UNTIL 6:45 ON THAT Thursday morning, women had always loved Reid Buchanan.
Theyâd started leaving notes in his locker long before heâd figured out the opposite sex could be anything but annoying. During his sophomore year of high school, his hormones had kicked in and heâd become aware of all the possibilities. Over spring break of that year, Misty OâConnell, a senior, seduced him in her parentsâ basement on a rainy Seattle afternoon, during an MTV Real World marathon.
Heâd adored women from that moment on and they had returned his affection. Until today, when he casually opened the morning paper to see his picture next to an article with the headline: Fame, absolutely. Fortune, you bet. But good in bed? Not so much.
Reid nearly spit out his coffee as he jerked to his feet and stared at the page. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes and read the headline again.
Not good in bed? NOT GOOD IN BED?
âSheâs crazy,â he muttered, knowing the author had to be a woman heâd dated and dumped. This was about revenge. About getting back at him by humiliating him in public. Because he was good in bed, dammit. Better than good.
He made women scream on a regular basis. They clawed his backâhe had the scars to prove it. They stole into his hotel room at night when he was on the road, they begged, they followed him home and offered him anything if he would just sleep with them again.
He was better than good, he was a god!
He was also completely and totally screwed, he thought as he sank back into his chair and scanned the article. Sure enough, the author had gone out with him. It had been one night of what she described as nearly charming conversation, almost funny stories from his past and a so-so couple of hours naked. It was all couched in âdonât sue meâ language. Things like âJust one reporterâs opinionâ and âMaybe itâs just me, butâ¦â
Sheâd also claimed he regularly blew off charity events and kids in needâneither of which was true. He couldnât blow off what he never agreed to do. And that was his standard ruleânot to get personally involved in anything, including benefits.
He studied the name of the reporter, but it meant nothing. Not even a whisper of a memory. There wasnât a picture, so he grabbed his laptop and went online to the paperâs Web site. Under the bio section he found a photo.
He studied the average-looking brunette and had a vague recollection of something. Okay, yeah, so maybe heâd slept with her, but just because he couldnât remember what had happened didnât mean it hadnât been incredible.
But along with the fuzzy memories was the idea that heâd gone out with her during the playoffs, when his former team had been fighting for a chance to make the World Series and heâd been back in Seattle, in his first year of retirement. Heâd been bitter and angry about being out of the game. He might also have been drunk.
âI was thinking about baseball instead of her. So sue me,â he muttered as he read the article again.
Deep, soul-shriveling embarrassment chilled him. Instead of calling him a bastard to all of her friends, this woman had chosen to humiliate him in public. How the hell was he supposed to fight back? In the courts? Heâd been around long enough to know he didnât have a case, and even if he did, how was he supposed to win? Parade a bunch of women around who would swear he made the earth move just by kissing them?
While he kind of liked that idea, he knew it wouldnât make a difference. Heâd been a famous baseball player once, and there was nothing the public liked more than to see the mighty fall.
His friends would read this. His family would read this. Everyone he knew in Seattle would read it. He could only imagine what would happen when he walked into his restaurant, the Downtown Sports Bar today.
At least it was local, he thought grimly. Contained. He wouldnât have to deal with hearing from his old baseball buddies.
The phone rang. He grabbed it.
âHello?â
âMr. Buchanan? Reid? Hi. Iâm a producer here at Access Hollywood. I was wondering if youâd like to make a comment on the article in the Seattle paper this morning. The one aboutââ