WITH MONUMENTAL EFFORT, I peeled my eyelids open. My head pounded in pain, and my throat was so dry I felt like my insides were sandpaper. I didn’t recognize the ceiling, so I gingerly lifted my head off the pillow. I took in the expensive decor, obviously a hotel room, but I still had no idea where I was.
I sat up and assessed my situation. I was naked, and my dick ached. I was also extremely hungover. I tried to remember how I had gotten here, but that last thing I recalled was jumping off the building into the pool. I forced myself to stand up and walk around. The room was a mess. A lamp was knocked over and flickering. Half-eaten food was on a tray in the middle of the floor, along with multiple pillows. As I walked across the room, I counted three used condom wrappers. Apparently, the sex had been more than wild last night, but I had no inkling of whom I had slept with.
I pulled on my jeans, but I couldn’t find my T-shirt. I opened the minibar and found a bottle of water. I wanted to chug it, but I forced myself to sip while I searched around for my phone.
I paused and listened. A faint retching sound was coming from the partially closed door of the bathroom. I grabbed a bottle of water and then hesitated. I had no clue who was on the other side of that door. I heard the toilet flush, so I tapped lightly on the door.
“Go away,” a female voice croaked.
“I have a bottle of water for you. You should hydrate.”
“Bring it here.”
I pushed open the door and stood momentarily speechless as the second part of my evening came rushing back. Last night, Krista Taylor had come at me like a firecracker, all hiss and heat, boldly informing me she would get my career back on track. Her sultry look, both feminine and powerful, had mesmerized me.
She had also told me that if I wanted her as an agent, we needed to remain platonic. I thought about the empty condom wrappers in the next room.
And this is why I don’t have a career in hockey. I fuck everything up.
Gone was the glamor of the night before. She was sitting on a towel on the floor with her back against the tub. Her makeup was streaked down her face, and she was wearing my T-shirt.
“Are you going to stand there and stare at me all morning?” she snapped.
I stepped forward and handed her the bottle of water. “You’re nauseous from being dehydrated. You’ll feel better once you have some water.”
“This is not dehydration. This is death circling me.”
I watched as she took a tentative sip of the water. After a second sip, she greedily started to chug the bottle.
“Easy,” I told her.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
I thought about how we had sat at the bar.
“We drank the shooters,” I said slowly. “I don’t remember anything else.”
She stared up at me, her big blue eyes accusing. “I thought your friends were going to babysit us.”
“Yeah, well, apparently they did a shit job.”
“You need new friends.”
I cleared my throat, hating the next part of our conversation. “I don’t suppose there was someone else here last night?”
She gave me a hard look. “Meaning…?”
I chose my words carefully. “I’m pretty sure I had sex last night.”
Her tone was caustic. “You had sex with me, if that’s what you’re trying to ask.”
Fuck my life. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was probably the best night of your life.”
I worked not to smile. “What happens now?”
She got unsteadily to her feet. Without her heels, she was even shorter than I remembered. “I go home empty-handed, and you carry on with your life here as a beach bum.”
Shock jerked through me. “What about hockey?”
“I’d advise you get a different agent, but it won’t be me.”
I felt panic because I knew, deep down, she was the only one who could get me back on the ice. “As far as I’m concerned, last night didn’t happen.”
“Last night did happen. I have the bite marks to prove it.”
I tried to negotiate my way through this conversation. “You don’t sleep with clients because it changes the power dynamic or something, right? Well, I don’t even remember last night, so it doesn’t even count. The power dynamic remains the same.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not happy about this either. I totally screwed myself.”
“I want to play hockey. I’ve messed up more chances than I probably deserve, but we can fix this.” I could hear the desperation in my own voice.
She put the water bottle on the vanity. “Do you know what would happen if people in this industry knew I’d slept with one of my clients before I signed? It would destroy my reputation and my career.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“The fact that you would have a secret about me would change the power dynamic between us. It wouldn’t be an effective working relationship.” She stepped closer and glared at me. “But you’re right about one thing: last night never happened. And if you ever tell anyone about it, I will hurt you.”
I looked down at her, enjoying how she wasn’t afraid to step into my space. “I liked you better when you were on my team.”
“You can see yourself out.” She walked past me and disappeared into the bedroom.
She was kicking me out. Women didn’t kick me out of their hotel rooms.
It caught me off guard, so my comeback was weak. “What about my T-shirt?”
My T-shirt sailed through the door and landed on the floor. The thought of her naked made me want to follow her into the other room. Instead, I picked up my shirt before letting myself out of the room.
I CAUGHT a cab back to the rented beach house where my friends and I were all living. No one was home, but there was a note on the kitchen table. “Levi. Catching waves.”
I debated crawling into bed, but I was too frustrated to sleep. Whenever I felt emotional, my body craved exercise. I changed into my wet suit, grabbed my board, and walked down to the beach. My body protested as I ran into the cold water. It took some hard paddling, but once my body warmed up, I started to feel human again.
The guys left me alone to work out my frustrations. They also encouraged me to cut in front and take whatever waves I wanted. I didn’t want much. After four decent waves, fatigue—combined with the toxins in my system—left my body shaking. I sat on my board, unwilling to examine my own lost dreams. I was in the same place I’d been yesterday, before I met her. And yesterday, I had been perfectly happy. Nothing had changed. So why was I so pissed? I thought I had made my peace with my fucked-up, nonexistent hockey career.
Mike paddled over and sat beside me on his board. Neither of us spoke, and we bobbed up and down on the water.
When Andrew joined us, he broke the ice. “How did this morning go?”
I clenched my jaw. “I thought you two were going to take care of us. I woke up naked in her hotel room.”
They exchanged looks.
“We tried,” Mike started, “but we had zero control over her.”
“Over her?” I scoffed. “Come on.”
Andrew butted in. “She was the boss, man. She completely terrorized us. We were doing what she said, not the other way around. Even high, she outsmarted us.”
“That chick is scary,” Mike added.
I knew last night hadn’t been their fault, but I needed someone to blame. “I trusted you. I trusted that you would have at least gotten her to her hotel room alone. She deserved that.”
“We couldn’t get her off you.”
Mike snorted. “She was all over you. And you were all over her. You guys were like octopuses mating. We couldn’t keep the two of you apart.”
“Yeah.” Andrew shook his head. “Don’t think we didn’t try.”
I tried to argue the point. “She’s little.”
“Yeah, but you’re not. And you were doing everything she said. And she was telling you not to let go.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I was doing what she told me?”
They looked at each other uncomfortably, both motioning for the other to speak.
“What?” I pressed.
Mike couldn’t meet my eyes. “We didn’t think it was such a big deal after the… other event.”
“What other event?”
Andrew shook his head. “I’m out.”
Mike and I watched as he paddled away.
“What other event, Mike?” I repeated.
“Check your wallet. Then we can talk.”
He started to paddle away.
It wasn’t fair, but I gave him one last dig. “Worst night of my life.”
He looked back at me with a haunted expression. “No. Andrew and I win that prize. Last night was stressful, and we failed you both. We did everything we could, but she got exactly what she wanted.”
“Which was?”
“You.”
I looked down at my board. “She doesn’t want to be my agent anymore.”
“I’m sorry.”
Andrew whistled hard. We both looked up, and he pointed to the beach. There she was, picking her way over the rocks that led down to the sand. She had on a dress, a huge-brimmed hat, and oversized sunglasses. In her hands dangled high-heeled shoes.
Mike looked at me. “I’m not coming out of the water until she’s gone.”
I looked over at him. “Tell me what happened last night.”
“Check your wallet. Then we talk.”
I DIDN’T EVEN WAIT for a wave; I was too tired. I paddled to shore before picking up my board and walking to where she stood waiting for me. Up on the road, behind her, waited a cab.
Her lips were painted a dark red that matched the trim of her dress. With her hat and sunglasses, I could barely see her face.
I looked down at her, feeling oddly protective. “How are you feeling?”
She lifted up her hand to stop me. “I don’t want to talk about me.”
Which probably meant she did. “Okay.” I would wait her out.
“The more I think about what I lost last night, the more pissed I am.”
I stood there, wondering if she had driven all the way here just to tell me off. “I get it and you have every right to be.”
Her nostrils flared in response, but she switched gears. “I talked to Mark Ashford.”
I wished she would take off her sunglasses so I could see her eyes. “The owner of the Wolves?”
“The one and only. He’s the friend who gave me your demo tape. I made it clear that I’m passing as your agent.”
I gripped the board hard, wondering how much she had revealed. Whatever she’d said, I deserved it. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him that we didn’t see eye to eye, but that you were interested in playing. He wanted me to extend an invitation for you to come to Vancouver for a rookie tour.”
I worked to take a deep breath as my heart pounded in my chest. “Did he ask why you were passing?”
“It’s none of his business, and he thinks I’ll change my mind. Are you interested in going to Vancouver?”
Yes. “What happens on a tour?”
“He’ll fly you up there and put you up in a nice hotel. He’ll wine and dine you, show you the facilities, and he’ll try to get a feel for who you are as a person and as a player, using whatever means necessary. It’s an intense interview that lasts a few days.”
My entire body was pounding with adrenaline. I knew that this latest chance was way more than I deserved, and I internally vowed not to screw it up. I cleared my throat. “Thanks for telling me that.”
She lifted her chin. “He’s asked if I would accompany you back to Vancouver—to make sure your trip is seamless.”
I thought about how much this was costing her. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Mark is a good friend. For him, I will always go the extra mile.”
I chose my next words carefully. “Krista, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Her entire body froze, and then she asked, “Because we had sex?”
“I can get on a different flight.”
She scoffed. “You think I was somehow taken advantage of?”
I stared at her, my tone serious. “I don’t know what the fuck happened last night, but yeah, that’s a possibility that freaks me out.”
She took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were done up with light makeup, and the skin beneath was tinged a faint purple with fatigue. “I found a video from last night on my phone.”
Holy shit. “How bad is it?”
She looked out towards the water. “Let’s just say that if anyone was taken advantage of, it was you.”
I was tired of people telling me what happened. I wanted to see for myself. “Let me see.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
Her entire face flushed hot red. “It’s private.”
I rubbed my forehead, fighting between my desire to respect her decision and my need to put some puzzle pieces together. “This is fucked up.”
We stood there, neither of us speaking.
Finally, she broke the silence. “My dream might be taking the back seat, but if you get in with the Wolves, you’ll have the career of a lifetime.”
Guilt washed over me as I looked around the beach. “You don’t have to give up on your dreams, you know. We can make this work.”
“It won’t work. Trust me. You and I are going to be civil with each other until we part ways in Vancouver.” She dug through her shoulder bag. “You and your two friends are going to need to sign these nondisclosure agreements. If you don’t get them to sign, I will make it my personal mission to see you all suffer.”
I accepted the sheets of paper from her. “Do you always threaten people?”
She made an annoyed noise. “I’ll do worse if you don’t comply.”
“We’ll comply. Whatever you want or need.”
She looked up at me. “Our flight leaves at eleven. Be at the airport by eight. If you don’t bring those signed NDAs, I won’t give you your plane ticket.”
I worked not to laugh at how completely over-the-top she was about everything. I couldn’t recall meeting anyone as intense as her. “I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.” She gave me a curt nod before she spun on her heel. I stood and watched her as she strode across the sand. She had the best ass I’d seen on a woman. It made me want to grab it in both hands and give it a good squeeze. Did I grab that ass last night? She said she had bite marks. Were my teeth marks on her ass?
As if she could sense my thoughts, she turned around and looked back at me. “It’s never going to happen.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “What won’t happen?”
Instead of responding, she turned and continued her journey back to her cab.
I HEADED BACK to the shack. I was ready to drop into bed, but I forced myself to shower and pack up what little I owned. I couldn’t afford to screw up my chance. I had to make this one count.
I heard the guys come back. I could hear Seth and Mike talking. I popped my head around the corner. “Hey, Mike, can you drive me to the airport tonight?”
Mike studied me. “No problem.”
“I need to be there by eight.”
Seth, our big Australian roommate, spoke. “You’re leaving us, mate?”
I shrugged. “I’ll be back.”
He looked at the other guys. “Well, you heard him. We need to do a proper piss-up.”
The last thing I needed was a drink. “I’m not even going to be gone a week.”
“We’re doing this right, mate, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
I looked at Mike, and he gave me a good-natured shrug.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, I was standing in the middle of a bar, laughing uproariously with my group of guys. I was about to do another shot when Mike put his arm around me. “Time to go, buddy.”
I looked at him. “It’s not eight yet.”
“It’s half-past eight, and if we don’t bust ass, you’re going to miss your flight.”
“Shit.” I tossed back my shooter. “Where’s my pack?”
He showed me his back. My pack was on his shoulders. “I also have your passport and your wallet. Come on. I’m driving.”
“You stayed sober?” I followed him outside.
“Got your back, bro.”
Standing on the street, the night seemed cool and dark. “That’s two nights in a row you’ve stayed sober for me.”
He looked at me and tossed my pack in the back. “You’ve had my back plenty of times.”
I climbed in beside him and watched as he started to drive down the dark highway. Suddenly I felt a sense of loss, and I wondered if I was making the right decision.
He glanced at me and then handed me a bottle of water. “You need to hydrate before you get on that flight.”
“Thanks.” I opened the bottle and chugged it.
He cleared his throat and started to speak. Then he cleared his throat again. “You know why Seth throws everyone a good time when they leave?”
I glanced at him. “Because he likes to party?”
“He told me that he wants everyone’s last memory of the place to be a happy one. He’s hoping if they remember the good times, they’ll come back.”
These guys were becoming my family. Another wave of doubt washed over me. “I’m coming back,” I reassured him, but my words sounded hollow.
He pulled up the long driveway of the airport and then parked in the loading zone. I could see her pacing on the other side of the entrance. She was on the phone and waving her other hand around. I wasn’t sure I had ever met someone as alive as her.
Mike followed my stare. “Damn, she’s got energy.”
“Yup.”
“She doesn’t look happy.”
“Nope.” Her moods didn’t bother me. They made me feel like I was riding a wave.
“You know, it’s okay if you don’t come back.”
I punched his shoulder lightly. “Dude.”
He looked over at me in the dark. “You know what I mean. You’ve wanted this since I met you.”
“I know.”
“I put your phone in your pack.”
“You had my phone?”
He looked at me. “How much of last night do you remember?”
I shook my head. “Almost nothing.”
“You haven’t checked your wallet yet, have you?”
I had completely forgotten. “Not yet.”
He let out a long breath. “You’re going to want to check that out.”
“Mike,” I said, staring at him in the dark, “what happened last night?”
“Nothing that can be solved in this conversation.”
Whatever happened, Mike didn’t want to talk about it. “Okay.”
He gave me a regretful look. “Take care, man.”
“You too.”
