Free Game On (A Bad Boy Sports Romance) by Olivia Lancaster

going on so far without a lot of my involvement on that side of things,” I proceeded, and already, I could see the smile on Janet’s face fading, “I’d like to get the contract looked over by a lawyer before committing to anything.”
     
                  I’d said the magic word.
     
                  “Lawyer?!” Janet suddenly spat back at me, slamming her palm on the table with a loud slap as she stood up, but she caught herself immediately, taking a deep breath and running her fingers through her hair as she turned around to shut her eyes and presumably silently count to ten. After a moment, she turned back around, trying her damnedest to put a sunny smile back on. “Well Kieran, that breaks my heart to hear--haven’t we done good by you all this time? Lawyer, that’s a pretty hefty accusation to imply, darlin’.”
     
                  “Of course, I don’t mean to imply anything,” I said hastily, putting on my best impression of my usual, well-meaning self, but Janet’s outburst had convinced me that this was necessary. “I just feel like I need to get a better idea of what the contractual side of my career is, you know?”
     
                  Janet didn’t seem to be buying it, glaring at me with pure hatred in her eyes and tight lips. After a few moments, she took a breath, her hands almost shaking with anger as she opened the drawer in her desk, and for a moment, I thought she was going to pull a gun on me and force me to sign her contract right then and there, the look on her face was so palpably furious.
     
                  Instead, she drew out the contract--the original copy, I could tell by the seal on the back page. “Fine,” she said, pretense of niceness dropping from her voice. “If you want to insist on being difficult about this, you do have a legal right to have your terms of employment reviewed by a legal counselor--a long and expensive process, I might add,” she noted with a bite to her voice as she slid the papers across the table to me.
     
                  “I appreciate your being understanding,” I said, maintaining as much politeness as I could muster, but it was difficult to hold, the way she was talking to me.
     
                  As I left the room with the documents in hand and closed the door behind me, I heard the sound of something being thrown across the room, followed by a string of swearing that made the secretary cringe as I passed her. I gave her an apologetic look as I walked by. “Might be a good time for a lunch break,” I advised, and she sighed, taking out some aspirin from under her drawer.
     
     
     
    ***
     
     
     
                  The law offices of Jayda Washington & Associates were relatively small, but there was a peculiar sense of cozy professionalism in the building. I thought I’d have to wait a few days to be able to get an appointment with the attorney, but the secretary said there was a cancellation this afternoon, so I could come talk to Ms. Washington before lunch if I hurried.
     
                  So a few minutes later, I was sitting across a mahogany desk with my hands folded as Washington reviewed the documents through metal-framed glasses. Her expression was stony, unreadable as her eyes scanned page after page with intense scrutiny. I was impressed--even after first meeting me, she seemed to be taking my concerns with great seriousness. Might have been a symptom of my fame, I thought, but it didn’t make a difference to me. Whatever got results.
     
                  After a few minutes, she took her glasses off and sat back in her chair, drumming her fingers on the table thoughtfully. “Well, I won’t lie to you, Mr. Michaels,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, “to say this is a bad contract would be an understatement. I’ve seen a fair share of simple carelessness in all my years, and I can say with some