Page 118 of False Play
“And you’ve just been baited,” I said, grinning smugly.
He frowned, then his eyes landed on Val, who was already setting up the ring light and phone. A groan escaped him. “Fuck, no. I’m not doing this shit.”
When he tried to make a quick escape, Owens gripped him by the back of his practice jersey. “You’re going to do whatever Val tells you to do. Got it?”
“It’s fine if you don’t want to, Anderson. I don’t need the whole team,” Val said with a kind smile.
“Nope. He doesn’t get an option. None of them do. I’ll go get the other guys,” Owens said then leveled Henry with a look. “You better obey every single fucking instruction she gives you.”
Henry shot me an exasperated look, and it took everything in me to keep my laughter in check. He then sighed as he sagged his shoulders. “Fine.”
Even though all the guys were exhausted, Owens, with his grumpy anddo-not-fuck-with-meattitude, got all the guys in line to play a quick game of Would You Rather. Valentina, the sweet girl she was, even managed to get the assistant coaches to participate, since none of us were brave enough to ask Coach Sloane to be a part of it.
A quick thirty minutes later, Val was done and on her way to edit and post the video on our socials. I wanted to wait for Henry as he showered and changed, so I stayed in the tunnels while I worked on my phone, sending some emails to our catering company for the gala. I had locked down the menu a while ago, but I wanted to make sure we had more than one vegetarian option just in case. Every detail mattered. For many, it was a simple gala. For the guys, it was just another activity they were forced to attend as part of their contract. But for me? It was everything. Not only did working with amazing charities helped us as an organization to show how much we cared about the community we were part of, but this was also the last opportunity I had to prove Icoulddo this job.
I was too distracted, skimming through a few other emails to notice what was happening around me. Suddenly, a hand gripped my forearm, too tightly for comfort. My head snapped up, and Matt was there. Standing way too close with his jaw tense.
“Can I help you with something?” I bit out my response, trying to get out of his grip.
He tightened his hold on me as his eyes flashed with annoyance. “Care to tell me why I have a meeting with Brad and HR tomorrow?”
Wow. That was quick.
“Isn’t this a conversation you should be having with Brad?”
“Do not play stupid games with me,girl.” He gritted out.
I gaped at him and scoffed in disbelief. “Get your hand off me, and I have a name, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Not until you tell me what the hell you told him.”
“I suggest you take your hand off her,right the fuck now, Matt,” a low, gravelly voice snapped from behind me. I didn’t even have to turn around, because I could recognize that voice anywhere.
Matt’s eyes snapped up, sharp and narrowed. “Back off, Anderson. This doesn’t concern you.”
The warmth of Henry’s body felt stronger with each purposeful step he took. Without a word, he ripped Matt’s hand off my forearm. “Do you have some sort of death wish?”
Matt took a sharp gulp, eyes going wide as Henry continued to close the distance. His height alone made Matt look like he was shrinking. “She owes me an expla?—”
“She doesn’t owe you shit,” Henry snapped, his eyes never leaving Matt’s. “Anthony will be hearing about this. I’ll make sure of it. Don’t ever put your hands on Kennedy, or any other woman for that matter,everagain.”
My adrenaline kept my body on high alert, getting ready to step in. I wanted to trust Henry was going to make the right decision and walk away from the situation. But now that I knew better, and how triggering the scene must have been for him, I worried. The last thing he needed was to get in trouble for someone who wasn’t worth it.
Matt let out a deep breath and took a few steps back. “Whatever. My career is probably fucking ruined already because your girlfriend couldn’t keep her mouth shut.”
Henry’s nostrils flared, and he balled his right hand in a fist, but before he could react or say anything, I stepped in front of him, cradled his face between my hands, and forced him to look at me. “Don’t. He’s not worth it. Okay? Just focus on me, please. Ignore him.” I looked over my shoulder. “Whatever they want to talk to you about, it’s your problem now, Matt. Not mine. Leave us the hell alone.” I grabbed Henry’s hand and walked us to the nearest exit.
I pushed through door, letting the late March breeze, paired with the bright-blue sky and sunny day, welcome us.
“What the hell was that about?” Henry asked.
“It’s nothing. I already dealt with it.”
Henry’s chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as his eyes flicked to the exit door then back to mine. “I didn’t know you were even dealing with something in the first place. Has he been bothering you?”
I reached for his forearm and squeezed it gently. “It’s a long story. One I will be more than happy to tell you when you can promise me you won’t lose your shit.”
He sighed heavily, pressing his thumb and middle finger to his forehead, the other hand planted on his hip. “Okay. Fine. But maybe when we’re home and far away from that piece of shit.”
