On the Fly (Crimson Romance) by Katie Kenyhercz Page B

team.”
    Her face went blank, and she blinked. “A what?” Nealy cringed beside her but tried to cover it with an encouraging smile. It didn’t work.
    “
Dance
team! It’ll be great! We’ll call them the Lady Sinners, and they can do small, choreographed numbers between plays and periods. The audience will eat it up.”
    Or throw up.
“How can there be cheerleaders in hockey?”
    “Not
cheerleaders
,” Perky insisted. “A
dance
team. They’re getting more and more popular. We already have the Ice Girls, who clean the ice and help Sinbad pass out T-shirts during games, but we need a real dance team.”
    Jacey squeezed out a painful smile and was about to reply when Nealy’s sharp little elbow nudged her side, making her straighten in her seat and regain a cloak of professionalism. “That’s certainly an idea. But I don’t think — ”
    “Tiffany does have a point,” Nealy chimed in, her voice hesitant.
    Jacey gave her an
Et tu, Brute?
look, but her head coach shrugged. “Given our situation, we have to try anything that could draw more people. As much as I hate to admit it, the … dance team … would likely get more butts in the seats. Our investors have been increasingly insistent about that.”
    Heads nodding around the table confirmed that assessment.
As if I don’t know.
Jacey stealthily released a slow breath. “I suppose we can give it a shot.”
    “Great!” Tiffany’s perpetual smile pumped up the wattage, and she jotted down a few notes. “I’ll run an ad in the paper for tryouts next Saturday.”
    Great.
“So … anything else?”
    “There’s the bachelor auction,” Hammond offered.
    She must have looked confused because Nealy filled in the blanks. “Every year we pick a handful of players to auction off on dates. It usually brings in a lot of money for charity. I spoke to the guys, and most were willing … ”
    “Except … ?”
    “Phlynn. He’s never done the auctions — doesn’t like them. But I think it’s especially important that he participates this year.”
    Jacey nodded her agreement. If Phlynn were seen out with other women, it’d take the speculation away from her. But apparently there was more because Nealy went quiet. “And?”
    “I think it would be best if you talked to him. Ultimately, you’re his boss. He’ll have to listen.”
    She held back a wince. The idea of convincing Carter to go on a date with another woman left a bad taste in her mouth. Nealy seemed to sense it.
    “It’s important. You’ve met the Phlynn-addicts. With their unlimited resources, it could mean a lot of money. This particular charity is a sponsor favorite. We do well there, we exist for another year.”
    “I’ll talk to him.”
    • • •
    “No.”
    “Yes.”
    Carter narrowed his eyes and tried to stand. “No. I’m drawing the line. You are
not
auctioning me off to the highest bidder.”
    Jacey pushed him back down. “I can, and I am.” She folded her arms under her chest, and sat on the edge of her desk, facing him. He tried not to look at her breasts. Then he tried not to look at her legs. He must have failed because she toed his shin. Hard. “It’s for our biggest sponsor’s favorite charity, and it’ll raise community awareness of the team. Raised awareness means raised game attendance, means you have a job for another season.”
    “If I don’t move to another team.”
    For a second, her face fell, and guilt hit him in the gut. He didn’t mean to say it. It just came out. Okay, it was true, but the hurt in her eyes made him regret it.
Time to change tactics
. He stood up and leaned into her space, close enough to breathe in her soft, sweet perfume. Too late, he realized his proximity plan might work against him. “Are you telling me you’re perfectly okay pushing another woman on me?”
    Her mouth closed, and she swallowed visibly.
Gotcha
. Or at least, he thought so until she curled a hand around his neck, swayed forward … and pushed him back into his