Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(16)

“But that’s the night your girlfriend broke up with you?” Phoenix inquires.

I nod.

That night—six godforsaken months ago—was a shit night for me. Before the game, I received a call from Cheryl—the girl I was dating at the time. It wasn’t exactly a serious, long-term relationship. More of a friends-with-benefits type deal, I guess you could say. Our interactions were brief and infrequent at best, but we were exclusive. Or so I thought. Right up until she so kindly let me know that she had another man in her bed and that she no longer required my services.

“At this time, Ms. Jacobsen is refusing to talk about the allegations. She recanted her statement at the end of the season but didn’t openly admit to lying,” Phil explains. “Have you spoken to her?”

I frown. “Why the f*ck would I talk to her? I don’t know her.”

“Relax,” Spencer mutters from beside me.

Right. Because that’s so f*cking easy to do when some crazy bitch is out there telling people I knocked her around. If my mother were alive, she would be all up in my shit.

“Did she say anything that night?” Phil asks.

I turn my attention back to face the firing squad across from me. “Yeah. She said, ‘Can I get a picture with you?’”

I’ve been propositioned plenty, but this crazy bitch didn’t ask me to buy her a drink, nor did she try to throw herself at me like a lot have. Which, I guess, is what confuses me the most. She asked for a picture, smiled for the camera, and boom, she was off, her friend in tow.

“But the damage is done,” Phoenix notes, glancing between me and Coach. “When she made the statement, she shared it with whoever would listen. It’s died down somewhat, but now that the season is starting, it’s come to light again.”

By the media, no doubt. They’re the only people who seem to give a shit. My friends and family know it for the bullshit that it is.

“Fifteen minutes of fame,” Phil the Lawyer adds, his sharp gaze landing on me. “Yet you haven’t publicly denied it.” It isn’t a question.

“I figured it was best not to fan the flames,” I tell him honestly. “If I react, I look guilty.”

“If you don’t react, you look guilty, too,” Phil concedes.

Yeah, well.

“We honestly thought by now that this would’ve gone away,” Coach states. “She recanted and we’ve all moved on with our lives.”

Not quite, but I’ve certainly been trying. The accusation still hangs over me, no matter what the chick said. Even though it’s supposed to be behind me, it still f*cks with my head. I’ve been furious, which has resulted in some stupid decisions and a hell of a lot of fights I’ve instigated, both on and off the ice. It’s a hot button for me, and at the end of the season last year, some of the teams we played would push it just to get a rise out of me. It worked.

Spencer turns to Mark and Amber. “Do you have any suggestions on how we overcome this?”

Mark glances over at Amber, giving her the opportunity to answer.

Amber looks confident as she sits up straight, her hands clasped together on the table. “I actually do have an idea.”

“Let’s hear it,” I say. Better to get this out of the way now.

Her eyes meet mine. “Are you seeing anyone right now?”

Unable to help myself, I smirk at her. “No. Why? You offering?”

I’m pretty sure Spencer growls at my remark, but I don’t turn to look at him.

Amber snorts, and I notice her gaze swing to Spencer before landing on me again.

“Actually, I’m not,” she says, her tone a little brusque. “However, if we could show you settled down in a relationship, I think it’ll go a long way in earning the trust from the fans once again.”

Spencer leans forward, resting his forearms on the table, his attention on Red. “So, you’re saying that a relationship will help to improve Rush’s image?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.” She sounds a little defensive. Her gaze meets mine once again. “I’ve looked into each member of the team, and it’s clear that you’re not known for serious relationships. Or even dating, for that matter. You’re known as a player, but oddly enough, I can’t find any substantiating evidence to those rumors.”

“And you won’t, either.” I have no idea why people think I bang every chick I’m photographed with. Maybe it’s the stigma of being a single professional hockey player, I don’t know.

Amber frowns. “If you are dating someone, there’ll be more interest in that than the past.”

Great. Now the PR lady is acting like my pimp.

“So you wanna marry him off, huh?” Spencer quips, chuckling.

I sit back and watch the interaction between these two. Spencer doesn’t look too choked up about his ex-girlfriend reappearing in his life. And now they seem to be working together to come up with a plan to make my life a living hell.

Probably can’t get much worse than it already is.

Phoenix leans back, looking deceivingly casual. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. “And how do you propose we do that?” Phoenix asks Amber, sounding far too interested in this cause.

“Is there a woman in your life?” she asks again.