Man of the Year. Lisa Ruff

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      Samantha was not fooled. “Hmm. Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”

      “That’s why you hired me.”

      “I haven’t quite figured out where the half-naked men fit into the picture, but I have my target.”

      “Who?”

      “Jarrett Corliss.”

      “The pitcher with the bum shoulder? Why him?”

      Samantha sorted through the photos and pulled one from the mess. “This is why.” She handed it to Brenda.

      Brenda took one look at the blond, blue-eyed man and whistled her approval. “My, oh my. He was with Arizona a while ago, wasn’t he? I wondered what happened to him.” Brenda shot an inquiring look at Samantha, then added, “Well, his shoulder may be toast, but the rest of him has sure improved with age.”

      “Brenda, I am telling you the complete and honest truth—this man is the best-looking thing in a damp towel that I’ve ever seen in all my twenty-eight years.” Samantha pointed her finger at the other woman. “And that opinion is never to be mentioned outside of this conversation.”

      Brenda had a steadily widening grin on her face. “That good, huh? He’s the reason for your glazed, dreamy look?”

      Samantha had to smile. “Well, he did kind of…pop into my head unexpectedly.”

      The two burst into laughter that had a decidedly wicked ring to it. Others in the office glanced up to see what the joke was, then went back to what they were doing after deciding that it was private.

      Samantha wiped the corner of her eyes. “He’s also the…what do I want to say? He’s the smoothest man I’ve ever met.” She felt her blood sizzle from the memory of Jarrett’s bold appraisal. “He’s from somewhere south—”

      “Oklahoma,” Brenda supplied, looking at the back of the photo she held.

      “Oklahoma, then. He has a drawl and entirely more charm than what’s good for him.”

      Brenda laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got a thing for the man in the towel.”

      “No way, Bren. No ballplayers. Never again. You know that.”

      “It’s been a long time, Samantha.” Brenda looked at her friend directly. “Just because he plays baseball, doesn’t mean he’s going to run around on you.”

      “Whether he plays baseball or not, he’s not going to get the chance.”

      Brenda shot her an exasperated look. “Those were boys, Sam. These—” she waved a hand at the photos arrayed on the table “—are men who know what mitt-muffins are like and what they want. Not every guy in the league is only interested in empty sex.”

      Samantha snorted. “Yeah, and I’m the Queen of Sheba. The mitt-muffins are just the tip of the iceberg, Bren. It’s the ego I can’t stand. Every player I ever met acted like he’s God’s gift to the universe. That hasn’t changed much from when I was a kid, hanging out at Boomer’s high school games.” Samantha looked at Jarrett’s picture, then turned it so the handsome smile was directed at Brenda. “This guy’s got an ego as big as them all. Maybe bigger.”

      “You know that after meeting him just once?”

      “Oh, yeah, that came through loud and clear.”

      “But he still turned you on,” Brenda added smugly.

      “I said he was sexy, not that I was interested in him.”

      “I say go for it, Sam. If he’s as sexy as you—”

      “You know I can’t, even if I did want to,” Samantha interrupted. “I told you what Elliott said.”

      “He can’t tell you who you can and can’t date,” Brenda said.

      “Sure he can. He holds all the cards. At least as far as the team is concerned.”

      “You think he’d cancel the contract because you went on a date with a player?” Brenda was incredulous.

      “I don’t know if he would cancel, but he could make our lives very difficult,” Samantha said, serious now. “I can’t—I won’t—take the risk of finding out how far he’s willing to be pushed. I do know Elliott was dead serious when he said he didn’t want any trace of scandal around the team.”

      “I suppose you’re right.” Brenda sounded doubtful.

      “I know I am. We need this contract much more than I need a date with some smooth-talking, sexy farm boy from Oklahoma.”

      “It’s your call, Sam.”

      “Exactly, and I don’t want anything that smells even vaguely suspicious getting back to Elliott’s nose. Besides, I get enough of baseball from Boomer. More, I don’t need.”

      “Speaking of which, what are you going to do about him?” Brenda shuffled the pictures and came up with Boomer’s. “What’s his bit in all this?”

      “Nothing special. I treat him just like any other player. He knows that and so do I. Elliott didn’t seem to think there was a problem, as long as we both knew that there would be no special treatment. I told him about the connection, but it turns out he already knew. Thanks to Boomer.”

      “He told him?” Brenda asked, surprised. “Why would he do that?”

      “Little brother didn’t want any blotch on his career because I was bidding on the team’s ad contract.”

      “Huh? I don’t get it.”

      Samantha shrugged. “That’s how he explained it. As it turned out, I may have gotten the contract because of my connection with him, at least indirectly. Elliott said that my knowledge of baseball was one thing that tipped the scale in our favor.”

      “That and being low bidder.”

      “Well, his budget is tight this year, so that worked to our advantage as well.”

      Samantha was philosophical about why she had beaten other, more prestigious firms for the high-profile job. In the end, all that mattered was that she knew her team could do the work as well as, or better than, any other firm. She had convinced Elliott of that. And her spiel to him was not merely boastful, hopeful words. Samantha would not have taken the contract if she did not think Emerald was right for the job and that the job was right for Emerald.

      The size of the project was a bit daunting for a small company, though. The firm would be responsible for not only the advertising, but also a new logo, uniform design and colors. Caps, buttons, bumper stickers, giveaways—the list was endless. They would set up interviews for the players at local radio and television stations. The budget ran into the millions.

      To handle all this work, Samantha had to turn away numerous smaller jobs, some with clients that she hated to lose. In the past, those small jobs had been the company’s bread and butter. The contract with the Rainiers would usurp all their resources. СКАЧАТЬ