Page 5 of Dirty Play

The room went dead silent for a beat before the laughter hit, loud and unanimous. Then they were tripping over each other to get on her good side, throwing her grins and charm like they were in heat. And she met them without hesitation. If she was nervous, she didn’t let it show.

And yeah, I’ll admit it was hot. Watching her win them over so fast, throwing their jabs right back at them without blinking? Damn impressive.

Her squared shoulders and lifted chin scream determination—a hellcat disguised as a kitten. She already gave me hell at the coffee shop, and she’ll definitely raise the bar. I can’t decide if that’s a challenge I want to accept or avoid.

“Enjoy your workout,” she says, a playful glint in her eyes as she glances over at Ares and Damien. I swear I see a hint of a smirk on her lips before she turns on her heel, her long wavy hair brushing against my chest. The sweet scent of her—vanilla and something distinctly floral—lingers in the air as she walks away.

“Enjoy your first day,” I mumble, even though she’s already gone.

Thirty minutes later, we’ve moved to the stretching room. We’re on the mats, stretching out the kinks from last season. I lean into a forward stretch, gritting my teeth as a sharp pull in my thigh reminds me that I’m not invincible. Fuck, I’ve been treating this forever. It’s restricting my movements and I’m at my patience’s limit. If I have to see Dr. Payden’s face one more fucking time, telling me to ice and stretch, I’ll go nuts.

“Damn, dude,” Damien says from my right, his raspy voice cutting through the quiet. “You’re gonna snap in half if you keep that up.”

“I’m tired of fucking icing it. The pain has to go away by the start of the season. I can’t play like this.”

“And your plan is to stretch it into submission instead?” he shoots back, rolling his shoulders. “Gentle stretching, or you’ll make it worse.”

“The new PR agent’s got him riled up,” Ares’ deep voice comes from my left, calm as ever. I glance over at him, and I’m met with a knowing look.

“Ah, right.” Damien lets out a laugh. “Real nice of you to piss her off at the café, by the way.” He smacks me on the back before dropping to a squat in front of me.

“I didn’t know who she was,” I half-grunt, head snapping toward Damien. “Not that it matters. If she’s anything like Angela, we’ll only have to see her during events and the post-game press.”

“She’s nothing like Angela, though.” Damien gives me a look. “Something tells me blondie’s about to really stick her nose down our necks.”

“She can try,” I say, rising to my feet.

Damien snorts. “She looked pretty feisty. You might wanna reconsider that confidence.”

Just as I’m about to retort, my phone buzzes in my pocket. So do Damien and Ares’. We all pull them out and glance at the screen. A wave of annoyance hits me when I see the email notification from the little hellcat.

“Is she serious?” I mutter, my eyes narrowing as I read the subject line:Meeting in the Conference Room with Livia Moody.

“She’s not wasting any time,” Damien says, already on his own phone, eyes alight with amusement. “Already got all of our emails and is hosting a meeting before she’s even been here an hour.”

I shake my head, irritation flaring as I slide my phone back into my pocket. “I’m not going,” I declare firmly, crossing my arms over my chest. “My workout isn’t over.”

Damien and Ares share a glance, and I can see the unspoken question.

“Dude, you never miss meetings,” Damien says, his brows furrowed.

“I never miss important meetings,” I reply, rolling my shoulders. “Meetings organized by people who actually respect our schedules and announce them a few days ahead. Not ten minutes before.”

“Already getting on Ms. Moody’s bad side?” Damien raises a playful brow.

“You can tell me all about the fun icebreaker exercises she makes you do.” I chuckle, slapping his back.

“I don’t know, man.” Damien laughs, already gathering his stuff. “Feel like she’s not gonna be happy about the captain being absent.”

Most of the other players filed into the conference room, and I stayed behind to finish my workout. I know I’m not the only one missing the meeting. Hell, it was announced ten damn minutes before. I’m not about to let a PR rookie dictate my schedule.

The sound of metal clinking and the rhythmic thud of my feet hitting the ground fill the empty space. I’m pushing through the final set of my workout, and then I’ll stretch and go home for today.

Just as I finish my last rep, the door swings open. Little Miss Moody strides in, her presence immediately shifting the atmosphere in the room.

Shit, here we go.

I can feel her eyes locking onto me like a hawk on its prey.

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