“Is there anything else you need?” CeCe asked and Shannon shook her head. “Okay, if you don’t mind, I’m going to cut out a little early. I have some studying to do.”
“No problem.” Shannon smiled and collected her stuff to leave. “I’m actually done for the day. I’ll see you bright early tomorrow, right? We have assessments to do on the players.”
“Yep.”
CeCe, a young college grad with her eye on landing a position similar to Shannon’s, was the typical college coed – if one went by stereotypes. The girl had curves and wasn’t afraid to use them if the hungry gazes from the players were any indication. Shannon had tried to talk CeCe about the importance of separating business from pleasure but the bottom line was, Shannon was a temporary fixture in her life until she moved on to bigger pastures.
With Aubrey on her hip, she navigated past the locker rooms and popped out the backside of the rink to walk toward her car. A strange prickling sense caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up and she glanced around, to survey her surroundings. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she kept walking, although she picked up her step a little bit. After fastening Aubrey in her car seat, she hopped into her little sedan and headed home.
You're being a silly goose. And paranoid. The more miles she put between herself and that feeling, she realized she'd been silly. No more late-night movies about crime dramas, she reasoned to herself.
Turning up the radio, she perked up when she and Audrey's favorite song came on. Shannon sang while Aubrey kicked her feet and giggled and by the time Shannon pulled into her small apartment complex, she’d completely forgotten about the weird sensation she'd had back at work.
Tomorrow was Friday. Aside from a full day at work, her plans were pretty static. Later that night, after tucking Aubrey into bed, she poured herself a glass of wine and slowly savored the first sip. She loved her life but there were times when she wished things had happened a little differently. She certainly hadn't expected to become a mother so young and so early in her career. But even as she lamented her quiet nights from time to time, she knew she wouldn't trade Aubrey for anything in the world. The child was her everything.
She carried her wine glass to the living room and sank into the sofa. Her friend Georgia had suggested that she put up an online dating profile so she could get some, "adult time" but even as Shannon desperately wanted a little companionship now and then, she couldn't fathom introducing someone into Aubrey's life that was simply transient. So, for now, Shannon's needs were met by her trusty and ever faithful vibrator.
Shannon took another healthy sip and leaned back against the sofa cushion, feeling that familiar yearning as she closed her eyes, picturing a scene from the past that always managed to warm her engine nicely.
It'd been a purposefully chance encounter — she'd been looking for someone to scratch an itch as a reward for all her hard work and studying to graduate at the top of her class in order to land a coveted position with the Juggernaut and she'd known the minute he'd walked into the club that she was going to have him.
He'd oozed charm and easy-going grace but beneath that laid-back exterior, she'd seen the carnal hunger in his eyes that spoke to the hunger curling itself around her bones. She hadn't played coy or hard-to-get; she'd played to win.
"Like what you see?" she'd asked boldly when he'd openly assessed what she had on display with the tight, form-fitting short dress. She knew she had a great body — years of competitive swimming had carved away any extra fat, leaving behind lean muscle — and judging by his slow grin, he agreed. "Attached?" she'd asked, getting straight to the point.
"No. You?"
"Would it matter?"
"Not really," he admitted, moving a little closer, his gaze caressing her body as if he already had the right. "I don't pity any fool who would leave someone like you unattended in a place like this. His loss would definitely be my gain if you were attached." There was something arrogant yet plainly sexy about the way he'd perused her body and it'd sparked a fire inside of Shannon that had begun to heat her body with a flame she hadn't felt in a long time. College had been long and filled with hours of study and tests and she was feeling reckless. He had just the kind of build she enjoyed — tall but not overly so, with lean muscle, similar to her own, his posture emanating strength and virility. "Shall we?" he asked solicitously and she accepted his hand as he lead her out of the loud, throbbing din of the club. The cool night air had kissed her exposed skin and goosebumps had rioted but he'd immediately warmed her by rubbing her skin while they awaited the valet to return with his vehicle. "What's your name?"