2. Not Just A Dumb Jock

2

NOT JUST A DUMB JOCK

T he following Tuesday, Jamie walked into the Carlisle Building in downtown Manhattan. He’d been here a few times already. West Carlisle even had been to his place twice.

The negotiations weren’t taking too long in his eyes, but they had more things to iron out.

Now that everything was final and legal, it was time to get going on production.

More like staffing to get to production, but West had assured him that would all be taken care of. The forty percent he was bringing to this company was the formula and his name and status in the public and as a parent along with some money.

Not that West needed those things, but he knew it could mutually benefit them both.

“I’ve got a meeting with Laken,” he said to the woman at the front. High security here, but they’d seen him before.

“Right this way,” the woman said. She was eying him like she had every time he’d come in. Most knew who he was even if they didn’t follow football.

His damn reputation as a partier around the city for years when he was younger wouldn’t leave. A stupid shadow on a rainy day glued to his side.

His mother always said he’d regret his behavior. He wasn’t sure regret was the word he’d choose. Something less ominous since that led him to where he was today.

Jamie wouldn’t change a damn thing about his life now and was stunned to say that.

They came to a little sitting area and the woman said, “Just have a seat. Laken will be out in a minute.”

He turned and sat. He knew Laken was West’s younger sister. He’d looked her up online and found very little other than some pictures of her with her brothers or her name in articles as a member of the Carlisle family.

Nothing personal.

Unlike his life.

Though he’d done a damn good job keeping his personal life out of the gossip feeds for almost two years.

Too much at stake in his mind and maybe he should have cut his parents some slack looking back.

“Jamie Wilde?”

He looked up and there was Laken standing there in a black skirt straight to her knees. She had a bright bold silky multi-color shirt tucked into the waist showing how tiny she was.

On her feet were some seriously sexy heels.

Yeah, he had a weakness for them.

He stood up and walked closer. He was towering over her by more than a foot. At six foot five, he was putting her at maybe five foot four...and that was in those heels.

“That’s me,” he said, putting out his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. Her soft smooth palm touched his and they held contact for a fraction longer than socially appropriate.

He didn’t bother to hide his grin.

He’d never been socially appropriate much in his life.

Or so he’d been told enough.

“You too,” he said.

“Come in and have a seat,” she said, gesturing toward some nice comfortable furniture off to the side of her desk.

He sat in one of the chairs, stretching his long legs out in front of his body and crossing his ankles.

He was in jeans and sneakers, a long sleeved cotton shirt fitted to his body. Like he wore everything.

He worked damn hard to be in the shape he was in from years of playing and he couldn’t stop the exercise.

He might not be training to be on the field, but he had to keep that drive in him somehow.

A lifetime of exercise routines was hard to break, but they kept him disciplined. Something his parents felt he lacked in life because they never really got to know him.

“Thanks,” he said. “Sorry that it took a week to meet.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “My schedule was pretty packed last week too. I’m on the road a lot. This is going to be a change for me once we start working.”

He lifted his eyebrow. “The business is a change?”

“The product,” she said. “That is part of it. We’ll get to that in a minute. But more the fact that we are starting from scratch. My job is to go in and explain everything to the new businesses that West invests in. The chain of command to reach him. Who the contacts are. Our policies and procedures. Things like that.”

“But this is starting from the ground up. I don’t even have staff.”

He grinned over that thought.

“No,” she said. “You don’t. Do you know the first thing about running a business?”

“I don’t,” he admitted. “But I know a thing or two about leading a team to victory.”

She smiled softly. “That’s a good analogy except your team was on the same page back then. That doesn’t normally happen in real life with a business or employees.”

The tone of her voice said that she was fighting hard to keep the sarcasm out of her words and now he knew what the smile was about.

It was pacifying him.

“I’m a hard worker. I’ve got no problem learning things. I got this far in life by more than my good looks.”

She squinted one eye at him. Nope, she wasn’t falling for his charm like so many other women did.

“Let’s get something straight,” she said. “This is business. Not a friendship. Not someone you’re trying to pick up on the street.”

“I don’t pick women up on the street,” he said. “They come to me.”

“I’m sure they do,” she said. “But I’m interested in you on a business level only. Though you might be a treat to look at.”

He laughed. “I didn’t expect you to admit that.”

“I’m not blind and tell it like it is,” she said.

He found he liked that.

A lot.

Found it sexy too.

No way he’d voice that.

He’d get kicked out of her office if that happened.

Might even get West to terminate their business deal.

There was too much at stake here for that.

This wasn’t for him. It was a future for Penelope.

“So we are being completely honest with each other?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said. “It’s better that way.”

“Then I’ll admit you’re pleasing on the eyes as well. I might have lumped you into a category that I shouldn’t have.”

“I’m nothing like your other women,” she said.

“So noted.” However, it didn’t stop his eyes from resting on her heels and moving up her body until they landed on her eyes.

Dark brown eyes to go with her brown hair that was past her shoulders and falling in some soft waves.

Her makeup was minimal but applied with perfection.

Just like everything else on her, judging by her appearance.

“Before we get down to business,” she said, “and there is a lot of business to go over, I’d like to find out a bit more about your product and how it came about. West was pretty vague and said to get the background from you.”

“Which bothers you,” he said. He could tell by the look on her face. She didn’t like not knowing all the facts.

“I do like to be prepared and feel as if I’m not.”

“So you did some research on me and don’t like what you found?” he asked. “You can be honest.”

“I plan on being honest,” she said. “But I can be professional at the same time. I didn’t know who you were.”

“Not surprising,” he said. “I don’t picture you as the type to watch sports.”

“That would require me to have the time to sit and do nothing. I don’t have that luxury,” she said.

“Meaning you think I do?” he asked.

“You are retired at thirty-three. Well, not true. You’ve got a part-time gig as a broadcaster.”

He laughed. “Not as part time as you think. There is a lot of work involved in my job. I spend hours daily analyzing games and data. You have to be prepared to speak on the fly, but you need the information and facts prior to do it.”

Her head went back and forth. “I can see that.”

“You’re not going to argue about it?”

“Nope,” she said. “I don’t know enough about what you’re saying in order to argue. I’ll take your word for it.”

He was surprised. He figured she might be like him in that she always had to be right.

“Okay.”

“Why do you seem so shocked?” she asked, leaning back. “Did you think I was as cocky as you and had to make sure my opinion was the lead one?”

He laughed. Truly laughed. “It had crossed my mind. I’ll admit I was cocky and arrogant in my youth. Now it’s more about confidence.”

Something he portrayed more than he felt.

At least in the past two years.

Being thrown into the unknown wasn’t something he’d ever dealt well with.

“I’m full of confidence,” she said. “You have to be being the only girl among so many brothers.”

“There are eight of you,” he said. “You’re the third oldest and the only other girl is the youngest.” It was the shocked look on her face that had him smirking. “Hey, you’re not the only one that can do their research. I’m not just a dumb jock.”

“I don’t think I saw anything that said you were dumb,” she said.

“But you’re dying to know about Penelope Plush Soap?” he asked. “And the story behind it and how it came about?”

“We can start with that,” she said. “But before we do, would you like something to drink? Some food? I can have lunch brought in. I believe we are going to be here for a few hours.”

“If you’ve got water, that’s good,” he said. “I tend to stay hydrated throughout the day. As for food, sure, if it’s not something greasy. I know you’ve read a lot about me in my football career during my off time, but I’m serious about my health.”

“We’ve got a cafeteria on this floor.” She got up and moved to her desk and pulled a paper off of it. “These are the specials today and the menu. I printed them out.”

He looked at the specials. “I’ll get the salmon salad,” he said.

“Easy enough since that was my choice,” she said. “Give me a minute and I’ll put the order in to be delivered at noon. Will that work?”

He looked at his watch. It was just a little after eleven. “Whatever is easiest for you.”

She returned to the chair across from him with his bottle of water and then said, “Okay, now it’s time to get down to business.”