FAKE DATE MY EX’S TEAMMATE

Chapter Two

Maya’s POV 

“Well, you are definitely not the coffee intern.”  His voice is a slow drawl, laced with amusement. 

Jax Mercer.

I did not think I was going to be meeting the players this soon. There are no games today, so doesn’t that mean they are not supposed to be in this part of the building?

“Depends on the coffee,” I murmur, the words spilling from my lips before I can stop myself. For someone who should not be friendly with the players, I sure am doing a terrible job at that.

I can no longer hear Tara’s heels clicking on the ground, and I just hope the boardroom isn’t hidden, because with how huge this building is, finding it is going to be such a hustle.

Jax’s grin widens with my reply. The picture does not do justice to him, and even Tara might have downplayed his looks.

Jax isn’t just a charmer. He is jaw-dropping hot. And he knows it.

His eyes scan me with a smirk on his lips. “You are new around here.” It isn’t a question.

“Maya.” I stretch out my hand. “The new PR specialist.”

“Oh! The cleaner!” A hidden joke stretches in his eyes, and I am almost sure it has something to do with the last specialist. Now, I am curious about the exact extent of their relationship, if he broke her heart like all the others. 

“I’m Jax,” he mutters, taking my hand. “Or as the press likes to call me, the budding scandal. I’m certain you are going to have fun dealing with that. The last one certainly did.”

His hand feels firm, wrapping around mine. But at the same time, it is warm. His eyes drop to the frog sticker peeking out of my tote bag. 

“What is that?” he chuckles. “I didn’t take you to be that kind of girl. Lucky charm?”

I follow his gaze and adjust the bag quickly. The sticker falls back in, and I feel the patch of heat on both sides of my face. “Something like that.”

“It’s cute,” he murmurs, ruffling my hair. The strands cover my face, and I shake my head to get them out of the way. 

“Jax, you can’t…”

“See you in there, PR Girl.”

Right. The meeting. How did I forget about that? And I thought it was meant to be for the board. Are players now a part of that?

Walking closely behind Jax, I let him go into the boardroom first, then count to ten in my head before stepping in. I don’t want Tara getting the wrong ideas this early. 

My palms are clammy as I take in the space, searching for an empty seat in the half-filled room. Jax is already lounging on one of the seats, his ankle propped on his knee without a care in the world. 

And Tara is by the window, speaking to someone on the phone.

I don’t think they even realize that I am in the room.

In that split second, the door behind me opens. And time seems to slow down. The air changes sharply, and I turn around, my breath hitched in my throat.

He steps inside the boardroom. The man I haven’t seen in over five years. Finn Callahan, taller than I remember. Or maybe it is just the tailored coat he has shrugged on. A lot about him has changed, but at the same time, it still feels the same. 

A pretty lady with blonde curls hanging all over her oval face strides in on his arm, her haughty eyes taking in the room. I move away from the doorway, backing towards one of the chairs and hoping that Finn doesn’t notice me. 

But today isn’t really my day because the minute I take a step, his eyes lock on mine across the room. 

For a second, everything else fades into oblivion. No boardroom, no job at stake. Just memories, of his fingers tangled in mine, of his warm breath in my ear, of that day when the crash ended everything. 

The piercing scream I will never forget. The haunted look in his eyes. The way I blamed myself.

Slowly, the room comes back into focus, just as my lips part open slightly. I find it hard to breathe, and it feels like the temperature of the room has been turned up a notch. I keep staring at him, and Jax must have noticed, because I feel him sit up suddenly, his body leaning forward. 

“Finally,” Tara sighs from the window, oblivious to the tension sneaking around the room. “I thought I would have to ask one of the guards to get you both here.”

And then, she turns to me. “Maya, this is Finn. Your second assignment. And beside you is Jax. You have their files.”

His eyes don’t leave mine, even as I manage a shaky smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Callahan.”

Finn doesn’t answer. But the lady beside him does. “I hope this one will keep her hands and pants to herself this time,” she sneers, her gaze falling on me. She gives me a condescending stare, from my worn-out stilettos to my hair that certainly needs more work.

And then, she scoffs. “Well, you got one thing right. There is no way you can set your standards that high, looking like that.”

“I didn’t say my standards were very high, though,” Jaz says from beside me. 

I want to scream that I am in the same room with them. Instead, my legs shuffle over to a seat on the other end of the room, and I keep my gaze glued to the desk. 

“Come on, baby,” the lady beside him urges as they take their seat. For some reason, I feel a sharp ache in my chest. It has been years. Of course, he has moved on. 

“Here,” Tara pushes over a document to him and Jax. “Consent for the PR.”

I watch as Finn picks up a pen, signing without reading it. Without saying a word. I want to know what is going on in his mind. 

The rest of the meeting goes by in a blur with Finn still saying nothing, and Jax watching us both with interest in his eyes. The minute Tara calls it a day, I rush out of the office into the elevator. I need to get out of the building before my façade starts to slip.

Before Tara realizes I lied to her.

But just as the doors start to close, a hand stops them mid-way.