Coach Daddy (Dark Daddies 3)

“Out with it.”

Robby sighs. Part of his job entails overseeing the support staff from a high level. He doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day stuff, but the managers report to him if there are any issues. Even though we’re not directly running all the various support departments, I want to know if any problems arise anyway.

That way, I can step in and fix them.

“It’s actually Atlas,” Robby says.

“What about him?” I ask, but I already know what he’s going to say. I feel a pit in my stomach open up, threatening to swallow down everything.

“Apparently he’s been interested in a, uh, certain trainer,” he says. “Her name is Leah.”

“I know the one,” I say carefully.

Robby coughs. “Well, Atlas asked her out. And apparently she said yes.”

That stops me in my tracks. I knew Atlas was going to ask her out. There’s nothing I could do about that.

But she said yes?

“Is that true?” I ask, trying to stay neutral.

He shrugs. “It’s gossip. I haven’t spoken to the girl yet.”

“Right,” I say.

“Coworkers date,” he says. “That’s not normally a problem.”

“What is the problem, then?”

“It’s when a subordinate dates her superior. That’s the problem. It’s a power dynamic thing, and Atlas, well… he has all the power.”

I take a breath. “So he can’t date anyone beneath him at all?”

“Not on his team, at least. Well, he could, but people would talk.”

“What do we do about it?”

Robby shrugs. “Everything’s unsubstantiated as of now. I can dig deeper?”

“No,” I say, and he gives me a look. “No,” I repeat. “I don’t want some kind of harassment issue on file. Let’s just leave it alone.”

“Okay, that’s fine.”

Of course, I don’t tell him the real reason I want him to drop it. I don’t tell him that I’ve been fucking Leah, that I’ve been sleeping with a subordinate, that I’ve been breaking the rules. I don’t tell him that I’m horribly jealous right now and seething with confusion.

We wrap up our meeting and Robby heads out. I sit in the tape room, staring at the big screen, trying to get my thoughts in order.

I knew Atlas was going to come on to Leah. I figured he’d ask her out, but I also figured she’d turn him down. The fact that she said yes drives me absolutely fucking insane.

Why would she do that? I mean, I know we’re not exclusive. I never said we were. But still, we’re fucking. She knows I want her.

The whole thing seems fucked. I should rage in there, beat the fuck out of Atlas, take what’s mine. I should own her, dominate her.

But no, I’m going to be a fucking adult for once in my life. I’m a grown-up now. I’m going to handle my shit like one.

I get up, take a long drink of coffee, and head out into the building. It’s closer to eight-thirty now, and Leah should be in.

It doesn’t take me long to find her. She’s in the training room talking to another girl, I think her name is Jessa or something like that. They’re both taping up some ankles, the big guys sitting there, ignoring the little trainer girls completely.

Leah looks up when I enter. The chatter stops as I motion at her. “Leah, can I have a word?”

She glances back at the other girl and shrugs. “Of course, Coach.”

I lead her away from the training room and back to my office. She steps inside and I shut the door behind her.

She comes toward me, a smile on her face, but I raise a hand to stop her. “We need to talk.”

She hesitates, looking confused. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re going on a date with Atlas?”

She stops in her tracks. I turn away and walk behind my desk, sitting down. She floats down into a chair and shakes her head. “Who told you that?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Come on, Cole. Who?”

“My assistant, Robby. He heard a rumor.”

“Shit,” she says softly.

“Is it true?”

“Yes,” she says, biting her lip. “And no.”

I narrow my eyes. “Can’t be both.”

“What was I supposed to say, Cole?” she says, almost snapping at me. “He owns the team. He’s my boss.”

I take a breath. “I’m your boss, too. Are you saying you couldn’t say no to me, either?”

She bites her lip. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s not the same. He’s… he’s Atlas.”

“Fine, so you couldn’t say no.”

“I’m not interested in him. I just said yes because I didn’t know what else to do.”

“When’s the date?”

“I don’t know. He keeps rescheduling.”

I grunt, nodding. “I hope you have fun.”

“Cole, don’t be that way.”

I take a breath and let it out. I can feel my petty anger getting the best of me and I have to get it under control. “Okay, look. You can do whatever you want. We’re not married.”

“I know that, you idiot.”

I blink, surprised. She actually sounds angry.

“Will you listen to me?” She stands up and leans over my desk. “I don’t want to go out with him. I just said yes because I felt weird, okay?”