“Did you behave that way when you first got here?”
“No,” I laughed, “but I’m eight years older than her. I don’t look that good half naked. If I did, Bryce Warren would almost certainly have got a lap dance.”
Jesse’s face finally broke into a smile. “Hey, for an older woman, you’ve got it goin’ on.”
I playfully bumped my hip against his. “Come on, kiddo, let’s get out there and show them you’re not worried.”
“I can’t. Sprained ankle, remember?”
“Not a problem,” I said, taking his hand. “You stand still and I’ll dance around you. That’ll make her come running back!”
My prediction was correct. While we were laughing and dancing foolishly together, Taylor unwrapped herself from McCoy and joined us. Thankfully, she didn’t seem upset by my dancing with her boyfriend. I didn’t want to heal one rift, then immediately start another. I left them alone, satisfied I’d done my good deed for the day.
We arrived back at the hotel at three in the morning, and almost everyone was completely hammered. Miguel and I shared a taxi with Freya and Will, both of whom were staggering around giggling. Freya had removed her shoes and she still couldn’t walk straight. She and Will fell against each other as they tried to stumble through the revolving doors, then promptly collapsed on the floor laughing hysterically.
“Do you think we should help them up?” I asked, unable to supress a chuckle at how ridiculous they looked.
“In a minute.” Miguel took my hand, and laced his fingers through mine. “Tonight’s been cool. Maybe we can go out again sometime?”
I nodded. “I’d love to.”
“I’ll give you a call later, after we’ve had some sleep. We can grab a drink or something.”
“Sounds good.”
Miguel gave me a shy grin. “I’d really like to kiss you goodnight.”
Funny how he’d gone from a confident party animal to an unassuming gentleman once we were alone. In the club, surrounded by people there hadn’t been a hint of nervousness. Just the two of us in the cool night air, it was different.
Taking a small step closer to him, I said, “Well, it’s only fair. You did find my glass slipper, after all.”
His smile widened and he leaned in towards me. Just as his lips were about to touch mine, I pulled away slightly, resting my forehead against his.
“Wait,” I said. “Please tell me there isn’t a rule in our contracts that says we can’t date?”
Miguel placed his finger under my chin and gently raised my head so he could look into my eyes. “There’s no rule. Staff and players can’t date, but there’s nothing to say staff can’t date each other.”
A sigh of relief left my body. “Okay, good. I’d really hate it if we couldn’t do this.”
I brushed my lips against his. They were so soft, so welcoming. His arms circled around my waist, gathering me into him to block out the late night chill. Heart pounding, I snuggled into his warmth.
It had definitely been a night to remember.
.
Chapter 4: Jude Collinson Is A Very Good Looking Man
I woke up at nine o’ clock on Saturday morning to the sound of Freya retching in the bathroom. My stomach churned but I forced my tired body out of bed and tapped on the door.
“You okay?” I called.
“Yeah,” Freya replied in a voice that said she was anything but.
My legs gave way due to the speed at which I’d got up, and I sat back down on my bed, massaging my aching temples.
The toilet flushed and Freya came out of the bathroom. Her long, blonde hair was unusually messy and tangled, and her skin as pale as a vampire before its next feed. She staggered over to her bed, moaning, “Never let me drink again. I had a great time, but -” she paused, “- we had a great time, right?”
“We did.”