Page 122 of The Girlfriend Card
“Lord knows, we’ll have enough drama in our lives because of my dad.”
“True …”
The mere mention of Sal immediately put a damper on the mood. Our smiles faded and our bodies stiffened. Ottavia noticed.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up,” she said.
“No, no.” I reassured her, giving her a gentle squeeze. “We can’t avoid talking about him forever. Like it or not, he’s a big part of your life.”
“Andyourlife, too.”
“Yeah, true,” I said.
“So … what are you going to do, Dakota?” she asked curiously.
I fell silent while I thought it over.
“There’s not much Icando,” I said at last. “Like I said, I’m not going to hide from him. We’ve got day two of training camp tomorrow. I guess I’ll break the news to him then. See if he’s serious about ending my career.”
She drew an anxious breath. “Can he actually do that—end your career?”
I explained what Sal could do with my contract. Trade, buy-out, waive—those were all options, but they effectively got me out from under his thumb.
“But Sal said he doesn’t want to give up control of my contract,” I said. “He wants to sit me out.”
I told Ottavia the rest of what Sal had planned for me; how he wanted to sit me out for five years and let me languish at home.
“Andthatwould effectively end my career, yes,” I said. “If he’s serious about paying me to not play hockey, that is. To me, that seems like a massive waste of money. And the one thing I know about these team owners is that, despite being billionaires, they’re all cheap as fuck.”
She giggled. “Yeah, I have a hard time seeing him do that, too. I think he was just trying to scare you off.”
“I hope so. But if not?” I shrugged. “If not, well, at least I’ll have you.”
“Awww.” She rolled on top of me and planted a juicy kiss on my lips. “You’re so sweet, Dakota.”
“Will you still love me?” I asked, a rawness in my voice. “Even if I’m not a professional athlete anymore?”
“Of course!” She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “You’re so much more than a professional athlete to me. You’re sweet and funny and so kind.” The way she looked at me made, her eyes glimmering, made me feel so cherished and loved. I knew she fully meant those words. “I don’t care what you do in life, Dakota, as long as you’re always a sweet and caring man.”
I couldn’t help but wear a devilish grin, though. “But will you still love me when I’m not jacked anymore because I was forced to stop playing hockey? And now I’m moping at home all day long and getting fat on ice cream?”
“Ummm … jeez.” A puzzled laugh escaped her. “I’d sure hopeyou’d findsomething else to do with your time besides sitting at home and getting fat. And that’s true whether your career ends tomorrow or ten years from now.”
I laughed, too, pretending to be scandalized. “Wow! So clearly, you’re only in this for my hot, ripped bod! Aren’t you?!”
“Don’t forget the jawline,” she teased, tracing her finger along my jaw. “What aboutme?Will you still love me if I’m not a billionaire casino heiress?”
“Huh.” I leaned away from her, looking her up and down, as if I were seeing her in a new light. I stroked my chin, pretending that I needed to think it over. “That’s weird.”
“What’s weird??” she asked, her brow furrowing, and I knew I had her hook, line and sinker.
“I never realized until now how much I dig the ‘I’m banging a billionaire’ thing.”
“Dakota!” Her jaw unhinged and she hopped off me, scooting across the mattress and instantly putting several feet of space between us. “I can’tbelieveyou!”
Laughing, I prowled after her, trying to pull her back to my side. “Come back to me.”
“No!” she protested. “You were after my money all along, weren’t you?!”
