Page 26 of Playmaker

He nodded.Good.

The lemonade must have alcohol in it, but as long as it wasn’t gin, I’d be okay. I hoped. I leaned back to look at the menu. I’d just opened it when I felt Cooper kicking my shin.

I sat up, dropping the menu in front of me in case I wasn’t supposed to read it yet. “What is it?”

“Sit up straight.”

I glanced around. Everyone was sitting upright.Heaven forbid we be comfortable.

I sat up, making sure my back was straight.

“And don’t cross your legs. Ankles if you must.”

My jaw dropped and Cooper leaned over, a finger on my chin, closing my mouth.

“Why the hell would anyone want to belong to a place like this?” I asked softly, checking that the waiter wasn’t sneaking up on us.

“How else could you ensure you weren’t eating with someone who crossed their legs?”

It was a stupid answer, but it had been a stupid question. It was all about being exclusive. Setting up rules to identify and keep out anyone different. Someone like me. I needed to bluff my way through until I was a partner.

I opened the menu, making sure I wasn’t the least bit comfortable. Sitting up like this meant I had to hold the menu away from my boobs. I forgot about that once I started to read—the prices made my eyes widen. “I’m paying for the meal.” Cooper might have provided the clothes in a way that meant I couldn’t repay him, and this club wouldn’t take my money for lessons even if I offered, but this I could do.

Or not. Cooper was shaking his head. “You don’t do anything as plebian as pay at the end of the meal here, Calliope.”

I squinted at the use of my full name. “Then why are there prices?”

“It goes on your member account.” Which meant Cooper’s account.

Okay, they might not let me use my phone, but I would memorize the prices of our meals and force that much money on Cooper. But I didn’t know the prices of the drinks. I’d take the most I’d ever paid for a cocktail and triple it. That should cover it.

He seemed to read my mind. “Don’t even try. I have to spend a certain amount on food every month, or I get charged for it anyway. I don’t come here a lot, so I usually end up paying for nothing.”

This was too much. Way too much. I had to find a way to balance this deal. I earned things, so I knew they were mine. With this big an imbalance, I owed Cooper, and how could I repay him? Something inside me rebelled at the idea of taking advantage of this man the way others did.

Chapter9

Ganging up on me

Cooper

Callie’s jaw had lifted,and her lips were pressed together. I sighed. People were weird about money. In my case, about being with someone who had money. Maybe they were weird when people didn’t have money as well, I didn’t know.

“What about tips?”

“Not allowed. The members take up a collection twice a year and that’s distributed to all the employees.”

“That sounds good for the members, but not so good for the employees.”

“Another reason I don’t really enjoy this place.”

She looked down and rubbed her finger on a knife. “You’re doing this just for me?”

“I come here for other reasons, normally a few times a year, with my teammates or sponsors. I was here before that charity dinner, because golfing is a way to check on the guys without it looking like I’m checking on them. Since I’m in town all summer, except for the wedding, I’ll probably be here more often.”

She rubbed the knife a little faster. “I’m even more in your debt.”

“Callie, which one of us is currently making more money?” My hockey contract was publicly available. If someone wanted to know badly enough, they could probably work out the kind of cash I got from my endorsement deals.

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