Price of the Play

Alex

“Fuck. Come on, come on,” I groaned as I waited for the elevator. Looking down at my watch, a spike of anxiety stabbed through me. Shit, the meeting was set to start in less than 5 minutes. COME ON! Why is the elevator so slow? I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited, the loud sound of my heels echoing through the empty lobby.

“You know, Alex Tapping doesn’t actually speed up the elevator?” A deep voice said behind me. I turned to see the star player for the Houston Comets, Liam. I scowled. While Liam McCain was possibly the most attractive man ever, he was also a self-centered douchebag. He also looked like he felt like shit, with dark circles under his puffy eyes and his full lips pulled down into a frown.

“No Liam, well shit thanks for enlightening me.” I quipped back, absolutely not in the mood to deal with his pedantic crap today. I flipped my blond hair over my shoulder and turned to wait for the elevator as the doors dinged open. Liam followed me, and I could not help the irritated sigh. He chuckled darkly at the sound and reached past me to select the 4th-floor button. As he did, I felt the warmth from his body press against me. My heart stuttered momentarily at the sensation of being so close to a man, and I was reminded of how little action I had been getting lately. It took everything in me not to lean into him and inhale the deep musky scent of his arm. Damn I was getting desperate if just the close proximity of captain jerk was enough to make me go weak at the knees. I mentally noted to update my Tinder profile tonight and find someone to scratch that itch with.

“You don’t get to call dibs on the Elevator either, Alexandra,” he said mockingly. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms tightly, moving to the opposite side of the compartment to put space between us. “Anyone ever tell you you’d look cuter if you smiled more?” He said, leaning against the wall and facing me. He was the picture of casual effortlessness. His six-foot-two frame towered over my five feet, and his body was all lean, sculpted muscles that strained against the tight athletic shirt. His brown hair was normally in a neat bun at the back of his head, but today it had a messy, unkempt look with a few strands brushing down his cheeks. He had a thick beard that covered his lower face, revealing just his soft-looking lips. His eyes were the clearest, brightest blue I had ever seen. A Weaker girl may have been willing to look over his many personality flaws on account of his overwhelming sex appeal, but not me. I responded by flipping him the bird, he chuckled again, and I rolled my eyes again.

“Where is the viper, Bianca? Isn’t she normally attached to you at these events?” I said. His blue eyes darkened, and he glared at me. The elevator doors opened, and without another word, he brushed past me. That was odd, normally Liam was all about teasing me and defending his bitch of a fiance Bianca. She was a fame chaser, clinging to Liam’s success as the best player on the team to use his fame to promote herself, but he seemed to care for her genuinely. Either he was exceedingly vain and her curvy figure, piercing green eyes, and onyx black hair were all he needed, or she had a different side. Deep, deep down, she only showed him. Anyway, it was none of my business, and the less I had to see her, the better.

I rushed after him, slipping into the back of the room just as our team owner, Marcus, was starting his speech. I moved silently through the crowded space and found a place near the front against the shiny windows facing downtown Houston. The tenting blocking the sun allowed them to reflect my image, and I gave myself a quick, reassuring smile.

Normally, these team-wide meetings grated on my nerves, but today was different. Finally, after years devoted to the PR department of the Houston Comets, I was going to be promoted to the director of the department. My old boss, Hector, was stepping down at the end of the season, and today he would name me as his replacement. Eagerness warmed my body as I listened to our team owner talk about the upcoming season and how honored he was to own such a prestigious team.

I had busted my ass to elevate the team in a city that was too hot to give a damn about hockey. Houston was about heat and action, and ensuring the team was in the public eye and taken seriously had been no easy feat. It had taken sacrifice, late nights, long weekends, and endless press conferences and interviews. Not to mention working with the self-centered, overly buff hotheads who played on the team. It was about to pay off. As the speeches wound down and Hector took to the podium, I looked over at the shiny reflective glass wall and checked my reflection. It was difficult to see the gleam of my blond hair, but I could tell that not a strand was out of place. My lipstick was still red and flawless, and I knew the light black eyeliner made my hazel eyes look larger and more vibrant. I smoothed the front of my jacket and looked up as Hector began his announcement.

“As some of you are aware, I will be retiring at the end of this season.” Obligatory claps and calls for him to stay filled the room. My body was wound too tight to move. Here it was, the payment for my endless effort and loss of a personal life. “I know, I know. It has been such a pleasure building up this team with all of you! Especially the Players.” He gestured to the back of the room where the collection of burly men lounged, Liam standing near the edge. He looked more surly and agitated than normal. I turned back to Hector as he continued.

“But I would like to enjoy some time with the wife and grandkids. Not to worry. I have decided to pass the mantle to a very qualified member of our team.” Pride swelled in me, and I felt lighter than air as he continued. “They have worked just as diligently to make this team known in a city that never cared much about hockey, sacrificing nights and weekends all in service to that goal.” I could not help the grin that spread across my face. “So without further ado, please join me in congratulating Mark Mathews as the next Houston Comets PR director.” The room erupted into applause as my world shifted uneasily. I must have misheard. He must have said Alex Robinson, right? I watched as Mark moved up and shook Hector’s hand, my ears ringing so loudly I could not hear anything he was saying as he addressed the crowd. I was sure my face had turned an unattractive green color, but I could not find the energy to care. I looked at Hector, and his eyes locked onto mine with sad determination.

What was happening? Just lastweek we sad in his office as he told me his decision to name me as his replacement and now he was naming fucking MARK! Mark, who seemed more interested in sleeping with as many fans and press members as he could than in building the team? I spun on my heels and exited, breaking into a run as my stomach soured. I burst into the bathroom, violently expelling the contents of my breakfast into the trash can. The whole world felt wobbly. This had to be a dream, I had to be hallucinating or something. Maybe Hector was just playing some sick joke on me. Yeah, that must be it.

“Alex?” a soft woman’s voice called from behind me. I turned to see my friend Jade. She was a small, anxious woman with soft tawny skin and curly black hair. She watched me with her wide eyes, the color of ground ginger, concern and empathy shining bright. Before I knew it, I had thrown myself in her arms and began to sob. She hugged me back and let me cry, murmuring empty platitudes as the crushing disappointment threatened to pull me under.

“Fuck this is dumb Jay!” I said, finally pulling away.

“It is not dumb, Alex! Hector told you he would give you the position and then pulled the rug out from under you. All because that gold digger could not keep it in her pants.” Anger suffused Jade’s voice. My head snapped up.

“What?” I asked, my voice coming out slowly.

“You didn’t see?”

“See what?” Jade pulled out her phone and turned it to me. A bold headline screamed out at me.

Houston Comet Star Disgraced by Unfaithful Fiancé

I scrolled through the story to see a scathing article about the fiancé of Liam McCain being caught having sex in public with a popular NBA player. The image was one of Liam, clutching the player by the shirt and about to slam his fist into the man’s face, the snake Bianca looking shocked next to him. Well fuck this was not good, but how was it my fault Liam chose a gold digging slut to fall in love with?

“I heard Hector and Marcus talking about it this morning,” Jade said. Hot rage flashed across my skin, and I wiped at my eyes. Oh no fucking way was I taking the blame for this! Liam was a grown ass man, he was more than capable of handling his private issues. This was a him problem, not a me problem.

“Why are you looking like that, Alex?” Jade said wearily.

“Because,” I said, moving to check how badly my makeup had messed up. Thank god for waterproof mascara because with a few seconds of work, I was able to clean the slight smudging. My eyes were still a little puffy and red, but I did not care as I marched out of the bathroom and down the hall into Hector’s office. He was sitting behind his desk as if waiting for me.

“What the hell, Hector!” I demanded. I felt my eyes narrowing on the man who had been a mentor to me for many years. A man I trusted implicitly and had even followed to this job. Yet still, when it was finally my time, he had stabbed me in the back quicker than Brutus.

“Sit, Alex.” His tone was calm and resigned. I glared for a second, then stalked forward, still not sitting.

“I have given my blood, sweat, and tears to this team, and you are pulling my promotion! Giving it to that TOOL BAG of all people!” I could not help how my voice rose.

“Please, Alex, sit.” He sounded so tired, but I ignored the pity that tried to creep in. I crossed my arms angrily.

“Alex Liam was assigned to you, you were responsible for making sure his press stayed good. You got so distracted building the team as a whole that you left a wide open vulnerability in our star player’s reputation.”

“OH, come on, Hector. This is the easiest thing to spin in the world. It’s not like the fans really LIKED Bianca. They don’t care that he got cheated on.” I rolled my eyes.

“They do. He looks weak. What kind of team has a star player who can not even satisfy his woman? That is what the tabloids are saying.”

“Fuck the tabloids! This is hockey, not Hollywood!” I threw my arms up in exasperation.

“Alex, you and I both know that in the attention economy, all attention matters, and the way you are perceived matters. Right now, our star player is perceived as a weak man who not only was cheated on, but now has a conflict with a much more popular player in a much more popular sport. Marcus sees it as emblematic of the issues we had to overcome as a team.” Finally, I collapsed into the chair at his desk.

“Ok Fine, but to take the promotion out from under me like that!” I couldn’t help but hear the slight whine in my voice.

“I know. It was not my call. Marcus is furious. He made the decision alone. I tried to warn you, but you came in late.” He raised an eyebrow at me. I slumped down more and groaned.

“My alarm didn’t go off, but still you could have at least texted me or SOMETHING!”

“I did, Alex.” His tone was gentle and patient. I shook my head and pulled out my phone, only for my stomach to drop. Sure enough, I had several missed calls and messages from Hector. My ringer must have still been off.

“My advice, put that energy and brain of yours into fixing this mess. If you can manage that by the end of the season, I might be able to convince Marcus to give you the assistant director position. I know it’s not what you want, but it’s the best I can do.” I groaned loudly. The idea of working under Mark was dreadful, but I had put in entirely too much time and effort into this team to walk away now.

“Well damn.” I sighed.