Scandal (Tainted #1) (2 page)

The idea was tempting and he should give her a point for her smarts. Maybe he’d underestimated her. But …

Shaking his head, he said, ‘I don’t have the kind of time to organise all that. Training is gruesome before a tournament and I’m not willing to miss any.’

He’d missed enough, got sloppy, and made a public spectacle of what was left of his reputation. No more.

‘You don’t have to,’ she said. ‘That would be my job. All I need is your contacts and a few hours a week from you.’

This time he had to give her credit where it was due. One point each. He could squeeze in a few hours a week. His manager Tony would kick his backside up and down the court if he didn’t do something to stop the sports companies pulling their funding. Savings only went so far. He didn’t fancy picking up a shift or two at a bar to stay in the game.

‘I could spare a few hours, and I know some people who might be interested in something like this.’

Alicia smiled like he’d just given her a diamond necklace. The curves of those lips had him remembering her other curves beneath that hideous suit. Even with her hair in some kind of fifties up-do, there was something about her that caught and held his attention. Kept him in the chair, even when that guy’s pitch had him ready to walk.

Even when it was clear, just like everyone else, she believed the worst about him. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he refused to swipe it and give himself away. Instead, he took a deep breath, willing himself not to get sucked back into the spiral of the last few months.

What she thought about him didn’t matter. Not if she could back up her words and turn things around for him. Especially after the latest kiss-and-tell, this time from one of the women he’d fallen into bed with
after
he got back from Australia.

‘Step three.’ Alicia pointed to the word scrawled in red.

‘Rebuild?’ he asked with a frown. ‘Is this a twelve steps to sobriety pitch?’

She scowled and he couldn’t hold in a burst of laughter. From the corner of his eye he could see her boss gaping at them, and the first guy to pitch sat with his hands folded and shoulders stooped. He knew Blondie was on to the win.

‘Three.’ The angry burn in her eyes and clenched jaw made it seem like she wanted to say more, but she kept her voice cool with a slightly prissy edge that made his lips twitch. Sebastian couldn’t help but be impressed by her control.

‘Like I said, cover up is pointless at this stage. It won’t earn respect. If you put your hands up, admit you made mistakes, and prove that you’re trying to rectify them, people will sympathise. Denial will lead to disaster. There’s too much evidence out there and too much hype around your split with Mai. The best way to go is to
prove
to the world you’re sorry and show them how much you’ve grown.’

Now it was him struggling to keep his irritation in check. Sorry? Yes, he was sorry alright. Sorry he’d met the media whore in the first place. Sorry he’d trusted her when there wasn’t a decent bone in her perfectly buffed body. Sorry he’d been too much of an idiot to see that sooner.

Sebastian had sworn to never make those mistakes again.

His career was what mattered, and though he was tempted to let Blondie sweat or make her work harder for this sell, it was stupidity like that which had landed him in this position in the first place.

‘You’re right.’ As far as her action plan went, at least. ‘At this point, covering up is tacky and pointless considering the evidence.’

He rose from the chair, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. Her gaze dropped down to his hips and a flush scored her cheekbones. His blood rushed south, and if he wasn’t careful she was going to get an eyeful of a part of him she hadn’t bargained for.

When her gaze met his again, she was blinking as if trying to hide her reaction or wake up from a dream. As his blood simmered he pictured what it would be like to unpin that golden hair to let it fall through his fingers and he made the first mistake of the day.

‘Just one question.’ Sebastian turned to Mr Maine. ‘When does Miss Simpson get off for lunch? I’d like to discuss her pitch in more detail.’

Chapter Two

Blondie was not happy to be going to lunch with him.

After claiming she had a meeting with a client, Maine pulled her aside and mumbled something to her. Her peach skin turned a deep pink – probably with irritation – and her angular jaw tightened like she was biting back a refusal that would have gotten her in serious trouble.

Why this made Sebastian grin, he had no idea. But as her heels clattered staccato on the pavement beside him and with the way she clutched her file and handbag so tight the circulation in her fingers must have cut off, he couldn’t help it.

As was the norm for England before the spring, rain drizzled down, turning the streets a muggy grey. His sports jacket was waterproof, but her suit didn’t look water resistant – the soaked-in stain on the front proved that. She had no umbrella, and instead her golden hair caught the water and turned it a few shades darker.

There was a chill in the air and he didn’t want to have to go too far from Maine PR in case the weather got worse. She probably would never forgive him if he was the reason she ended up with the flu, and that was hardly conductive when he’d pretty much made up his mind to sign with Maine.

‘Baxter’s good for you, Blondie?’

Those flaming green eyes turned on him like rat poison-tipped daggers. ‘My name is Alicia.’

Then she tripped. He reached out, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her to him. The second her slender body hit his, heat stirred in the pit of his stomach and his grin slipped. Her damp hair smelled like strawberries and he had to wonder if her lips would taste as sweet, especially coated in that clear gloss that reminded him of smeared honey.

Her file and handbag hit the pavement with a clatter. He didn’t let her go so much as she shoved out of his grasp. Her face was rosy now, but not in the way women who were attracted to him blushed. Alicia briefly scowled at him before crouching down and collecting what she’d dropped.

Sebastian tried to help, but she batted his hands away. ‘You don’t like me much, do you?’

She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘Well spotted, genius.’

As they rose, he asked, ‘Why?’

The fact that her dislike grated on him was a surprise. After months of judgement and slander, he thought he’d be over caring what others thought by now.

‘Why what?’ she called over her shoulder as she strutted away.

The way her bum moved beneath that tight monstrosity of a skirt was way too distracting. ‘Come on, you’re dying to tell me. Have been since you started your pitch, I’ll bet.’

The only reaction he got was her shoulders tensing.

In three easy strides he caught up to her. ‘Go on, I promise I won’t tell your boss or pull as a client.’

‘You haven’t signed yet.’

Her attention was on the pavement in front of her, like she didn’t want him to have to catch her again. And if he was thinking more about his reputation than the way she felt pressed against him, he’d be inclined to agree having her in his arms was a bad idea.

‘And if I said it wouldn’t affect my decision?’ he pressed.

She stopped outside the restaurant and turned to him with narrowed eyes. ‘I’d find it hard to believe you.’

She’d pretty much called him an idiot and a liar in less than five minutes, and all Sebastian wanted to do was ruffle those prissy, professional feathers to loosen her up. He
was
an idiot, pure and simple. When she burst into the boardroom and he saw how she withered under her boss’ glare, he’d been hit with a pang of sympathy.

Striking a deal with him was obviously important to her and it hadn’t been her fault more of his shit was covering the daily rags. So he’d tried to lighten her up by flirting a little. The more worked up she got, the more he teased her. It wasn’t fair, not when she was trying to be professional. But she hadn’t looked anxious since. Instead it was like a fire had lit behind those big green eyes and it made her all the prettier. Even with the drab suit and outdated hairstyle.

He moved forward to open the door for her. ‘OK, how about we start again? I promise not to tease you through lunch.’ He may have crossed his fingers behind his back, but she didn’t notice.

‘Good. That’s … good.’ The doubt in her eyes said she didn’t believe him.

Smart cookie.

He grinned. Lunch was going to be more fun than he’d hoped.

Mai’s feet might ache from strutting around London in a pair of Gucci slingbacks, but her mood was higher than it had been in months. She had a cheque in her pocket for more than she expected and a contract with
Taylor Made
to do a series of in-depth interviews on her relationship with Sebastian.

It seemed the more he screwed up and slept around, the more people wanted her to have her say. Who knew having such a public relationship with an up-and-coming tennis star would do wonders for her own career?

And the fact
Taylor Made
had taken her suggestion and titled the series
The Beginning of the End
just added to her joy.

Her first instinct when she left their offices was to call Jack, but he was busy with his script and she didn’t want to throw Sebastian in his face any more than she had to. Sure, he was the reason she broke up with Jack all those years ago but back then, money and the potential to become a celebrity mattered more than love.

She was just lucky he’d taken her back after the affair. Luckier still that he encouraged her desire for revenge. It made her realise how important love was. Jack’s kind of love, the love that saw them through the rough times and then brought them back together.

Instead of calling him, she was set on hitting the Tube and Oxford Street. The money was only going to burn a hole in her bank account and right now she was in the mood to treat her man to something that would take his mind of his silly script. Luckily, she knew just the shop to visit.

Mai turned the corner, only to jump back into the shadows and lower the umbrella to cover her face. What the hell was Sebastian doing
here
and with a woman who looked frigid enough in all those layers to be a nun?

She stayed where she was until they passed, but the sound of his laugh still hit her like it had the first time, heating her blood and making her want him. The craving was lust of course, which was all they ever had, but she still missed it. She still missed
him
at times. Even now, when she hated him more than she’d ever hated anyone.

When the oddest couple in the city had gotten far enough away, Mai poked her head around the corner. Sebastian had his arms wrapped around the woman’s waist with a big, stupid grin on his face. The same grin he’d given Mai once. The same grin that still had the power to steal her breath.

She darted out of sight and used the dirty alley wall for support. This time that grin squeezed at her heart until she bled with misery. Her eyes welled but she blinked the moisture away. Vengeance made more sense than tormenting herself. Revenge was sweeter than wondering if he’d left her for having a big arse or small tits. Payback for this would line her pockets and give her and Jack the life Sebastian never could.

Mai walked onto the street and saw him leading the frigid bitch into a restaurant. She pulled her mobile out, snapped a picture, then searched her contacts. This one would be a favour for old time’s sake, but it served that bastard Collins right. He would soon learn he couldn’t destroy her life and get away with it!

Sebastian guided Alicia through Baxter’s with a hand on her lower back. The place wasn’t overly flashy, though the berry coloured walls with black and chrome décor did make it feel a bit more gothic romance than he was comfortable with. But all he cared about was not bumping into the ex from hell. Or the press. Neither should expect him to visit here when he was supposed to be training.

Or maybe they did, going by his actions in Melbourne. As he glanced around at the uncovered windows, he breathed out a curse. He really should have thought this lunch thing through.

They were seated at the far side of the building, right next to a huge window with nothing but a purple, see-through veil covering half of it. Sebastian was about to insist they had more privacy until he noticed there were no other tables free.

Given his father had drummed good manners into him all his life, he pulled out a chair for Alicia. She stared at it with parted lips, like the gesture was the last thing she thought he’d do.

‘Didn’t you expect a ladies’ man like me to be a gentleman?’ He winked before sliding into his own chair.

Pink tinged the tips of her cheekbones. ‘Thank you. What else would you like to know about my plan?’

All business. He sighed. ‘If we’re going to be working together, don’t you think it’d be a good idea to get to know each other?’

Alicia shook her head and he frowned. Her reply was cut off by a server asking them what they’d like to order.

‘Just lime and soda for me. This won’t take long,’ Alicia said.

He quirked an eyebrow at her then turned to the waitress with a grin. ‘I’d like to see the menu.’

After the woman gave him a flirty smile, she left to get what he’d asked for.

‘If we’re going to work together to save your sponsors, you might want to tone the flirting-in-public-places thing down a notch or ten,’ she said in the most prim English tone he’d ever heard.

‘Jealous?’ he asked, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. Her eyes burned again. He fought back a laugh.

‘Don’t be ridiculous. It’s my job to make sure you stay out of the newspapers for the wrong reasons.’

He couldn’t fault her logic, but it wasn’t like he’d invited the server for an afternoon sweat fest at his flat. ‘A little flirting’s great for both parties. Don’t women love the compliment? Why else would they ask if their bum looks big in clothes if they don’t want to hear nice things so they can feel good about themselves?’

She sighed and massaged her temples. ‘This is going to be harder than I thought.’