Pressing his sweaty forehead to mine, Dylan’s smile feels natural. “Oh, sweet Emma, I’m gonna give it to you and give it to you … until you’re either begging for me to stop, or can’t walk.”
“Who says I want you to stop?” I say, adding, “But Sage expects me home tonight.”
“Understood.”
Dylan not only says the word, but for the next hour he shows me—he understands.
Chapter 20
Caught
Dylan
“Hey, Kenzie.” The day after Emma and my secret picnic, I jog up to the Mavericks PR queen and hand her a cup of her favorite brew. “Looking good in a totally platonic and professional greeting without any sexual innuendo that will have your man wanting to do nasty things to my ass.”
“Dylan, why should I be scared?” She laughs but takes the coffee more tentatively than I expect. “I guess you want to have this conversation in my office?”
“Sure, thanks for the invitation.” It’s always good when the prey invites the predator into their safe space. Although, depending on Kenzie’s answers, I might be the prey.
“So …” she waves me into a seat and shuts the door. “Do I want to know why your agent is blowing up my cell and Janice is demanding a meeting to sort you out?”
“They want to set me up on dates.” I also suspect Warner is feeding lines to BeeLeeve Me. I can’t prove it, yet, but I don’t trust him the way I used to.
“Oh, gee,” she says with thick sarcasm. “Australia’s Favorite Bachelor is being forced to date single, sexy women. Whatever will we do? Is the problem of too many women, too little time, because we can organize a rotation system?”
“Or the issue is too many wrong women and not the one right woman.” I sit straight in the chair and cross my arms, knowing I fill the office. “I thought I made myself clear. There is a woman I want to date. She works for the Mavericks. We have history. I’ve recently come into further facts that our families are friends.” Technically, Squid and Sage are our families. “What do I need to do for the rules to be waived?”
“I heard you the first time and don’t understand what the problem is.” Kenzie plays with her keyboard. “Here it is. The Southern Mavericks are owned by a subsidiary of McMillan Enterprises. Most of the Mavericks’ HR polices are adopted from McMillan. The only rules about fraternization between employees are when there is a supervisory relationship.” She keeps reading, and I see when the penny drops. “Unless … oh, Dylan, tell me you didn’t?”
“If I don’t admit to anything, then you can’t be forced to report anything, right?”
“Dylan, please tell me you haven’t? Those girls are off limits for a reason.”
“Kenzie, this club wants me to beAustralia’s Favorite Bachelor. I don’t want the risk of influencers using their fifteen minutes of fame to spread shit that can affect my reputation and the club’s. What if one of them decides to accuse me of something? What if one of them says money was exchanged for their attendance on my arm, and the media decides to accuse me of treating women like sex workers?”
“That won’t happen; there are contracts in place.”
“There is still a risk. Everyone knows those contracts are either unenforceable, or the act of enforcing a contract will do more damage than the incident.”
“Spoken like a man who’s had his head in the study books.” Kenzie laughs. “How’s the study going?”
“I’d have a lot more time for study if I weren’t dodging calls trying to set me up on dates I have no intention of going on, and less intention of doing anything with the women.”
“Because you’ve met someone, and I won’t like who she is?”
“Look, I want to be real with you without it blowing up and hurting someone I care about.” I relax my posture and lean in. I want Kenzie to see that I’m deadly serious, with no bullshit. “We all know the stories about your sister and Benz. Back in the day, he had a worse reputation with women than me, but he dated his best friend’s little sister, and look at them now?”
“Are you comparing yourself to Benz?” Kenzie snorts. “Sara would have something to say about that.”
“Or look at Coach and his woman?” I continue, getting into the groove. “She was his daughter’s teacher, and his ex-wife tried to blow up her career.”
“Again, different circumstances.” Kenzie sighs, “Willow didn’t break any policies or rules when she and Bronx started dating.”
“I’m asking you to consider instructing me to fake date someone I want to date. I’m asking you to think about the optics of the Mavericks bad boy falling head over fucking heels for a woman who looks like a …” I stop myself from sayingcheerleader, “someone he is supposed to avoid, but who is sweet and kind and has a backstory the media will fucking eat up. Believe me, Kenzie, only good things would come from setting us up.”
“You want to fake date for real?” Kenzie stands and starts pacing the room while I remain still, allowing her to process. “How do we explain it to the other … women in similar positions? How do we even approach her without her … manager … deciding to hold it against her professionally?”
“I don’t know.” I have a way that would work, but Kenzie needs to come up with options on her own so she has agency in the decision. “But if we want the calls to stop, and if we don’t want the risk of some influencer misusing her photograph opportunity with me, then this is the only way.”
