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“I still don’t understand why you’d be upset if Justin did suggest you to Jess. I mean, if she doesn’t want to hire you, she won’t. So what’s the harm in getting a little help from a friend to land a job? I mean, you work for Sophie’s dad. How do you think you got that job?”
Vivi shook her head at her sister, frustrated that she couldn’t get Aly to understand why the situation bothered her.
“I just feel like he wants me to have a better job so I don’t embarrass him.”
Aly’s eyebrows lowered into a hard frown. “Did he actually say that?”
Vivi had started to shake her head almost as soon as her sister had started to speak. “No. Of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t do that.”
“Then why do you think that’s why he wanted you to get this job?”
Letting her head fall back until she was staring at the ceiling, Vivi let out a short groan. “I don’t know that. I’m not even sure he said anything to Jess. Ugh. I’m being stupid, I know. I just...I know I shouldn’t even be worried about it. It’s Justin. He’s not like—”
She cut herself before she said her ex’s name. She didn’t even want to think about him anymore but here he was, creeping into her relationship with another man.
“Ah.”
Aly set her coffee cup on the counter. She was already dressed and ready for work and Vivi knew she was going to be late but she’d needed Aly to tell her she was being stupid. She just needed to hear someone say it.
“Viv, you don’t need me to tell you Jamie Dunbar is an asshole. A loser asshole who should be castrated with a dull spoon.”
Vivi smiled at her sister’s utter seriousness.
“Don’t let that bastard ruin what could be a really good thing between you and Justin. And don’t let him ruin what could be a really good move for you. Call Jess this morning. Talk to her about the job. I’m going to check in with you at lunch and make sure you did. And if you didn’t, I will hound you until you do.”
Since she knew her sister would follow up on that threat, Vivi nodded and waved her sister off to work. Then she went into the front room and pulled up her photos on the computer. She played with them in Photoshop until the clock on her monitor said nine-fifteen. Then she picked up her phone and called the number on the card Jess had given her.
“Hello, Jess Gardiner speaking.”
“Hi, Jess, it’s Vivi Martin. I’m—”
“Vivi! I am so glad you called. And please excuse my desperation, but I could really use your help. I’m willing to hire you freelance immediately until we can get you hired full-time or until you totally hate me and decide that working for a minor league hockey team is the equivalent to selling your soul to the devil. The hours are shit, the pay’s not great, but the eye candy is sometimes worth the aggravation and you get free admission to every game, although you’ll probably be too busy to enjoy it because you’ll be working. And now, if I haven’t completely scared you away, please tell me you’re calling about the job.”
By the time Jess had stopped talking, Vivi was laughing. “No, you haven’t scared me away and yes, I was calling about the job.”
Through the phone, Vivi heard Jess sigh. “Oh, thank god. But I totally wasn’t kidding about needing you immediately. Do you have time to come into the office today? I know it’s really short notice but when I say the intern-who-shall-not-be-named was a complete and utter failure, I’m not downplaying the situation. Somehow, he managed to corrupt the folder with the midseason team photos. The GM wants all new graphics for the playoff push and that’s great except that I have no time to corral a team full of men who mostly hate having their photos taken. You would think I was making them torture puppies. Ugh.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I would love to come interview for the job.”
“Then please feel free to come in anytime this morning. I will make time for you. We can talk about you freelancing at first if you want see if the job’s a fit and we can go from there. But honestly, at the moment, you’d be doing me a huge favor if you could give me a few hours this week just to get these photos done.”
“Give me an hour to get myself together and I can be in your office until four this afternoon.”
Forty minutes later, Vivi texted Justin from her car after she’d parked in the lot next to the arena. His truck was still there but so were at least thirty other vehicles. So she had no idea if he was here or not.
She still wasn’t sure how she should feel about his involvement in helping her get this job. If he’d had any.
Are you at the arena? I’m interviewing with Jess.
She didn’t expect him to answer right away so she was surprised to get a response a few seconds later.
No. Maintenance day. No practice.
She didn’t know what a maintenance day was, but she guessed it was a day off because of his ribs.
How do you feel?
He didn’t answer right away so she got out of the car, gathered her equipment, and headed for the door.
She recognized the guard, who also recognized her.
“Vivi, right?” He checked his clipboard. “Miss Jess called down, said I should send you up to see her but I think I just saw her pass by a few—yep, there she is.”
“Vivi, you’re early! That’s great.” Jess hustled toward her in heels and a pencil skirt, her white blouse a beacon in the dark hall. “The guys are about to come off the ice and we need to catch them after they take showers and before they can leave.”
Vivi was used to thinking on her feet, but with Jess bearing down on her like a freight train, she froze like a deer in the headlights.
No. No way. This was happening. She absolutely could do this.
Nodding, she forced herself to take the first few steps and the rest came naturally.
Jess grabbed Vivi’s outstretched hand and practically dragged her down the hall.
“It’s kind of a game,” Jess continued as they headed back the wide hall. “Most of the guys hate having their pictures taken, especially for the promo stuff. They practically run when they see me coming with a camera in my hand. Mostly because I make them look like crap. I’ve wanted to redo the promo videos and their head shots for weeks but I just haven’t had the time.”
From the second Jess had started to talk, Vivi’s racing heart had started to calm. She’d dressed for an interview so she was wearing black pants and a pink blouse that complemented her hair. She’d toned down the overly bright hues the last time she’d touched up her color, but she still had streaks of blue, green, pink, and purple throughout her naturally honey-blonde hair.
She hadn’t wanted to admit it, even to herself, but she’d been worried. She hadn’t let herself want this job. It’d seemed too good to be true, especially since it had practically fallen into her lap.
And she still wasn’t sure Justin hadn’t gotten the damn thing for her. But those were all things she’d work through later.
Right now, she actually had a job to do. A job that required her to use her creativity and not just a pinned-on smile. The smile she wore now was real.
“So what exactly am I doing?”
Jess gave her an almost shark-like grin. “Right now, you’re the bait. Most of them know you and they all like you, so I’m hoping that makes this photo shoot go a little easier.”
“I’ve already got the screen set up in the green room so I’m just going to have Coach send them back when they’re ready and I’m going to stand guard near the exit so some of the more stubborn ones don’t try to sneak out.”
Jess stopped at one of the doors along the hallway. Vivi heard the sound of skates on ice much more clearly now, but Jess opened the door and waved her into a large room. Several couches had been moved to one side of the room and a white screen had been set up on the far wall.
“I’ve got a couple of cameras for you to use, but the Canon is better for video.” Jess stepped over to the laptop sitting on a low table in front of the couches and popped open the cover. “I’m really sorry to throw you into this with so little time to prepare but these...” she pointed at the screen, “are some of the best promo shots in the league. A few of the teams have an entire staff to do this stuff. We do have a group who does all the video work for the team and I get game footage from them when I need it, but basically I’ve been the one doing the promotional stuff. And now I have you. If I don’t scare you away before you even start.”
Jess grinned hopefully at her and Vivi just laughed.
“You have to do a lot more than ask me to photograph hot guys to scare me away. Let me take a look at the videos and come up with some ideas.”
“If they’re as good as those shots you took of Justin, this should be a cakewalk.”
Vivi grinned. “He was asleep for most of those, you know.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be able to work your magic with an entire team of slightly grumpy, mostly tired men. Just please don’t hate me an hour from now.”
*****
Two hours later, Vivi’s nerves had vanished and her face hurt from smiling.
That wasn’t a bad thing, because this time her smiles had been genuine. There’d been nights after working a six-hour shift at one of the bars or restaurants where it’d taken every ounce of control to keep a smile on her face and not want to bite people because they were assholes.
This... This was fun.
For the most part, the guys had been happy to see her and they’d been receptive to whatever she’d asked them to do. Even Coach Cary had let her try different things.
The previous intern’s attempts at videos had been mostly unusable, from what she could tell. Only Jess’s marketing skills had been able to salvage some of them. Vivi knew she could give Jess better.
And when the last guy finally shuffled into the room for his turn, Jess was feeling pretty confident.
Until Justin walked in.
And her heart began to race, this time with a mix of desire and a weird sense of trepidation.
“I thought you had today off. Did you drive yourself here?”
She checked him over with a critical eye, noting the lines of pain around his mouth.
“I do, but Jess said you were taking team photos and since I need to have these done, I figured I’d come in and save you the hassle of having to set this all up again.”
Vivi bit her tongue before she said anything. He was a grown man and she wasn’t his wife, just the girl he was having sex with.
Stifling a wince at her own bitchiness, she wondered where the hell that had come from. They’d only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks, although they’d known each other for months now. And every little thing she learned about him made her like him more.
And that was...frightening.
That’s what that other emotion she felt was—fear.
The realization shook her to her core.
“Viv?”
“Yeah, sorry. A lot on my mind right now.”
He nodded and she could tell his mind had drifted to something else, something that was bothering him. She wanted him to tell her what was going on, wanted him to confide in her. Of course, if she couldn’t open up, why would he feel the need?
Then he shook his head and that crooked grin of his reemerged. And she wanted to grab her camera and start shooting. But that’s not what she was there for. This was a job, a job she found herself wanting badly.
And she didn’t want to screw it up. But she didn’t want to screw up her relationship with Justin, either.
Grr.
“Come over and stand here for me. You already have your jersey—”
“Sweater. We call them sweaters.”
“Okay, put your sweater on then come stand over here in front of the screen.”
He did what she’d asked without another word then stood awkwardly in front of the screen.
She went through the same routine she’d gone through with the other guys but, right away, she knew it wasn’t going to work. She’d watched Justin’s video footage from before and had felt embarrassed on his behalf. He’d been painfully uncomfortable and it’d showed.
She hadn’t expected him to be difficult and it left her a little frustrated. Which he picked up on, of course.
“Sorry.” He shook his head and dropped his head as he took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to be difficult.”
“Is something wrong? Other than the pain you’re in.”
“No, nothing’s wrong.” He huffed out a sigh as he raised his gaze to meet hers. “I’ve just always hated this stuff. It makes me feel awkward and stupid. I know it comes with the job but they don’t teach you how to handle this stuff in juniors, you know?”
“But it’s me. You know me.” She teased him with a smile. “You know me pretty well. I won’t let you look stupid.”
“I know. I just don’t want to...disappoint you.”
Her lips parted for a second before she released her own breathless little sigh. How did he manage to take her breath away with a few words and a look?
Walking over to stand in front of him, she looked up into his eyes. “Will it help if you imagine me naked? Because I am damn sure imagining you without a stitch of clothing right now. I can’t wait to get my hands on you again.”
There was the smile she wanted. The one that made her realize she’d do just about anything to make him smile.
Just about anything.
*****
“So you quit? Just walked in and told him you were done?”
“Yep.” Vivi shrugged as she sat on the couch next to Justin in her living room. “I just figured, with this new job, it was time.”
The look of relief on Justin’s face was there and gone in a flash, but she knew she’d seen it. Of course, he was too polite to say anything other than, “I’m glad you’re out of there.”
Vivi figured she probably shouldn’t mention the fact that Al, the owner of the Bomb Shelter, had told the all-female waitstaff that if they wanted to earn a little extra money, he’d convert the unused back room for “private parties.”
The waitresses had looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Two had quit on the spot simply by taking off their aprons and walking out the door.
Vivi had at least waited until the end of her shift before telling Al she was finished, and she’d be by to pick up her check at the end of the week.
By that time, Al had been backpedaling fast and hard, telling them it was entirely up to them if they wanted to earn “a little extra.” But as soon as she’d announced she was leaving, Vivi had known she’d made the right decision.
She’d always be able to find another job waitressing if she needed to. Besides, she had a job.
“No offense but that place was a hole.”
He wasn’t wrong, but there was still a little voice inside her that wanted to argue, that wanted to tell him it was her life and who was he to tell her how to live it.
For so long, that’s all she’d done. She’d argued with her parents who wanted her to do things their way. She’d argued with her teachers who wanted her to do things a specific way.
The one person she hadn’t argued with had been Jamie.
And look how that’d turned out.
But, for like the thousandth time, she told herself Justin wasn’t Jamie. He was nothing like her ex.
So instead of fighting, she straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“You are totally right. That place was a shithole. But I don’t want to talk about that. We’re celebrating tonight.”
His eyes brightened. “Oh yeah? What are we celebrating?”
“Jess came through with an offer today.”
It’d been a week since Vivi had started freelancing for the team but she’d known after the first day that she wanted it.
Just as she knew his smile lit all sorts of sparks inside her.
“And?” he asked.
“And I’m taking it.”
“That’s great, Viv. I’m really glad for you.”
“Thank you. I’m really enjoying it. I wasn’t sure at first. Some of the stuff Jess has me doing wasn’t anything I ever thought I’d be interested in doing, but I like a challenge.”
His gaze heated. “I guess that’s one thing we have in common.”
“Oh yeah? What are the other things?”
It’d been a week since they’d had sex. Well, it’d been a week since they’d had full penetration sex. She’d insisted he concentrate on healing, not on screwing around with her. She didn’t want to be responsible in any way for his not being able to play. And their sex life was surprisingly acrobatic.
But now...
His hands fell on her hips as she shimmied a little closer. On her knees above him, she smiled down into his eyes. He made her so damn happy, it was a little scary.
“Well, we both like pepperoni on our pizza.”
Her smile widened as his hands tugged her hips closer to his erection, which she could just barely sense between her legs. Opening her legs a little wider, she settled herself over the hard ridge and watched his eyelids lower.
“That’s true.” She started a slow grind on his cock, separated by his sweats and her yoga pants. She’d soon be wet through her underwear and her pants. And she didn’t care a bit. “What else do we both like?”
His breath deepened and his voice did, as well. “I think we both like when I make you come.”
She shuddered at the desire in his voice, a rough edge that stroked along every single one of her nerve endings.
“I think you’re right.”
One of his hands slipped from her hip down her thigh then back up to cup her between her legs. He caught her clit beneath the heel of his hand and pressed, making her fight back a moan at the wonderful ache he stoked.
“And I think,” she added, “that I like when you fuck me hard and fast.”
He groaned as his lips crashed against hers, kissing her so hard she forgot to breathe for several seconds.
When he pulled away, she sucked in air and followed him back to kiss him this time.
While she was still worried about his ribs, she knew he’d been back to practice and had played both games the past weekend.
So she could probably stop worrying about his injuries and...
As if they could read each other’s minds, he worked her pants down her legs while she pushed his sweatpants down to his thighs.
With her mouth plastered against his, she shifted forward, rubbing her labia against his cock. He was holding it away from his body, wetting the tip in the moisture coating her sex, teasing the hell out of both of them.
She wanted to sink down and ride him until they both exploded but she also wanted to drag it out.
Then again, slow and easy was overrated.
Fitting herself to him, she took him inside, moaning at the burn as sank down.
When she had him completely inside her, she sat there, enjoying the sensation of having him inside her.
Hers.
“Come on, Viv. Ride me.”
Since she couldn’t seem to deny him anything, she did.