Page 1 of Hat Trick Heart

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SASSY

“Please don’t ask me to do this with you,” I beg, staring at my roommate and best friend.

“Come on, Sassy. It’s been so long since we actually got to hang out together. I need this,” she wheedles, staring at me with these big, puppy-dog brown eyes that I just can’t say ‘no’ to!

“I’ve been working. You know that. We’ve got so many new things going on at the library and it’s been a mess with the renovations. I just haven’t had time to do anything but work. It’s nothing personal.”

She huffs, her short, caramel-brown curls fluffing up as she glares at me. “I’m telling you, if you don’t come out with me when I’ve got these tickets my boss gave me for free… I’m gonna take it personally. We never get to go anywhere,” she whines.

It’s true. We’re always trying to save up for some girls’ trip or other adventure but we usually get derailed by some expense that we never saw coming. Like my car breaking down twice this year. I really need to replace the dang thing but it’s more than I can afford right now. It’s not like librarians make a ton of money.

“Fine. But if we do this, we’re not hanging around once it’s over. I absolutely do not want to go stare at a bunch of sweaty neanderthals at a bar who can’t do anything but grunt and belch!”

“You can be so judgmental about jocks. I just don’t get it. They’re human too. They put on their pants one leg at a time. They just happen to have fantastic legs that go with bodies like Greek gods.”

Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms. I don’t just dislike jocks.

I hate them.

I’m sure there might be some great guys out there that play sports. I’ve just never run across any of them and I’m not likely to in a bar after a hockey game or whatever the hell it might be called.

“I’m not gonna hang out with hockey players. I don’t care what you do to get invited…” I point my finger at her because we both know she’ll try. She likes meatheads. “I’m not going with you. You’ll have to go by yourself.”

“Fine. Be that way. But I think you’re missing out if you don’t ride one of those boys like he’s a bucking bronco one of these days.”

Her exploits are legendary. The girl likes to find herself some action everywhere she goes. I’m just not interested.

I lift my brow and grin at her. “You’ve had enough dick for the both of us. I think I’m good.”

“Pfft!” She wags a finger at me but lets it drop. “Just get dressed. I can’t wait to see this match-up! These guys are hot with a capital H!”

“Doesn’t mean they’re any good.”

“Seriously, lighten up!”

I sigh and turn around. “I’ll change into jeans and a T-shirt. Be back in a minute.”

I shut the door behind myself and sigh. I really hate this. I don’t like any kind of sports and I sure as hell don’t like guys who play sports.

I remember back to hearing: “There she is! Miss Ice Princess in all her glory! If by glory you mean her big ass!”

I wince when I picture Brett Barker. The bastard made my life hell all through school. If he wasn’t knocking my books out of my hands he was sliding under me when I wasn’t looking. I lost track of how many times I didn’t pay attention and all of a sudden found myself sitting on his lap, his arms around me like an iron ring holding me in place.

“I bet you’d be so grateful for a good fuck that you’d have no problems doing any damn thing I wanted,” he said.

I blushed and lifted my hands up to my flaming cheeks. Always. He was always so foul-mouthed that I couldn’t stop blushing. Even now, I can’t. He’s the reason I’ve never even gone to a game or looked at a man if he plays sports.

They’re all big-ego bastards who think you should be grateful if they deign to notice you. Too freaking bad. I’m not interested. Not at all.

I finish dressing and walk out, holding my arms out. “Well, how do I look?”

“Like a girl who needs a good time more than I need my next ice cream bar.”

“Wow! That’s saying something,” I laugh and grab a light jacket. “Since you eat those dang things like they’re going out of style!”

“Hey! Sometimes you just have to eat your feelings and considering that I’m in a very long dry spell, I need that chocolate goodness.”

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