Obeying the Owner (Charleston Coyotes Hockey Book 6)

1. Maeve

My high heelsecho increasingly faster against the shiny marble floor as I rush toward the elevator, where my coworker Sheryl is waiting for me.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I say as I step inside.

When I cross the threshold, she lets the doors close and whispers to me, “How was your date last night? Did you get lucky? Is that why you’re running late?”

“There was no date; therefore, I didn’t get lucky, and I’m not late. I’m just not as early as usual.”

“What happened? Did you chicken out?” She keeps pushing for an answer.

My lips pressing in a hard line, I send a perturbed look her way. “No, I did not. Randy stood me up.”

Her eyebrows rise, disappearing under her bangs. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Nope. I went to the restaurant where we agreed to meet and waited at the bar for an hour before I finally left.”

“Did he text or call?”

“No.”

Her brown eyes narrow. “What a piece of shit. I’m going to kick his ass.”

She looks like she means it. I’m a little worried for Randy.

“No, don’t get worked up. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like we had sex and then he ghosted me.”

“I know, but I was the one who told you to go out with him. I thought you two would be a good match.”

I shrug. “And now I know we aren’t.”

The elevator stops on the top floor. The door slides open, and we step out together. Sheryl touches my arm. “Maeve, I’m so sorry my cousin stood you up.”

I smile. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m not angry with you.”

“What do you say we get together for lunch? We can make a revenge plan against Randy.” She smirks.

“I’m game for lunch, but let’s hold off on planning your cousin’s demise for now.”

She shakes her head. “You’re too nice, girl.”

“Maybe he had a good reason.”

“If he did, will you give him another chance?” she asks.

My lips roll inward as I think. “Probably not. It’s a bad idea to date someone I work with. I never should’ve said yes to begin with.”

Sheryl glances at her watch. “We better hustle, or we’ll be late. I’ll see you downstairs at twelve thirty.”

“Don’t stand me up,” I joke, walking away.

“As if,” she calls out.

I’m still smiling when I round the corner, but my smile quickly turns into a frown when I see Randy walking toward me.

“Maeve, can I talk to you?”

“There’s no need.”

“Please?” he asks. I freeze in place, and he closes the distance between us. “I made a huge mistake last night. I got nervous and decided not to show.”

“Why were you nervous?” I ask.

“You’re beautiful and intelligent. You’re the kind of girl a guy marries, and I’m not at that point in my life yet.”

“Jesus, Randy. I was expecting dinner, not a proposal.”

“I know you weren”t, but I panicked. Do you think you could give me another chance?” His brown eyes look so big and genuine.

“Right now, I need to get to my desk.”

He nods reluctantly. “Okay.”

Stepping around him, I hurry to my office and turn on my computer. This day is just beginning, and it’s already a shitshow. I sink into my leather office chair and get to work.

As the executive assistant to Greg Ledger, the owner of the Charleston Coyotes, I have a long list of tasks.

I’m nearly finished ordering office supplies when my phone rings.

“Good morning, this is Maeve.”

“Maeve, can you please come to my office?” Greg asks politely.

“Be right there.” I hang up and head next door.

“Good morning. How’s my favorite employee today?” he asks, smiling.

As far as bosses go, I’ve hit the jackpot. Greg is the definition of a kind older man. I nearly have to pinch myself daily to ensure this is reality and not a dream.

“Would you feel that way if my brother wasn’t one of your team’s best?” I tease.

Although Greg has denied that sharing the same last name with one of his team’s best hockey players helped me get this job, I’m sure it didn’t hurt either.

“Your impressive typing speed won me over,” he says with a wink.

“I won’t argue with you on that.” I type one hundred twenty words a minute.

“I called you here because I have some news to share. It’s not something I’m happy about, but I know it’s the right thing to do.”

I fold my hands in my lap to keep from fidgeting. WTF? Am I about to be fired?

“I’m turning over ownership of the Coyotes to my son, Trey.”

A gasp slips from me, and I blurt out, “Are you sick?”

“No, nothing like that. Aside from some high blood pressure and cholesterol, I’m fine. But the missus wants me to cut back. Two years ago, she and I agreed that I would turn the team over to my son, but I wasn’t ready. I wanted to wait until the Coyotes won one more championship, and as she’s been reminding me, they’ve won two in a row.”

“Yeah, but they could win another. Maybe you’ll three-peat. Don’t you want to wait and see?” I ask.

He chuckles. “And if they win a third, then what? Will I ever be ready to let go of control?”

“What will you do to stay busy?”

“I’ll still be involved in an advisory role with some of Ledger Enterprises, working mostly from home, but Lillith hopes it’ll be smooth sailing without me. And she has plenty of things lined up to keep me occupied.”

“I bet.” I smile. I’ve gotten to know his wife well, and she’s been more than patient about his workaholic ways.

“I don’t want you to worry about your position here. I’ve already spoken with Trey and ensured he knows my staff is staying at least through the end of the summer.”

“That gives me a couple of months to find a new job,” I droll.

He laughs. “You have nothing to worry about. Your work ethic and initiative make you stand out. I’m sure you’ll be as invaluable to him as you’ve been to me.”

“Thank you. I’ve loved working for you. I’ll be so sad to see you go. I finally found a job with the best boss, and you’re leaving.”

He smiles. “I’ll miss you too, but you’ll forget about me in no time.”

“When is your last day?”

“The end of next week.”

“Don’t you need to give a month’s notice?” I joke.

“I thought about stretching it out, but Trey is eager to start.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Before I forget, Lillith wants to have you over for dinner some night.”

“I’d love that,” I say, smiling.

* * *

“I can’t believe Greg is turning over the team.” Sheryl leans in and speaks quietly before sitting next to me and biting into her sandwich. Apparently, the news is traveling fast.

“I know. I’m sad he’s leaving. I love working for him.”

“I don’t think you’ll mind having Trey as your boss,” she says, her lips mischievously curling.

“Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but I’ve seen him, and he’s hot as fuck.”

“What he looks like doesn’t matter. I hope he’s not an asshole to work for.”

A lot of attractive men have large egos, and I don’t want to deal with that.

We fall silent as we finish eating lunch, but my mind is on my new boss and what the change will mean for me the entire time.

“Did you see Randy?” Sheryl asks.

I push my plate toward the center of the table. “Yeah. He said he got nervous because I’m the type of girl guys marry.” I roll my eyes.

She huffs in disgust. “How lame. I’m ashamed we’re related.”

“He wants another chance, but it’s not happening.”

“Good. He doesn’t deserve one. Does this mean you need my help setting up a Finder profile?”

“Dammit. I shouldn’t have agreed you could if my date didn’t work out.”

“Oh, but you did, so let me have your phone.” She holds out her hand, wiggling her fingers. Reluctantly, I pass it off. Her tongue peeks from the corner of her mouth as she furiously taps away on my screen.

“Don’t make me seem desperate for sex,” I say.

She laughs. “But you are.”

“Shut up.”

“What? You are,” she replies, her eyes never leaving the screen. “And finding someone to hookup with is the purpose of the Finder app.” Five minutes later she holds my phone up in front of me. “Bam! One sexy bitch has a Finder profile.”

I grab her hand, pulling it closer. There I am in color on the screen. “Change the picture.”

She draws her hand back, clutching my phone to her chest. “No way. That’s a great picture of you.”

“I’m in a bikini.”

“Hey, I used your best pic on your phone.”

“Best for what? Looking for a hookup?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what you’re hoping for?”

I shift in my seat. “Yes. No. Maybe?”

It would be nice to meet someone who would be interested in getting together each week for some steamy sex. But the idea of meeting a man on an app is disconcerting.

Sheryl slides my phone across the table to me. “You have a profile if you decide to use it. Your password is Ineedsex69.”

I laugh. “That should be easy to remember.”

“You can update your profile information, but you’re not allowed to change your picture,” she says sternly.

“Yes, Mom.”

“I turned your notifications on, so if you’re on the app, you’ll see who’s matching with you in real time.”

“Oh, thank God,” I jest.

She laughs. “I can’t wait to see who connects with you.”

“Me too,” I say, feeling equal parts curiosity and trepidation. I’ve never used a dating app before and never planned to. But, hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. I just hope something good comes from taking a chance. And by something good, I mean orgasms—delivered by someone other than myself.