Tempting the Player by J. Lynn Page A

owe this pleasure?” Chad asked, leaning back against the couch.
    Without saying a word, she tossed the newspaper at him. It hit his chest. Rolling his eyes, he picked it up and flipped it over. His mouth dropped open. “Oh, shit.”
    “Those weren’t the words I used,” she said, standing in front of him. Dressed in a boxy black skirt suit today, she still looked like a damn nun. “You were told to stay away from the women. Can you not make it an entire month?”
    Chad could only stare at the headline of the sports section. Nationals’ Playboy Pitcher Makes a Play on Constitution Ave. The picture below was of him and Bridget under the awning yesterday, kissing. Someone had a good camera because it was a tight shot on their faces.
    “The manager of your Club is very disappointed in you and in me. That does not make me happy,” she said, crossing her arms.
    “Does anything make you happy?”
    She ignored that. “The fact this is even in the sports’ section is worse, Chad. I don’t think you understand how serious this is.”
    Chad was too busy staring at the picture to really care. Damn it. He could practically feel Bridget pressed against him right now and that dream he had wasn’t helping. He couldn’t help but wonder what she would think when she saw the newspaper? Or had she already?
    And why did he even care?
    “Chad,” Miss Gore snapped.
    Forgetting the babysitter was still there, he lifted his head and frowned. “What?”
    Her frown was so deep he wondered if it would ever fade. “Why did this happen? We’ve been over this again and again. I cannot repair your image if you keep screwing up.”
    Why had he done this? “I wanted to kiss her.”
    Miss Gore blinked and then drew up to her full height, which was a whopping five feet and seven inches. “You wanted to kiss her. So you just normally kiss people when you want to?”
    “It’s not like she was some random chick on the street.”
    “Who is this whore, then?”
    He was on his feet before he knew it. “You can call me every name you think I deserve, lady, but do not call her that. She is not a whore.”
    Miss Gore watched him curiously and then smiled tightly. “Interesting.”
    Throwing the paper onto the couch, he turned and shoved his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t slept with her, before you start accusing me of that.”
    A pause and then, “She doesn’t seem like the typical woman you go after.”
    If he wasn’t going to talk to his brothers about Bridget, he sure as hell wasn’t going to talk about it with the she-devil. “Look, this isn’t a big—”
    “It is a big deal.” She sat on the other side of the couch, obviously in no mood to leave any time soon. Great. “My wake-up call this morning was not fun. After your manager expressed his vast disappointment, I was given an ultimatum.”
    Unease soured in his gut. “Are they going to cancel my contract?”
    Her expression turned severe. “There was talk of that, yes. There was also talk of firing me.”
    As much as Chad disliked the woman, a bit of guilt festered within the unease. “I kissed a woman. That’s all. They don’t even know who she is. What if she was my girlfriend? Would they have a problem with that, too?”
    Interest sparked in her dark eyes. “Is she your girlfriend?”
    A surprised laugh escaped him. “No. I don’t do the dating thing.”
    “And therein lies the problem. You do the screwing thing. If she were your girlfriend, then they wouldn’t have a problem with it. The problem is that in the last six months, you’ve been pictured with ten or so different women in very compromising positions. And when you’re not pictured with a woman, then you’re out partying. You’re giving the entire Club a bad reputation.”
    Chad dropped his head into his hands and blew out a deep breath. Rubbing his fingers against his temples, he closed his eyes. “I don’t have a drinking problem.”
    “I don’t think you do,” she said, surprising