Jenna

It's been a few weeks since the whole 'Lindsey kicked Val's ass at the bar' thing. Okay, she didn't actually kick her ass, but she slapped the bitch, and that still counts as badass in my book. Even Liam will admit that.

Things with her and Chase have been incredible. They're so lovey-dovey, living on cloud nine. It's like a made-for-TV love story is playing out right in front of me. Liam has finally gotten used to it. Though, it took him at least a week to stop making faces when he'd see them holding hands. When they brought up Lins moving into Chase's room and giving Liam his bedroom back, I thought he was going to have a conniption. I don't even want to mention what he did when he saw them making out that first morning after the bar incident. Let's just say I'm happy he wasn't actually having a stroke.

As happy as I am that the two of them have their love life in order, I'm also a little upset. Not because I'm jealous of their happiness. It's just with their problem sorted out; it means I now have time to focus on my own problematic love life. And that's not something I'm ready to tackle yet.

That night at the bar, Tanner was so sweet and attentive. He didn't even seem like the same person I met at the beginning of the season. It's like he matured a lot since then, and I'm not sure how to feel about it yet. Don't get me wrong, him maturing into a better person is great and all, but it doesn't help my frantic mind in figuring out where I stand in the Tanner department.

The angel on my shoulder wants to believe that he's genuinely changed, and there is hope for him as a potential romantic interest. The devil on my other shoulder keeps telling me that it's all an act and underneath his façade is still the playboy he was known to be. The devil on my shoulder also keeps poking at me, telling me just to jump in and ignore the fact that he's just acting and have my filthy way with him regardless. She's turning into a real pain in my ass.

It doesn't help that I have an itch that needs scratching badly. And Tanner's hot. I mean, really hot. If you looked up words like 'sexy,' 'filthy,' 'dirty,' or 'sex-god' in the dictionary, I'm sure there would be an image of him right next to the definitions. I can't deny my physical attraction to him. I'd have to be blind not to see how good-looking he is, but is that enough?

I could give in, give the devil what she wants, let my defenses down and say screw it, and hop into bed for one night of fun with Tanner 'hot stuff' Levine. My only concern is my ability to keep it strictly physical. I don't know if I can pull off 'no strings attached,' as much as I'd sometimes like to.

So, my solution to my problem, for the time being, has been to avoid him. Yep, I've been avoiding him as much as possible the last few weeks, thinking I'd be able to sort through my messy mind and figure out what I'm going to do. Yeah... that hasn't happened. A solution to my problem still escapes me.

I sigh to myself as I ponder my dilemma, still stirring the pasta Lins and I are making for dinner tonight. That's when Chase and Liam walk through the door, fresh from practice.

Liam heads our way after setting down his bag in the living room. "Ladies."

Lins and I reply at the same time. "Heyy" and "Sup," respectively.

Chase bellows his quick greeting, then walks over to where Lins is standing. He smiles fondly at her before giving her a quick kiss.

Chase doesn't miss how Liam wrinkles his nose at them. "Aw, Liam, do you feel left out? Do you need a kiss too? Come here." He then proceeds to chase around the apartment, trying to plant a kiss on him.

Lins and I are doubled over, laughing at the two of them as they sprint around the living room for a solid five minutes. Chase has his lips puckered as Liam shrieks, "Get away from me, you fiend!"

It's the most I've seen those two let loose in quite a while. I love it! Even though Chase and Lindsey's romance is burning red hot, it's nice to see that the boys' bromance is still intact.

When dinner is ready, and the children have finally settled down, we all take our places at the table. We catch up on each of our days as we enjoy the food. Lindsey shares the latest office gossip from the accounting firm she works at, I tell everyone about the latest products we're supposed to be testing for AthletaWear, and the guys share the juiciest news.

Chase and Liam share a look when we ask them how their day went. Chase is the first the speak. "Well, we'll be getting a new player soon to take Chuck's place."

That's strange; I thought he still had two years left on his contract. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

Liam swallows his bite before responding. "He was caught in a hotel with hookers and cocaine!"

My jaw drops, and Lins nearly chokes on her drink. "Oh, my God! Hookers and cocaine!?"

The guys laugh. And Chase shakes his head. "Well, cocaine anyway. Coach didn't actually mention hookers, but you can imagine."

We spend the rest of dinner theorizing what happened with Chuck and how the new guy will fit into the team. I still can't believe that Chuck did that. It's insane; why throw away your career for something like that? I just don't get it.

We clean up and lounge around in the living room when dinner is over. Liam picks out a movie and puts it on. Halfway through, he's already passed out, and the lovebirds are canoodling on another couch. I take that as my cue to head for bed.

~

I'm back in Las Vegas this week for a work conference. My company is checking out some new products to see if we want to add anything to any of our lines. I usually love these kinds of things. They always have a ton of interesting vendors, the food is phenomenal, they provide an open bar in the evenings after dinner, and AthletaWear pays for my hotel room. Plus, when we aren't checking out vendors or going to meetings, we have free time to do whatever we want. It's like an all-inclusive vacation, but I'm being paid to be here on top of everything.

I did consider staying with Mom and Lance this week while I'm here and commuting each day for the meetings. But Lance has family in town for a few days, and I didn't want to take up a room that they could use. I'll make time to see them a few nights for dinner while I'm here, though.

I'm reading through an informational pamphlet at one of the vendor booths when I feel someone coming up behind me. I move to the side to give them some room so they can get to the booth.

That's when I hear him. "Holy, shit! Jen? Is that you?"

My stomach instantly drops. "Max? What the hell are you doing here?"

He gives me a sleazy smile. "Oh, come on, babe, you didn't think AthletaWear was the only company invited to this conference, did you?"

Son of a bitch! ProteinMania got the invite, too. Now, I'll have to deal with this asshole all week.

When I don't reply, Max moves closer. "You know, since we're both here all week, maybe we could catch up. I've got a great view from my hotel room."

He drags his eyes down my body, licking his lips as he does. I feel like an insect under a microscope. He really makes my stomach turn. Not wanting any further part in this, I start to walk away. "Fuck off, Max!"

I hear him chuckle as I hurry away. "Offer stands, Jen. You may get lonely all by yourself."

Jackass! I don't know what I ever saw in that guy. He's such a prick! He's sleazy, unfaithful, dishonest, and so full of himself it's not even funny. The only thing he has going for him are looks, but even that's not enough to tempt me. Nope, not after getting to know the jerk and what he's really like.

Sure, he's tall, dark, and handsome with his jet black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and charming smile- but if you fall for his smooth words, you'll only end up getting hurt. I fell for it once. I was drawn in by his looks and charisma. I was even dumb enough to believe all the lies he wove- that we would grow old together, that I was the only one for him, blah blah blah. In the end, it was all bullshit, and I wound up wasting a year of my life.

I was looking forward to this week, too. I planned to spend my free time checking out the Vegas thrills, visiting with Mom and Lance, and figuring out my feelings for Tanner. My plan was to have my mind refreshed and ready to make a decision about him by the time I got back to New York.

Now that I know Max is here, too, I have to add dodging him to my already packed list of 'to do' items. This is going to be a long week.