She"d been deprived and now she wasn"t, and she shamelessly took in his appearance. He wore a pair of faded Levi"s that did little to disguise the muscles beneath the jeans, along with a solid white T-shirt that accented his tan. He still had the scruffy beard she loved but his eyes were dim and he looked troubled. More troubled than the man she"d last seen worrying about his career, and she wondered what was bothering him. She couldn"t suppress the fleeting hope that maybe he"d missed her and that was why he"d come by. Heaven knew she"d missed him.
She strode around her desk, trying for a casually unaffected tone as she greeted him. "Hi there."
"Hey." He shut the door behind him. As he smiled, his gaze scanned her body for as long as she"d studied his. "You look great," he said at last.
She glanced down at her short pleated skirt and low-cut top. After leaving the island, she"d taken his advice and purchased more clothes that accentuated her feminine side. "Sophie and I went on a shopping spree."
He nodded approvingly. "Works for me," he said, his tone deeper than before.
He stepped closer and captured her in his arms, pulling her close and before she could blink, his lips came down hard on hers. His tongue plunged into her waiting mouth and she opened wide, accepting him because he had come for her. If she could have scripted the scenario, she couldn"t have planned it any better.
She blinked and reality set in. Damian still stood before her.
She shivered and shook her head hard. "So what brings you by?"
He drew a deep breath and lowered himself into the nearest chair. "I have an appointment with your uncle."
"Oh"
"And I also need to talk to you."
She narrowed her gaze. "Okay "
He ran a hand through his hair. She"d never seen him so fl.u.s.tered before. "I need a friend."
She wanted to be more but knew she had to settle for whatever he offered. "You know I"m that"
He bowed his head. Almost as if he couldn"t face her, Micki thought and her throat filled with fear. "What is it?"
A knock sounded on her door and Micki"s secretary entered. "Today"s papers are here," Amy said, interrupting them.
"Thanks." Micki didn"t look over her shoulder at the other woman.
"I"ll just leave them on your desk." Amy walked in and placed the papers down before taking off again.
"Sorry. Papers are a publicist"s lifeblood," Micki explained. He nodded. "That"s sort of why I"m here."
She raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"There"s no easy way to say this so... Just take a look." He gestured toward the stack of dailies. "Start with the News. They"re the most creative with the headlines"
Micki picked up the top paper, The Daily News, and flipped it to the back page. The headline read Miami Love Machine. Beneath it, the caption elaborated, "Miami legal secretary claims New York Renegades center fielder Damian Fuller is the father of her unborn child. Full story p. 72." The photo, which took up much of the back page, showed the woman Micki recognized as Damian"s date from Tampa, leaving the Marriott Marquis on Broadway.
Micki"s head swam with so many emotions she couldn"t sort through them all. Shock, disbelief, pain and a completely unreasonable sense of betrayal all ricocheted around her mind and buffeted her body.
And to think she"d hoped he"d come to claim her as his own. Because even though he"d never promised her anything, Micki had held on to the hope that somehow she"d meant something to him.
This paper, whether or not it portrayed the truth, was proof of Damian"s playboy ways and his inability to care for one woman long-term. Micki had been a fool to think otherwise.
She slowly laid the paper down on the desk. Swallowing her own pain, she turned to face him. He"d said he needed a friend. Somehow she"d be his friend. "What are you going to do?"
He shook his head and shrugged. "That"s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Okay.... Forgive me for asking the obvious but is it yours?"
"I wish to h.e.l.l I knew." He rose and paced the floor, ending up at the window overlooking the city.
She wondered if he found the same comfort in the sameness of the skyline that she often did, then realized that nothing would soothe her now.
"So you need to ask for a paternity test."
He turned and nodded in agreement.
Micki swallowed hard. "And if the baby is yours?"
When he didn"t reply right away, she offered up an alternative that nearly broke her heart. "Marriage?" "h.e.l.l no." He answered immediately. "Child support, yes. Support for Carole, maybe. But marriage?" Damian shook his head, then held it in his hands as if the pain were overwhelming.
"Are you asking my opinion?" she asked in disbelief. n.o.body could tell him what to do.
He shook his head. "Back at the airport you said if I ever needed you for anything...to spin a situation or just to vent, I should come to you. So here I am." His smile didn"t reach his eyes. "To tell you the truth, I didn"t even think this would hit the papers. I had no idea till I woke up this morning but I guess it needs to be handled, right?"
"Right," she managed to say, stunned. "You want me to help you spin the story?"
He leaned against the plate-gla.s.s window, his dark eyes imploring as he merely inclined his head.
Her mouth grew dry at the thought of being his publicist for this very public, very painful ordeal. She definitely didn"t think she could work by his side and deal with her very real feelings for him while at the same time he worked through a relationship with another woman that would last a lifetime.
Apparently he had no such trouble working alongside her in that capacity. The truth stung.
"You"re the best at what you do." For the first time, a teasing grin curled his lips.
"Under any other circ.u.mstances I"d be flattered." She let out a bitter laugh.
"Micki--" He reached for her hand but she pulled back, not wanting to touch him and set off the sparks she knew would follow.
"I need to step outside for a minute." She needed time alone. Without meeting his gaze, she turned and walked out.
Once in the hall, she leaned back and forced air into her lungs. They"d been home from Florida for two weeks and he hadn"t as much as picked up the phone. Now when he was in the ultimate kind of trouble, he showed up on her doorstep. Here she was again, Micki Jordan, every guy"s pal, she thought in frustration.
But she didn"t question what she"d do. Micki could never turn down anyone in need. She knew better than to think she could ignore Damian"s plea. If he needed her professional help, she"d provide it But no way would she give of herself emotionally again.
"YOU"RE AN a.s.s, Fuller," Damian said, swinging his hand uselessly in the air.
He couldn"t believe he"d been so d.a.m.n stupid. Selfish. Unfeeling. He"d woken up hungover and needing someone. Micki had been the only person who"d come to mind. The only one he"d wanted to share his pain with and the only person he trusted enough to ask for help. Unfortunately in all his thinking about himself, not once had he taken her feelings into account.
The news had hurt her, that much was obvious. If there was one person on this earth he"d want to protect from pain, it was Micki. Too late now, he thought, disgusted with himself.
He knew she"d walked out so she could be alone and retreat behind every emotional wall she could find. He didn"t blame her. If he had a brick wall he could hide behind, he"d be there in an instant. Problem was, he didn"t have that luxury. Nothing would make Carole and her pregnancy go away. He couldn"t change the fact that he was back-page headlines again, this time with a scandal that would do far more damage than good.
He couldn"t deny he needed Micki"s unique ability to spin a story his way nor could he ignore that it might be the only way for him to keep her in his life. At least until he sorted through this personal mess and came out the other side. Right now Micki was his lifeline and he needed her. Apparently knowing he was selfish and doing something about it were two different things.
Without warning the door swung open wide and Micki walked back inside, her sister Sophie and her uncle Yank right behind her.
He stiffened, ignoring the embarra.s.sment he felt at being caught with his pants down by people he admired and cared for. "Why do I have the feeling I"d rather face a firing squad than the three of you?" he asked.
"Well, I don"t know," Yank said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Maybe because you can"t keep your p.e.c.k.e.r in your pants and now we"ve got ourselves a situation?" The older man picked up the paper and flung it Damian"s way.
Damian winced. It was bad enough he"d still have to explain this mess to his family but now he was faced with Micki"s. "I really don"t see how that"s relevant to my career."
"He really doesn"t see how this is relevant to his career," Yank mimicked him. "I"ll tell you how. I can book you on comedy shows and channels for idiots if this kid turns out to be yours. Want to know what was waiting in the wings for you?" Yank asked.
Probably not, Damian thought. "What?" he asked instead.
"GMA special sports correspondent, that"s what. You see, you might not have wanted to talk about your career beyond playing ball but I had your back. Always."
"And I appreciate that. I admit this isn"t the responsible image I want to project and I"m not proud of any of this. But plenty of famous people have survived worse scandal. I don"t see what you"re so worked up about," he said, his voice trailing off as his gaze shifted from Yank to Micki.
Damian knew exactly what had the old man so riled up and there wasn"t a d.a.m.n thing he could do to make things better. The man was already p.i.s.sed at how Damian had handled his relationship with Micki. Now this. Who could blame Yank if his anger was more personal than professional?
Then there was Micki who hadn"t met Damian"s gaze since bringing her partners into the room.
"Look," Micki said, stepping in front of her uncle.
"I spend my days spinning scandal for a living, but I thought we needed reinforcements on this one. You had an appointment with Uncle Yank anyway and I figured Sophie would be of help since I"m not exactly an unbiased third party."
In other words, she was hurt, and afraid her emotions would get in the way of doing her job. "You aren"t about to pa.s.s me off to your sister, are you?" he asked Micki, ignoring the other two people in the room.
Silence followed and his gut churned at the thought of losing the only person he trusted.
"It would serve you right if I did, but no I"ll help you handle this," she finally said.
Well that was something, at least. "Okay then, what"s the plan?"
Sophie picked up a pen and began making notes on a pad in her hand. "In cases like these, having the right person standing by a man in tunes of scandal can save a reputation. In your case it"s going to be Micki who holds your hand through this mess." Her frown told him how much Sophie hated the idea of her sister being subjected to being in the role of his savior.
But obviously they"d discussed it briefly before coming in here because neither Yank nor Micki argued the point.
Still Damian was confused. "I"m not sure I understand what you"re suggesting."
"I"ll explain. First you"re going to issue a statement with your publicist by your side. That would be me," Micki said in case he missed the obvious. "You are going to admit you made a mistake and state that once the facts are verified, you plan to do the right thing. You"re going to be a stand-up guy, just like your fans and the kids who look up to you expect"
He nodded. So far so good. Relief filled him as he realized that he"d been right in coming to Micki for help. Not just professionally but personally as well. He couldn"t wrap his mind around how to handle any of this and he could already see that she"d help him get his head on straight. He"d owe her big time for this, Damian thought.
"Next up is handling the actual..umm...situation," Micki said, her cheeks turning red in embarra.s.sment.
"What she"s referring to is whether you"ve dealt with the issues surrounding this pregnancy," Sophie said, rescuing her sister. "Did you talk to the woman about a paternity test?"
He shook his head. "Not yet"
"Did you think about meeting with a lawyer?" Yank asked.
Again, Damian said, "No. I just found out. I can"t even imagine how the d.a.m.n story got leaked so quickly."
"Probably the doctors or nurses the woman saw. Somebody saw a chance to make a buck," Yank muttered.
"You need to set up those appointments," Micki instructed him, back to her professional mode. "What"s your schedule look like?"
Damian groaned. "A series of home games and then a week on the road."
She nodded. "Okay, lawyer and doctor appointments first."
"You need to find out how far along this woman is and then talk to someone about when it"s safe for paternity tests to be done."
"My sisters have an ob-gyn. I can set up an appointment with him. He"s a family friend and I"m sure he"ll fit me in around game times."
His sisters. s.h.i.t. The thought of facing them and their questions made him squirm.
Sophie nodded. "Good. At least we have a plan of action. Right now Micki will go with you and help deal with the press. In case you didn"t realize, they"re already outside the building and clamoring for information."
"Yeah, they were camped outside my, building this morning." He winced at the memory. "There"s no media quite like New York"s."
"You got that right. Screw up and they"re all over you," Yank said. "I got one question."
"Shoot." Damian wasn"t about to hold anything back now.
"If the kid"s yours, do you plan on marrying this broad?
"h.e.l.l no. I don"t believe in s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up Carole"s life or the kid"s life just because protection didn"t work," he snapped.
Yank cleared his throat. "You"re saying you used protection?" Micki looked away.
Damian ran a hand over his warm face. "Yeah, Yank. I did."
"Well that"s something." The older man met his gaze with a sympathetic look of his own.
For a brief second, Damian didn"t feel like the pariah in the room or the man who"d let this entire family down.
What a freaking mess he"d made. He and Micki hadn"t had a commitment; they"d had what should have been a brief fling. Yet he couldn"t shake the self-disgust flowing through him at the thought of disappointing her family and hurting her.
"I say we deal with the press immediately," Micki said, interrupting his thoughts. "The more time you let go by, the more speculation they"ll shovel and the more dirt they"ll dig up on both you and Carole. You ready?" she asked Damian in her most professional, distant voice.
"Ready as I"ll ever be."
She nodded. "Then let"s do it. I"ll brief you on what to say on the way downstairs." Micki strode out of the room, pad in hand, all but ignoring him.
At this point the only thing he had going for him was the fact that she and her family agreed she"d stick by his side. He intended to hold her to her promise.
RICKY CARTER SAT in his small apartment and watched Eyewitness News at Noon. Thanks to his discreet contacts, Damian Fuller"s paternity scandal had headlined the back of every newspaper in the city. Now Carter watched his captain and the man whose position he coveted step in front of microphones and speak from the heart.