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He smiled. “Here’s your chance. Tell her you smell them all the time. Tell her she probably just smelled yours.”
I gave him a look and texted her back.
NASH: I can’t say I have. Are you in a locker room?
SARIAH: I was earlier.
NASH: Were there naked dudes in there?
SARIAH: God no. No players at all.
NASH: Anyone you wish you’d seen naked in the locker room?
“What are you saying to her?” Lars asked.
I showed him my phone screen and he groaned. “This will not end well, Nash.”
I scoffed. “Why? You think she’s going to say you?”
“It would be weird for me if she did. I’d think of it every time I saw her.”
SARIAH: That’s a weird question. No, I can’t think of anyone I wish I’d seen naked. The whole world has pretty much seen one of the guys from the team who uses this arena naked—he did an underwear ad!
I smiled at the phone screen. Now we were getting somewhere.
NASH: Hey, that’s pretty cool. He must have a killer body.
SARIAH: If you like waxed chests and airbrushing. He’s not my type. I can tell just by looking at the photo that he’s arrogant.
I lowered my brows and muttered, “What the fuck?”
“I told you,” Lars said, giving our server his debit card for the check.
NASH: Have you met him?
SARIAH: Once. He offered to sign one of his photos for me. HARD PASS. LOL. What the hell would I do with an underwear photo?
Ouch.
SARIAH: Anyway, how’s your day going?
NASH: Not bad. Just had lunch with a friend.
SARIAH: Speaking of lunch, mine’s almost over. I’m going out for drinks with a coworker after work tonight so I won’t be home until late. Text tomorrow when you can.
I practically growled at her response. That douchebag Kevin was making a move on her already. I just knew it. Fucker.
NASH: So you already have a friend at work? That’s nice.
SARIAH: I must not be making a horrible impression. We’ll see how tonight goes…
NASH: Good luck!
SARIAH: TTYL
When I set my phone aside on the table, it hit the surface harder than I’d intended.
“I’m shocked that didn’t go well,” Lars said, grinning.
“Fuck off. She’s having drinks with someone from the front office tonight.”
“Who?”
I held back my urge to kick him under the table. “If I knew, I would have said who.”
“If she’s pretty, those front office fucks will be all over her. That guy Brad in accounting just got divorced, and I heard he’s on the prowl.”
“The world is coming to an end,” I said, shaking my head. “You just used a euphemism correctly.”
“What is euphemism?”
“It’s a saying. Like on the prowl.”
He grinned. “Sheridan taught me that one.”
The server brought back the receipt. Lars signed it and put his debit card back in his wallet.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I slid out of the booth, taking a mental inventory of all the men who worked for the Mavericks.
“What if it’s Hickey Ricky?” I asked Lars.
“It might be. If she has a hickey tomorrow, it was probably him.”
“This isn’t a joke,” I snapped. “It’s fucking hard for me to pretend like I don’t care who she’s having drinks with tonight when what I really want to do is break the dick off of whoever it is.”
“Tell her who you are.”
I opened the restaurant door and stalked outside, not answering Lars until he caught up with me.
“I’m not ready.”
“Sheridan has plans tonight. Do you want to come over and play video games to keep your mind off Sariah’s date?”
I stopped walking. “I have a better idea.”
“Basketball?”
“No. We’re going out. We just need to figure out where Sariah and—let’s face it, probably that bag of dicks—Kevin, are going and then we’ll just happen to be there, too.”
Lars shook his head. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Either be a supportive wingman or shut your piehole.”
He put his hands up in surrender. “I’ll go, because I enjoy proving I am right.”
“How can we figure out where she’s going, though?”
Rubbing his chin, Lars considered for a few seconds. “I think I might be able to.”
“How?”
“Marla in sales owes me a favor, and she’s trustworthy. I can ask her to talk to Sariah and see if she can get her to mention it.”
“Yes.” I held my fist out. “Thanks, man.”
He bumped my fist. “It’s a bad idea, but I will pick you up after you trash and burn.”
“It’s crash and burn, dude.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Chapter Eleven
Sariah
* * *
With the team back in town, it was busy again. Not just because I had to go to the games, but there was an energy in the office that wasn’t there when the team was on the road. I imagined it was even worse in the off-season, and I asked Monique about it that night as we sat at a small, local sports bar having drinks.
“What happens in the summer?” I asked, sipping my glass of chardonnay. “When the team is off and there aren’t any games and stuff? Isn’t it kind of sad and quiet?”
