“Jody reminded me that tonight is the Scorpions’ meet and greet. They have it at this pub that’s right on the beach. It’s something they do every year. It’s not just the players; some of office staff goes, too. I think we should go. It would be a good opportunity for you to meet some people.” Even though Lacey still seemed a little unsure, she got up like a champ, grabbed her robe and headed to the shower.
“I’ll go, but can you please get me some food? I’m at that stage of the hangover. I want to eat everything in sight.” With that said, Lacey turned and walked into the bathroom to wash off last night’s drinking binge.
Lacey opened the vanity door to get her soap for the evening. Strawberries were too girly if she was on a man hunt (was she?) and Coconut Citrus just didn’t say ‘seduction.’ Sea Island Cotton. Yes, that had a clean, fresh scent. That was exactly what she needed tonight. She even had shampoo and conditioner in that same scent. Maybe she really did spend too much time and money on bath soap.
When Lacey got under the hot water, she moaned at how good it felt. Sleeping on the floor was not as fun at thirty-one as it was when she was having sleepovers as a kid. Thank God her furniture would be coming on Monday.
While Lacey soaped up her body, she couldn’t help but think about Jody doing that for her. Whoa … Didn’t I JUST decide that I wouldn’t go there with him? Well, maybe just for a minute. She imagined him standing behind her, soaping up his hands and running them down her back. Then he would slide his hands around to her front and slowly trace circles on her belly. She imagined she could feel his cock riding along the seam of her ass as he rocked up against her. As his hands drifted lower, Lacey realized that she was doing to herself what she imagined he would. She slipped her fingers lower still and moaned at the contact. She moved her fingers quicker until she found the release she was looking for. Oh yeah, I can just ignore Jody, no problem. Maybe I do just need to get laid.
Jody was in trouble … again. Oh come on. Not tonight, he thought. He was sitting at the bar, beer in hand waiting for the others to show up when he saw her – the puck bunny from hell. She had 80s style bleached blonde hair that screamed, “Look at me!” Her makeup was done in what Jody could only describe as clown style. But by far, the best part of her outfit was the pair of leather pants she wore. It was August in San Diego, and she was wearing leather. Who does that?
He tried to get up and head to the private room in the back they used for their meetings, but he wasn’t quick enough. He did the next best thing he could think of. Jody grabbed his phone and sent a quick text off to Vlad.
Jody: What’s your eta? That puck bunny is here. SOS
Vlad: We’re already here buddy, just enjoying the scene.
Jody: You prick! Send help.
Jody hoped like hell someone would come help him out. He didn’t want to be rude, but this was not the first time this chick had come up to him. She got grabby, too. A couple more seconds, and she would be right in front of him. Fuck!
“Hi Jody,” she said with a giggle. As she sat on the bar stool next to him, she tried to put her hand on his thigh. He could tell she was already drunk. To avoid her touch, Jody stood up and reached into his pocket with the pretense of digging out his money (even though he’d already paid for his beer). He knew she wouldn’t give up that easily, but he genuinely didn’t want her getting her paws on him again. She had come on to him in the past; too many times to count. She just didn’t take ‘no thank you’ for an answer.
“You all alone tonight?” she said drunkenly. “You know you don’t have to be. I’m up for anything and everything, if you know what I mean.” After she slurred that out, she moved closer and put her hand on Jody’s abs. Great. He tried to move away, but since he was all the way at the end of the bar, she pretty much had him cornered. Jody supposed he was going to have to resort to being rude to get rid of her. Just as he was about to tell her to get lost, he saw Lace coming towards him. She had on a perfectly fitted pair of plain blue jeans, a snug baby blue tank top and red flip flops. Her toenails matched the flip flops. What was it about painted toenails that made girls so damn sexy? One thing was for certain: Lacey Benoit cleaned up well. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a total bust after all.
The bar was just starting to come alive when Zoe and Lacey walked in. The band was setting up in the corner, but since they weren’t playing yet, someone had fed the old jukebox. Lynryd Skynrd was singing about how sweet Alabama was. To the right of the stage, a couple of guys were playing darts while their girlfriends pretended they weren’t flirting with the other guys around them to see if they could get free drinks.
To the left of the stage, pool tables took up most of the room. That’s where Zoe saw a bunch of the guys from the team hanging out. She and Lacey headed over that way, and after Zoe made introductions, she asked them what they were up to. Vlad laughed and pointed across the bar. “We’re just watching Chief sweat. His stalker is here.”
“Who’s Chief?” Lacey asked. Vlad pointed to Jody. Chief had been his nickname since he was a kid because of his partially Cree Indian heritage. “Oh. Aren’t any of you going to help him? It doesn’t look like he’s enjoying her company too much.”
“No way. Don’t feel bad for him. Chief’s the king of the pranksters. Believe me, if it was one of us, he’d be laughing his ass off. This is great. I just wish we had popcorn to enjoy the show. It’s good for him anyway; he lives like a monk.” That came from Ian, one of the assistant coaches.
“Well she shouldn’t be touching him. That’s just rude.” After Lacey said that, Zoe heard her mutter, “Not that I care.” Zoe shot Lacey a challenging look and said, “Why don’t you go help him out then? Pretend to be his girl. Vlad, send Jody a text telling him help is on the way.”
“Fine,” Lacey said, “I will.”
Lacey walked over to where Jody and Puck Bunny were with an extra sway in her hips. When she reached them, she laced her fingers with Jody’s and said, “Hey Baby, who’s your friend?”
Jody looked down at their hands entwined and gave Lacey a wink. He leaned over to her (which gave him a great view of her rack) and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Lace, this is, um, a fan. I’m sorry; I never caught your name.”
She responded, “My name’s whatever you want it to be.”
Lacey looked at Jody and then back at the girl and said, “Are you serious? I’m standing right here. I think it’s pretty obvious that Jody’s taken. Feel free to remove your hand now.” When she didn’t take her hand away, Lacey did it for her. Since it didn’t look like the girl was going to leave, Lacey gave her a little more incentive. She turned to Jody, ran her hands up his chest to wrap them around his neck and tilted her head up. Now the ball was in his court. His eyes widened a bit, but then he gave her a sly smile. He slipped his hands down and cupped Lacey’s ass, then lowered his head and licked her lips.
Whoa, Lacey thought, that was way more than I bargained for. Involuntarily, Lacey moaned against Jody’s lips. She could feel her whole body tighten at his touch. Heat pooled between her legs, and she parted her lips. It was all the invitation he needed. One hand squeezed her ass while the other traveled up so that he could hook his thumb in the waistband of her jeans. He deepened the kiss and sucked on Lacey’s tongue. It was the most erotic kiss she’d ever had. Knowing that people were watching them together actually added to her excitement. There was something just a little bit naughty about that.
Jody could not believe his luck. He hadn’t even started planning his seduction of Lacey, and here she was in his arms. Part of him was braced for her to shove him away or even slap him. He hadn’t meant to grab her ass like that, but it was just so tempting. Truth be told, when he thought about Lacey, those thoughts tended to lean toward Neanderthal territory. He wanted to grab her and have his way with her.
When Lacey regained her wits, she backed away a couple of inches and noticed that Ms. Puck Bunny was gone. “Well you’re safe now Jody. The big, scary girl is gone.”
Jody laughed and said, “I know; she left as soon as you turned to me.” That would be before he grabbed her ass and kissed her like that. Lacey just gaped up at him with raised eyebrows. Jody gave her one of those crooked smiles that made her tummy flutter and said, “Close your mouth Lace-unless that’s an invitation.” While she was still staring at him in amazement, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Thanks again, Lace”. With a wink, he gently swatted her bottom and walked over to his buddies to thank them for the intervention.
Jody had shocked her. Lacey stood there and watched him walk away, heartily enjoying the view. His teammates called him a monk? One kiss almost brought her to her knees, and they called him a monk? There’s got to be more to that story. And as for her, she was a bit disgusted with herself. How could she let him affect her like that? She had already decided that he would not do for her fling. And why did he do it? He had to be playing games with her. He was Jody LaGrange. He could have anyone he wanted.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit that a little part of her wished it was her that he wanted. She needed to shake it off. It was just a kiss. Okay, so maybe it was an extraordinary kiss, but it was still just a kiss. Well, a kiss and a little ass grabbing. Whew.
Zoe walked over to collect Lacey since it seemed like she wasn’t capable of movement yet. “Damn Lacey, I said to help him out, not suck his face off.”
“Well, that was not exactly my plan, but I can’t say that it was the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to me. That kiss curled my toes. I just wonder what game he’s playing, you know? He could have anyone, and I’m sure he does all the time. I know I let myself get carried away, but I need to tell him that I was just trying to help him and that I’m not interested. I’m not going to be another notch on his bedpost. My fling is going to be on my terms. I will pick the guy, not vice versa.”
Vlad sauntered up and offered his arms to both girls. “Come on ladies, I’ll escort you to the meeting room. I’m sure Lacey here could use a drink … or maybe a cold shower.” He laughed to himself, even as Zoe gave him the evil eye. Vlad knew that Zoe preferred that he didn’t touch her, but he didn’t think she’d rebuff him in public. And hell, he liked touching her. She gave him a tight smile, and let him lead the way.
Most everyone could see that there was an attraction between Vlad and Zoe, but Zoe knew all too well what would happen if she let that attraction get out of control. Vlad knew, too, but he was more of a ‘fuck it, let’s see what happens’ kind of guy. Zoe, on the other hand knew that a relationship with him could cost her a great job that she loved.
While Zoe was trying not to think about the solid muscles in Vlad’s arm, which currently rested beneath her hand, he was telling her and Lacey why they called Jody a monk. Jody was never seen going anywhere with any of the puck bunnies, or anyone else for that matter. The guys actually speculated that he might be gay. Jody put that rumor to rest when he heard about it. It turned 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 sec?” Jody figured he should apologize for his ‘man take all’ behavior earlier. He could tell by her wary look that she either wanted no parts of him, or she wanted to drag him into the nearest janitor’s closet, and was ashamed to be thinking that. He was all for the closet idea.
“Um, sure, what’s up?” Lacey was so not going off alone with Jody, even if her lips wanted to. She had finally convinced herself that Vlad was wrong, and no good could come of giving Jody a chance. Still gun shy, she decided that jumping back into the dating pool with someone she had such an intense reaction to was a mistake. She’d find some nice guy whom she found pleasantly attractive and start there. Maybe she would even consider one of the other players. At least she knew what they would want out of her and vice versa.
“Would you take a walk with me?” He gave her what he hoped was a friendly smile at her hesitation. “I promise, I won’t lay a hand on you.” To give her a sense of security, he gave her the Boy Scout sign on honor and then put his hands in his pockets. Lacey might have felt reassured if he hadn’t given her the same sly smile that he had earlier, right before he’d licked her lips.
Because of that smile, she said, “It’s just a walk, right?” When she got the affirmative answer she was looking for, she should have felt relieved. But she was almo
st disappointed. What the hell is wrong with me?
Jody was glad Lacey agreed to talk to him. He truly did want to apologize for his behavior. He was about to grab her hand as she stepped off of her bar stool, but he snatched it back at the last second, thinking she might not appreciate that.
As soon as Lacey stepped down from her seat, Jody started running off at the mouth again. “You smell like …” he leaned closer to her, “I don’t know … a spring day or something. It’s light and clean, and I like it.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “Shit, Yeah, okay, just a chat, let’s go.” Pausing for a second, Jody put on one of those irresistible smiles again and said, “You really do smell great though.”
Lacey looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. Now how was she supposed to react to that? Even though it was a bit forward of him, she had picked that scent to attract a man, hadn’t she? Oh, this was going to be difficult, but it was the perfect opportunity to tell him that he wasn’t what she was looking for. Lacey prayed to God that he didn’t touch her because she was sure they both knew that her body would betray her again. “If you promise to keep your hands to yourself, I’ll take a walk with you. I’d like to talk to you, too, actually. I’d like to explain my behavior earlier.”
Lacey and Jody walked into the main bar and found a relatively quiet corner. As soon as they started talking, another puck bunny interrupted them. Jody quickly excused himself and went to the bar. He came back and pulled Lacey with him into a private office. “The bartender said we could talk in here for a minute. I’m sorry about that.” Nodding back to the bar, where the puck bunny was, he said, “ It seems to be part of the package.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Lacey put her hand up to stop Jody from saying anymore. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Really, I do. Before you start, I need to tell you that while my body obviously enjoyed your attentions earlier, it will not be happening again. While I’d love to be your friend, I can’t have a relationship with you. It’s just not what I’m looking for right now.” Lacey had to take another breath and put on a convincing face for her next revelation, because in a perfect world, from what she’d seen of him so far, she would love to keep Jody around for a while. “To be perfectly honest, you’re really not my type. It’s just … been a while, and the body contact felt nice. That’s all it was. I’m truly sorry if I led you on.”
The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions) Page 4