Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Josie
“Josie, wake up!”
With a gasp, I open my eyes and survey the scene around me. I’m sitting at a long table in a bar, the rest of the table filled with Mammoths players passing around shot glasses filled with amber liquid.
“You want one?” Dalton Lorenzo asks me, holding out a shot glass.
I recognize his voice as the one who woke me up. I can’t believe I fell asleep in a crowded bar.
Then again, I’m about to doze off again. After hardly sleeping last night and being sick for the whole three-hour flight to Tampa, I wandered off the plane in a daze.
The weather is nice here. It’s in the ’70s. Normally, I’d love to check out the local scenery. But after a two-hour dinner with the team at an Italian restaurant, I was ready for bed. Unfortunately, though, Dane wanted to go out with his teammates. So here I am, technically on the job but also unable to stay awake.
“No, thanks,” I tell Dalton, looking around the table for Dane.
He was right next to me, but now there’s another player sitting there. I think his name is Banks.
Banks gives me a tight grin and says, “Hey, you’ve got a little...”
He wipes his chin and I do the same. Hell. I was drooling. In front of the same people who saw me puke so many times I lost count. This day just keeps on giving.
“Where’s Dane?” I ask after scanning every face at the table.
Banks gestures behind him. “Follow the scent of cheap perfume.”
I jump out of my seat and start the search, quickly finding him standing at a tall round table with a redhead who’s gazing adoringly at him.
“I play for them,” he says earnestly. “Those orphans, they’re...” He looks away, pretending he can’t continue because he’s so choked up. “It’s not about me anymore. I’m sure you can imagine how hard life is at an orphanage in Siberia, and I give anonymously because I don’t want any credit. The credit goes to them for”
I can’t take any more of his bullshit. I approach the table and swipe the half-empty beer bottle.
“You heard the rules as clearly as I did. No alcohol and no women.”
He shakes his head and locks eyes with the redhead. “Cassie, this is one of our team interns. She’s got some issues.”
I open the camera on my phone, seething. “I’ve got issues? You’re the one who’s gonna have issues when I send this photo to Tim.”
He narrows his eyes and says, “Fine. I’ll send your boss this one.”
He pushes a couple of buttons on his phone screen and flips it to face me. There’s a photo of me sitting at the table I just got up from, my head bowed and my mouth open as I sleep.
“You asshole. You know how sick I was on the plane, but I still have to follow you around and I’m doing my best.”
“Get back to your nap,” he says. “I’m just talking here; it’s not a big deal.”
I pass the bottled beer to a passing server and say, “Can you throw this away, please?”
“Sure.”
“That’s not very nice,” Cassie says to me like I’m a little kid who won’t share my toy.
I stare at her for a second, too shocked to speak. Her shirt is cut so low her nips are almost showing and she was buying every word of Dane’s story about helping orphans. Her insight into this situation is definitely not needed.
“It’s not very nice?” I finally manage. “I’m being paid to watch over him and make sure he stays out of trouble.”
She lights up. “Oh, that sounds like a fun job! I could do that!”
Dane grins at her. “I’m sure you’d be great at it.”
I roll my eyes, fed up with his games.
“We’re going back to the hotel,” I say.
“Can I come too?” Cassie asks Dane.
“No,” I answer for him.
Dane and I have a double queen room. It’s bad enough I have to stay in the same room as him, there’s no way anyone else is coming in.
For a few long seconds, Dane and I engage in a stare-off. I’m so tired my eyes hurt, but I refuse to look away. I won’t lose out on my promotion because he can’t keep his dick in his pants for two to three months.
Finally, he gives.
“I guess I need to get going,” he says. “It was great meeting you, Cassie.”
“Oh.” Her happy expression slides away. “Okay.”
It’s almost eleven p.m., and if I don’t get to bed soon, I’m going to fall asleep standing up. We walk back to the table, where a few of the seats are empty from people leaving.
“You need to be more subtle next time,” Dane says in a low tone, sounding irritated. “And don’t tell anyone you’re getting paid to make sure I stay out of trouble.”
That was a misstep on my part. But him telling me to be more subtle? That’s laughable.
“You want me to be subtle when you’re lying your ass off to unsuspecting women in hopes of spending a few hours in bed with them and never calling again?”
He presses his lips into a thin line, the muscle in his jaw flexing.
“We’re taking off,” he announces to the table. “Anyone want to ride with us?”
Banks and another player ride in our Uber, which ends up being a minivan. When we get into our hotel room, Dane turns on the lights and immediately pulls his shirt off over his head. I can’t help letting my gaze linger on him for a few seconds. His torso is so cut with defined muscles that he looks Photoshopped. His chest hair is dark. I force myself to look away.
Dane is sifting through an overnight bag when I steal another glance, this time taking in his broad shoulders. I can see how seducing women is so easy for him--he has the looks to back up his game.
“You want me to autograph a poster for you or something?” he asks.
“What?” I look away, embarrassed he caught me staring.
“So you’ve got something to admire when I’m sleeping or whatever.” He grins, clearly enjoying this. “I’ve got an online fan club; I could send you the link to join.”
“Go fuck yourself. I was looking out of curiosity, not admiration.”
He laughs. “Well, I sleep in the buff and once you get a full look”
I cut him off midsmarm. “You are not sleeping naked when we’re in the same room.”
He shrugs. “That’s how I sleep.”
“Not when we’re in the same room. I have no desire to meet Dane Junior. That crosses a professional line and you know it.”
“Fine, I’ll keep my boxers on. Or do you want me to wear long-sleeve button-down jammies like a grandpa?”
I sort through my bag, looking for my toiletries and pajamas, which do happen to include pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
“No, I don’t expect you to suddenly understand modesty,” I answer lightly. “But make sure the boxers stay on at all times.”
“Fine. While we’re discussing ground rules, don’t eat while I’m trying to sleep; it drives me nuts. And on game days, I take a nap in the afternoon, so don’t wake me up or come in and out of the room then.”
I toss my toiletry bag onto the bed and look over at him. He’s flossing his teeth, looking at his reflection in the mirrored closet doors.
“I’m a quiet roommate,” I say. “I’ll be asleep within ten minutes, and you should know that if I wake up at any point tonight and you aren’t here, I’ll call Tim. I’m not chasing you down in the middle of the night.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He glares at me, aggravated. “Now, can I go take a shower, or do you want to follow me in there and tell me how to wash my balls?”
I’m so done with his quips. It’s been a long day and I need some sleep.
“I need to get in the bathroom first; it’ll take less than five minutes.” I grab my toiletry bag and walk past him. “Then you can wash your balls however you want.”
“Alone,” he snaps. “I guess showering and sitting on the can are the only times I get to be alone anymore.”
“You made your bed,” I call out from the bathroom. “And now you want to bitch about having to lie in it.”
He’s silent, which is unlike him.
“You’re flipping me off, aren’t you?” I ask, the bathroom door still open.
“With both hands.”
I close the bathroom door, quickly washing up and brushing my teeth. Then I crawl into bed without saying another word to Dane. Tomorrow is my first full day on the road with him, and something tells me I need to rest up for it.