Page 14 of Holding The Reins

CeCe stands up. “Thank you so much for the opportunity, but I just feel like this won’t work out.”

She tries to leave but I easily block her from getting around me. I’ve known this woman over half my life and have no idea what it is that I’ve done to piss her off, but I’m not letting her get away that easily.

“CeCe,” I say, looking down at her. With my skates on, I’m towering over her tiny frame.

She looks up at me and blinks expectantly.

“What, Nash? I just don’t think I could work for you.”

Now I’m just offended. I try to recall all my interactions with her in a matter of ten seconds. She glares up at me through thick lashes, waiting for me to move.

I don’t. I double down. I don’t take no for an answer when I want something.

“I disagree. It would work perfectly. You haven’t even given it some fair thought. You’re definitely qualified, I can already trust you, and you know the town. How about this—I have a short power skating class to get started. Let Sonny show you around the facility, meet the instructors, show you where your office would be and what you’d be working on and then, I’ll meet with you afterwards and if you still say no, I’ll respect that.”

She won’t say no. I’m placing all my bets on the fact that the pretty office destined to be hers that looks over the ice and all the good we’re doing for the kids around here will pull her back in. If I remember correctly, CeCe has a big heart for kids and loves a challenge. Our accounting is definitely a challenge at the moment.

Sonny can tempt her with all we offer and then, after my class, I’ll close the deal. More money, better hours, whatever she wants. We need her, and not just because she looks fucking incredible in the little black pencil skirt and silky white blouse she’s wearing. We need her for her skills. How good she looks is just a bonus that I’m sure Wade or Cole would squarely punch me in the dick for just noticing.

She eyes me up as if to see if I’m being straight with her, calculating the opportunity over her sudden, unfair disdain for me.

“Okay,” she says.

“Good, I’ll see you soon.” I smile at her as I say it, and nod to Sonny to handle this, she nods back. I head to my class, looking forward to seeing CeCe afterwards a little more than I care to admit.

Forty minutes later, I’m off the ice, leaving Chris, one of my trainers, in charge for the last ten minutes of class so I can catch a quick shower. I’m not going to woo my prospective new administrator if I smell like my hockey bag.

I find CeCe in her new office when I’m done. Yes, I’m going to will it into existence. It’s her office. I’ll manifest it and all that hippy shit, just like Mama Jo always tells me to.

She sits across from Sonny, wearing thin, gold-rimmed glasses as she looks over paperwork.

“Have you seen enough yet?” I ask her casually, leaning against the door frame.

She looks up from a mess of paperwork.

“You really need a lot of help here. This is way too much for one person, you’ve been running poor Sonny ragged and this is all highly unorganized. It’s raising my anxiety just looking at it,” she says accusingly.

“I know, you’re right, and I feel just terrible about it, that’s why we need you so desperately,” I plead.

Sonny gets up from the seat across from CeCe and pats me on the shoulder as she breezes by me.

“Way to lay it on thick, Boss. I trust you can finish this? I have registration at 4:15.”

I nod and turn a smirk back to CeCe.

“Poor thing, she hasn’t even had a lunch break today. She just can’t stop or things fall behind.” She rolls her eyes at me, and even that is hypnotizing to watch.

Hypnotizing? What the fuck is the matter with me? Sex. I need to have sex.

“Oh shut up, Nash. I’m not going to let you pull on my heartstrings. Do you really think this will work? You kind of grate on my nerves, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Yeah, I can plainly see that… but what I don’t get is why?” I ask.

I want her to work here—no, I need her—so we need to hash this out and I’m never one to beat around the bush.

CeCe grunts the cutest little sound; her pretty face is in a tormented scowl as if it’s obvious why she has a problem with me. Yet, I’m still clueless. Aside from picking on her with the boys a zillion years ago, I can’t think of a single thing. I’ve always respected her and even watched out for her.

“Cause… it’s just… you’ve always tormented me, my whole life. Every time I turned around, you were picking on me. You told Michael Merriweather I had mono so he wouldn’t ask me to the junior prom,” CeCe says as she holds up her thumb like she’s about to count off the many reasons.

---