by Nana Malone
“I’ve really only got tonight. They’re making the announcement tomorrow at noon, and I have to be on the bench for tomorrow night’s game. I’m slated to make my first start on Friday or Saturday, depending on how Henri does tomorrow night. They don’t want to make him do the back-to-back games on the weekend.”
“Tonight should be fine,” Sasha insisted. “I’ll swing by the apartment to change, and we can head out.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he said. Sasha could sense the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.
“Hey,” she said before he could hang up, “you sure you’re okay? Given how upset you were about not getting the bump when your friends did…I thought you’d be more excited.”
“I…” His voice was quiet. “They didn’t want me before because I wasn’t good enough. It hasn’t even been three weeks since they said that. So I know they’re not calling me up because my playing’s improved. They don’t have a choice, and now…the preseason’s almost over at this point, and if I do fuck up, it won’t just be in games that have no bearing on the standings. It’ll be when people are watching and caring and…” He sighed again. “I don’t want to screw this up, but I’m not sure I know how not to.”
“What you need is a distraction and an ego boost,” Sasha asserted. “And nothing will accomplish that quite like a night out and getting laid. I promise I will find you someone to hit up that will help you loosen up and get your nerves worked out. I am the best wingwoman ever. Remember Carly Kincaid?”
Fox laughed. “That woman almost killed me.”
True. Carly had been older. And when Sasha had hooked the two of them up, she had no idea just how kinky Carly was. Fox hadn’t seemed to mind at the time, though.
“You be my wingman, and I’ll be yours, all right? We’ll hook each other up,” he suggested.
But what if all I want is for you to kiss me again? “Deal. Now I’ve got to get back to work. Thanks for letting me know what’s up. And Fox? Congratulations. You deserve this.”
“Thanks, Sash. I’ll see you tonight.”
She hung up the phone and turned her attention back to the story she was working on, the list of psychologists still on top of the pile of studies. A flicker of guilt sprang up in her chest. She tried smothering it with the fact that Fox had gotten his shot, after all. That he could and would succeed. He’s only the inspiration. It’ll be fine. But still, guilt ate at her.
And Fox hadn’t proven himself yet, plus his fear of choking was not just real but reasonable. She knew he could do it, but if he couldn’t get out of his own head he might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. She started thumbing through the stack of studies to see if any of them dealt with cases like Fox’s where the athletes were finally granted the all-important opportunity after years of choking. Locating one that looked promising, she pulled it free, uncapped her highlighter, and sat back to read. Maybe she could find a way to help him.
It turned out that Tuesday nights weren’t particularly popular at the clubs in Pacific Beach. The atmosphere at the places they chose felt distinctly hollow, so after a few dances with each other on nearly empty dance floors, they had gone to a smaller, local place and taken up seats at the bar.
“What about one of those two guys?” Fox said with a nod to the other end of the bar where two Dude Bros watched Sasha with obvious interest.
“I have the distinct impression that if I approached either of them, they’d mention something about a threesome,” she snorted. “If they don’t already think you and I are together, I doubt they’d object to sharing me. Which, shudder.”
He winced. “So…no?”
“No,” she answered more firmly, popping a peanut from the little dish on the bar top into her mouth. “What about her, over there?” Sasha made a suggestion, pointing with an elbow to a woman whose gaze refused to settle on anyone in particular but passed over Fox and Sasha several times. “You should go see if she’s waiting for someone. Oh, offer to let her come sit with us if she wants to avoid getting unwanted attention from those assholes over there,” she pressed.
“Won’t she think you and I are together?”
“Maybe, but if you tactfully get up to go to the bathroom or make a call or something, I’ll tell her the wingman deal. I’ll let her know how sweet you are or some crap like that. Or you can tell her you’ll sit with her while she waits for her boyfriend, or friends, or whoever she’s waiting for. Be innocuous and don’t press. Be a nice guy.”
Fox rolled his eyes but rose from his seat and left to chat with the other woman. “I have done this before, you know.” A few short minutes after he walked away, the two guys who’d been watching her strolled over and took up seats on either side of her.
“Let us buy you a drink,” Thing One said to start, signaling the bartender to come over.
“I’ll drink if you want to pay, but I’m telling you now that I’m not interested in anything beyond that.” At least, not with either of you. She wanted to tack onto the end.
“That’s fine,” Thing Two said with a tone that made Sasha’s skin crawl. “We know you came in with someone else. He your boyfriend? Did you two have a fight?”
“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked, his eyes watching the two men who cradled her.
“Long Island iced tea,” she ordered. “On one of these guy’s tabs.”
The men didn’t press her until after the bartender had gotten her the drink and moved farther along the bar.
“Still haven’t answered about whether that guy you came in with is your boyfriend or not,” one of them pointed out.
“Nope.” She left it at that.
“Looking for one? Pretty girl like you should have a boyfriend,” the man on her left inquired.
She smiled beatifically. “Sorry, dude. You’re not in the running.” Because you’re not Fox.
Fuck, he was rusty when it came to normal girls. For the last year, he’d just hooked up with the girls that hung around the rink. Those girls didn’t require much conversation. Easy and available.
He quickly put the woman Sasha had singled out for him at ease by assuring her he was only there to give his friend some space.
“Oh,” she said. “Too bad. You’re cute. I’m just waiting for some of my friends anyway, but I had the time we were supposed to meet wrong,” she confessed. “I’m actually seeing someone.”
Fanfuckingtastic.
“Congratulations,” Fox muttered, turning his attention back to Sasha as the two men who’d been watching her settled in on either side of her. Her shoulders went tense. He had to keep reminding himself that Sasha could take care of herself. And that he could move quickly if either of those goons did something she didn’t want or like.
“You like her,” his companion remarked after a few moments. “Don’t you?”
Fox cleared his throat and flushed. “I, uh— What makes you say so?”
“Thought so,” she said with a laugh. “Why don’t you just tell her?”
Fox sighed. “She’s my best friend. Not gonna fuck that up. Let’s just sit here for a minute and pretend we’re having a good time and then later I’ll make something up about why things didn’t work out,” he suggested.
The bartender approached a few minutes later with a Long Island iced tea and a message.
“Sir, your friend from over there requested that I only give her the first drink those guys bought, and after that to send the rest down here for the two of you to enjoy,” he said discreetly, glancing over his shoulder at Sasha and her two admirers.
“What are you giving her now?” Fox asked while watching Sasha as she continued to sip from her glass, while the men around her looked pleased with themselves.
“Arnold Palmer. She also wanted me to pass this to you.” The bartender handed him a folded napkin. Inside, Sasha had scrawled, “Enjoy the free drinks.”
Fox rolled his eyes in amusement. “Would you care for the first one?” he offered to the woman beside him, who was thoroughly entertained.<
br />
“I’ve already got my drink,” she said, raising her margarita. “That one’s for you.”
Fox grinned as he tapped the edge of his glass against hers. “Cheers.”
“Okay, you know what? We’ll play a game. You beat me and I’ll give you my number, my real number. I beat you, you hit the skids and leave me to my drink. What do you say?” Sasha could tell by the look they exchanged, they thought they had this in the bag, had her in the bag. It would certainly be fun to dissuade them of that notion.
What they didn’t know was that she had been perfecting her darts game in college dive bars for years. It was usually how she got her going-out money.
I’m a hustler, so what? They don’t need to know that.
In her peripheral vision, she watched Fox and the pretty girl, trying to ignore the twinge of jealousy. He’s not yours. She never should have agreed to helping each other get laid. It was dumb, but she’d wanted to celebrate with him. He’d worked so hard, and to be honest, Ryan was right about a few things. Sasha worked too much, almost to the detriment of everything else. She was driven, but outside of work she had no life. It was time to change that.
“C’mon, sweetheart. Are we going to play or what?”
Thing One, the guy on the left, took his turn. He wasn’t half bad, so she had to be careful. No way in hell was she actually giving either of these guys her number.
The other guy was worse, far worse. He couldn’t play for shit. When Sasha took her turn, she gave them both a sickly-sweet smile. One by one, she tossed her darts. She jumped with a squeal of delight, when they all landed in the inner two rings.
“Sorry boys, better luck next time.”
Thing One grabbed her arm with so much force that she winced. “You fucking hustling us?”
“If I were you, I’d let her go.” Fox’s voice was calm but icy.
Was it bad that Sasha felt a tinge of thrill when Fox went off the rails for her? It was sad, because she always stood for feminism and fought for equality. This was the second time she had gotten hot over him fighting for her. It was almost ridiculous.
Although, she did have eyes. With all that lean muscle, those tattoos and his movie star face, added to the fact that he was ready to fight? It was hot, speaking to some primal instinct that had been buried deep inside of her. It was an instinct that couldn’t be reasoned with by logic. It was her libido.
Sasha twisted her arm from his grip. “It’s okay. These assholes were just leaving.”
Thing Two looked as if he wanted to argue, but then tapped his friend’s chest while heading for the door.
Fox turned his attention back to her. “I swear, I can’t leave you alone for a damn minute. Why is that?”
“You’d miss me too much?” She grinned up at him.
He shook his head while letting out a chuckle. “Maybe.”
Sasha planted her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t. You have a perfectly cute girl over there. I wouldn’t even mind making awkward small talk with her tomorrow morning while you showered. That’s saying a lot.”
Fox laughed. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Don’t ask that. Instead, ask what you are going to do with the cute brunette. She looks like a school teacher, but she might be into super kinky shit, wanting you to tie her up with complicated knots or whatever. I mean, she might let you do anything to her, which has to have some kind of appeal.”
“I’m not sure you have any idea of what appeals to me,” Fox said quietly.
Sasha was teasing, but the joking suddenly stopped when Fox focused his intense blue eyes onto her lips. Just like that, they were back on the couch, his erection pressing into her just the way she needed it to. He was licking into her mouth, kissing her so deliciously that her body vibrated with need.
She had to break the spell or else she was going to do something that she couldn’t take back. She was tempted to wrap herself around him and beg him to do it again.
She cleared her throat. “You’d better get back to her before someone else swoops in.”
Fox glanced at the brunette while she waved back at him. “I’m right where I belong.”
Eight
Fox fumbled with the key at the door to their apartment, dropping it on the floor twice before he managed to get it into the lock successfully.
“You should’ve let me take care of that,” Sasha told him in a loud whisper.
“Please,” he scoffed as he finally pushed the door open and held it for her to pass him into the apartment. “You practically fell into that cab.”
“I can’t believe I had so much to drink,” she muttered, shuffling toward the kitchen. Then she giggled as she reached up to the cabinet and pulled out the coffee tin, peeling the lid back and taking a deep sniff of the grounds. “God, I need to sober up, or I’ll be miserable in the morning.”
“You only had three of those things,” he reminded her. “I had…four? No…I had three, and the two beers before you started sending those things over to me. And I’m supposed to have practice after they make the announcement,” Fox told her as he opened the freezer and stuck his head in.
“You can’t sleep in there, Fox.”
“I’m going to be so hung over at the press conference tomorrow. They’re going to put me in front of a bunch of reporters with…flashing lights and…questions.” He groaned. “The last thing I need is to do that and have them all realize how hung over I am. That would become my thing then. I’d be the partier or the one who can’t handle it and gets drunk. They’ll send me back down for sure.”
“While you’re in the freezer, grab that frozen pizza,” Sasha instructed as she filled the coffee pot with water and poured it into the reservoir on top of the machine. Fox set the oven to preheat and pulled out a cooking sheet and aluminum foil. After setting the coffee machine to percolate, Sasha disappeared to the bathroom for a few minutes, leaving Fox to get the pizza into the oven. He hadn’t had enough to eat before they started drinking—neither of them had. Getting some food and coffee down would help to sober them up.
“Here you go,” Sasha declared, returning with the bottle of aspirin. “Head it off, and we’ll be fine in no time. We weren’t very successful, were we?” she said before swallowing her own aspirin down with a swig of water. She pulled two mugs from the cabinet and stood in front of the coffee machine as the brew trickled through the filter and into the pot below.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he objected. “I didn’t go home with that girl, but I did have a pretty good time with you. And we were quite successful in securing free alcohol. Or should I say, you were successful,” Fox said, with a laugh.
“I find it disturbing they weren’t deterred by the fact that I flat out told them I wasn’t interested. They just kept buying more drinks as though that would change my mind.”
“Probably would work on a lot of girls. Luckily, you are all woman. They didn’t know what to do with you,” Fox teased.
“Luckily, I had you there to help keep shit from getting out of hand.”
He crossed his arms. “I don’t get it, though. Why did you even entertain them?”
“Because I’m out of practice. With everything. My focus has been so single-mindedly on my career and my future that I’ve put everything else on hold. That kiss from a couple weeks ago... I mean, how had I gone a year without being kissed? And how have I gone months without an orgasm? It’s crazy because I love sex. I love the connecting and feeling close to someone. I can’t sleep with a random guy, though. I need to feel connected to someone in order to sleep with them. I need to like them, or at least respect them.”
Fox nodded. “I get that.”
How? He didn’t even know the women he’d slept with, let alone like them. Lately everything had seemed so…empty. He needed to break this fucking habit. To distract himself, he pulled the pizza out of the oven, sliced it, and served them each a couple of pieces.
“So…what was wrong with the other women in the place?” Sasha sa
id between bites. “What made you come home with me when I struck out?”
“You didn’t strike out,” he said, turning the focus back on her. “And striking out implies that you were hoping to get a hit, but…you didn’t seem too interested in anything like that.”
Sasha shrugged and flushed. “There weren’t any guys there I found interesting enough to want to go home with. Or to take home. I—I don’t miss Ryan. I don’t miss being in a relationship with him, I don’t miss his need for reassurance about everything, his jealousy. But I’m a bit rusty when it comes to the dating thing,” she confessed. “I was with him for almost a year, and it was…what it was. But I haven’t had to go looking for a guy.” She avoided looking at Fox as she said it. “I want to be with a guy, but I’m not sure that I’m ready to just pull any guy into bed with me.” She sighed.
“I…I get that,” Fox admitted. “I haven’t put a lot into my social life lately either. Been too focused on hockey to seduce women,” he said with a laugh.
“As if the Fox Coulter would ever be too busy. We’ll just have to push each other to practice more, I guess,” Sasha said with a laugh. There was a playfulness in her eyes…and something more. What was that? Was she flirting?
“What exactly do you mean by ‘practice’?” he asked. His skin was too hot. Clammy. He was encouraging this. What he wanted to do was touch her. Dig his hands into her hair and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe. But then he would be no better than the two assholes at the bar, hoping to get her drunk enough to give into their coaxing. He shoved more pizza into his mouth to keep him from saying more than he should.
She cocked her head at him. “I…” she started but looked away, her face reddening. “I didn’t mean…anything by it. Just…never mind.”
He frowned, confused. “What are you saying, Sash?”
“I don’t know. I think I need practice. Practice dating. Practice kissing. Practice interacting with guys who aren’t douchebags. Before Ryan, there was Matt. That was another long-term relationship that I didn’t have to do much work for. They were both just there, easygoing. You know, I can’t even remember why Matt and I broke up.”