Chapter 9 #2
Penny: Pretend the double down doesn’t affect you.
Levi: But I’m hard!
Ollie: Then take a freaking Xanax, for fuck’s sake. Honestly, how can you be that hard all the time? Did you not play with yourself last night?
Levi: I was too nervous to touch it. I didn’t want it to explode. The skin was really tight.
Blakely: *vomits*
Winnie: Dear God, Posey.
Ollie: Why am I a part of this again?
Penny: I’m going to need a lot more than a subpar cup of coffee and coffee cake to deal with this.
Levi: Subpar? Café Peppermint is anything but subpar. It’s like being transported into a Lovemark movie with the quirky shop owner and everything.
Penny: I’m leaving now. Just . . . hold it together while we think about why she’s double downing. Okay?
Levi: You’ll do that? You’ll brainstorm?
Ollie: If it means you’re not talking about your penis skin being tight anymore, then yes.
WYLIE
Wylie: The bra is working. He ran to his bedroom.
Sandie: He had no idea what was coming for him. Did he stare?
Wylie: His eyes practically fell out of his head.
Sandie: I’ve never been more proud.
Wylie: Thank you. Also, did you get the email I sent you last night with the designs?
Sandie: Yes, going to open them up when I’m not at work.
Wylie: Smart. Let me know what you think.
Sandie: Will do.
“Are you ready?” Levi says, returning to the living space with the fakest smile I’ve ever seen.
“Yup. Have everything you need?”
“Yes. I, uh, I forgot to put deodorant on. What a stinky situation that would have been.” He nervously laughs, and it’s really cute.
“Oof, good thing you caught it. My dad hates stink.”
“He’s told us that. It’s why we have multiple equipment managers.” He gestures toward the front door, and I open it, stepping out first.
“I’m sure they’re not paid enough to handle your equipment.”
“They’re not,” he says while locking his door.
We both head to the elevator, where he presses the down button.
“You know, this building is an interesting find. Modern but also historic.”
I catch him lift his eyes from my chest as the elevator doors open.
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first because it doesn’t offer the same level of privacy that other buildings do, but the residents are really chill, and I like the parking situation.
Plus, the layouts are much bigger. My unit is meant for a family of four, but I converted the one room into my office. ”
“You did a great job. I love your place.”
“Thank you,” he says as the doors part to the parking garage. “The black Tesla right over there.”
“Oh, that’s right. You and the boys all have one.”
“Can’t remember who started it, but we all followed.”
He unlocks the car and, to my surprise, walks over to my door and opens it for me. I can tell the minute he realizes what he’s doing because he backs away from the door as if it’s on fire and stumbles to get away.
I inwardly chuckle as he rounds the front of the car and gets in on his side. When he’s settled, I say, “Thank you for taking me in. My friend Sandie picked me up from work, so we just left my car. I thought I’d be able to catch a ride, so I’m glad it all worked out.”
“Yeah, not a problem.” He clears his throat and puts his hand on my headrest, turns his body, and starts backing out of his car space, which I think is funny because he has a giant screen in front of him, showing him if there are any cars.
Either way, I like that he put his hand on the headrest. If only he’d put his hand on my thigh next.
“Are you excited about the game tonight? You’re playing the Freeze, right? Kind of a big rivalry.”
“Yeah, should be an interesting game.”
“I dated a guy who the Freeze drafted.”
“Who?” His head snaps to look at me.
“He doesn’t play with them anymore, so no need to get defensive.”
“I wasn’t getting defensive,” he says as his grip on the steering wheel loosens.
Uh-huh, not defensive at all.
“His name is Rocco Allen.”
“Hmm.” Levi thinks about it. “Can’t say I know who that is.”
“Well, he hasn’t made an impact on the hockey scene like you, so I’m not surprised you don’t know who he is.”
“You think I’ve made an impact in hockey?”
Turning on the charm, I say, “Oh my God, yes. Are you kidding me? You’re one of the best defensemen in the game. I remember my dad talking about you once, saying how impressed he was with your footwork while under pressure, especially for being such a large man.”
“Huh, never heard him say anything nice about me before.”
“Really? He’s said a few things.”
“Was this before or after he’s blessed his underwear?” Levi shoots me a smirk, and it’s the most gorgeous expression I’ve ever seen.
“After, most definitely after.”
“Hmm, maybe I should give him some holy water for Christmas.”
“You do that. Let me know how it turns out for you.”
He laughs. “Probably not well.”
“I can guarantee you it won’t go over well.”
“Was he always this cranky and unpleasant while growing up? And I say that under strict boss-assistant confidentiality.”
I pat his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t be repeating anything we talk about to him. As long as you can promise me the same.”
“I don’t think he wants to hear about my sore toe, let alone what we talk about.”
“Good,” I say. “And yes, he’s always been like this. His smiles are rare. Even rarer when he’s in a good mood. I don’t know, he’s just always been . . . grumpy.”
“Was that hard to live with?”
“At times, yes. Living with someone who gets angry at the drop of a hat is stressful. But I guess I just started to ignore it. There comes a time when you just think, they will always be angry, it’s not me, it’s them, and you move on.”
“Shit, that sucks,” he says. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that growing up. Doesn’t seem too fair.”
“We all have our shortcomings. At least he cared about me. Some parents are angry and don’t care. That would be a terrible situation to be in.”
“True.”
I turn toward him and push his floppy hair back. I immediately notice the goosebumps on his forearm, and I think another great win for me. “What about you? Did you have a pretty decent childhood?”
“Yup,” he says. “Really low-key. Played hockey from a young age and pretty much focused on that. My parents knew my passion. They helped me grow it along with my skill, and I skipped out on all the troublemaking in order to accomplish my goal.”
“So then how did you become a ladies’ man?”
He chuckles. “I thought that was a secret.”
“It’s not, but nice try.”
“Well, throughout high school, I was a beanpole. It wasn’t until I reached college that I started lifting more. I grew into my skin and sprouted in a different way. I started getting attention from the opposite sex, and then at twenty, I lost my virginity.”
“No way,” I say, utterly surprised. “You lost your virginity at twenty? That’s so hard to believe. Not that it’s a bad thing, but given your reputation, I would have thought it was sooner.”
He shakes his head. “Not when all you do is play hockey. I had no time for anything else growing up. But when college came along, that was a different story. And I started to realize how easy it was to talk to women.”
“Talk to women, that’s a nice way of putting it.”
He chuckles. “Well, either way, that’s how it went down.”
“Have you ever thought about settling down?”
“Not really,” he says. “But only because I haven’t found the right person.”
“Ever had a girlfriend?”
“Awfully intimate questions for an assistant,” he says, seeming more relaxed than ever. This feels like the same Levi Posey I first met in the hotel. Smooth in conversation, smirking. Flirting. He seems like he’s in his element.
Which of course makes me like him that much more.
“As your assistant, I think it’s my duty to know all things about you, including relationships. You know, in case some lady claims to be your ex, begging for access to you.”
“I see. And what if some lady does try to gain access to me? What would you do?”
“Shut her down. My dad is a hockey coach, and he’s taught me a thing or two about fighting.”
He chuckles. “That’s kind of hot. So an assistant and a bodyguard, looks like I’m getting a bargain.”
“You are, so tell me . . . anyone I need to look out for?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. Never really been in a relationship long enough to cause drama.”
“Have you been in one at all?”
“Um, not really. Never called this one girl my girlfriend. More like, I saw her a few times, went out on a few dates, and then we went our separate ways.”
“Did she end things, or did you? Just trying to gauge if it’s a you problem or a them problem.”
“I ended it,” he says as the arena comes into view. Another thing I love is how close he lives to the arena, but still has a piece of history with his older building. “Just wasn’t interested. Wasn’t invested. Didn’t want to waste her time.”
“Think you could ever find someone to settle down with?”
“Maybe,” he says. “Probably after I retire. I don’t think too much about it now.”
“Not even with all of your boys now tied up in relationships?”
“The only thing annoying about that is they don’t hang out as much.”
“That’s so sad. Well, if you ever need someone to hang out with, I can be there for you . . . bra and all.”
His eyes flash toward my chest, then back up to my face. “Yeah, I can see that.”
LEVI
Levi: I did it, I ignored the double down.
I ended up driving her into the arena, and we had a really good conversation.
I felt normal, and what we talked about, well .
. . loads of things. It made me like her even more, but not just physically.
Emotionally, and that doesn’t happen with me very often.
Penny: I don’t know what we should do. Should we clap for him?
Ollie: I think we need to.
Blakely: The fact that he was able to drive the atomic bomb of tits without crashing . . . that deserves an applause.
Winnie: We are so proud of you, Posey.
Levi: Thanks, ladies. I feel good.
Penny: So then, are we done with this?