Body Check by Deirdre Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

your influence to get some of your teammates to cooperate with me, then perhaps I could use mine to persuade Kidco not to be so gung ho about wanting you, specifically, to participate in community events.”
    Ty nodded thoughtfully, scratching at the stubble on his chin. “Let me make sure I’m getting this straight. You want me to surrender some of my guys to save my own ass.”
    â€œ ‘Surrender’?” Janna repeated incredulously. “What is this, a hostage negotiation?”
    â€œIn a way.”
    â€œOh, please.” She knew she sounded scornful, and tried to pull back. She was this close to letting inner Janna break loose and ruin everything. “All I’m asking for—”
    â€œIs me to do your job.”
    â€œNo,” Janna replied in an extremely controlled voice, “that is not it at all.”
    â€œJanna.” His eyes finally met hers and held. For a split second, she could have sworn he was checking her out. “I thought I made it pretty clear yesterday that I don’t think any of the Blades owe Kidco anything. I understand you have a certain job to do, and I promise you I’m not going to interfere with your doing it, even though I think it’s bull. If one of my guys decides on his own that he wants to put on a penguin suit and go to some three-hundred-bucks-a-plate dinner to raise money for beriberi, that’s his business. But there’s no way on earth I’m gonna help you out.”
    â€œEven if doing so is an investment for the team’s future.”
    â€œBack to that again, the deep pockets argument?”
    Janna held her tongue, trying to keep the rising tide of anger and desperation within her in check.
    â€œLook, I told you. If I feel moved to do something at some point, I will. But in the meantime, I think you’re wasting your time and energy trying to change my position. I’m not gonna budge.”
    Janna looked down at the floor, counted to three, then looked back up. “Can I ask you a question?”
    â€œYou can ask me anything.”
    Janna checked his expression; was he flirting with her? She decided he was not.
    â€œWould it kill you to do just one appearance at a hospital or hit a few golf balls for cancer? Would it?”
    â€œFunny, Kevin said the same thing yesterday.”
    â€œAnd what was your response?”
    â€œMy response was that Kidco doesn’t care about the integrity of the game or about anyone playing it, so as far as I can see, I owe them nothing, least of all any of my precious free time.”
    Janna stared at him. “You don’t get it, do you?”
    â€œYou said that yesterday,” Ty pointed out, mildly amused.
    â€œAnd I’ll say it again, because it’s true. You’re so hung up on sticking to your principles you don’t even realize you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Fine, refuse to do PR, suit yourself. But understand this: I am not going to give up. I’m being paid to hound you and your teammates, and I will. Every time you turn around, Captain Gallagher, there I’ll be, with my dreaded list of community events. I’m going to be the pebble in your shoe you can’t get rid of, the annoying song lyric you can’t get out of your head. You better get used to me bugging the hell out of you, because it’s going to be one of the constants in your life from now until the season ends in June—assuming you make it to the Playoffs, of course.”
    â€œOh, we’ll make it to the Playoffs,” Ty replied breezily, casually massaging the back of his neck with his towel. “The real question is whether you’ll last that long.”
    With a knowing wink, he finished the last of his juice and sauntered away, leaving Janna standing there, a white-hot ball of fury beginning to coalesce in her gut.
    Had he just made a veiled threat to see to it that she lost her job? Or was he simply insinuating she