Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
My jaw itches to drop at her bluntness. But in PR, you learn to keep a smile on your face nearly all the time. I show no reaction, even though she’s totally right.
“Remember Chelsea?” she asks, as if I could forget.
I smile sarcastically. “Good old Chelsea, queen of the naughty selfie.”
Lily laughs, dragging her hand through her copper curls. “And how about Annika Van der Holden?” she asks, referring to one of the models he was seen with, as she continues taking a stroll down Jones’s Most Notorious Press Moments Lane. “Do you remember that shot?”
Inside, I cringe as the memory of Jones, holding a bottle of champagne and planting a kiss on Annika’s cheek, flashes before me. Nothing wrong with models. But in her case, she wore a vagina-length dress in the photo.
“I do remember it. I wanted to buy her a new dress, maybe put a coat on her shoulders.”
Lily smacks her desk. “You and me both. And then there was the shot of him, his asshole agent, Chuck Margulies, and some random topless woman sticking their heads out of the sunroof in a limo. Although, in the topless woman’s case, it was more than her head sticking out the sunroof.” She points to the screen, her bracelets jingling a pretty tune. “But this? This is what we want.”
Our marching orders for the last few years have been to maintain a pristine image for the team. We’ve had a good run. Our starting quarterback is engaged to the woman he’s loved his whole life, and they’re both huge charity supporters. Our kicker is involved in literacy efforts in the city. While Jones is a generous supporter of charity like most of the guys, his wild-child status, not to mention getting caught in the crossfire in the fiasco with his agent, has tainted his coverage. Maybe the body issue can help rehab that image.
Which brings me to something I need and want from my boss.
My pet project, so to speak.
Our players work on many charitable endeavors, but I’m also allowed to shepherd a project each year. I’ve organized an annual bachelor auction that’s been a huge hit, but with the quarterback now off the market, I might need to shift to a new effort.
I have one.
I clear my throat. “There’s something I’d like to work on, Lily. It intersects with what we’ve been talking about. We haven’t done this before, but I’ve been researching, and I think it could be an amazing charity project.”
“Do tell.”
I want to do a calendar—our players posing with rescue puppies and kittens. Those always do well and we haven’t produced a calendar like that in a long time. When I share the details, her eyes light up. She stabs her desk with a manicured finger. “Yes. Do that. But I think it should be with one guy. One who would benefit most from this.”
I tense. “And who would that be?”
She smiles, nodding to the screen.
Equal parts excitement and nerves flare through me. Working that closely with Jones can’t possibly be good for my libido. I’ll have to double down, triple down on my stony-faced stoicism in the presence of his hotness, and that won’t be easy.
But working that closely with him might be very good for my job, so I’ll have to find a way. “I’ll put together a proposal for him.”
I rise and make my way to the door, when Lily calls out, “By the way, the VP of publicity post is opening up in the fall.”
I blink and square my shoulders.
“I’d love to see you land the job,” she adds with a knowing smile when I turn around.
My heart zips through the sky. There’s nothing I want more than to keep moving up, and the chance to rise from director of publicity to VP is tremendous. “It’s open? You think I can nab it?” My question comes out as a squeak. I can’t wait to tell my dad. He’s going to be so excited.
She smiles broadly. “A project like this can go a long way toward making a case with the GM for why it should be you.”
I nod enthusiastically as a million ideas for magazine pitches, photo ops, and fundraisers flash through my brain. “I’ll reach out to Jones right away.”
Screw my libido. He might be the path to a promotion.
8
JONES
I can lay claim to some pretty impressive stats, and for the last few years as a star receiver for a winning NFL team I have, but my favorite one to share is this—ten and three-quarter inches.
Pretty big, huh?
You don’t get into the double digits too often.
That’s nearly as long as a football.
And that makes me a one-of-a-kind guy.
C’mon.
I’m talking about my hands. These hands have won championships. These hands have caught circus catches in the biggest games. These hands are a beautiful target for game-winning passes. I know exactly what to do with these hands.