Black Eyes & Blue Lines: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 2)

by Heather C. Myers

  The meeting was called in the female locker room, a smaller room away from the two team locker rooms on the first floor of Sea Side. By the time Katella parked her car in her reserved spot and made her way into the building, the group of Girls were already assembled, all attired in their street clothes. They still looked gorgeous with boyfriend jeans, ponytails, and minimal makeup. Katella flashed them a smile as she went to stand next to Lara, who was currently saying, "Girls, girls" as a way to get the group's attention.

  The room quieted respectfully as Katella grabbed a dry-erase marker and uncapped it, prepared to write on the whiteboard behind her.

  "Thank you, everyone, for coming," she said. "I just want to reiterate that we have the AllStar Auction coming up this weekend. How many of you are working it?"

  Six of the eleven Girls raised their hands and Katella nodded, hitting the numbers down with the pen.

  "Perfect," she said, clapping her hands together once she finished writing, cognizant of the pen in her hand. "I want to go over that."

  Katella began to look at everyone individually. She knew the majority of them as they were all Gulls Girls last year. Her eyes lingered a tad longer than usual on an inseparable duo that had helped plan her grandfather’s memorial for their first home game, Madison Montgomery and Amanda Kensington. They were both beautiful in their own right, but more than that, they were warm and friendly, making them the perfect representative of a Gulls Girl.

  Madison, especially, created the concept of her grandfather’s memorial. Having the fans sign the walls of the first floor of Sea Side was her idea. To this day, fans were leaving Ken Brown messages to pay tribute. It was almost tradition for people to trickle through and write something down before grabbing food or heading to their seats.

  Madison had long, wavy dark hair and clear, blue eyes. She was taller than most girls at five foot seven, with long legs. While her curves were there but minimal, she had a toned body and enviable long legs that Katella was certain didn’t have one ounce of cellulite on it. She was from a small town in Michigan and the first recipient of the Ken Brown memorial scholarship, given to a Gulls Girl in college, trying to work in order to pay for her education. It also gave a Girl the opportunity to go to college if they had been accepted at a particular university but couldn’t afford it.

  Interestingly enough, it had been Alec Schumacher who had approached Seraphina to spring the idea on her. Alec Schumacher was known for his scandalous reputation – dating a different girl every couple of weeks and flirting with the Gulls Girls as often as possible even though socialization between the players and the Girls was strictly against the rules. There were moments Katella wondered if there was something going on between Madison and Alec simply because Madison hadn’t had to apply for the scholarship and Seraphina insisted she hadn’t selected Madison herself.

  Which meant Alec had.

  Katella had had a crush on Alec ever since her grandfather first drafted him, even though he was a couple of years younger than she was. He had the blond hair-blue eyes California boy look that she thought she was immune to, considering she was born here, but paired with his adorable smile and charm, it was difficult not to fall for.

  In the past few months, Katella had noticed a change in him. He barely spoke to the Gulls Girls and he stopped going to Taboo after a win altogether. Truth be told, after she had gotten so drunk, she called Harper to pick her up, Katella had, too. If she had to put money on it, Katella would say there was something going on between the two of them, but she couldn’t prove it.

  Not yet, anyway.

  Not that she had a problem with it, even if it was against the rules.

  Katella had always been a big proponent of workplace relationships. No one else could quite understand you the way someone who worked with you did. She understood why her grandfather instituted the rule against players dating employees – the sexual harassment claims alone would scare the shit out of her if she was in charge of the team – but that didn’t mean she didn’t understand two people working for the same organization, being around each other for long hours of the day, and going through a relatively unique experience wanting to be together.

  If Alec and Madison were together, Katella totally shipped them.

  While Madison was chic and sophisticated, Amanda was youthful and sporty with a flirtatious edge. She had strawberry blonde hair that reached past her breasts, straight as a rod, with blunt bangs that teased her brow line. She had brown eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a square chin. Both friends were gorgeous.

  “As everyone knows,” Katella began, bringing up a powerpoint on her laptop. It took a few minutes to make sure it was projected on the whiteboard clearly. Once it was, she turned her head to the group. “The AllStar Auction will take place at The Newport at seven o’clock sharp. Those of you going to set up, please be there around four o’ clock, ready to go. I would bring your outfits with you. I’ve already talked to Beth and they will set up a room for you guys to change and get ready privately.” She clicked on the slide, changing the picture to one of the ballrooms.

  “So basically, we’re going to set up the ballroom like this,” she continued. She grabbed the projector’s remote and pressed on the laser. “I’m thinking about creating a unique experience for the guests. I want them to really remember their time for the night, you know? I’m thinking candles – no electrical light, just candles.”

  “Won’t that take forever?” the Girls’ captain – Katella thought her name was Faye – asked.

  “Not if you guys all work together,” Katella said. “I already checked with The Newport and they’ll have people helping us set up as well. They okayed the candles and will contact OC Fire to let them know what’s going on just in case anything goes wrong. I think we should keep things classy. Think Old Hollywood. I want you ladies to be dramatic in your makeup just as long as it doesn’t teeter on Halloween. Do you get what I’m saying?”

  “Will we be doing another drawing?” Amanda asked. “I know last year we were required to sell raffle tickets for a team-signed jersey.”

  “Yes, we will do something similar,” she said with a nod. “Since there will be six of you, everyone will need to partner up and sell them to our guests without being sleazy about it.”

  “Do you have a number you want each group to sell?” Madison asked. She had a small notebook, a pen in her right hand. She was the only Girl not taking notes on her phone and Katella found that endearing. It reminded her of how she used to be in college.

  “No quota, but I would love it if we could sell one hundred, at least, total,” Katella replied. “Five bucks per raffle ticket will get us five hundred bucks, and that would be awesome. Obviously, we’ll do something like one for five, five for twenty. You know, create a bargain tier.”

  Katella continued to talk to the girls about the different designs they wanted to apply to the hotel. Even the Girls who weren't scheduled to work that evening volunteered to at least help decorate so it wouldn't be such a burden for the six who were. Katella smiled as she listened to their ideas. Being around the Girls made her get excited for the evening. Even if Matt was being a jerk for no explicable reason and Negan had a black eye and was trying to get on her nerves on purpose, she had a good feeling that everything was going to work out.

  Once the meeting was over, Katella shut down the computer and grabbed her thumb drive. Lara and the majority of the Girls had already left. The only two remaining were Madison and Amanda.

  "We had a couple of questions," Amanda said, though judging by her tone, it was clear the questions were more geared to Madison rather than Amanda.

  "Shoot," Katella said, giving them a grin.

  "Could the Girls bid on a player or would that be inappropriate?" Amanda asked. "Because with Dimitri Petrov finally single, I'm looking for any excuse to go on a date with him that wouldn't be breaking my contract with the Girls."

  Katella's smile widened. This had nothing to do with Dimitri Petrov. Actually, Aman
da might have a thing for him. Just because the guy was forty-one did not make him off-limits to early-twenty-something's like Amanda. In fact, Katella believed that Dimitri Petrov was one of those men who could date someone extremely younger - and of consenting age - than he was and it would be socially acceptable just because he was that sort of guy.

  Katella went along with the question regardless. She was highly suspicious Dimitri was not the player Madison had in mind. If she was a betting woman, she would assume it was Alec Schumacher. The problem was, Katella didn't think they were on the friendship level where Madison would feel comfortable asking her outright and, even if they were, didn't think Madison would ask her outright anyway. Seraphina owned and managed the Gulls. She kept her grandfather's rules in place pretty much across the board, including no dating between the Girls and the Gulls. If Madison asked Katella, she ran the risk of jeopardizing her position on the Gulls, in case Katella told Seraphina. Katella didn't take it personally. She understood.

  "Unfortunately, you guys can't bid as that would be a conflict of interest," she said. "But if someone completely unaffiliated with our organization like a parent or a sibling or a friend were to bid and you happened to be there during the date, we wouldn't be able to prevent that. We also wouldn't want that thrown in our faces, either, because rules can change with a drop of a hat."

  "Good to know," Madison murmured, almost to herself. She gave Amanda a look before fixing her blue eyes back on Katella. "Thank you for your time."

  "Of course!" she said. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

  The Girls shook their heads.

  "Great," Katella said. "If you aren't doing anything, did you want to walk out together?"

  They nodded their heads in agreement and Katella breathed in a deep sigh of relief. She didn't think Matt would be waiting for her but she didn't want to deal with anything or anyone at the moment. She wanted to take a long bath and go on Tumblr until she fell asleep.

  Chapter 11

  The week went on without any drama and for that, Katella was pleased. She threw herself into work and met with Madison and Amanda one more time so they could confirm designs and what was going where. To be honest, Katella liked being around the two Gulls Girls, they were relatively opposite in personality - Amanda was outgoing and bubbly while Madison was more reserved but insightful - but they complemented each other quite well and they both had excellent ideas. Katella was glad they would be there Saturday night. At least she wouldn't have to worry about their part of the evening. She could count on them to do what they were assigned to do.

  The Gulls had a Thursday night game that week, which allowed the team to have two days off between Monday and Thursday. Cherney had a required one-hour practice Wednesday morning and an optional skate Thursday morning, but besides those two scheduled skates, the players were free to relax and put hockey at the back of their minds for the moment.

  That all changed once Thursday night hit.

  Katella and Seraphina got dressed in generic Gulls tanks - Katella's was blue while Seraphina's was white - and they both put on skinny jeans and cute shoes. Katella wore knee-high black boots while Seraphina wore a pair of red Keds. Katella had her motorcycle jacket while Seraphina looked chic with a red blazer.

  Katella grabbed food for the two of them, making it to her seat by the time the starting lineup was announced and the referee dropped the puck. The game was fast and intense. They were playing the Houston Rangers, a tough team considering they were big and chippy. However, Katella believed the Gulls played their opponent: if the Rangers were chippy, the Gulls would be, too.

  Halfway through the second period, gloves flew and Negan and Ott, number 81 of the Rangers, got into a fight. Katella loved the fighting and she could feel her eyes glisten with both desire and pride. There was a small part of her that was concerned about him, but it was more about his appearance and less about him getting hurt. She had absolute confidence in him as a fighter to the point where she knew he could take care himself.

  "Are you kidding me?" she muttered under her breath.

  Seraphina glanced at her sister. "I thought you liked the fighting," she said.

  Katella locked eyes with her sister. "Oh, I do," she said. "But the AllStar Auction is Saturday night and I already gave him crap about having a black eye that wasn't hockey related. I swear, he did this so he could look even more gruesome Saturday than he already would have."

  Seraphina smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Still wouldn't take anything away from him," she said.

  Katella grinned. "You think he's cute?" she said with a squeal, like they were back in high school, confiding in each other about their crushes.

  “Oh, come on, Kat,” Seraphina murmured, rolling her eyes and leaning back in her seat. “I’m not blind. The guy is gorgeous. His one flaw is that he has kind of a big nose but that actually defines his face. It doesn’t take anything away from him.”

  “I think his one flaw is his personality, but that’s just me,” Katella said under her breath, knowing Seraphina could hear her no problem. Her lips turned up into a grin.

  “Yeah, right.” Seraphina rolled her eyes. “You like his personality. You guys practically have the same one.”

  Katella pressed her lips together but said nothing. Instead, she watched Negan’s padded frame skate into the sin bin – as the box was typically called – a grumpy look on his face. Oh, yes, he would definitely have another black eye. At least this time, one of his own teammates hadn’t been the reason for it on his face.

  Because Negan had been called for fighting – as well as his opponent – they were off the ice for five minutes. There was no resulting power play for either team because each penalty canceled the other out, so both teams were allowed to keep playing five-on-five. If Negan had run his mouth and caused his opponent to drop his gloves first – which tended to happen quite frequently – his opponent might have received a minor penalty – an additional two minutes – for instigating, which would give the Gulls a power play. For now, however, at least Negan had a five-minute rest, but considering he was one of the best faceoff guys on the team, the loss was a big one.

  The game ended in an overtime win for the Gulls. Each time they won a game, they received two points. If they lost, they received none. If they tied the game but did not win in overtime, they received one point. Each point counted towards their standing of who made playoffs and who didn’t. Currently, the Gulls were second in the Pacific Division, just behind the Hollywood Stars. If they kept their current momentum, there was a good chance they would make the playoffs for the first time in their entire existence.

  Once the three stars of the game was announced and the first star – Viktor Jansson thanks to his overtime goal – was interviewed, Katella found herself outside the locker room, waiting to intercept Negan. She knew he liked to disappear right after a game, but if he didn’t take care of that black eye immediately, it would be worse than it could be in a few days. She wanted to put some ice on it, then he could be sent on his way. That was it. Completely professional.

  Except, when she saw him slide out of the locker room, the feelings that jumped around inside of her were anything but professional.

  He caught sight of Katella almost immediately and he cocked his head to the side, silently asking her what was going on. She tilted her head in the direction of the female locker room and turned, hoping he would take the hint and follow. Hopefully without any expectation that they would finish what they started in the gym a few days ago.

  Katella went in first and headed straight for the main cabinet in the female locker room. There was a small fridge with a freezer attached to it where multiple ice packs were kept just in case a Girl fell down or was sore after a skate. She heard the door whoosh open and click shut before she turned around. Negan was sitting on a navy blue bench, black gloves next to him, helmet off and placed on his opposite side, stick leaning against the wall by the door. His dark hair was filled with sweat and there
was a long indent against his forehead where the shield on his helmet pressed into.

  Her right hand was numb with an ice pack and she made her way over to him without a word. He also said nothing; instead, he quirked a brow and leaned back, waiting for some kind of explanation, some kind of reason as to why he was here. She said nothing until she knelt before him and gently placed it over his left eye.

  “Why is it that you want to look like a ghost at my Auction?” she asked in a low voice, keeping her hand steady even though it was freezing.

  He grinned, his mouth guard still in his mouth. He popped it in his hand and set it in his glove.

  “Maybe less people will bid on me if I look like I haven’t slept in a few weeks,” he said. Up this close, she realized he had dimples that were predominantly hidden by the scruff on the lower half of his cheeks.

  Katella pressed her lips together, shooting him a doubtful look. “I think you underestimate the female population,” she said. “I just wanted one good picture where you didn’t look like an extra on The Walking Dead.”

  Negan started laughing, an unexpected burst of chuckles slipping out of his mouth. The sound was contagious and she couldn’t help but smile in return. She pulled the ice pack off of his eye so she could look at him. There were traces of water surrounding his eye because of the frozen flecks of ice that fell off the pack, and without thinking about what she was doing, she slowly removed any traces of wetness around his eye.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say?” he asked. “I get into a lot of fights. Your expectations of me are too high.”

  She gave him a look. “Apparently,” she said flatly.

  “So, what, you concerned about me?” he asked. His voice had gotten low, almost dangerous. A small smirk without malice decorated his face and it was suddenly hard for her to breathe.

  "More concerned about my guests," she muttered, gently placing the ice pack back over his eye. "Plus, I highly doubt you would actually do anything to take care of yourself. Ice pack to the eye, hot bath to relax your muscles." She shook her head. "You're in your thirties now. You're not going to just be able to bounce back the way you probably did in your twenties."