Pucks & Penalties: Pucked Series Deleted Scenes and Outtakes Version 2.0 (The Pucked Series)

by Helena Hunting

Sunny shakes her head. “I don’t really like pain. And I can’t wear earrings that aren’t solid gold because my skin reacts.”

  “They can use titanium.” Charlene flicks her nipple. “That’s what I have.”

  Lily slaps her muscular, super-thin thigh that doesn’t ever jiggle. “You know what, I went with Randy to see his tattoo artist yesterday, and they have a piercer there.”

  “Ooooh! I think Alex gets his tattoos at the same place. What’s it called?” I ask.

  “Inked Armor. Does Alex see Hayden?” Lily does that thing with her hands that’s normally reserved for when she talks about being excited to see Randy, which really means getting naked and being on the receiving end of seven million consecutive orgasms.

  “Uh, no. Alex’s artist is Chris. He’s a blond guy, looks like he should be in one of those military Xbox games? Last time I was there I didn’t really pay much attention beyond the fact that they’re hot, and I could never get a tattoo because I worry I’d end up with something awful forever. Like that girl who let her boyfriend tattoo his name on her face.”

  “Someone actually did that?” Sunny looks appropriately mortified.

  “Horrible, right? It’s stuff like that that makes me seem sane and mostly normal.” I’ll never understand why people do such crazy things to their bodies. Although now I’m considering what Alex would think of nipple piercings. He liked it when I blinged out my beaver, maybe he’d be into blinged-out boobs, too.

  “Can I lie back down now?” Charlene asks.

  “Yeah. Go ahead.” I get up and go back to my chair, but Lily stays where she is.

  “So, I don’t know if you all know this, but all the guys are going to get tattoos together at the end of the summer,” she announces, her eyes still on Charlene. “I think we should all go, too.”

  “I remember Darren saying something about that,” Charlene muses, and Sunny nods her agreement.

  “I’m not getting a tattoo,” Sunny says.

  “I don’t mean to get a tattoo. Well, I’m getting one—”

  “You’re getting a tattoo?” Sunny’s voice is all squeaky.

  Lily nods. “Yeah. Randy’s artist, Hayden, is drawing something up. Sweet Lord, that man is intense, and seriously hot.”

  “All the guys in there are,” I say.

  “Right?” Lily fans her face. “Hayden’s all angsty and broody, and he’s got two full sleeves. He looks like a model. And the other guys, they’re just as hot. Honestly, I was never big into tattoos before Randy, but now…”

  “Are there pictures of these guys?” Charlene interrupts.

  “I don’t know. Maybe? Let me check.” Lily pops up and runs across the patio to get her phone. She punches a bunch of buttons and frowns while she scrolls. “A lot of the images are sample designs and custom pieces… Oh! Wait—this is Hayden!”

  She flips the phone around and shows Sunny the picture before she shows us.

  Now, I’m not really a full-sleeve tattoo kind of girl, but I get Lily’s appreciation for Randy’s body art, because he’s a nice-looking guy with a nice arm and cool designs on it. I check out the picture on Lily’s phone. I’m pretty sure the hottie taking up her screen is the guy I got a brief glimpse of before Chris took Alex and me into the private room the one time I was there. From what I recall, and can confirm from this tiny little phone picture, he’s a panty incinerator.

  Charlene grabs the phone to get a closer look. “He can’t really be that hot in real life.”

  “Oh, he’s even hotter. Seriously, doesn’t he look like he should be on the cover of magazines?” Lily says.

  “Or inside them naked?” Charlene adds.

  “I think Miller is better looking than that guy,” Sunny says.

  “Yeah, but you have an unusual affinity for yetis, so that’s not really a surprise.” Buck is blond, like Sunny, so all the hair on his arms and legs mostly blends in. There’s still a lot of it, but he trims routinely. When I was a teenager I used to come into the bathroom to find body hair tumbleweeds all over the place. It was gross.

  “You have to admit this guy is hot, though.” Lily points to her phone. “You just need to meet him. I can’t explain it. He’s intense. Like, more intense than Randy, if that’s even possible.”

  “Did you act like this when you were there with Randy?”

  “Act like what?”

  “Like you’re about to have heart palpitations and a case of the vapors.” Not that I blame her. I mean, the guy is smoking, even if he is kind of wiry. He reminds me of the emo guys in high school that I used to be a little afraid of. But not actually afraid, more like I was never going to be cool enough to hang out with them.

  Charlene nabs the phone again. “You know, if this guy had a beard, he’d look a lot like Randy.”

  Lily leans over her shoulder. “You know, I kind of thought the same thing. I’ve never seen Randy without the beard.”

  “Ohhh, maybe you should ask him to shave it, just for comparison sake,” I suggest.

  “I’m not sure he’d go for that, or that I want him to. I kind of love his beard.” Lily sigh-shudders.

  “Don’t you find it scratchy? I always find Alex’s beard scratchy during playoffs. Sometimes it chafes my beaver, and I have to put aloe on it.”

  “I’m sure Sunny really wanted to know that,” Charlene mutters.

  I’m not sure Sunny is even paying attention since she’s busy looking at her own phone, but I apologize anyway.

  Sunny shrugs. “I always find there’s less chafing after the first two weeks. Sometimes we take a day in between cookie-eating sessions until he reaches the soft and not scratchy stage.”

  “Well, Randy’s beard is super soft. He conditions it a lot, though.”

  “With your vagina!” I say.

  Lily snickers, and we fist bump.

  By the time the guys get back from golfing, it’s time for dinner, and we’re all sun baked and hammered—except for Sunny, who’s the only one smart enough to keep reapplying sunscreen throughout the day. It was a sunny, and we forgot to account for the fact that we’ve been hiding under warm clothes for several months, except for the few days we spent getting me hitched in Vegas.

  After dinner, everyone goes home, and I take a cool shower to help ease the heat on my over-sunned skin. Apparently my time honeymooning in Hawaii didn’t provide enough of a base to avoid a burn. I grab the aloe lotion and drop down on the bed beside Alex, groaning my displeasure at the sandpaper feel of the comforter.

  “You look a little overcooked. Want me to put that on your back?” Alex nods to the bottle in my hand.

  I pass it over. “That’d be awesome.”

  He pulls my shirt over my head and makes a disapproving sound. “Did you wear sunscreen at all?”

  “I forgot to reapply.”

  “Clearly.” He drops a small kiss on my shoulder, then reaches around and cups my boobs in his palms, sighing. “At least these aren’t burned.”

  My nipples are each framed with a pasty white triangle. “I imagine burned nipples aren’t very pleasant.”

  Alex makes a sound of agreement as he circles one with his finger. He keeps doing that until it’s perfectly hard. Then he does it some more.

  “What do you think of nipple rings?”

  His finger stills. “What?”

  “Pierced nipples. How do you feel about them?”

  “You mean how would I feel about having my nipples pierced?”

  “No. How would you feel about me having mine pierced?”

  He puts a protective palm over my nipple, as if he’s shielding it from our conversation. “Uhhh…I don’t really know. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about.”

  “So you’ve never been with someone who had nipple piercings?”

  “No. Why the sudden interest in putting extra holes in your sensitive parts?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. Charlene has hers pierced.”

  “So you think you need to have yours done to match?�
�

  “No. I was just curious. You liked it when I bedazzled my beaver; I wondered if you’d like my boobs bedazzled, too.”

  Alex checks out my naked, unbedazzled beaver. “That was so fucking hot.”

  “I can do it again if you want.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Definitely.”

  “I’ll be a little more careful so they last longer…whenever you decide you want to decorate your pretty pussy.”

  I shiver—not because I’m succumbing to heat stroke, but because of his pussy reference. “I’ll make an appointment next week.”

  “Or I could set up a spa day for you.”

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “You’ve been working really hard lately; you deserve a day of pampering.”

  As much as I’ve tried not to succumb to it, I kind of love being doted on by Alex. “You’re so good to me.”

  “I try, baby.” He holds up the aloe lotion. “Why don’t you roll over, and I’ll rub this all over your sexy, naked body.”

  “And then you’ll rub Super MC all over my sexy, naked beaver?”

  “You read my mind.”

  Chapter Six

  steel

  DARREN

  I CHECK MY email while I wait for Waters. His most recent text, which came two minutes ago, tells me he’s running a little behind. This isn’t abnormal, even if it’s Saturday. Particularly since he got married.

  I don’t think it’s Violet’s fault, though. Of the two of them, she’s way more prompt than he is.

  Another message comes in while I’m email scrolling. It’s from Charlene, the woman I’ve been seeing for the past year. It’s a pretty casual thing. Sort of. We have fun together, and we’re into the same things, so it works out well. Most of the time, anyway. Things got a little tense when Alex and Violet got married a few weeks ago, but they’ve settled down since we got back from Vegas, so we’re status quo again.

  I flip to my messages. The one from Charlene is brief and to the point

  Busy 2 nite?

  I hate text speak. She knows this. Also, this is Charlene’s way of asking if I’m available. My reply is far more direct.

  Do you want to see me?

  The dots appear, telling me she’s composing her response. They stop for a second, then start again. Then stop again before a message appears.

  Yes.

  I type a reply. It’s not a question.

  Dinner at 7.

  Her reply is much faster this time.

  What shld I wear?

  Charlene is more than capable of choosing her own outfits, but if she’s asking, it means she wants me to pick for her. I consider that for a moment, mentally filtering through her wardrobe, both dresses and lingerie

  Do you have time to get something new?

  She sends one back right away.

  Yes. Any color pref?

  I tap my lip, pondering some more.

  Purple dress. Lavender lingerie. Use the card I gave you.

  The next message doesn’t come for several minutes. This time there are images accompanying the message with possible screenshot lingerie options.

  I can’t wait 2cu.

  I flip through the pictures she’s sent: the first is sweet, the second is sexy, the third is slutty. Charlene likes to keep things interesting in the bedroom. Frankly, so do I.

  Option one. Looking forward to dinner.

  There’s a tap on the trunk, and I look in the rearview mirror to find Alex waiting for me to pop it. When I do, he tosses his bag inside, closes the trunk, and comes around to the passenger side.

  He drops into the seat, grinning. “Hey, man, sorry I’m late.”

  “No you’re not.” I shift the car into gear and pull into traffic, heading for the gym.

  “You’re right. I’m not.” He adjusts his seat—Charlene was the last one to sit there, so his knees are currently hitting the dash. “Why does Charlene sit so far forward?”

  I shrug, because answering that will tell him far more than he needs to know about what happened the last time she and I went for a drive. “You have an actual excuse for being late, or you just couldn’t get your lazy ass out of bed?”

  “I surprised Violet with a spa day.” That grin of his widens even more.

  “What does that have to do with you being late?”

  “She wanted to thank me in advance for being so thoughtful.”

  “Over a spa day? Don’t the girls go all the time?” Charlene’s nails are always perfectly manicured, and I know she’s not doing them herself.

  “Dude, do you have any idea how relaxed and happy Violet is after a day at the spa? And smooth. Every single inch of skin is like satin. And she smells fucking fantastic.” He shifts around in his seat, his knee bouncing with excitement.

  “So you’re sending her for your own benefit?”

  Alex gives me a look, like I’m dumb. “It’s mutually beneficial. She gets to relax for the day, and when she comes home, I get to enjoy the aftermath of her relaxation. Usually for several hours.”

  I tap the steering wheel, considering this. “But can’t she set that up on her own?”

  “Well, of course she can, but it makes me look good when I’m the one who does it for her. All I have to do is call and ask them for the deluxe spa day package, and they do the rest. Then I reap the benefits when she gets home. It’s win all around.”

  “I wonder if Charlene would want to go with her.”

  “Probably. I made the appointment early this week, but sometimes they have cancellations. You want me to call and find out if they have space?”

  “Sure.”

  Alex makes the call while I drive to the gym. He’s put on hold while they check for openings. A few seconds later, I learn it’s my lucky day because someone had to cancel on short notice. He’s still on the phone when I pull into the underground lot. I should probably check to make sure Charlene is available for whatever Alex is helping me set up.

  I call instead of text, because it’s easier. She answers on the second ring, sounding out of breath.

  “Hi, sexy. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No. Nope. Not at all. What’s up?”

  “I’d like to make a change in your plans for today.” I glance at Alex who’s giving me a strange look.

  “Oh? You don’t have to cancel, do you?”

  I like how concerned she sounds about the prospect. “No. Nothing like that. Violet’s going to the spa today. Would you like to join her?”

  “At the spa?”

  “Yes. At the spa.”

  “Umm…that sounds nice, but I don’t have an appointment, and the place she goes is usually booked up weeks out.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that, but only if you’re interested. Otherwise I can cancel.”

  “Wait. What?” She sounds confused.

  “The appointment is already made if you’d like to go. I believe there are several services you can take advantage of.”

  “Seriously?”

  I’m not sure whether I should be entertained by her disbelief or not. “Yes. Seriously.”

  “That would be amazing.”

  Now it’s my turn to smile, although she can’t see it. I give Alex the thumbs-up, and he finalizes the appointments and writes the start and end times on a piece of paper so I can tell Charlene.

  “Excellent,” I tell her. “I’ll take care of everything. All you have to do is show up. You can coordinate with Violet on getting there, and your first appointment is at ten thirty. Your final appointment will end at four. Of course, if there’s anything you want to do differently, feel free to make changes.”

  “Okay. Um, Darren?”

  “Yeah, sexy?”

  “This sounds wonderful, but I might not have time to go dress and lingerie shopping.” Her voice is soft, nervous and excited.

  “Hmm… You have a point. Would you still like to try to make time for that, or should I expect that you’ll be unable to fulfill that r
equest?”

  “Would you still like me to try to make time for that?”

  I don’t answer right away. If Charlene is worried about dress shopping, she’s not going to be nearly as relaxed—in fact she’ll be on edge, which usually isn’t a bad thing. But I feel like it might defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do here.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. Of course, if you have the time, please feel free to use it, but it would be perfectly acceptable for you to provide options for me to choose from when I pick you up. Does that seem like a reasonable compromise?”

  “It sounds perfectly reasonable, Darren.”

  “Fantastic. Enjoy your day, and I’ll see you tonight.” I hang up the phone feeling good about myself, at least until I get a load of the look on Alex’s face. “What?”

  “What the shit was that about?”

  “What was what about?”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t know about you sometimes, man.” He puts his phone to his ear. After a moment he says, “Hey, baby, I’ve got another surprise for you.” There’s a pause while he listens to whatever Violet is saying. Then he laughs. “No, baby, not that kind of surprise. Yeah. You can pick some of those up—not the ones covered in sugar though. They’re messy, and I don’t like the way they feel. Yeah—Yeah. Those are my favorite, but that’s not why I’m calling… Listen, Charlene’s gonna spend the day with you at the spa.”

  There’s some high-pitched shrieking, and Alex laughs again.

  “Darren set it up for her on my suggestion, so feel free to come up with some creative ways to thank me later, if you want.” He’s quiet for several seconds, his grin growing wider. Eventually he ends the call and shoves his phone in his pocket. “Tonight’s gonna be fucking awesome.”

  “Agreed.”

  We get out of the car and take the elevator up to the gym. “You can’t use your sex-a-thon tonight as an excuse to pussy out on today’s workout,” I warn him.

  He flips me the bird. “Whatever, dude. This is my warm-up.”