Page 21 of Zero Pucks Given
“Come on, Grayson,” someone in the darkness yelled. “Stop being stubborn.”
“Better get it over with,” Mason said. “You’ve been sent to the principal’s office.”
“If only,” I muttered before skating off the ice.
I took my sweet time removing my skates and pads. For a brief moment, I was tempted to just leave. Get in my car and drive home. But that would probably only make things worse, and I wanted to get this over with.
When I reached the suite that Bob used as an office, I discovered that he wasn’t alone—there was another man sitting in a chair in the corner, his hands clasped in his lap.
“Grayson, this is Mr. Hartinger, a member of our in-house legal team,” Bob introduced. “He will be sitting in on this meeting today.”
Shit. That was a bad sign.
“Please, have a seat,” Bob gestured.
“I’m fine standing,” I replied. “Let’s get this over with. What’s so important that you had to interrupt my practice?”
Bob cleared his throat. “Your date with Josie Harper the other night. You did not fulfill your obligations.”
Hearing her name out loud sent a nostalgic shiver up my spine. She appeared in my head against my will, swirling expensive wine in her glass while shifting in her seat, giving me a better view of her ample cleavage. My cock twitched at the memory.
“I fulfilled my obligations,” I insisted. “Sheis the one who bailed on the date early. I stayed at the restaurant and finished my meal. Manny can vouch for me—he stayed and ate Josie’s dinner for her. He and I had agreattime on the rest of the date.”
“I’m not doing this with you,” Bob said in an exasperated tone. “I won’t argue technicalities or bargain with you. I’mtellingyou: you’re going on another date with her. A full one this time, untilwesay it’s over.”
My laughter filled the suite.
“What do you find so funny?” Bob asked.
“You can make me do it, because you’ve got me by the balls. Fair enough. But I can tell you right now: you willneverconvince that woman to go on another date. In fact, it’s so unlikely, that I’ll say it infront of Mr. Lawyer over there: if you can convince Josie, then I’ll go along with it. I won’t fight you at all.”
It was the killing blow. The cutting comment that should have summoned one of Bob’s famous scowls.
But he grinned.
“That’s the thing. She’s already agreed to it.”
I gave a start. “What? No she hasn’t.”
“She most certainly has. She signed the paperwork yesterday while working the Spurs game.” He picked up a piece of paper from the table and waved it in the air.
I stared at him, at the piece of paper, then at the lawyer. “Fuck.”
“For the first time in my career, I’m happy to hear you say that,” Bob said cheerfully. “Your next date is Thursday. The two of you are going to a Spurs game together. You won’t even have to talk to each other—all you have to do is smile and watch the game. Surely evenyoucan do that.”
“Thursday? We leave for our road trip Friday morning.”
“You can sleep on the flight.”
I gritted my teeth. I had walked right into a trap. I shouldn’t have been so cocky about Josie.
Why did she agree to another date? Does she actually want to see me again?
“Fine,” I said, biting off the word.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing,” Bob added. “We want you to ask her out.”
“But you just said she already agreed to the date.”
