Fuck. Melissa and JP were in a small, dark room together. Lord only knew what tricks that little prick was trying with her. Dominic didn't know him well—they were of different generations—but he'd heard enough stories. JP was the kind of guy who f**ked anything that moved. And Dominic knew firsthand the kind of temptation she presented—even to a guy like him, who usually knew how to keep his dick in his pants.
Tom should never have passed JP off to Melissa. She wasn't savvy enough to defend herself against someone as wily—and charming, not to mention good-looking—as JP. He'd have to do it for her.
Dominic barged into the room without knocking and flicked on the lights.
Both Melissa and JP covered their eyes with their hands.
"What the hell?" JP said as he looked up and saw the large figure in the doorway. "Dominic, dude, turn the lights back off. You're blinding us."
But Dominic was out for blood. Ignoring JP altogether, he faced Melissa. " Do you know what people are going to say when they find out you've been in here alone with JP?"
"I'm his agent, that's what they'll think."
Dominic laughed, a short, angry bark of a sound. "Bullshit. They'll think you're just another one of his floozies, throwing yourself at him."
"Floozies?" JP interjected. "Damn, I haven't heard that word since I was a kid. How old are you, Dom? Fifty? Sixty?"
A low growl emerged from Dominic's throat. "Old enough to know how to conduct my business the right way."
JP shrugged. "I know you think you're her bodyguard, or whatever, but nothing's going on. Yet. So chill out."
Dominic clenched his jaw in an effort to control himself. The "yet" nearly pushed him over the edge. He couldn't be rational right now, couldn't stand the sight of Melissa sitting so close to a good-looking, young playboy.
Being with Melissa had flipped right and wrong around for him, but some things were still clear: He couldn't let her make the mistake of hooking up with a threat like JP.
Instantly slipping into the smooth persona he'd played so well all these years, he said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal your agent away for a while, JP."
For the first time, Melissa looked angry. "I've already helped you enough for one day, Dominic."
His gut twisted. She thought all he wanted from her was a quick f**k. She was wrong—at least he thought she was. Shit, his head was playing games with him. What the hell had he been about to say?
"They're breaking ground on the new ballpark in my name this afternoon."
"So?"
"You're my agent. I need you to be there."
JP looked at her. "You're working with him, too?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm thinking about it."
"That rocks, babe. Teams will take you way more seriously if you're also repping Dominic. Even if your daddy-O gave him the boot 'cause he's ancient," he added tactlessly.
Dominic didn't feel the need to defend himself to someone who'd ridden a wave of luck into the pros, rather than skill. He'd already dug his own grave.
But if JP was screwed, so was Melissa. Somehow, he'd have to figure out a way to help JP for Melissa's sake.
"I've heard enough from both of you right now." She pointed a finger at JP. "You may call me Melissa, or Ms. McKnight. Not 'babe.' " Then she got up and stood in front of Dominic, anger etched into her face. "I don't appreciate what you just did," she said in a low voice. "Not at all. But I intend to do my job, and my father already marked the event on my calendar. As his assistant—not your agent."
Chapter Thirteen
Concentrating on putting together a spreadsheet of teams that might be interested in JP, Melissa was taken by surprise when her father entered her cubicle and sat down on the edge of her desk. "How are things going with JP?" She gestured to the growing stack of papers beside her computer. "We've had a preliminary meeting, and I'm researching the best teams for him. I need to watch some game tapes and get a better feel for his playing style. We're meeting again tomorrow morning to discuss immediate, short-, and long-range plans for his career. I'll probably set up a showcase once we've worked through his issues."
"I see." He paused before going into the real reason he'd stopped by. "I still find it hard to believe that Dominic is interested in working with you. Why the hell would he make a choice like that? Especially since it's been perfectly obvious for years that you have a crush on him. I wonder if he feels sorry for you?"
Melissa had never been so insulted. She narrowed her eyes, more than happy to fight back. "Maybe he caught wind of the fact that you think he's an old hack."
Two red splotches rose on her father's cheeks. "You repeated our private conversation to one of my clients?"
"Of course not," she hissed, mad as hell. "But he's a pretty perceptive guy. It wouldn't take much for him to figure out that your attention has waned."
Tom raised one eyebrow, as arrogant as she'd ever seen him. "Do you actually believe you can do his career justice?"
Dominic had been right when he'd said she was green. But she was smart and capable and willing to work her ass off for her clients.
"That's exactly what I intend to do," she stated, more serious than she'd ever been. She was going to rep Dominic. And not only would she do his career justice, she'd get some justice of her own. This time next year, when she was the top-earning agent at the McKnight Agency, her father would be eating crow. Logging off her computer, she picked up her purse and stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have an event to attend on behalf of one of my clients."
She'd never walked out on her father; never had the last word. Until now. Cod, how she wanted to look back to see if his mouth was hanging open.
Outside, she leaned against the stone wall, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths.
Baby steps. She'd just stood up to her father and lightning hadn't struck. She opened her eyes. Not only was she fine, she felt better than ever.
A wave of giddiness swept over her. She was an agent with two high-profile clients! Yes, she was scared, but she'd been doing an agent's job for the past couple of years. She knew what the job entailed. Now she just needed to do it.