All Chapters of Hockey Boyfriend For Pay: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

{ Anastasia } Maybe it's because I've been thinking about nothing except him for the past two weeks, but I can tell Bram is having a rough day as soon as I lay my eyes on him this morning. First of all, he didn't arrive early, his hair is not damp, his face looks hard and he's not doing the performance today. Everyone says hi as he walks past them and he would usually at least smile at them, but today he just nods absentmindedly as he continues walking to his desk. I'm sitting on Nora's desk, trying to pretend I'm reading this past month's report before sending it up, but I'm completely focused on Bram. He throws his big body on the chair and just stares ahead for a second, with his jaw set tight and fists clenched. I would not get close to him right now. He looks exactly like he looked in a video I saw of a hockey game where they punished him on the ice for starting a fight and then sent him to the bad-boy's cage. He was seething, just like this. But even if I don'

"Eli, I want some more close-up shots," Anastasia says, staring at the monitor. The photographer nods and does what she asked, zooming in Celeste's face. I take a few steps closer, but she takes off running before I arrive and steps into the frame with her sister so she can personally move her face in the exact place she wants it to be. I get to see both sisters enhanced in the monitor. Under all those lights, Anastasia looks different. "Calm down, Annie," Celeste says with a loving smile and gives herself a break to hold onto Anastasia's shoulders and massage them, "You look just like Dad when you're stressed. This isn't a life or death situation, babe, chill." "I'm super chill," Anastasia responds, forcing herself to relax. She drops her shoulders down and takes a few breaths with the help of her sister, "But this is a disaster. Three things have gone wrong so far and..." “Oh, no. Three things!” Celeste mocks with a gasp, "I promise, we will survive. And you still have it

"I was just playing around, you fucking donkeys," I roll my eyes and get up, picking up my trash, "Give it up." "Naaah, you know you can’t even get the fat sister now that you’re poor," Tyler smirks as I go for the trash can. I stop and give him a bewildered look. Not because he called me poor, but because there's no way he thinks Anastasia is fat. She might have a weird body under those layers, but I don't think she's fat. At least not super fat, "We all know there's no way the twins will want you now, but you know Anastasia won't either." "Could YOU get even the fat sister? Of course not, cuz you're an ugly fucking chump," I laugh, no longer having fun. There is something actually wrong with this guy, "I know I can get her and that's why I won't even try. I don't want to deal with her getting all attached to me for real, that would get me in a shit load of problems. Give up now, I won't say it again." "Fine," he lifts his hands, like he's surrendering, "But we won't forget you

"I get what you mean, Sir, of course," Bram nods, trying and failing to control his smile, "No worries about that, though. Anastasia and I are getting along great... right? At least I think so." "Sure," I murmur, clearing my throat when it comes out cracked, "We're getting along great." "Hm," my dad repeats, his eyes going flat and pissed again, "Well, then I guess I'll see you at the gala next month." Shoot me again, please. Repeatedly. "Gala?" Bram asks, frowning in complete confusion. "The gala I mentioned the other day?" I butt in, reaching a hand to grab his arm and squeeze... not because I want to feel him up, but because I want him to lie. I hope he gets it, "Remember? It's an annual thing, my dad throws one every year before summer ends. It's for our charity. Blooming Education.” I squeeze his bicep again, trying really hard not to focus on the way it feels under my hand. Huge and solid as a rock. "Oh, that one!" he says and starts nodding right away. I let go of his ar

"Yeah, I like it. It's definitely not what I thought it was going to be," Bram responds, grabbing the can of Sprite, making it look tiny in his big hands. He opens it carefully, "You're nice, the job is not hard... I'm not too sure about my team, but I’ll manage." "I bet your hockey team was filled with Tylers, huh?" I ask with a sly smile, finally taking a bite from my wrap. Bram shakes his head vigorously. "No, no. Tyler is a different type of asshole. My teammates are much better than that, even the worst ones," he adds with a sad smile, "In hockey, no matter how much I might dislike one or two teammates, I have blind trust in them and they have blind trust in me. We know we’re all working towards the same goal, we all want the same thing and we build ourselves up, together. In here it feels the complete opposite. I feel like Tyler wants to destroy me, then skin me alive... and wear my skin around Vancouver." I laugh the hardest laugh anyone has given me in here so far. It tak