“Coach Price, it’s Niko Vereshkova.”
“Hey, Niko. I just wanted to give you the good news. You’re moving to Chicago. Ready to play with the big boys?”
My head swam with dizziness as I listened. I ran a hand into my hair and pulled, squeezing my eyes shut.
“What?” I choked the word out. My throat constricted and I sank down to the bench.
“We’ll see you tomorrow for practice, then?” Price said.
I cleared my throat and got ahold of myself.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there. Thank you for this. I won’t let you down.”
We said goodbye and I rested my elbows on my thighs, letting my head fall down toward my knees. This was it. The call I’d worked my ass off for. The call I wasn’t sure I’d ever get. A lot of guys never did.
I hadn’t cried since I was a kid, but tears fell as I dropped my head into my hands. It wasn’t the call I was emotional over, but what it meant. This was my chance to finally come through for my family. My parents had sacrificed for me, and now I could begin to repay all the blood, sweat and tears they’d shed getting me here.
As soon as I got my shit together, I’d call them. Who was I kidding? I’d probably cry again when I told them. Other people would think I was a pussy, but they didn’t know. My teammates came from all walks of life, but none of them knew poverty. Not the kind that means you get a free lunch at school – the kind that means stomach-cramping hunger and no heat in the winter.
This moment didn’t belong just to me. It was for my parents and my younger brothers and sister, too. Dad had always taught us that family meant sticking together through the good times and the bad, but there’d been more bad times than good for the Vereshkovas. That was about to change.
***
Sadie
The date from hell replayed in my mind as I drove to Lucky’s, the downtown bar I was meeting Dell at. Luke was with her, since this was their day off, but he was probably used to my rants about men by now.
Why the hell had I tried online dating? It was so damn embarrassing. Not to mention rife for issues like the one I’d just encountered. Colin had sounded pretty great in his profile – funny and laid-back. But now I knew that my first clue should’ve been the way he described his height – “5’8”-ish”. More like 5’8” minus four inches.
And the picture that accompanied his profile? Was not him. It was literally another man. Apparently he thought I wouldn’t notice. I planned to suck it up and be nice until he asked me how I wanted to handle the check before the waitress even came to the table.
Peace out, Colin. If that was even his real name.
If there was a bright side, it was that now I had a subject for my column that was due in two days. What better topic than a bad date for a space devoted to the musings of a single twenty-something living in the city?
Sadie Says occasionally sounded like it was written by a man-hater. But really I was just a woman in the trenches of singlehood.
I walked into the bar and made my way to the back, where Dell had texted me I could find her. Her long, dark red hair caught my attention and a sigh of relief escaped my chest.
A hand gripped my ass as I made my way past a group of men. I turned to find a 30-something guy in a baseball hat winking at me.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
When I was almost to the table, I saw that it wasn’t just Luke, but also Ryke and Kate with Dell. I didn’t mind sharing my misadventures in dating with Luke, but I didn’t know Ryke and Kate all that well yet.
“Hey,” Dell said, grinning at me as she rose to give me a hug. “I got your text. Not so great with Colin?”
“Ugh.”
“I saved you a seat,” she said. I shrugged off my hoodie and hung it on the back of the chair next to her.
“Hey, Sadie,” Luke said, waving from next to Dell. Kate smiled and nudged Ryke, who turned away from the guy he was talking to and waved at me.
I glanced at the guy next to him when he turned back to his conversation. He looked like … I did a double take. Yep. Niko, the playboy groomsman from last summer. Could this night get any better?
“What are you doing here?” I asked, an edge in my tone.
“Hey, Sadie. I’m on Ryke and Luke’s team now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
“Sadie.” Dell arched her brows at me. “You’re in a bad mood. Don’t take it out on him.”
“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Niko asked, grinning.
“My panties are not in a bunch.”
“You wearing a thong?”
My mouth fell open. “Like I’d tell you if I was?”
“She had a bad date,” Dell explained.
I glared at her. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“You said in your text that he looked like one of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz.”
Niko and Luke had a good laugh over that. Dell and Kate looked at me with a mixture of pity and amusement. I shook my head, wishing I’d just gone home to drown my sorrows in some ice cream and a good book.
“I need a drink,” I muttered.
“I’ve got it.” Niko stood and met my eyes. “What’ll it be?”
“You don’t need to do that.” I looked away and slung my bag over my shoulder, heading for the bar. He was hot on my heels, following me as I wove through the crowd.
“Hey.” He slid in next to me, leaning on the bar. “You still pissed over last summer?”
“I’m not pissed.”
He arched his brows, about to speak when the bartender approached. She licked her lips as she eyed Niko.
“How can I help you, sweetie?” she asked him.
“Newcastle,” he said, reaching for his wallet. “And whatever she wants.”
The bartender looked at me, just realizing I was there. I shook my head at her.
“I’m getting my own drink.”
Niko glared at me. “Come on, Sadie. Don’t be like that.”
The faint Russian accent in his voice was hot. Even that aggravated me. A lousy date plus PMS made for a fairly nasty bitch.
“If your phony accent didn’t work, a drink sure as hell won’t,” I said.
His lips curved up at the corners. “First of all, the accent wasn’t phony. It was exaggerated. And it did work. You were all about getting together later that night.”
“I was not all about it,” I protested.
“Were too. Now tell the lady what you want to drink.”
I fought the urge to argue with him, pressing my lips into a thin line.
“Bring her something fruity,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Long Island iced tea,” I said to the busty bartender. She left to get our drinks, and I spoke to Niko without looking at him.
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
He snorted, making me look up at him. He rubbed a hand down his face, grinning.
“Can’t I just buy you a drink?”
“I’m just letting you know.” I raised my hands in the air.
Niko leaned over to speak near my ear in a low tone. “If I was trying to sleep with you, I wouldn’t need to buy you a drink to do it.”
This time I was the one who snorted. “There is nothing – and I mean absolutely nothing – that you could do to get me to sleep with you.”
He gave me a smug look. “Not true. But I’m not trying to sleep with you, so let’s just drink and have some fun.”
Two women approached, both beaming at Niko.
“Niko?” the blonde one said. “I’m Cassie, Chris Thompson’s girlfriend. Welcome to the team!”
She embraced him and then the woman next to her did the same, mumbling an introduction into his ear.
“Is this your girlfriend?” The blonde turned to me with a giant grin.
“No,” I said emphatically. “We hardly know each other.”
The bartender returned with the drinks, and Niko flashed her a smile that made my heart beat faster wh
en he passed her the cash. I took a giant swig of the tea to distract myself.
“Slow down, champ,” Niko said to me before turning back to the overly happy women. “Nice to meet you, ladies. I hope to see more of you.”
“You can see more of me anytime,” the brunette said, biting her lip. Niko gave her that charming smile and I tried to suppress an eye roll. I made my way back to the table, not looking behind me to see if he was following.
“Tell me about this hellish date,” Dell said as I sat down.
“It just sucked. Nothing to tell.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “Status quo. I’m considering a dating hiatus.”
“What would you write your Sex and the Sadie columns about?”
Kate gave us both a puzzled smile.
“She has a column,” Dell explained. “About the life of a kickass single girl in Chicago. I think they should have called it Sex and the Sadie.”
“That’s really cool,” Kate said. “So you get to write about funky spunk and such?”
I smiled at her reference. “I haven’t gotten to the spunk stage with anyone in a while. But yeah, it’s fun writing about my misadventures in dating. You have to laugh at yourself, right?”
“Any guy would be lucky to be with you,” Dell said. “Don’t give up, and do not lower your standards.”
“I need a break,” I said. “It’s exhausting. Getting my hopes up, waiting for someone to call, shopping for clothes for what will inevitably be a shitty date …”
“You don’t need that stress,” Kate said. “You should take a break. Maybe you can take a break from the column, too.”
“Or maybe I can write about women not needing a man, or even the prospect of one, to be happy,” I said, thinking as I spoke. “I can write about being kickass while completely alone.”
“To that,” Dell said, raising her bottled beer in the air.
“To being kickass,” Kate said.
“What are we toasting?” Luke asked, looking over from his conversation with Ryke and Niko.
“Sadie’s singlehood,” Dell said.
We all raised our glasses and bottles, and I chanced a glance across the table at Niko. His warm brown eyes met mine. Damn, that was one sexy Russian. His smolder was effortless. His dark stubble and intense gaze reminded me of my instant attraction to him at the hotel bar.
This was what got me in trouble. Instead of being smart, and seeking out a sensible partner, I acted out of desperation sometimes. But no more. With any luck, this new column idea would save me from myself.
***
Niko
My muscles tensed with nervous energy. This was it – my first practice with my new team. I was so ready for this and scared shitless at the exact same time.
There was no room for fear. My parents were behind on loan payments for their deli, and the money I now made was their only hope. I was wiring them cash this afternoon from my new seriously higher salary. I had to be good enough to stay on this team, no matter what it took.
Ryke nodded at me from across the ice, Luke next to him. I was a lucky bastard to already have friends here. They were on a different line, but if I fucked this up royally, they’d be honest with me about it.
Price’s whistle sounded and I fell into the reflexive mode practice brought out of me. Same pucks, same sticks, same game, I reminded myself. Just playing it with a bunch of guys who’ve got fat bank accounts.
But that wasn’t the only difference. This team was polished. The guys were faster, stronger and more precise than I was used to. Surprisingly, it felt good. Their strength brought out my A game.
Price only screamed at me once, which was better than a lot of the other guys. I’d been hoping to survive this, but as I stepped out of the shower in the locker room and wrapped a towel around my waist, I decided I’d done a little better than just survive it. I fit in okay here.
“Hey Niko,” Luke called from a few feet away. “You wanna come over for dinner tonight?”
“Yeah. You cooking?”
Luke grinned. “No, Dell is. So have a big snack before you come.”
“I heard that,” Dell’s sharp voice said from somewhere. I couldn’t see her until she stuck her head around a row of lockers. “You love my vegetable lasagna.”
“I’m teasing, baby,” Luke said. “Course I love it.”
I hadn’t had a home cooked meal in a while, so it wouldn’t have to be that great to impress me. I spent the afternoon lifting weights and finally shopping for the furniture I needed in my apartment. I hadn’t brought much of anything from Rockford because I didn’t have much.
After a slow afternoon on my own, I knocked on Luke and Dell’s door that evening. They’d moved into a nice downtown apartment after they got married. It was large and comfortable, but not pretentious. The toys scattered on the floor and the comfortable furniture were reminders that a family lived here.
“Hey, man,” Luke said when he opened the door.
“Hey. Was I supposed to bring anything?”
“Just your pretty self, asshole,” he said, leading me into the kitchen. My gaze went right to Sadie, who sat at the table with Dell’s son Kyler on her lap. They were coloring something with crayons, and she was smiling and stroking a hand down his shaggy brown hair.
I hadn’t known she’d be here, and it was a very pleasant surprise.
Damn, was she beautiful. I was just as starstruck as I’d been that day at the hotel bar. Her big brown eyes sparkled with amusement. Her long, dark hair was wrapped into a bun at the nape of her neck, drawing attention to her flawless face.
“Niko!” Kyler cried when he saw me. He slid down from Sadie’s lap and wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug.
“Hey Ky, you’re getting tall,” I said.
“You’re staying in Chicago, right?” he asked, looking up at me.
“Yep. As far as I know.”
“Ryke and Kate and Melody and AJ are coming over, too,” he said. “And this is my Aunt Sadie.”
“I met Sadie at the wedding,” I said, locking eyes with her. She didn’t look happy, but she also didn’t look like she wanted me dead, which was an improvement.
“What are you guys coloring?” I asked, looking over at the papers on the table.
“Aunt Sade’s drawing magic animals and I’m coloring them,” Kyler said. I arched my brows, impressed by her depiction of a winged horse.
“Nice,” I said. “The scarf’s a good touch.”
“All magical horses wear scarves,” she said, a smile touching her lips.
“You wanna color, too, Niko?” Kyler asked.
“Sure.” I sat down and sorted through the dozens of crayons on the table. We worked in silence for about five minutes, until Kyler slid down again when a girl about his age burst into the kitchen.
Everyone got absorbed in conversation, leaving me and Sadie looking at each other in silence.
“Still mad at me?” I asked.
“It’s hard to be mad at a man who’s coloring,” she said wryly.
I glanced down at the red crayon in my hand. “I’m secure enough in my manhood to admit I like coloring.”
“Is this another one of your moves? Sweet and disarming?”
I leaned just a little closer to her. “Depends. Are you feeling disarmed?”
“Not at all.”
“There it is, then. You’re immune to my moves, so you’ll get nothing but straight-up Niko.”
“I bet just the name is enough for some women.” She looked down at the rabbit with a snout she was drawing. “Say it with the Russian accent.”
I grinned. Like hell she didn’t like me. “Nikola Vereshkova.”
“Nice. You have any brothers?”
“Two of ‘em. One’s got a girlfriend and the other’s 17. You into that?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Eww, no.”
“Then I’m the only Vereshkova open for your consideration.”
“I’m pitching a colu
mn idea for 60 days without dating to my editor tomorrow, and that’ll include mindless hookups,” she said softly, though the kids were on the other side of the room. “Sorry.”
“You think I’m only good for mindless hookups?”
She looked up and our eyes met. “I think you only want mindless hookups.”
I couldn’t argue with her there. I liked shit simple when it came to women. That usually meant one night only. I didn’t envy my teammates who were constantly dealing with jealous girlfriends.
“Sixty days of celibacy sounds like torture,” I said, changing the subject.
Sadie shrugged. “It’s been more than sixty now and I’m good. There’s nothing a man can do that I can’t do better anyway.”
My lips parted and my cock stirred to life. Was she telling me that she …?
“Dinner’s ready,” Dell announced.
Everyone started moving toward the dining room, and I lingered behind Sadie so I could admire her tight, round ass. I needed to get this woman out of my system. Every time I saw her, I wanted her a little more, and sex was the only way to resolve that. I’d have to either wait 60 days or crack her resolve to last 60.
Given how much I wanted to scoop her little body into my arms right now and shove her into the nearest wall to kiss her until she was gasping for air, I already knew which one it would be.
Chapter 3
Sadie
Miranda Carrison was my professional idol. She’d made her way to the top spot in a newsroom in her early 40’s. Journalism was more progressive than some fields, but the management positions were still dominated by men.
With shoulder-length blonde curls and dark reading glasses, she didn’t have the cutthroat appearance some people expected in a managing editor. She looked like a mom, and since I’d lost my mom, I figured that was one of the things that drew me to Miranda.
She was tough when need be, and the woman did not like hearing the word ‘no’. She’d been reminding me of it for five full minutes as she tried to convince me to expand my weekly column to twice a week.
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