She held the door as Tony dragged
J.D. into his penthouse and dropped him fully clothed on his California king
bed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m
his agent, not his babysitter.”
“Neither
am I.”
“Make
sure he gets to practice by 5 A.M. You’ll have to drive him.”
“I
doubt he’ll be up to it.”
“He’ll
be up to it,” said King, heading for the door. “I’ve seen him look worse. He
gets paid to show up.”
“His
head just crashed into a concrete floor.”
“Shaw’s
spent his whole life fighting. Lucky for him half his buddies are cops. Keeps
him out of jail. He’ll get over it, I assure you.”
“I
thought you were friends.”
“Business
partners, Babe.”
“So
you don’t mind if he cracks his head open, as long as he follows through on his
contract.”
Tony
paused in the foyer and sighed. “Cut the drama, Halee. His head isn’t cracked
open. And yes, contracts are everything in this business. You’d better get used
to that. Players get traded like collector cards. One season you’re in Philly,
the next you’re in Seattle and nobody gives a fuck whether your kid has to
switch schools or if you get to be home for fireworks on the Fourth of July.
John knows what he signed up for. Don’t make him out to be a victim.”
“You
can be business partners and still show a little concern.”
“I’m
concerned with his earnings. That’s how I get paid.”
“Is
that all he is to you?” asked Halee. “Just another deal to line your pockets?”
King
shrugged. “Pretty much.”
Halee
wanted to scream. Instead, she took two steps closer to her opponent, keeping
her voice calm. "You set me up, didn't you?" she demanded. "J.D.
needed a wife to help his career along, so you arranged for him to be at the
benefit. Then you bribed me into seeing him again tonight. After what he did to
me, you didn't think twice about using me in your little game."
"Worked,
didn't it? Like I said, fireworks. Have fun, now," he said, shutting the
door behind him.
Halee
didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So she’d been right. She had been used.
Tony and J.D. had selected her as the fiancé of choice. She sighed and trudged
back to the bedroom, her mood dark, pensive. King’s comments kept playing
through her head, stirring up feelings she had repressed ever since her breakup
with J.D. Unwelcome feelings.
J.D.
wasn’t her problem, she reminded herself. He could take care of himself. Her
unfinished thesis waited for her in her own dark hovel of an apartment on the
other side of this city. She’d promised Victoria Pryor an early meeting to
discuss expanding the literacy program with King’s donation. Uncle Gus expected
her to wait tables midday after the Cubs game let out. She didn’t have time to
play nursemaid to a spoiled uber-athlete. She should just call a cab. She
needed sleep.
She
knew she wouldn’t leave.
Leaning
against the doorway, she watched him through the shadows. The eastern glass
wall of the penthouse faced the shoreline, framing the distant lights of Navy
Pier blinking off Lake Michigan. The room’s ceiling lifted open toward the
darkened sky, evoking a sea of navy blue in all directions. Everywhere you
looked, the glow of the city reflected off late summer clouds. Chicago never
reached total darkness.
J.D.
had placed his bed in the middle of the room at an angle that allowed him to
watch the water while he drifted off to sleep, one small comfort for a country
boy stuck in the midst of the noise and dirt of the city. A year before, lying
next to him in this bed, she’d done the same. This was the room where she’d
laughed with abandon, where she’d loved fiercely and given herself completely.
And
the room where she’d found him in the arms of another woman.
He
lay now on his good arm with his back toward the door, his uniformed body
sprawled across the satin comforter. The room smelled of familiar aftershave,
the brand she had come to associate with the
J.D. into his penthouse and dropped him fully clothed on his California king
bed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m
his agent, not his babysitter.”
“Neither
am I.”
“Make
sure he gets to practice by 5 A.M. You’ll have to drive him.”
“I
doubt he’ll be up to it.”
“He’ll
be up to it,” said King, heading for the door. “I’ve seen him look worse. He
gets paid to show up.”
“His
head just crashed into a concrete floor.”
“Shaw’s
spent his whole life fighting. Lucky for him half his buddies are cops. Keeps
him out of jail. He’ll get over it, I assure you.”
“I
thought you were friends.”
“Business
partners, Babe.”
“So
you don’t mind if he cracks his head open, as long as he follows through on his
contract.”
Tony
paused in the foyer and sighed. “Cut the drama, Halee. His head isn’t cracked
open. And yes, contracts are everything in this business. You’d better get used
to that. Players get traded like collector cards. One season you’re in Philly,
the next you’re in Seattle and nobody gives a fuck whether your kid has to
switch schools or if you get to be home for fireworks on the Fourth of July.
John knows what he signed up for. Don’t make him out to be a victim.”
“You
can be business partners and still show a little concern.”
“I’m
concerned with his earnings. That’s how I get paid.”
“Is
that all he is to you?” asked Halee. “Just another deal to line your pockets?”
King
shrugged. “Pretty much.”
Halee
wanted to scream. Instead, she took two steps closer to her opponent, keeping
her voice calm. "You set me up, didn't you?" she demanded. "J.D.
needed a wife to help his career along, so you arranged for him to be at the
benefit. Then you bribed me into seeing him again tonight. After what he did to
me, you didn't think twice about using me in your little game."
"Worked,
didn't it? Like I said, fireworks. Have fun, now," he said, shutting the
door behind him.
Halee
didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So she’d been right. She had been used.
Tony and J.D. had selected her as the fiancé of choice. She sighed and trudged
back to the bedroom, her mood dark, pensive. King’s comments kept playing
through her head, stirring up feelings she had repressed ever since her breakup
with J.D. Unwelcome feelings.
J.D.
wasn’t her problem, she reminded herself. He could take care of himself. Her
unfinished thesis waited for her in her own dark hovel of an apartment on the
other side of this city. She’d promised Victoria Pryor an early meeting to
discuss expanding the literacy program with King’s donation. Uncle Gus expected
her to wait tables midday after the Cubs game let out. She didn’t have time to
play nursemaid to a spoiled uber-athlete. She should just call a cab. She
needed sleep.
She
knew she wouldn’t leave.
Leaning
against the doorway, she watched him through the shadows. The eastern glass
wall of the penthouse faced the shoreline, framing the distant lights of Navy
Pier blinking off Lake Michigan. The room’s ceiling lifted open toward the
darkened sky, evoking a sea of navy blue in all directions. Everywhere you
looked, the glow of the city reflected off late summer clouds. Chicago never
reached total darkness.
J.D.
had placed his bed in the middle of the room at an angle that allowed him to
watch the water while he drifted off to sleep, one small comfort for a country
boy stuck in the midst of the noise and dirt of the city. A year before, lying
next to him in this bed, she’d done the same. This was the room where she’d
laughed with abandon, where she’d loved fiercely and given herself completely.
And
the room where she’d found him in the arms of another woman.
He
lay now on his good arm with his back toward the door, his uniformed body
sprawled across the satin comforter. The room smelled of familiar aftershave,
the brand she had come to associate with the
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