Page 1 of Crossing the Red Line
Chapter One
Ella
I knewI never should have opened the email, I thought as I stared at my screen.How many more times would I have to learn this lesson the hard way?
I let out a sigh and picked up my mug, bringing it to my lips, irritated that the coffee had gone cold.I let out a sigh and got up out of my chair, heading to the coffeemaker, where I poured more hot coffee into my mug and returned to my desk.
I sat back down and stared at the ‘Save the Date’ email, my stomach turning.There was no way I’d make it through yet another wedding season, watching more of my friends venture down that doomsday path.A couple of my friends had been married less than a year and they already had issues, and it seemed none of the single ones learned from the ones before.My best friend was currently dealing with the fact she couldn’t get pregnant while another one faced marriage counselling after finding out her husband of eight months was already cheating on her.
I moved the email into my deal-with-it-later folder.If there was one thing I’d learned, it was that I was never getting married, especially after seeing how their lives were unfolding.I turned my focus on only work-related emails.It was the only way I’d be able to move on with my day without either being sick or having a panic attack.
I quickly skimmed down the list and stopped when I saw an email titledChange to the Children’s Hospital Campaign.I let out a sigh, wondering what could have changed in the last two days that I wasn’t aware of, since I was supposed to be the one who oversaw this.
Ella,
Because of the timing of the Dominator’s games, and that Lucas Clark has been pulled because of a minor knee injury, both Knox Evans and Dylan Hayes will have to attend away games on the dates of the filming of this campaign.Effective immediately, we have substituted Lucas in their place.I request you meet with Lucas to bring him up to speed about the charity and about the photo shoot.
Pamela Smith,
Head of Public Relations
Guy Larson,
Owner of the Vancouver Dominators
I should have just respondedto the other email instead; I thought as my stomach flipped.Of all the players on the team, why did it have to be Lucas who’d been assigned to this project?Was this some sort of joke the universe was playing on me?
He was the only player on the team that gave me a hard time about working for my father, his boss, the owner of the Vancouver Dominators.Aurora and Lorelai both said it was because he had a crush on me, but I shoved that comment under the rug almost as fast as I had shoved that email into the folder.Little did they know, Lucas and I had dated once upon a time, and his behaviour had nothing to do with what they thought it did.
I took a moment, trying to center myself.Then I got up from my desk, grabbed the folder containing all the information about the campaign, and made my way out of the office and down to the lunch area.
I made my way through the halls, wondering if I should just turn around and reply to that email instead of walking headfirst into an inferno.However, I knew it had to be done, and I’d rather rip the bandaid off, instead of prolonging the inevitable.
I stopped outside the lunchroom door, taking in a deep, cleansing breath, once again centering myself.On the third deep breath, the scent of chicken parmesan hit my nose, making my stomach growl.I rounded the corner and stepped into the room to see Lucas sitting there, sports section and a plate of food in front of him, ready to dig in.
I let out a sigh and approached the table, folder in hand, avoiding his eyes.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Ella.”He winked.“What’s Guy got you up to today?Spying on us boys, so you can tell Daddy all the horrid things we say in the locker room?”He chuckled.
I frowned.When had Lucas become such an ass?I wondered.
“Look, it wasn’t my fault my father caught word of what happened in the locker room the night you grabbed my ass when I first started,” I said, staring him right in the eye.
Yep, you heard that.He’d thought I’d been lying when I told him about my new position with the team, and to prove it, he’d pushed me up against the locker room wall, looked me directly in the eyes, kissed me, and grabbed my ass.
That had been my welcome to the team, and when my father caught wind of it, he’d asked me if it had been true.I couldn’t stand there and deny it.The mere memory of it had made me blush when he confronted me, so I’d told him the truth.Although we’d dated, and we’d been extremely intimate, Lucas had gotten in shit for the lack of respect he’d shown me.He’d been lucky Daddy took pity on him and hadn’t suspended him, but it had started this reaction every time I had to interact with him.
“Sure, whatever you say,” he murmured, digging into his food.
“Lucas, despite what you might choose to believe, I never said a word.He asked me, and I don’t lie to my father.You know that.”I gritted, giving him an evil glare.
“Whoa, tone it down there.If looks could kill, I’d be dead on the spot.”He chuckled, shoving another forkful of food into his mouth.“There was a time you’d never have told your father anything that went on between us, the nights in my car out back of the arena, the night I took you in your father’s kitchen, the night in the locker room after my very first game with the Dominators.Don’t think for one second, I’ve forgotten any of that.”
I stared at him, at that smug smile on his face, and jumped as my cell phone rang.I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the screen in time to see my best friend’s name flash on the screen.Rolling my eyes and turning away from Lucas, I answered the call.
“I can’t talk right now,” I barked.
“Don’t give me that.Why haven’t you responded yet?”
