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CHAPTER13
Geeze, no. Calista had nothing to say to the group, that’s what she had Dahlia for. Calista felt her face blanch and her eyebrows arch. She shook her head and made big eyes at Dahlia.
“There you go,” Willow said, as if Calista were agreeing with her.
Dahlia rubbed her middle finger across her forehead. “Fine, I’m a team player.” She faced Dodo. “How do you normally handle group decisions?”
“Starter six,” Dodo said. “The rest of you men are dismissed.”
There was a mix of grumbles, a few yelled questions wondering what would change, and a number of happy departures, until only the six starters remained: Mikah, Captain, Rookie, Jerry, Liam, and Kiernan.
“You know, I’m staying neutral,” Mikah said. “So, I’m not staying.”
No one contradicted him, and he left.
Dahlia jumped in before anyone else left. “Questions about change are welcome.” Dahlia highlighted the image of the Austin Snowers venue. “How can we make the stadium better for you? We have ideas, but we want to hear yours first.” There. Dahlia had the right tone and the right words.
Calista nodded, now they were on track.
Dodo got up. “Why don’t we make this more convivial? Take our group up to the smaller conference table outside my office? Have drinks.”
All Dodo’s suggestion had done was remind the guys of small discomforts like thirst, make Calista want a lemonade, and interrupt Dahlia’s flow. If they had a long, low, minifridge in here, Dodo wouldn’t have been able to derail Dahlia’s presentation. Calista made a mental note to order one.
“Great idea, Dodo.” Willow nodded. “The conference table in my new office will be perfect. I’ll order refreshments. These boys did just get off practice, after all. We were being thoughtless keeping them in this room.”
“I could use a drink,” Kiernan said.
Jerry was still standing, although after the other players had left, plenty of seats had opened up. Jerry clapped Dodo on his shoulder. “You know you’ve got my backing on whatever issues arise. I have full faith you know what’s best for us. I don’t need to be there. Consider my vote yours.”
* * *
Ronan opted to take the stairs up to the executive offices. Starters needed to focus on their game. The fact that they’d been called upstairs to meet with Dodo and Calista in an owner pissing contest irked him, but at least the guys would get their questions answered. Once this situation was resolved, they’d clear their minds of these distractions and focus on the upcoming game.
He went in. The room smelled like new leather and old money.
Liam, Kiernan, and Rookie followed him, each having given their all at practice. All of whom should be enjoying their hard-earned down time. Instead, they were dealing with front office issues.
Mikah had it right, opting out. Even Jerry thought of a way to skip. If those two were smarter than him, he should rethink his captainship.
Calista was already seated. Adrenaline surged and his muscles tensed. When he ran into Calista, he felt like he’d been slammed into the boards. His reaction to her was over the top primal. The more he was around her, the more he wanted his hands under her jersey, and her intense focus on him, only him. He shoved the tension down.
Calista was sitting to the right of her cousin Dahlia, the one who’d been engaged to Dodo and always wore high-end business suits. Oh, she was gorgeous like Calista but in a salon luster way. Dahlia didn’t cause any reaction for him other than a desire to avoid the front office. Not like with Calista, who’d snuck under his radar before he knew who she was.
Ronan blinked and shifted his mental game. What he meant was, he had wanted a date when he’d thought Calista was a hot dancer, but that wasn’t who she was. He took a seat at the opposite end of the table, as far away as he could get, until he could make his excuses and escape. The other three men were milling about. Dodo and Willow hadn’t made it yet.
Saxon sat beside him. His rookie eyes showed how over his head he was up here. “I don’t understand, we’re supposed to meet Dodo. Where is he?”
The other players didn’t echo the question because they recognized Dodo’s shitty powerplay. Dodo was making them wait.
Liam took a chair on the other side where he would have a view of the door. “My legs are killing me, I knew I shouldn’t have gone after those extra sprints.”
“Yeah, you should have.” Kiernan moved over to the private bar. “I believe Dodo promised us a drink.” He examined the selection. “No point in going into a house made of candy if you don’t have a lick. Am I right?”
Dahlia examined her French manicure and looked torn. “Not sure we should.”
“Scotch. Scotch,” Liam chanted, stating his preference and egging Kiernan on. The Canadian was the match to Kiernan’s dynamite. On the ice, that power and intensity were unbeatable. Off the ice, these two were too much for normal society.
Kiernan’s hand hovered over the bottles. “So, Canadian.” He paused, tilted his head up, and went for the crystal bottles contained behind a gold rope. “Top shelf private stash, anyone?”
