Slap Shot

by Rhonda Laurel

  “I’ve tried to meet with Derek, but he’s been too busy because of hockey.”

  “Hockey season is over, so he’ll be at the bar more often.”

  “I thought you saw him the other night?”

  “Yes. We got together as friends and had a blast. And having a blast means not discussing work.” He laughed. “But this is your project. You need to meet with him and make sure he’s happy with what we’ve done so far. We need to get inside his head and see what his vision is for color schemes. The right color palette can enhance the ambiance without working too hard at it.”

  She grimaced. “I don’t know.”

  “I have faith in you, Charisma. This will help you gauge whether or not you want to pursue interior design full time.”

  “OK. I’ll give it my best shot.” Charisma bit her lip. “I’ll see if he’s available today.”

  “Good. The business is growing to a degree that I can’t do it all by myself anymore.”

  “You mean Autumn is a really good reason not to work so much anymore.” She grinned.

  “Yes.” He smiled back. “Being in a relationship has made me more open to delegating. I’d like to see you grow with it. There are a few books you may want to read if you’re still serious about learning interior design. These books are all staples for me. I think you’ll find them interesting pre-reading for the courses you’ll need to take. You can find most of them at Morgan and Michelle’s bookstore. If something’s not in stock, I’m sure Michelle can get it for you.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Charisma and Jared continued to their offices. Once there, she plopped down in her chair.

  She liked the elegant décor at the Slap Shot but had always thought it could use a feminine touch and a few bold changes. Hopefully the owner would be receptive to it. Derek’s previous choices were rich, dark leathers and athletic-themed memorabilia that draped the walls. In order to convince him to go with her design ideas, she had to be prepared. She’d get out the fabric swatches and look through a few catalogs to give him examples of what she was thinking of doing.

  Charisma perused the Slap Shot file and retrieved Derek’s phone number. The call went to voicemail after two rings. The sound of Derek’s deep, velvety voice was so enthralling she was at a loss for words when she heard the beep. Trying to sound as professional as possible, she eked out the words. “Hello, Derek. This is Charisma Reed, Jared’s cousin. I was hoping to stop by the Slap Shot this afternoon, around two. I’d like to run some ideas by you. Please call me back if it’s not a good time. Thanks.”

  Charisma ended the call, still thinking of the sensual sound of his voice. His demeanor in post-game interviews was that of a gruff, bearded grizzly bear. This Derek sounded sexy and up for anything.

  * * *

  When Derek arrived at his bar, he waded through the flashing camera lights and questions from the paparazzi without saying a word. The news of his breakup with Phoebe was flooding out faster than he’d hoped, and he was being hounded everywhere he went. It was bad enough his off-season hiatus was getting off to a rough start, now this drama with Phoebe was taking over his life.

  He’d decided to shut all of that out and focus on the renovation. There was a lot of construction going on, but all that bustling activity stopped when he walked into the main dining room. He headed over to Ian, the project manager, for an update.

  “Ian, how are things?” Derek shook his project manager’s hand. He was usually a pretty serious guy, but today Ian had a big smile on his face.

  “Everything is going great. Wait until you see the smaller dining room. We knocked out a wall and opened up the space. There will be more room for multiple private parties.”

  “Good.” Derek looked around. “Are we still on schedule for the grand reopening?”

  “Yes. Construction will meet the target completion date. But it might be a good idea to get the interior design portion in motion.”

  “I’m meeting with Jared’s assistant today to go over the details. If you need me, I’ll be in my office.” He turned to leave, but Ian stopped him.

  “You have a visitor.” Ian’s cheeks burned. “She popped in about an hour ago. She insisted on waiting for you.”

  “OK.”

  Derek could hear the commotion coming from his office from down the hall. It sounded like someone was tearing up the place. He opened the door and ducked just in time to avoid being hit with the crystal hockey puck paperweight he kept on his desk. It was Phoebe and she looked pissed.

  “Phoebe, calm down!” Derek shut the door before the construction workers could get an eyeful and took cover behind his high-back desk chair.

  “I will not!” She scouted the room for something else to throw.

  He cringed when she picked up the crystal decanter of scotch that was sitting on a table next to the leather couch. “That’s really expensive liquor you have in your hand.”

  “What the hell, Derek! How dare you break up with me right before the biggest movie release of my life?”

  He wanted to approach her but thought it was best to stay put. “We both know it hasn’t been working out for some time now. We fell into this relationship. And then there’s all the fighting. Right now is a good example.”

  There was a knock at the door. He let out a sigh of relief. He prayed Phoebe would stop the madness if there was an audience around. She was obsessive about her image in the media. Her PR people were branding her as America’s new, adorable girl next door, and it wouldn’t be good for her public persona if reports of her losing it surfaced.

  “Come in!” Derek yelled.

  A lump rose in Derek’s throat when Charisma Reed sauntered through the door. She was early for their meeting, but he was happy to see her nonetheless. Jared and Morgan’s cousin certainly knew how to make an entrance. They’d never formally met, but he’d seen her in the bar a few times with that idiot Lamont Brayer. She was beautiful and had a sassiness about her that made her stand out. He couldn’t understand why she’d ever dated Brayer. He’d never liked the pompous wide receiver. Lamont was brash and made no bones about expressing his dislike for Seth.

  “Hello, Charisma.”

  “Derek Popovich, you’re a hard man to pin down.”

  “So I’ve been told.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Phoebe winding up to throw the decanter.

  “You’ve been cheating on me with this cheap skank?” Phoebe screeched and hurled the decanter, hitting the painting behind him and smashing into pieces. The contents splashed around the room and some of it landed on Charisma.

  “What did you call me?” Charisma dropped her purse into a chair beside her.

  “Ladies, let’s not say things we might regret.”

  Derek moved from behind his desk with lightning speed, but it was too late. Phoebe had already charged at Charisma, and it all went downhill from there.

  If Charisma had known she’d be walking into a volatile lover’s spat, she would have worn more sensible shoes. When she’d seen the media frenzy outside, she assumed they were there to get post-season comments from the gorgeous hockey star. Now this screechy, bottle-tossing actress was throwing random punches at her, but none of them made contact. She did, however, manage to land one to Derek’s mouth. Charisma could only imagine what crap Derek had told Phoebe before she walked in on them. But it was impossible that the starlet didn’t know about his reputation.

  Derek wedged himself between them with his hands raised, trying to keep them apart.

  “You asshole!” Phoebe shouted, turning her ire back on him. “You were just using me!”

  “I can’t believe this crap.” Charisma let out a dry laugh.

  That had been the wrong thing to say, since it pulled Phoebe’s attention back to her. “So this is just a big joke at my expense? How long have you two been together?”

  Anybody who read a reliable gossip rag knew Derek’s reputation for fast and furious short-term relationships. The combination of good looks and
combustible sex appeal had women throwing themselves at him, even while he was on the ice playing a game. He was voted Sexiest Distraction in the NHL for five years in a row for a very good reason. Apparently Phoebe had delusions of changing him, like every other woman he’d dated before her. But that didn’t give Phoebe the right to lump her in with the insanity.

  So instead of hanging around in the madness, Charisma turned and left the office, storming out into the main restaurant area. Unfortunately, Phoebe gave chase, still yelling wild accusations, and that meant Derek came along as well.

  The construction crew did their best not to stare, but it was too much of a train wreck for them to help it. Derek tried to calm his ex-girlfriend down, but she wouldn’t cooperate. Charisma sighed. Is this what she’d looked like when she was with Lamont? Manic and desperate?

  “Phoebe, you have this all wrong,” Derek protested.

  “You’ve been avoiding me for weeks,” the actress panted. “And to think I came to Philadelphia to spend your birthday with you.”

  “I’ve been busy. I told you I needed time to focus on work. In case you missed it, we didn’t advance in the finals.” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “No, you were sneaking around behind my back. That’s why you didn’t have time to call.” She sneered at Charisma. “And clearly you’ve lowered your standards. She’s fake from top to bottom. That isn’t even her real hair.”

  “I gave you a pass in the office, but I will beat your ass senseless.” She stalked toward the belligerent star, but Derek grabbed her by the waist and easily picked her up. “Put me down!”

  “Don’t move,” Derek commanded as he planted her behind the bar next to the row of beer taps. He ran back around in time to catch Phoebe coming their way. “Phoebe, it’s over. I think we both know we fell into this relationship and now it’s time to get out.”

  “You jerk!”

  Charisma watched as Phoebe continued to hurl expletives until Derek slung her over his shoulder and headed for the door. When they were finally gone, the restaurant was very quiet. She spied her reflection in the mirror behind the bar. She straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair back into place. She pulled back the protective plastic cover on the bar and retrieved a glass. She wanted something more potent, but all she could find was some club soda in one of the mini fridges underneath the counter. It wasn’t bad enough that she’d just been in an unexpected fight with a client’s crazy ex, but she couldn’t even find some decent booze.

  She sipped her disappointing beverage and contemplated her next move. Derek would probably be outside for a while trying to calm Phoebe down. It was time to leave. She could always come back in a few days once things had settled down. The best way to make her escape would be the service elevator. The last thing she wanted was to get caught up in the mess that was Derek’s very public love life.

  She realized she had rushed out of the office so quickly that she’d left her purse. She hurried back to the office, carefully stepping over the broken glass on the floor. She held up her ten thousand dollar purse and groaned at the scotch stains splattered on it. It was one of the few things Lamont had given her that she’d kept and now it was ruined. Maybe it was the universe’s way of telling her it was time to let go of material things and to stay away from athletes. Hot men like Derek were the reason women like her lost all common sense.

  * * *

  Derek saw the cameras flashing as he neared the front door, but he didn’t care. He maneuvered through the crowd and hailed the first cab he saw coming down the street and poured Phoebe into it. Knowing the paparazzi would chase the cab, he paid the driver a two hundred dollar tip to circle the city twice at a reasonable speed before returning her to her hotel. He looked at her and mouthed, “I’m sorry” before closing the cab door. The angry actress continued cursing and banging on the window. He tapped the top of the cab to signal the driver to take off. The cab pulled into traffic and sped away.

  One problem temporarily solved. Now to deal with the aftermath inside. Derek dashed back to his office just in time. Charisma had gathered her things and looked like she was ready to leave. She also didn’t appear to be in any better mood than Phoebe.

  “Sorry about that,” he said.

  “Your girlfriend ruined a really expensive purse.” She glared at him and held it up in the air.

  “I’ll buy you another one.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Isn’t it? She damaged your nice handbag and you deserve to be compensated for it.”

  “So it’s that easy for you?”

  “What?”

  “Did it ever occur to you that if you’d handled your love life better there would be no need to pay for a mess or break up fights? No wonder the tabloids can’t get enough of you.”

  He folded his arms over his chest. “That’s rich coming from you.”

  “W-what?” she stammered.

  “You’re no stranger to scandal. Some would even say you’re very close friends with it.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I admit I was once the poster child for outrageous behavior, but that all ended when I dumped a certain wide receiver.” She bit her lip. “I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Seth’s fight with Lamont.”

  “Yes, it was the inspiration for the remodeling.” He scratched at his beard. “I was at an away game that night, but I banned that jerk Lamont for life. I don’t like men who hurt women and mess with my friends.”

  “Well, it’s nothing he didn’t deserve.” She shrugged. “I think we’ve both had enough excitement for today. Can we make another appointment to go over the design ideas?”

  “No.”

  She blinked. “Why?”

  “Because the day is still young, and I’d hate for the last productive thing I did to be kicking Phoebe out of my place.”

  She hesitated. “I think I’d make a better impression if we start fresh, perhaps tomorrow?”

  “Nonsense. I can rustle up something to eat in my kitchen while we talk.” He opened the office door. “And we can go online and order you another one of those fancy purses.”

  “It’s a nice gesture, but it really isn’t necessary. I think karma had something to do with its demise.” She sighed.

  “I insist. It will make you feel better. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “No, I insist. It wouldn’t be right.” She walked into the hallway.

  He trailed close behind her. “I bet I can change your mind. I can be quite persuasive.”

  “If it’s the same charm that got me pulled into your botched break-up, I’ll pass. You’re lucky Phoebe didn’t burn this place down. Maybe this will teach you a lesson about leading women on.”

  “What makes you think I led her on?”

  “Because she’s outraged and you look relieved. Clearly there were different levels of emotion going on with you two. Only women who think they’re in love act out like that,” she quipped.

  “Were you in love with Lamont?” He slammed into her when she stopped short and whipped around to face him. He had to grab onto her waist to steady them both.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Sure it is. I demand to know the love lives of all the people I work with.” He flashed a devilish smile.

  “That’s harassment.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Asking you what color underwear you’re wearing is harassment. Asking about your love life is inappropriately intrusive at best.”

  “It’s the same thing, and both topics are none of your business.” She turned and continued down the hall. “Phoebe doesn’t know what a bullet she dodged.”

  “I’m not that bad. As a matter of fact, I can be quite charming and urbane.”

  “When you’re not carrying women out of your bar over your shoulder? What a renaissance man.”

  Derek watched as Charisma went into the kitchen. But instead of making a left, she’d veered right for the exit.

  “He
y.” He caught her gently by the arm. “This has been the day from hell and it will get even worse if you leave too. I’m sorry you got caught up in the storm, honest. Please, have lunch with me. Allow me to make it up to you.”

  He stood there while she searched his eyes, for what he didn’t know. All he knew was that he didn’t want her to leave.

  “OK.” She adjusted the fabric sample book she had under her arm.

  He took it from her and turned her in the direction of the kitchen. “I can make you any dish you want.”

  “You can cook?”

  “I’ve been known to play sous-chef to my kitchen staff from time to time. Helping with the preparation and seeing the ingredients firsthand aids me in describing the meals to my guests.”

  “Let’s see what you got. And by the way, your girlfriend is wrong. Everything on this body is the original factory part.”

  “Clearly in mint condition too,” Derek said with a grin. He watched as Charisma made her way down the hall toward the kitchen, glad she’d agreed to stay. Maybe one thing would finally go right today.

  CHAPTER TWO

  By the time Charisma got back to the office, Jared had already taken off early to be with Autumn. There was no point in ruining his evening, so she decided to fill him in the next day on the events at the Slap Shot. Despite the disastrous start, she and Derek were able to flesh out some ideas for the bar over lunch. It was amazing how he’d been able to switch gears from that awful scene and make her a delicious grilled chicken salad. Her formal design presentation went out the window when he got out a bottle of wine and insisted she have a glass with him. She had to admit it was hard to stay mad at the man. He was gorgeous, standing there in a pair of pants and a blue and white striped dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up midway, flashing that dazzling smile while expertly navigating around the commercial kitchen. When she finally left (he’d stopped her from departing twice), they’d agreed that things were going well with the project. He offered to replace her purse again, but she refused. When he assured her that mess with Phoebe would probably die down in a few days, she could only hope he was right.