Down by Contact - A Seattle Lumberjacks Romance by Jami Davenport Read Free Book Online

off the first lady’s boobs? And just like when you told the
host of the local sports radio show that he was as annoying as a
tick and just as smart? And how about last week when you belched on
a national TV interview? Hell, you’ve only been here a few months,
and you’ve already gained a reputation as a backwards redneck with
the manners of a gorilla.”
    “I’m sorry.” Zach stared at his hands. He
didn’t get the social rules and crap like that. He tried, but he
just kept screwing up.
    “Things have to change, and like it or not
we have a solution.”
    Zach looked up. His throat dried up like
grass during a Texas summer. He held his breath, waiting for the
barbell to drop and his career with the Lumberjacks to be crushed
beneath the weight of his social ineptness.
    “You’re going to charm school.”
    “I’m what?”
    “Charm school. You’re going to learn social
graces if it kills you.” HughJack grinned, and Rocky snorted, as if
this was fucking funny.
    “Like hell I am.” Zach sat up straight and
squared his shoulders.
    “You have two choices. Charm school or be
traded.”
    “Then trade me.” Zach wouldn’t play these
stupid-assed games just to make the rich owner and his bitchy
daughter happy. It was bullshit. They signed him to play football,
not waste his time on some pansy-assed thing like this.
    “You might want to reconsider when you find
out what team is interested.”
    “What team?” Dread filled Zach right down to
his size-fourteen feet.
    “The Marauders.” HughJack paused in his
pacing and waited.
    “No. You’ve got to be kidding?” The very
name Marauders struck fear in any player’s heart, especially one
possibly playing in his last season.
    “There’s not a big market for linebackers of
your age and salary, Zach.” Rocky shot him a sympathetic look, and
Zach knew he was hosed. Even Rocky was throwing him under the
bus.
    “How long is this class?”
    “You’ll attend private sessions in the small
conference room at the training facility twice a week, starting
tonight at seven sharp. We’ll work around your schedule as far as
games. By the way, for your graduation test, you’ll host a
black-tie affair at your home, a charity gala during our bye week
in December. This homeless charity is Veronica’s baby so learn your
lessons well.”
    With that last kick to his ass, the men
stood, excusing him.
    Zach headed for the door, not happy at all.
“Fine.”
    “Don’t be late. It’s bad manners.” HughJack
winked at him, and Zach fought to control his middle finger.
Gritting his teeth, he walked out of the office and down the
hall.
    Harris lounged against the wall a few doors
down, a shit-eating grin on his face. Zach itched to wipe the floor
with the bastard. Instead, he pushed past him and out the front
door. Harris’s laughter followed him.
    Frustrated, Zach slammed his fist into a
tree trunk. The impact jarred his arm and hurt like hell. He stared
at his skinned and bloody knuckles, not giving a damn.
    Like hell did he need to attend charm
school. There wasn’t a thing wrong with his manners except he
didn’t have any. He was a football player, damn it, and a helluva
good one. A defensive guy known for his toughness and try, not for
his use of the right fork. No fucking way would he let some
snooty-assed pansy lecture him on the finer points of all that
bullshit social crap.
    Except—
    The Marauders . League doormats. The
only team perpetually worse than his old team.
    Getting into his truck, Zach rested his
forehead against the steering wheel.
    He was so totally screwed.

 
    CHAPTER 4
Charmed, I’m Sure
    Kelsie stared at the conference room door and
waited for her student to arrive. She tapped her fingernails on the
thick oak table then stopped herself when she realized what she was
doing.
    A lady never showed impatience or
revealed her weaknesses .
    In other words, never let them see you
sweat. She distracted herself by studying the pictures on the wall
in front