Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

TIMOTHY

I'm in the front office when a bang echoes through the arena. I jolt at the loud noise, unsure where the hell it came from.

No one should be here for practice yet.

Well, maybe Luke might be.

I've been avoiding him. My crush has gotten so strong I don't know what to do these days. The man is a temptation.

Everywhere I turn, I see him.

Avoidance is the name of the game where he's concerned.

At least I try to. So far, I've been mostly unsuccessful. The easiest times are when I'm in the office working, and I can go about my normal tasks without running into him.

Another crash comes from down the hall. I step out of the office and see the assistant coach stumbling down the hallway. It looks as if he's knocked over every single thing he's passed.

Metal trash cans, a rack of hockey sticks, and what looks to be a barrel of hockey pucks. I'm not sure why all the equipment is out to begin with, but from the way he's wobbling around, it looks as if he dragged it out himself.

What is he doing anyway?

I approach him carefully, needing to know what the heck is going on. “Ben?” I ask. He doesn't hear me at first, so I get closer. "Benjamin," I say loudly.

His gaze moves over to mine slowly. I take in his bloodshot eyes and his inability to stay balanced. He must be on something. He's drugged out of his mind.

I can't smell any liquor, but there's clearly something else going on. I shake my head and take a half step back.

“You shouldn't be here right now,” I tell him. “Whatever you need to do, you can do it at home. Should I call you a car?”

For some reason, my question seems to instigate him rather than create a calming situation like I had hoped. He straightens as best he can, though he's still wobbly and stalks my way.

“That's exactly what you would like. To have my job, my money, you want my wife too?”

I knew he was having a tough time, but I had no clue the guy was really going through it. His arms flail out to the sides as he continues his tirade.

“You can't have any of it. I won't let you.”

As slowly as I can, I try to take another step back. The movement only serves to agitate him. His face drops into a deeper frown, and his body coils tightly.

I'm running out of time.

Not wanting to take my eyes off him for fear he might lash out, I keep myself as still as possible. It's better to be prepared than to miss whatever is coming my way.

As if he can read my thoughts, he lunges forward quicker than should be possible given the way he is inebriated. His fist grabs right underneath my bow tie, pinching my button-up together as he lifts me from the ground. He's nearly a foot taller than me, though we're probably matched on build.

How he has this superhuman strength suddenly is beyond me. Maybe it's the drugs. Or maybe he's one of those guys that looks lean but is really packing a lot of muscle.

I don't know. My brain cycles through all the useless probabilities as I fight not to squirm. I could kick him or punch him, fight and claw my way free. But from the way he holds me up without breaking a sweat tells me all I need to know about his endurance.

He's not going to quit. And I don't have the strength to keep up with him in a fight.

The good news is that there are security cameras in this hall. Hopefully, one of the guys in the security box will see it in enough time before Ben pummels me to death.

Ben brings his face close to mine, his voice a deep rumble as he says, “You're nothing but a piece of shit. You're so far up Bellport's ass you can't see sunlight. I bet anything you're fucking in too, aren't you? Everyone knows he's into men. Surely you bend over to assist him with that too.”

My jaw drops as his lewd words settle over me. Before I can reply, I fall to the ground as his hand unclenches my shirt.

When I look up to see what happened, I see Luke leaning over a kneeling Ben. The man has his hands on the ground, and he's taking deep gulping breaths as if someone knocked the wind out of him.

I have a feeling I know exactly who did it.

“Don't you ever fucking lay your hands on him again,” Luke growls. “You have no right.”

I shiver at the fire in his tone. He means business.

A miniscule part of me flutters at the fact that he's being protective of me. He's stepping in to save me from a bully. It's my wildest teenage dream come to life.

I can't tell you how relentlessly I was teased as a child and into my teen years. I always envisioned someone stepping in like a superhero and sending all the bullies scattering. They would wrap me in their arms, kiss me, and tell me I was theirs.

It was a fantasy. One that never came true.

At least not until now.

The saving part. There’s no kissing here.

Luke continues saying something to Ben I can't hear. He's crouched down now, his voice meant only for the other man's ears.

I take stock of my body, careful to see if anything is bruised or broken. The fall wasn't far, but I can be clumsy at times. I'm a little sore, though fine besides that. Nothing that won't clear up shortly.

My clothes are rumpled. There's no helping that really. I straighten my bow tie and run my hand down my shirt as I attempt to look a touch more presentable.

Luke turns his head down the hall at the sound of heavy footsteps. Past him, I see two security guards jogging our way.

“About fucking time,” he mumbles.

The men snatch Ben up off the floor. He begins to fight them, so they lock their arms tight around him, dragging him down the hall. He screams expletives and threats, words that shouldn't scare me, but send shivers down my spine, nonetheless.

I never thought I was in any physical danger from this man. He was just a nuisance. Someone who wasn't taking care of their job.

Except he just tried to physically assault me.

The one place that should be safe—my job—doesn't feel all that safe anymore.

I'm watching him being dragged away when someone steps into my line of sight. I look up to see Luke standing there. Instead of holding out a hand like most people would, he bends down to lift me up. He situates me on my feet, then places his hands on my shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

I nod, then shake my head. Finally, I shrug, unsure of what the real answer is.

“I've never had anything happen like that. At least not since becoming an adult.”

Luke frowns. “What do you mean?”

I make a motion from head to toe. “I was bullied when I was younger. This look tends to get people riled up for some reason. I have had more one-sided fights than most people. I just never thought I'd have to experience it in my adult life. I'm a bit of a pacifist, if I'm honest.”

His thumbs rub against my shoulders. It's a small motion, tiny really. Barely noticeable.

Despite knowing that, my entire body is hot from the touch. I can feel my cock wanting to lengthen as desire moves through me.

He's so gentle, so caring. I just know he would take care of me in the bedroom if it ever progressed that far. Surely it won't, but if it did…

I shove the fantasy away and bury it deep, deep down for later when I'm alone and can actually act it out in my head. Stepping out of his hold, I clear my throat.

“Thank you. I appreciate you stepping in to handle everything. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next, if I'm honest.”

He nods slowly. “I just… I'm glad that I was here in time. I heard the noise, but figuring out where it came from once it stopped was a bit more difficult.”

We both turn to look at the mess he left behind. Luke scrubs his hand on the back of his neck. It's one of his many tells.

He's uncomfortable, whether it be from the confrontation with his assistant manager or because there's a mess that needs cleaning.

Before he can say anything, I step forward to take care of it. I'm picking up hockey pucks to throw in the bin when his hands close over mine.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

I look from him to the pucks and back. “I'm cleaning up the mess. What else am I supposed to do? I can't let it stay here like this."

Luke's gaze turns intense. "That's not a part of your job, Timothy. You have other things you were probably working on, right?" I nod. "Okay, then you should get back to that. I can take care of this."

I stand and dust my hands on my legs. “If you're sure…”

He nods to encourage me to leave. I turn to make my way back to the office. When I'm at the door, he pauses me with a question.

"Is anyone here with you? Jake or someone else?"

"There's no one here. I'm working alone. Jake had to go meet with the lawyers.”

I watch as he debates over something internally. I can tell that's what he's doing because his fingers drum him against his thigh and his lips pinch tightly. It's the same look he had when going over paperwork just a couple of days ago.

"Are you able to work remotely?" He asks.

"I am."

"How would you feel about packing up what you need and coming with me? I've got to prepare to meet the team today, and I'll admit that I'm a little nervous. I could use a familiar face in the audience. Plus, I don't think you should be alone right now.”

His words are mostly believable. I do think that he doesn't want to be alone. I have a feeling that a familiar face would be encouraging to him too; however, I don't think he's as nervous as he's letting on.

Something tells me Luke wants me to be more comfortable with the idea of being with him than of not being alone. It seems the incident has him more worked up than he’ll admit. I can't fault the man.

It's a smart idea. One I really want to go along with.

But can I?

Can I sit in a room with him and actually get any work done?

Right before this, I was just thinking about how nice it was that I didn't have to be surrounded by him since he was such a distraction for me. Now I'm going to willingly go into a space with him and pretend like he's not the sole focus of every thought I have.

Yeah, right.

Still, I can't resist.

“I'll be just a few minutes,” I tell him.

He points to the mess and says, "Don't worry about me. I've got some stuff to take care of first."

I rush back into the office and gather all the equipment I need: my laptop and charger, a couple of drinks, snacks, and the paperwork I was working on. With it all in my bag, I shuffle back out in time to see him shutting the door to the equipment.

"Ready to go?"

I bob my head, then follow him down the hall towards the meeting room. It's also the room where they watch footage of other teams. There's a giant projector on one screen and college-style raised seating section across from it. The seats go up so that everyone has a great view.

I park myself in the front row and pull out my laptop. Luke goes to stand by a podium that's off to the side. He shuffles around some papers and begins to work.

Neither of us speaks for several long, hushed minutes. Heck, it may be hours for all I know because next thing I hear are several guys laughing and stomping into the room. Panic moves through me at the loud sound so suddenly after the altercation in the hall.

I look up and my eyes catch Luke's. In his gaze, I see that our secret is safe. The things that happened here earlier won't be shared. At least not today. Thinking about having to speak about what happened, I remember Jake, my actual boss, the man who needs to know that his assistant coach is an ass and needs firing.

While Luke greets his players, I open a tab for the security feeds. Jake likes to have access to everything just in case, so I pull up the clips of our time in the hallway. I make sure not to watch what happens to me, but rather I fast forward to the end where Luke stands over Ben.

I clip the segment and then attach it to an email to Jake. As I type, I feel more confident than I have in a while.

He needs to be fired. I can't allow someone like this around me. There's no need to press charges because I don't want any bad press for the team, but please consider it, Jake. Let me know if you need anything else.

I close my laptop to focus on the players after I hit send. No need to keep dwelling on the bad. I'm sure Jake will handle it.

And if he doesn’t, I have a feeling Luke won’t let Ben’s actions stand. My fierce protector will keep me safe.