Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Andi
“For real?” Pia perched on a beanbag I was sure I didn't own this morning. Her face was pink with the effort of trying not to laugh.
“The guy who was an asshole to you the other night was Cam North? The Cam North? The Sea Dragons’ forward?”
“Apparently.” I opened a bottle of Chardonnay and poured us both a glass. “I had no idea who he was.”
“You had no idea who any of them were until I insisted you look them up last night.” She accepted the glass I handed her and took a sip. “If you told me what happened on Friday night, I would have insisted you point him out in the crowd. ”
I shrugged and downed a large gulp. “And then you would have confronted him.”
“Of course I would have. No one messes with my sister and gets away with it.” She set her drink down on the table in front of her and placed her hands in her lap. “Even if that means confronting Cameron North in public.” She fanned herself with the tips of her fingers.
For some reason, that irritated me. Okay, he was attractive, with those dark eyes and biceps that looked like they were trying mercilessly to burst the seams of his T-shirt. But after the way he spoke to me, I wouldn't have offered him another… Drink anyway.
My clit might have sulked at that thought.
“What is his problem anyway?” I lowered myself onto the couch beside her and crossed my jean clad legs.
The moment I got home, I kicked off my heels and changed out of my skirt. I'd probably do some more work later, but I could look like I was in relaxation mode. Admittedly, it wasn't a mode I was familiar with. Even if I wasn't working, my brain was always going. I'd be lucky to spend a night without dreaming about work.
Yeah, maybe I was the one with the problem here, but I was happy to let the focus be on him instead. Anything to keep my sister from teasing me, and trying to get me to run away to a deserted island with her. Or whatever her latest scheme was.
It was always something. Like her relationships with men, she flitted from one to the other. Photography seemed to be the only thing that had any permanency in her existence. That and her relationship with me. She dealt with our parents when she had to, always with a smile, never letting them get to her.
“Apart from being so hot it's a miracle the ice doesn't melt under his skates?” Pia asked.
“Apart from that,” I said. “If he's such a big deal, why didn't you insist on me googling him last night?” That might have saved me looking like a stunned fish when I first saw him. She hadn't mentioned him. Not specifically anyway. Now I thought about it, I couldn't remember seeing anything about him apart from his name and stats.
“As far as I can tell, he has no social media accounts,” she said. “The only time he appears in photos online, he's at the back, scowling like he doesn't want to be included in a team photo. Some guys are like that. They don't want the world all up in their business. Ironically, his sister Alice is a social media manager.”
I understood why people didn't want to let social media into their lives. Guys like him were put under the microscope, every word they said analyzed for meaning and double meaning. I came under the same scrutiny from time to time. It was tedious, to say the least. Especially when people seemed more interested in my weight, than my accomplishments.
“He wasn't very friendly in person either,” I said. “I guess he assumed I was interested in advancing my social media influence by spending time with him.”
“My sister, the puck bunny.” Pia grinned.
I made a face at her. “Says the one who wanted to go to Shells in the first place. Did you know they'd be there?”
“I might have,” she admitted. “When you told me about Dad giving you the team—which is wild as hell, by the way—I thought it might be a good introduction. You could see them in their semi-native habitat. The ice being their native habitat.”
I couldn't argue with that assessment. At the end of the arena tour, I'd spent some time watching the guys train. They all flew around the ice like they were born with skates on their feet .
If I tried that, I'd fall on my fluffy ass. Nothing and no one was getting me into a pair of ice skates. I'd sooner wear a bikini and walk down Lowball Bay's main beach.
Honestly, that was a lot more appealing. I could own the fact I had perfect breasts.
“Why do I get the impression you're more in touch with the nightlife of Lowball Bay than I am?” I took another sip of wine. It helped take the edge off the stress of the day.
“Because you never go out,” she said. “Not unless I come down here and drag you out. I'm starting to think I should extend this visit to make sure you actually do some living for a change.”
“I fit lots of living into my day,” I protested. “I watered Laverne this morning.”
Pia laughed. She went on laughing until she tipped backwards, falling off the beanbag and onto the floor. Her wine went with her, splashing Chardonnay down the front of her sweater.
“I think it's time to call last drinks for you,” I said once I made sure she hadn't hurt herself on the hardwood floor.
She giggled and placed her empty glass on the table before gripping the hem of her sweater and shaking it in an attempt to make it dry. “I'm not drunk, just amused at your claim to have a life. You know what, it's a shame Cam North didn't take you up on that drink offer. I bet he knows how to show a girl a good time. He could have been exactly what you needed to kickstart you into a whole new vibe.”
“I'm not sure I want to be kickstarted into anything,” I said. “What's wrong with my life? I keep busy. My orchid is healthy. I'm sitting here drinking wine with my crazy baby sister.”
“None of those things involve orgasms,” Pia pointed out. “If you tell me there's more to life than orgasms, I'm going to fall off this beanbag again. And if you actually believe that, you really need to find a guy who can show you how things should be.”
“How did we end up talking about orgasms?” I asked into my wine glass.
“Because, as your crazy baby sister, it's my job to point out that you need some.” She nodded her head. “And I don't mean self-made ones. Those are good in the short term, don't get me wrong, but in the long term you need a man who will worship you for the beautiful goddess you are.” She reached for the bottle to refill her glass.
“You might be overselling me a little bit, but I appreciate you, and what you're trying to say,” I said. I tucked a curl behind my ear, but it bounced right back out again. “Don't you think I should take some time to move on from Xander first?”
“Xander Shmander.” She waved her hand dismissively. “You know what they say. The best way to get over a guy is to get under another one. Especially a hot one like Cameron North.”
“Nate Southwell seemed interested,” I said slowly. “But it doesn't matter, because technically he works for me.”
“Which brings us back to the proverbial elephant in the room,” Pia said. “What did you do to have Dad punish you with extra work?” When I gave her a funny look, she elaborated. “He gave you an ice hockey team. The only thing he's ever given me is a stern look, like he thought I was wasting my life. And a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art camera to get me started. But that was only because you insisted he give me something so I wouldn't set up a table in the center of Highball Creek, advising people on how to play the stock market based on a tarot reading.”
She paused before admitting, “I do that too. It's a profitable side hustle, and very accurate. If you want, I'll do a reading for you. You could invest your millions and become a billionaire by the end of the year. Then you could stop working for Dad and chase your own dreams. ”
That was a lot to process.
“First of all, I like working for him,” I said. “Second of all, I don't need to be a billionaire. If I made that much money, I'd give most of it away.” I already gave sizable charitable donations to various causes. Anonymously, of course. I didn't need the credit for doing something people in my position should do because it was the right thing.
“Lastly, you know Dad, he likes to push us to be the best versions of ourselves. The team is his way of giving me something to challenge myself with.”
“It's a test,” she concluded. “To see if you can turn an okay team into an amazing team. Of course he wouldn't have done it out of the goodness of his heart. He tried that once with me, you know? He actually bought a hotel in Highball Creek and expected me to run it.”
“You would have been amazing at it,” I said.
“Of course I would, but I couldn't do it because he insisted on it,” she said. “I gave the hotel to a friend of mine, Amelia. She'll do much better with it than I ever could. Maybe you should do that,” she added brightly. “Give the team to someone. Dad didn't say you have to run it, did he?”
“It was implied,” I said on a sigh.
He was used to Pia doing things like that, but I could imagine what he'd say if I gave away an NHL team. I'd be lucky if he didn't fire me on the spot, and cut me off without a penny. “I want to run the team.”
I needed a hasty gulp of wine before I continued with another admission. “I feel like my whole life has stagnated. Xander was a symptom of that. I need something new, something I can get my teeth into.”
“Cameron North's ass?” Pia suggested with a grin.
I should totally not be picturing his naked ass right now. From what I'd seen of it, in denim and track pants, it was too firm to bite, but not too firm to lick.
My clit pulsed at the thought. I told it, and the image in my brain, to settle down and be quiet. There was no way in the world I was going to see Cam North's ass, much less lick it.
“You're thinking dirty thoughts about Cam North, aren't you?” Pia teased.
My face heated. “Of course not,” I protested. “Like I said, he works for me. He's also made it clear he's not interested in me, even if I was interested in him. Which I'm not.”
My clit would have said otherwise, but I ignored the throbbing.
“Sure.” Pia drew out the word while rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. “If the opportunity arises, I dare you to take it.”
“It won't,” I assured her. He and I were going to be completely professional from here on out. Boss and hot ice hockey player, nothing more.
“In the meantime.” I fixed her with my best stern big sister look, which would probably have her laughing hard enough to fall off the beanbag again, if I wasn't careful. “We need to talk about you giving away a hotel.”