Текст книги "S.O.B. "
Автор книги: J. C. Valentine
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
14
Heads covered in varying shades of silver turn our way as Vista and I walk into the conference room on the tenth floor of my father’s firm, Black Investments. It’s an agency of sorts that specializes in forming marketing campaigns with a focus on athletics.
Naturally, my father recruited me early, before I’d even entered high school. He’s a natural when it comes to speaking, and he can sell just about anything. With him at the helm, I’ve made millions. I wonder how he’ll react when I tell him I’m severing our contract and branching out on my own.
Thankfully, my father hasn’t arrived yet. All eyes are on us, and I can just imagine what they’re thinking. They know who Vista is, and I’m sure we make quite the picture walking in here together, her body aligned with mine, my hand pressing possessively against the small of her back, me whispering in her ear. I don’t care a lick about what the old buzzards waiting for him think. They don’t cut my checks and soon, I’ll never have to look at their shriveled faces again.
“Wait for me over there.” My hand on her back, I press a kiss to Vista’s temple then send her on her way, directing her to a seat in the corner of the room, away from the main table where I’m about to get down to business.
Picking the chair at the far end of the table, positioned opposite the one my father will assume, I release the zipper on my leather riding jacket and sit. “Gentlemen,” I greet them. “How’s business?”
The only answer I get is a few faint smiles, and then total silence consumes the room. These men only answer to one thing, and that’s power. Anywhere else in the world, I hold that power, but in the face of David Black, I’m no more than the gum on the bottom of their shoe.
Glancing over my shoulder, I catch Vista’s eye and give her wink. Her cheeks flush a pretty pink that makes me smile. I hate being in this place, but having her here makes it somewhat tolerable. At least now I have a stunning view to look at.
Some fifteen minutes later, the door flies open and my father steps in. His black pinstriped suit and matching tie lay perfectly on his fit frame, and when he ambles across the room, the air of superiority precedes him.
David Black’s eyes meet mine as he draws back his chair and pauses a moment to take me in. Every person in here besides me is dressed in expensive tailored suits with their hair combed back and their noses stuck in the air. I, on the other hand, am in my usual fair: jeans, t-shirt, Doc Martens, and my leather jacket. They drove here in their luxury cars and I on my motorcycle. We’re worlds apart in all aspects. My father doesn’t have to speak the words for me to know how disappointed he is in me. By now, he should expect it. I’ve never pretended to fit the mold.
“Levi,” he says curtly as he releases the button on his suit jacket and lowers himself into the chair. “I’m glad to see you could make it.”
“Yeah, Vista and I were in the neighborhood.”
His gaze travels to my left, just now realizing she’s also in the room. A look of surprise flashes briefly in his eyes, but being the man he is, he covers it with a bright and welcoming smile. Only I know him well enough to recognize the strain tightening his lips and his words to razor sharpness.
“Vista, how good to see you. Is my son forcing you to tag along on business meetings?”
“He certainly twisted my arm,” she says, casting me a shy smile.
I return it, knowing I didn’t have to twist very hard. The only motivation Vista needs is the promise of a job, and with David Black backing her, it’s already in the bag.
“Well, as long as he’s not working you too hard,” he says, a thread of warning leaking into his voice.
“So, down to business?” I ask, eager to move this thing along. I feel like Tom Cruise in The Firm. There’s just something sinister about this place that I never liked. The sooner we get out of here, the better.
“Right.” My father snaps into business mode. With a single look, the man to his right hands over a folder that he immediately opens and begins leafing through. “I’m actually happy you brought your sister along today,” he says, emphasizing her title. The men flick judgmental looks at me, but I ignore them.
“I see you got the cast off and you’re no longer using crutches. How is the recovery coming along?” When he doesn’t get an immediate response, he casts an expectant look across the room to Vista.
“Oh, you mean me?” She jumps to attention, sitting up straighter in her chair. “Um, good. He’s making progress every day. I’m hoping to start him on water exercises today so we can start rebuilding—”
“Good, so we’re on track,” he cuts her off. I clamp my jaws together, biting back the angry words I want to say. It’s fine for him to treat me that way, but disrespecting Vista digs in my craw.
“Your rehabilitation will be complete in three weeks. You’ll be on a plane three days after that for a game scheduled that Saturday in Florida. Until then, we’ll keep you busy making appearances. Did Becca send you the revised schedule?”
He’s floating right along, dictating everything about my life to me as if he’s the director and I’m merely a player in it. I grit my teeth, leaning back in my chair and folding my hands across my stomach before I leap out of it and cause a scene.
“Not that I’m aware.”
His dark brows furrow in disapproval and he makes a note on the paper in front of him. No doubt, Becca will be looking for another job by lunchtime. “The Adidas commercial went live this morning,” he rolls on. “My sources tell me that it looks set to go viral by the end of the day. If it does, and I don’t see why it won’t, we’ll set up an appearance at the expo coming up next month.
“ESPN contacted us yesterday. They’d like to interview you for one of their morning broadcasts. I told them you’d be there.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s finished his sentence. “No.”
Still speaking, my father’s words cut off abruptly and his cold eyes focus like laser beams down the table. “Come again?”
Drawing in a steeling breath, I force myself to say the words that have been circulating in my brain for months. “I’m not doing the interview. In fact, I’m not doing any of it.”
“Levi—”
Cutting him off, I tell him, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I’m going to retire after this season.”
He laughs, the sound nothing more than a short, condescending bark. “You’re going to retire? You’re not even twenty-five yet.”
“I meant from the game. It’s not for me anymore. It’s not what I want to do.”
“Screw what you want to do,” my father bellows. “You have commitments, and in this family, we honor our commitments.”
“I didn’t commit to anything,” I remind him. He’s made my decisions for me for so long he’s stopped checking with me to make sure I’m on board. “Whatever it is, cancel it.”
“That’s not how this business works, Levi,” he bites out. The men at the table look back and forth between us, like this is a tennis match. “Contracts have been signed. If you don’t show up, guess who gets screwed. Me!”
“Then send me the bill.” I’ve said what I need to say and it’s clear this conversation is going nowhere fast. Reaching the end of my limits, I shove my chair back, stand up, and signal for Vista to do the same. My father watches the exchange, his face growing red.
“If you walk out that door, I’m cutting you off. Both of you,” he snarls, his warning clear.
Vista’s feet stop moving and her eyes widen in fear. Approaching her from behind, I let her feel the heat of my body against her back as I lean into her. “It’s okay, princess. Whatever he’s promised you, I can match it.”
The last thing I’m going to do is let him suck her into his poisonous world. He only got this far because he’s a master manipulator. Everyone falls under his spell or gets trampled. I’ll be damned if Vista falls into either category.
It’s one thing for me to walk away. The worst my father will do to me is write me out of his will and cut me off financially, but I have plenty of my own money. I don’t need him to stand. As shitty as he’s been to me, my father has set the world at my feet. I’d be a liar and a bastard if I claimed not to appreciate what he’s done for me. But that doesn’t mean I have to continue to allow him to abuse his station. It’s time for me to be my own man, and, interestingly enough, it took being with Vista to realize it.
The door slams behind us as we leave the conference room. A woman I assume is Becca steps off the elevator carrying a load of takeout bags. When she sees Vista and me approaching, she moves out of the way and greets us with such a cheery disposition that I instantly feel bad for her, because her day is about to go down the drain.
“He was really upset,” Vista says, her voice small as we ride the elevator back down to the ground floor.
“That’s his natural state of being.” When the doors open, I guide her out with my hand at her elbow. The need to touch her—in any small way—is becoming habitual. The feel of her on my skin is addictive and I find myself needing to be near her, to feel that connection, however little, in any way that I can. “What you saw back there was nothing. My father can be a real son of a bitch when he feels like it. Today was a good day.”
Parking at the curb directly in front of the building, we pause in front of my bike to strap on our helmets and get situated. Vista runs her teeth over her bottom lip, a nervous habit I’m beginning to recognize as meaning that she has something on her mind that she wants to say.
“Spit it out, princess.” Kicking my leg over the bike, I hold it steady so she can climb on.
Only, she’s still standing on the sidewalk. “If this was a good day, then I feel sorry for you.”
Fuck. I can tell where this is going, and I don’t want her sympathy. Scowling at the traffic flowing by, I tell her, “Don’t. I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to be.”
Hearing those words causes an ache in my gut. I can’t remember the last time anyone has cared enough to…well, care. I don’t know what the hell to do or say in response, so I use the only tool I have left at my disposal—irritation. “Get on the damn bike, Vista. It’s lunchtime and I’m starving.”
Her gaze seems to see straight through me and, unable to handle the intensity of it, I jerk my head for her to get on the damn bike already. Shaking her head, she grabs hold of my shoulders, slings her leg over the seat, and settles in behind me. I close my eyes at the feel of her soft curves melting into me.
Slow deaths, that’s how she’s killing me.
Pressing the start button, the engine rumbles to life, and I give the throttle a twist to make it growl. This bike is a demon on the road, and right now, I need to feel its power beneath me. “Ready?”
Her chin on my shoulder and her hands laced tight around my abdomen, I feel her nod. “Yes!”
I look both ways, searching for an opening in the traffic. Just before I pull out, I hear her voice in my ear. “Just for the record, I’m really proud of you for how you stood up for yourself in there.”
A sliver of warmth—happiness, maybe—snakes through my chest, and I feel the corner of my mouth turn up as I release my grip and we shoot off.
15
Levi surprises me in the most unexpected ways. Up until this morning, I thought he was a bullheaded jerk who was happy living in his father’s shadow and having his life mapped out for him. Admittedly, his ability to stand up to David and take control of his life was impressive. Now, as we step off the elevator of U of C Medicine’s children’s branch, he’s delivering another surprise.
If I thought Levi Black was a shallow son of a bitch before, he’s proving me wrong in a big way now.
The hospital is reserved for children with varying medical problems. I’ve always avoided places like this because they make me sad. The very reason I got into the field I did was so I could help someone recover from an injury, but a lot of these kids are never going to recover from theirs. Some of them might not walk out of here at all. It’s depressing, but Levi is displaying the total opposite reaction. As he pulls me along down bright hallways, he’s energized in a way that I haven’t seen before. It’s as if he can barely contain himself.
I understand why when we reach a large room at the end of one of the corridors. It’s wide open and filled to capacity with children and their families. As soon as they see Levi, cheers and clapping begin. At first, I think this must be a meet and greet, but it’s not. Just as I notice the giant banner painted on the wall, Levi leans in.
“Welcome to the Levi Black Foundation.” A brilliant smile lights his face, and I watch as he goes forward to greet everyone with open arms. I stand back as the crowd swallows him, stunned.
It’s amazing what he’s doing. A foundation? I knew Levi donated to charities, but I always assumed that was done for him, not by him. I certainly had no idea he had his own foundation. It gives me a little laugh, though, that it bears his name. It’s such a Levi thing to do.
As I look around, I notice that the room is decked out in state-of-the-art equipment. There are several televisions, computers, video game systems, an air hockey table, and a station full of toys set up for all ages. There’s so much that I can’t catalogue it all, but I think I understand what he was going for here.
This is a retreat for the kids, and Levi made it happen.
“So, it’s usually more low-key, but what do you think?” Leaning with his shoulder against the wall, Levi surveys the room. Now that they’ve each had a chance to meet him, the kids are busying themselves with the toys.
“I think it’s great. I didn’t know you had your own foundation. You’ve been busy.”
Digging his hands into his pockets, he stares off in thought. “It’s just a pet project. Something to keep me busy. The kids seem to enjoy it.”
It’s so unlike him, to be so nonchalant about this. I’m not used to humble Levi. I watch him as he watches the kids and I wonder, who is Levi Black really?
“What made you decide on a children’s foundation?” As popular as he is in the sports world, he could have done anything. Why kids?
Brows furrowing in thought, Levi’s answer is slow to come. “I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals. Being hooked up to IVs, having surgeries, knowing there’s more to come. It sucks. It’s even worse when all you have to occupy yourself is a shitty local broadcast television and a view of a field or street through the window when you’re bored. This gives them something to look forward to at least.”
Studying all the kids, they’re having fun. Even the ones in wheelchairs, with IVs still attached, wear smiles. My chest constricts when I think of what he’s given to them. “You’re doing a lot of good here, Levi,” I say softly.
Dipping his head to his chest, Levi smiles sheepishly while raking his fingers through his hair. “Thanks.”
Turning my head, I wait for him to look up at me, and when he does, I hope he can see just how proud I am of him. How proud I am to be standing here beside him. “Thank you for bringing me here. For sharing this with me.”
“You mean you’re not starving and you don’t want to kick my ass?”
His mouth twists into a teasing smile that gives me a hint of those deep dimples beneath his beard, and I chuckle. We missed lunch coming here, but truth be told, my hunger was forgotten the minute we stepped off the elevator.
Grinning, I tell him, “Don’t push your luck, mister. A girl’s gotta eat.”
I love how he looks at me, especially when he gets those little creases around his eyes. I’m beginning to learn that there’s a lot more to Levi Black than what he puts out there. Maybe I should be putting less stock in the media circus and more into what I see with my own eyes.
“Did I tell you that this little shindig comes with a buffet?”
“You did not,” I chastise him playfully.
“Allow me.” Hooking his elbow out for me to take, he guides us past a group of nurses and parents to a table that’s, indeed, filled with all kinds of delicious looking food.
“Did you pay for a caterer?” I ask Levi as I take the plate he’s offering.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “No. This is a potluck. Everyone loves me here, obviously. Whenever they know I’m coming, they do this. We’re family here.”
For a moment, I can’t take my eyes off him. His quiet confession leaves me speechless, and I begin to think about all the things he’s told me about his father. The way David Black spoke to his son this morning was upsetting to watch. There was no respect there, no sign of fatherly love. I won’t pretend to know what kind of relationship they have, but from what I saw today, I can say with confidence that what’s happening in this room is giving Levi something he needs.
Shrugging off the heavy thoughts, I take another look at the dishes available and my mouth waters. There are enchiladas, baked spaghetti, several kinds of pasta salads, and a whole table dedicated to desserts. My stomach growls loudly.
“This is beyond awesome. Don’t let this go to your head, but I’m kind of jealous of you right now.”
“As you should be.” Nudging me with his elbow, Levi tips his head closer and his blue eyes meet mine. “Eat.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice.
***
“You’re going down!”
Levi is having his ass handed to him in a game of Mortal Combat against a kid that can’t be any older than seven. It’s the most hysterical thing I have ever witnessed. Not because the kids is as cocky and self-assured as Levi, but because Levi’s really trying. His face is scrunched up in intense concentration and his fingers are jamming on the controls so hard he’ll probably have to buy a new one, and he’s losing. Hard.
“You rotten...scoundrel! When I figure out how you’re cheating, I’m giving you the worst wedgy of your life.”
“In your dreams, rich boy!”
On the screen, one of the characters throws out an arc of lightning and electrocutes the other character until his eyes burst in his skull. The boy throws his bald head back and cackles wickedly. I guess he won.
I look around at some of the parents lingering nearby, checking their reactions. This is the most gruesome game I have ever seen. So far I have witnessed spines being ripped out, bodies split down the middle to reveal their internal organs, and a man’s genitals exploding. But none of the adults here seem to care. I guess as long as the kids are enjoying themselves, then that’s all that matters.
When I turn back to the action, Levi has his arms full of little boy. The kid is wrapped around him like a blanket, and Levi is speaking softly to him. The boy nods once, and then he pulls back, his smile revealing a gap where he’s recently lost a couple of teeth. As I sit here watching him cuddle the small child, I feel my stomach perform flips and there’s a funny tightening in my chest that forces all the oxygen from my lungs. And the only thought that runs through my head is that this man is amazing. Totally, completely, and utterly wonderful and I know…I might be falling for him.
“Same time next week?” Levi asks him.
“Hell yeah. Make sure you remember to bring a box of tissues, ‘cause you’re gonna be crying like a baby when you lose.”
“The only thing I’m going to bring with me is a bar of soap ‘cause you’re gonna need it after I mop the floor with you.”
“Dude, lame.”
“What? I thought that was pretty awesome.” Levi pouts, but it’s quickly forgotten. Reaching out, he rubs the boy’s head the way he would if he still had hair, then holds out his fist for him to pound. “Next week, bro.”
“Better bring that A-game.”
“Dude, always.” Turning, Levi finds me and walks over. “You ready to take off?”
“Yep.” Standing, I stretch my legs then head for the exit with Levi’s hand at my back to guide me. We’re only stopped a handful of times on the way so some of the parents can thank him for spending time with their kids. One couple, though, nearly brings me to tears at the sight of their own when they thank him for settling their hospital bills so they won’t lose their house while their daughter receives treatment.
What Levi is doing here is far more than just providing recreation to a bunch of bored kids. It’s more than a pet project. He’s changing lives.
Levi is quiet on the way back to his motorcycle. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but I get the feeling that his head is back upstairs with those kids instead of here with me.
“Does David know what you’re doing here?” I ask him as we navigate the maze of hallways back toward the parking garage.
“He knows I have a foundation for kids,” he responds darkly.
“He doesn’t know you’re helping all those families?”
The set of automatic double doors slide open as we approach, granting us access to the underground garage, and our footsteps echo on the concrete as we make our way to his bike.
“This,” Levi says as he helps me fasten the helmet on, “is mine. It has nothing to do with my father, and that’s how I plan to keep it.”
“So it’s a secret?” I ask, confused.
“No, like I said, he knows it exists. He just doesn’t know my level of involvement. If he did, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“But why? Wouldn’t it be good for your image to be involved with something like this?”
Swinging his leg over the bike, Levi gets situated then waits for me to join him. The moment I do, he reaches back, grabbing my thighs and pulling me snug up against his back. I love when he does that. It causes little flutters in my stomach to be so close.
“What’s good for the image isn’t always good for the wallet. At the end of the day, my father is more concerned with the bottom line.”
The engine roars to life, filling the cavernous space. I guess that’s my cue to close my mouth and enjoy the ride. Flattening my palms against his rigid abdomen, I press my cheek to his shoulder and close my eyes as we pull out and blend into the city traffic.
