“Oh God.” She threw her head back with a groan.
“The point is,” Fox came to her rescue, “the person who receives the Innocent Cup probably paid the fewest fines last year and can therefore buy us all drinks tonight, Maddie.That’swhy nobody wants to win it…”
“So we’ll start with the Scandal Cup,” Lucy added, wiggling her eyebrows. “I think this year it’s quite obvious! The undisputed winner is…Penelope Clark!”
“What?” The owner of the Hawks gasped in outrage. “I thought those weird trophies only went to the players.”
“No, equal rights for all.” Lucy shrugged, pulling the second-to-last trophy from the table, and handing it out to her.
“No, no!” Penny said stonily, shaking her head. “I’m not accepting this award! It’s not fair! My name is not Saint, and I have not slept with my boss or hidden my brother and sister.”
“Uhhh…” Leon grinned while Jack stared at his girlfriend in disbelief.
“Youare that boss!”
“So what?” She waved her hand dismissively. “I did not take an oath not to have sex during the season.”
Jack snorted. “It was not an oath! Are you seriously trying to pass the award to me?”
“Well, I’m just saying!” She looked up at him with big, innocent eyes. “I slaughtered a rooster on stage years ago. People expect me to do something crazy, not you. Which only makes your behavior worse.”
“I think Penny is right,” Anna jumped in with a grin, because if there was one thing Jack loved, it was winning. He should be happy about the nomination! “First, you mislead people with your nickname and then you ambush them from behind with one scandal after another.”
“Oh, a valid point.” Dax nodded seriously. “Lucy, Jack deserves the award.”
“Nonsense,” he replied angrily. “If our silly nicknames mean anything, Moreau would have killed at least three people by now!”
Anna turned to the goalie with interest because she just couldn’t pass up the excuse to look at him. “Of course, there’s some truth in that. And,Killer? How many people have you killed?”
“God,” Leon muttered, shrugging. “Hasn’t anyone told Anna that you shouldn’t joke with Moreau?”
Oh, please. He wasn’t that scary. Yes, he was six-foot-five and consisted of two hundred forty pounds of muscle, but he had never scared her. He was…gentle when he wanted to be. So Anna rigorously ignored Leon — just like Moreau.
For a few endless seconds, he just stared at her impassively, tilting his head almost imperceptibly. He wore a light blue shirt that was so tight around his shoulders that Anna could see the muscles tensing underneath. His posture told her that he knew what she was doing and that she should stop. But she decided to ignore his body language because she wanted to hear words from him.
“So?” she repeated challengingly while a strange silence spread around them. “How many?”
He slowly leaned back in his chair and murmured, “None yet, but maybe I’ll start today.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. It sounded like a threat, but she was fairly certain he was joking.
“You know you can’t really kill with looks, right?” she said, amused, leaning forward. “And seeing you this way, I’d think you’re auditioning for a role as a brooding, glittery vampire.”
Fox laughed loudly and slapped Moreau on the shoulder. “Oh man, she’s right!”
The goalie frowned. “And here’s victim number two.”
“Please don’t,” Lucy protested. "We couldn’t recover from the PR nightmare. So, yes, the Scandal Cup goes to Jack West! Congratulations.”
The team’s applause was exaggerated, and Jack accepted his fake Oscar with a sigh — while Lucas continued looking at her. He shook his head. It was a barely noticeable movement…but she knew what he wanted. She should stop provoking him. Well, that, unfortunately, clashed with her plans for that night! Too bad.
She smiled broadly and took a sip of her second daiquiri while Lucy announced that they could now choose their most innocent lamb.
“It’s pretty clear!” Matt shouted. “Fox deserves the title. Maddie says he’s the only one she’d like to take on at her dating agency because she could realistically sell him as a marriageable man.”
Fox smiled broadly. “Thanks, Maddie. You’re right. I’m the most sensible of all of us.”
“As well as divorced from a horrible woman who drags your name through the mud every few months and sics the press on you!” Lucy reminded him, shaking her head.
