Page 17 of Well Played

They projected the scenes onto the fucking wall.

Hallie, my private, introvert little Hallie, stared up at the pictures of the two of us together and they were beautiful. So goddam beautiful she could be a model for any fucking company whether these women could see it or not. I sure as fuck knew the team saw it, and a deep sound rose in my chest as I barreled my way into the office, pushing between ranks and slapping theback of more than one head who’s owner had to adjust his pants when he couldn’t take his eyes off the real thing.

“Let’s get you out of here,” I murmured in Hallie’s ear, sliding my fingers around her arm.

She stood frozen, but when she turned to me, her face was devoid of emotion. “No.”

“Huh?” I watched her carefully. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

“I’m not leaving,” she said firmly, pressing her heels into the industrial grade carpet under her feet.

Hux burst through the front doors, his eyes trailing over the scene, over her, and the red marks I’d left visible on the inside of her thighs. He wasn’t the only one to spot them, and the wordtoymade its rounds in the WAGS cluster.

The Chimeras captain swallowed hard, raising his eyes to meet mine as he blew out a hard breath.Get her out of here,he mouthed.

I shook my head.Her choice,I replied, gripping her arm tight anyway.

“Whoever has the originals to these can hand them back, or delete them. Please,” Hallie added in a clear, loud voice that stopped all conversation in the office.

“Damn, girl.” I stared down at her, proud as motherfucking punch at the girl I loved who refused to be cowed by the pathetic attempt at bullying that had the opposite effect on every man in the room.

The corner of her mouth quirked. “I’m sure Solace would like them for personal use.”

Hux laughed out loud, leaning back against the doors, barring exit in that direction. I nodded over my shoulder and Shannon did the same at the back of the room, trapping everyone inside.

“It doesn’t matter.” Janelle stepped out from behind her desk, her hair pulled into a demure ponytail, wearing the baggiest brown dress I’d ever seen on that woman. “She can’t work here after that.” She gestured to the mess on the wall where Hallie rode me in the gym.

Damn, I needed to remake that scene with her and have her clean the equipment with her tongue while I took her from behind.

I scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been screwing around with Hux for over a week and before that every time you bent down I got to say hello to your great-grandmother right along your gene line,baby,” I tacked on with a sneer, belatedly noting her red-rimmed eyes and backed off the sarcasm an inch.

Hallie tilted her head to one side. “But she’s not with Hux any more, are you?”

Janelle stepped back, shook her head and retreated to her desk. “Do whatever you want, Hallie,” she said in a small, tired voice, so unlike her usual outgoing personality I stared.

But Hallie seemed to get it, still wrapped in her strange mood. “Did you meet Kylie Smart, Hux?”

The captain leaned away from the door, his show of bravado dropping. I squeezed her arm in warning.

“He came out to tell me,” I murmured. “He’s on your side.”

“And I’m on his,” she replied enigmatically, her voice lowered as she looked up at me, her eyes clear.

I studied her and nodded, ignoring the ongoing slideshow of us fucking overhead. Someone had the sense to stop the thing, and the room dimmed a little.

“Yes, actually, he did.” The girl with the gold nails and hair to match from the kitchen yesterday before Hallie went nuts on me sauntered across the room, sliding her arm through Hux’s. She smiled brightly—too fucking brightly for the occasion—at everyone who gawked at the stranger in our midst. “I don’t thinkhe’ll be playing with office girls any more. You should probably reconsider, too,” she said to me pointedly. “I’ve already removed her from one player before.” She dismissed Hallie as though she was nothing, studying her gold, primped nails.

Hallie flinched.

All that show–the pictures of us fucking in full sight, the bullying, the words, the fat shaming… everything, andthis womanmakes her react?

The penny dropped for me in full. “You’re the other woman.” I stared at Kylie. “The one Hallie’s ex cheated on her with.”

Kylie didn’t bother to look at me, intent on doing something with those damn talons attached to her fingers. Which meant she missed Hux’s look of disgust aimed right at the top of her head.

He shook his arm free. “Get off me. And get the fuck out. I should have known better.”

Kylie glanced up at him. “I’m sure you’ll get over it. These things happen.”

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