Las Vegas Sidewinders: Karl (Book 3) (5 page)

“Katrina Marie!” Her
father’s loud voice made both of them jump and Kate broke away quickly.

“Hello, Daddy.” She
moved to hug him.

“There’s my girl.”
Gerald Lansing looked at his oldest daughter lovingly. “You look lovely, my
dear.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She
reached for Karl’s hand. “Karl, this is my father, Gerald Lansing. Daddy, my
boyfriend, Karl
Martensson
.”

The men shook hands and
Gerald eyed Karl carefully. “How about we get a drink, son?” he said lightly.

“Daddy…” Kate put her
hands on her hips and smirked. “You know I’m almost 30 years old and not a
virgin anymore, right?”

Gerald wagged his
finger at her. “This is why you’re not married—you talk like a New Yorker!”

Kate burst out laughing.
“Be nice to him, Daddy, or I won’t get you tickets to the Super Bowl next
year.”

He laughed too. “Yes,
you will!”

Kate chuckled but
watched them walk away wearily.

Getting off the plane
at JFK Airport the next afternoon, Karl turned on his phone, surprised to see
several messages from his sister, Emilie, pop up. He put his phone back in his
pocket, not in the mood to chat with her right now. It had been a long night in
Ohio and he was glad to be back in New York. Kate’s father had grilled him about
his intentions towards his daughter for nearly an hour, and apparently, her
mother had used that time to remind Kate that Roman was her best shot at a
husband and that she shouldn’t waste her time with someone like Karl.
Especially since he’d kissed another woman in front of the whole world. By the
time he’d dragged her out of there just before midnight, she’d been quiet and
reserved. It had taken him two orgasms and a stern talking to before she’d
snapped out of it, and he’d wanted to drive back to her parents’ house and
strangle her mother.

Kate’s phone rang and
she frowned. “It’s Sunday,” she groaned before answering. “Yes, this is Kate.”

“Kate, this is Trey
Montoya, Dante
Lamonte’s
manager.”

“Hello, Mr. Montoya.
What can I help you with?”

“I wanted to verify our
appointment tomorrow at 11:00.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Mr.
Lamonte’s
time is very valuable so if there are any
changes—”

“My time is valuable as
well,” she cut him off shortly. “And my rate doubles on Sundays. I will see you
tomorrow.” She ended the call and shook her head. “I’m already starting to
wonder if taking on this client is going to be worth it.”

“The baseball player?”
he asked as they walked out to get a cab.

“Yeah. Dante
Lamonte
. He’s a hot mess and apparently they got my name
from Lonnie Finch—he and the owner of the Phillies are friends. He needs me to
clean up his image, and if I land this account, it could take my business to a
whole other level.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Well, yeah. That’s
what I’ve spent the last five years working for. And with big-name clients like
Dante, I could easily move my base to the West Coast. Once I’m established, I
can work from either coast.”

“That would be
excellent.” He smiled, putting on his sunglasses.

Once they got to her
apartment, she unpacked while he called his sister back.

“Hey,
Em
,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Where have you been?!”
Emilie demanded.

“Sorry, I met my
girlfriend’s parents for the first time last night and then we were on a plane
to New York first thing this morning. What’s up?”

“It’s Mom.”

“What about Mom?” Karl
glanced at Kate and she paused, coming to stand by his side.

“We didn’t say anything
because you were in the playoffs,” Emilie said quietly. “But she has cancer.”

“Cancer?!” Karl found
himself at a loss for words. “What kind of cancer? How is she?”

“Breast cancer. They
operated and she just started chemo.”

“Jesus.” Karl ran a
hand through his hair.

“You should be here.”

“Yeah, of course I
should be there! I wish you would have called me.”

“Mom threatened to
disown us if we called before the playoffs were over.”

Karl couldn’t help but
smile to himself; that sounded just like his mother. “So, she’s okay?”

“She’s having a bad
reaction to the chemo. They had to stop and get it out of her system. They’re
going to try something different next time.”

“When?”

“Thursday.”

“All right, I’ll see if
I can find a flight for Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“Let me know—Sebastian
can pick you up.” She paused. “You really should have been here, Karl.”

“If no one told me, how
was I to know?” he demanded in confusion.

“Therese told you.”

“No, she didn’t!” he
grunted. “I only saw her for like 5 minutes and she was too busy playing it up
for the camera to tell me anything!”

Emilie was quiet.

“She didn’t tell me,
Em
!”

“Just come home, Karl.”

“Okay—see you soon.”
Karl hung up. “Shit.”

“What’s going on?” Kate
wrapped her arms around his waist. “Is it your mom?”

“Breast cancer.” He
told her what he knew. “I’ve got to go to her.”

“Of course,” she
nodded. “I wish I could go with you—but I’ve got the meeting with Dante
tomorrow and a huge celebrity fundraiser on Thursday night.”

“Don’t worry about it,”
he said. “Do your thing. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit for a week or two,
make sure she’s okay, and come right back.”

“I’ll miss you,” she
said, looking up at him.

“I’ll leave you the
handcuffs,” he smirked. “You can sleep with them until I get back.”

She giggled. “Knowing
me, I’ll tie myself to the bed and die of starvation before you get back!”

He laughed.

Kate was up early on
Monday, showering and dressing in an expensive pinstriped pantsuit. She wore a
red silk blouse underneath with high-heeled black pumps. She kept her makeup
neutral and put her hair back in a loose chignon. Some of her clients were casual
and easygoing, but Dante
Lamonte
didn’t seem to be
either of those things. He had a reputation for making batboys quit and
waitresses cry; his last girlfriend claimed he’d thrown her out of the house
naked in the middle of winter because she’d burned his dinner. His ex-wife had
sued him for a ridiculous amount of money and won, even though she had
supposedly been the one who cheated. He’d been arrested once for DUI and
another time for slapping a woman he’d been dating, and his most recent
escapade had been a fist fight in a nightclub with someone on the Yankees. The
Phillies were threatening to cut him loose if he didn’t clean up his act. He
just couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble and that’s where Kate came in.

Karl whistled as Kate
came out of the bedroom. She glanced up, startled; she’d been completely lost
in thought.

“You look great,” he
said, reaching for her.

“I’ve never been this
nervous before,” she admitted. “I mean, 25
grand
a
month is a ridiculous amount of money to make and—”

“That’s how much he
would be paying you?” Karl stared at her in surprise; he had no idea how much
publicists charged.

“Yup—short-term anyway.
Crisis control PR is big business. Think of Dom’s reputation two years ago—and
multiply it by 10.”

Karl winced. “Yeah,
Lamonte
seems to have quite a reputation. Maybe I should
come with you.”

“You can wait outside,
like you’re another client!” she laughed.

“Where are we going to
be?”

“I rent space at a law
office downtown when I have big clients to meet with. I only pay for it when I
use it, so it works out well.”

“Give me a few minutes
to get dressed and I’ll tag along—I’m kind of curious.”

“Okay.” Kate went back
to her notes, making sure she had her head in the game.

Dante
Lamonte
was a lot bigger than Kate had thought he would be.
In her mind, baseball players weren’t very big, at least not compared to hockey
players, but Dante was about 6’3” with skin the color of a latte and
caramel-colored eyes with the longest lashes she’d ever seen on a man. Karl
might be the sexiest man alive, but Dante sure came close. She’d never been big
on Hispanic men, but this one was seriously hot. His voice was soft and
well-modulated, with only the barest hint of an accent, even though she knew
he’d been born and raised in Cuba. His mother was Cuban and his father French,
but they’d immigrated to the United States when he was 16. He’d been noticed by
baseball scouts almost immediately, and the rest was history.

When he shook her hand,
his seemed to linger on hers a little longer than necessary and she pulled away
quickly.

“This is Trey Montoya,
my manager,” he said, nodding at the man beside him. Where Dante was bigger
than Kate had imagined, Trey was tiny, no taller than Kate and probably 130
pounds soaking wet. He had darker skin and darker eyes, but his smile was
bright, his handshake genuine.

“We’ve heard great
things about you,” Trey said warmly.

“Thank you.” Kate took
her place at the conference table. “So tell me what it is you’re looking for.”

“We need you to change
the public’s opinion of Mr.
Lamonte
,” Trey said
without missing a beat.

“There are several
parts of this equation,” Kate said, looking over her notes. “The first is that
you understand the old behaviors have to stop. I can’t turn anything around if
you continue to put yourself in situations where you make a bad impression.
People have long memories, although a World Series championship is always a
good distraction.”

Dante laughed. “That it
is.”

Kate smiled back. “So,
my first question is simple: Are you willing to stay out of trouble and do the
things I ask of you?”

“What kinds of things?”
Dante asked, his eyes meeting hers.

“Charity events,
fundraisers, children’s hospitals…” She waved a dismissive hand. “I also take
over all of your public social media accounts, keeping all these great new
things you’re doing at the forefront.” She ran down her standard list of the
types of events and appearances she would set up to help him change his image,
as well as the things she wanted him to avoid.

“Well, there’s another
part of this puzzle.” Trey glanced at Dante.

“My girlfriend is
pregnant,” Dante said, lifting his chin.

“Are you going to marry
her?” Kate asked, meeting his eyes.

“I don’t know,” he
shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Do you plan on being
part of the baby’s life? This could be a huge help with your situation, but
only if you’re going to do the right thing. If not, then I’m going to have to
start with a different type of damage control immediately.”

“I’m planning to be
with her and the baby,” he said quietly. “I don’t know about marriage and all
that, but she’s been my girl on and off for a long time. I’m trying not to fuck
it up this time.”

“Then we need to make
this as lighthearted and happy as possible. How far along is she?”

“15 weeks.”

“So she’s past the
first trimester.” Kate made a note in her laptop. “Is she willing to make
public appearances with you?”

“Yeah, sure.” He
nodded.

“Is she going to cause
you any problems?”

His eyes narrowed
slightly. “Like what?”

“Like is she the kind
of woman who might drink while she’s pregnant? Have a jealous tantrum every
time you’re out on the road? Talk to the press behind your back?”

“No! Hell no!” he
growled, leaning forward. “She
ain’t
like that!”

Kate raised her
eyebrows. “Mr.
Lamonte
, if you raise your voice to
me, I promise you I don’t need your money that badly and will walk away. These
are the things I need to know in order to help you. If you find these questions
intrusive or offensive, imagine if the answer to any of them is yes and what
that will look like not only to the public, but to the owner of the Phillies.”

Trey put a hand on
Dante’s arm. “He knows. He’s just a little on edge right now. Larissa didn’t
tell him about the baby until yesterday.”

“I’m sorry.” Dante held
up a hand. “I didn’t mean anything. He’s right, I’m a little wound up right
now.”

“Well, the rest is up
to you.” She placed her hands in front of her. “Do you have any questions for
me?”

The two men looked at
each other and Dante gave a barely perceptible nod.

“Can you start
immediately?” Trey asked her.

“Of course.”

“You understand Trey
needs to be able to reach you any time of the day or night,” Dante said.

“Assuming you have an
actual crisis, that’s fine.”

“We have the first
three months up front,” Trey removed a check from his jacket and handed it to
her.

“Thank you.” She tried
not to show her excitement. $75,000 was a lot of money. It would be a lot of
work, but it was enough money to buy her a new dress for the fundraiser
Thursday night and maybe a flight to Sweden.

She followed them out
to the reception area, where Karl was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine.
He glanced up as the men came out and locked gazes with Dante, who paused to
look at him.

“Do I know you?” he
asked casually.

Karl stood up, holding
out his hand. “Karl
Martensson
.”

“You’re that hotshot
goalie from Vegas,” Dante said, a smile playing on his lips.

“You’re that hotshot
baseball player from Philly,” Karl chuckled as they shook hands.

“Is Miss Lansing your
publicist as well?” Dante glanced back at her.

“Sometimes,” Karl
smiled. “The rest of the time I call her my girlfriend.”

Dante nodded. “Then
we’ll see each other again.” With another nod at Kate, he and Trey left the
offices and the moment the elevator doors closed, Kate pulled the check out of
her jacket and wiggled it under Karl’s nose.

“75 big ones!” she
squealed. “My biggest client yet!”

“That’s awesome, baby.”
He leaned down to kiss her and then arched an eyebrow. “So, are you buying
lunch?”

She laughed. “Sure. If
you promise to use the handcuffs tonight.”

“Oh yeah.” He wrapped
his arm around her neck.

Getting off the plane
in Stockholm, Karl felt strangely deflated. Though he loved his mom and was
anxious to see her, returning to Sweden was suddenly not nearly as exciting as
he’d thought it would be back at Christmastime when he’d been ready to leave
the NHL. The last few weeks had made him realize his life was with Kate in New
York, and with Drake and the others back in Las Vegas. Now that he was in
Sweden, he was frustrated that he was missing Kate’s big fundraiser tomorrow
night, and unhappy that she was going to be spending so much time with someone
like Dante
Lamonte
. Despite his friendly demeanor,
he’d heard a lot of stories about the guy, most of them sketchy.

Spotting his brother
Sebastian, he waved. They looked a lot alike, though Karl was an inch taller
and Sebastian’s hair was shorter. They had similar features and coloring, as
did Sebastian’s twin, Emilie. They were a good-looking group and their mother had
always joked she was going to start a modeling agency with just her kids.

“Good to see you,”
Sebastian hugged him. “Mom is glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.” Karl ran a
tired hand through his hair.

“You don’t sound glad,”
Sebastian met his eyes.

“It was a long flight,
and my girlfriend is having—”

“Your girlfriend?”
Sebastian interrupted him. “So this chick in Vegas is for real? Therese said it
was a one-night stand. Since when are you serious with someone?”

“February.” Karl made a
face. “Wait, when did you talk to Therese?”

“I talk to her all the
time. She and
Em
are together almost every day.”

“Why?!” He stared at
his brother in confusion. “She and I broke up six
years
ago.”

Sebastian frowned. “She
told us you’ve been seeing each other on and off all along. She practically
lives with us when she’s not traveling. She’s gotten
Em
into modeling.”

“Instead of going to
college like you did,” Karl shook his head. “I really wish you guys had
mentioned this to me.”

“Does it make a
difference? I mean, you were kissing her the night of—”

“I wasn’t kissing her!”
Karl glared at him. “She came in with a film crew and
freakin
’
threw herself at me! And then she said some really ugly things about Kate.
She’s a nasty little bitch and I’m warning you—keep her away from me while I’m
here.”

Sebastian made a face.
“Karl, we didn’t know anything about a girlfriend. Why didn’t you say
anything?”

“Because it wasn’t
serious before.”

“And it is now?”

“Yeah, it is.” Karl
didn’t like talking about women to Sebastian. He was still sowing his wild oats
and they had often done their womanizing together; Sebastian tended to be a bad
influence on him in that department.

“Therese isn’t going to
be happy about that.”

Karl glanced at him. “I
don’t particularly care whether she’s happy or not.”

“She and Emilie are
close—they were in Paris for Fashion Week and now Therese has this reality show
in the States. She says
Em
can go with her.”

Karl rolled his eyes.
“Great. Just what I need, the two of them in L.A.”

“I thought you were thinking
about coming home?”

“I was, but I had a
good talk with Coach, and he wants me back next year. Besides, I need to give
the NHL at least one more year because I have a contract.”

“First you were sitting
behind Price, and now you’re going to warm
Rousch’s
bench?”

Karl held up a hand.
“Bas—not now. I need to take a shower and see Mom.”

“All right.”

Driving through the
familiar streets, Karl suddenly missed the bright sunshine of Las Vegas. It was
a gloomy, cool day here in Sweden and he pulled out his phone to text a picture
to Kate.

Wish we were in Vegas.

Sorry, babe.

He was surprised she
was up—it was 3:00 a.m. back in New York.
Why are you still up?

Had a dinner meeting
with Dante and his girlfriend until almost midnight and now I’ve got all this
stuff to do for the fundraiser tonight.