Killian (On the Line #1) - Brenda Rothert Page 0,4

in your ass.”

“I didn’t mean any disrespect,” I said, meaning it.

“No locker room talk about the owners, the staff, or my wife,” he said. “Anyone else is fair game.”

“I have to go up to the new owner’s office,” I said to Orion, heading for the door.

He followed me out and stepped into the hallway after me. “Come find me when you’re done,” he said. “I want to give you a heads up about who I’m cutting.”

“How many?”

“For now, four.”

I nodded and headed down the hallway. The new owner’s office was in a room upstairs I’d never been in. I took the stairs two at a time and found the office, knocking once before opening the door.

“You rang for me, ladies?” I said, grinning.

A tall woman with long, dark auburn hair stood to greet me. “Mr. Bosch, I presume?”

I was dumbstruck, but I managed a response. “That’s me.”

“Sidney Stahl. I’m the new owner. This is Kerrigan Oliver, my PR director.”

I took her hand and shook it, mindful not to squeeze too hard. It was long and graceful, her red nails a contrast to her ivory skin. I barely registered the other woman.

“You’re the sole owner?” I asked. She didn’t look much older than me, and I was twenty-six. A woman that age having the means or the interest in owning a hockey team caught me by surprise.

“Correct.” Her green eyes cast a spell over me. She was stunning. Fuckable was definitely not the way I’d describe this woman.

“What’s a beautiful woman like you want with a hockey team?” I asked, my curiosity about her piqued.

The PR lady, Keri I think her name was, stood up with her cell phone in hand. “Sorry, but the furniture’s here, Sid. Do you want me to go down and sign for it?”

“Yes, that would be great. Thank you.”

Keri hadn’t even left the room yet and my blood was already pumping hard. Once I was alone with Sidney, I’d get this meeting over with and then lay on the charm nice and thick. I was already picturing her in my bed tomorrow morning. Stacy the bartender would have to wait.

Sidney

Keri gave me a sympathetic look as she rose to leave the room. We did business in a man’s world every day, and shutting down advances was just part of it. I squashed the flare of aggravation I felt toward my team’s captain and sat down on the edge of my desk. “More at issue, Mr. Bosch, is what I have planned for this team. Please, have a seat.”

He sat down on the old metal folding chair Liam had vacated and continued in his familiar tone, “Well, the good news is, it can’t get any worse. Bet you got a deal on this team.”

“I was well aware of your losing record when I bought the Flyers. I have the means to turn the team around and that is precisely what I intend to do.”

“Good luck,” he said sarcastically. His icy, gray-blue eyes were locked on mine. His blond hair was cut short and his face was nothing short of chiseled. He had a bigger, more muscular build than most hockey players I’d met before. If he ever gave up hockey, this guy had a future as a model.

“Keri and I are focusing on the big picture, Mr. Bosch, so don’t worry yourself about that. You’re here so we can address issues specific to you.”

His expression was a mix of amusement and confusion. “Since I doubt you’re cutting your star player, what issues would those be?”

Arrogant asshole. I returned his look of amusement.

“Your inability to behave like an adult, Mr. Bosch. You were recently arrested for disorderly conduct while on a road trip with the team.”

“I took a piss in a dark alley. That cop was being a dickhead.”

“And your arrest the month before?” I glanced down at my notes. “For assault?”

His jaw tensed. “The other team showed up at the bar we went to after the game. Their captain was running his fuckin’ trap about my guys. I’m not having that.”

I arched my brows skeptically. “So it’s okay for you to say your team sucks, but no one else can?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

I sighed and folded my hands in my lap. “Mr. Bosch—”

“Killian.”

“Mr. Bosch,” I continued. “You have the skills to be playing at the highest level of the game. Instead you’re known for being a hothead and a womanizer. Is that what you want?”

He shrugged. “Makes no fuckin’ difference to me what people think of me