Phoebe had minimized her contact with Dan by waiting until that afternoon to fly into Miami, and she’d barely had time to change into her gown, an old one she’d bought for a Christmas party several years ago. It was a high-necked, tight-fitting sheath of shimmering gold lace worn over a flesh-colored body stocking. Darnell was wearing his tuxedo with a black silk shirt and gold bow tie that matched his diamond embellished tooth.

The elevator was empty when they reached it, allowing Darnell to return to the discussion he’d been more or less carrying on by himself ever since he’d come to her room three hours earlier. “I don’t see why everybody thinks Captain Ahab is evil. Damn, if it wasn’t for his leg, I’d have that man on my team any day. He doesn’t let anything stand in his way, dig? Those are the kind of men win football games.”

Moby Dick was just one of the books she’d recommended that Darnell had devoured in the past few months on his quest for self-improvement. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that football might have made Darnell rich in material things, but the game had robbed him of the opportunity to use his intellect. Because Darnell was big, black, and strong, no one had bothered to discover that he also had a fine brain.

Darnell continued his praise of Captain Ahab all the way to the door of her hotel suite. She dreaded being alone with her thoughts and wished he didn’t have a curfew so she could invite him inside. Instead, she wished him good luck with a peck on the cheek. “Crunch some bones for me tomorrow, Darnell.”

He grinned and took off down the hallway in his size fifteen dress shoes. She sighed as she shut the door. Charmaine Dodd was a fool if she didn’t snatch him up.

The telephone rang. She unclipped one of her crystal earrings and sat down on the room’s chintz couch to answer. “Hello.”

“Where the hell have you been all week?”

The sharp crystal edges of her earring dug into her palm. She squeezed her eyes shut against the fresh wave of pain. “Hello to you, too, Coach.”

“I stopped by the house on Tuesday night so we could see each other before I left, but Molly said you’d already gone to bed. You were giving interviews when I called the office on Thursday and Friday, and there was no answer at your house last night. I’m coming up to your room.”

“No!” She bit her lip. “I’m tired. It’s been a hard week.”

“I need to see you.”

It didn’t take a crystal ball to figure out why. He wanted sex, a quick romp with the bimbo while his prospective bride remained untouched. “Not tonight.”

He was clearly exasperated. “Look, give me your room number. We have to talk.”

“Another time, Dan. I’m exhausted.” She took a shaky breath. “Good luck tomorrow. I’ll see you on the sidelines.”