With a smile, I reached for his hand, knowing I was breaking every social rule my mother and society had placed upon us. Kissing the back of it, I whispered, “I believe you, Jonathon. You saved my life and risked yours in doing so.”
“And I would do it again for you, Quinn.”
This time, Jonathon did place his hand on my face while Ayana stood in front of us with her parasol open and over her shoulder. I knew what she was doing, and I would thank her later.
At the moment, the only thing I would think about was Jonathon’s soft lips upon mine.
To stay up to date on what’s coming next for Kristin Mayer and Kelly Elliott, visit their websites.
www.authorkristinmayer.com
www.kellyelliottauthor.com
Play Me
A sneak peek at another book written by Kelly Elliott and Kristin Mayer
* * *
Chapter One
Kendall
I stared at the screen, not believing what I was seeing. First thing on a Monday, and it was all over the morning news. The footage caught on the security cameras appeared to be on an endless loop. My semipro football players were running through the town square of Bowling Green, Kentucky, in nothing but their underwear.
My team is a joke.
No one was ever going to take me seriously if I couldn’t manage the team. Worse yet, no one respected me. That had been apparent from day one when I’d arrived almost two weeks earlier, right after Wales Enterprises purchased the Mustangs.
I ground my teeth as I thought back to some of my first moments there. I’d tried to hold a meeting, but the coach had adjourned it halfway through. Since then, I’d been poring over all the information I could get my hands on as I prepared to make my move. And I was ready. One thing my father had taught me was to not act in haste.
The news reel kept rolling to the glorious moment when the team put some sort of soap in the fountain, which caused it to overflow with bubbles. I took a deep breath. The best part was yet to come. That was when our quarterback stood on the edge of the fountain and peed into the water. I shut off the television; I couldn’t stomach watching it again.
My phone vibrated with a text from my father.
Dad: I finished my phone call. Are you ready?
Me: I’m on my way.
This was the moment to prove I was capable. And I wasn’t going to let my father down.
I pressed the intercom on my phone. “Amber, please send Coach Bailey to the conference room. Do not advise him that Mr. Wales is here. And have Jethro come to the conference room door.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I had brought Amber with me from North Carolina. She was an excellent assistant and due to her organizational skills and drive, Amber would go far in her career. Part of her relocation and compensation package included a full scholarship to the local college. I knew that had been her dream. And I’d been able to convince human resources that Amber was the perfect candidate for the Work for a Degree program Wales Enterprises had started. It was something my mother, Alli, was passionate about.
I grabbed my leather folder and headed to the conference room down the hall. At such an early hour, the place was quiet. I should have handled this sooner. I knew I’d made a mistake when Dad arrived in the middle of the night. He’d called first thing this morning, wanting to discuss the story on the news. This type of media would reflect poorly on Wales Enterprises. I hated that fact and was disappointed in myself for allowing the situation to get out of hand.