Page 2 of Conner

He slowed down and said, “Hey, are you new here?”

“Yeah, it's my first day. I'm a new social media manager for the team.”

“Oh, welcome aboard! Between you and me, Bill never did much there.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, the team's presence has been pretty minimal at best on social media, I'm here to fix that and hopefully boost sales.”

“I didn't catch your name,” he said with a smile.

“Sasha, Sasha Maloof.”

“Nice to meet you, Sasha. I'm Cash. I'm sure I'll see you around.”

“Yeah, I'll see you,” she said, smiling confidently. Then he turned and continued down the hall. See, she had been perfectly normal that time. She was capable. Why Conner McPhee flustered her was a mystery, but she could do this.

“Sasha, I'm so excited to meet with you,” said Hillary, standing in her office doorway. “I got your email and I'm excited to see what you can do.” They both walked into her office and took a seat.

“I’m looking forward to this opportunity and I think I can really improve the team's online presence. Having a social media strategy is important for all organizations in this day and age. I think the five-point plan of Community, Family friendly, Education, Behind the Scenes, and Expanding fanbase is a good place to start,” Sasha said.

“I agree. I'm willing to just let you do your thing, but can you walk me through some of your thoughts to start out?”

“Of course. I'm hoping to get to know the players and the management and find out where everyone fits in the best. I’ll be posting promotions obviously, but then I was thinking about doing different series about getting to know the players, coaches, and trainers. To start I was thinking a player who would be good at teaching tips and tricks.”

“That all sounds wonderful! Conner McPhee might be a good one for the tips and tricks. He's great on camera and a crowd favorite, plus he's captain.”

“That's a great thought! Thank you,” she said, making a note of that. The part she was about to bring up would be new and as of right now, not many hockey teams were doing it, but Sasha believed in this idea. “As far as growing the fanbase, I think I might try some strategizing to try to bring more women into the fanbase and in extension into the sport.”

“Hmmm,” Hillary nodded and thought about it. “I think that would be good. This is why we hired you, Sasha. We’re excited to see what you can do for our online presence. And in that vein, try not to let Bill bother you. He doesn't understand why we hired you and thinks social media is silly.”

Sasha nodded. “I get it. My dad is still surprised I can make an actual career out of it. I think he thought I was going to be an influencer forever. He thought I was wasting my degree. I'm sure I can prove to be valuable to the organization with time,” Sasha said.

“There is no doubt in my mind.” Hillary looked down at her watch. “Why don't I introduce you to the team? They are just about to start their meeting. I can introduce you before that and then maybe we can chat about some of the players and where they might fit into your plan.”

“That sounds great!”

The two of them left her office and started down the hallway she had just watched all the players walk down. Hopefully she would have more interactions like she had with Cash and be able to fully form thoughts. The thought of the interaction with Conner still made her cringe, but she wouldn’t let it happen again.

2

Conner

Conner was ready to get started back to work after being away from the rink for so long. He and Wes had been chosen for the All-Star game, and after that they had both went to Conner’s hometown to play in a local hockey game and celebrate his father’s birthday. But he was back now and ready to get down to business. It was almost February and that meant it was time to get serious about playoffs.

He liked their chances this year. He and Wes had good rhythm and were both pretty good at getting the pucks to the back of the net. Cash and Taylor were the best defensemen in the league. Hell, even Ethan was in the top five goalies in the league. This was their year. He could feel it. They had come close twice in his time with the Magic, but this year they were going to bring the cup home.

He passed a new face in the hallway while on his way to their Monday meeting. She was one of the most striking women he had ever seen. Even now as he sat in this room waiting for the meeting to start, he kept thinking about her. She had these deep brown eyes and long sleek dark brown almost black hair, and quite possibly the most kissable lips he’d ever seen. Unfortunately, he had no interest in dating anyone, the cup was his priority. He wasn't one of those guys who could handle casual sex, so that left him and his hand busy most of the time. There would be time to settle down, but he wanted the cup first.

But even with all of that, he had asked for her number and offered her tickets to the game. And then there was the way his whole body had lit up when she shook his hand. He was not dating, but if there ever was to be an exception it would be her. He looked at the number she put in his phone. Sasha Maloof. He would get her tickets and text her, and maybe he would invite her out with the team.

Cash Hawthorn walked into the room and Conner felt a twinge of jealousy. He loved Cash, he loved all his teammates, but guys like Cash had sex. They had lots of sex. And hey, more power to them. As long as everyone is up front, casual sex can be a great way to blow off steam, but it wasn’t how Conner operated. He didn’t like the thought of her having a casual hook up with him, so maybe he wouldn’t be inviting her out after all. He wasn't quite ready, but he had her number and would get her tickets. It was a start. Maybe after the season he would call her up and take her out.

He texted the ticket office and had them put back two tickets, and then texted her.

Conner - Hi Sasha, it was nice to meet you this morning. There are two tickets waiting for you at the will call window for Tuesday's game.

That was done. Now it was time to focus. Being the captain of this team meant he was the leader. He set the tone for team culture, and he was ready. It was time to focus and keep their eyes on the prize, the big cup sized prize that would be coming to Glendale this year.

The team was slowly starting to filter into the room. Conner was front and center because he always was. He could hear Wes and Ethan chattering behind him. They acted like teenage boys together, but they were good guys, and they worked hard. Cash sat down next to him, there was no one who wanted this cup as badly as Conner, but Cash was a close second. Conner and Cash had been on the team the longest, which made them hungriest for it.

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