The Enforcer by Nikki Worrell Read Free Book Online

out that he was just a bit more discriminate than the other guys when it came to his relationships. Apparently Jody didn’t believe in casual sex. Most of the guys thought he was nuts, especially the young ones.
    Vlad was looking expectantly at Lacey. “Why are you looking at me? It’s really none of my business what Jody does or doesn’t do. Really, I was just trying to help him out, and I guess we got a little carried away.”
    Vlad stopped walking and turned Lacey toward him. “I’m looking at you because Chief’s one of my best friends, and he’s a hell of a guy. He deserves a good woman. He’s had his heart broken before, so he’s slow to trust and doesn’t take interest in too many women. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you when he saw you walking toward him. Listen, all I’m saying is, don’t shut the door to the possibilities without exploring your options, you know? Take a chance on him. I’m just making a pitch for my buddy. What you do is obviously up to you.”
    The room in the back was darker than the main bar. There was one pool table with a Budweiser light illuminating it, a small jukebox and a bar about half the size as the main one. A couple of crooked tables were set up haphazardly around the bar area. It was small, but spacious enough.
    When the three of them walked into the back room, the guys started clapping. Lacey’s face went up in flames amid shouts of “Nice job new chick!” and “Can you help me out like that, too?” Why couldn’t guys just be quiet and giggle like girls did? Lacey was mortified that they had had an audience at all, let alone how she shamelessly enjoyed Jody’s body for those couple of minutes.
    Jody stood against the wall, pool cue in hand. A couple of the guys had a game going. When he caught Lacey’s eye, he winked at her, which made Lacey’s face flame up again. She walked over to the bar to order a drink with Zoe. Tonight she was sticking with good old diet soda. Even the smell of the alcohol was enough to turn her stomach after the previous night’s drinking binge.
    Ian was Jody’s partner in the pool game. “So what’s up with you and Zoe’s friend? Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a PDA.”
    “PDA?” Jody asked.
    “Public display of affection. What, do you live under a rock?” Ian stood there looking at Jody and shook his head. “Man, you must have it bad for this girl. Didn’t you just meet her?” Jody told him how they met and that he just felt something for her. He couldn’t explain it, but it was there. Ian knew Jody well enough to know that he didn’t mess around with girls. He knew Jody was a good guy and Lacey seemed like a nice girl. Ian told him to go for it. “Why don’t you ask her to the skating party?” Each year the team threw a skating party right before Training Camp as a way to kick off the season for the players and their friends and families.
    “That’s actually not a bad idea Ian, thanks. It’s a shame Vlad can’t ask Zoe.” Jody looked over to where Vlad was and shook his head. Rules sucked sometimes, but they were there nonetheless. No doctor/client relationships. Everyone knew that Vlad had a serious crush on the doc, and sometimes, when she thought no one was paying attention, Zoe looked at Vlad with the same kind of interest – the kind of interest that went well beyond a doctor/client relationship.
    There was one drawback to the Ian’s idea. The skating party was two weeks away. He didn’t want to wait that long to see Lacey again. It didn’t seem like he had much of a choice though, if he didn’t want to scare her off.
    After he and Ian won their pool game, Jody went to find Lacey. He found her surrounded by some of the guys. In an attempt to get rid of some of them, he walked up and said, “Matty, Brian, the guys need someone else to play over at the pool table.” When they took off, Jody took up their spots next to Lacey.
    “Hey Lace, could I talk to you for a