Ryder's Bride (Brides Bay Book 1) Read online

  “Since you did your research, you’ll know that I worked at AISG when I was starting out.” She gave a little shrug. “It was a relatively brief stay, but I learned a lot there. Unfortunately, I probably picked up some bad habits, too.”

  Nick shook his head. “I know you started out with them, but you left to go solo years back. And it couldn’t have been to make more money.”

  She smiled. “Definitely not. Actually, there were plenty of reasons, but let’s just say that I’ve never been great at toeing the company line. Or anybody’s line, for that matter.”

  “Me, neither,” Nick said. “As you can tell by the fact that I’m always landing myself in hot water with the team.”

  Nick Rome was his own man, for sure. Mercurial at times, he was fiercely combative. But he also had a reputation for unstinting loyalty to his teammates and friends. “We should get along just fine, Nick.”

  He nodded. “No agendas, right? Not ever.”

  “I hear you,” Kate said, closing the portfolio as she leaned forward, meeting his hard gaze with an equally determined one of her own. “Actually, though, I will have an agenda, if you sign with me. My agenda will be to help you get exactly what you want, or as close to it as humanly possible. I’ll offer plenty of advice, Nick, and I might even try to persuade you sometimes. But you’ll call the shots. Always, and with no argument or bullshit from me. If that’s the kind of agent you’re looking for, then you’ve found the right one.”

  Nick’s lips curved up in a slow, unconsciously sexy smile. At least she hoped it was unconscious. Kate hated to think how lethal the man could be if he put his mind to it. “I like your confidence, Ms. Berlin.”

  Good thing he can’t tell I’m a nervous wreck right now. “Where do things stand with the Patriots at the moment? I know you’re looking for a multi-year contract extension, but that’s about all I’ve heard. There doesn’t seem to be all that much talk out there.”

  Nick snorted. “Maybe because negotiations are going absolutely nowhere. I had a session with Dembinski this morning, and it wasn’t pretty.”

  That took Kate a little aback. It must have been a truly lousy session to motivate him to hunt for a new agent on the very same day. “Can I ask how far apart you are?”

  “Sure. The arrogant prick wrote down 13.9 million over three years on a goddamn napkin and shoved it at me. So that’s where the team officially stands. As for me, the last position Arnie gave them was for thirty-two over four. I didn’t make a counteroffer today—I just told Dembinski that his napkin scribble wasn’t even close to cutting it.” He picked up his glass, looking like he wanted to chew it up and swallow the shards. “I don’t expect to get eight million a year, though that really ought to be the range we’re looking at based on what the other top-line catchers are getting. But I’m not settling for less than a four-year contract, Kate, that’s for sure. Not when some guys my age are cashing in on ten-year deals.”

  Not catchers, though, or at least very, very few. Catching was the toughest position in baseball. It was brutally hard on the body, on the knees in particular, and teams were averse to offering long-term contracts to players who were often injured or who were showing signs of wearing out physically. If Nick wanted to play more than three or four more seasons, he’d likely have to switch to first base or be traded to an American League team as a designated hitter.

  Kate knew Nick’s salary demand was a stretch for a player with his career record. While he was in the top tier of catchers—probably top ten, at the very least—only five or so had reached the kind of lofty salary plateau he was talking about. Getting Nick anywhere near that level would be extremely hard. Her knowledge and her gut told her he might fetch around twenty-five million over four years if he became a free agent. Whether the Patriots were prepared to ante up that kind of commitment, though, was far from certain. He might very well need to test the market and be prepared to move.

  But now wasn’t the time to speculate with him. Kate took a sip of the seductively smooth Scotch then put it down on the side table next to her. “I’d like to know more about why you and Arnie Peluso parted ways.”

  Nick gave a barely perceptible eye roll. “He was convinced that the Patriots wouldn’t give me anything close to what I deserve, so he was bound and determined that I should just play out the season and declare free agency. He was never serious about negotiating with Dembinski.”

  “But you obviously are.”

  “Sure,” he said with a hint of a sigh. “I want to stay in Philly, and I’m damn sure Dembinski and everybody else on the team knows it, too.”

  “Because?”

  He closed his eyes for a moment as he blew out a long breath. “Because I love the guys. I love the city and the fans, too, but in the end I’m playing for my guys. We’re a brotherhood. We’ve come close every year since I signed, and I want to still be a Patriot when they win the World Series. Kate, I want that as much as I want to wake up tomorrow morning.”

  That little speech—obviously heartfelt—was almost exactly what Kate had expected him to say. Nick Rome had a reputation as both a total team player and a natural leader. A player who would do whatever it took for his team to win.

  “Bad enough to take a substantial hometown discount on your salary?” she probed. Some athletes would take less than what they were worth on the market to stick with their current teams. Not that many did, though.

  His eyes snapped open, then narrowed on her. “Define substantial.”

  Kate shrugged. It was too early for that.

  “Sure, I’ll take a discount,” Nick said after it was clear that she wasn’t going to respond. “But management has to show me respect, too. They have to make the kind of commitment to me that I’m willing to give them. That means a four-year deal and a big-time salary bump. They’ve had a discount since the day I got here, and they know it. It’s time for them to make things right with me.”

  “It’s about respect,” Kate said softly.

  “Damn right. You get me.”

  She zeroed in on what she hoped would be the clincher. “Then that’s exactly what my agenda will be, Nick, if you hire me. My only agenda.” She paused a moment to let that sink in. “Because you deserve nothing less.”

  Nick put down his drink. “Did you bring a contract in that briefcase?”

  Kate practically slid off the sofa in surprise. “Uh, no, I wasn’t quite that presumptuous.” My God, is he hiring me on the spot?

  “I was kidding about the contract, but if you want the job, you’re hired.” He sat back. “We can work out the details later, but there’s one more thing we should get straight right now if I’m going to sign with you.”

  His sudden frown sent a tiny shiver of apprehension racing along her spine. “Yes?”

  “I have to be there every time you and Dembinski negotiate,” Nick said. “Arnie kept trying to get me away from the table, saying I was just making negotiations harder. But that was never going to happen.” His stare grew intense. “So, that part’s non-negotiable, Kate. If you’ve got a problem with it, you’d better say so now.”

  Though Kate wasn’t happy with the prospect of a client looking over her shoulder every moment, she wasn’t about to scupper this incredible opportunity because of it. Not when she could all but taste the seven figures that would eventually come her agency’s way once Nick signed a fat new contract.

  “Not at all,” she said, trying to wipe any trace of surprise from her expression. “It’s somewhat unusual for me, and for the business in general, as I’m sure you know. A lot of agents feel it hampers having truly frank discussions at key points. But it’s your call, Nick. Whatever way you want to play it is fine with me.”

  “Yeah, well, any discussions, frank or not, are going to happen in front of me,” Nick said. His voice contained more edge now.

  “I understand perfectly, and it’s not a problem.” Yeah, he was definitely the dominating type. Maybe even a bit of a control freak.

  His expres
sion softened. “Arnie thought I didn’t trust him, and maybe he was right. We just weren’t on the same page, not lately, anyway. You and me, though…I like to think I can read people as well as I can read pitches. I think you and me are going to be a good fit, Kate.”

  “I think so, too,” Kate said with what she hoped was a warm but professional smile. Too bad his heated gaze had her thoughts jumping to ideas that had little to do with contract negotiations. She suspected Nick’s mind might have gone to exactly the same place. That worried her for a moment, but she firmly brushed it aside. This client could change her life—and her son’s—and Kate had no intention of letting him slip through her fingers. “We’ll always be on the same page, Nick. You can trust me on that.”

  Nick smiled and raised his glass. “Then here’s to a new and productive relationship, Ms. Berlin.”

  Kate clinked her glass against his. “Absolutely, Mr. Rome. And I can’t wait to get down to work.”

  This had been the easy part. It had been laughably so, which boggled her mind. The hard part—managing a sexy, strong-willed man used to having his own way—was just beginning.

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