Page 11 of Defending Madison

I grasp her hand in mine and smile. “Hi. Nice to meet you, I’m Benny.” She chuckles and the soft lilt of her voice catches me off-guard.

“It’s an unusual nickname for a woman. From ‘Bennett,’ right?”

“Yeah. It was a family nickname that helped me out in grade school. Too many Madisons in school, so the P.E. teacher called us all by nicknames. There were two Madison B’s, so she called me ‘Benny.’

Georgie smirks. “And the other was called?”

“Barry. Her last name was Barrison.”

She cackles. “Very creative. We have two Amandas, so maybe this idea could be a trend.”

I put my finger up to my lips. “Let’s not mention the idea came from the new girl.”

She doesn’t respond as she turns with her hand outstretched. “Let’s tour.”

The gleaming white floors remind me of a hospital: sterile and stark. The long hallway has a dozen doors leading into it, and while most are closed, I can see into a few of the offices. They’re well decorated with professional looking people sitting at the desks.

“Our staff is almost entirely new since we took over.”

I nod as I absorb the experience. “When RMK bought the Dauntless, they brought you in as the head coach?”

“Yes. I went to college with Mackenzie and Robert. They named their corporation after their initials R. M. Kilkenny.”

A man barrels into the hallway and nearly steps on my foot. I recognize the scent, and my body alerts. He turns to smile at Georgie. “Sorry.” As his focus swings to me, his face morphs from a handsome man to an ogre as soon as he sees me. “Oh.”

“Oh?” I scoff. “Good morning to you, too, Dixon.”

Georgie’s head pings back and forth between me and the gorgeous obnoxious man. “You’ve met before?”

He rolls his eyes. “She’s my best friend’s little sister.”

Georgie raises her hands. “Excellent. Another family connection.”

The color drains out of Dixon’s face. “What?”

“A little slow on the uptake.”

The realization that I’m standing with the head coach hits his face like a flyswatter. “Wait. Really?” His scowl lifts into a beaming smile that lights up those stellar sea-green eyes.

Georgie’s smile drifts into a scowl. “What’s going on here, Dixon?”

For a moment, I forget about our past and my heart lifts at the thought he’s so happy to see me. As fast as his happiness resonated on his gorgeous face, it dims as quickly.

“Nothing.” He glares at me. I guess he thinks I’m going to word vomit all over my new potential coach that we had a relationship. I wonder if he’s still married. Cringing inside, I scold myself for caring.

Georgie’s stare continues to follow him as he heads into a different office than the one he came out of. “That was… interesting.”

I chuckle. “Men.”

She laughs. “Right? I find them intriguing but tiresome.”

That’s a good explanation of Dixon. “Does he work here?”

“Sort of. He works for Campbell Petrov Security and Protection. They handle organization security. He’s our liaison. You’ll see him once a week or so.”

I’m not going to see him ever again if I can manage it.

DIXON

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