“Hi,” Katella said, standing and offering this mousy woman her hand. “I’m Katella Hanson. You must be Matt’s girlfriend.”
Even Katella could not believe how friendly she sounded. Not that she had a problem with this girl at all. She hadn’t caused Matt to be a jerk to her and Katella knew he hadn’t cheated on her. She was innocent in all of this and Katella wasn’t the bitter type. The least she could do was make this woman feel comfortable, especially since Matt was required to pay attention to his table, not to his date.
This was where Deena Petrov would have been perfect.
As a hockey wife for sixteen years, she had seen it all and was good at reassuring the other girlfriends and wives, especially the new and young ones. Now, Deena was gone because there were clearly issues she couldn’t handle and Katella was forced to try and handle this to the best of her abilities.
“Um, hi,” the girl said. Her voice was strained and Katella wasn’t sure if it was because that was just how she spoke or if it was because she was nervous. She glanced over at Matt, almost as though she was pleading not to leave her. Katella wanted to roll her eyes in exasperation at how childish this was becoming. Sorry, nervousness or not, the life of a hockey girlfriend and wife required you to have thick skin and deal with uncomfortable circumstances. If Matt was serious about this girl – who still hadn’t introduced herself officially, Katella couldn’t help but notice – then she would need to toughen up. The majority of these events weren’t spent with their man, it was spent in the background, looking pretty but keeping silent, being that beacon of support even when their men were hit on by beautiful women, sometimes in front of them.
“I’ll be at table two, right over there in the corner if you need me,” Matt said, pointing to the table in question. Like he was dropping off his child at school and he was pointing out he would pick her up right after school.
“She’ll be fine,” Katella drawled, not bothering to hide her attitude. Thankfully, Seraphina seemed to be of the same mind as her sister because Katella did not notice a look of reprimand or something muttered under her breath. She kept her focus on the girl and didn’t even bother to look at Matt. “What was your name?”
“Um, Melanie,” she said as she slid into the chair Matt held onto.
Why couldn’t he take the hint and leave? Did he not trust Katella with his new girlfriend? Did he really think she would be rude to this girl? Did he really think she was that type of person? That frustrated her, to be honest. He could think what he wanted of her, that was fine, but to think she would be vindictive because Katella had never been a girlfriend and Melanie currently was?
That was a rude assumption that Katella did not care for. She wanted him gone as quickly as possible so she could go back to ignoring Matt and everything that had to do with him. Like trying to figure out just what Edina wanted from Negan, why she was here in the first place when she was supposed to be sitting large with her nice divorce settlement back in New York, and why Negan was upset with her being here – besides the obvious, of course.
Who wanted their ex hanging around like a reality star trying to stay relevant?
“Welcome, Melanie,” Katella said. She continued to ignore Matt and finally felt herself relax when Matt went to go find his table. “I’m Katella, and next to me is Emma. That’s Harper – she’s also the Gulls’ blogger – and this is Stephanie.” She continued until she had introduced their small group of wives and girlfriends to Melanie. All the women were warm and welcoming, exactly as Katella expected. Matt had nothing to worry about. Not even from her.
Once Matt finally disappeared, Katella racked her mind for any idea on how to handle Melanie's presence. She tried to remember how Deanna would treat the new women - always sweet, always friendly, typically breaking the ice with a self-deprecating story about her relationship with Dimitri that was both humorous and relatable. Katella couldn't exactly do that, considering she didn't currently have a significant other on the team and she couldn't use a story that had happened between her and Matt for obvious reasons.
"So how long have you and Matt been together?" Harper asked, giving Melanie a smile.
"A few weeks now," she said.
"Awesome," Emma said. "How did you guys meet?"
"At the skate park in Orange," Melanie replied.
No wonder she looked so uncomfortable. She probably didn't like dressing up for these events in the first place, which actually sounded a lot like Matt.
In fact, as the Girls continued to gently question Melanie, Katella realized that Melanie was much more like Matt than she would ever hope to be. Katella thought she would be hurt and jealous about some girl finally locking Matt down when she hadn't been able to do it for two years, but actually, she was okay. Her ego was a little bruised, sure, but it didn't actually hurt as bad as she thought it would. To be honest, she had felt more frustrated when she saw Negan talking to his ex tonight than she did at the proposer of meeting Matt's girlfriend. Sure, she was a little bitter about how easily the label came to his lips and after such a short amount of time of being together, but she didn't resent the situation. In fact, it told her that Matt had never been truly happy with her and was with her because it was convenient or because he liked her grandfather, or because he thought she was pretty and liked being with someone beautiful even if it meant not being completely happy. It made her angry, too, that he could waste her time, give her hope that something might happen between the two of them, if she just hoped hard enough, if she just had faith and waited for him to come around.
Which never would have happened.
But she couldn't blame Matt for everything. Katella had been partly responsible. She could have left at any time. But she liked the illusion just as much as he did.
Melanie seemed nice. And Katella was happy for her and for Matt. Really, she was.
At least now, she had the closure she needed to finally let Matt go.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats as we are starting the main event in a few minutes," an announcer said at the microphone. "Please welcome our MC, Gulls’ owner and manager Seraphina Hanson!"
The applause reigned down as Seraphina stood up and made her way to the podium. Katella could tell her sister was nervous but Katella knew she would do an excellent job. She leaned back in her seat, a small smile on her face.
Good. This was good.
It was the perfect distraction from Matt and Melanie and Negan and Edina. She needed to not think for a little while.
Chapter 14
Katella pressed her lips together as she watched Seraphina take the stage. Her sister was gorgeous in the way supermodels were gorgeous, except Seraphina had curves and a flat stomach. Her blonde hair was left down and styled over her right shoulder, coming down to her breasts in soft curls. Because of her chest, it was difficult for her to wear things too low cut for fear that it might make her look more like a vixen rather than sleek. It was one of the few occasions when Katella was okay with being less endowed than her younger sister. Her red dress was cut just where her cleavage began so there was a hint of it visible to anyone who wanted to see, which would be most guys. The straps on her dress were thick, offering her chest the support it needed. The gown clung to her curves as it tumbled down to the floor in red lace and whisps. She looked like a goddess.
When the audience finished clapping, she took a step to the podium, which was placed to the right of the main stage. In fact, if the spotlight wasn’t on her, it would have been easy to miss the Gulls’ owner and manager.
“Thank you all for being here,” she said into the microphone. “This is our third annual AllStar Auction. My grandfather created this event as a way to congratulate those going off to participate in the AllStar weekend. This year, our two AllStars are Zachary Ryan and Kyle Underwood.” She paused, allowing the audience to cheer. From the corner of her eye, Katella saw Harper and Emma’s eyes beam with pride. “Don’t worry. They will be open for bidding at the AllStar price of two hun
dred and fifty dollars, starting. But before we jump into spending money, I wanted to take the time to thank The Newport for hosting us and providing us with an extremely delicious three-course meal. I want to thank the Gulls’ Girls – particularly Madison and Amanda – for all of your hard work. Thank you for being here and celebrating with us. And finally, to my sister, who put all of this together.” Seraphina’s eyes found Katella’s. “Seriously. I have no idea how you do this.”
Katella felt herself smile, her cheeks turning red. She loved hosting parties and coordinating events. In all honesty, she had no idea how her sister was able to do all she did, what with running a hockey team.
“Now, let’s start this right, and bring out the rookies!” Seraphina exclaimed. “First up is left defenseman, straight from Finland, Onni Koskinen! Ladies, he just turned legal last month, celebrating his eighteenth birthday December 22. He likes surfing at the beach, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and running every day. We’ll start the bidding at one hundred dollars.”
As Seraphina announced the rookie defenseman, Onni Koskinen walked out, looking stiff and nervous. He was cute for an eighteen-year old, with pale skin, pale blond hair, and blue eyes. He was tall and bulky – the dangerous part of him was that he did not look eighteen – and resembled his Viking ancestors he claimed to have to anyone willing to listen. It was like he had a nervous tic about talking, which was adorable for someone who didn’t have to deal with it too often.
When he had been claimed by someone for seven hundred dollars, Seraphina went through the long list of players. Zachary Ryan went for four thousand dollars. Kyle Underwood went for four thousand, five hundred, and was purchased by Emma’s father who, apparently, wanted to have one-on-one time, which completely mortified Emma but made everyone else howl with laughter. Alec had been claimed by a family and Dimitri Petrov generated seven thousand dollars from somebody else. Currently, he was the player who had earned the most, which wasn’t that surprising, especially considering news of his divorce made airwaves last week, even though it had been in the works since the start of the season.
“We have a couple more to go,” Seraphina murmured, looking down at the notes she had jotted in the town car on the way over. “Next up, our second-line center, James Negan.”
Katella sucked in a breath, not quite sure what to expect. She had already seen him before so she knew how good he looked in his tuxedo and new haircut, but there was something about watching him walk on stage with a swagger some of the other players didn’t possess, a confidence in his air, that made him even more good looking than he really was.
“James Negan likes strong women with fiery personalities,” Seraphina read, though her eyes were somehow able to pull away from the notecard so she could lock eyes with her sister across the room. “He’s honest, blunt, and likes to wake up early to watch the sun rise at the beach. He’s also one heck of a cook. We’ll start bidding at five hundred dollars.”
Do it, a voice murmured in her head. Bid on him.
Why would I want to do that? she snapped in her head.
Because you want to spend time with him, he owes you a date anyway, and it’s a tax write-off.
Katella rolled her eyes at her logic, placing her chin in her palm. Her eyes flickered in front of her, to the main tables, where guests had paid two hundred and fifty bucks per seat starting, waiting to see if anyone would take the bid.
“Five hundred!” a voice up front shouted. It sounded female. Katella wasn’t surprised. Negan might not get as much as Dimitri Petrov but she was certain he’d make a decent amount.
“Five hundred,” Seraphina said, pointing to the bidder. “Will anyone go seven-fifty?”
“Seven-fifty!” another female, this one on the opposite side of the room, called out.
Katella furrowed her brow, craning her head to try and make out the second bidder. Her eyes widened. This was the woman Negan was talking to earlier this evening. This was Negan’s ex. Now that Katella could stare freely, she had to admit that Negan’s ex – Edina was her name, Katella remembered – was pretty. She had dark brown hair pulled into a sleek bun with stray strands of hair framing her made up face. She wore a tight black dress that showed off her curves and a pair of sexy black stilettos. She looked very New York – a hard, determined look on her face, like she knew exactly what she wanted and how she was going to get it. Like she had planned to bid on her former husband and was planning to win him the whole time.
There was something about the outright arrogance that made Katella want to bid on him just to win him from her.
Did that make her petty?
Probably.
Katella didn’t care.
Her eyes shifted over to Negan. He still had that cool look of indifference, like he didn’t particularly care what happened, but there was something she noticed that told her, something in his eyes that said he would do anything to anyone who helped him.
“Do we have a thousand?”
Seraphina’s question was posed to the entire room but it sounded like it was meant just for her.
Somehow, Negan’s eyes found Katella’s. Nothing changed in his expression, but she swore she saw his brown eyes plead with her.
Negan never pleaded.
“A thousand.”
Katella hadn’t even realized she had spoken. She hadn’t looked away from Negan. It wasn’t until relief pooled into his warm brown eyes that she noticed her hand was up and her voice rang through the silent room.
“One thousand,” Seraphina announced, her lips quirked into a knowing smirk as her blue eyes flashed over to Katella. “Does anyone have twelve fi-“
“Twelve fifty!” Edina exclaimed before Seraphina could even finish her sentence. She looked back at Katella. It was a cliché, but if looks could kill, Katella knew she’d be dead. It was actually funny, to see the arrogance disappear from her face and transform into shock, surprise, and then disbelief, before it morphed into anger and jealousy.
“Fifteen hundred?”
Katella turned to look at Edina. Edina was making it no secret what she felt about Katella. She was shooting death glares, clenching her teeth, wrinkling the bridge of her nose. Katella knew how to keep it cool and collected; more than that, she and Negan were more similar than different in that she knew how to get under people’s skin just as well as he did.
She turned to look at Edina, shot her a smile, and winked.
“Fifteen hundred,” Katella said.
There was a rush shooting through her body at potentially winning Negan away from his ex. Actually, that was a nice way of putting things. She would win Negan back from his ex because she had more money than she knew what to do with. Even if she didn’t, she had a feeling Negan would pay her back if she asked.
“Seventeen fifty!!” Oh, if Edina was writing her dialogue down that would be worth two exclamation points. There was sass behind that as well, which Katella would typically respect but not when it came to Negan’s ex.
Seraphina looked back to Katella, raising one eyebrow and shooting her sister a questioning grin. “Two thousand?”
Katella nodded. “Two thousand,” she said with a simple nod of her head.
The room was quiet. All that could be heard was the flickering of the candles.
Katella found Negan’s eyes and tried to reassure him with a look that said, I got you. The left corner of his lips curled up into a half-smile. He trusted her, she saw. More than that, he was amused. He shook his head in a subtle way, not quite believing that she was the one who was rescuing him but he wasn’t arguing with it.
What an interesting conundrum they had found themselves in.
At least she could guarantee that date he asked her out on.
It continued on like this for the next twenty minutes. Katella wasn’t sure if that made everything boring for the rest of the guests or if it was as exciting to them as it was to her. Not that it mattered how it affected the others. She was focused on one thing and one thing only: winning Negan.
Of course, as the two women continued to bid on him, surpassing three and then four thousand dollars, Negan’s look on his face got more smug. Surely no one expected Negan to earn this kind of money, although he was one of the fan favorites due to his hard work and effort. He also wasn’t terrible to look at, especially when he was all dressed up in a tuxedo, with his hair slicked back and his hands resting casually in his pockets. Even the two black eyes didn’t take away from his good looks – which was a crazy thing Katella probably would have never believed.
Katella wasn’t blind, either. She noticed other beautiful women sizing him up. The fact that he was single made him practically a bullseye although whether they were married or single didn’t matter. Women knew what they wanted and did what they could to go after it. Nothing would stop some of these women. The only reason there wasn’t as many bidding on him was a money issue. Everything else considered, Katella would have way more competition.
When she beat Edina in this auction, the first thing she was going to do was slap that smug grin off of his face. Then, she was going to think of the most ridiculous date for him to take her on – mani-pedi, for sure, maybe a spa day. She wondered if she could talk him into blond highlights – not because he needed it but because it would be hilarious.
“Wow, James, these two have your number, don’t they?” Seraphina asked, putting a pause on the auction and tilting her head to look at the player. “Anything you want to say?”
He smiled and Katella couldn’t be sure, but she could swear his cheeks were tainted with pink coloring. Katella smiled at him, a deep, genuine smile that came from appreciating not only how good looking he was, but who he was as a person. He looked shy, which she hadn't expected at all, and Katella suddenly realized that maybe he was slightly embarrassed that two women were fighting over him. Maybe he would prefer if Katella ended this.
So the next time Seraphina turned to her, asking if she wanted to put up three thousand five hundred dollars, Katella responded with, "Five thousand."
Black Eyes & Blue Lines: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 2) Page 9