Page 29 of Pucking the Team

CHAPTER 12

EMMA

My fingers hover over the keyboard, but I can’t seem to type a coherent sentence. The cursor blinks mockingly on the empty screen, my mind replaying that steamy night with Alex and Lukas on loop like some kind of erotic highlight reel.

It’s been a week since our naughty little conference room tryst, and I’ve been tightly wound ever since. Every glimpse of their chiseled jaws or rippling biceps sends my heart racing faster than a Zamboni on crack.

I shift in my chair, trying to ignore the persistent hum of arousal their mere presence in the building evokes. This is dangerous, and I damn well know it. One wrong move and this flirty little game could torch my career to ashes.

Ping! A message pops up on my screen, and I nearly fall out of my chair. My mouth goes dry as I read it:

“Emma—please come to the front office. We need to discuss an urgent matter regarding your position with the team.”

Oh shit. This is it.

They’re going to fire me, toss me out on my cute little ass for defiling a conference room with not one, but two team staff members.

How could I be so reckless? So stupid?

I push back from my desk on shaky legs, smoothing my skirt with clammy hands. I walk down the hallway toward my impending doom, each click of my heels on the tile a doomsday countdown.

I pause outside the door, swallowing hard. This is where my dreams crash and burn, where my days of witty hockey tweets and thirst-trap player pics come to an end. Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle and step inside, my stomach churning.

To my surprise, Alex stands there with a woman I don’t recognize. She looks to be in her mid-40s, with a crisp blazer, sensible heels, and a no-nonsense smile.

“Emma, this is Karen from HR,” Alex says, his expression unreadable. Oh god, HR? This is even worse than I thought.

Karen extends a hand. “Nice to meet you, Emma. I know this might seem a bit unorthodox, but we have some paperwork to take care of.”

Paperwork? Is that what they’re calling a pink slip these days?

“Consent forms,” Alex clarifies, as if reading my mind. “For us.”

I blink, my brain not quite processing. “Consent forms?”

Karen nods, handing me a stack of very official-looking documents. “Standard procedure for any employees engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship. These will retroactively cover your past…interactions with Mr. Ivanov and Mr. Dvorak. And any future ones as well.”

My cheeks flood with heat. Oh my god, Alex told HR about our conference room hookup? Is nothing sacred? I scan the forms, my eyes widening at phrases like “consensual activity” and “no influence on employment.”

As embarrassed as I am, I start to realize what Alex is doing—he’s protecting us, making sure our jobs aren’t at risk because of our mutual attraction. It’s almost sweet, in a weirdly professional way.

With a shaking hand, I scrawl my signature, feeling like I’m signing away my right to sexual privacy. I guess that’s the price you pay for pucking the team.

Relief and residual anxiety swirl inside me as I hand the forms back to Karen. She smiles, tucking them into a manila folder. “Glad we got that taken care of. You’re all set, Emma. Let me know if you need anything else.”

I nod mutely, not trusting my voice. Alex touches my elbow, sending sparks up my arm. “Emma, could you come chat in my office for a moment?”

Oh lord, what now? Weak-kneed, I follow him down the hall, my mind reeling. I know I should be glad I’m not fired, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve just signed my name in the Devil’s black book. The very sexy, persuasive, hockey-playing Devil’s black book.

I have a feeling my days of flying under the radar are officially over. And that thought is equal parts terrifying and arousing as hell.

As soon as Alex closes his office door behind us, he turns to me, apology written all over his handsome face. “Emma, I’m so sorry for springing that on you back there. I just wanted to make sure we were all covered, legally speaking. I was worried that if I told you beforehand, you might say no to signing the forms.”

I shrug. “I figured that out when we were in the middle of it. I’ll be honest, I don’t love the idea of giving up my privacy, but…I get it. You had the foresight to take care of this, to protect all of us. Thank you.”

He takes a step closer, his hazel eyes searing into mine with an intensity that makes my breath hitch. “Emma, I need you to know that Lukas and I, we’re both very interested in exploring this arrangement further, on a casual basis. But only if you feel the same way. We don’t want to pressure you into anything, especially given our professional relationship.”

I can hardly breathe as I process his words.

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