The Game Changer (The Perfect Game 2)

“Who does all this for you guys? Someone has to book all your flights and coordinate all this. I’d freaking die if I had to do all that administrative bullshit,” she admitted, shaking her head.

“We have a travel secretary. Her name’s Alison, and I’ll give you all her contact information in case you ever need to reach her. ” I tilted my head to each side, cracking my neck loudly.

“What happens when I want to go to an away game? Do I call her for my travel too?”

I laughed. “No. She only books the team’s travel. All the wives, girlfriends, and kids are on their own. ”

“Jeez. But if I wanted to get on the same flight with you, I can, right?” she asked as two worry lines appeared above the bridge of her nose.

I shook my head. “No. We have a team plane that—”

“You have a team plane? Like a Mets plane?”

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. “No. If you’d let me finish. ”

“Finish,” she interrupted with a smirk, and I wanted to finish her.

“We have a commercial airline that we charter, so no one else can go on it. It’s just the team, the manager, the coaches, the trainers, and the equipment guys. And we don’t sit in the airport or anything either. We use a separate area so we don’t have to deal with fans. ”

“I had no idea all that happened. That’s pretty cool for you guys. Sorta shitty for me. ” Her lips formed a small faked snarl. “But whatever. ”

“What’s with the snarl?”

She huffed, “Well Nora mentioned that I might be able to do some assignment shooting in conjunction with your road trips. But that’s not firm or anything. ”

“You’d get to travel with me and work? I love it. ” The idea of having her travel with me all the time was exactly what I wanted, and I refused to hide my enthusiasm over the suggestion.

“Don’t get too excited. She only mentioned it once and she also said it might not work. ” She cocked her head to the side before asking, “Do a lot of the wives go to the away games? I mean, what about the ones with kids?”

“Most of them don’t travel with the team. I think it’s just easier to stay home. ”

She nodded. “OK. So if I want to go to an away game, I have to book my own flight, and what else?”

“You’d have to get a rental car. The team travels by bus. And you’d have to let me know you’re coming because Alison would need to change my room. ”

“Change your room, how?”

I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable about the information I was about to divulge. “If a wife or girlfriend comes to an away game, we get put on a different floor of the hotel than the rest of the team. Or if there’s another wing to the hotel, we get moved over there. ”

I braced myself, wondering what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. “If a wife or girlfriend comes, you’re separated from the rest of the team? I don’t get it. ”

Oh, Jesus.

“Basically it’s for your own good. There are things you don’t want to see on the road, Kitten. And if we’re not on the same floor as them, then you won’t necessarily see it. ” I coughed into my hand. “Unless you go into the hotel bar. Don’t ever go into the hotel bar. Don’t even look in there. Do you hear me?”

She still looked lost. I needed to spell it out for her, and I really didn’t fucking want to. Not with our history. Not with our painful past. I imagined the groupies and cleat-chasers that showed up in the hotel bars every night after our games. They always knew which hotel the team stayed at and didn’t hesitate to make themselves available to any player who wanted them.

I’d seen things happen in those bars I wished I could erase from my memory, and I didn’t want them seared into hers. I hated hurting her. I glanced toward Matteo, who clearly knew what I was about to say. He quickly shook his head, as if advising me not to tell her.

“A lot of the guys cheat on their wives, Kitten. That’s why we’re put on another floor if we’re actually with our wives or girlfriends. And that’s why you avoid the hotel bar at all costs. There are things you do not want to see in there. OK?”

Matteo’s eyes narrowed in the mirror as he shifted his view from the road to Cassie and back again. She looked shocked, her face losing color. “Oh. Right. ”

I reached for her chin, turning her to face me as her blonde hair spilled down around my hand. “Those other guys, they can cheat all they want. But I won’t. I’ve learned my lesson. I don’t even go into the hotel bars anymore. I refuse to put myself in that position ever again. And I’ll ask to be on the wives’ floor every road trip if that will make you happy. ”

I tapped my foot against the floor mat, nervous energy running through my veins as she turned away from me. I waited for her to respond. “Cass?” Her eyes met mine. “Say something. Anything. ”