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Turning my attention back to Henry, I tell him, “I didn’t realize my personal preferences were such an issue.”

“Cut the shit, Jesse. You’re just mad you got caught and now have to reap the consequences.”

“Consequences?” My eyebrows furrow as he turns his attention to Kate.

“Damage control,” she says, reaching into the bag beside her and pulling out a notebook. “If you want to save these sponsorships, you’re going to have to make some changes for the rest of the season.”

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms at that. “What kind of changes are we talking about exactly?”

“What do you think, Jesse?” Henry cuts in, not letting Kate continue. Her shoulders sag slightly, a frown forming on her face. “If you want any chance of keeping your sponsors, you need to cut the womanizer bullshit.”

“What kind of changes are we talking about, Kate?”

Her eyes widen in surprise as she looks at me, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she nervously glances at Henry.

He narrows his eyes at me, and she clears her throat before speaking.

“Well, they have an issue with you being seen in compromising positions with so many different women. So, either stick with one woman for the next four months, or no more women at all.”

No women at all? Can I do that? My mind drifts back to the last few months, how I’ve been making out with women in public to keep up the image I’ve created that fans seem to love so much, but going home alone.

I mean, I can count on one hand the times I’ve slept with a woman since the new year.

Truth be told, something has changed recently.

The hookups were no longer satisfying, and it has grown increasingly exhausting having to force these women out of my life the following morning.

I no longer find satisfaction in the areas I used to.

So, it’s an easy yes. Besides, I can’t risk losing these sponsorships. Nash, my older brother, needs the money for the ranch, and I’ll be damned if I let my family down. I may not be able to help by working for him, but this? This I can do.

“Okay. No women.”

I have to bite my lip to stop from laughing as I take in Henry’s shocked expression and Kate’s smug one. It’s Henry who speaks first. “Really? Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Well, if that’s all, I really should get going?—”

“Not so fast, Jesse.” Henry pins me with a glare as I push away from the table and grab my hat. “You’re taking Kate with you.”

My head swings over to her as I put my hat on. She’s staring at her notebook, her hands folded in her lap, and I can see her picking at the skin near her thumbnail through the glass table. Feeling me staring at her, she lifts her gaze to mine, and I see the discomfort in them.

“Does she truly want to, or are you forcing her to?”

“She understands how important it is to make sure that you don’t mess this up,” Henry tells me, not bothering to give Kate any of his attention, which makes my blood boil.

“I don’t need a babysitter, and she doesn’t want to go. I get you’re her boss, but being stuck traveling with me for four months isn’t part of her job description. She won’t be checking in on me, and she won’t be traveling with a bunch of bull riders.”

Henry pushes his chair back and stands, bracing his hands on the table. “You don’t get to tell me how I use my employees.”

“Actually, I think I do.” The corner of my mouth tips up as I fold my arms. “Because if you make her do this, I will make sure I continue to be photographed with multiple women, and when the sponsors ask me why, I’ll tell them you told me to.

That you told me a womanizer was exactly what they wanted.

How do you think that’ll make you look, Henry?

Not only will you personally lose them as sponsors for all your clients, but you’ll lose your clients as well. Now, we don’t want that, do we?”

If steam could come out of someone's ears, they’d be coming out in plumes from Henry’s right now. His neck and cheeks are a deep shade of red, and the vein in his forehead looks like it’s about to pop. He stands up straight, his hands fisting at his sides, but he doesn’t say anything.

I cock a brow as I repeat, “We don’t want that, do we?”

“No,” he grinds out through clenched teeth.

“So, what will Kate be doing?” I’m quite enjoying this.

“She will stay in the office and only help you from here when necessary.”

“Good.” I smile as I look at Kate, and she mouths a thanks. I simply wink in response. “Now, if that’ll be all, I have a ride to prepare for.”

Kate pushes away from the table, her attention solely on me. “I’d like to come today, if that’s alright. I’ve never been to a bull-riding competition before, and I’d quite like to experience it.”

“Of course,” I tell her, opening the door and giving her room to walk through first like the gentleman I am. “Let’s go.”

I send a wink at a fuming Henry, overly satisfied when his skin grows darker than it had previously.

Kate grabs her bag and tosses her notebook inside before she slips out of the room past me.

I trail behind her as we make our way through the lobby before stepping out into the parking lot.

She wordlessly lets me guide her toward the truck I rented and gives me a soft smile as I hold open the passenger door for her.

Once I climb in behind the wheel, she slips a hair tie off her wrist and throws her hair up on top of her head in a complicated-looking bun.