Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Shit. I’d pushed too hard, asking what she was wearing and what she looked like. She probably thought I was some horny old dude stroking my meat in my basement.
I texted her again.
* * *
NASH: Still there?
* * *
I went into the kitchen to let my dogs out and to get another beer. Ten minutes later, she’d texted me back.
* * *
SARIAH: Just got out of the shower. I have to dry my hair and leave to meet my friend. I promise to send you a pic later
* * *
My shoulders relaxed as a sense of relief washed over me. Even if Sariah and I never ended up as anything other than friends, I wanted to keep texting her. She was the only person in my life who didn’t know that I played professional hockey for a living, the only person who I talked to on a regular basis but had never met. Physical appearance wasn’t really part of the equation for us and I’d just fucked that up by asking for a picture of her. I wanted to see if she looked the way I imagined she would, but still felt like I wanted to keep my identity a secret—I knew it was a double standard.
I didn’t want her to jump to the same conclusions everyone did when they saw me. Especially women. They saw an attractive athlete with lots of money, and nothing else about me seemed to matter.
After their romp outside, the dogs had wandered back inside the kitchen area. I grabbed some pizza and wings, and the dogs followed me back to my seat at the poker table, where they all flopped down on the floor to offer me some moral support.
I’d just lost a big hand when I checked my phone and saw a new message from Sariah. She’d attached a picture and I soaked up every detail—a delicate-looking female hand, with manicured nails painted dark purple, was holding a martini glass full of yellow-colored liquid. I couldn’t see anything else, but my mood instantly lifted.
“Quit looking at Grannies Gone Wild,” Wes yelled, tossing a chip at me from the other side of the table.
The chip grazed my ear, but I ignored him.
* * *
NASH: Nice. Name the place and I’ll be there in ten ;)
* * *
She wrote back immediately.
* * *
SARIAH: Girls only tonight. Another time, Random Rob. That’s what my friend calls you.
NASH: Ah, so you’re telling your friends about me…
SARIAH: Busted.
NASH: Be good tonight.
SARIAH: You too.
NASH: Always.
Chapter Five
Sariah
* * *
Three more shifts, I told myself as I got home from the restaurant after working a double. My feet hurt, my shoulders were sore, and I smelled like beer. I couldn’t wait to run a bath so I could soak in the tub, but I also needed to shower and wash my hair because it probably smelled as bad as the rest of me. I normally came home smelling like food, but one of the new waitresses had spilled a pitcher of beer and half of it landed on me. It was a hassle because it meant I also had to wash a load of laundry tonight.
I was working tomorrow night, Friday night, and the Saturday day shift, and then I was taking Sunday off to relax and prepare for my first day on the job with the Mavericks. I was so excited to start; it was all I’d been thinking about. I’d be working a lot of hours according to my new boss, but it sounded like a lot of fun. The best part was that I wouldn’t have to work a strict nine-to-five schedule. I’d be working days, nights, and weekends, depending on the home game schedule, which meant a lot of flexibility. Everything in my life had been pretty structured until now, between college and my job at the paper, so it sounded fun to change things up.
My phone buzzed just as I sank into the steaming hot water in the tub and I stared at Rob’s name flashing on the screen of my phone. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about this online-type friendship we had going on, but he was funny and kind of sweet. It was nice to talk to someone who didn’t seem to want anything from me, despite the uptick in flirting.
ROB: Hey, what’s up?
SARIAH: Hi! I’m tired as fuck. I worked a double today at the restaurant and I’m working the next three days too.
ROB: Damn. Well, at least you’re raking in the tips, right?
SARIAH: Exactly.
ROB: So…what would you think about talking on the phone tonight? It would be nice to hear a voice instead of just reading texts.
I chewed my lip as I stared at his message. He already had my number since we were texting, so it couldn’t hurt to hear his voice, could it? If he turned into a creep, I could easily block him. Generally speaking, I kept my circle of friends small and my inner circle even smaller. I’d learned a long time ago that drama and backstabbing always followed popularity and I never wanted that to be part of my life again.