A Perfect Strategy

скачать книгу бесплатно


They were about to break for lunch when Callum’s cell rang.

He glanced at the caller ID. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. It’s Jim Scartelli.”

As Callum exchanged pleasantries with the owner, that familiar chill slithered down Scott’s neck. The presentiment worsened when Hardshaw’s face paled.

“I see. Thank you for letting me know. Yes, I’ll be there.” Callum ended the call and stared at his cell for several moments before looking at Scott, his expression a little bleak.

“Is something wrong?” Even though it was obvious, Scott sensed his boss needed prodding to be able to speak.

“The team has been sold. There will be an announcement tomorrow, but the Scartellis wanted to give me a heads-up.” Callum swore. “I knew they were considering a sale—I helped with due diligence for potential buyers—but I had no idea things had moved so quickly. I thought we had more time.”

“How will that affect us?”

“That’s up to our new owner. Mr. Antonelli may want his own people in charge. I’ll have my work cut out convincing him I’m the right man for the job.”

And if Antonelli didn’t want Callum, he wouldn’t want his management team either. “You built the Cats into a Cup-winning team, despite a bargain-basement budget. Our new owner has to respect that.”

“I hope so, but the Scartellis’ lack of investment has tied my hands with marketing and business development for a long time and it shows. I could be the easy sacrifice.” Hardshaw sighed heavily. “Anyway, we’ll find out more soon enough. Antonelli and his posse are flying in this evening and they expect to meet us right away.” He gave Scott an apologetic look. “Looks like you’re going to have a trial by fire.”

What could he say? “It’s an interesting first day, for sure.” Scott shrugged, as if it was no problem to him. But he couldn’t shake that sense of foreboding.

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_06f56047-2e1f-5429-ba65-a5a960f4e93a)

WITH THE PRECISION of the Secret Service escorting the president, the three limos that had ferried Marty Antonelli’s people from Teterboro Airport pulled up outside the Ice Cats headquarters.

Scott smiled when several of the well-dressed men emerging from the cars appeared to wilt as they encountered the notorious New Jersey humidity. He’d take any edge he could get for the upcoming meeting. Not that he expected to play anything but a minor part. Still, he was damned if he’d let them mess with his team.

“They look set for action,” he said as Callum joined him by his office window.

“We will be, too. How free are you this weekend?”

“No plans. Why?” Glancing at his boss, Scott was intrigued by his buoyant expression.

“Good.” Callum slapped him on the back. “I’ve decided to be proactive. I figure with all the media hoopla, we have until Monday before Mr. Antonelli gets down to serious business and I plan to use that time wisely. We’re meeting with the department heads at my place so we can pull together our vision for how the organization should move forward. I want us to walk into Monday’s meeting prepared to knock them on their asses.”

“You’re talking my language. I’ve always preferred to take the battle to my opponents.”

Scott turned to the window. His smile faded as a pair of gorgeous, tanned legs in beige spiked-heel shoes emerged from the middle limo.

His body reacted instantly, recognizing who the legs belonged to even before Sapphie straightened and his brain caught up.

What’s she... The question had barely begun to form before memories of their last morning together flashed and things clicked into place. He remembered the client she’d had to rush away for had been called Marty, but Scott hadn’t made the connection with the new owner. Guess he now knew why it had been so urgent.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Sapphie as she shrugged a red jacket over her red-and-white dress. She stood out like a colorful flower in the midst of the dark suits of her colleagues. His gaze followed her hungrily as she led the others toward the building, where she disappeared from his sight.

She’d be coming up here. She’d be in all the meetings.

Crap. This wasn’t how he’d expected to run into her again. He wasn’t ready.

Scott had hardly gotten his mind around that uncomfortable fact when Callum’s assistant informed them that their guests were waiting in Reception.

“Please get the management team to the boardroom. Scott and I will go greet Mr. Antonelli and his people.” Callum turned to him. “Ready to face the enemy?”

No wasn’t an acceptable response. Especially when driven by purely personal reasons. But Scott had never backed down from a challenge and he wasn’t about to start now. Just as he had on so many nights before a clash with a tough opponent, Scott put on his game face. “Always.”

* * *

“OF COURSE I KNOW our former captain.”

Sapphie’s smile felt overbright as she shook Scotty’s hand. “Nice to see you again.”

There—the perfect mix of good manners and enthusiasm. If anyone noticed an edge to her words or the color that crept into her cheeks from the touch of his skin against hers, they’d assume it was fan-girl awkwardness. Not that she was shocked at coming face-to-face with the man with whom she’d spent a glorious weekend burning up the sheets. God, was that really less than a week ago?

They certainly wouldn’t see her frustration, that she was so jittery, while Scotty looked calm. But then, he was probably used to dealing with starstruck fans.

“Nice to see you, too.” His deep voice sent a tremor through her, reminding her body of the sexy things he’d murmured in her ear.

Despite all the hard work preparing for this trip, she hadn’t been able to get Scotty out of her head. If she was honest, she’d admit that she’d hoped they’d bump into each other at some point. At a fund-raiser or a meet and greet. In a few weeks, maybe a month or two.

Not now. Not today.

What was he doing here? Thankfully, before she could find a way to ask without giving herself away, Marty did it for her.

“As nice as it is to meet one of my all-time favorite players, we weren’t expecting any media at this meeting.”

“Scotty isn’t with the network any longer.” Callum explained the former captain’s new role as AGM. “We’re excited to have him.”

Her gaze shot up to meet Scotty’s.

The serious, steady look in those blue eyes confirmed the news. “This is my first day on the job.”

“Excellent.” Marty laughed and clapped Scotty on the back. “Smart move. I always thought you were wasted in the booth.”

As her boss and the Cats’ GM talked about how good it would be to have someone of Scotty’s experience, Sapphie managed to clear her throat and force out some words.

“Congratulations. Welcome aboard.”

“Thanks.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “It’s been...interesting, so far.”

“For sure.” Cursing herself for not being able to come up with a better response, Sapphie dropped her gaze to her jacket and picked off an imaginary thread.

“Shall we head upstairs so you can meet the rest of the team?” Callum suggested, holding the elevator door open.

Sapphie held back, waiting for the second car, thinking Scotty might go with the first group. Unfortunately, he had the same idea and they ended up standing next to each other. Although there was plenty of space between them, she was ridiculously aware of how close he was.

In the boardroom it was easy to move away from Scotty as she was introduced to the other members of the Cats’ senior management group. While people took their seats, her stomach tightened as she waited to see where Scotty would end up.

“Sapphire, come and sit beside me.” Marty stood at the head of the table and indicated her place at his right hand. He put Callum on his left with Scotty alongside him.

Which meant she and Scotty were practically opposite each other. Wishing she had some papers to fiddle with, she busied herself pouring glasses of sparkling water for those close to her.

Once everyone was seated—Marty’s people on the right, the Ice Cats’ on the left—Hardshaw stood. “Welcome, Mr. Antonelli and your team, to New Jersey.” He pointed to the painting of the famous hockey trophy on the far wall. “And to the headquarters of the reigning Stanley Cup champions.”

Everyone whooped and clapped.

“We look forward to a bright and prosperous future for our organization as part of your group. We—” Callum waved his hand toward the Ice Cats’ management “—and all the hardworking people in our departments are committed one hundred percent to giving you our best.”

Once the applause had quieted, Marty rose, thanked Callum, then gave his usual spiel, reassuring the people around the table that he wasn’t there to do a hatchet job. He emphasized that he was a fan and wanted continued success for the team. “I want the Ice Cats to be a dynasty. Winning the Cup every year is almost impossible, but alternate years would be perfectly acceptable.”

Everyone laughed.

Marty grew serious. “I also want my teams to be well run and profitable. We all know, I’m sure, there is plenty of room for improvement on that score.”

Nods and murmurs of agreement came from across the table.

“However, I assure you that it will be business as usual until I have a complete picture of what is required for this organization. I’m a great believer in talking to people at all levels and in all departments before making any decisions.” He indicated the men and women on his left. “You know the strengths and weaknesses of this business better than anybody. My team has a lot of experience in making businesses perform at the level I want them to. Together, we will fix what doesn’t work and, more important, leave alone what does. Together, we will create a winning team in the front office as well as on the ice.”

As Marty continued with his speech, Sapphie sneaked a peek at Scotty. Though his body was angled to appear as though he was listening to Marty, his gaze clashed with hers.

For a moment, she was startled to see a flash of heat in his unguarded eyes. Maybe he wasn’t as unmoved by their meeting as he seemed. That gave her a boost of confidence, and for the first time since setting foot in the Ice Cats’ building, her tension eased. She sent him a half smile before turning her attention to Marty.

“Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves. Then we’ll break and head to my club for drinks and dinner so that we can get to know each other. Tomorrow we’ll have a press conference and announce the sale to the media. Beginning Monday, we roll up our sleeves and the hard work starts.” He paused, then grinned. “Well, it will for you. I’m afraid my attention is required elsewhere. There are definite perks to being the owner, other than the best seats for a home game.”

This time, the laughter had a definite edge. Everyone in the room was aware of how important the coming weeks would be and what was at stake. No matter how jovial and avuncular Marty Antonelli seemed, his reputation preceded him. His standards were exacting. He did not suffer fools or incompetence. His decision, once made, was final.

Marty laid his hand on her shoulder. “You all know who I am, so I’ll hand you over to my right-hand gal. Sapphire will keep you on your toes. She certainly keeps me on mine.”

Sapphie was conscious of all the eyes on her. Not exactly true. Just one pair of blue eyes. A pair of serious, slightly damning but oh-so-sexy blue eyes.