Since I’d made my peace with attempting a relationship with him eventually, I decided there wasn’t much point in keeping our brief history from Alyssa. I was still sitting with Braxton on the plane rides, but as soon as we landed, I grabbed my only female friend on the road and spilled my guts. We video-chatted with Dakota in my hotel room and devised a plan: send naughty texts to Maddox and see if we could get him to bite.
In the back of my mind, I knew it was too soon for him to think I was ready, but it would be fun to rile him up.
And it worked. I mean, the man was so hung you could’ve seen that erection from space, let alone the other side of the dimly lit hotel bar. And he wasn’t the only one turned on by our sexy exchange. The second I got to my room, I had a little one-on-one time with the detachable showerhead.
The game against the San Francisco Bridgers went well. They were a strong team, but the Speed players executed their matchups and minimizedturnovers while capitalizing on any mistakes their opponent made. Everyone was riding high on the short flight late at night as we moved toward LA for a game against the California Cougars.
While the team was amped up after the win, hitting the town once we landed, I went straight to my hotel room. An idea hatched in my brain on the flight, but I needed a little help setting it in motion.
Hoping to catch Dakota before Braxton called her for whatever intimate time they shared while he was on the road, I propped my cell on the desk and hit the video call button beside her number.
It rang only twice before she answered, the glow of her computer screen illuminating her face in an otherwise pitch-black room.
She didn’t bother to stop typing as she asked, “You guys make it to LA?”
“Yeah.” I smiled at her preoccupied state. “Book coming along?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The sound of the keys being pressed furiously filtered through the phone.
“I sure hope you give Braxton a little more eye contact when he calls you,” I teased.
Laughing, she stopped typing and looked directly at me through the screen. “Oh, come on, Bristol. You know I give him a lot more than ‘eye contact’.” She threw in a wink for emphasis. Leaning back in her chair, she gave me her full attention. “What’s up?”
I chewed on a corner of my lower lip. “I was hoping you could call in a favor for me.”
“What’s the favor?”
“Do you think you could reach out to Lucy and see if she could get me a private shopping session at the Arabella Reign LA location?”
Lucy Remington was Natalie’s former sister-in-law, but they were still very close. Not only was she a princess, but she was a world-famous fashion designer. Arabella Reign was her secret baby, an insanely popular high-endlingerie brand. Formerly only sold online, it had grown to be carried in select boutiques, then to the point of her being able to open dedicated storefronts in the world’s largest cities.
A devilish gleam entered Dakota’s eyes. “Oh, I’m sure Lucy would be happy to help. I’ll text her as soon as we get off the line, and hopefully, she’ll get back to me when she wakes up. Dawn is only a few hours off on the East Coast.”
“You’re amazing. Thank you.”
The picture cut out on my screen, and Dakota declared, “That’s Braxton calling. I gotta go. I’ll let you know when I hear from Lucy.”
“Have fun with your man. Love you!”
“Night!”
She hung up, and I allowed myself a moment to picture what I was going to do if Lucy agreed to my request.
Maddox wouldn’t know what hit him.
A text awaited me from Dakota when I woke up the following morning.
Dakota:Lucy says she got the store to shut down between three and five this afternoon just for you. Get whatever you like. It’s her treat. All she asks in return is that you tell her about it when we go to Connecticut in a couple of weeks since I gave her the bare bones of your current mission.
That was more than I could have ever asked for. Shutting the store down and turning away customers in a busy location was already going to costher, but for her to offer me a free shopping spree? It was almost too much. I owed her big time.
Let her know how much I appreciate it!
Dakota:Will do!
I could barely think straight through the team’s morning skate. Thankfully, Alyssa was willing to share her notes because my head was not in the game. While the team was on the ice, I texted Maddox, so he’d have a little surprise waiting for him when they were done.
Free this afternoon? If so, maybe you could meet me at 9652 Wilshire Blvd? I’ll be there around three.
