Page 7 of West Bound

Our trays are placed in front of us and I don’t waste any time digging into my tacos.

“Not anyone we’ve ever heard of.” CeCe dips her chip into the bowl of queso and shoves the whole thing in her mouth.

“Is it a corporation?”

She shakes her head and sips her Sprite to clear her throat. “Nope. An individual. A rich as fuck, hotter than Hades, individual named Luca Amato.”

I chew my street taco that I smothered in salsa and scrunch my brows. The name is unfamiliar which, in the world of sports and journalism, is a rarity.

“He’s some tycoon from New York who decided he wasn’t rich enough and wanted to buy a professional sports team. Since none of the owners in New York were looking to sell, he found his way here. Apparently, unbeknownst to pretty much everyone in the Wranglers organization, Mr. Hewitt and his family were looking to sell the team. The word is he has some health problems, and his daughters aren’t interested in running the team.”

I nod and continue to eat, watching her reaction to all of this. For some reason, this all seems to bother her more than it should. I wonder if there is more to the story, like maybe her job is in jeopardy.

“Are you…is your position okay?”

“Oh yeah. Definitely. Nothing to worry about,” she replies and swats at the air.

“Then why so glum?” I ask her.

“You know how it is. New owner means there’s always a shake up. Positions are evaluated and some get the boot or reassigned. I was guaranteed I wouldn’t have to worry about that. It’s just…”

I wait for her to continue, but when she shoves three chips into her mouth at once, I know she’s stalling.

“Okay first, don’t think I missed the part where you said he was hot as Hades. You can explain later. But what do you mean ‘it’s just’?”

She gives me a half hearted, one shoulder shrug and washes down the bits of food in her mouth.

“I was given the special assignment of working closely with Mr. Amato on press releases and introducing him to the community.”

“Well that doesn’t sound bad, “ I admit.

Her big brown eyes lock on mine, unblinking. “I’ve basically been demoted to personal assistant, even though no one thinks so.”

“CeCe,” I start and place my hand on hers before she can avoid the topic by cramming more chips into her mouth. “You did a lot of that kind of stuff with the Hewitts. How is this any different? What aren’t you telling me?”

She taps her nails against the laminate surface of the table and works her lips back and forth. She’s wearing her large black framed glasses today, so she adjusts them before she goes on.

“He’s hot as hell, okay. Hotter than anyone I’ve ever seen before and now I have to work ‘very closely’ with him and somehow keep my hormones in check. And yes, it will be very difficult because I was practically cutting glass with my freaking nipples the moment I laid eyes on him. I’m in a damn drought because you took home that bartender again from Sipz, and even though y’all invited me to join, I just couldn’t do it. We haven’t shared a guy in years and I think we have matured beyond the point of threesomes. I mean, I love you, you’re my best friend, but I’ve seen enough of your cooch to last a lifetime. It’s a very pretty one, don’t get me wrong, but I prefer sausage to the taco. Not that I ever–”

“C. Stop,” I interrupt her mindless and nonsensical rambling. “Breathe. Rewind a bit because you got off on a tangent, and let’s try this again. You aren’t looking forward to working with Mr. Amato because you’re attracted to him and you haven’t been laid in a long time?”

CeCe takes a few calming breaths and nods her head while she blows air out through her pursed lips.

“Okay. And do you not think you can refrain yourself from ripping his clothes off?” She nods her head leaving me a bit confused. “Yes you can refrain yourself, or no you can’t?”

“I can,” she replies, breathily.

“Then…I’m really not seeing the problem other than you’re attracted to him.” I lift my cup to my lips and realize it’s empty and I desperately need a refill.

“The problem is, he’s also an asshole. And you know how much I love sexy assholes. It’s my kryptonite, Viv. I’m a grown ass woman so I have self control. But it’ll be like telling a reformed stripper not to take off all of her clothes when someone throws a wad of cash at her. You know?”

Even though I do understand what she is telling me, her analogies never cease to baffle me. And make me chuckle. Which is what I do, earning me a growl.

“Sorry, babe. I’m not laughing at your situation, just your analogy. They’re always funny as shit. But, to answer the question you did not ask, the only way to handle this little conundrum you find yourself in is to fuck him. Easy.”

She pulls her glasses off her face and squeezes the bridge of her nose. “How does that solve my problem? And who’s to say he even wants to fuck me?”

I give her an incredulous look because honestly, that’s the dumbest fucking question to have ever been posed.

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