by Emma Tharp
Deep breath. Sometimes I think the universe is fucking with me. One easy night, a few drinks with my buddies. Seems it was too much to ask. My patience is low and my throat itches with wanting to tell this woman to leave me the fuck alone, but part of my job requires me to remain civil. To keep a professional persona when I’m off the ice. It’s part of my contract. A few too many public disagreements when I was back in Toronto didn’t go over well. Now I need to be a good boy and keep my nose clean. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep my job. The NHL is all I have left and nobody is going to take it away from me.
“I’m good, but Teddy here needs some companionship.” I give her my million dollar grin and point her in Ted’s direction.
Ted’s eyes widen when the tan, blonde chick sidles up next to him.
I can’t hear what she says to him, but he starts shaking his head and shoos her away. She looks back in our direction, a pout plastered on her face, and I can’t help but laugh.
“What, dude? You too good for her?” I ask.
Teddy nudges me with his broad shoulder and says, “I need to get laid, but I have standards. She did not meet them. How old was she? Fifty?”
Wes snorts before chiming in, “She looked like your type to me. No dick, at least I don’t think so.”
Wadding up a cocktail napkin, Teddy chucks it at Wes’s head. “I already told you that chick was hot. How could I have known she was a guy?”
I laugh and shake my head, remembering the time Teddy took home a transvestite. Poor bastard hasn’t had the best luck with women. Come to think of it, neither have I.
Flagging down the bartender, I order a whiskey and relish the smooth oaky flavor of my first sip.
“I’ll tell you who I’d like to get to know: the stripper from the bachelor party. I think her name was Cora. She works at Lolita’s. We should stop in there next,” Teddy says.
“How do you know where she works?” I ask, an exaggerated edge skidding off my tongue. I narrow my eyes at him. The thought of Teddy trying to hit on Cora rubs me the wrong way.
Teddy’s head whips in my direction and he scans my face. “Woah. What the hell did I say?”
Sipping my whiskey, I take a second to collect myself. “I know her. From high school. You should keep your hands off her.”
“Did you guys date or something?” Teddy’s head is on a swivel between Wes and me.
Shrugging, Wes says, “I didn’t know you knew the stripper.”
Completely caught off guard hearing Cora’s name, I overreacted and now their gazes are glued to me like I’ve got clues to find a hidden treasure. “She was my tutor in high school math. That’s it. We didn’t date.”
“Why the hell not?” Slick chimes in. “She’s hot as fuck.”
For no apparent reason it irks me that the guys are talking about Cora, calling her hot and a stripper. She’s both of those things, but some twisted side of me feels protective of her. She’s a good person who helped me out in school. That’s it. She was my friend. Seeing her again, half naked, lit up parts of me that I’m still trying to figure out. “Can we not do this? She was a friend of mine and calling her a stripper is annoying me.”
“But…she is, man,” Teddy quips.
My insides seethe and I’m overcome with the desire to grab Teddy’s shirt, throw him up against the bar, and kick the shit out of him. I won’t do it, but, man, do I want to. He shoots his hands up over his head and backs away. “I mean no offense. She seems nice. In fact, why don’t we get out of here and head over there now?”
She could be working. I could possibly see her tonight. Heat spreads up my limbs. But does she want to see me again? It certainly didn’t seem like she wanted anything to do with me at the bachelor party. I’ve been thinking about that night and there are no logical answers for why she was so standoffish. Like she didn’t know me, and after I introduced myself, she acted like I was something gross stuck on the bottom of her shoe. I should be pissed at her reaction, but it’s quite the opposite. I’m intrigued.
Pounding the rest of my drink, I slam my glass on the bar and say, “Let’s go.”
I’m unreasonably excited when we walk into Lolita’s. It’s been forever since I’ve been here. Before I left for Toronto. It’s the same as it was before. Huge oak bar, stage, dance floor, but tonight none of it matters. My eyes scan the place for her. Fuck. She isn’t here. I immediately want to leave. But my friends would know something was up if I told them it’s time to leave before we’ve even had a drink.
Suddenly I’m too tired to deal with it all. The crowds of people, the unwanted attention from random women. All of it.
We find a spot at the bar and Wes orders us a pitcher. A well-endowed bartender sets four glasses in front of us and takes Wes’s credit card with a wink. Pouring myself a pint, I suck down half of it and hunch over the bar.
“She’s one of the hottest chicks I’ve ever seen.” Slick whacks me on the back, pulling me out of my bad mood. I turn toward where he’s looking and there she is, like a tall glass of water in the desert. “What’s her name again?”
I don’t tell him. Instead, I make my way toward her. She doesn’t notice me. She’s talking to a group of biker guys at a table. It’s only a second before she turns and stops short, slamming into me.
Cora’s hands come up to her mouth. “Derek.” Her tone is breathless, like she just ran a marathon. She never expected to see me here.
FOUR
Derek
“HI, it’s good to see you again,” I say.
It takes her a few seconds to compose herself, but the slight grin on her face falls away and the mask she wore the other night is firmly back in place. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, could my friends and I get a table please?” I say, allowing my eyes to take her in. Just as gorgeous as I remember her. Long legs in her jean shorts, a red plaid shirt tied up under her breasts, cleavage up high. Blood rushes to my groin the same way it did when she danced for me at the bachelor party.
She looks around. I’m not sure if she’s looking at tables or if she’s trying to see if I actually did come with friends. “Sure. Let me set something up.”
When she walks away, I grab her shoulder, turn her toward me, and say, “In your section.”
There’s surprise in her features, her wide eyes, and arched brows. “Oh, okay. Give me a minute. I’ll come get you.”
As promised, she saunters over to the group of us and wags her finger in our direction, signaling us to follow her. We grab our beers and make our way to a table in the corner. She hands us menus. “Do you boys need any drinks?”
“Nice to see you again, Cora.” Teddy goes up to her and plants a kiss on her cheek as if they were long-lost friends and didn’t just meet a week ago at a bachelor party.
Cora’s face brightens into a sexy smile. For Teddy. She didn’t give me that smile. “Good to see you, too, Teddy,” she says.
“We’ll take another pitcher and fifty hot wings. And a pizza, too,” Teddy says.
Writing our order down on her pad, she says, “Got it. I’ll get this right in for you.” She winks at him and walks away.
A smile and a wink. What the hell? There’s no way I can be jealous of Teddy, but I wish she’d look at me that way instead of him.
The worst part is that I have zero clue what I might’ve done or said to her to deserve the cold shoulder. Have I offended her somehow? It’s possible. I wasn’t known for my manners back in high school, but surely she isn’t holding that against me.
My memories of her in school are good ones. I liked her. But she must’ve thought I was an idiot. Without her help, I never would’ve made it through math.
“You okay, man? You seem off tonight.” Wes sits next to me, beer in hand and a concerned expression on his face. Of all of my teammates, Wes is the most like a brother to me. I trust him. From day one, we got each other. He plays right wing and I’m left. We’re on the same line and play flawlessly together. It’s been this way
since college. And when I got traded to Nashville I was thrilled to be playing with Wes again.
“Yeah, I’m okay. But for some reason, Cora’s getting under my skin. She was my tutor in school, and now she acts like I’ve got a contagious disease. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you guys have sex?” he asks.
Finishing the last of my beer, I set it on the table in front of me. “No. We didn’t even date. The woman you see now isn’t the girl she was back then.”
“What do you mean?” Wes pours me a fresh glass of beer from the pitcher and tops his off.
“She was reserved and shy, but don’t get me wrong, she’s always had a way about her that was endearing and sexy. Her walk, her no-nonsense attitude, except back then she covered her body with baggy clothes. Almost as if she didn’t want anyone to notice how perfect it was,” I say, shaking my head at the memory of some of the things she’d wear.
Leaning his elbows on the table, he says, “What’s her story?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. Since I was a junior when I left to go to prep school, I didn’t keep in touch with her after I left. She wasn’t an open book, either,” I tell him.
“From a quiet book nerd to a sexy stripper. Doesn’t make sense. If she was smart enough to tutor you, why the hell didn’t she end up in college with a career?” He scratches the side of his head, fingers mussing his wavy brown hair.
Blowing out a long breath, I say, “Hell if I know.”
Cora sets a basket of wings and a new pitcher on the table. Slick and Teddy are now playing darts and Wes whacks me on the back and says, “Be right back.”
“Wow, didn’t mean to make everyone leave. People usually don’t take off when I bring the food and drinks.” Cora has a mock offended look on her face.
“They didn’t leave because of you. They’re just doing their own thing for a few.” Moving in to get closer to her, I say, “I wanted to ask you the last time I saw you, how have you been?”
Her eyes widen at my proximity. “I’m great. How about you?”
I’m close enough now to smell her perfume. I’d like to touch her skin; it looks smooth and soft. “Not bad. It was nice to see you at the bachelor party.”
She’s biting her perfectly full bottom lip and staring at my chest. “Yes, it was.”
For some reason a buzz of nerves flares up and I grip my beer to stop my hand from shaking. “What do you say we get together sometime? To catch up.”
“No. I’m really busy. I have to go check on your pizza. Be right back.” She spins on her heel and takes off like I just told her someone has a bomb at the table.
Fuck me. What is up with this woman? When I come on to a woman, they accept my advances. They don’t run away. Well, with the exception of Carrie, soul-sucking woman that she is. Why do the women I want the most want nothing to do with me?
A half-dressed woman with long curly red hair makes her way toward me. “Hey, need anything? I’m helping out with Cora’s tables.”
“You work here, with Cora?” I ask.
She gets closer and makes no move to disguise her approval of me. Her pupils dilate and her tongue glides over her top lip. “Sure do. My name’s Lonnie.” She places her hand in mine and we shake.
Lowering my voice, I lean in and give her the smile all my female fans love. “Good to meet you, Lonnie. Mind if I ask you a question?”
Her fingertip grazes my forearm. “Sure.”
“Is Cora dating anyone?”
A flash of disappointment crosses her face, but just as quickly, she recovers and says, “Not that I know of. She’s a sweet girl, but very private. Why, you interested?”
“We knew each other. A long time ago. It’s as if she’s a different person now.” Who knows why I’m spilling my guts to Cora’s co-worker. I hope Lonnie will see my vulnerability and share what she knows.
Her head swivels around behind her and scans the area to see who’s around. “I just started working here a few months ago, but I really like Cora. She’s sweet when she opens up to you, but she has a tough exterior. Her mother is sick. She takes care of her. Works her ass off here and some stuff on the side. Please don’t mention that I told you anything, okay?” Her words spill out fast and full of regret, like she wishes she could take them all back and stuff them down her bra like a tip some dude just gave her.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell her a thing about our little chat. I appreciate it.” I tug a pen from her apron and slip it behind my ear before I walk away.
The bathrooms are covered in signs of bands coming to play, apartments for rent, and one paper captures my attention. It’s a charity auction. You can win a date with one of the waitresses from Lolita’s. I pull it off the wall, fold it, and tuck it in the pocket of my jeans.
Back at the table, Wes is there and Cora is setting a pizza in front of him.
Her barely-there jean shorts ride high on her legs, highlighting her round ass. All I want to do is touch her and feel the smooth skin of her shoulders under my fingers. I can see it now, the tension there in her muscles. She’s taking care of her mother. What happened to her? Is she ill? The desire to take care of Cora, like she took care of me in high school, grabs hold of me.
I take the paper out of my pocket and rip the corner off. Using the pen I took from Lonnie, I jot down my cell number.
Stalking up behind Cora like she’s an innocent gazelle and I’m a cheetah going after my prey, I come up behind her and press my chest to her back and move her hair away from her ear. She startles, but I whisper, “Shhh. It’s just me, Derek.”
She sucks in a sharp breath when I slip my hand around the curve of her hip and tuck the paper with my number on it in the right front pocket of her shorts. She doesn’t move.
The heat from her body against mine and the smell of her rose perfume has me fantasizing about what it’d be like to have her in my bed, naked under me, skin against skin. “I want you to call me. Anytime. Day or night. If you need anything or want to talk.”
She twirls around, eyes scrutinizing me. “You want me to call you?” Her words come out throaty.
“Yes.”
Her eyebrows shoot up and she nods slowly. “Okay.”
The last thing I want to do is scare her away, and right now she looks like I am going to pounce. I lower my voice and do my best to soften it. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Cora. I’d like to catch up with you. I’m asking for a conversation.”
“But, I’m really b—”
I stop her before she can finish the sentence. “I get it. Your life is crazy. That’s why I said anytime. I meant it. Don’t say no. Think about it.”
It’d be great if she’d give me her number but I know that’s not going to happen. She has her guard up. In fact, I’ll be surprised if she calls me at all.
Cora stands up straighter, rolls her shoulders back, and gives me her generic, “I’m a waitress who’s tired of small talk” smile. “Enjoy your pizza. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Before Wes or I can say anything, she walks away.
A few more beers later and the guys and I are playing darts. My eyes are drawn to Cora wherever she is in the bar. She’s caught me staring at her numerous times. She acts like she’s ignoring me, but I know she isn’t.
Some older guy with his gray hair in a bandana and a biker jacket on is calling Cora over to his table. She’s busy with another table, but when she’s free she makes her way over to the old guy. They talk for a minute and as she walks away from him, he palms her ass and squeezes it and sends her off with a whack. She shakes her head and flinches in disgust. She doesn’t turn around and say anything to the guy even though she clearly didn’t want him to touch her.
Everything comes to a grinding halt. All I want to do is throw my fist into that asshole’s face. I stalk toward him and tap him on his shoulder.
He looks up at me. I’m at least a foot taller. “Can I help you?”
“Yup. You need to keep your fucking ha
nds off her,” I sneer and point in Cora’s direction near the bar.
“What the hell, dude? Is she your girl or something?” He stumbles back one step, but I close the distance.
Clenching my fists at my sides, I say, “It doesn’t matter what she is to me. She doesn’t want you touching her. Am I clear?” Spit flies out of my mouth with the last words and I’ve drawn the attention of a couple of his biker buddies.
“Do we have a problem here?” a man with a massive beer belly and the same leather jacket as his comrade asks.
I take a deep breath and puff out my chest. I could crush both of these has-beens with one punch each. If they’d leave Cora alone, it’d be worth it.
“Hey, hey, guys. Can I help you?” A hand comes up to my shoulder as Wes approaches the scene.
“These jackasses think it’s okay to touch Cora when it really fucking isn’t.” The drink has loosened my lips and inhibitions. I’m seconds away from a bar fight, and Wes is the only reason I’m not already swinging.
“I think these guys wouldn’t mind telling Cora they’re sorry and keeping their hands to themselves, would you now?” Wes towers over the gray-haired guy as he slaps him on the back, forcing the guy forward a step. He looks like he might piss himself any minute.
Mister beer belly puts his palms up toward Wes and says, “We mean no harm to anyone. I’m sure Gary and I can finish up our drinks and head out for the night.”
“What’s going on, guys?” Cora asks, her tray full of a round of drinks.
“It looks like Gary and his friends won’t be needing those drinks. They’re just heading out. Isn’t that right?” Wes takes one of the drinks off the tray and takes a sip.
“Yeah, we’ve gotta head out. Early morning tomorrow.” Gary puts his arms over his head and yawns. “You boys enjoy our drinks. They’re on us.”
Wes takes the tray out of Cora’s hand and walks it toward our table. I turn to walk away, too, before I do something I will regret, like push Gary to the ground and kick his head in.