by Melanie Ting
Dom never fought on the ice, but everyone in the league knew that he was once involved in a bar brawl where some guy nearly died. Dom was quiet and scary. Even the gigantic Gorski seemed to be having second thoughts. It was one thing to fight a player like Marty, who fought because it was his job, and another to fight someone who actually liked to hurt people.
“Fuck you both,” Gorski yelled, but he skated back to the bench.
“Thanks, man,” Marty said, but Dom barely acknowledged that anything had happened.
“Nice goal, Devo,” was all he said before he skated away. Burner and Lionel draped their arms around him as they skated back to the bench.
Coach Lee came down and patted Marty on the shoulder. “Nice tip, Devo. We may have to look at you on the PP after all.”
Everything felt so good. He turned to Foxy. “Is your skate okay now?”
Foxy looked down. “Uh, yeah, my bad. There wasn’t nothing wrong.”
Then Marty looked down the bench at Burner, who flashed the blue of his mouthguard in a big grin.
“Wait,” said Marty. “Was this all a plan? Did you fake that so that Burner could set me up for a goal?”
Foxy snorted. “Are you nuts? Coach would kill us if we pulled shit like that. Besides, nobody can make goals happen.”
They watched the play and didn’t say anything else for a minute. Then Foxy added with a smirk, “Chicks love guys who score goals.”
They managed to hang on to the 3-2 score, so Marty’s goal turned out to be the game winner. While on the trip to Cali, one of the guys had bought this ridiculous, blinged-out rapper chain that had both a giant “V” and a dollar sign encrusted with fake diamonds. What began as a joke had become their prize for the player of the game after every win. Whoever had it last got to award it to the next man.
Bod pulled the flashy chain out of its velvet pouch. “Gentlemen, I think there’s no doubt who was the best man out there tonight. He scored a big goal for us in the third—”
“And he’s gonna score again tonight,” Jonesy called out.
Bod stood up and walked over to Marty’s stall. “Tonight’s hero of the game is Devo!” He draped the chain over Marty’s head, like he was making him mayor. Although most mayors weren’t bare-chested and dripping with sweat.
All the guys cheered and hooted. Marty grinned and revelled in the moment. He’d always been a team player, the kind of guy who left everything he had on the ice, but the past few weeks had showed him how much he was appreciated. The room felt like a different place this season. He wasn’t sure if it was the new head coach, the new guys, or the guys they got rid of, but it felt good.
Boiler shook his head. “Why do you still sit there? You don’t keep a lady waiting. Vites, prends une douche.”
Marty translated that to mean shower time, but the other guys started laughing. “Yeah, you douche, get going.”
He showered and then got dressed in his new suit. Tibbs was waiting to straighten his tie and shirt collar, and lecture him about grooming. In fact, a very large number of his teammates were still hanging around. Usually after home games, the guys rushed off to do their own thing. But this team was like the big extended family he’d always wanted. Sure, he was nervous, but he also felt good inside. Elaine was important to him, but knowing that so many guys had his back made him feel confident on a whole different level.
He walked out into the tunnel. He saw Jonesy—of course—talking to Elaine and her sister. She looked so pretty, in her jeans and flowered jacket, with her long hair tucked to one side of her lovely face.
Then Elaine looked up and smiled at him. The Condors defenceman who had hacked away at him all game, would have been shocked to find that at this moment; he could have pushed Marty over with one finger.
16
Shoot and Score
“Hey, Elaine.”
“Hi Marty. That was an exciting game. Your goal was great.”
His teammates were walking by extremely slowly and checking out Elaine so obviously that he couldn’t believe she didn’t notice. But she greeted all the guys she had met at the calendar shoot in a normal way.
Suddenly all the advice he’d gotten completely left his head. The only thing he could remember was Burner’s calm voice telling him to be himself. Maybe it was like muscle memory, and all the stuff he had learned would come naturally. At least he knew he looked good. And he was still feeling happy from the win, so he wasn’t that nervous.
“So, are we all going out now?” Jonesy asked.
“Sure! I’m ready to party,” declared Camille.
“Really?” said Elaine. “Because I thought you had to do that thing early tomorrow.”
“What thing?” Camille looked puzzled and turned to Elaine. “Oh. That thing. Yeah, I can’t go out tonight... because of that thing I have to do early in the morning.”
“That’s a shame,” Jonesy said. “Not even for a quick drink?”
Camille frowned. “Nope. Can I have your car keys, Lainey?”
Elaine dug her keys out, and her sister grabbed them. Camille nodded at Marty. “Thanks a lot for the tickets. Great game.”
Jonesy trailed after Camille, but it seemed pretty clear that she wasn’t interested.
“I’m parked this way,” Marty told Elaine. He put a hand on her back they went through the door and was stupidly thrilled by her warmth. He was a moron. If her body wasn’t warm, she wouldn’t be alive. “Your sister seems like a livewire.”
“For sure. She’s a sweetie, but she does things without thinking.”
“Like what?”
Elaine looked embarrassed. “Oh, stuff. But it usually turns out fine.”
They had dinner at Lombardo’s, a casual Italian place not too far away. Instead of fussing and worrying about what Elaine would like, Marty just suggested one of his favourite places.
“It’s nice here,” Elaine said.
“It’s not fancy. But the pizza is great here. The calamari too.”
“I love seafood,” she said. Marty hadn’t been a huge seafood eater before he moved to Vancouver, but he liked it now. She continued, “I guess you have to fuel your body. Are there special things that an athlete has to eat?”
He felt guilty. “Well, yeah. I try, but rabbit food doesn’t always do it for me.”
Just then the server slid a plate of deep-fried calamari between them.
“Hey, we’re having a salad too,” he said as an excuse.
“Oh sorry. That’s coming right up,” the waitress said.
“No, don’t worry.” He turned back to his date. “I’m pretending to Elaine that I eat clean.”
She laughed at that. Marty marvelled at how different this date was from the last one. Of course, he felt great. He’d played a good game, but more than that it was the feeling that all his teammates were behind him. And he was pretty sure that Elaine sensed that too. The way all the guys had checked her out—respectfully—and congratulated him on the game and his date. He was an important part of the team.
They talked about the game, which Elaine had really enjoyed.
“And no fights tonight,” he said.
“It’s okay.” Elaine twisted a strand of her hair. “I learned a little about enforcer-guys, and I understand it’s your job. But your goal tonight was so good.”
“Yeah, I was always a pretty good player. As a kid, I was always the top scorer on my team. But once I got to Major Junior, it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to make it to the pros.”
“Like the NHL?”
“Or even the minor leagues. Too many guys were better than me. But I was always a big kid, and even at seventeen I was still growing. One of my coaches pulled me aside and told me I’d have a better future if I used my fists more.”
Elaine frowned. “That seems mean. But you did it?”
Marty shrugged. “It was hard at first. I’d never been in a real fight in my life, and all my tilts to that point had been mainly pushing and shoving. When you’re this bi
g, most guys don’t want to start something. But that summer, I took boxing lessons. If I do something, I like to go all in.”
“I can see that.”
“I won’t pretend I hate fighting. There’s a huge adrenaline rush, and fights bring the boys together—they energize the team and get things going.”
Elaine wrinkled her nose. “Is there always a winner? Like is one guy left lying on the ice?”
He shook his head. “Usually it’s a draw. Both guys get punches in, and we dance around a little.”
“Then, wouldn’t fights energize both teams?”
Marty laughed heartily. “How come nobody’s ever pointed that out before?”
She laughed too. Their pizzas came. She picked up her glass of white wine, and Marty raised his beer.
“Hey, we never toasted. Here’s to getting second chances.”
Elaine nodded. “And to me not being a dummy.”
“You? You’re so smart. You’re studying to be a C.P.A.”
“You remembered. Most people think it’s boring.
Marty grinned. There wasn’t one thing she had said to him that he had forgotten. “Sure, they all say that until they have to get their taxes done or balance their books.”
The meal went by quickly. Elaine turned down dessert, but when Marty’s tiramisu arrived, he insisted that she share some. He held the spoon up to her mouth and watched as her lips parted and she took in the whipped cream. Then her pink tongue darted out and licked all the excess away. His cock hardened as he imagined all the things he wanted to do with that mouth. Down, boy.
After dinner, they began talking about hockey again.
“This season looks like it’s going to be a really good one. Last season, I had my good buddies like Burner, but this year it feels like one big happy family.”
“Family seems to be important to you,” Elaine observed.
“I guess because I was an only child. I used to love watching those TV shows about big families—I couldn’t imagine anything better.”
She rolled her eyes. “Try sharing a bedroom your whole life and see if privacy doesn’t sound like a good thing.”
He grinned. “You’re saying that, but I can tell you’re really close to your family.”
“That’s true. But an all-female household can get a little hairy. Who’s going to kill the spiders? And once there was a mouse—oh my gosh, you never heard so much shrieking in your life.”
Marty smiled. “Well, you can call on me anytime.”
Elaine smiled up at him, and his heart did a flip. “Oh really? Are you good at catching mice?”
“No,” he admitted. “But I’ve got this cat.”
She laughed merrily and then checked her watch. “Maybe it’s time to go now.”
“Okay.” He felt a shadow of disappointment that the evening had to end. “I’ll take you home now.”
“Sure. But I was wondering...” her voice trailed off.
“What is it?”
“Maybe we could drop by and see Knightley?”
Marty nodded. “Oh sure.” He wondered if he should have suggested that himself because he knew how much Elaine loved the cat. But it might seem like an excuse to get her back to his place. They drove home. Jonesy wasn’t back yet, and Knightley came scampering up to the door. He was so delighted to see both of them that he went from one to the other, purring and rubbing up against their legs. Elaine picked him up and rubbed his tummy. Knightley looked blissful, and who could blame him?
“Did you want a drink or something?” Marty asked. They walked into the kitchen. He felt awkward now. They were alone and he couldn’t act on instinct anymore, because everything he wanted to do was completely inappropriate.
Then they heard Knightley’s plaintive calling.
“Where is he?” Elaine asked.
“It’s a game he likes to play,” Marty explained. They followed the cries to his bedroom where Knightley was waiting on a high shelf. Marty picked up a wand with feathers on it. He moved the wand from one shelf to another, and the cat leaped after it.
“Let me try,” said Elaine. She had to stand up on tiptoe to reach the shelves and he couldn’t help but notice how cute her ass was as she bounced around the room. He jammed his hands in his pants pockets to hide his hard-on.
But eventually, Knightley tired of playing, settled down on a top shelf, and began washing his face.
Elaine sat down on his bed. She took off her jacket and underneath was a jean shirt that showed the deep shadow of her cleavage. Marty swallowed.
“What should we do now?” she asked.
“Well, we could watch a movie.” He looked around for his laptop.
She patted the bed beside her. “Or you could sit here, and....”
He was beside her in a flash. She pressed her soft mouth against his. Marty kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt her tongue entering his mouth, almost shyly, but there was no shyness about the way she was rubbing her amazing body against his. She pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She was hotly aggressive, running her hands all over his chest.
“You’re so strong, Marty. Your muscles are so hard,” she cooed.
Well, that wasn’t all that was hard. But she was the opposite, soft everywhere. Marty tried to hold back, but when she pressed her breasts into his chest, he couldn’t help but reach up and fondle them through the thin fabric. They felt so good, and the tiny buttons on her shirt seemed to magically pop open when he massaged her chest. He kissed her neck and along her chin, and then back down along the tops of her breasts. She smelled intoxicating.
Kissing Elaine felt incredible. It wasn’t only how good everything was physically, but his realization that she really liked him. That was the big difference tonight. But he also felt worried. He didn’t want to push things too far and ruin everything. And he was pretty sure if they kept going like this, he couldn’t control himself much longer.
17
Happy Endings
“Oh my gosh,” Elaine breathed. She looked so hot. Her blouse was unbuttoned, and he could see her round breasts bulging out of a pretty lace-trimmed bra.
“Um,” Marty said. He tried to adjust his painfully hard cock so it wasn’t so prominent in his dress pants. Jeans were better for hiding how excited you were. “Did you want me to take you home now?”
Her eyes opened wide, and she propped herself up on her elbows. “Why? Is something wrong? Do you want me to go?”
“God, no! I just didn’t want you to get in trouble with your mom or anything. I want her to like me.”
Elaine smiled, and moved closer. She wrapped one arm around his neck. “My mom’s gone home to Manila. So, I can stay all night—if you like.”
Marty felt like the wind was completely knocked out of him, but without the painful cross-check. Finally he choked out an answer, “Uh, yes, I’d like that very much.”
“Me too.” She reached up and ran her hand across his chest.
“Wait. One more thing.” Marty loosened his tie and pulled it over his head. He rushed to the door, put his tie on the outside doorknob, then closed and locked it. He sprinted back to the bed. “That’s not creepy is it? I mean, you’re not locked in here with me; you could leave at any time. It’s just that Jonesy can be kind of a—”
Elaine pulled him on top of her. “Marty. Stop. I want to be here with you. So, stop worrying and apologizing, and let’s just—”
This time it was his turn to interrupt her with a kiss, a deep kiss with mouths wet and open. He breathed in and centred himself. She was here, this was happening, and he was going to relish every moment. He unbuttoned her shirt and reached inside, feeling her soft, hot skin. Her waist was so tiny that he could almost fit his hands around it, and he let his thumbs play up and down her rib cage. He pulled off her top completely, then reached back and undid the tiny clasps of her bra. The cups fell away, and her heavy breasts spilled out. They were round with big brown nipples, and he took one in each hand and squ
eezed them.
“Oh sweet Jesus. You’re so beautiful everywhere,” he muttered as he moved his mouth down to the soft, bumpy surface of her nipples. His tongue darted out and circled all around the tip, round and round until he heard her gasp and felt a trembling run through her whole body.
“Oh God,” she breathed. Her hips were rotating into him, and she arched her back like she was presenting those luscious tits as a meal for him. He attached his mouth to one sweet nipple and began to suck—gently at first, and then more forcefully as he felt the sensitive tip harden in this mouth. He felt the nipple growing longer, and Elaine’s breathing got louder. When he bit gently on the tender tip, she cried out. Then he switched to the other nipple, bathing it in saliva and tasting her flesh.
He sat up to admire his work. Her nipples were now shiny and pointing straight up. He squeezed the soft tit-flesh in both hands, and Elaine sighed happily. She seemed to like having her breasts fondled as much as he liked doing it.
“I think you’re a breast-man,” she said.
Marty shook his head. “No. I’m an Elaine-man.”
She giggled in response.
It was time to see what other treasures she had in store. He pulled off her jeans, and she was wearing a lacy pair of panties that matched her brown bra. She stretched out on the bed, and he looked down and admired her: those big round breasts with still-erect nipples, the flat valley of her tummy, and the golden skin of her thighs. Even her feet were hot with pretty red toenails. For the first time in his life, he wanted to suck someone’s toes. Hell, he wanted to suck every part of her.
“It’s not fair,” she complained. “I’m almost naked, and you’re still all dressed.”
“Oh, sorry.” He started speed-undressing, pulling off his shirt, then his belt, pants, and finally his socks. She had turned over to watch, and he got to see the back of those panties. They were sheer lace and her round ass cheeks hung out the bottom. Well, he might as well take off his trunks now because his hard-on was going to bust out anyway. He yanked off his underwear, and Elaine’s smile got wider.