Free Offside by Bianca Sommerland Page A

transferred the money. Like he always did. Not like the massive paycheck he got from the team went to anything meaningful anyway. And he didn’t want to deal with the people his brother borrowed from. Not again.
    He managed to make it to the shower before he broke down. Hunched over, muscles trembling, he let the water pound on him. He emptied his stomach over the drain. Bile seared his throat.
    When will it end?
    Never. Jimmy needed him to be strong. Hell, his brother had lost his daughter. Scott couldn’t even begin to grasp how much that must hurt. He’d cradled Ashley in his arms moments after her first breath. Gone to her first dance recital while she was still healthy. Watched the leukemia steal her life away and held his brother as he fell apart the day she died. They had both been through so much, he couldn’t expect Jimmy to pull himself together after he’d lost the only person he’d truly loved. They were both fucked up. Not worth much. But Ashley’s short life had been worth something. And he’d give his brother whatever he needed to get through the loss. For as long as it took.
    Hauling in a lungful of warm mist, Scott forced himself to stand and scrub his body hard enough to get his blood flowing. Being clean made him feel a bit less pathetic. He had to pull himself together and make himself presentable if he wanted to stay on the team. Might not show it much, but he loved the guys. Playing for a rival team wasn’t an option.
    A soft tap on the bathroom door came just as he was turning off the shower. Someone was in his bedroom. Not Chicklet, she’d had her say. Maybe Laura wanted her turn. He grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the bath and called out, “I’ll be with you in a sec.”
    After wrapping the towel around his waist, he opened the door.
    “Well, at least I’ve got something to work with.” The short, skinny man waved Scott into the painfully bright room. He held up his hand when Scott opened his mouth to ask who the hell he was. “My name is Stephan Vaughn, and I’m your new image consultant. Mr. Vanek let me in.”
    Stephan circled Scott, one long finger thoughtfully tapping his pointy chin. His silky, dirty blond hair fell across his forehead, neatly styled with not a single flyaway. He wore a shiny, midnight blue suit with a pale blue shirt and a creamy yellow tie that stamped him as metrosexual. The suit bag draped across Scott’s bed made Scott a little nervous. He could so see this guy having fun dressing him up like some Ken doll.
    The man’s next words confirmed Scott’s fears. “From this point on, you do not go out in public wearing anything aside from what I’ve picked out for you. We will discuss anything you say to the press to make sure you are giving a good impression. I will be monitoring every aspect of your life.”
    You’ve got to be shitting me! He might as well head out to the kitchen, bend over, and let Chicklet peg his ass. Giving himself over to the Domme sounded like more fun. Was this guy fucking high? Scott’s lips curled away from his teeth as he folded his arms over his chest. “And I’m going along with this why?”
    “Because the team won’t keep you otherwise. Silver’s lawyer contacted me and explained the situation. Asher and I have worked together with some of his unsavory, yet high profile clients in the past. He managed to talk the new owner into giving me a shot at you. Silver doesn’t know how precarious your position on the team is. Or how your reputation reflects on her. In her delicate condition, it’s best that she doesn’t find out.”
    “Yeah . . .” Scott ducked his head and water droplets sprinkled from his hair to his cheeks. He swiped them away with the back of his hand. Twice now he’d been reminded that Silver had done a lot for him. She’d taken plenty of slack for signing him. She didn’t need more while she was pregnant and not supposed to be stressed. He didn’t want to let her down, but still, this seemed