Serving Tegan (Sexy As Sin)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Roman

I grimace as I stretch my shoulder and run my fingers over the scar.Apparently, when you have a shoulder injury that never quite healed, you shouldn't lifta girl up and fuck her against a wall. I guess I thought it would be okay, consideringTegan Sharpe can't be more than 110 pounds, but clearly the adrenaline took holdbecause I didn't feel any pain last night but I sure as fuck feel it now.

I look at myself in the mirror. Who the fuck am I? What was that last night?I don't even know how to explain it. It was like some kind of animalistic knee-jerk reaction. I saw her flirting with that guy, and when I saw him reject her, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to kill the kid because I was jealousor because he had turned her down. Both and neither, it would appear.

And then I chased her out of there and fucked her like an animal,thinking if Alexandria found out, she'd kill me. Her father would have my nuts in a jarbefore the day was out. There's a knock at my door, and I reach for my shirt, pulling it overmy head.

Some ridiculous desire inside me hopes it'll be Tegan, but I can't even begin to imaginewhat I think would happen. Round two? Some kind of blackmail demand? Some kind of discussion aboutwhat last night meant, if anything?

But unfortunately, it’s not Tegan Sharpe at my door.

It's Alexandria Cruz and her father.

“Sir,” I say, holding the door open wide to let him in.He shakes my hand, gives me a curt nod, and steps into the room. He's wearing a three-piecesuit, as if we're not at a tennis tournament in Florida.

His eyes take in my hotel room.It's messy, sure, but not embarrassing. Alexandria trails in behind him, wearing a strange grin. I think she secretly loves this,watching her father put me in my place. Makes her feel big.

“How's the tournament going?” he says, clasping his hands behind his back. I expect him to sit down somewhere, on the bed orat the desk, but he looks at both with a grimace andjust stands in the middle of my hotel room and waits for me to reply.

“Good. Things are going good. She’s still on the bracket, so?—”

“How much longer?” he asks.

“Two days,” I tell him.“She’s got her work cut out for her.”

Mr. Cruz tilts his head to the side. “She does, or you do?”

I do my best not to grind my teeth. He notices little things like that.I don't need to give him something to hold over my head later.

“We both do, sir.”

He nods. “Yeah, I heard the competition was pretty stiff, butshe needs this tournament if she wants to get into a Grand Slam, play with the big dogs.”

The big dogs. Alexandria's father has a whole path set out for her. The path of a champion. A path that she’s not good enough to walk, by far.

“One match at a time,” I say,trying to sound optimistic.

He lifts his chin. “We focus on today, and then we beat Tegan Sharpe tomorrow.”

I feel something roil in my stomach. Generally speaking,Alexandria's father ignores her. He has no idea what's going on in her life at any one time.Doesn't care. But he must have done his research on this thing. Must have done his research on who would be here.

“Right,” I tell him. “It's going to be a tough one. Tegan is?—”

“I don't care what she is. Alexandria is going to win this tournament. Masters in April. Grand Slam next year. Or we're going to find ourselves a new coach.”

I sigh. “Come on, Mr. Cruz, you know I don't have any control over that.”

He steps closer to me, lowers his voice, which is laughable really, because this hotel roomis quiet as the grave, and what does he need to sugar coat it for anyway?Alexandria knows where she stands in the world of tennis.He doesn't need to pretend otherwise.

“You got Alexandria here,” he says.“I know that you're capable of magic.”

Over his shoulder, Alexandria's expression doesn't even change. She's not surprised by her father saying that it's going to take a literal magician to make her a good tennis player.

“But I'm not capable of magic.She's here with... Tegan Sharpe is phenomenal.”

“She doesn't need this competition.But Alexandria does,”Mr. Cruz says, “You got her here; you're gonna get her to the next step because that's what I pay you this much money for.”

Yeah.That's what he pays me this much money for.And he's the only thing currently standing between me and crippling debt. Or homelessness.

“I’m gonna do what I can,” I tell him.“I have worked my hardest for you.And so has Alexandria.” I'm fairly certain that last bit is a lie, butI'll say what I need to at the moment.“But if Tegan plays a better match, there's nothing I can do about that.”

Mr. Cruz nods. Makes this face that says, we'll see.

We'll see if I can work a miracle.

We'll see if I can somehow control the fates and help Alexandria win.But unless Alexandria has some kind of Tonya Harding stunt under her sleeve, she's not going to beat Tegan Sharpe.