7. June
We arrive at the Titans’ party two hours after the end of the game. Getting ready took an hour, and the drive to the five-star hotel took another thanks to traffic. Melissa changed into a stunning bodycon dress in a deep red that hugs her curves in all the right places but doesn’t show any excess skin. She’s clearly a master at balancing sexy and classy. My own style is cute and practical, and what I’m wearing tonight is way out there for me.
Once again, Melissa links her arm with mine, and together, we enter the upscale restaurant on the rooftop reserved entirely for the private party. I’m thankful for her support because, one, I’m still getting used to the high heels, and two, I’m shaking like a leaf.
“Relax. Everyone here is a friend,” she tells me.
I nod, unable to reply with words. How can I explain that I get flustered at social events full of strangers? I’m bound to make a fool of myself many times tonight. I hope not in front of my hot benefactors.
“I think I need a drink,” I say.
“Sure. Let’s head over to the bar.”
Halfway there, Melissa stops in her tracks. “Hold on. My purse is vibrating.” She unlinks her arm with mine and pulls her phone out. “It’s my fiancé. I need to get this. I’ll meet you at the bar.”
I panic. There are steps leading to the bar, and with my two left feet and wearing shoes I’m not used to, I can foresee the disaster already.
“Fork me gently with a chainsaw,” I mutter.
“Did you just say fork me?” a man to my right asks.
My eyes widen, and I’m pretty sure my jaw drops all the way to the floor as well. Ryan Bertrand, one of the players who invited me to the party, is next to me, watching me with vibrant and intense blue eyes.
“Yeah. Force of habit.”
He raises a brow. “Why? Do you have young kids at home?”
“No, I’m a middle-school teacher.”
“I remember cursing a lot in middle school.” He smiles broadly, showing a pair of dimples.
My face becomes so hot it could be mistaken for lava. I’m sure my reaction has everything to do with how this gorgeous man is looking at me as if I were something he’d like to eat. Shit. Why did I think that? Now I want him to eat me. My entire body is on fire, and I’m beginning to sweat. This isn’t good.
“Oh, I’m sure my students curse, but I can’t have a dirty mouth around them.”
Fuuuck. Did I just say dirty mouth?
His eyes twinkle with mirth. “I love a girl with a dirty mouth.”
My tongue gets stuck to the roof of my wanting-to-be-dirty mouth while my mind spirals. I don’t know what to do, so I simply stare at him.
Say something, June. Anything.
“I bet you do,” I blurt out.
Not that, you idiot.
He laughs, and the sound is sexy as hell. I don’t need a drink. I need a cold shower.
“Ryan, I see that you found our guest of honor already,” Melissa chimes in.
I’m glad she’s done with her call, because another second chatting with Mr. Sex on a Stick, and I’d have combusted on the spot. Worst of all, I’m sure he wasn’t even trying to flirt with me.
“I sure have. I’m Ryan Bertrand.” He offers me his hand to shake, and like a dumbass, I wipe my sweaty palm on my skirt first.
Classy, June.
“June Summers.”
“Interesting name.”
“If by interesting you mean redundant, you’re right.”
He chuckles. “I like you, June. Where are you from?”
“Baron, Texas. It’s a small town.”
“It must have been quite a shock to move to LA. How long have you been here?”
“A couple years.”
I can’t believe I managed to answer all these questions without putting my foot in my mouth. I’m still nervous, but Ryan is charming and nice, and seems truly interested in getting to know me.
“Ah, then you must have already gotten used to the chaos. Can I get you something to drink?”
I open my mouth to reply, but the other two hot-enough-to-melt-popsicles-in-a-freezer players join us.
“You aren’t getting her anything,” the blond one replies with a Scottish accent. He’s glowering at Ryan, but I’m not getting aggressive vibes from him.
Ryan must not be either, because he seems unbothered by his teammate. “June, meet Lachlan Stewart and Jake Phillips.”
My mind begins to work in overdrive. I don’t want to stare, but it’s hard not to. These men are gorgeous. Before I get tongue-tied, I force the words out of my mouth, praying I can still string sentences together. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jake replies, looking into my eyes as if he wants to read my mind. What’s with these boys and their stares? “I hope Ryan didn’t bother you too much.”
“Excuse me?” Ryan butts in. “I was the perfect gentleman, wasn’t I, June?”
They’re all focused on me now, and their interest is turning me into a fool who forgot how to speak.
“Will you give the poor girl a break?” Melissa intervenes. “Come on, June. Let’s get you something to drink.”
Before I let Melissa steer me toward the bar, I nod to the guys. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“No need to thank us, sugar.” Ryan smiles and immediately gets elbowed by Lachlan.
They don’t follow us, and I’m a bit disappointed. I want to thank them properly, and maybe ogle the trio some more.
“What would you like to drink?” Melissa asks me when we get to the bar.
I almost go for another shot of tequila but think better of it. I should order a cocktail instead, so my hand is occupied for a while. I never know what to do with my hands in uncomfortable social situations.
“I’ll have a dirty martini.”
Melissa smirks. “Good choice. I’ll have one too.”
While she orders the drinks, I look over my shoulder to see if my hockey players are still in the same spot. Sadly, they aren’t.
Your hockey players, June? Get a grip.
“Here’s your drink, hon.” The glass is filled to the brim. Jesus.
Melissa sips her drink so the alcohol level isn’t dangerously close to spilling everywhere. I follow her example, and damn, this stuff is strong. I have to be careful.
“So, what’s the deal with Ryan and Lachlan? Are they not friends?”
Melissa laughs. “They’re frenemies. Or maybe they’re like brothers who bicker a lot.”
“I see.”
“The three of them live together in a big-ass loft apartment downtown.”
That surprises me. “Really? Don’t they make enough money to have their own places?”
“Sure they do, but they’ve been roommates since their rookie days and... I don’t know, they like the arrangement, I guess.” She shrugs.
“And their girlfriends don’t mind?”
“What girlfriends?” Melissa narrows her eyes. “You just wanted to know if they were off the market, didn’t you?”
Cheeks. Flames. Check.
“What? No. I don’t care either way. I don’t want to go out with any of them.” More like they’ll never want to go out with me.
“Why not?” She tilts her head. “Any of those boys are a catch. Well, maybe not Ryan. He’s a whore. But Jake and Lachlan are definitely boyfriend material.”
I take a large sip of the martini, praying she stops talking about them. I didn’t come to this party hoping to hook up with a hockey player. The idea never crossed my mind, even after seeing how attractive the boys were. But Melissa isn’t done.
“Or...” she continues. “You could have the three of them for one night.”
My eyes bug out. “What?”
She smirks. “They aren’t opposed to sharing.”
My heart is thundering in my chest now. I’ve never entertained having a ménage, much less sleeping with three men at the same time. When it comes to sex, I’m as vanilla as a person can be. I’ve only had sex with Bill, for crying out loud.
“Have you ever...”
Her brows shoot to the heavens. “God no! I’d never cross that line with my players.”
“But... how do you know they don’t mind sharing?”
Her smile becomes wider. “I just do. Why are you asking? Are you interested?”
Heat spreads across my cheeks. “No,” I reply quickly, then take another big sip of my martini, hoping the glass hides my face, which I’m sure is as red as a tomato.
Melissa switches her attention to a point behind me. “Oh, here comes Tammy Reynolds.”
I follow Melissa’s line of sight and see another stunning woman walking toward us. Her chin-length black hair shines under the light, looking silky smooth and making her blue eyes pop even more.
She looks familiar, so before she’s within earshot, I ask, “Who is she?”
“One of the best sports reporters in the business. You really don’t know anything about sports, do you?”
“No, but ask me anything about movies or TV series, and I’m your girl.” Before Melissa starts to think I’m obsessed with celebrities, I add. “That’s why I moved to L.A. I want to be a screenwriter.”
Her eyes widen. “Really? I’d love to read something you’ve written.”
My brows arch. “Why?” I blurt out.
Shit. That sounded terrible, but Melissa laughs. “Because I’m curious. Besides, if it’s good, I’ll show it to my fiancé.”
“I have a feeling I’m supposed to know who he is.” I take another drink of my martini.
“If you know everything about movies, then you do. His name is Elijah Foreman.”
The alcohol goes down in the wrong pipe, making me choke.
“Are you okay?” She watches me with amused concern.
Once the coughing fit stops, I blurt out, “Holy shit!”
“Oh my. What did you say to the poor girl to warrant that reaction, Melissa?” Tammy Reynolds asks when she finally joins us.
“I just told June about Eli.”
“Ah, movie buff?” Tammy looks at me.
“You could say that.” I take a large sip of my martini, needing this damn drink to start working faster before I put my foot in my mouth. Not that alcohol will prevent that from happening, but I won’t feel as mortified when it does.
I can’t believe Melissa is engaged to the legendary movie producer. I don’t pay much attention to celebrity gossip, but it feels like I failed a test. And Melissa wants to read my stuff and maybe show it to him? I’d have a heart attack if that happened.
“June Summers, meet Tammy Reynolds.”
“Nice to meet you, June. Are you a hockey aficionado too?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. My cheating ex is the fan.”
God, I can’t believe I just said that when I’m trying to avoid the topic.
Tammy’s eyes widen. “I hope you’re taking all the selfies with the players and posting them on social media then.”
“Let’s start with you, Tammy,” Melissa chimes in. “Give me your phone, June.”
I finish the rest of my drink and set it on the bar counter. The tension is finally leaving my body. Tammy and I pose together while Melissa snaps countless pictures of us. Then, she steps next to me and takes another bazillion selfies. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“Do you think you have enough, Melissa?” Tammy asks in a sarcastic tone.
Without looking up from my phone, she replies, “I had to make sure there was one decent picture of you. Would it kill you to keep your eyes open for a second, woman?”
“Shut up. I didn’t close my eyes.”
Tammy steps closer to Melissa to look at the photos. I stay back and watch the duo. They seem to have the kind of friendship I have with Katrina. Danika and I, on the other hand, weren’t like that. Looking back, I think she only enjoyed having a walking disaster as a friend so she would always look like a rockstar.
I should reply to Katrina’s texts before posting tonight’s pictures on social media.
“Can I have my phone back, please?”
Melissa looks sheepish. “Oops. Sorry, I got carried away.”
“Thanks. Now I need to take pictures with all the players on the team.” I glance around the room from our vantage point. Even though I don’t follow hockey, it’s easy to spot them in the crowd. They’re taller than most. But I don’t see the guys I’m searching for.
“If you’re looking for the Unholy Trinity, they’re probably hogging the pool table,” Melissa chimes in.
I whip my face to her. “There’s a pool table here?”
“Yeah. Do you play?”
The corners of my lips twist upward. “I don’t play, I slay. Let’s find those boys.”