Page 8 of Hot Route
“Love you most,” I say before hanging up. As always, I feel better after talking to my best friend. Now I can spend the rest of the night focusing on preparations for the week. I'm starting two brand new jobs and I'm excited to learn everything I can about the world of sports journalism. This internship could open so many doors for me if I pour my entire heart and soul into the next four months. I can't let anything distract me from showing Jacob that I’m the right choice for the permanent position. Even if that distraction is six-two with deep brown eyes and a perfect body.
EIGHT
MADS
So far,day one of my internship is going well. It’s only four hours a day, so it has flown by. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out when I first got here this morning. That was surprising, considering all the stuff I had already filled out with Jacob. But I met my new supervisor Janine, and I think we’ll get along really well. I love how this company employs as many women as it does men. It’s intimidating in the world of sports journalism to be a woman who is completely outnumbered. But Tailgate Media seems to be very progressive, and that makes me even more hopeful that I have a future with this company.
It’s nearing the end of my day, so I tie up the loose ends on the emails I was assigned to send out to various agents and start to tidy up my cubicle. Tomorrow, I think I will bring some things to personalize my desk. Everybody else here has so much personality in their little nooks. Maybe I’ll bring some of my signed memorabilia because who doesn’t love showing off just a little bit?
“Great work today, Madison,” Janine says, leaning a hip on my desk. “You really got a jumpstart on those emails. Hopefully,we get some hits on them so you guys can start learning the ropes when it comes to interviewing professional athletes.”
“We’ll get to do that?” I’ll ask, shocked.
She smirks. “Well, one of you is going to be doing it and getting paid the big bucks for it sooner or later, so we may as well just throw you in the deep end, right? It can be nerve-racking speaking to such big personalities. Pro athletes can be a little intimidating sometimes.”
I decided this morning that I was not going to tell anybody that I was also working for the city's biggest football star. I didn’t want anybody to think I got this job because of Blaze. I didn’t even know him when I earned my position here. Plus, I know people can turn on the charm when they want something, and I would guess meeting Blaze Beckham would gain me some fake friends really fast. I want no distractions while I’m here, so I’m going to keep to myself as much as I can.
“Thank you again so much for all of these opportunities. I can’t wait to learn everything you know,” I say, as I shove my water bottle into my tote bag.
She stands to her full height, smoothing out her jacket. “It was so nice meeting you and I will see you bright and early tomorrow.”
“See ya!” I reply, waving at her before heading toward the exit. I have to run home and change into more comfortable clothes before heading to Blaze’s house. I can’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach. He seemed very nice, but Janine was right. Pro athletes are intimidating.
An hour later, I pull into Blaze’s driveway and park my car. As I get out, I chuckle at my piece of crap sitting next to a brand-new lifted truck and a blacked-out Mercedes. I wonder if both of these cars are his. It’s not like he doesn’t make enough money to have ten garages full.
Walking to the entrance, I ring the doorbell and wait for him to answer. A few seconds later, the door swings open. Like I didn’t just see him a couple days ago, all the breath leaves my lungs. He really is the most beautiful human being I have ever seen, with those intense brown eyes that almost put me in a trance every time I look at them too long.
I school my expression and give him a shy smile and wave. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Beckham.”Why is it so hard for me to act like a normal functioning adult when I’m near him?
“Mr. Beckham is my dad, Baby Doll. Call me Blaze.”
I laugh nervously as I walk through the door, which he closes behind us. I feel like I didn’t get a good chance to look around last time I was here, so I take a moment to scan my surroundings. Through the door, is a large entryway with a big table. There are fresh flowers sitting in the center of it, which surprises me because this is supposed to be a bachelor pad. Shouldn’t it smell like old socks and have crusty clothes laying in random places? We walk through an archway and enter a very large, very modern kitchen. The appliances are all stainless steel, and I can literally see my reflection in them. The marble countertops shine brightly, and there is a large bowl of fruit in the center of an island. I turn to the right, where I see a huge white dining table with lush, padded chairs. It could easily seat ten people. A dark-haired man is sitting there, chugging from a reusable water bottle. He’s completely shirtless and extremely sweaty.Okay. This is the best job I have ever had.When he lowers the bottle and raises his head, I recognize him immediately. Trying to remain cool, I keep my trap shut and let him introduce himself. He stands, sauntering toward me with a cocky smirk. “Hey there, beautiful,” he says. “I’m Dalton Davis. Star running back for the Boston Blizzard.”
Before I can reply, Blaze sidles up next to him. “Nope. Off-limits,” he says to his friend.
“Dibs,” Dalton says quietly out of the corner of his mouth like I’m not standing three feet away.
“Dude. No,” Blaze argues, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him back toward the table. “Sit. Orleave.”
Dalton huffs out a breath, but relents, sitting back at the table.
Blaze looks at me before shaking his head. “Sorry about him. He has no filter.”
I look over at the table, where Dalton is sitting with his palm propping up his head. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that he’s pouting. He looks like a little kid whose dad just took his lollipop and threw it in the garbage.
“We were just working out downstairs,” Blaze says. “We’re going to go back down and finish up. I’ve cleared a space for you in my office and set up a computer. I didn’t know if you would want to use it or not, and it’s no big deal if you don’t, but I thought you might want to have a space of your own here. There’s also a new iPad in there for you because those are easy to throw in a bag when we’re on the go. Office is the second door on the left down the hallway. When I’m all done working out, I’ll come up and show you around more.”
I can’t say I’m not shocked that he put so much effort into having me here. He must really need extra help if he’s gone this far to make my job easier.
Dalton makes a big production of hugging me, much to Blaze’s chagrin, before they return to the basement. I walk down the hall, finding the office. Much like the rest of the house, everything in here is neat and tidy. A large desk sits in one corner. There isn’t much on it besides a laptop and a few pieces of paper. In the other corner, there’s an identical desk. Sitting on it is a brand-new Mac desktop and an unopened iPad. I walk over and take a seat in the fluffy white chair. The desk is set up with all kinds of office supplies in pastel colors. Honestly, if I haddesigned my own area, I wouldn’t have done it any differently. It’s like he already knows me.
Pushing that thought from my head, I open the iPad box and start the setup process. When I get done with everything I can do in here, there’s still no sign of Blaze, so I grab my phone and start scrolling Instagram. I should probably feel uncomfortable and out of place, but strangely I don’t. I don’t know if it’s the house, or the extremely attractive man who lives in it that’s making me feel this way.
BLAZE
“Bro,that’syour new assistant?” Dalton whisper-shouts as we descend the stairs to my home gym. “You should see the girl they sent me last month after I strained my quad. She looked like the female version of Adam Sandler.”
I eye him skeptically as we reach the basement. “I swear to God if you eventhinkabout hitting on Mads, I’ll tell everyone you have syphilis. And they’ll believe me because you’re, well,you.”
