Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Is Luca a natural-born singer? Hell no. He’s on key, though, which is helpful. But no, the most alluring thing about Luca’s performance is the way this muscular Adonis of a man is giving a girl-group anthem about female empowerment everything he’s got. Indeed, he’s performing so energetically, and with such eye-popping, gyrating, pelvic-thrusting choreography, the entire crowd has started clapping out a thumping beat for him to follow as a show of their approval.
Suddenly, a disorienting swoon overtakes me. One that makes me feel almost physically dizzy. And shortly after that, my entire body feels flushed and tingly. The way Luca is thrusting and gyrating has me remembering him moving that same glorious pelvis against me during our intoxicating, impossible-to-duplicate (and trust me, I’ve tried) make-out session. And it seems those memories are causing physical sensations to blast through me against my will.
When Luca sings his last words, thundering applause explodes throughout the large room, and in response, our fearless first singer takes a dramatic, deep bow.
Everyone loves Luca.
That’s what someone said yesterday during the meeting in the conference room. And now, I know it was a true statement. The man’s obviously a superstar to everyone he encounters, and not only to virginal, horny teenage math majors eager to get some sexy new experiences under their chastity belts.
Maybe Walker Bellamy isn’t as stupid and clueless as I’ve been thinking. He’s the one who mentioned Luca’s vast marketing potential at yesterday’s meeting. Well, maybe he’s onto something there. I find Bellamy in the crowd, and when I see that he’s applauding as raucously as everyone else, I can’t help wondering if he’s currently got little dollar signs in his eyes as he looks at Luca.
As Luca bounds back up the aisle to his seat, he’s practically floating on air.
“That was dedicated to you, little Buckeye,” he says with a wink, before flopping down next to me with a whoop.
“Yeah, I cleverly picked up on that,” I say dryly.
“You’re so smart.”
“You did a great job, Luca. You brought down the house.”
He cackles. “Fun is fuel, baby!”
“Well, if that’s true, then you’re going to perform like a Pro Bowler at the all-team practice tomorrow.”
Luca raises his fist for a bump, and I oblige him. Good lord, his smile is so infectious, I’m grinning back at him like an idiot without meaning to do it.
When the applause for Luca finally dies down, Dad introduces the next victim of today’s singing ritual—a rookie who’s competing for the recently vacated starting QB job. Rinse and repeat. And by the end of several more songs, not a single performer has come close to whipping up the crowd the way Mr. Personality did.
As the third singer of the day bombs his way through an Eminem rap to groans and grimaces in the auditorium, I glance at Luca to see his reaction to the poor guy’s misery and discover he’s already staring at me.
When our eyes lock, Luca smolders at me in a way that tightens my lower abdomen. Flushing hot, I look away as tepid applause for the latest rookie singer ripples through the room. The damage has been done, though. Surely, my face told Luca everything he needs to know about my current, thumping, undeniable attraction to him.
“Nice work, Jordan,” Dad says to the most recent rookie. To the crowd, he announces, “That’s it for today, fellas. Now, go get yourselves some dinner before heading to your final breakout sessions. This time, you’ll be with your offensive, defensive, or special teams coordinator, as the case may be.”
Everyone starts rising from their chairs and stretching while talking and laughing about the show they just witnessed. Several people call out to Luca to compliment him on his ridiculously enthralling performance, and not surprisingly, Luca replies to everyone with enthusiasm, wit, and charm. My father basically dared Luca to show some leadership skills during his song, and Luca conquered the challenge with flying colors. I guess the real question is what Luca will now do on the field with all that newfound goodwill and momentum.
When nobody’s calling out to Luca any longer because they’re all heading for the exits, Luca turns to me. “Hey, are you coming to dinner this time, Coach? If so, I’ll save you a seat.” He’s asking because I skipped out on our first dinner last night, opting instead to study film on Luca in my hotel room over a microwaved cup of noodles.
I open my mouth to tell him, sure, why not, but I’m cut off by a male voice calling my name. To my shock, it’s Bellamy, and he’s now walking toward me.
“Go on ahead,” I say to Luca. “I’ll meet you there.”
“It’s okay. I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
I can’t help glancing at Luca’s gorgeous ass as he bounds away, even as I’m heading toward Bellamy. Ultimately, we meet in the middle in the aisleway.