Page 6 of Play Me

Astrid nestles a hand on the curve of her hip. “I’m established here. People have expectations of me. Renn has expectations of me. To be blunt about it, I can’t have my success tied to yours, considering your reputation and all.”

Whatever issues she had with me before I arrived in Renn’s office are now exacerbated by his commentary.

There’s no beating this, no matter what I do.

She’s already decided who I am. They’ve already decided who I am.

The only thing I can control is getting my bonus, finishing this contract, and figuring it out from there.

If I didn’t need the cash, I’d tell Renn and his nasty little stooge to get fucked.

“I hate to break the news to you,” I say, licking my bottom lip. “But I’m sure this won’t be the first time you’ve been a disappointment.”

Her green eyes darken. “I hate you.”

“Feeling is so mutual, sweetheart.”

She growls in the air, her fists balling up at her sides.

Despite my desire to walk out of here, burning everything down behind me, I can’t. The ink is dry on my contract, and promises have been made. Money has been spent. I’m stuck. I’m stuck here, and I’m stuck with her .

She turns her back on me again and faces the window.

I stretch my legs in front of me, rolling my head around my neck. There must be a solution to this—one that will let me keep my bonus close and Miss Manners far away from me. But what is it ?

Think, Adler.

She’s made it clear that she wants no part of me, but she also won’t disappoint Renn. I want absolutely no part of her. And if I push back too hard, Renn won’t just be disappointed in me—not that I care about that—but he’ll find me in breach of my contract. No matter what, that can’t happen.

I lick my lips as a plan comes to my mind.

If I can’t refuse her help and she won’t quit, all I can do is frustrate her so much that she avoids me.

Odds are she’ll do that, anyway. She can’t risk her precious reputation getting tainted by mine.

I might have to cover for her if asked and sing her praises so Renn thinks she’s been a world-class babysitter.

Although that makes me want to puke, I can do it. I’ve done worse for much, much less.

There’s really no other choice.

“All right,” I say, resolved to my fate. “You do what you need to do, but I’m telling Renn I’m good with this.”

She stiffens before facing me with a slack jaw. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I have a lot of money on the line, and I’m not risking it to appease you.”

“So you expect me to tell Renn no?”

I smirk. “Just stomp to his desk and give him a lecture on how his actions are inconveniencing you. Call him a bully. It helps when you point your finger.” I demonstrate the way she pointed it at me earlier today. “That really drives your point home.”

Her lips part, fury undoubtedly on the tip of her tongue. But before she can spew her vitriol my way, the door opens. Renn comes in with a glass in his hand. He looks at Astrid, then at me. The tension is thick enough to cut with a hot knife, but if Renn senses it, he does a great job of hiding it.

“Are things handled?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I say, shrugging casually. “We talked it out, and we’re on the same page. We’re gonna make a great team.”

“Glad to hear it,” he says.

He turns away from us to close the door, and I think he chuckles under his breath. Astrid uses the opportunity to glare at me with such force that, if looks could kill, I’d already be ten feet under with daisies growing on top of me.

I wink at her, just to watch the steam rise from her head. Maybe she’ll lose her cool and throw one of her fits. That just might make this morning worth it.

Renn takes his seat. Astrid walks between me and Renn’s desk, with her back to him, to get to her chair. As she passes me, her eyes narrow to slits.

“This isn’t funny,” she whispers angrily.

“You can always tell him you refuse,” I whisper back, grinning. “Be the bad guy. You’re so good at it.”

Renn sets his drink down and pulls a computer in front of him. “Now that we have that settled, let’s get down to business. Astrid, do you have any more questions for me or Gray? Or are you good to go?”

I turn to her, expecting to see her trying not to explode. But that’s not what’s happening. She’s … calm. Too calm . She’s the calmest she’s been since I met her.

The way she breathes is unnerving. It reminds me of an animal before it attacks. Her chin lifts, and a slow, mischievous smile curls her lips.

My heart begins to pound. A knot forms in my stomach, pulling tighter by the minute. I stay silent, waiting for her to make a move. She’s quick on her feet, as I learned this morning. But that smile? That I don’t trust.

Astrid picks up the clipboard that fell earlier.

“No, I think I have all that I need.” She flips a page with a cheerfulness that’s downright unsettling.

“I’ll email the performance team and get a copy of Gray’s meal plan, and I’ll follow up with S&C about his training regimen on Monday.

I doubt that the communications team has any media lined up for him, but I’ll shoot them an email, too, and be sure. ”

What?

“That sounds great.” Renn nods in approval. “This is exactly what I was hoping for. I’m glad we had this chat.”

Astrid turns to me, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

She brushes a loose tendril of crimson hair off her delicate shoulder.

“I’ll meet you downstairs in the performance center on Monday morning.

I do have a commitment first thing, so let’s shoot for ten o’clock.

The whole staff should be there by then.

We can do a tour, I’ll introduce you to the team, and we can go over how I can make your transition to the Royals a success. ”

You will, huh?

She sits in some misplaced triumph, like she’s just bested me.

Like she’s going to be the one calling the shots between us.

Her smile says she expects me to be thrown off my axis and capitulate to her or, at the very least, make an ass out of myself by pushing back.

It’s too bad that I can do this so much better than she can.

I crack a grin of my own. “That sounds perfect. I can’t wait.”

“Do you need anything from me right now, Gray?” she asks, sweetness dripping from each word.

“Not that I can think of, Astrid,” I say, holding her gaze tightly. “You’ve really gone above and beyond today.”

Renn stands. “Then I think that’s it for us. Thanks for coming in, Gray. We’re excited that you’re a Royal. I expect great things from you.”

I rip my attention from Astrid. I very much doubt that you think that now that I know the truth . “I won’t disappoint you, Mr. Brewer. I mean, Renn.” I get to my feet and shake his hand. Then I turn to my assistant . “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Oh, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Renn answers a call on his cell phone as I turn away. I glance over my shoulder to ensure he’s occupied and then lean toward Astrid. “Stay out of my way, and things will be fine,” I say just loud enough for her to hear.

She laughs as I walk away. “Gray?”

I pause with my hand on the doorknob.

“Make sure you get some protein and stay hydrated,” she says, smiling devilishly. “It’s going to be a big week.”

You have no idea.

I toss her a wink and walk out the door.

Let the games begin.