Bryson chuckles, shaking his head as he pushes off my desk. “Not yet, Tess. It was going to be the next thing on the agenda.”
“Oh, good. Let’s go, then. IT should be here soon. Then, once they’re done setting Blair up, why don’t you give her the grand tour?” Bryson and I follow Tess as she strides down the hall toward the employee kitchen area.
“There’s more to see?” I ask Bryson with wide eyes.
He grins, clearly amused by my deer-in-headlights expression. “Yeah. This place is huge. And you haven’t seen the best parts yet.”
“So those were allthe corporate spaces where we spend most of our time. We saw some of the public-facing spaces when we walked in this morning. How ’bout I show you the stuff the public doesn’t get to see?”
I nod, eager to get a glimpse behind the curtain. Plus, Bryson is cool, and I’m having fun letting him play tour guide. He tellsme the names of everyone we meet, points out the best vending machines for snacks, and happily recommends places Reed and I need to check out near our apartment. He even offers to have us over for dinner and tells me he thinks I’d get along with his girlfriend, Adrienne. Apparently, she has a nephew around Reed’s age, so he suggests we introduce them.
So far, the morning has been better than I ever could have hoped. My boss seems awesome, my coworker is cool, and I’m feeling less and less like a fish out of water as Bryson chatters away to ensure I’m comfortable. It’s as smooth and simple a first day as I could have hoped.
“This is where all the magic happens,” Bryson says with a conspiratorial wink. “At least, that’s what all the women who work here claim. Just be careful. Your predecessor, Becky, got fired because she was a little too familiar with the talent.” He rolls his eyes, but he’s still grinning. “Hey, Joe.” He nods at a beefy security guard. “This is Blair Sherman. She’ll be working with Tess and me.”
Joe inclines his shaved head and sticks out a meaty palm. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Blair. How are you liking our little home away from home?”
“Honestly? It’s a little overwhelming, but I love it.” I offer Joe a bright smile. “And the people are so nice.”
“She’s from California,” Bryson says, as if that means something.
“Ah.” Joe nods in understanding. “That’s a big change. Well, if you ever need help or someone to walk you to your car at night, you just holler Miss Blair. Any of the security guards are happy to make sure everyone feels safe.”
“Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that.”
Bryson claps the security guard on the shoulder and nods to the double doors behind him. “I’m going to show her around the player spaces.”
“Have fun. Nice to meet you, Miss Blair.”
I offer the kind security guard a little nod and a smile. “Nice to meet you too, Joe.”
“He’s a good guy,” Bryson tells me as he ushers me through the doors. I’m immediately hit with a wave of masculine scents and cleaning products. It smells like sweat and bleach, and my nose must crinkle because my coworker chuckles. “Yeah, it can be a bit intense back here. They’ve tried all sorts of air fresheners, but it always smells like sweaty socks.”
Grinning, I switch to breathing through my mouth. Bryson points out offices, a large room with a long table at the front and chairs facing it that he calls the media room, rooms full of massage tables and one stocked with medical supplies. He points out the locker room, though we don’t go in, and then he leads me to a glass door with a sign beside it that saysweight room.
“I think they’re all in here right now. We’ll go in, and I’ll just quickly introduce you before I show you the arena, then we’ll head back up to our little corner.”
Nerves flutter in my belly as Bryson pushes the door open and I’m met with the clanking of weights, the grunts of men working out, and the massive bodies of almost two dozen men.
“Bryse. What’s up, man?” A dark-haired man with a five-o’clock shadow abandons what he was doing and clasps hands with Bryson. I have to look up to meet his coffee-colored eyes.
“Maddox, hey. Just showing our new social impact coordinator around. This is Blair. Blair, this is Maddox Graves, captain of the Rogues.”
The captain’s eyebrows lift and his head tilts to the side as he extends a hand for me to shake. “Blair?”
Shifting my weight, I shake his offered hand. “Uh, yeah. It’s nice to meet you.”
“That’s not a super common name, is it?” The corner of Maddox’s mouth quirks.
“Umm, I’m not sure?”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. I’m being rude. Let me introduce you to the guys.” Turning to face his teammates, Maddox claps his hands, and all eyes turn his way. Our way. “Hey, assholes, everyone sayhito our new social impact coordinator. Her name isBlair.” His attention swings to the corner of the room. “Isn’t that a pretty name?”
Okaaaay.I wave at the massive men, my cheeks hot as they all respond with a chorus ofhello. I scan the room, smiling at the sweaty athletes, until my eyes land in the corner of the room Maddox was addressing when he said my name.
Then I freeze, and static roars to life in my ears. My heart somersaults before kicking into a sprint when I meet a familiar gaze. A gray-eyed gaze I’ve been fantasizing about ever since my last night in LA.
How is this possible? This can’t be happening. I must be imagining things because I’m sex starved and desperate for human connection. That must be it. There’s no other logical explanation for what I think I’m seeing.
