Parker (Face-Off 1)

“I don’t want to hear it, Tyler. This is his last chance. Do you have any idea what kind of strings Mickey and I had to pull to get him here?” She pinches her nose between her fingers and sighs. “Can you guys just go home? And get these girls out of here before you end up like Alex. Under Armour will pull that deal so fast, you won’t know what hit you, if the media catches wind of whatever the hell has been going on here tonight.”

“Look, Coach, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Kane sounds like a scared little boy who’s afraid of his mother. “You know I’ve got mad respect for you.”

“Good. Then, show me some by taking this party elsewhere. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone on the team.”

“Sure thing,” Kane mumbles. “Later, Alex.”

I raise my hand in acknowledgment. Donovan and the girls utter their good-byes, and the door slams behind them. Now, I know I’m screwed. They left me alone with the queen of mean and destroyer of fun.

Charlotte glances down at me, her finger pointed at my face. “And, you, I don’t even know what I’m going to do with you. I already knew this was a massive undertaking when Mickey asked me to look out for you, but you have a meeting tomorrow with the last GM in the league who wanted you, and you had to go and drink yourself into a stupor.”

“You look sexy when you’re mad, you know that?”

“Don’t give me those puppy-dog eyes, Alex.” She sinks into the space on the couch next to me with a loud groan. “You’re the most frustrating athlete I’ve ever worked with. Mickey is counting on me to get you back on track, and I can’t let him down, so get your shit together and do it quickly.”

“Will you stay the night with me?” I ask because I’m drunk, horny, and dying to know what she tastes like. I’ve been fantasizing about her tight ass and toned legs all week. I don’t even know if I could get it up after all those shots. Whiskey might be my friend that keeps me company and never lets me down, but it’s a real boner killer.

She smirks. “No, I will not stay here with you. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you come back to my place and sleep off your hangover in my guest room? I need to make sure you’re coherent and on time to your meeting. You can’t mess this up.”

I hold out my palm to Charlotte, and she places her hand in mine.

“Lead the way, boss lady.”

Coach

Alex Parker is the most annoying man on the planet. One more night like this, and I’m going to be out of a job. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I had to take care of my parents as a child, making excuses for their addiction, I’m now responsible for a man who clearly has a problem with alcohol…and who knows how many other vices.

How could Mickey do this to me?

Mickey knew that Alex was in bad shape. Our entire office knew he was drinking more than usual after his father’s death, but I had no idea he was this out of control. Walking into his apartment to see a topless girl on his lap and a girl snorting lines of coke off the breakfast bar wasn’t what I had expected when Mickey asked me to lease the apartment.

In less than a year, Alex has gone from the top player in the league to the king of scandals and one-night stands. I know firsthand that it only takes one slipup to turn everything to shit.

When Mickey said I was the best agent for the job, did he mean because of my past?

I couldn’t save my parents. They were too far gone by the time child protective services removed me from my home.

I thought I’d left that back in Chicago a long time ago. Now, I’m confronted with another addict and another mess to clean up. The thought of going through this again makes me sick to my stomach.

But I have to help Alex even if it’s only into my spare bedroom for the night.

Once I get him off the couch without falling down, I hook my arm around his back, and he pushes his weight down on me. He’s two hundred twenty pounds of solid muscle, toned to perfection, and all of it is draped over me like a very heavy blanket.

This must be what it’s like to carry a dead body over your shoulder.

Alex nestles his face against my neck, his lips grazing my skin, and his kisses send chills down my spine. I’m forced to drag him through his apartment and next door to mine. At this hour, the hallway is desolate, and the only sound is coming from Alex’s shoes as they scrape along the tiles.

My back throbs by the time I push open the door and lock it behind us. Alex perks up, taking in his surroundings with one eye open. He sensually runs his hand down my arm. Even in his drunken state, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Everywhere our skin meets leaves a trail of fire spreading from my neck and down my arms and legs, making my toes curl.

“Is this your place?” Alex mumbles, slurring his words. “It looks like a museum.”

I want to throw him off me, but instead, I move past the kitchen and living room and toward the spare bedroom to the right of my office. “Sorry if it’s too clean for you. Maybe I should pretend I’m you and dump bags of drugs on my counters and spill beer all over the floor. Yeah, you know what, Alex? I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

“You need to lighten up, Coach.”

I raise a curious eyebrow, surprised that he’s not calling me Charlotte, which always sounds so formal to me when I’m used to players using my nickname.

“It wouldn’t kill you to have a little fun every once in a while,” he continues, his words jumbled together.