Shouting voices.
And Kinley. Hands on her hips, smug expression on her abnormally pretty face.
“Checkmate, bitches,” she says, her full pink lips lifting into an evil grin.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The wide receiver Kinley’s been sleeping with, Gabriel Quarles, is standing right behind her, looking just as smug and stupid as he always does. Around us, lights flash. There are more pictures being taken, more than my fragile psyche can comprehend. My hands fall away from Mack’s shoulders. My body still smells like his. The heat of his touch still burns my skin like fire. Even if we weren’t caught in the act itself, I feel like it’s written all over both of our faces.
“I’ve got plans,” Kinley says, turning her smug little face towards Macklin. “I don’t think you want your lady friend here to lose her job. You’re Renata right? I thought it was you. The innocent sports manager, trying to do what’s best for her client. Turns out she thought seducing him was what’s best.” She puts emphasis on the last word, turning her striking blue eyes in my direction. “Well honey, prepare to lose your job, in addition to Mack’s. I hate to have to do this, but you’re both going down.”
“No, I—Kinley, don’t do this,” I say. “Mack and I were engaged a long time ago. That’s why I came to help him on this project. That’s why you saw us hugging out here. I’m trying to help him get back on his feet.” I don’t say what we both know—that she’s right.It might have been Mack who came to me in the middle of the night. But I was the one who broke the rules of my trade for a shot at second chances.
“Spare me the sob story.” She flicks her head to the side, and more of the reporters and photographers appear all around the back of the house, taking pictures. I know my shirt is probably still rumpled, and that my hair is a wild mess compared to what it once was earlier. There’s not much mistaking what we were up to.
We were both stupid, but we knew what we were doing coming down here like this. We both threw caution to the wind, and here we are, reaping our rewards.
Mack steps in front of me, to shield me from the photographers. The cameras keep flashing. Just when I think it couldn’t get any worse, Eddie Davidson appears right in front of the lower porch, his eyes searing through Mack. “Macklin Pride, this is the last straw.” His voice booms over the flashing lights and the hushed voices of the reporters. “You’re going to have to—”
I expect the words before I come.
You’re going to have to leave the team.
But before Eddie can get the words out of his mouth, Mack interrupts him. “I quit.” A hush falls over the people standing around us. Even Kinley is silent for once. “It’s actually great that all you reporters are around. I know you’re expecting some kind of show, but I’ve got a little bit of a plot twist. You see, Kinley here has been a shrew the whole time after we signed that damned contract. Yeah, a contract. I feel fine admitting it. It was to get old Eddie here satisfied with my reputation. The engagement, the photo ops. All of it.”
“Boy, you better stop—” Eddie’s voice booms again, and his white hair and jowls flop in the moonlight. He looks like a villain from an old movie, all decked out in his ten thousand dollar suit and tie.
“I’ve just been a puppet, and so has Renata. We got talked into this thing by this evil asshole, Eddie Davidson. And Kinley’s been trying to play us ever since then. She’s and Eddie are deep in each other’s pockets. And this man—” Mack points over to Gabe Quarles. “He’s caught up in the mix too. He’s the one Kinley’s really dating. But Gabe, I bet you didn’t know she’s been ‘dating’ a couple of other players too, did you?”
Gabe’s eyes grow wide, and the reporters are snapping photos, the clicks echoing from the ceiling of the downstairs porch.
“This is about enough. I can’t take much more of these lies,” Kinley huffs, trying to turn the attention back to herself. There’s a murmur among the crowd. Even if Mack’s story isn’t true, it’s a lot juicier than Kinley’s victimhood. People have seen the innocent starlet picked on by an older man, time and time again. They haven’t seen the starlet turn into a vicious dog. I crack a smile, still standing behind Mack. It’s a brilliant move, really—one that only would have happened with us caught like this. Otherwise, Kinley would be the victim no matter what. But this, with each one of the photographers knowing that she pulled them down here… well, this is gold. It’s clear that she had plenty to do with this setup, and her righteously indignant attitude makes her look even guilder. There are no carefully orchestrated breakdowns, no tears. Instead, there’s just Kinley’s sneering face, twisted into a mask of hate. I stifle a wide smile, hiding my grin behind my hand. Mack might be jobless—and I bet I will be too. But at this moment in time, it feels like there’s a weight lifted off our shoulders. Right now, all the world seems like it’s behaving correctly for once.