5. Britt

Britt

five

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Colt places a hand on the small of my back and ushers me into his office. He motions to a chair in front of his mahogany desk. "Take a seat."

It's my first official day on the job, and I want to make a good impression. Even though I've known Teagan's uncle Colt for almost as long as I've known the rest of her family, I still want to show him he made the right decision in selecting me for this job.

My attempt at staying professional is thwarted by the flash of three identical hockey players on the ice below us.

Instead of taking the offered seat, I'm drawn to the giant glass window, looking out over the hockey arena to the players practicing below. I place my hand against the cool glass, watching Torin, Talen, and Tarek effortlessly glide across the ice like they were born with little baby ice skates.

As if sensing me watching them, all three of them stop the drill they're running and stare up at me. Even though I can't see their eyes, I can feel the intensity of their stares.

The beautiful, matching violet eyes, each with their own unique personality, that I've fallen in love with stare at me. A jolt of lust rushes through my body at the intensity of the moment. I hold their gazes, waiting for one of them to break eye contact first, but none do.

We haven't spoken since last night when we discussed the house rules. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying to figure out their response to not having overnight guests stay at our shared house.

I've run every possible scenario through my head at least a dozen times, and I still don't understand the extent of their anger. As far as I know, they're very discreet about their love lives. So why would my asking them to keep their flavor of the night out of our home bother them so much?

"They're amazing, aren't they." Colt taps on the glass with his knuckles, drawing my attention away from the ice. I jump back, pressing my hand against my racing heart, forgetting I wasn't alone in my appreciation of Torin, Talen, and Tarek.

"Um, yes. The team looks really good." I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, when I notice his eyes trained more on the Ice Girls than the actual hockey players. Not that it's any of my business, but I've never heard of Colt dating anyone. Maybe it's a Hayes family thing.

"The Ice Girl tryouts are coming along nicely. I want them to be a major part of our hockey campaign. With our focus on Teagan being the first professional female hockey player in an all-male league, I want to include other female roles throughout our organization." Colt nods to the group of hockey cheerleaders practicing in the aisles of the arena. "I want to showcase Teagan, the Ice Girls, Teagan's agent Cassi, and, of course, you, Britt."

"That's amazing, Mr. Hayes. Most male-dominated organizations frown on females who are invading their turf."

"Call me Colt, and I don't want this team to be like the rest of the teams in the league. I want to celebrate gender equality." I know he's telling the truth because Teagan is making the exact same amount of money as her male counterparts. It's not often that you find someone who believes in equality like Colt and his organization do.

I've often wondered why a great guy like Colt never married or had children. He's got the same dark hair and violet eyes that his brother, nephews, and niece have. It's very striking. Match that with his rooting-for-the-underdog attitude, and he would be a great catch for any woman or man, but once again, that's not my business.

My thoughts of Colt are cut short by the crackle of the intercom on his desk.

"Mr. Hayes, Mr. Thorson and Mr. James are here to see you," Colt's assistant says over the intercom.

"Send them in."

The door opens, and two extremely handsome men walk into the room. One is tall with muscular, broad shoulders, brownish-red hair, and brown eyes, while the other is just as tall and muscular, only he's leaner. His hair is sandy blond, and his eyes are blue.

If I wasn't already half in love with Torin, Talen, and Tarek, I would definitely be interested in them.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm one hundred percent in love with Torin, Talen, and Tarek.

"Britt," Colt says, grabbing my attention.

Shoot, what did he say?

My eyes dart from Mr. Thorson to Mr. James, noticing their arms are extended as if expecting me to shake their hands. Taking the hint, I reach out my hand to Mr. Thorson, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Call me Beck." He pumps my hand up and down several times before releasing it.

"Okay, Beck," I reply before turning to Mr. James.

"And call me Jensen or Jens." Mr. James takes my hand, repeating the handshake I received from Beck.

"Nice to meet you both." I nod as Jensen releases my hand.

"Britt has done a great job putting together an amazing media package for the team as part of her interview process." Colt's praise makes me smile, causing some of the anxiety I've been feeling about my new job to dissolve.

"It was my pleasure."

"I knew you were the right choice for the job," Colt says. "There's a photo shoot for a national sports magazine coming up. They want to feature the Hayes family, current and former players. A family legacy story. They want to celebrate the passing of the torch, per se, and I want you to attend the shoot to get a behind-the-scenes angle for our fans to post on the team's social media sites."

This is such a fantastic opportunity that I can't contain my excitement. "That would be perfect for our fans." I beam, unable to stop the smile that spreads across my face.

"I love your enthusiasm." Jensen laughs. "I think you're right, Colt; she is the perfect person for the job."

Both Colt and Beck nod in agreement.

I need to leave Colt's office before I embarrass myself by gushing at all their praise. "I better get down to the ice and take some pictures for our fans," I say as I rush to the door.

"Don't forget to get some pictures of the Valkyrie," Colt calls after me.

"Will do," I say, and for some odd reason, I turn and salute them before I leave the room. The sound of deep chuckles follows me down the hallway.

The sight of Torin, Talen, and Tarek slashing across the ice, handling the puck and their sticks better than anyone else— even Teagan, Fin, Coulter, and Royal—is almost magical. The way they can anticipate each other's moves has me so captivated that I nearly forget to take the pictures I'm hired to take.

Teagan, Fin, Coulter, and Royal are all amazing athletes, but they're still rookies and will have a learning curve playing in the pros before they reach the same level as Torin, Talen, and Tarek.

My panties dampen just watching them, and I have to remind myself I'm here to do a job, not lust after them like some puck bunny.

I focus my attention on some of the other players, snapping a few more pictures and getting at least one picture of each of the players before I turn to the ice girls or, I guess, Valkyrie, as Colt called them.

They're running dance moves on the stairs, practicing for a real game when they will be cheering from the aisles. I recognize Tiffany, the head cheerleader. She barks out insults to the cheerleaders she is supposed to be mentoring. The typical mean girl. She seems to be focusing her energy on a petite blonde dancer. If I remember correctly, from the cheerleading roster Colt gave me, her name is Gemma. She's new this year, just like me.

Both Tiffany and the head hockey coach blow their whistles, signaling the end of the practices. While the hockey players and the ice girls leave the ice to hit the showers, I flip through the images on my phone, stopping on each picture of Torin, Talen, and Tarek to run my finger over the photos.

Most people can't tell them apart, which I really don't understand. They might be identical triplets, but they each have their own personalities and gestures that separate them.

Realizing how pathetic I must look drooling all over my phone, I shift to the photos of the ice girls, finding an action shot of Gemma. She's mid-cheer with a huge smile on her face. I send the picture to Colt for approval before posting it to our social media. As team employees, the ice girls and players have already signed release forms to have their pictures used for advertising.

Britt: What do you think of this picture?

Colt: She's perfect…post it.

Colt's fast response surprises me but also pleased that I can start my social media campaign immediately. If only everything in my life was this easy.