Page 35 of Imperfect Player

I can practically feel the fury in his words.

Opening my eyes, I sigh.

“I love that all you fuckers are so invested in my love life, but there is no woman. Never has been, never will be.”

“Heard you were hooking up with Maddox’s agent,” Slade continues.

“Better not be,” Maddox grumbles.

Fox laughs next to me, but I’m not sure if he’s laughing at me and my proclamation or the grumbling coming from Maddox.

“You heard wrong,” I tell Slade. “Everly is way too smart to fall for my shit.”

Even without seeing him, I can feel the fury radiating off Maddox.

“Easy, Prescott. I won’t hurt your precious agent. We’re just friends.”

He kicks the back of my seat. “What happened to leaving her alone?”

I tried, man. Believe me, I tried. It’s just not that easy. Not with a woman like her.

My screen lights up, and from his seat next to me, Fox can see the photo of Everly, the incoming text from her.

He laughs. Then laughs harder when he sees the stupid smile on my face. The one I try to hide but can’t. Thankfully, he keeps his mouth shut.

Everly: Thanks for the note. Good luck with the series. Go kick some ass tomorrow.

Me: Wheels up. I’ll text you later.

“I bet you will,” Fox says.

“Fuck off,” I tell him.

“Will what?” Maddox chimes in.

“Fuck the first woman we see at dinner tonight,” Fox says.

It’s my usual MO. Find a hot woman, hook up, pitch my ass off the next day.

The flight feels long, so long that I feel like I should be in a different damn country, not just a few states away. The teasing, the ridicule, the questions and comments. It's all too much and so fucking draining that when we finally get to the hotel, I immediately head for my room.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Slade shouts after me as I make my way to the elevators.

“You pussies and all your gossip wore me out. I’m going to my room, ordering some room service, and going to bed.”

I can hear them talking shit and laughing as I step inside the elevator. I lift up my middle finger and hold it in position until the elevator door closes. Then I go to my room and do exactly what I said I was going to. I call room service and order my favorite pregame meal—a bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a large Dr Pepper.

When the food arrives, I make myself comfortable on the bed with my burger in one hand and the remote in the other. I flip through the channels looking for something on our series with the Cobras. I manage to catch the tail end of a report with the sportscaster wishing both teams luck with the series.

The word luck strikes a chord with me, reminding me of the text from Everly. That one thought is all it takes for me to reach for my phone and text her.

Me: Hey, sunshine.

Everly: Hey there. How was the flight?

Me: Boring. What are you up to?

Everly: Work. Checking out a new company.

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