Page 37 of Dirty Play

“Excuse me? You’re telling me that you are friends with those men, and you’ve never introduced me?” Mariah feigns horror.

“I didn’t think about it. I guess I’m good at keeping my work and private life separate. The joy of having workaholic parents is that I’ve learned how to compartmentalize very well.”

“But… have you seen them? I’m on Team Kennedy with this one, Miles is something else—he’s both rugged and the boy next door, and damn, I wish I could teach him a thing or two,” Mariah says, fanning herself while she daydreams about doing lord knows what with my friend.

At least she didn’t say Cade.

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong, they’re all attractive AF. Trevor’s dating my friend Ellie, but Miles and Harris are both single!”

“Weren’t there four guys that came? I heard Dr. Demario mention that the goalie was here too—we both know how much he loves the goalie.”

I blush at the mention of Cade, doing my best to school my face before turning to Mariah. “Yeah, that’s Cade Williams. He was here, too.”

“And is Mr. Williams single, too?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows excitedly, and I feel myself blush, immediately remembering our naked night together.

“Um, I guess he is,” I say, still avoiding eye contact.

Turning to grab another file, I keep my head down in an attempt to look busy. I’ve worked with Mariah for a while. We are good enough friends that she can tell when I'm withholding things, and she can typically pull them right out of me. It also bodes well for her that if my mouth doesn’t say it, my face surely will.

“Why’d you leave him out then?” she asks, smiling. “Is it the same reason you’re avoiding eye contact with me?”

I look up slowly, willing my blush to stay down, not wanting to add any more fuel to the fire.

“I must’ve forgotten he was here.”

“Really? Because Denise mentioned that there was a hockey player here the other night to see you... was it him?”

Fuck.

“Well, aren’t you two just a couple of gossip girls,” I say, still avoiding eye contact.

“Are you really not going to give me anything? Are you two dating? Are you fucking dating an NHL goalie and not telling me?” she whispers, her tone sharp, but she’s smart enough to keep her voice down knowing that if I give her anything, it’ll only be if no one else hears any of it.

“Umm… no, we are not dating. We’ve been good friends for a while, though.”

“So, you’re telling me that you and Cade are just friends?” Mariah says, the disbelief obvious in her tone.

“Yes. We are just friends.”

“Then why will you still not look me in the eye?”

Finally caving, I look up at her, immediately noticing the twinkle in her eyes, and I feel caught, like I’m walking into her trap and she’s about to hit me with more questions than I can fend off. Doing my best to avoid her inquisition, I give her the basics, knowing at least this way, maybe I could be in control of what I share.

“We had a bit of a drunken night a while back and ended up sleeping together, but nothing came of it. So, we’re just friends.”

“You fucked Cade Williams?” she shouts, much louder than necessary. But thankfully, when you work the night shift there are not as many people roaming around the halls, so we are in the clear this time.

“Keep it down, woman. I don’t need the entire hospital knowing my business. Especially Dr. D—chances are he’d either hate me for fucking his dream hockey player or constantly bug me to meet him, and honestly, I’m not in the mood to have either conversation with him.”

“How do you stay friends with someone that hot after you’ve seen him naked? He’s got this dark, mysterious vibe to him. Whenever I’ve gone to a game he just seems like he has secrets. Secrets that make him that much hotter.”

“It hasn’t been easy if I’m being honest. That being said, it’s not worth losing one of my best friends over, so if the only way Cade can be in my life is if I keep the naked time off the table, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“There are other places you can fuck that aren’t a table. You can fuck in a bed? A car? Against a wall? Hell, I’d fuck that man in a crowded room and let the world watch—he’s that hot.”

“Ugh, I know. And if you imagine him being a rock star in bed, times that by a bajillion. He made me see stars. I think I legitimately blacked out at one point, and it was the closest to meeting God that I’ve ever come in my entire life, and I was raised Catholic.”

“Then what happened?”

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