I AM ROUNDING UP THE DIAMOND DOGS — MINUS THE DOGGETTE BECAUSE SHE'S INVOLVED.

[  season 1 — episode 07  ]

JAMIE TARTT WAS A MASTER AT WAKING UP ALONE AFTER A ONE NIGHT STAND, but this time, he found himself reaching for someone before he even opened his eyes, wanting to hold them in his arms — wanting to hold someone that was already gone. He felt the already growing cold side of the bed and peeled open his tired eyes, seeing that Daisy wasn't where he last saw her, sleeping at his side in the hotel bed.

He visibly frowned and leaned back against the headboard, wishing she'd of stayed. But there was no proof that she'd been there at all — her clothes, shoes, and bag were all gone. It even looked like she cleaned up some of their mess so that the cleaning staff wouldn't have to deal with it.

Jamie was a heavy sleeper, evidently.

Technically though, all traces of her weren't gone. When Jamie looked at the nightstand, on the little notepad that was in every room with the hotel's name at the top, there was a message in Daisy's big, neat handwriting.

I promise to be in number 9 at the match against Man City next month — xoxo Daisy

It put a smile on his face, but not nearly as big as his smile would've been had she stayed.

✵︎

Daisy was really glad that Richmond's climate was cold because no one gave her a second glance when she wore a white turtleneck underneath her sweater while accompanying her father to work. She'd gotten home thirty minutes before he woke up, making him think she'd been there all night. Even though she was a grown woman, she felt like a high schooler sneaking in all over again — no way would her father approve of a one-night stand with Jamie.

No one would approve of a one-night stand with Jamie.

Keeley would understand but likely think she was foolish for it. Allora would lose it when she found out. Sam would be absolutely crushed given how horrible Jamie treated him for so long.

Oh, god, the regret was sinking in now as she thought about Sam. It didn't matter that he and Jamie were beginning to mend things just before he was returned to City. Daisy had crossed a best friend line by sleeping with the man.

Those were the detrimental thoughts running through Daisy's mind as she silently followed her father into Rebecca's office for Biscuits With the Boss.

"Morning, boss," Ted greeted, knocking on the door as they let themselves in. "Now, you don't just get biscuits today. I also got you a little box of chocolate truffles."

Rebecca sat up excitedly, already reaching for them. "Oh, you fucker. Don't do this to me."

"Too late," Daisy said with a smile as she opened the boxes.

"What you should do is take one of them truffles and smoosh it in between the biscuits like it's a little breakfast sandwich—" Rebecca was already one step ahead of him, thinking the exact same way as she made her sandwich. "Yeah, there you go. You got it. Yeah. Yeah. And hey, I wanna thank you again for being there for me up in Liverpool."

Ted had finally told Daisy about his panic attack on the walk to work that morning, and Daisy hated that she had no clue it was going on, too wrapped up in Roy who didn't even like her all that much as it turned out.

"Oh, it was nothing, Ted," Rebecca told him. After all, she was quite familiar with panic attacks, as she got them all the time when going through her divorce.

"No, no. It was something," Ted insisted. "You got a coupon for life, young lady. Yeah. I got your back. Think of me as your own personal metaphorical Saint Bernard. You don't need to be dealing with a metaphorical avalanche to avail yourself to the metaphorical bourbon hanging around my neck. Metaphorically speaking. Okay? All right now."

After rambling on, Ted went to leave, but Rebecca stopped him. "Actually, Ted. If you do want to be there for me, I have a meeting later with two minority owners of the club — The Milk sisters. The most horrible human cocktail of being terribly dull and yet, they never shut up. Please join me."

"Milk?" Daisy questioned, wondering if that was really their last name.

"Done and doner," Ted agreed.

"Perfect. I can just introduce you all, leave you wittering on, and slip out and do anything else," Rebecca said, relieved.

"How much of the club they own?" he then asked.

"Two-point-nine percent."

Daisy grinned, already thinking exactly as her father was. "I'm gonna round that down to two," Ted said. "Then I can call those gals the 'Two Percent Milks.'"

Rebecca stared at him, dumbfounded but also amused. "Oh, God. They're gonna adore you."

"It's gonna be fun. All right. I'll leave you be. See ya now," Ted said, waving to her.

As Ted left, Daisy stayed behind and moved to Rebecca's desk, keeping her voice low. "I slept with Jamie last night. All right, bye."

"What?" Rebecca asked in alarm, raising her voice. But Daisy just awkwardly waved and rushed after her father. Rebecca stood and called after her. "What? You can't fucking say that and not tell me everything!"

And all Daisy said as she scurried away was, "See ya at lunch!"

✵︎

"Shut the fuck up!" Keeley squealed.

Lunchtime had arrived, and Daisy owed it to both Keeley and Rebecca to explain what she'd spent the last night doing. So, they weren't even two bites into the pizza they were splitting before Rebecca pounced on her, demanding answers, and Daisy confessed to sleeping with Jamie to Keeley.

"Tell me every fucking thing," she said, grabbing Daisy's wrists as if to keep her from running away.

"We, um, we ran into each other after he left your place. You know, and we just talked and walked. He was being very sweet and... un-Jamie-like. Next thing I knew, he was inviting me back to his hotel for a drink that didn't even taste all that good," she admitted, too shy to go into more detail. "Then I left before he woke up this morning. I mean, I've never done anything like that before."

"Like, I'm still fucking processing, but what was it like?" Keeley asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Daisy's face heated up as she avoided eye contact. "I... get why it took you so long to break up with him."

"Oh, my God," Rebecca laughed, shaking her head. "I'm confused, though. What happened with Roy? Last I saw, you were going off together, not Jamie."

"She asked him on a date and he said no," Keeley informed her. "She has a right to move on however quickly she chooses."

"Well, more power to you, Daisy," Rebecca said, giving her an impressed nod. "Have you considered the consequences of this, though?"

Daisy just shrugged. "I mean, he's going back to Man City. He didn't text me or anythin'. I don't think there are any consequences."

"Well, that sounds like a jinx," Keeley told her.

"Jinx or no jinx, I'm not worried," Daisy said, picking up her pizza. "Now hurry up. I've gotta leave for a lesson soon and do not wanna be starving while dealing with seven-year-olds."

✵︎

The lesson hadn't been terrible. Phoebe was excited to have a solo in the upcoming recital — and Daisy wasn't picking favorites, she really just was one of the best in the class. Then, thankfully, it wasn't Roy that picked Phoebe up. It was her mother, Rachel O'Sullivan, who wasn't having to work at the hospital for once.

Daisy liked Roy's sister a lot. She was nice but had a similar sense of humor as Roy. And she was so supportive of Phoebe and her early dancing career. She also liked that she got even more time before she inevitably saw Roy again.

"So," Allora said, helping Daisy clean up the practice room. Since they'd be wearing large tutus in the recital, Daisy had the kids practice with them so that they could get used to the added weight and feeling. "Was it big?"

Daisy couldn't help but laugh at the prying question about the size of Jamie Tartt's dick. "Why do you care, Lora?" she asked, still giggling. "You're a lesbian."

"But I wanna know. It's Jamie fucking Tartt, one of the best footballers in the world. It had to of been amazing."

"It was," she admitted with a sigh, collecting the last of the tutus and putting them in a box. "I mean, he's only the third guy I've slept with, but still, the biggest."

"Ugh, I'm loving this," Allora admitted, her grin never wavering. "God, it's gonna be fucking hard to not tell my uncle about this. We love to gossip."

"I know you're joking, but this being splashed on the front page of The Independent is the last thing I need," she grumbled. "You, Keeley, and Rebecca are the only ones that I want knowing."

"Oh, thank fuck Keeley already knows," she said, looking relieved. "We're going for drinks, and I'll be dying to talk about this."

"Hmm, you came over last night. Getting drinks tonight. I see things are going well," Daisy said in a teasing tone.

"It's just casual for now," Allora informed her. "Though if I have my way, we'll breeze right past casual in a matter of weeks. I've got some romancing to do."

"Ooh, sweep her off her short little feet."

"I am half a foot taller," she said, smirking. But it fell when she looked over Daisy's shoulder and saw who entered the room. "Hi there, Roy. Your sister picked up Phoebe."

Daisy turned around quickly, spotting Roy in the doorway, having changed out of his training clothes and into his standard dark shirt and leather jacket. "Oh, yeah, she's already been by to pick her up."

"No, I know. Not here for Phoebe. I'm here for you," he said, nodding to Daisy.

Allora curled her lips around her teeth to hide her smile and slowly moved toward the exit — though she wouldn't be far. She'd be listening at the door, obviously.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work, then?" Daisy asked, leaning against the bar lining the mirrors. "Training isn't over."

"The lads are working out. It's fine," he said, coming closer while shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "Do you want to see a movie later?"

Daisy was stunned, and it was clear on her face. "What?"

"Do you want to see a movie with me later?" he asked again.

She peered at him, now more confused than ever. "Is there somthin' wrong with you?"

"What?" Roy asked, now also confused.

"Well, I asked you if you wanted to go out yesterday and you said you were busy," she said.

"I was busy."

"Yeah, and you never texted me back last night," Daisy reminded him, still upset about that.

"Yeah. I was busy," he kept insisting.

"Well, you could've said you were still busy," she said, crossing her arms. "And what about the kiss? You ran off like I told you your barn was burnin' down or something. Like it was a horrible kiss, and it was not a horrible kiss. I knew what I was doing."

Roy simply nodded, clearly not worked up like she was. "I agree."

Her mouth hung open. "So what is your goddamn problem, Roy?" she asked, getting more upset. He was making her feel like she was insane or something, and she hated feeling that way. "I thought you didn't like me."

"Honestly, I'm kinda starting to fucking hate you," he shot back.

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow, it all making less and less sense. "Is that so? And what have I done to deserve that?"

"You're all I fucking think about lately. Your laugh, your smile, how great you are with Phoebe — got me excited to see you every day. It's bloody annoying, it is!" he snapped. "So, let me take you out."

"If that's how you feel, why'd you run after the kiss?" she asked, her heart beating a million miles a minute.

"Listen, I'm a professional footballer," he told her. "I have had a million one-night stands."

"Great, well I haven't, not really," she said, her voice shaking a bit. She'd had one, as a matter of fact.

"Exactly," he said. "But they always feel empty. Well, not the first part."

"In my limited experience, yeah, the first part's great," she mumbled. But on the walk home when she was feeling sorry for herself, yeah, empty was a pretty good word to describe how she felt.

"But then it's shit," he told her. "And I always end up with my watch being stolen or a story in the press about how my penis has a curve in it."

"What?" she asked, unable to help from glancing down at his crotch. "It don't really, does it?"

"No, I just make it feel like it does with my hips," Roy told her, having no idea how flustered that made her. "Anyway, the point is, I'm trying to do this differently. You deserve different — something good and real. I should have told you that. I apologize. And I am trying to be... more honest."

"Oh," she said quietly, suddenly feeling about two feet tall. "Thank you." Then she took in a deep breath, knowing that the girls couldn't be the only ones to know now. "Okay, then, I think you should know that somethin' happened between me and Jamie."

Roy couldn't help but scoff. "That why you've been wearing his kit? Kissed him and shit before he left?"

"Well, yes, but no. I mean, last night, Jamie was in town. We slept together," she told him. And Roy went completely silent, so she spoke quickly. "I didn't think you liked me like I like you. I didn't know what you wanted, and I knew exactly what he wanted."

"So you fucked him to get back at me for something I didn't even know I did?" he asked, now getting just as upset as she had been.

"No, I — no!" she snapped. "I slept with him because I wanted to, Roy. Because I'm a grown-ass woman. And yeah, I have feelings for you that I don't really understand, but I had them for Jamie too. It's not gonna happen again, but it did happen. I'm really sorry if you're hurt, but I need you to be okay with this."

Roy being silent was worse than him yelling, Daisy decided. She would've rather him rattle off a hundred curse words if it meant she wasn't on the receiving end of his upset expression.

"Tell you what," Daisy said, pushing off the bar. "Why don't you just come back and tell me how you feel when you figure out how to speak again."

Roy let out a grunt before turning and leaving abruptly. And as soon as he was gone, Allora came back into the room with wide eyes.

"Oh, it's gonna be really hard not to tell Uncle Trent now."

✵︎

Roy was fuming the entire trip back to the Richmond training facility. God, all he could fucking think about was Daisy rolling around naked in the sheets with Jamie fucking Tartt, letting him do god-fucking-knows what to her. He could picture it so clearly, the though making his chest heaven and fist clench. Even now as he stood alone in Ted's office staring at the stupid pyramid of success photo, he was trembling with anger over the thought of Daisy and Jamie.

"Hi, Roy," Ted said as he came inside, surprised to see him. Roy turned to face him, letting out a short grunt as Ted moved to sit at his desk. "Something on your mind?" Again, all he did was grunt. "Is that grunt all I get to go on?"

Roy just childishly shrugged while leaning against the wall. Granted, going to Ted about his feelings for his daughter probably wasn't the wisest thing, but he didn't have anyone else to go to.

"That's okay. I'll give it a shot here," Ted said, always ready for a guessing game. "Let's see. You are thinking about buying your first house?" Roy just rolled his eyes, thinking that was stupid. "No, not that. Okay. You just realized your dad might be a little racist."

"Stop. He's in his sixties and he's from South London. Of course, my dad's a little racist," Roy snapped, just getting upset all over again. "Look, I'm gonna be fucking honest — me and Daisy might be starting up a thing, but... something happened that I can't - I can't get over. And it's to do with Jamie fucking Tartt."

"Whoo-wee!" he exclaimed. Even though Ted was a little confused about how Jamie was involved, he was all for Daisy and Roy. "Sounds to me like someone's trapped inside life's most complicated shape. A love triangle. Second place of course is the 'I just walked in on my mother-in-law changing into her swimsuit' dodecahedron."

Roy stared at him, unimpressed. "Does my face look like it's in the mood for shape-based jokes?"

"No, Roy, it does not. But, in my defense, it rarely does," he said before pulling out his phone to send a group text. "I know exactly what to do here, though."

"What are you doing?"

"Don't you fret, my fine furry fella. In a matter of minutes, your relationship dilemma will be in the past. For I am rounding up the Diamond Dogs — minus the doggette because she's involved."

"Who the fuck are the Diamond Dogs?" Roy asked, hating the sound of it already.

"It's just a group of people who care, Roy. Not unlike folks at a hip-hop concert whose hands are not in the air."

Suddenly, it was like Roy was being ambushed. Nate, Higgins, and Beard all rushed into the room, coming from fucking nowhere with seemingly nothing better to do, apparently.

"Okay, so this is about you and Daisy, right?" Nate asked while sitting on the cabinet.

Beard hummed and sat at his desk. "Saw this coming."

"Nothing like the early days of courtship," Higgins cooed while leaning against the wall.

Roy pointed between the four men, his mood worsening. "Okay, this is my fucking nightmare."

"I think the idea of you and my little Oopsie Daisy is like cookies and cream," Ted told Roy honestly. "And I think we all agree, two great tastes that go great together, right?"

"Yeah."

"Perfect analogy."

"Yes, I am into her," Roy admitted. Then he sighed, knowing that he didn't really want to tell Ted all the dirty details. "But something happened between her and the prince prick of all pricks, and now I've got him stuck right here."

As Roy pointed to his head, Beard tilted his head. "She told you about kissing Jamie?"

"Kissing Jamie?" Ted asked, his eyes wide. The other two were just as shocked. "When?"

"Couple times before he was transferred," he explained. "But it wasn't serious, Roy. No big deal."

"Yeah, I don't understand the problem," Higgins added.

Nate nodded in agreement. "I mean, Daisy's just so kind and sweet. You know, to be liked by someone like her must be... 's wonderful," he told him. "I imagine half the lads on the team would fight to be where you are."

"Shout out to the Gershwin brothers right there," Ted muttered.

"Fuck yeah, the Gershwins," Beard agreed.

But then Ted smacked his desk loudly. "But dang it, fellas, you're still not getting it!"

"Thank you," Roy said, nodding.

"Sure, Roy here has slept with a bunch of different people in his past," he went on, Roy nodding with every word as Ted stood. "But Daisy's got her own romantic and sexu — ugh, I can't say it — history that predates Roy! She has been with Jamie, and that's not okay!"

"Oh," Nate breathed out, "he means the opposite. I love it when Coach does sarcasm."

"I can't control my feelings!" Roy argued.

"Well, then by all means you should let them control you!" Ted shouted in agreement.

Higgins began to grin. "He's doing it again."

"Good eye," Ted said, sitting back down. "Look, Roy, all this Chandler Bing-ing aside, do me a favor. Don't let her past muck around with y'all's future, okay?"

"She slept with him last night," he suddenly revealed.

It was absolute silence, and they could all see the grimace that Ted tried so hard and failed to hide, not wanting to know that about his daughter. But then he shook his head and took in a deep breath to get over it — after all, he'd slept with Sassy two nights ago.

Nate was the one to break the silence. "I mean, are you two officially dating?"

"No."

"Have you already slept together?" Higgins asked, all seeing how Ted grimaced again, dreading the answer.

"No."

"Coach, you wanna bring this home?" Ted asked, looking to Beard.

"Grow up and get over it," he said in a stern tone. "If you hurt her, I kill you."

Ted threw his hands up happily. "The Diamond Dogs have struck again."

Then all of them began howling, and Roy just shook his head angrily. "You're all pricks."

✵︎

Daisy was spending the last of her afternoon with Keeley in her office. After their lessons, Allora and Daisy returned to the facility only to learn that Keeley didn't actually have an office — she worked in the conference room and kept a box by the interview table so that she could clear it off at any time.

It was working well enough for the time being though, as Dani sat across from them in a chair. Daisy and Allora were silently playing a game of tic tac toe on Keeley's notepad while she questioned the boy about potential sponsorship opportunities. Though Dani wasn't being very helpful, as he wasn't listing anything tangible.

"Right. The - the product you'd most like to get into business with is joy?" Keeley asked him, not sure how she could spin that.

"Sí. Mucho, mucho joy," he agreed with a warm smile.

Keeley glanced nervously at Allora, who just smiled in amusement. "I don't know if I can get you paid for that though, Dani."

"I like to give away joy for free," he declared.

"Aw. All right, thanks, Dani," she said.

"You're welcome," he said, getting up to leave just as Roy came into the room. "Hey. Football is life, Capitán!"

"Put him down for a charity or something," Daisy said, shrugging a bit. She was prolonging looking at Roy. "And something with kids. He's great with them."

"Smart," Keeley said, jotting that down.

Roy came to stand in front of the table, not sparing a glance at Allora and Keeley as he looked at Daisy. "I'm done being mad about Jamie. I'm a grown man. I'm not a baby child. I'm over it."

"Really?" Daisy asked with a small, hopeful smile.

"Right. Would you mind saying that to the rest of the room?" Keeley then asked, not wanting it to be as simple as that for how confusing and annoying Roy had been about this whole process. "I mean, the press deserves to know how you really feel about the manager's daughter."

"Keeley," Daisy muttered, feeling embarrassed as Keeley and Allora shoved all her PR shit in the box.

"No, c'mon," Allora said, grabbing Daisy and pulling her from the desk and too the chairs. And Roy sat at the center of the table, playing along, which made Daisy grin.

Keeley raised her hand high above her head. "Mr. Kent!"

"Yeah," he grumbled, nodding to her.

"Hi. Keeley Jones, The Independent Woman," she said, making Allora and Daisy giggle. "Would you please repeat what you just said?"

Roy leaned in, speaking into the microphone while looking at Daisy. "I'm over it. Can I take you out tonight? Please?"

Before Daisy could answer, Allora hopped up and ran one row behind them, raising her own hand. Roy just sighed and picked on her. "Yeah, you."

"Allora Burke, The Independent Woman Online Edition," she introduced. "So, why should Daisy trust this sudden change of heart?"

"'Cause I like her more than I hate him," he answered while Keeley was already moving. Roy looked back at Daisy, who was holding off a smile. "I mean, barely. It's very close." She looked down at her lap shyly while he called on Keeley. "Yeah. Woman with the hair."

"Keeley Jones, The Independent Woman Magazine. Where would you take her if she did say yes?"

He shrugged, looking at Daisy for a reaction. "I don't know. Coffee?"

Allora scoffed while moving to the back row. "Can't do any better after the way you were earlier?"

"Fine, dinner," he countered, rolling his eyes. "How's that?"

"That sounds great," Daisy finally got to answer. "Can't wait."

It wasn't over though, because Allora was raising her hand. "Yeah, woman with the annoying as shit uncle."

Allora held in a snicker. "Allora Burke, The Independent Woman insert on Sunday. Could you please elaborate on the hip movement that makes your penis feel like it has a curve in it?"

"Lora!" Daisy hissed, turning to glare at her in embarrassment.

Roy just rolled his eyes and got up. "Right, no more questions. We'll see you on the pitch."

"We'll make sure she looks fit!" Allora called after him.

"She always looks fucking fit," he replied, disappearing through the doorway.

✵︎

Daisy had been nervous from the moment Roy came by the flat to pick her up. Allora and Keeley shoved her in a pretty blue dress and helped her with her makeup and hair, making her look so nice that Roy's reaction when she opened the door was, "Fucking hell, you look gorgeous."

Now, they were walking side by side down the street, and Daisy had no clue where they were going. But Roy looked damn good in an all-black suit as he led her to their destination.

Daisy was like her father and preferred to be the one to plan surprises rather than receive them, so she couldn't help but ask him about the night and where it would be heading. "So where are we going for dinner?"

"It's a surprise," was all he said.

"I hate surprises," she admitted with a nervous laugh. But then she swallowed thickly, knowing what she had to ask to get rid of her nerves. "I need to ask you something. So, yesterday, when you said
you were too busy to text me back..."

"Yeah, 'cause I was busy," he simply said.

Daisy fiddled with her fingers, managing to keep her determination. "But you never told me what you were too busy with is all."

"Yeah, 'cause it was private," he grumbled.

She took in a deep breath and came to a stop. "Are you dating other people?" she asked, surprising him. "It's okay if you are. It's just that I wanna know so that I don't look stupid. I know you're a footballer and that's the kind of life you have—"

"It was yoga, okay?" he said, cutting her off suddenly. "I do yoga with a group of women
in their sixties. They have no idea who I am, it's twice a week, and it's really good for my core. Normally only takes an hour, but Maureen's just been going through a divorce and she needed to talk about it and blow off some steam. We all ended up at G-A-Y till two a.m., and then we had crepes in Balham with some drag queens."

Daisy's mouth hung open, her genuinely having no idea how to react to whatever the fuck he just said.

"Like I said, it's private," he huffed.

Her lips formed into a smile, happy to know both that he wasn't hooking up with someone else and that she got to learn something so personal about him.

"I really wanna kiss you, now," she admitted, looking at his lips longingly. "Unless it's gonna make you run away again. I know that you wanna take this slow, and I'm all for that, but just not a ridiculous pace, ya know? Like yeah, I wanna hold your hand, but I also wanna kiss the crap out of your stupid fac—"

Roy cut her off once again, this time with a kiss that she was dying for. It was even better than their first one, Roy letting all his feelings — both good and bad — flooding into it. Daisy ran her fingers through his hair as he dipped her low, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned happily into the kiss, the sound covering up the initial sound of a camera clicking quickly.

But Roy heard it though as he straightened up. He turned and spotted the photographer that was shamelessly documenting their display of affection. The member of the press didn't have time to run as Roy stomped over to him angrily — because who the fuck was stupid enough to try and get paparazzi photos of Roy Kent? Then again, he did work for The Sun.

"Where's your manners?" Roy asked gruffly while grabbing the camera and digging for the SD card. "You're supposed to ask before you take something. For example, may I take this?"

"No," the man said, practically shaking.

"Well, I'm fucking taking it," he declared, going back to Daisy's side. He handed her the card while also grabbing her hand. "Here. It's pictures of our first date. Come on. I'm cooking for you."

"Really?" she asked, brightening up as they walked toward his flat. "What kind of food?"

"Sam gave me his dad's recipe for efo riro and puff-puff for dessert," he told her.

Daisy couldn't help but come to a stop, pulling him to one too since they were holding hands. She looked up at him with a sweet expression that made his gut twist.

"What?"

"You're making Nigerian foods?"

"Of course. It's important to you to keep learning more about home, innit?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

They were kissing again, this time because Daisy stood on her toes and held the sides of his scruff-covered cheeks, pulling him down to her height. He let out a happy grunt and slid his hands around her waist, certainly not complaining as she kissed him passionately.

"Right," Roy said, smiling as they parted. "Guessing that means I made the right call."

"It's definitely better than coffee."

✵︎

For never having been in Roy's apartment, Daisy was certainly having the time of her life on his couch. Dinner was over and rather than clean up the kitchen, Daisy and Roy were on the couch, kissing slowly and sweetly, not taking it too fast, as they agreed.

"So," Roy muttered in between short pecks. "Think I could be a chef on the side?"

"Hmm, wasn't really spicy enough," she commented.

Roy pulled back and raised his eyebrows. "Are you fucking with me? That shit burnt my tongue off."

"Really? Seems like you're using it just fine," Daisy said teasingly, leaning in for another kiss.

He let out a short, breathy laugh, and she loved the sound of it. He bumped his nose against hers while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear gently. "So, what are the odds that was the best photographer in the world and we look fit as fuck on our first date?" Roy asked her.

He only asked because if Daisy kept letting him kiss her and run his hands all over her body in the thin dress that left little to imagine, they wouldn't be taking things very slow at all.

"Well, you said you've run into him a few times," Daisy recounted. Roy had complained about the photographer that was apparently easy to pay off. He'd hunt down pictures of anything for enough money and make it look like something it wasn't. "Doesn't sound like he takes award-winning photos or anything."

"We'll see."

Roy then grabbed his MacBook off the coffee table while Daisy dug out the SD card he stole. They popped it in and pulled up the latest photos, looking at them.

"Oh, that one is actually real great," Daisy said, pointing to the screen.

Roy was dipping her low, and it was evident that Daisy was smiling into the kiss. It looked quite romantic and would've been perfect on the front pages — the photographer was probably mourning the money he'd of made off the picture.

"We do look fucking good together," Roy agreed with a smug smile. Then he glanced to the side at Daisy. "Hope we can keep looking good together, yeah?"

"Yeah," she agreed, knowing that was his way of asking her out again. "I wouldn't mind that."

He glanced down at her lips again and then nodded, pleased with her answer. "Right, lets see what other poor souls this prick has been stalking."

Together, they cuddled up and looked through pictures of poor celebrities caught in unflattering moments. There was Colin backing his car into a sign, some models crying outside of a club, Babatunde with a huge food stain on a dress shirt, red-carpet photos from the gala, even Rupert and Bex out for a walk while looking like supermodels — Roy told her they likely called and hired him to take the pictures for them.

"Wait," Daisy said quickly when Roy just got bored and quickly began clicking through the older photos, not taking the time to study them. But she swore she spotted something familiar. "Go back."

Roy looked at her in confusion before slowly clicking through the pictures. But he understood when they saw a picture of Ted feeding Keeley a burger at a model shoot. The same one that Rebecca stopped from running after he was just hired. Of course, Roy had never seen the pictures before, so it didn't make as much sense.

"Oh, my God," Daisy breathed out, peering closer at the screen. "He took those pictures. You said he takes them and makes them look like something else if he's paid enough."

"Yeah," Roy told her, still not really making sense of it.

"Can we find out who paid him to take those?"

✵︎

Daisy was more sad than angry as she walked to Rebecca's office the next morning, her phone in hand. With just a few words, the photographer ruined her first date with Roy which ended with them hunting him down. Of all the people that would want to sabotage both Ted and Keeley, the name he said was the last one she expected.

She felt hurt and betrayed and heartbroken over the truth — so hurt that she didn't even acknowledge Higgins when she passed him in the hallway, who was equally as upset about something. And Daisy didn't even bother to knock as she let herself into Rebecca's office.

"Oh, morning, Daisy," she greeted with a bright smile. "You beat your father here. Now, tell me all about the date—"

Daisy cut her off by flashing her phone screen with the picture of her father and Keeley. "You arranged for the photographer to take this. Roy and I found it on a paparazzi SD card. He said you hired him when Roy tracked him back down."

Rebecca opened her mouth, but Daisy shook her head, unshed tears in her eyes. "Don't you dare deny it or pretend that you don't know. Don't treat me like some stupid kid," she told her, and Rebecca was stunned and silent, no idea what to say to her. "Just... why?"

Her voice cracked, which chipped away at Rebecca's heart that was already drowning in guilt. "I - I wanted Jamie to hate Ted b - because I wanted the club to fail," Rebecca admitted in a tone so quiet and ashamed that Daisy almost couldn't hear. "Because of Rupert."

Daisy's chin wobbled, realizing that the picture must not have been the only way Rebecca tried to sabotage her father and the team. "Did you get Jamie transferred?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Already knowing that Rebecca got rid of him knowing that he was finally getting along with everyone and that something was blossoming between him and Daisy.

"Daisy," Rebecca said, her own eyes watering. "Please don't look at me like that — like you hate me."

"Did you get Jamie transferred to Man City?" she asked again in a firmer tone, feeling anger boil to the surface. Rebecca only nodded, ashamed of her actions. Daisy sniffed and wiped underneath her eyes, making sure no tears fell. "Well, Daddy deserves the respect of you coming clean, but I will tell him if you don't. So, I suggest you get on that."