Page 152 of Plus Size Player

“Oop!” I grinned, looking between the two men.

“Matias!” Jacqueline cried out. “You’re really a player? You’d date someone for tickets?”

“I didn’t realize cheerleaders got discounted tickets,” Taisha mused. “I knew the football players got their one discounted ticket. I guess I didn’t realize the cheerleaders did, too.”

The line of questioning turned to Matias, and I was relieved to have the heat off me. They all knew a lot more about football than I did so I just ate my dessert. Flipping my phone over in my lap, I smiled.

Russ: I miss you.

My heart skipped a beat as I reread the text again. Before his house was finished and he moved to Richland, we’d tell each other that we wanted and needed to see each other. We’d said those words jokingly. But we never explicitly said it and I didn’t expect the reaction I had seeing it typed out.

Nina: I miss you, too.

“I love the New York Nighthawks,” Taisha said. “I have a player in my DMs right now.”

I jumped back into the conversation at just the right time.

“Which one?” I asked.

We sat at the table for maybe an hour longer, talking, laughing, and mentally preparing. We didn’t know what the weekend had in store for us, but we were excited about it.

We didn’t get back to our hotel until close to eleven o’clock. After a shower and a quick conversation with Russ, I fell soundly to sleep. Friday morning, I jumped out of the bed and got myself together. After hair and makeup, I carefully put on the cream-colored fit-and-flare minidress. I styled it with brown booties and a matching brown bag. The blue denim jacket was heavily distressed and the perfect cropped length. When I took a step back,I checked myself out in the mirror and smiled. I took a picture to send to Russ and then left to catch my ride to the first stop.

Russ: You are so fucking beautiful.

Nina: Thank you. Send me one of you.

The image that came back was Russ’s sexy ass sitting at his desk. He was holding the phone from a low position, so it showed him at an upward angle. Every time I’d seen him from that angle, I was under him. I shifted in my seat as I complimented him.

Nina: What I wouldn’t do to be under that desk…

Russ: Don’t start. I have a meeting in a few minutes, and I don’t need my dick hard thinking about you under my desk.

Nina: Or on top of your desk. Or bent over your desk.

My phone rang and his name flashed across the screen. Grinning, I answered, “Hello?”

“Just the thought of you is all it took. You happy?” he demanded good-naturedly.

I giggled. “A little bit, yeah.”

“You want my dick hard while I’m trying to get these people to understand my vision and execute it within the budget?”

“I want your dick hard all the time,” I whispered, hoping the driver didn’t hear me over his radio.

“You would say some shit like that.” He let out a light chuckle. “How are you? Are you ready for today? You need anything?”

I smoothed down the skirt of my dress. “I don’t know what to expect, but I’m looking forward to it.”

“You do you. There’s no precedent for this. You and the others are the first to do this for us so you can make it whatever you want it to be. Part of the reason you were selected was because of your personalities. So just wow them like you do everyone else that crosses your path.”

My cheeks heated under his praise. “Thank you,” I murmured. “How are you? Are you ready for your meeting?”

“We have a lot to do today and a lot of decisions to be made. We probably won’t get done until late because it’s crunch time. The Fashion Week meeting is in five minutes. The show coordinator from New York that I’ve been working with comes in today, so it’s a lot going on. It’s… a lot.”

“And you have it under control,” I assured him. “You literally built this brand and this company from the ground up. You got enough sponsors to make this show a thing. You’ve invited the right people to give it enough buzz. Everything RLF is, is because of you. And now you’re doing a runway show in New York during Fashion Week. It’s a lot but you’ve already done a lot and you will continue to do a lot.” I paused, hoping the truth of my words comforted him. “You got this. What you were doing is what got you here, so keep doing it. Don’t change up because you’re going to a new level.”

“You either.”

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