Page 34 of Jockstraps & Newspapers
They trotted down the steps and out into the morning sun.Toad was already on the concrete stretching while Elliot locked up the house.Cassie stopped to wave good morning to him.The biggest shit-eating grin crawled over his scaly lips as he realized who was standing in front of him.Then, he slowly lifted his attention to Elliot, wicked glee and scandal on his face as he wiggled his brows.Elliot rolled his eyes.Toad tossed his head back and laughed."Ahaha!Oh man, Tens owes me a gold piece."
"What?"Elliot and Cassie barked at the same time.
"She said you two would last till the first game then we'd find y'all boning behind the bleachers.I told her it would happen before we got to scrimmages.Oooooh!She's gonna be so mad!"He giggled evilly, bending from one side to the other.
"You made bets?"Elliot whined.
"Aw, come on, Cap!You two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other since day one.Half the team thought you two were already dating before this happened and you were trying to keep it professional."Toad whipped to face Cassie, "No offense, newsie, but like, you two are clearly in love."
Cassie burst into a red face as she planted both hands on his scaley snout and pushed his face away.He cackled the whole way while Elliot watched his sexy journalist stomp down the sidewalk.He hated to watch her leave… but loved to watch her go.Pencil skirts were going to be the death of him.He jogged down the steps to Toad."Bro."
"Don't 'bro' me, bro, you're the one who’s letting her get away.Go on, Cap, get to steppin' before she beats us to the field!"Toad flounced into action, jogging after Cassie."Captain Newsie!Wait up!"
Elliot wanted to be mad or embarrassed, but when Cassie whipped around, laughing, and wagging a finger at Toad, it only made him happier.He didn't want to hide her; it hadn't even been a thought.Elliot Bonesaw wanted Cassiopeia Darling and he was proud of it.She was smart, funny, wickedly mischievous, and sexy as hell.As he jogged to catch up with them, he couldn't help the butterflies in his stomach.Should have gotten some pre-workout or breakfast.The group strode through the city, the whole time Toad and Elliot jogging circles around Cassie who tried to swat at them, only making the group laugh harder.They reached the field before he realized it, and the two captains stood by the side as she put a few copper coins into the slot of a metal box outside the arena.King's Fall Daily had two chunky red boxes, and she peeled open the creaking metal to both.She reached inside to get a copy of the newspaper for each of them, then paid for her own as well.
Before either of the captains could open the paper, someone came charging up the arena slope."There she is!There's the cunt in question."
Elliot had his hackles raised and a hand around Cassiopeia's bicep as Marvin McMatterson rounded the entry fence of the arena.Cassie was calm, her face cool and collected.Did she know this was gonna happen?An aura of frustrating relaxation radiated off her and it made Marvin turn red as a stop sign.Elliot still stepped forward, between his journalist and the angry billionaire."Not cool, McMatterson."
"Zip it, Bonesaw."Marvin glared at Elliot as if that would move the Minotaur out of his path of destruction.It wasn't until a soft palm pressed to his chest that he allowed Cassie to maneuver him back from the royally pissed off man.
"Mr.McMatterson, what a great morning to run into you," Cassie smiled sweetly."Care for a newspaper?"
"My lawyers are already in contact with theDailyand you should already be running back, tail between your legs, because when I'm done with you, there won't be a paper in all the realms that will publish you."Marvin jabbed a long finger in her face, almost brushing her button nose.
She beamed brighter, cocking her head to the side."Whatever do you mean?"
Elliot's eyes widened in sheer shock of Cassie as she giggled, opened the newspaper and held it up to Marvin.In big, bold letters across the page:The Hushed Athletes: How Far will a Rich Father go to Cover up His Son's Harassment.His stomach twisted up.Cassie handed the paper to Elliot who immediately dove into the first sentence.Marvin reached for the paper, but Elliot and Toad kept out of his grip."Give me those!They're all lies!"
"Oh, I can assure you, all my statements are backed up by fact and reports.The article would have been a short story if I went witheverythingthat I had, and not just the stuff I had video evidence or testimony or enforcer reports about."Cassie stepped between Marvin McMatterson and the captains.Elliot was breathless as he skimmed a heavy article detailing Stevie's dirty laundry with no mercy.From the night he slapped Elliot's ass to the cheerleader who was hushed behind litigation, to Tens reporting him sneaking into the locker room with a camera—it was extensive.
"What's going on up here?"Coach Renner and Trainer Lee came jogging up the path toward the group.
Marvin whirled to face him."I want this bitch removed from the arena and banned for life!"
"Uh," Lee grimaced.
"We can't do that, Marvin."Renner and Lee held open the gate.They spared Cassie a look before motioning for Elliot and Toad to come inside."The arena and the league have a special contract with theDaily.Any reporter they choose can have unfettered access to the field, the season, and the players for writing articles.TheDailyhas named Cassiopeia Darling for their reporter this season.If you ban her, you're breaking the contract with the biggest sponsor of your arena."
Elliot froze, twisting to see Cassie sauntering past Marvin, pulling on a 'press' badge over her neck.He hissed as she passed, snarling like a rabid beast, "Count your days, Ms.Darling."
"I won't have to, Mr.McMatterson, because unlike the people you pay to bully, silence, and harm the victims of your son, you don'townme.You can't pay to make me go away.You might have successfully gotten rid of the pain he's caused from a legal standpoint, but the court of public opinion is always hearing new cases…and I'll make sure they talk about Stevie for the rest of time."
Elliot felt the roaring flame lick up his insides again and his heat was back in an instant.No one has ever…gone to bat for him like that.Watching Cassie turn her back to Marvin, shoulders squared, unwavering confidence, it was aggressively attractive.She just, without being asked, went for Stevie's throat.Either his heat had been lying in wait or he'd simply just brought on a new one.It didn't matter…Elliot Bonesaw was probably in love with Cassiopeia Darling.
Chapter sixteen
Getting railed in the locker room
Cassiopeia
Thatreallyhappened!Thatreally fucking happened!Mr.Pearson and her high-fived about it all day.While editing went over her interview for Coach Renner, and she worked on her 'SportsBall for Dummies' article in the office of theDaily, she couldn't shake the giddy excitement.She'd put out a damn good article.It didn't matter what happened now, she was proud.Stevie McMatterson was trending all over social media.#SlimeballStevie.Glorious!Mr.Pearson looked very impressed.Then, as if her ego couldn't get any bigger, the sister group chat blew up.She screenshotted a wall of 'Omg, Cass!'and 'You!Did!That!', but it was the text from her lawyer sister Lyra that made her weep in the bathroom.
From: LyraI'm proud you did this clean and concise, it's a good piece and he can't get you back for defamation.Good job, goldielocks, I'm impressed.
Her and Lyra hadn't been on speaking terms in…years.She was almost tempted to text her back.Cass couldn't help but send the screenshots to Elliot, even though he wouldn't be able to respond.When Lily woke to the news, she flooded Cass's phone until, later in the afternoon, on her walk back to the field she called.
"Oh, my dragons!Cass!"Lily squealed."That was such a good piece, I was so scandalized, everyone's talking about it.How did you keep this one under lid for so long?"
