Page 3

CHAPTER 3

Rafferty

I ’m pissed, and guessing by the heavy quiet in the locker room, I’m not the only one feeling this way. We’ve just taken a tough loss against the Seattle Storm, a team we should have easily beaten. The mood is grim, the silence punctuated by an occasional slamming door. Coach West came in and gave a terse speech without calling out anyone in particular, but his disappointment in our performance was palpable. He’s so well respected that it makes our own personal dejection more acute.

Normally, after a win, the place would be buzzing, plans for a night out taking shape. Not tonight. Nothing to celebrate, although I suppose drowning our misery in alcohol could be a legitimate goal.

But we’re not like that. The team will disband tonight, go home to wives or girlfriends or empty condos like mine, and we’ll analyze all the ways we individually fucked up. We’ll come back with our heads on straight, because resilience defines this team. We’ve got a road trip to Arizona and then Denver day after tomorrow and we’ll be ready to dominate.

But for now, everyone’s packing up, lost in their own thoughts, eager to get away from the reminders of our substandard play.

I zip up my duffel bag with more force than necessary, trying to shake off the frustration. Saying goodbye to a few of the guys, I head out, each step echoing my irritation. I traverse the hallway that follows the perimeter of the arena at the subbasement level to the elevator that will take me up to the players’ parking garage.

“Rafferty, wait!”

My skin prickles and my irritation ramps up as I recognize Tansy’s voice. Just fucking great.

Since she’s the director of marketing, I have to work with her on occasion. All the players do. While I have no idea the breadth of her duties, I know she liaises with the players on public appearances and sponsorship events, as well as using us in advertising.

In other words, she’s around all the time and I was afraid I’d be bumping into her more often because of this little obsession she has with me. She has full access to go anywhere in this arena.

Annoyed, I turn to face her, managing to keep my tone polite. “What’s up, Tansy?”

There’s no denying she’s an incredibly beautiful woman and I’m sure some of my teammates probably can’t understand why I’m not snapping up what’s being so willingly offered. But like I told King not long ago, it’s not only too easy, there’s just something off-putting about her aggressive behavior. Not that I like women meek and mild. To the contrary, I was totally digging how confident that woman in the grocery store was last night.

Tempe.

Total turn-on that she stepped right into the role of my “girlfriend” and she did it with such self-assurance, I was boggled.

Tansy is before me, and thoughts of the grocery store melt away.

She smiles, and it’s all business at first. “Just a reminder about the marketing promo photo shoot on Monday. You’re scheduled at eleven a.m. and I’ll be sending out a packet of materials you’ll need to go through. We’re doing some videos and you’ll have some speaking parts.”

I nod, relieved that it’s just work related. “Got it. Thanks for the reminder.”

I start to turn toward the elevators, but she steps into my path, her hand finding its way to my hip. “After the shoot, maybe we could grab a drink? My place?”

My stomach knots and my chest constricts with annoyance.

Not this again.

I step back, putting space between us. “Tansy, I told you, I have a girlfriend.”

I decide to stick with the lie I started last night with Tempe because prior efforts of relating my disinterest aren’t working. Tansy is so full of herself that she can’t accept I might not be interested in her.

Her smile falters, then returns, almost amused. “Oh right… your little grocery store clerk. You know, I don’t really believe that.”

“It’s true,” I insist, feeling cornered.

“Oh yeah?” she purrs, crossing her arms over her chest. “How did you meet?”

My brain almost short-circuits, the pressure of needing an immediate answer almost too much to bear. But I think of how I met Tempe last night, and I roll with that scenario.

“Met her in that grocery store when I joined the team. She was helping me find something—”

“What was she helping you find?” she demands.

“Does it matter?” I shoot back. “You asked how we met and I told you.”

She switches tactics, moving away from the origin of my “relationship” and hitting on the skepticism that I’d be interested in someone like Tempe. “Really, Raff. A grocery store shelf stocker.”

“She’s more than a shelf stocker,” I snap, wholly needing to defend my girlfriend.

I mean, my fake girlfriend.

“You can do better than that. Why does she work in a grocery store?”

“How about you mind your own fucking business,” I growl.

Tansy’s eyebrows rise slightly, but her lips quirk in further amusement. “Mmm… not very professional to an executive of the Titans’ organization. Would you talk to Brienne that way?”

I bristle at the subtle threat, because she has now voiced what has been my primary fear—that our hookup and the subsequent fallout will somehow get me in trouble with the big boss.

I don’t know what I’ll do if she uses the threat of getting me in trouble with the brass to force me to go out with her. So I take the initiative. “You know what, Tansy? Tempe’s going to be with me at the shoot as we have plans later that day. How about you just ask her yourself why she works in a grocery store?”

Tansy blinks in surprise, momentarily processing my words before her eyes narrow. They glitter with cockiness and calculation. “I still don’t believe you have a relationship with her, but let’s make a little bet. If she doesn’t come, you’ll go out for a drink with me after the shoot.”

Jesus Christ. How am I going to pull that off? I thought the mere assertion that I was bringing her would be enough to get Tansy to back off and then I’d be able to come up with some excuse later why Tempe wasn’t there. “And if she does show up, you’ll back off and leave me alone?”

Tansy tips her head back and laughs. When her gaze meets mine, it’s filled with hilarity. “Maybe. But maybe not. Guess it depends on how convincing your ‘girlfriend’ is.”

She turns on her very high heel, ass swaying as she walks away from me.

“Goddamn it,” I mutter. I head out to the players’ garage, my mood darker than before.

?

The next morning, I wake up determined to resolve this mess. It took me forever to fall asleep last night, but I eventually dozed off after I came up with what I think is a decent game plan to nip this in the bud.

Some might call it preposterous, but there’s only one thing I can do. I need to find Tempe and get her to be my fake girlfriend, at least for this photo shoot next week.

I’m actually a bit excited by my plan, thinking it will get Tansy off my ass, keep me in good graces with the big boss and bonus… I get to see Tempe again and maybe, just maybe, I’ll ask her on a real date.

After a shower and a light breakfast, I head off to the grocery store. I bring my reusable bags—because I’m environmentally conscious that way—as I’ll pretend to shop while looking for Tempe.

It’s after a frustrating fifteen minutes of circling the store that I become a bit hopeless that she doesn’t appear to be here. If I don’t get her agreement to be my fake girlfriend today, the opportunity is gone for good as I’m leaving for a road trip.

Standing at the customer service desk, I spot Dale, the assistant manager from the other night.

When I approach, his head lifts and a smile of recognition hits his face. “Wow… two days this week Rafferty Abrams comes to shop in our store. What can I help you with?”

“I’m actually looking for Tempe. Is she working today?”

He doesn’t appear to be put out by my request, but rather seems to want to help. I’m relieved when he says, “Yeah… she’s actually on her break right now. Follow me and I’ll get her for you.”

I follow Dale through the store to a set of swinging doors that lead into the back. “Wait here,” he instructs.

So I do, checking out the selection of sausages and breakfast meats in the cooler to the right.

Almost as quickly as Dale disappeared, one of the doors opens and Tempe steps through. I don’t see the hideous store uniform but instead am slightly hypnotized by those green eyes. Her hair is in two braids hanging over each shoulder and she looks young and fresh.

She’s clearly surprised to see me. Not overly excited, but curious. “Rafferty? What are you doing here?”

Good. She remembered my name.

I launch into an explanation, the words tumbling out in a frustrated rant. “My stalker showed up again, and now I need to bring you to this marketing photo shoot Monday that I can’t get out of. It’s required and I have a speaking part for a commercial, I think. At any rate, I have to go have a drink with her if you don’t come. I can’t do it, Tempe. She’s crazy, but she’s my boss’s cousin, and I can’t be rude to her. I really need your help.”

Tempe looks taken aback, her brow furrowing. “Wait, photo shoot? For what?”

I wave my hand impatiently. “For the Titans. We have to promote videos or do PSAs sometimes.”

Her eyes narrow at me. “Who are you exactly?”

I pause, realizing how absurd this must sound, especially since she probably thinks me no more than a regular Joe off the streets.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, holding my hands up to regain some control. My eyes bore into hers. “Sorry, I should’ve explained. I play for the Pittsburgh Titans. The photo shoot is for a team marketing campaign.”

Her eyes widen in realization. “You’re a professional hockey player?”

“Yeah… I knew you didn’t recognize me, so I assume you don’t follow hockey.”

“I follow it well enough. I’m just not so into it that I know anyone other than the first line.”

I wince because that was a little harsh. I’m a third-line player, but I was a huge recruit for the team. I put my ego aside though and give her my best sad dog look. “I’m sure the last thing you want to do is get involved in something like this. But if you’ll come to this one event with me and we’re convincing enough, Tansy will leave me alone. Just right now… she didn’t buy our little acting session.”

“I don’t think that kiss was acting,” Tempe murmurs thoughtfully, focused on the sausage cooler as she considers the request.

I, on the other hand, stare at her with new eyes, because she’s right. That kiss was genuine from start to finish and it excites me that she felt it too.

I’m desperate now and I don’t know which way she’s leaning, so I opt for begging. “Please, Tempe. I’ll do anything.”

Her eyes comes to me, serious and unyielding. “Fine… I’ll do it for $1000.”

The amount shocks me—I hadn’t pegged her as an opportunist. “A thousand dollars. Are you serious?”

“Yup. A thousand dollars will buy you a girlfriend for the day.”

I consider arguing, perhaps negotiating. But then again, what do I care? I can afford the money, but I can’t afford to miss the opportunity to put this Tansy mess to bed for good. “Okay, it’s a deal. But we can’t just show up at this shoot. We need to get our stories straight and make this believable so Tansy will let this go. If we’ve supposedly been dating for a while, then we need to act it out believably.”

“Fair point,” she agrees.

“Dinner tonight? We can plan everything then.”

She nods, her lips pursing in an amused smile, except it doesn’t bother me the way Tansy’s does. Tempe is getting a kick out of this.

And maybe I am too.

We agree on a place to meet and Tempe slips through the swinging doors, back to whatever she was doing before I interrupted her.

As I leave the store, part of me can’t believe what I’ve gotten myself into. But another part is relieved. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.