Page 38 of Love on the Ice

“Is this girl worth getting into fights over?” he asks.

I lift my head and look directly into his eyes. “She’s just not some girl I’m fucking,” I state. “These assholes, they say personal shit, and it’s not okay.”

Burns dips his chin in a single nod, then he tilts his head to the side, his gaze focused on mine. “You have to control yourself,” he says.

“No shit,” I snort.

We stare at one another in silence. Then he stands, and I watch as he walks toward his window. He’s a shorter man in stature than I am. His hands clasp behind him as he rocks back on his heels.

“You have to control yourself because once you show a weak spot, they will always use it against you.”

Slowly, he turns around to face me, his eyes finding mine and holding my gaze before he speaks again. “You have to find some self-control over this. You wanna date this girl, you wanna marry her, you wanna just fuck her. I don’t care what you do, but this is your career, and I would hate to see you lose it over some cunt.”

As much as I want to tell him to fuck himself, I don’t. Instead, I ball my hands into fists and then release them. He’s not wrong to a degree. I need to have more self-control. I shouldn’t have gone after my own teammate that way. I shouldn’t have gone after the refs at the game when that asshole pissed me off.

“Yes, Coach.”

“Get your shit together, Tillman. You’re a great fucking player.”

I stand, walk out of his office, and head for my locker to grab my stuff. But there is someone standing in front of my locker when I arrive. It’s Forrest. I inhale a deep breath and let it out slowly as I stand in front of him.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. It was just a joke.”

I appreciate the words. And I know he means them. “I blew up,” I say. “I shouldn’t have hit you like that.”

“I hope you know I like Lorelai. I was just ribbing you.”

Nodding my head, I clear my throat. “I’m just sensitive after that Condor talked shit. I took it out on you, and I shouldn’t have,” I admit.

It’s the truth.

“We cool?” Forrest asks.

I snort, taking a step toward him and wrapping my arm around him, slapping his back in a hug. “Of course, we’re fuckin’ cool,” I murmur, situation done and forgotten.

I grab my stuff and head back home. I hope to catch Lorelai, but when I pull into the driveway, climb out, and look up at her bedroom window, I notice that her blinds are drawn closed. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I text her.

U HOME?

LORELAI

My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it. I have just started my shift, and my partner today is a serious bitch. I hate working with her, and usually, I ask for the shifts she’s not on, but right now, I need as many shifts as I can get, so beggars can’t be choosers.

Moving behind her into the room, I begin to gather the towels. We’re low because the college is having a graduation, and the hotel is fully booked. I walk into the hallway and place the dirty towels in the bin of the cart.

My job is to clean the bathroom. I hate it, but like I said, my partner is a bitch, and there’s no way she’s going to do the dirty work. I try not to think about the fact that the graduation is happening.

I mean, it’s not like I would be there, but also, I would be finished with my certificate classes, and now I’m not. I can’t even get a callback for a receptionist position anywhere. Or an intern job. Nothing.

So, unless something magical happens, I should just accept my fate and work here. This is stable. They always need someone, and maybe I can work my way up to something else one day. It’s not like I have a family to take care of. It’s just me, and this is enough for me to pay my bills. As long as I never need a car and always live with roommates.

I’m not really paying attention to anything as I follow my partner down the hall to the next room. Lifting my hand, I knock and call out that I’m housekeeping. There shouldn’t be anyone in here. This room is being prepped for the next guest.

I open the door and step inside, then I freeze because there on the bed are my professor and Jill, one of the girls in my class. I gasp at the same time Jill screams, but I can’t move. I’m frozen where I am.

My professor grabs her hips and moves her body up and down along his length, his eyes on mine. He moves her along his dick, watching me, unbothered that I’m here in the room. In fact, I’m positive he likes it.

Spinning around, I run out of the room. My partner does the same, except on her way out, she’s calling security. I secretly love her for this. We don’t speak of it and continue with our shift. However, it’s clear that we're both disturbed by what we’ve witnessed.

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