Page 31 of Puck Shy

“So,” I say back, unsure of where to start. This isn’t exactly a normal working relationship.

“I’m really glad you took this job, Stevie.”

I look into those strong blue eyes of his. I’m going to have to get used to staring into them without wanting to either jump his bones or jump up and down. I need to learn how to tone both attracted Stevie, who knows what his cock feels like inside her, and Fangirl Stevie down when I’m working with him.

“Are you happy you did?” he adds when I don’t say anything.

I push down my desire to deflect and answer truthfully. “I am. I think I’m going to be good at it.”

A warm smile plays at his bowed lips. “I think you are, too.”

“I hope so, since you hired me,” I say, causing him to chuckle. “Though I have to admit, this was the weirdest way to get a job. You know I do social media, but you didn’t interview me.”

He shrugs nonchalantly. “I trust you.”

“As you’ve said before. But I’d like to remind you that you don’t even know me.”

He taps his long fingers on the desk then leans back in the chair. “I know you enough to know I trust you. Like I said yesterday, you could’ve shared what happened between us with the press. But you didn’t.”

“I would never do that to you,” I say passionately. “I take people’s privacy very seriously. I wouldn’t want someone posting pictures of me in a scene on the internet, either.”

“See, you’ve proven my point.”

“Plus, we sign an NDA at the club,” I add with a smirk.

He shakes his head. “That doesn’t stop some people. And you could have exposed what happened in the bar bathroom.”

I try to blink the images of that night away. “All that aside, what if I’m not actually good at my job?”

“Okay, well, you’ve got me there. I guess I don’t know that. But you said that’s what you do for a living. We’ve already established that you like hockey and you’re a fan. I also have a gut feeling about you, Cherry—I mean, Stevie.”

I bite my inner cheek at his slip, and he smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s going to take a minute for me not to do that.”

“It’s okay,” I say honestly. “I know this is a little weird.”

He steeples his fingers, those blue eyes piercing into me. After a moment, he stands up, and I stare in confusion as he rolls the chair back behind the desk and sits opposite me. He puts his shoulders back and then looks at me once more. This time, the boyish glint in his eye that’s usually there when he looks at me is gone, replaced with cool professionalism.

“Tell me, Ms. Harper,” he says, using my last name to address me. “How can you help me take my social media to the next level?”

I blink at him for a moment then realize he’s completely serious. The butterflies in my stomach dissipate, and I remind myself that this is what I wanted. What I’ve asked of him. I lean down and unzip my backpack, pulling out my old-as-fuck laptop. It’s basically a dinosaur at this point, but it gets the job done.

Once I have that open, I pull out a notebook where I’ve jotted down some ideas. Lucas doesn’t say anything as I set up, but I can feel him watching me carefully as I do. It only makes me more nervous, because now I’ve stopped thinking about our intimate time together but I’m overtaken with the desire to do a good job.

When my eyes meet his again, they’re a little warmer. “See, you’ve already impressed me.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“You came on time and prepared. Those are both things I like in people.”

“Noted.” I smile then open my notebook and show him what I’ve outlined. “I’ve looked at your socials. The biggest thing is you hardly post. You have millions of followers you can utilize, which means you have so many more brand opportunities here, ways for you to earn money. But more importantly, this is a way to connect with your fans. Especially the ones who know you as an actor and not as a hockey player. You could build a great community of people here.”

“So how do we do that?” he asks, leaning forward as if he’s hanging on my every word.

“It’s going to be a lot of work on my end. Mostly, you just have to look pretty while I take pictures of you. I think we can do a lot of day-in-the-life posts, too. People love that. We can give them a little glimpse into your life without having to get too personal.”

“I’m an open book,” he says.

“So you don’t mind if I post that picture I took of you on Valentine’s Day, then?” I tease, realizing I’m the one who’s now being unprofessional. But it just came out of me.

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