Page 37 of Glitz & Goals

“How do you know that?” Knight asks.

“Huh?” I squint up at him.

“About Biscuit.” He nods to the photo.

Oh, right. He’s not privy to my existential crisis. I straighten up. “Viktor mentioned her name when he found out I have a Cane Corso of my own. Rescue dog.”

Knight gives me a funny look, but I try to play the moment off by pointing to one of the other kids in the photo. “Who’s this little chubby-cheeked angel?”

Knight snorts. “That’s Cam.”

“Really?” I study the picture again. “Man, he was adorable back then. Wonder what went wrong?”

That earns a laugh, and Knight talks me through some of the other photos, pointing out former players as if I don’t know exactly who they are. Which, as far as he’s concerned, I don’t.

Our drinks are waiting at the table when we arrive, along with Sofia and Viv. Knight’s sister, Knova, showed up, too, and is tormenting Viktor at the other end of the table. Ordinarily, I’d get a kick out of watching anyone match wits with that cocky little shit, but I’m too thrilled to see Viv to notice anything else.

“Hey,” I blurt, catching myself before I can all-out flirt with her. We have an audience. I need to watch my step.

“Hello again.” Viv holds out a hand to me. “Grady, right?”

I smother my smile. “Yup. Nice to see you again, Vivian. Didn’t you have some big show starting soon? That one on the marquee at the stadium? You’re an acrobat or something, right?”

Her mouth twitches. “Just the costume designer.”

“Sorry, I forgot. I’m easily confused.” I hold her hand a beat too long before sliding in my chair.

Knight and Sofia are watching us with interest, but I hope it’s not too pointed. I lean one elbow on the table and focus on Viv. “Let me buy you a drink to make up for my faux pas?”

“I’m an adult woman. I don’t need a man to buy my drinks.” Viv flags down the little robot, scans her watch, and orders her “regular.” I don’t know what that is, but I can’t wait to find out. Before she finalizes the order, she pauses. “Have you tried the cannolis here?” she asks.

“No, and I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

Her eyes flash. “Can I tempt you into being just a little bad?” Her other hand lands on my knee, unseen, and traces the inside of my thigh. Not too high, but high enough to leave me half-hard. Fuck. She could tempt me into all kinds of things.

And then she does, her fingers trailing along the outline of my erection over the fabric of my pants.

Shit.

“Just a little,” I say in a hoarse voice. I reach for my beer and take a swig, only to realize it’s good. Supposedly, it’s brewed by someone local, and it’s shockingly delicious.

Viv turns to Knight and Sofia. “How do you two feel about a cannoli appetizer?”

“Hell, yeah.” Knight wraps one arm around Sofia’s shoulders. “We’re in, right, babe?”

Sofia looks scandalized. “As if I would ever say no to a Coop cannoli.”

Viv orders for us. When the robot zips away, she turns back to me. “You were asking about the rehearsal. It went well. No wardrobe malfunctions.”

“That’s good.”

“Mm.” A cheeky smirk tugs at the corners of her mouth. “There’s nothing worse than when someone’s boob pops out of their clothing by accident.” Her eyes, which have been staring into mine, flick down, and I realize how low-cut her shirt is.

I swallow. “Sounds terrible.”

“Especially when there’s an audience watching. Which is why we want to get everything sorted out before we open to the public.” Viv winks and turns to Sofia. “Speaking of work, Sofia, are you ready to open?”

Sofia melts like an ice cream in the Vegas sun. “Oh, God, it’s in two days, and I’m totally panicking.”

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