Wilson, so he’d already been certified with the Combative Sports League. A few weeks ago, he’d taken the sports agency exams for the National Football and Basketball leagues.
Drew stood. “Nothing like being proactive. He’ll be impressed.” He finished off his water and tossed the empty bottle into a small recycle bin in the corner. “I better get going, I have to make a few stops before I head to the airport.”
“All right.”
They spent a few minutes talking about the Lakers and agreed to go to a game when Xavier went to L.A. Not long after Drew exited his office, Xavier received the call he’d been waiting for. His father had requested his presence “in five.”
He cleared his afternoon and headed up to the top floor. But when he arrived at his father’s office, Jax wasn’t alone. No, he had company. A beautiful, poised guest, one who’d haunted his dreams several times over the past several weeks. Zara.
Chapter 5
Xavier couldn’t say he was surprised. No, “surprise” isn’t the word. Waylaid? Ambushed? Discarded? Because he knew why Zara was there. Because Jax Starks rarely did anything without a plan of action. Because his father had offered the lovely Zara Reid his job.
Stepping into the office, he took the empty seat next to Zara. As annoyed as he was at the turn of events, he couldn’t help but admire her. And that was surprising, considering he’d known her practically his entire life, had seen her with pigtails and braces, had let her cry on his shoulder when she’d been snubbed by stupid Henry Farmer. Who names their son that, anyway?
When he’d moved to Atlanta, distance and time had prevented them from keeping in touch much. They’d seen each other occasionally at various events for mutual friends, and she attended the holiday party every year. He’d followed her career and knew that she’d left Huntington Sports last month. He also knew that having her at Pure Talent was a win for the company. She already had an established client list and an impeccable reputation in the industry. Even he couldn’t deny it was an excellent idea.
If only I can stop staring at her. He let his gaze travel from her pumps to her dark hair, pulled back into a long ponytail. She’d always been pretty, but the woman sitting next to him was flawless. Stunning, really.
Their interaction at the holiday party felt different from their normal routine of fist bumps, winks, and side hugs. It was almost intimate, and he’d found himself wanting to explore it, explore her.
Once she’d left the room that night, he’d chalked his amped emotions up to too much cognac and post-fistfight energy. Still, he’d needed something that night, and Zara had given him understanding. She’d taken care of him. And she’d even made him laugh.
“Son?” Jax arched a brow. “Did you hear me?”
Xavier blinked. He’d been so engrossed in his thoughts of Zara that he failed to realize his father had been talking, which wouldn’t do. What he should’ve been focused on was Pure Talent Sports. What he shouldn’t have been focused on was Zara or her brown eyes—or her lovely body. I wonder... Instead of imagining his former next-door neighbor naked, he needed to embrace another emotion—anger. As beautiful as Zara was, that job was his.
His gaze flitted from his father to her, then back to his dad. “Did I miss the part where you told me Zara will be tackling the sports expansion now?”
Jax leaned back in his chair and raised a brow. “I would like to think you’d be a little more welcoming to Zara.”
The unbothered look in his father’s eyes irritated him. He could have—and wanted to—throw back a sarcastic remark, but remained quiet. Instead, he glanced at Zara, who had shifted in her seat to face him.
“Hi, Zara. I never did thank you for your top-notch medical skills.” He held up his hand. “See, good as new.”
“Hi, X,” she said, a genuine grin on her glossed lips. “I asked about you this morning.”
“You did?” If what he suspected was true, and Zara had joined the Pure Talent family, he didn’t blame her. She couldn’t have known that the expansion was his idea, that he’d worked countless hours gathering metrics and making important connections with teams, established players, and possible draft picks. “Well, I’m here.”
Her smile wavered and she cleared her throat. “How are you?”
The answer to that question wasn’t something he wanted to say at this moment, especially since Zara seemed uncomfortable. So he simply said, “Fine.” He eyed his father, before turning back to her. “When do you start?”
“Today.” She pulled at her ear and crossed one toned leg over the other. “This morning.”
Narrowed eyes landed on his father, who watched the scene as if he didn’t do anything wrong. “Today, huh?” He bit the inside of his cheek and counted to ten. Slowly. “Dad, why didn’t you tell me you lured Zara to Pure Talent?”
“Xavier, I’ve never checked in with you any other time when I’ve made a decision. Why would I do it now?”
The response stung. His father had been the perfect role model for him. Growing up, most kids in their neighborhood had barely seen their fathers, but his dad had made time with him a necessity. As far as Xavier could remember, his dad had attended every event, because it was important to both of his parents not to just talk about being a family.
Yet, Jax didn’t get his shrewd reputation in business because he stuttered or avoided conflict. The man was a powerhouse, a self-made man who’d left home at the age of sixteen to make a better life for himself. Pure Talent was the corporation it was because Jax Starks led the company, poured love into its vision. The work, the time, the mission—all of those things were a part of his father. It was the reason why Xavier worked so hard to be able to step into a role that his father filled with ease.
“Um, maybe I should step out?” Zara said, breaking the silence. “I’ll give you a few moments.”
“Thanks, Zara. If you could step outside for a few minutes, I’d appreciate it.”
Xavier watched Zara leave the office, noting the sway of her hips and how good her legs looked in those high heels. When he turned back to his father, he noticed the small smirk on his face, but didn’t say a word.
“I know you’re not in the habit of explaining yourself to anyone, me included,” Xavier said, “but I need to know. Why is Zara here? Pure Talent Sports was supposed to be mine.”
Jax opened a folder that had been sitting atop of the desk, pulled out the document, and slid it across the table. “See this?”
Xavier picked up the document. Shit.
“Imagine my surprise when I arrived back from a relaxing vacation with your mother to find that the incident that I had hoped would blow over has gotten significantly worse. And not only do I have to tend to my company’s image, because one of my best agents lost his cool, I also have to negotiate a financial settlement to Ethan Damn Porter.”
A lawsuit. Xavier was officially done. The day couldn’t get any worse. He swallowed roughly. “I’ll fix this,” he mumbled.
“No, you won’t.” Jax leaned
