by Odette Stone
Brian smiled at me. “That was a fun night.”
“It was.” I smiled back. What was my problem? Brian was a tall, good-looking, successful professional. He was just a couple of years older than me, extremely kind and generous with his time. Why didn’t he give me butterflies?
I had experienced a fluttering stomach and weak knees exactly twice tonight. The first time was when I saw Levi walking past us at the gala. The second time was when he had dragged me into the shadows and told me he wanted me.
A cell phone rang, and Brian glanced down at his phone. “It’s not me.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse. Mark Ashford’s name showed up on the screen.
“Mark, how are you?”
“I’m watching television. Do you know why Mica, Levi, and Brody are on the news?”
“What do you mean?” I hadn’t seen any news coverage at the gala, but that didn’t mean the cameras hadn’t shown up after I left. “Are they still at the gala?”
“They’re standing on someone’s front lawn, and there are a lot of police milling around in the background. Hang on.” He paused as he listened to the TV. “This is footage from an hour ago. The reporter says they were at a party that got out of control.”
“I’m going to kill him,” I said under my breath.
Beside me, Brian’s phone rang. He answered, speaking in monosyllables into his phone.
Mark made a weird noise. “That’s odd. I could swear they’re in front of the coach’s place, but I know for a fact Gordon was heading to the island for the weekend for his annual fishing trip.”
Brian and I made eye contact. He was trying to communicate something to me. “Mark, can you hang on?”
I looked at Brian. “What’s going on?”
He turned his car around. “That was Levi. He’s just been arrested. So have Brody and Mica.”
“Mark?”
“I heard,” he said. “I’ll meet you at the station.”
Mark Ashford arrived at the station the same time as we did.
He strode towards me. “This incident happened at Coach’s house. He’s out of town this weekend, but apparently, there were four hundred people partying at his house. It took twenty-five police officers to clear the property.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
He shook his head. “No one can get a hold of Gordon. There is a no-cell policy on his fishing trip.”
I had no idea how Levi had managed to end up at this party. “Tell me what you know.”
I could hear my phone ringing, but I let it go to voice mail.
“I’m friends with the fire chief, and he told me that someone started a fire in one of the bedrooms. It was contained to one room and the roof—no one was hurt—but they are estimating thousands of dollars in damage.”
Please, god. Let this not be the work of my rookie. “This is unprecedented.”
“I need to find out who’s responsible, and I need you to find out how Levi and Mica are involved.”
His phone rang and he stepped away from us, giving me a reprieve.
Brian spoke beside me. “That guy scares me.”
I watched Mark talk on the phone. “He scares everyone.”
Brian gently squeezed my arm. “I’m going to go see what the charges are. I’ll be back shortly.”
When he left, I took a moment to check my phone.
Charlie: I just got a call from Mica that’s he’s been arrested!
Me: I’m at the station right now with their lawyer. I’ll call you as soon as I know more.
Charlie: I have book club here! And I’m drunk! Should I try and get a babysitter?
Me: No, stay home. I’ve got this handled.
I thought for a moment.
Me: Maybe send book club home.
Charlie: Good idea. Do you know what happened?
That was a conversation Mica needed to have with Charlie. Not me.
Me: I will call when I know more.
Mark got off the phone and walked back over to me. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “This is blowing up all over the news. The stories are crazy. I don’t know who is responsible, but I plan to find out.”
“I understand. What can I do?”
“Have Levi and Mica in my office tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. I’m going to figure out how to reach Gordon and get him home.”
“Of course.”
He stared at me. “This is really serious, Krista. This looks really bad.”
“Okay,” I said, my heart in my throat.
Always the gentleman, he asked, “Do you have a ride home?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
I watched him walk away.
Brian approached from behind. He spoke over my shoulder. “Is he okay?”
He was standing close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck, but I felt nothing. Damn! Not a single shiver of anticipation passed through my body.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Mark this upset.”
“Levi is charged with use of force in resisting arrest, but if he’s not actually arrested on any other charges, then those charges will be dropped.”
“What about Mica?”
“Wrong place, wrong time. They dropped the charges and are about to release him.”
We stood, waiting.
Brian looked at me with concern. “How are you doing?”
I lied. “I’m pissed that this happened during our date.” The truth was I welcomed this distraction.
He laughed. “I’m going to head in and see if they know anything more about Levi. Do you want to come?”
“That’s okay.”
Mica appeared from behind Brian. “Hey.”
“Call your wife,” I told him in an unimpressed tone.
“Already did.”
“What the fuck, Mica?”
He gave a shrug. “What do you want me to tell you?”
“Tell me that neither you nor Levi had anything to do with tonight. Tell me that this was all Brody.”
He lifted his hands. “Krista, the first I heard about the party was after thirty people texted me about it. Swear to god. We were still at the gala when messages started showing up on my phone.”
I crossed my arms. “So how did you end up there?”
“We heard that Brody was house sitting for Coach and we wanted to see if the rumors about the party were true. When we arrived, we saw Brody running around half-naked, wielding a bat. We knew we needed to stop him, and he went completely ballistic on Levi. And that’s when the cops showed up.”
“Why was Levi resisting arrest?”
“You know how it is during a fight. Sheer adrenaline.”
“Levi and Brody were fighting?”
“Brody attacked him with a bat. Levi was just trying not to get killed.”
“Did you tell the cops this?”
“I did.”
“Whatever you said worked,” Levi spoke from behind me. I spun around, and my eyes drank him in. He was still wearing his cop costume, and with his cut lip, he looked especially tough.
Brian stepped forward, surprise on his face. “Levi, did they drop the charges?”
“Yup.”
I wasn’t ready to celebrate yet. “Mark Ashford wants you both in his office tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. sharp.”
They looked at each other.
I knew that look. It spelled trouble. My gut told me they’d had something to do with tonight. “Does someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Levi stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.
“I told you,” Mica offered. “We wanted to go see the debacle, but when we saw what state Brody was in, we only wanted to help.”
I looked over at Levi. “Have something to add, rookie?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
I looked over at Brian, who shrugged back at me. “All’s well that ends well?”
/> If I knew anything, I knew it rarely ended well. I glared at Mica and Levi. “Both of you assholes need to be at my office by 7 a.m., is that clear? I need you both to handle this like pros, and I’m definitely prepping you before your meeting with Mark.”
They stood there, but neither of them spoke.
I rolled my eyes and started to walk back towards the car.
From behind me, Mica said, “So can someone give me a lift back to my car?”
We made the drive to Mica’s vehicle in awkward silence. Mica and Levi sat in the back, and I sat in the front with Brian.
When we arrived at Mica’s car, only Mica got out.
Brian looked in the rearview mirror. “How about you, Levi? Is Mica giving you a ride?”
“I live in Krista’s building. I thought it would make more sense to go with you.” He paused as he thought about that statement. “Except you might not be going there. Sorry.”
I looked over my shoulder to correct him, but he was already getting out. He yelled at Mica, “Petrov, hold up.”
“Levi,” I called after him.
He stuck his head back in the car.
“Brian’s dropping me off at my place. It makes more sense for you to come with us.”
He looked over at Brian. “You cool with that, man?”
Brian gave him a tight smile. “Sure, no problem.”
The ride back to my building felt like the start of a bad joke. I was on a date with my divorce lawyer, and my husband was in the back seat…
When we pulled up in front of our building, Levi spoke to Brian. “Thanks for the ride, man.”
He hustled as he got out. I waited until he shut the door before I spoke. “I’m sorry tonight turned out to be such a shit show.”
Brian slowly grinned. “Is your life always like this?”
I decided to be honest. “Yes, mostly. Some people struggle with it.”
“It’s not boring,” he admitted, as he leaned in for a kiss. He kissed me, and I kissed him back. I gave that kiss my all, but I felt nothing. There was no spark, no electricity. At least not on my end.
He made a fluttering sound when I pulled back.
I said in a demure voice, “I should go. I have an early start tomorrow.”
“I’ll call you,” he said with an awkward little wink.
Nope. This plan wasn’t going to work at all.
I walked alone through the lobby of my building. When I came around the corner, butterflies hit my stomach for the third time tonight. Levi was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
We didn’t speak when he pushed the button for the elevator. He let me step on first and then we pushed our buttons for our floors.
He moved fast. He spun me around and lifted me up. His hands were beneath my ass, and my back was pinned against the wall. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.
He moved his face so close to mine I could feel his soft breath on my lips. “Did he just kiss you?”
“Yes.”
He ducked his head and trailed his hot mouth over the sensitive skin of my neck. “And?”
“It didn’t feel right.”
I could feel his hands under my ass. I squirmed when I felt the tip of his finger trace the line of the silver boy shorts that I wore beneath my tutu. His hot mouth was all over my neck, my shoulders, my ears… but not my mouth.
Why did this have to feel so right? I swear my insides were burning so hot they were molten. My fingers pushed into his thick hair, and I tugged at him roughly. He responded by digging his fingers into my ass. I tightened my legs around him, pulling my body closer to his.
He lifted his face to watch me as he lightly traced his knuckles down my jawline.
“Your skin is so soft.”
“I’m sorry.” The words blurted out of me.
His dark eyes held mine, and then he pressed his lips to mine. “I know.”
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I do.”
Ding. The elevator jerked to a stop.
He lowered me to my feet, but I just stood there, looking up at him. “As your agent, I’m so pissed at you.”
He reached over and used his arm to hold open the door. “I get it.”
“But as the person who likes to kiss you, I need to ask you for some time.”
His eyes held mine. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“Are you going to date other men?”
“Not until I sort myself out.”
“Take as much time as you need, but I’ll still be looking for ways to get you alone.”
I stepped off the elevator and got a good look at him. Silver sparkly paint was smeared all over him. What did Levi call it? Out-of-my-mind temptation. “You can try.”
The door shut on his smile.
I needed to be up in three hours. I needed to go to bed. I would deal with this mess, and these butterflies, tomorrow.
Mica, Levi, and I arrived at Mark’s office five minutes ahead of schedule. They were both wearing suits, and they both looked sufficiently subdued. We sat in the waiting room. Mark made us wait twenty minutes before he opened the door.
“Krista, I need to talk to you alone.”
I gave both Levi and Mica the look of death before I gracefully walked into Mark’s office.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“That would be lovely.”
“How was the gala?” he inquired as he poured me a cup and set it on the desk.
“It was good. I did some networking.”
“Sounds like a success, then.” We were making pleasantries, but I wasn’t fooled. He hadn’t invited me to sit on the couch. He’d motioned for me to take a seat at his desk. This was about as bad as it got.
“I haven’t slept yet, and I have some bad news.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. I reached for my coffee. “I’m not sure if I want to hear this.”
“They did forensics on Brody’s phone, and the only person he invited over was one of our physiotherapists. Her name is Dee. She didn’t respond to the text. They also did forensics on her phone and Levi’s, and there were no traces of them sending out any social messaging about the party.”
My entire body sagged in relief. “I thought you said it was bad news.”
“Someone at the gala tweeted out the address, but they haven’t yet figured out who. They are still trying to track that person down.” He straightened out his cuff. “I personally had a conversation with Dee. She told me the only person she showed the text to was Levi.”
I shut my eyes. I will not murder him. “Circumstantial at best.”
“I agree.”
I opened my eyes. “Really?”
“I don’t know what the fuck happened, but I do know he is partially responsible. But no one can prove it.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’m suspending Brody for seven games. Levi will get suspended for two. We’re letting Dee go.”
I felt bad for her. She had shown Levi a text, and because of his actions, she was now going to lose her job. “That seems a bit harsh.”
“She admitted that she has been trying to get into a relationship with Levi.”
It was probably for the best that she found a different job. My voice sounded strangled. “I see.”
He tossed his pen on his desk. “I have a friend who owns a chain of sports clinics. I got her a job that pays more and includes travel. She’ll be okay.”
I looked at him in awe. His level of connection in this city was incredible. “You never fail to impress me.”
“I’m proud of Levi for resisting that temptation. He seems really focused. I’d like to keep him that way.”
I thought about last night’s kiss in the elevator and my secret marriage certificate. It gave me hives when I thought about Mark finding out the truth. “I have limited say in what happens in his personal life.”
“Krista, he’s one of the most gifted players I’ve ever seen, but one day something is going to go sideways,
and he won’t be able to come back from it.”
That seemed to be a theme in his life. “I understand.”
Mark gave me a pointed look. “Tell Levi not to make my team look bad.”
“I’ll talk to him.” Again.
“What’s going on with his agent, Spears?”
“Levi’s still signed with him. Spears is dragging his feet and kicking up a lot of legal fuss over nothing. We are working through the kinks now.”
“I’m leaning towards cutting Brody and signing Levi, especially after last night, but obviously I can’t do that until you’re his agent. Please get that sorted out fast.” He gave me a look. “Keep that to yourself.”
“I will.” My heart was beating so fast. This was the first time Mark had admitted to me his plans for Levi. If I signed Levi to a contract before December, I would definitely get on the Forbes list this year. “Thank you.”
He motioned his head towards his door. “Now tell me how to deal with those two clowns.”
“Do you mind if you let me handle this?”
He gave a nod. “By all means.”
I walked to the door. Both Levi and Mica stood up.
“Mica, you’re free to go. Levi, come in here.”
Levi came into Mark’s office and sat down beside me. He looked introspective and serious.
I turned to him. “We know it was you. We know Dee showed you the text. You’re the only one. Who did you tell? I need to know how this happened.”
He held my gaze and didn’t blink. “Some kid at the gala asked me where he could find a party. I thought it’d be funny if he and his buddies knocked on the door instead of Dee. I had no idea it would get this out of control.”
“Are you telling me that you didn’t specifically ask anyone to tweet anything out about a party?”
Levi shook his head. “No.”
Mark caught my eye. “Good enough for me. I don’t think anything else needs to be addressed, do you?”
Was he not going to suspend Levi? “I think we’ve covered it all.”
Mark gave Levi a stern look. “You’re free to go.”
Levi looked at me with wide eyes before he stood up. “Thank you, sir.”