Page 16 of The Stud

And more importantly,louderthan their predecessors.

“Daft,” Audrey retorts in a blatant effort to kill the moment.

“Quit trying to sound like someone you’re not,” Hoss viciously bites back. “I already get enough of that in my life thanks to Snowman pretending to be British.”

“I’m not pretending to be British.” Picking up the tiny paper cup barely precedes the claim, “However, I actuallyamDoctenn.”

“Not a real country.”

“Itisa real country.” It’s impossible not to let mirth skate across my expression. “And you know that.”

“Of course she knows that,” interjects Audrey. “Our company has several locations all across it.”

“Your company?” The lukewarm beverage stops mid soar to my lips. “What do you meanyourcompany?” This time she successfully receives all my attention. “Are you not simply an LMC representative?”

She slowly shakes her entire body. “WeareLMC.”

“What?!”

“It’s our family’s company,” Audrey continues to explain. “Publicly catered-”

“Traded.”

“-but our family started it and still owns the vast majority of shares and makes all the cooperation-”

“Corporate.”

“-decisions.”

My face instantly snaps back to Hoss. “You’reour team’s biggest sponsor?!”

“I wanted to be the team’s owner – so I could fire you – but Hennington wasn’t willing to sell.”

Uncertainty regarding whether or not she’s joking is easy to glide past in order to ask, “Does she know who you are?”

“Of course.”

“Did you?!” I toss my question to her lackey. “Before now?”

“Yup,” he smugly answers.

“Do the boys?!”

“No.” All of a sudden, her voice dips to an uncomfortably meek tone. “And I don’t want them to know.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want them to treat me any differently.”

“They wouldn’t.”

“Theywould, just like they did Peck thesecondthey realized it’s his family’s company that basically supplies the entire league with equipment.”

Yeah.

Having your rookie’s name basically on all your shit is fucking strange.

Like right under your tendy wearing neon suspenders strange.

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