feel she would be an asset to the team.”
“Really?”
“This is not a punishment, Xavier. The fact is you’re too hot right now. Your name is all over the tabloids, the blogs, YouTube, and social media. And this is too big for missteps.”
“So that’s it? I’m just out of it?”
“I’m not taking you off of anything at this point, but I am concerned about the negative publicity. Ethan is one of the most popular sports figures in the country. If we’re going to do this, we need a balance.”
Xavier closed his eyes. “Fine.”
Jax stood up and walked around to the front of the desk. A strong hand squeezed Xavier’s shoulder. “You already convinced me this is the next logical step for Pure Talent. I told you, I’m ready to take a step back from the day-to-day operations. That time with your mother was heaven. I want more of that. But I have to know that the company is in good hands. And the company is more than Pure Talent Sports.”
“Dad, I—”
“You have great ideas, and I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working. But I’m not convinced you should take the lead on this project.”
“And I feel like I’m the perfect person to do the job.”
Jax eyed him. “Okay, then.” He walked to the door and opened it. A moment later, Zara reentered the office. His father motioned her to have a seat.
“Jax, maybe this isn’t a good idea. I feel like I’m stepping on X’s toes, and, honestly, I’m conflicted.”
His father held up a hand. “You’re not stepping on my son’s toes, Zara. I apologize if it came across that way. Over the next several months, I want to focus on getting the sports department up and running. I’m interested in how you’ll make Pure Talent Sports different from the rest. I haven’t decided who will head the new division. I need time to make that decision, and I expect both of you to make it a hard one.”
They spent the next hour talking about sports and life. And when he walked out of the office, Xavier smiled. I’m still in the game.
* * *
Zara dropped her purse on her desk and sank down in the chair. Peering up at the ceiling, she went over every detail of the meeting in Jax’s office: Xavier being blindsided, the tension in the room, the pain she saw beneath his eyes when she returned to the office after giving them time to talk. It felt like a powder keg ready to blow.
“So X brought the idea of creating a sports division to Pure Talent,” she muttered to herself. And, technically, she was the one standing in his way. Did she want to insert herself into a battle between father and son?
When she’d taken the job, she’d done so on a whim, fueled by emotion. Which was something she’d always been careful not to do. She had no knowledge of the reasons why Jax made the offer. She had no idea of the particulars, just that he was looking to expand into sports and thought she would be a good fit at the agency. Initially she had every intention of politely declining, until Larry and Jeff stabbed her in the back.
Zara couldn’t deny the appeal of working for Jax. Everything she would have negotiated into her employment package had already been included. He’d even thrown in perks she hadn’t thought of, including a signing bonus and moving expenses. All in all, he’d made an offer she would’ve been a fool to refuse. Still, she’d had reservations about her hasty decision all the way up to . . . well, even now.
With a heavy sigh, she picked up the phone and dialed Larissa.
“Hey, sissy,” Larissa said. In the background, she heard the sound of a drill and wondered what her big sis was doing to Zara’s new condo. But her questions could wait for later.
“Maybe I made a mistake?”
The buzzing stopped. “What? Why?”
“I just think there’s more at play here than I expected.”
“How so?”
Zara switched the phone to her other ear and pulled out her tablet to check her e-mails. “Because X didn’t even know I was coming, and, apparently, I’m being considered to actually run the sports division.”
“Shut up. Really? That’s awesome!”
“Except X wanted the job. And now it’s awkward.”
“Two things. I told you to call him weeks ago, but you’re so hardheaded.”
Zara rolled her eyes. “You told me to call him and schedule sex.” The conversation started with her confessing that she felt attracted to X at the holiday party for the first time, and ended with her sister suggesting she use her friend to scratch the itch.
“And two!” her sister shouted. “It can’t be more awkward than imagining him taking you on a rowing machine at the company gym.”
Shit. I should’ve never told her about that dream. “I call foul. You were never supposed to repeat that.”
Her sister laughed. “Hey, it’s funny. I crack up about it all the time.”
“There will be no X—”
The rest of the sentence—“doing me on any workout equipment”—died on her lips when she looked up and noticed the object of that particular fantasy standing in her doorway poised to knock. Now I can die.
“‘No X’ what?” He stepped into the office.
Zara’s mouth fell open and she blinked. Hard.
“Are you okay, Zara?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
“I have to go,” she told Rissa before ending the call. Taking a few seconds to center herself, she exhaled before she stood. “X!” Way too loud, Zara. She cleared her throat. “Hi. I didn’t expect you.”
He motioned for her to take her seat again, and she did happily. It was either that or fall over if she tried to walk toward him. “I wanted to talk to you.” He sat down in one of the chairs across from her. “I’m sorry about today. Not a good way to start your time here.”
“No, don’t apologize. I’m sure it must have been hard on you, too.”
He shrugged. “I won’t lie. It was definitely unexpected.”
Zara crossed her legs and noticed the way he followed the motion. “For me, too.”
“What happened at Huntington?”
She gave him an abridged version of events, glossing over the smaller details, like how she’d quit on the spot and cussed Larry out before she left. “Your father had offered me the job before the big betrayal, so I took it.”
“Well, it’s Huntington’s loss.”
“I worked so hard for that agency,” Zara admitted. “And when Larry betrayed me like that, I knew there was nothing left for me there.”
“I
