Power Play - A Fake Dating Ice Hockey Romance

Episode 5

Madison

“Are you trying to kiss me? What the hell are you doing, Alex?” I am almost breaking out in a cold sweat because my mind is yelling NO and my lips desperately want to feel his plump lips on mine. I try not to groan.

Alex moves back as if he has been scorched with fire. He rakes his long, thick fingers through his dishevelled hair. He narrows his eyes and looks at me. It’s as if he is looking right into my soul. Then he tilts his head and puts on that cocky smirk of his.

“You don’t know do you?” His muscular arms are now folded in front of his chest. My breathing is still not under control from his closeness.

“Know what? Enlighten me?”

“About the fake dating thing.” He looks to be having fun with me judging by the glint in his eyes and the upturn of his lips. I can’t stop looking at them, they’re so full and kissable. Yikes.

I let out an exasperated breath. “What fake dating thing?” I narrow my eyes back into tiny slits. He lets out a low chuckle sending tingles up and down my spine. Good heavens, my body is a traitor.

“You are here to be my fake girlfriend Miss Madison Lane, to clean up my image.” What the holy hell? My jaw drops to the ground. All sorts of alarm bells are going off in my head right now and a serious amount of red flags.

“You are kidding me, right?” I am having some serious heart palpitations right now. Extreme.

“Nope, no joke. Listen I’m none too pleased about this either but we’re stuck with it. You should have received the contract to sign. You get a million dollars for your time and effort.”

“I am not someone who can be bought, Stone. This is ridiculous.” Although one million dollars, did I hear right? I could definitely do with that kind of money. I could put my savings I spent back into my account and still have money left. Hell, I wouldn’t have to try for partnership with Ruben and I wouldn’t need my job. I could set up on my own. Images of being my own boss lady flit through my mind. Oh and all those designer shoes and bags I could buy. I think I am salivating.

“Well that’s the deal, Madison and you get full coverage of me 24/7. Otherwise no deal, take it or leave it sweetheart.” Sweetheart? Did he just call me sweetheart?

I’m doing swift math in my head. I mean I could swing it right? It’s not forever and we don’t have to do anything like have s*x or even kiss. It’s just to look real for the public. I let out a long, low breath.

I’d be an absolute i***t to turn this kind of money down and I do really need it. I’ve wiped out my savings account on the house. “Fine, but there will be ground rules, Stone.” He quirks an eyebrow at me. Damn this man is hotter than sin.

“For a start no kissing, never touch my ass and we are never, ever having sex.” I fold my arms in front of my chest.

“Sure thing, Madison only you’ll be begging me for it after just a week. Trust me, sweetheart.”

“Like hell I will. Deal?” I unfold my arms and extend my arm holding my hand out to shake on it. He chuckles again and shakes my hand.

Oh boy, what have I got myself into? Wait until I tell my bestie she is going to wet her pants.

Alex turns to walk in front of me down the corridor. It’s wide with knotted pine flooring that looks to be oiled with the gloss it has on it. Either side of me are glass panels. I pass a large gym area; I mean it’s huge. He has a wide screen television in there that must be at least seventy inches, and every bit of kit you’d find in a Gold’s gym. It’s pretty impressive and I spot the top of the range running machine. Fantastic, since I’m a runner and cannot wait to get on it tomorrow morning. Wait, I don’t want to be working out if he is, he doesn’t deserve to see me encased in my tight workout leggings and cute bralette top. Mm, I need to check with him about schedules. Anyway, I can always head out for a run, stick my pods on and my favorite playlist. Panic over.

To my right we pass a square patio area with a water feature in the middle. The water flows out of the mouth of a stone cherub, it stands I’d say around four foot high. There are lights inset around the pale blue tiles that surround it on the floor and I can imagine at night this is a peaceful area with beautiful lighting.

“You like it so far?” he asks as he turns back.

“It’s okay.” I shrug. I’m not about to tell him I am totally in awe of his property - no f*****g way.

“It’s taken me some time to get it like this,” he tells me. I don’t say anything. I don’t like this guy, except of course his ass. That’s pretty damn cute, it’s tight and high. I wonder how his butt would look naked, a bit like a GQ fashion model I am guessing. Stop thinking like that right now. Then there’s his broad shoulders, and the ink running up from his wrists to the sleeve of his button down. I can make out a horseshoe underneath a stallion.

“What’s with that tatt?” I ask him, wondering why I’m even interested in anything remotely to do with Alex Stone, but curiosity has got the better of me. Most sports guys I know of have tatts of their favorite sports on their arms. I half expected him to have a couple of hockey sticks and a puck.

“This?” He stops abruptly in front of me as I almost collide into him. I inhale his woody and cinnamon scent; it makes me tingle. f**k’s sake.

“Yeah, that one.” I move backward slightly because some weird s**t is happening to me being so close to him. Like a rush of warmth creeping up my stomach. Lordy, not right now this is too much. Am I blushing? I bet I am. He grins wickedly as if he knows exactly what reaction he has just had on me. His mouth is upturned and his electric eyes glint. God, I want to slap that smirk right off his damn face.

“It’s Moonlight. My Arabian. I have stables out the back.”

“Nice. Didn’t figure you for much of a rider,” I say.

“Darlin’ I can ride anything. Trust me, I’m very good at riding.” Now I am seriously blushing not missing his innuendo.

“If you say so, Stone. Just show me to my room. I already need to get away from you.” Belle is shifting around in my arm, and I want to get her tucked up on the bed so I can take a nice hot shower and get the day’s travel off me.

“Here we are.” He opens double wooden doors that lead into a palatial sized room. There’s a large king size bed to my right with a carved headboard that takes up most of the wall. The bedding is beautiful, all crisp white with a patchwork quilt thrown over it. It’s homely, I never would have expected anything like this from him.

There is a dressing table opposite the bed against the other wall with a classic, balloon backed chair, the upholstery is Fleur-de-Lis fabric, blue and cream. Drapes adorn the floor to ceiling windows of which there are two either side of a large sliding door. I step into the room and can see the forest land from the doors. Wow, this is impressive. It’s stunning.

“You have an en-suite full bathroom.” Alex points to the door on the right. “There’s plenty of towels and stuff in there, my cleaning lady, Rosa, comes in every third day and will change them then. If you need any in the meantime let me know and I’ll get some more for you. Only, we try to be sustainable here so we only do towel changes every few days.”

“I didn’t expect it to be a hotel, Stone,” I quip. Although, I’m quite impressed by his sustainability awareness.

“Fine. I’ll leave you to it. The doors are locked, and the key is over on the dresser, so be sure to take some time outside.”

“What time is this dinner?” I ask him, already pissed off, that I will have to spend more time with him this evening and have to be polite to his manager and his coach. I’m mad as hell at them right now for coming up with this whole fake dating, harebrained scheme.

“My driver will be waiting for us at seven. Dinner is at eight. Does that give you enough time to nap and get ready?”

Since it’s only late morning now I guess it’ll be more than sufficient time. I place Honey-Belle on the ground, she goes off sniffing the bottom of the chair, the dresser and around the bed. He just looks at her. I can’t make out what he is possibly thinking right now, maybe he’s worried she’s going to pee on the wood floor.

“It’s a smart restaurant, there are bound to be photographers around too,” he tells me. I groan. Great.

“Are you expecting me to hang off your arm? Only it’s not going to happen.”

“We have to show a united front and convince the public that I’m now dating and that my wild days are behind me.”

I snort at him, actually I want to laugh out loud, that kind of laughing that makes you almost wet your pants. Alex Stone trying to not look like the partying, man-w***e that he is, well that is the biggest joke of all time.

He doesn’t look impressed either, I mean him having to fake date me is seriously bad for his s*x life since he won’t be getting any from me. EVER!

“I’ll be ready. But do not think I am kissing you.”

He gives me that smirk again and I see a dimple on his left cheek. Right, well I am a sucker for a dimple. I avert my eyes to be sure I can’t see it. “We’ll see about that darlin’.”

“f**k off and get out.” I snap at him. “Oh and stop calling me darlin’. I am not nor ever will be your darlin’.”

He does as he is told and gives me a backward glance then winks. God he exasperates me to hell and back.

I am in so much big trouble! How am I going to get through the evening faking it when my mind is all over the place screaming NO and my body is like a cat in heat?