The Billion Dollar Player: A Billionaire's Club Story by Mandy Baxter

he must’ve brought her here tonight to show off his
lucky charm
disgusted her. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
    “What? Why? Avery, what in the hell is going on?”
    His insistence on keeping up the pretense snapped Avery’s control over her temper. “Oh, come on, Jase! I don’t want or need your fake concern. You’re an asshole! Go back to your stupid party and find some other girl to give you a
good-luck fuck
before the championship game!”
    Jase hit the brakes so hard that the tires screeched on the pavement. Avery picked up her pace, ignoring the bite of the asphalt on her bare feet as she continued her trek out of the swanky subdivision. The car door opened and slammed behind her but she paid it no mind. Damn it, she’d left her damned purse at the house. Which meant no cell phone to call a cab to get her the hell away from Jase Blackwell for good. And she wasn’t about to endure the shame of going back to get it.
    “Avery, stop.”
    She ignored his demanding tone. “Go to hell, Jase!”
    “Avery!”
    The sound of his shoes pounding on the pavement behind her sent a jolt of anxious adrenaline through Avery’s body. She refused to run from him, but a brisk speed-walk was totally acceptable. A hand gripped her elbow and Jase spun her around like a whip.
    “Don’t.” Fresh tears pricked behind Avery’s eyes but she stemmed the flow. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of witnessing her pain. “I don’t want to hear your excuses, Jase.”
    His brow furrowed, the depth of emotion shining in his light brown eyes enough to break Avery’s heart all over again. Among his other talents, Jase Blackwell was apparently a pretty damned good actor.
    “Avery, listen to me.” Jase gripped her shoulders tightly as though afraid she’d try to bolt. “I don’t blame you for being pissed off—”
    “Well, that’s big of you.”
    “But you have to know that what that asshole Willis said couldn’t be further from the truth.”
    “Do I?” Avery asked with a derisive snort. “It’s funny, Jase. Now that I think about it, we’ve been together at least one night before every single game of the playoffs. I guess I should be flattered. I mean, I must be a hell of a good lay if I single-handedly managed to secure your team’s spot in the championship. Maybe I should rent my services out. If I got the Cowboys this far, imagine what I could do for other teams?”
    “Stop.” Jase’s fingers dug into her arms, not painfully, but enough to convey his urgency. “I can’t control what those assholes say in the locker room. Hell, up until a few weeks ago, everyone still thought I’d bought my way onto the team. So of course, the second I up my game, those same haters are going to come up with another excuse to justify how I’m getting it done. Anything other than admit that I might actually be worth a damn on the field.”
    She knew that his skills on the field were a sore subject and that Jase suffered from a lack of confidence in his abilities. Under any other circumstances, Avery would have been thrilled that he’d finally come into his own and was being recognized for the talent she knew he’d had all along. But not now, and certainly not at the expense of her dignity. “According to that jerk back at Gena’s, I’m the talk of the locker room. One more toss before the championship game? If that’s the case, maybe we should just get it out of the way right now. I mean, we’ve screwed in the front seat of your truck, your car couldn’t possibly be much less accommodating. I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a Cowboys fan if I didn’t do my part to ensure that you guys get a Super Bowl bid.”
    Jase released his grip at her acidic tone. “I would never disrespect you, Avery.”
    She leveled her gaze on him, the Maserati’s headlights illuminating his strong features. “Really? Then look me in the eye and tell me that Willis is lying. Tell me that you never,
ever
considered using me as some sort