Chapter 7 Luca
I was trying my hardest to ignore my skating partner.
But it was fucking impossible when my partner was Matilda Stevens.
I’d managed to avoid looking at her all morning. Then she had to go and kneel in front of me and look up with those huge green eyes, pretty fucking freckles, and blond hair, and I had to do everything in my control to think about anything but the fact she was face-to-face with my crotch.
It had been a while, all right.
I’d never sunk so fucking low. I had to distract myself to avoid getting too worked up with her being so close. I didn’t even like the girl, but clearly my dick wasn’t as picky.
Her attractiveness put me on edge, but it wasn’t just that now. The longer the training session dragged on, the more it sank in: I was going to have to trust her, at least a little, which went entirely against my instincts. And this was just a small glimpse of what the next few months would bring.
We’d been on the ice for over two hours, and I knew my legs would ache tomorrow. Matilda looked as if she’d just stepped out of hair and makeup, without a single spot of sweat or a hair out of place.
She was constantly praising my skating and, I’ll admit, it was nice to know that the practice had paid off.
There was a reason I used to be the top pick for producers: I was always prepared and ready to take whatever they threw at me. I despised going onto a set without knowing every piece of information or any small detail that would help my performance.
So, I’d been practicing skating for a few weeks before pre-season training—sue me. I wasn’t telling Matilda that or admitting it to Jack, although I was sure he could guess.
“You’re so close to getting the backward C-cuts, Luca.” I ignored the thrill that pulsed beneath my skin at the compliment and focused on my footwork.
I lifted my skate slightly and pushed it out in a C shape, repeating on the opposite side. My movements were choppy and wobbly, but I continued on and on until I reached the other end of the rink. Turning around, I repeated the movements, skating backward toward Matilda.
“Woohoo!” she cheered me on as I approached, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Nice work! You’re doing great.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, stopping in front of her, using the technique she’d shown me at the start, and leaned on the side of the rink, mimicking her stance.
She nodded. “Let’s break for lunch and then jump back on for the last two hours?”
My knees shook at the thought of skating for another two hours, but I was a determined fucker, so I said, “Sure.”
“Did you want to get lun—” She was cut off by someone shouting her name.
“Matilda!” A tall woman with mousy brown hair stood at the rink’s entrance. I almost missed the small sigh from Matilda as she looked toward the newcomer, her brows pinched tightly. It was the first time I’d seen her energy drop below anything but that of a megawatt battery.
She blinked at me and smiled before she waved at the woman.
I arched a brow in a silent question.
“My sister,” she said.
“Why’s she here?”
“I have no idea.” She paused, then jerked her head toward me. “I promise, I did not tell her we were partnered. She probably doesn’t even know that the season has started yet.”
I believed her. Her word-vomit and how she’d momentarily deflated when she spotted her sister made me think this wasn’t a welcome visit.
“It’s fine,” I told her. “Go see what she wants; she looks impatient.”
“Yeah, sure. Good idea,” Matilda said and started skating toward her. I followed, and as we got closer, it was clear how different the two were.
Her sister was still beautiful, but Matilda was in a league of her own. Where my partner all but glowed when she walked into a room, with a curve to her hips and bright golden hair, her sister was slim, tall, and stern-looking.
“Hey Lauren, is everything all right? Is Taylor OK?” Matilda asked her, stepping off the ice.
“Everything’s fine. Why didn’t you pick up your phone? I need to go in to the office this evening, so you need to collect Taylor from school.”
“I’m working, so I don’t have my phone on me. And I’m working the whole day,” Matilda explained. “Is anyone else around to grab her?”
“Your work is flexible, though, and you can normally pick her up.”
Matilda paused for a second, and although I couldn’t see her face, her shoulders were slightly slumped.
“I mean, it’s not flexible; training for the show has just started.”
Lauren stared at her sister, tilting her head imperiously, a silent demand lingering in the air. A twinge of annoyance sparked in my chest at how easily Lauren overlooked the fact that Matilda was so obviously busy.
Matilda caved. “Sure. I’ll grab her at four. What time will you collect her?”
Stepping off the ice to the left of where they stood, I took a seat where I’d left my skate guards.
“I’m not sure. Nine, maybe. I’ll let you know when I leave the office.”
“OK, sure.”
“She will probably have some homework to do, so can you make sure she does it, please, and help her if she needs it.”
“Yeah, of course,” Matilda answered, her fingernails tapping her upper thigh.
Lauren adjusted her bag to her other shoulder, unaware of or unbothered by her sister’s discomfort.
“Wait, did you say training had started? I thought that was next week,” Lauren asked, tone dripping with false sweetness.
“Yeah, training started today, actually.”
I looked up at the same time that Lauren looked over to where I sat. I didn’t care if she thought I was rude, so I didn’t bother acknowledging her with more than a glance. Casting me a long look, she crossed her arms in a futile attempt to push up her nonexistent cleavage.
“Introduce me, will you?” Lauren’s voice dropped an octave.
“Lauren…” Matilda warned in a low whisper.
“What? Don’t be rude,” she snapped.
“You know we’re not supposed to—”
“Stop being so uptight.”
Matilda took a step back but continued, “You know the rules. This is my job—”
I stood and walked toward them, growing tired of their squabbling. Lauren was wasting our time.
“I’m Luca, Matilda’s partner.” I didn’t offer a hand to Lauren.
Lauren’s smile widened and, in that moment, they could almost have passed for twins.
“Lauren.” She placed a hand on her chest. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. How are you finding—”
She was cut off by a shrill ring from her phone.
She hesitated, her smile turning tight-lipped as she glanced down at the interruption.
She sighed and clenched her teeth. “I’ve got to get this.
I’ll speak to you later, Matilda.” She turned to leave before pausing at the double doors.
“Can you make sure not to give Taylor anything too carby for dinner? I know you love your pasta and pizza.”
If Matilda was offended by the backhanded insult, she didn’t show it. “She’s eleven, Lauren” was her only response.
“A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” She looked Matilda up and down, then turned to appraise me. “I’ll see you at the press event in a few weeks.”
Yeah, fucking right. Even if I was attending, I wouldn’t be spending any time with you.
I turned to my partner. Her eyes were dull, and her left hand’s fingers were still tapping her thigh. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her sister, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and visibly shook herself a little, before turning back toward me with a small smile.
It felt off. Forced.
I had a moment of hesitation before telling Matilda my news, but I decided I should just get this over with. Better to set expectations now than have her assume otherwise and make it worse down the line.
“I’m not attending the week five press event, by the way.” My stomach hollowed as her smile immediately dropped. She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Why?”
“Because I hate paparazzi and journalists.”
When she spoke again, there was a desperation in her tone that I hadn’t heard before. “Please, Luca.” I studied her. For the first time, she wasn’t hiding what she was really feeling. My words had upset her; it was written all over her face.
“Will my not attending affect our chances of winning?”
“Well, it’s important if we want to make a good impression, yes, but it’s not just that.
It’s…I…I can’t…We can’t not go. My mother would have an aneurysm if we didn’t attend together.
” She wanted to go because of her mom? My lips parted, ready to ask her to elaborate, but she continued.
“Please. I get why you want your privacy, and why you don’t want to be friendly—but please, can we just attend this event together? It’s really important for me.”
Her voice wavered, soft and heavy. I shifted on my feet. She sounded…tired. It reminded me of my mother.
I didn’t like the way Lauren treated her sister so dismissively. Even if I didn’t exactly like Matilda, it bugged me enough that I knew I didn’t want to dismiss her like Lauren did.
“Fine, we’ll go.”
One event. I could manage that. Matilda hadn’t asked for much, not really.
Her shoulders sagged with relief and a smile finally graced her lips again. Despite my hesitations about her, I knew I had made the right decision.
“Thank you so much, Luca,” she gushed, and glanced to the clock on the wall. “Sorry, looking at the time, we might have to grab just a quick lunch now if that’s OK?”
“Sure. Meet back here in twenty?”
“Yeah, that works great.” I thought she’d try again to ask if we should grab lunch together, but she didn’t. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “See you in a sec” to Jack. I’d forgotten he was still there. It was unlike him to be quiet for so long.
He waved with a genuine smile, and an uncomfortable knot tightened in my stomach. I stared after her for a moment too long.
“Was that her sister?” Jack walked to where I stood.
“Yeah, she was weird.”
“Completely different to Matilda.”
“She’s something, all right…Did you hear their conversation? Matilda didn’t sound too happy.” I instantly regretted my words when Jack tilted his head playfully.
“Aww, do you feel bad for Matilda? First you agree to the press event, now you’re concerned for her.”
“No, I just noticed that she was marginally less annoying for a moment.”
His booming laugh echoed around the empty space.
“Man, you are fucking hilarious. Lighten up—Matilda’s a nice girl. She’s not Nancy; she’s just trying to do her job.”
“No one’s that fucking nice,” I argued, reaching down to grab a protein bar from my bag. Ripping the packet open, I took a bite.
“Are you so self-centered that you think she started her career on this show four years ago just hoping you’d be a contestant one day?” He was belly-laughing now.
He has a point.
Still, she could have been an opportunist.
“You can be so cynical sometimes, you know that?” he said as if he could read my mind.
“I am not cynical; I’m realistic.”
“Whatever you say, buddy. While you’re working out what deep, dark secret she’s harboring, I will be making the most of her company, because she’s nice.”
“Are you trying to get into her panties or something?”
“And if I was?” Jack said with a mischievous smirk.
“I can’t win this show if I have a heartbroken, crying skating partner when you inevitably end things with her.”
“Well, then, you’ll be pleased to know I’m not looking to get into her panties.” He said the word with a fake American accent and slapped my shoulder, turning me toward the café area. “She’s just a good person, Luca. Lighten up.”