“It’s your offseason. Do you have big plans with your parents? Do you have any siblings? I’m sure you figured out that I’m an only child.”
“Me too.” I catch a sad expression on his face, but he wipes it away with the napkin. “My offseason usually includes a vacation and then back to preparing for next season, but someone’s dragging me out to Utah, so…” he trails off.
“Well, it sucks that I’m taking you away from your family time.” I hate to do that to him. Everyone needs to spend time with loved ones. “My parents and I take at least one vacation together. Even though my mom nags me a lot, we’re very close. Are y’all close?”
“Let’s just say I’ve never had a family vacation.”
“Well, I guess every family is different.” I get the impression that his family and him aren’t close as I pictured. I guess the name Gracie on his arm isn’t his mother or sister. “Now, didn’t I read that you went to college? Did you major in girls, partying, or hockey?” I didn’t want to bring him down anymore.
“All three.” He puts on his tough guy smirk again. “And maybe finance too, so I could handle my money myself.”
“You handle all your money?” I had read that his empire was large. He’s one of the highest paid hockey players ever. Plus, that doesn’t include his endorsements. “I’m surprised by that. I can barely balance my checkbook half the time. Is there a reason for that, or do you do it to make sure you know where it is?”
“I do it because I trust myself more than anyone else. Plus, it ensures I know what’s going on. There’s no middleman, I guess is one way to put it.”
I look down and see that I still haven’t eaten my one slice of pizza, but Carson has polished off the rest. I guess talking to him made me forget that I was hungry.
“Well, I guess you do have a point.” I push the plate away. “So, I think we’re done. I need to get this all back. I’m going to email you in a few days when I finalize the schedule. We are going to shoot three commercials instead of two, and we have a short amount of time to do all this in. I need you to be on top of your game,” I point my finger right into his chest, “and try not to get anyone pregnant while we’re there, okay?”
“No worries about that, sweetheart. Hey, who is the photographer for this?”
“Well, the first guy pulled out because of your temper, but I was able to convince my best friend, Cassie, to do it. She’s amazing, and I think they’ll be great.” Cassie has a lot of talent, and I know this shoot is going to be the best ever.
“Is she single? And you know, not uptight like you are?” He waves his hand at me.
“Stay away from her,” I growl at him. “She’s a sweet girl, and I don’t need you to corrupt her with your testosterone.”
“So the answer to my questions is yes? Good to know.”
“We’re done, Carson Lee.” I stand, gathering my purse. “Watch for my emails. And I’ll see you in Utah.”
“Hey, Kinley, before you go, I’m curious about something.”
I put my hands on my hips. Like I haven’t already told him my whole life story. “What?”
“Have you ever had a threesome?”
“Carson Lee!” I gasp. What the hell kind of question is that? “I can’t believe you would even ask me a question like that?”
“Is that a yes?” His sly smile appears. I know he’s trying to bait me into a bickering match. “Because I didn’t hear a no or a denial of any kind.”
He obviously doesn’t know who he is messing with. I lean close to his ear, taking in his clean smell. I lightly whisper in his ear, making his breath catch. “A good sorority girl never tells her secrets. See you in Utah.”
Chapter Twelve
Carson
I have no clue why, but I can’t stop thinking about Kinley’s answer about having a threesome. She didn’t say no, but she didn’t say yes either. I’ve been trying to figure out if Kinley could even be the type of person that would, but I’m not sure. Sometimes, it seems likely, but then again, probably not likely in the least.
We’ve made it to Utah and our first day here doesn’t have an itinerary, which stunned me. Tomorrow, that’s when it all starts. I think the reason I keep coming back to this threesome deal is because I met the photographer, Cassie, today. She and Kinley together would be pretty great. Not like that would ever happen. Kinley still despises me and Cassie does by default. I just need to put it all in the Do Not Think About folder in my brain.
I haven’t forgotten about my bet either and tonigh
t, since I’m bored out of my mind, I figured I would try to get Kinley to smile. She likes comedies. I like comedies. Surely if I invite her to watch one and she smiles, then I’ve made her smile. Indirectly, but it still counts, right? Her room is across the hall from mine, so I leave mine to knock on her door.
She groans when she opens the door and sees that it’s me. “What do you want, Carson?”
“A better hello, for one.” I fold my arms and lean against her doorframe. “Are you going to groan every time you see me? I much rather make you moan, you know.”