Meet Ugly
~ Elena ~
Elena was running late and it was entirely her fault. She had decided to stay back and grill her professor on the latest class assignment.
She couldn’t help it. It was the most exciting assignment Professor Adams had given all semester. Scratch that, it was the most exciting assignment she had had to do at Harley Business School in her time at the school and one that could bring her closer to her goal of becoming a management consultant at a ‘big three’ firm.
“The top 5 students will get a chance to present their findings to McGinley Consulting Firm - and one of them will get an offer to join them as an associate after graduation. Don’t blow it, kids,” Professor Adams had announced last week, causing Elena to almost scream in glee.
Elena rarely believed in shortcuts or handouts, yet this opportunity was simply too good to ignore. Harley Business School had joined forces with McGinley and the Boston Bulldogs, the city’s NHL team, for that year’s management in entertainment assignment. Each student had been partnered with a player on the Bulldogs and had to help them build a personal brand and PR strategy. A successful partnership meant the best job on campus.
And Elena wanted it. She had originally enrolled in the entertainment class just to earn the credits, but now she was elated—winning this project could land her dream job.
It was precisely for that reason that she stayed after class to speak with Professor Adams. Any edge on the project could make a difference.
However, now she was late for the first event - a networking dinner with the team and its management. It was technically optional but Elena couldn’t wait to get started.
The fact that she knew absolutely nothing about the sport only played lightly on her mind. After all, how hard could it be to push a disc across a rink of ice - with sticks?
She was looking up similar interesting factoids as she rushed into the Boston Public Library where the event was happening. The event was a charity gala hosted by the Bulldogs to raise money for Mass General’s Children’s Hospital. The Bulldogs were one of the most active sports team in the country for philanthropy and Elena was convinced that it was an important aspect that she could lean on for her project.
She just hoped that whichever player she was partnered with agreed with her.
“Elena!” someone shouted her name and Elena looked up. Her friend, Becky, was waving her over from the foot of the grand staircase. Elena grinned at her. Becky was her only saving grace in this class, someone who didn’t judge her for knowing nothing about sports.
“You’re so late. We already met the team at the pre-drinks,” Becky informed her.
“What?” Elena was shocked. Surely, the introductions should’ve happened in class—where she would’ve actually been.
“Don’t worry. We won’t know who our partners are until class. If anything, you just missed the chance to hope yours was Jake Showalter.”
“Who’s that?”
“Come on, Elena! You should at least know who the captain is. FYI, he’s also the goalie—one of the best in the NHL.”
Becky droned on as the two made their way up the grand staircase.
“...and rumor has it, he’s got the tightest ass in the entire league. I’m not even kidding—Us Weekly ran an article about it.”
“I don’t care, Becky,” Elena said, exasperated, as they turned the corner on the second floor. “I don’t care about the NHL—or their players’ asses.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she collided with what felt like a solid wall.
“Oomph!” her cry came out muffled as her face seemed to be in a very large, very muscular chest. Two strong hands grabbed her arms, steadying her.
Elena looked up, her breath catching, as she found herself mesmerized by the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen. Gray like storm clouds and just as tumultuous.
The hands gripping her arms tightened, firm and unyielding, and Elena instinctively stepped back, her eyes traveling up to the man she had accidentally barreled into.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, her cheeks flushing as she took him in. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his powerful build evident even beneath the hoodie and jacket he wore. His tousled dark hair was messy, as if he didn’t care to take care of it. The sharp edge of his jawline looked like it could cut glass. There was no mistaking him—a hockey player, his presence commanding like he was still in the rink.
His expression darkened, his brows knitting together. “Watch where you’re going, or you’ll end up hurting someone,” he snapped, his tone sharp and unyielding.
“I... I didn’t mean to,” Elena stammered, her voice faltering under the weight of his brusque response.
He didn’t wait for her to make a coherent statement. He stormed off, down the grand staircase.
Becky let out a low whistle.
“Trust you to go ahead and get off on the wrong foot with the most dangerous player on the team.”
“He’s a player?” Elena gasped.
“In more ways than one,” Becky giggled. “Don’t worry, you’d have to be really unlucky to get Aiden Donnelly as your partner.”
Aiden. The name did not suit him.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s notoriously difficult to work with. He’s one of the best defensemen in the country and the Bulldog’s most expensive player. He practically runs the team.”
“How do you know all this?” Elena asked, extremely impressed with her choice in friends.
“I have five older brothers. What do you think we discussed at the dinner table?”
“Deals on Axe men’s cologne?”
“I wish. I spent 18 years smelling the unwashed boy smell. My nasal cavities have been permanently altered.”
“Thanks for sharing that information with me, Becks.”
“You got it.”
The two linked arms and stepped into the networking event. A symphony of clinking glasses and polite laughter filling the air. Elena was ready to mingle with the movers and shakers of the Bulldogs, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
She couldn’t shake the memory of those piercing eyes—intense and unrelenting. Every few moments, she found herself glancing over her shoulder, as though the weight of his gaze still lingered, invisible yet tangible. Watching her.
