20. Dalton
TWENTY
DALTON
WHEN YOU’RE STILL HOPING FOR WORDS OF AFFIRMATION FROM A TOXIC PARENT…
I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d expected when we’d agreed to this charade, but I’d thought I’d see more of Ari during the week.
Turned out, that wasn’t the case. Tuesday was the only day we rode together to work, and I didn’t even get to drive her back home.
I’d been hoping to learn more about her.
Honestly, I just wanted to be around her more.
But she’d disappeared after the workout before I was even off the ice every day over the last week and a half. I had a creeping suspicion that she was avoiding me.
Even Stephens had come up, brow arched, asking what I’d done to piss her off. To my surprise, there’d been a thread of protectiveness in his tone that I wasn’t used to hearing.
“You and Ariella doing anything this weekend?”
I winced at the sound of Jimenez’s voice. I needed to ask about telling him because keeping him in the dark was starting to eat at me. There was no way I could keep it up for long. “Um, not sure yet,” I answered, closing my locker and trying to play it cool. “I mean, it’s only Thursday, we’ve got another day before the weekend.”
“Well, what did you do last weekend?” he asked, shaking his head when I stared dumbly at him. “Y’all are new. You need to start thinking about these things ahead of time. Take her out. Wine and dine her. Women love that.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Not Ari,” I said, a grin spreading over my face. “She’s…more independent than that.” I thought about how she’d chewed me out for not letting her give back the money I’d sent her before she gave me her number.
Not that I’d done much with it since. Just a quick text to get her address. After that, she’d insisted on finding her own way to work.
Honestly? I hadn’t texted her because part of me was too chicken shit that she’d turn me down flat. Better to just avoid texting her altogether…right?
Jimenez snickered, breaking me out of my thoughts, and irritation coiled in my gut at his reaction.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, more defensively than intended. “There’s nothing wrong with a woman knowing she can provide for herself. Maybe she doesn’t want to come off as needy. Hell, maybe she doesn’t want to give someone power over her.”
Her words from that day in the car had stuck with me.
I’d grown up with a single mother, and she hadn’t had anyone to help her. There were nights I’d lay awake waiting to hear her come home from her second shift of the day, wishing she had someone to help her pay her bills. But now—now I wondered if my mom chose to make all her own money instead of letting someone else pay for our way of life.
My gut clenched.
Being a six-three white male came with a lot of privileges, most of which I often took for granted. But Ari’s fear was actually one I could sympathize with.
Christian closed his locker and looked at me, blinking a few times before breaking out into a smile. “Damn. You really do like this girl. Never heard you get that defensive about your ex. And I talked a lot of shit about Emma.”
I frowned. “Not to me.”
“No, I definitely gave her backhanded compliments in front of you.” He shrugged, picking up his gym bag and looping it over his shoulder. “Hoped it would convince you to run away from the bitch’s icy clutches.”
“Jimenez.”
He held up both his hands. “I know, you don’t like when I call women that word. But there’s literally no other word for her.”
“Your ex is a cunt.”
“Cunt.”
My best friend nearly choked on his own spit when I said that. I thought I might have to perform mouth-to-mouth.
“Excuse me?” he asked, clutching his chest like he was thoroughly scandalized.
I smirked, knowing he’d love this next part. “Ari said my ex is a cunt.”
Just as I’d guessed, he broke into laughter, holding onto his sides as he slumped against our lockers. He caused quite a scene, and some of the other guys came over to see what had him losing his shit. He wiped up the tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
“Keep that fucking girl forever.”
Why did that sound so appealing?
“Dalton.”
Hearing my father call my name was the last thing I wanted to deal with. I was ready to go home and plop down on my couch.
No, you want to see your fake girlfriend.
I pushed all thoughts of her from my mind. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?” I asked, turning to face him.
He sucked in air through his teeth, his hands curled into fists at his side. “My office,” he said, making an abrupt turn on his Italian loafers and storming away. There was no need to check to see if I’d follow. He knew I would.
I let out a sigh, rolling out my neck in an attempt to loosen some of the stress he always seemed to cause in my upper shoulders. The man was cold and calculated, his image well-crafted. Which was what he wanted of me. But I seemed to have a hard time learning that particular lesson—along with not calling him dad when we were in the building.
Oh, is that the only time he doesn’t want you to call him that?
Pushing away the negative inner voice, I moved into his office, closing the door before sitting in my usual chair .
He’d ditched his suit jacket and was at the bar cart pouring two glasses of scotch.
I hated scotch.
“Dalton, what is this I hear that you are dating someone on staff?” He handed me the low ball.
There was one sure thing about Vincent Langley: you weren’t going to know what he was thinking or feeling until he wanted you to. And at that moment, he didn’t want me knowing jack shit.
I took a sip of the amber liquid, letting the sting of the alcohol clear my mind before answering. The only reason this conversation hadn’t happened earlier was that he’d been in New York. I kept my face schooled, attempting to play his own game.
“Yes, I’m seeing our new coach,” I replied casually. “Figured it would be an advantage. Get some extra gym time from it. You know, improve my game a little more.”
My stomach soured. Even lying about using Ari made me sick, but I knew how my father worked. If he assumed I was using this relationship to gain an advantage on the ice, he’d be more likely to change the policy to keep her. At least, that was my hope.
“Hmm.” He took a swig of his drink, peering at me from over the rim. “So this thing with the girl isn’t serious?”
Ice crawled up my veins, but I kept the panic out of my face. “It’s only a few weeks old. And you know how long I was with Emma. I’m not sure I’m ready to get that involved with a woman again. This is all just fun, and like I said, I can get some extra conditioning time in. ”
My lower back was soaked with sweat. Lying was not my forte.
It felt like eons before he finally gave a curt nod and moved from in front of me to sit in his office chair.
“Well then, that sounds like a smart move.” From how his mouth pulled up at the corner and the glint in his eyes, I knew I wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “I’m sure this goes without saying, but make sure you wear a condom if you are sleeping with this girl, and never use one that you didn’t bring yourself. You know how women like that can be.” The smirk on his face, as if we were bonding, had irritation itching under my skin like hot needles.
The comment felt an awful lot like a dig at my mom, and I was thankful he’d sat in his office chair so he wouldn’t see my fisted hands.
“I’m not sure I do.” The green of his eyes seemed to turn icy at my words. “Women like what?” I asked, hiding my mouth with the rim of the glass.
He huffed, throwing back the rest of his drink. The thud of the glass hitting his desk filled the silence. “Dalton, men with power and wealth like us are a meal ticket for women like her. All I’m saying, son , is to be careful and not let this girl too close. We pay well, but still. You’re in a different tax bracket. You have a bright future ahead of you.” He let out a condescending chuckle. “I’m not even sure if she’s good at her job. I let Monroe hire a new coach. Didn’t expect he’d pick a woman.”
I battled to keep my anger under control.
If it were a player who spoke about Ari like this, he’d have been on his way to the hospital. But it wasn’t a player, it was my father. Honestly, that wasn’t really enough to hold me back from clocking him. What had me hesitating was the fact that he wrote Ari’s checks, and she was trusting me to help convince him she was an asset to the team.
“Actually, she’s damn good at what she does,” I said, trying to keep my tone cool.
“I look forward to meeting her then at Media Day,” he said smoothly, leaning back in his chair. “If she’s as good as you say, maybe she’ll prove to be useful as more than just our inclusive hire. But even if we have to bring in someone better at the job, having her on staff will make us look good.”
Rage boiled in my gut, threatening to spill over, but I fought to keep a lid on my reaction, not wanting to cause Ari more problems.
“She’s the right person for the job.” The bite in my voice didn’t go unnoticed, likely because I almost never spoke back to him.
His dark brow quirked upward, a look of interest on his normally blank face.
“I can’t wait to get to know this woman who has you so…invested. See if she’s as good as you seem to think,” he said condescendingly, like he didn’t trust my judgment.
I gave a curt nod, ready to finish this meeting, and stood, swallowing back the frustration boiling under the surface. I could almost see it. Him meeting Ari, evaluating her with that intense gaze of his, and either finding her valuable or dismissing her without a second thought.
But if he just saw her work—saw her dedication and talent—he’d have to acknowledge she was an asset .
I turned to leave, not wanting to drag out the conversation any longer. “See you later,” I said, letting the door click behind me without waiting for his response. Ari had worked hard to get here, and I had to believe he’d see her potential.
I took a deep breath, my frustration giving way to a sense of resolve.
I’d find a way to get him on board. To change the policy so her job wasn’t in jeopardy.
Though part of me hoped not before I got to spend more time with her.
I’d just gotten into my car when my phone went off. My heart nearly stopped when I saw her name at the top of the screen, but the excitement died the second I noticed it was a group message with the rest of the team.
Ari, Christian Jimenez, & Others:
Meet me at this address tomorrow, boys. I suggest you get a good night’s sleep and maybe book a massage for after…3121 N Fitzhugh Ave, Dallas, TX 75204
Well, that’s not ominous.
Then another message popped up, this one just from her.
Ari:
Sooo, does your offer of being my ride still stand?
Ari:
If you can’t, I can get a ride from another member of the team it’s no biggi e
In what world did she think I would be okay with that? Just the thought of one of my teammates driving her around had me fisting my hands at my sides. She was about to hate what I wrote back. But you know how it is, all things are easier to say over text…
Me:
There is no way in hell that I would ever let another member of this team drive you anywhere. You’re my girlfriend, so you’ll be in my car.
Those three dots played with my heart, appearing and disappearing for several seconds. What I would give to be next to her in that moment. To watch the wave of emotions on her face and body language. She should never enter a poker tournament because her feelings were broadcast for all to see. Unfortunately for me, just because I got a glimpse of her feelings didn’t mean I knew what she was thinking—or what she’d do.
Like right now. The text message she was typing out could tell me to go fuck myself, or she’d come back with something that could be borderline flirting…on second thought, they were both flirting to me.
The chime drew my attention back to the lit screen.
Ari:
You don’t tell me what to do, Dalton. Jimenez is picking me up now.
So defiant.
I smiled as I slid into the front seat. The fuck he was.
Me:
What time do you want me at your place?
Another round of the three dots appearing and disappearing played out, before her response came through. I could almost picture her debating how stubborn she wanted to be.
Ari:
8…
Me:
Good girl.
As I slipped my phone into my pocket, I couldn’t shake the grin on my face. She’d make me pay for that tomorrow, and for some reason, I couldn’t wait.