Chapter 18: Chapter 18

TYLER

“Come on, guys! Hurry up, or you’ll be lifting double,” Coach Julian yelled to us. We finished our Saturday morning practice. With no game that night, the session had been pretty lax.

We were all waiting for Kate’s first-ever interview to come on. “This is live, and don’t tell her this, but I’m really nervous. We’re here to support our girl, she’s like my daughter.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”

My teammates and I huddled around the large monitor hanging above center ice, the volume up to an almost deafening point.

I wasn’t sure how Coach got the news to air up there, but he seemed to have managed it somehow.

The camera cut to a peppy woman with shiny shoulder-length blonde hair. A fake smile plastered on her face made her look pretty awkward.

“And now for her first ever televised interview, we have Katherine Martin, President and CEO of Martin Financial and the majority owner of our very own, the New York Blades.”

Kate walked out from behind a curtain, looking smoking hot in a form-fitting navy-blue dress that stopped right above her knees. My mouth dropped watching those legs, which I loved even~ more~ in heels.

Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She looked sophisticated and like she belonged, like people~ should~ be interviewing her. But I knew turmoil was brewing inside her.

When I had called her that morning, her voice had been shaky. She had been nervous and didn’t want to do the interview. Now, she looked like a completely different person.

She held her chin high in the air; and as she sat down, she crossed an ankle over the other as would a queen. “Thank you for having me,” Kate said, cool and confident.

Chris blew out a whistle beside me. We were all ready to see Kate, or as Coach called her, Kitty-Kate.

Inside my head, I urged her to not be nervous, knowing she would be great no matter what happened.

“As you know,” the interviewer began. “You’re one of the most talked about women in the country right now.”

Kate looked uncomfortable momentarily. “I wasn’t aware of that actually,” she recovered.

“What is it like to be so young and in such a high position of power? You’re holding stakes in almost every business in Manhattan. It sounds very difficult.”

“I believe it’s the same for me as all the other young entrepreneurs out there hustling and bustling to make their dreams come true.

“And although I have inherited my dad’s business, I’ve worked very hard to be sitting in the position I’m in today,” Kate told her. “So I don’t believe it’s any different or more difficult for me than it is for anyone else.”

The interviewer nodded to Kate’s ivy-league response. I was expecting nothing less. After Kate answered, the guys cheered quietly for her.

“There are many people around the world cheering you on, and many young girls looking up to you. Could you tell us about any differential treatment you have faced, being a woman in let’s say ‘a man’s world?’”

“I can’t speak of any differential treatment because I haven’t faced any personally. I’m sure plenty of women do; however, I’m not one of them. I want to be treated the same as any man in my position.

“If a colleague would have yelled to my father’s face, then I expect him to do the same to me. I want equality, and that means being treated exactly the same as my father was. The good and the bad.

“And so far, everyone I work with is living up to that.”

“I agree,” the other woman said. “My line of work is also in a man’s world. It’s really all about equality.”

The woman continued on, but I tuned her out. Her career as a reporter wasn’t in a man’s world, or at least, I didn’t believe it was.

I’d faced many more female reporters than male ones. But that lady could think whatever she wanted; she was only trying to impress Kate.

Kate’s expression remained neutral the entire time. The little upward curve of her nostrils looked prominent, and her ocean-blue eyes were focused and calm.

Watching her chest rising slowly with every breath she took, I couldn’t help but picture her naked. She was one of those women who had no idea how sexy she was.

She obviously knew she was gorgeous; how could she not? But I don’t think she realized the extent of her sex appeal.

“I hear you’re actually quite the hockey fan.” We all yelled supportively at the television.

“Yes,” Kate said, finally smiling. “I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember.”

“And is it true that you’re engaging in a sexual relationship with one of your players?”

My heart stopped, and I’m pretty sure Kate’s and everyone else’s did too. This was live, and Kate was going to be humiliated and get really fucking pissed.

“Excuse me?” Kate asked, still not cracking under the pressure. Her breathing remained as steady as before, and she didn’t so much as blink. She was the picture-perfect vision of the calm before the storm.

“A picture was given to us this morning. It shows you leaning into Tyler Carlson while making your way to a cab together. The source also cites that you two were acting sexual inside a nightclub.”

Kate started smiling. ~What the fuck?~ Literally smiling. All of my teammates turned to stare at me, their eyes wide and mouths open, while I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

At that moment, they must have all figured I was into her looking at my reaction. No one said anything to me, they just turned back to the television at the sound of Kate’s voice.

“Honestly, I have no idea what you’re referring to when you say~ acting sexual~, but that’s beside the point.

“I’d say your source is unsure what they’re talking about due to their apparent ignorance of normal human behaviors.”

“I did find that phrase rather odd myself,” the interviewer cut in.

Kate shot her a look that implied she wasn’t done speaking, then her shoulders relaxed again. “Now, this is exactly what I was referring to earlier,” Kate said.

“I said I wanted to be treated equally, and you so eagerly agreed with my statements on equality, did you not?”

The other woman was visibly beginning to lose composure. “I did agree with you, yes.”

“And here you are. Another woman, working in a man’s world by your own admittance, and you’re degrading me.

“You’re saying that just because a player helped me to a cab, I’m obviously in a sexual relationship with the said player.” Kate paused for a quick breather before continuing on.

“Did your source, or did you, look at the picture closely enough to see that there were multiple Blades players with me that night?

“Clearly you did not notice that, unless you’re also suggesting that I’m having sexual relationships with all of them. Is that the case?”

The blonde hair was now sticking to the reporter’s forehead. “No, but—”

“You’re behaving the opposite of how you claim you want to be treated.

“If I was a man who drank too much with some of my players, and we helped one another to a cab, we’d be praised for our show of support. Yet, I’m a woman, so it’s assumed inappropriate.

“Now, thank you for having me, but I believe this interview is over.”

Kate stood up, took off the microphone clipped to her, and walked away. Screams and cheers erupted from around me. Smiles were plastered on all the guys’ faces. I whipped my phone out to take a video, then sent it to her.

Tyler

This is how proud we all are. You shut her down.

We joked about how scared the other woman must have been and applauded how composed Kate was throughout the whole ordeal.

We agreed that if we were questioned that way, we would have thrown a fist or two, maybe even a head-butt.

As we sat around joking and extending our support to Kate, I realized something important. She never once denied a sexual relationship with me.

She didn’t shout it from the rooftops, but she completely avoided lying. ~Shit, this girl is fucking brilliant!~

I wasn’t too surprised when I didn’t receive a response from Kate. I figured she was brooding over the obnoxious reporter. I went home and began making myself a sandwich when a knock sounded at my door.

My heart skipped a beat. I ran a hand through my freshly shampooed hair and took off my shirt because I loved the way she devoured me with her eyes.

It was pretty awkward when I flung the door open with a hard-on to see my parents and two brothers standing on the other side.

“Baby!” My mother yelled and burst through the door. Dad followed, impatiently waiting for his turn to hug me.

“It’s good to see you, son.” My dad patted my back and walked further into the apartment.

My mother had been there for only two minutes and was already going on about how I needed her in my life to do things like unpack for me. She really needed to stop meddling.

“Ma,” I yelled. “I’m twenty-three. I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly you can’t. You’ve been here for over a month, and this place is completely boxed up. What do you sleep on? Cardboard? Oh, boy.” She did the sign of the cross and said a silent prayer to the big man upstairs.

Jason and I rolled our eyes at the exact same time. Then he whispered, “Kate fucking killed it, dude. She’s badass.” I nodded and smiled.

My brother Steve looked at me expectantly. “I saw that interview too,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I agree with Jason. She was badass.”

I looked at him suspiciously when he didn’t stop grinning. “But?” I urged.

“But I don’t believe that you two are oh so innocent.”

“Who’s innocent?” my mom yelled, guaranteeing that her ~supermom hearing~ was still fully intact. “Never mind,” she said, frustrated. “What do you boys want me to make for dinner?”

My dad shook his head and stood beside my brothers and me. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“How do you know I don’t have dinner plans?” I yelled back to my mom.

She returned from my bedroom and, placing her hands on her hips, she asked, “You won’t make time to have dinner with your mother?”

I groaned, walking over to my fridge to find beer. “Always time for you, ma.”

She stalked back toward my bedroom and yelled again, “I’ve put a box of condoms in your top drawer.”

I cracked the beer open and chugged it. ~Could someone please shoot me now?~

My brothers and dad laughed, then I tossed them their own beers. We drank up while Mom ran around my apartment, telling me where to put the things she was unpacking.

“I’ll come by this week and see the new apartment,” I told my dad. “Are you liking Midtown?”

“It’s alright. A lot of people here, though.” He ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

My parents were pretty young, only in their fifties. But I think the stress of raising three obnoxious sons had them aging quicker than the norm.

Mom began harassing Steve about finding a girlfriend, saying she’d never have grandchildren if he didn’t do it soon.

“He’s only twenty-one, Pat,” my dad scolded. “Don’t rush him for Christ’s sake.”

“And what about us?” Jason asked. “You have two older sons, you know.”

“Watch your mouth!” she yelled back to him, as I laughed and continued chugging beer. “I can’t count on you two to give me grandbabies.”

“Why not?” I cut in.

She moved away from the stove where she was making something to stare at me and my twin brother.

“Jason, you always date mentally insane women who try to control you.” She paused for a breather. “And you,” she said, pointing a finger toward my face. “My son, the player?

“I hope you know it’s awkward for your father and me every time one of our friends reads about you and your many one-night stands.”

“Half of that shit is made up, anyway.”

“You and your brother have the mouths of sailors.”

I wondered if my parents would have a heart attack upon finding out I’d only been with one woman since arriving in New York. It had been a month now with just her in my life. That was a record.

I began thinking about how much my parents would love her. Kate was beautiful, composed, successful, and, for some reason, seemed to really like me.

She wanted me from that first night at the bar, which had been my plan, but it turned into me wanting, actually needing, Kate in my life.

Mom harassed Steve for a few more minutes about grandchildren, then continued cooking. We guys put on some college football and drank more beer.