“Kodiak’s GM doesn’t agree with you.”
“Keith is a spineless douche,” I reply with disdain, standing up to pull on my skirt. “Brad tells him you’re no good for the program, he agrees. Coach Allen told him last week you were the only pick he’d take in the first round, and Keith agreed. He’ll nod his head for whoever is yelling at him the loudest.”
Trey hands me my shoes. “Are you yelling at him?”
“I don’t yell. That’s my dad’s way, not mine. I’m more subtle.”
“I’ll go talk to him.”
I shake my head, stepping into my heels. “Wrong. You’ll go home, shut off the power, and lock yourself in an isolated room until Draft day. You did your job on the field for the last four years, Trey. It’s time to let me do mine.”
His jaw tightens. “I don’t passenger.”
“I remember, and I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to idle the car. I’ll keep you informed on everything as it happens, I promise, but you have to promise me that when you see shit like my dad on TV talking out his ass, you’ll pump the breaks and talk to me before getting stupid.”
“Yeah, alright,” he agrees halfheartedly.
I take a step toward him, staring up into his eyes. “I’m going to ask you something and you’re not going to like it, but I have to know. You have to be honest with me, alright?”
He lifts his chin, looking down on me. Going on the defensive. “What?”
“The personality test they did on you at the Combine, is that going to throw up any red flags?”
He knows what I’m asking. Will they see the panic? Did his anxiety shine through?
Trey shakes his head, his face calm. “It’s clean.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I was tight that day. I had my head right.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.” He scratches at his shoulder, glancing at the door. “Hey, look, I better go. People are going to start to wonder what’s going on in here.”
I go to step out of his way, but he grabs my arm. His hand is lightning fast. I don’t see it coming, but all of the sudden I’m chest to chest with him, rising up on my toes as he leans down over me, covering my mouth with his. The kiss is brief but soft, and even though he disappears as soon as he lets me go, I can still feel him. Everywhere.
I smooth my hair back as I sit down at my desk, trying to find normal. Trying to find a place in my body where I’m not blushing. Not humming from head to toe.
There’s nowhere.
He left so abruptly, his presence still lingers in the air. On my skin. I can’t be in here. I can’t think straight with his tall, naked body behind my eyelids every time I blink. The ghost of my orgasm ripping through me like lightning flashing across my mind every two seconds.
I stand up to hurry out of the room, down the hall, and into the first door on the left. I close it quickly behind me, leaning back against it breathlessly.
Hollis doesn’t look up from his laptop.
“Please, come in,” he drones.
“I slept with him,” I blurt out. “I just slept with Trey Domata. In my office. Just now.”
His eyes rise slowly to mine, his face shocked. “Dude.”
“I know.”
“Dude,” he scolds.
“I know!”
His mouth pinches sympathetically. “Dude.”
I nod slowly, falling down into the seat across from him. “I know.”
“Do you think anyone knows?”
“No. Hardly anyone is here today and my office is in fucking Narnia. If you didn’t hear it, no one did.”
“I didn’t, thank God, but I’m worried for poor Mr. Tumnus.”
“Can we not talk about goats while we’re talking about my sex life?”
“You’re the Ice Queen,” he adds quickly, unable to stop himself.
“Why do I talk to you?!”
Hollis sits back in his chair with a smug smile, appraising me. “What are you gonna do?”
“Marry him. Have his babies. Spend the rest of my life watching him jump from city to city, girl to girl, bed to bed, and father bastards across this great nation. It’s my every dream finally realized.” I lean forward, pressing my fingers excitedly to my lips. “Hollis, I’m so happy.”
“God, you can be such a bitch,” he sighs.
I drop my hands, falling back into the chair. “I’m going to pretend it never happened. What else can I do?”
“You could not be a bitch about it.”
“I wouldn’t know where to begin with that.”
“I wouldn’t recognize you if you did. And can I point out the folly in that plan?”
“I’d rather you didn’t since it’s my only plan at this point.”
“You said you were going to pretend the kiss at the Combine didn’t happen. How’d that go?”
“Not great.”