Page 9 of Seal the Deal
3NICHOLAS
“What the fuckis wrong with you?” Amanda screeches.
Nicholas rubs his temples, wishing the pitch of her voice wasn’t quite so high. He might’ve exaggerated slightly about being sober. He drank enough last night to knock out an elephant, yet here he is standing. Maybe he’s stronger than an elephant.
His captain, Tony, gave him a lot of shit about not bonding with the team again, and rather than actually go out with them, he’d gotten drunk at home and watched porn, neither of which made him even remotely happy.
“You are so fucking self-centered,” Amanda continues.
Once she gets started, it’s better to let her keep going, so Nicholas lowers himself into one of the chairs at their dining room table, spreading his legs wide and leaning back. Denise and Amanda’s house makes him feel like he’s in a doll house—the space as tiny as the furniture and the colors so pink it makes his eyes hurt.
“You’re not even listening to me, are you?”
“You were saying something about me being a disappointment?” Nicholas guesses. That’s usually what people yell at him about.
Amanda groans, throwing her hands in the air. “I wasn’t, actually, but now that you’ve said it yourself.”
“I’m a disappointment,” Nicholas intones in mock imitation of his father. “So much education, so many opportunities, and all of it wasted on a silly hockey career.”
“You sound exactly like your father,” Amanda says.
“I know.”
“That’s nothing to be proud of,” Amanda snarks. “Unlike your dick-bag dad, I don’t think you’re wasting away your life playing hockey because you actually love hockey. It might be the only thing you’re capable of loving.”
“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Nicholas asks, too hungover to tell.
“Only you would think that could possibly be a compliment,” Amanda snaps.
“Can you talk a little quieter? You’re shrill.”
“Shrill,” Amanda shrieks. “I’ll show you shrill.”
Denise watches them silently, the look she gives Nicholas enough to make a weaker man shrink. Luckily for Nicholas, he doesn’t particularly care what his cousin’s girlfriend, or anyone, thinks of him.
“Do you want an autograph, Denise?” Nicholas grins.
“The only thing I want you to sign is a new contract,” Denise says. “You’ve done nothing but upset Amanda since you got traded, and now you hurt him.”
Him. The man who ran outside—was it Alex, or Anthony maybe.
“He’ll get over it. I was just being honest. That man is so not my type.”
“That man is better than you in every way.” Denise’s hand leaves Amanda’s shoulder before she moves towards Nicholas. “If you hurt him again, you’ll regret it.”
“Careful Denise, you sound a little angry.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to ask him to help,” Denise seethes, turning towards Amanda. “Nicholas doesn’t care about anyone but himself. It was a mistake to involve Andrew.”
Andrew. That’s his name. No wonder he couldn’t remember it. It’s as boring as the monochromatic ensemble he was wearing—cream blue polo and khakis, something right out of a golf catalog.
Nicholas hates golf. So much standing around and watching and waiting. So much small talk between holes and backdoor business deals on the greens. His father loves golfing and never lets an opportunity pass to remind Nicholas that his preference for a very different sport is an embarrassment. It doesn’t matter that Nicholas is top in the league or scored a multi-million dollar contract. The money means nothing to his father, who makes more on his investments in a week than Nicholas makes playing in a year.
Jokes on him though because Nicholas doesn’t care about the money. He doesn’t care about much of anything really, but he does enjoy pissing people off. There’s something heady about being calm when other people aren’t, especially since most of the time he can’t keep a lid on his own temper. When the roles are reversed, Nicholas feels powerful, something he rarely feels despite his status and wealth.
“Has anyone ever told you that your face makes them want to hit something?”
“At least once a week,” Nicholas shrugs, spreading his legs wider to try and stretch out his inner thighs. They’re sore as fuck from the last game. Maybe he should head in early tomorrow and get a good stretch session in with the team PT.
