One

Allison

I can’t be late, I can’t be late, I mutter to myself as I run around my new bedroom in Karrie’s old brownstone. Karrie is married to my big brother and hockey god Matthew Grant. Well, he’s a god now, but he started off as the bad boy of hockey, getting kicked out of the league three years after being drafted first pick.It was the lowest he could go, and he came home with his head hung down and his tail between his legs.

He wanted to sit and sulk, but our stepfather, Cooper Stone, wouldn’t let him. Cooper Stone, who actually is the biggest name in history. He holds all the records that all these young kids strive to beat, yet fall short. He was at the top of his game when he met my mom and fell head over skates for her. I say stepfather, but in reality, he’s the only father I really know. My parents got divorced when my father had an affair. I was three at the time and Cooper came in two years later. I mean, not only did he fall in love with Mom, he fell in love with me. How could he not? I was the cutest thing ever. We, Matthew and I, were a package deal, a package that Cooper took without thinking twice about it. Slowly but surely, my father started weaning himself out of my life. At such a young age I had no idea really because I was never missing love. Cooper always showered me with it. Hook, line, and sinker. He became even better when Mom gave birth to the twins, Zoe and Zara. Those two are the reason Cooper tries to rule with an iron first. From the first moments they came screaming into the world, they gave new meaning to fiery redheads. My baby brother, Justin, stays in the shadows, quiet, rule abiding, and perfect, but little do my parents know I just found his secret Instagram and that shit is anything but angel like.

So now here I am on my first day on the job and I’m not going to be late. You are looking at the New York Stinger newest Public Relations Representative. I know what you’re thinking, that I pulled strings to get the job, and you couldn’t be more wrong. I was one month away from graduating when I got a call from Doug, the owner of Cooney Communication as well as the owner of the best hockey team in the world, he is also Matthew’s father-in-law, asking me to meet him for lunch. I didn’t know what he could possibly want. I thought maybe he needed help shopping for Karrie, so I went. I was surprised to see that it was only us.

“Hey, beautiful girl,” Doug said to me as he got up and kissed my cheek. He had been calling me this since Matthew and Karrie got married almost seven years ago “How is it Cooper hasn’t locked you up in a tower yet?” He sat down.

“Well, Zoe and Zara just made their latest home school teacher quit when they put rat traps under the table. It’s a good thing the woman was wearing shoes.” I laughed, thinking about Zoe when she called. “From what they told me, it was a chain reaction and all one hundred traps went off at the same time.” I shook my head, picking up my water and bringing it to my lips. “So now Mom says he better brush up on his math skills because he will be teaching them until they can find someone else.”

“Those two are going to be hellions when they get out into the real world. Either that or they will take over the world. I’m just glad that I shower them with gifts.”

“Smart man.” I put my water down. “Now what is this meeting about?”

“Straight to the point. I knew I liked you. I have a job I want to offer you.” He folded his hands in front of him.

I sat up straight in my chair. “Why?”

“What do you mean why?” His eyebrows shot up.

“Why me? I’m not even done with school.” I pointed out.

“No, you’re not, but Mindy has given her notice. Seems that having a husband and carrying a child isn’t so easy, so she needs to step back. She will still be with the company as a PR consultant, but...” He looked at me for a reaction, and if I’m honest, I was shocked as fuck. It would be my dream job. Public Relations for one of the original six teams, one that my brother was the captain on. One that just won back-to-back cups. “I need someone, and pardon my words, with balls of steel to handle up to fifty men who range from princesses to cranky. Besides, I trust you.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll think about it. You would start in September when the season starts. One of the perks is that you can stay in the brownstone, since it is just sitting there.”

“People are going to think I got the job just because I’m family of sorts,” I voiced my concerns.

“Fuck what people think. You are going to have to prove yourself. And I have no doubt that you will.” He smiled at me. “Go home, talk it over with your family, then let me know. No hard feelings if you pass on it.”

“Okay,” I said, not even knowing words were coming out of my mouth. “Okay, I’ll do it.” I didn’t have to talk to my family. I was going to be twenty-three. I could make my own decisions and this was the biggest one I’d ever make.

He clapped his hands, beaming. “You won’t be sorry.”

I picked up the glass of water again. “Oh, the question is will you be sorry when Cooper and Matthew find out that I’ll be traveling with the team of fifty men?” I smile, thinking about them blowing a gasket.

“Now that’s a phone call I would kill to be a part of.”

Sitting down, I brought my phone out and Facetimed them. I swallowed as they answered.

“So, princess, what is this meeting about?”

My mom put her hand on his arm. “Cooper, you need to relax.”

“So I got a job offer.”

“Did you?” Mom asked, surprised at this news. “That’s amazing! Doing what?”

I looked at my mom and then at Cooper. “Doug offered me a job with the team as their PR.”

Mom’s smile went slowly away as the tic in Cooper’s head bulged.

“No. Not a fucking chance in hell.” He pushed away from the table and disappeared from the screen. “We go way way back to when I was playing; no way should he give you an opportunity without checking with me.” His shouting was heard but I couldn’t see him.

“Just a second,” I said to him. “Hear me out.”

He came back holding my mother’s hand. “This is such a great opportunity for me.”

“You will be traveling with thirty men,” Cooper said. “Jock men.”

“Actually about fifty, but are you saying that when you traveled with your PR girl you wanted to sleep with her?” I asked him. “Are you saying that Matthew tried to sleep with Mindy every single time? Are you saying that—” I didn’t have time to say anything else before he put his hand up.

“That’s enough. I would never ever think about sleeping with anyone besides your mother.” He kissed her hand. “Never in a million years would I do that to her. But, not all of them are like me or Matthew.”

“I know that, Dad, I do, but you have to trust me. Your little girl is growing up.” I threw my hands up. “Or actually I’m already grown and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about this. How about this…if I feel for one minute that someone isn’t nice to me I’ll tell you or Matthew and then you guys can go in and do your crazy thing.”

The rest of the phone call was exactly what I thought it would be. Cooper balked and demanded to see a copy of the contract, where he stipulated that I be put on another floor away from the team, which I vetoed. And, well, then when I called my brother, Karrie told me that Matthew’s vein in his neck ticked for hours.

I rush around the messy room, grabbing my black tight jeans and blush pink silk button-down shirt. Once I button it up, I tie a bow around the collar with the silk that is hanging down. I tuck the front of the shirt in my pants while I roll up the sleeves. I take out my blush suede Louboutins with matching purse from the closet. I smile at my collection of princesses shoes; that is what I call them. When I turned sixteen, Cooper handed me a credit card and called it Cinderella’s slipper. I smile thinking how he really treated me like a princess.

Running down the stairs, I get a message that my Uber driver is waiting. Grabbing my sunglasses, I lock the door and rush into the car. I have thirty minutes before I get there, so I apply a coat of mascara, as well as lip-gloss. I pile my hair on the top of my head in a messy bun. By the time we show up at the arena, I’m in the zone. Well, almost in the zone, if I didn’t almost trip over a guy walking in my way while he types on his phone.

When we smash into each other, my phone falls to the floor and shatters. “Fuck.” I bend and pick it up. My heart shatters like the screen just did.

“I’m so sorry.” His voice comes out gravely, deep, rough.

“It’s fine.” I look up at the man and I’m taken aback. He’s wearing a perfect black tailored suit, with mirrored Ray-Bans. His chest is broad and huge while his biceps look like they are going to rip out of his suit a la Hulk. His jaw is clean-shaven and his lips are perfect and plump. Wait, what the fuck is this, plump lips? Who am I? His hair is also perfect as it’s cut short on the side and flips over on top. You would think this man just stepped off the cover of GQ. But I know what is behind those glasses. Blue fucking eyes.

I look at what can only be described as a devil in disguise. Max fucking Horton. If there was ever a man I wanted nothing to do with it is him. Yet here I stand in front of him while he reaches out to see my phone, and my hands ache to feel his fingers on mine.

“It’s fine.” I snatch it and walk away from him while he mutters “bitch” under his breath. And in that moment, I couldn’t agree with him more.