by A. E. Neal
"Thank you, Rose. I appreciate all your help."
She nodded and disappeared behind the curved wall that divided the offices from the main lobby area.
I pulled out my phone to text Jeanette...
OMG I'm here and they have no record of me coming to do the interview
A few seconds later, my phone dinged...
I'm so sorry. Forgot. Fixing now :)
I felt finally felt relieved that this would all be taken as one giant misunderstanding.
Thanks :)
I texted back and hit send.
I shoved my phone back into my bag and waited for Rose to return. The lobby area was small with very few decorations on the walls. I found a small leather love seat at the edge of the lobby and took a seat. The office was quiet and I could hear the faint clicking of keyboards in the distance.
A few minutes later, Rose appeared from the hallway smiling, causing the wrinkles around her mouth to grow deeper.
"Okay Allyson. Nancy will be with you in just a moment," she said and returned to her chair behind the desk.
"Thank you, Rose," I said.
I heard my phone chime again, so I pulled it out. The text was from Kennedy.
Did you know there are such thing as hockey groupies?
I laughed quietly and texted back.
Yep! And apparently I'm now part of the Puck Bunnies. Yay me.
A moment later another text came through.
Puck bunny? I'm jealous. Better get the deets and share with me hooker!
I shook my head. Oh, Kennedy.
Trust me Ken, you don't wanna be a bunny.
Not even a half second later...
The hell I don't! Don't hold out on me. Oh, and good luck. Smooches xxx
Ha!
OK fine. Thanks. Luv ya too xxx
I typed, hit send just as a young woman about my age, with shoulder length brown hair, appeared from the hallway.
"You must be Allyson," she said holding her hand out.
I stood and shook her hand, "You can just call me Ally, everyone does."
"Ok, Ally. Well, I apologize for the mix up. But I just received a very apologetic phone call from Jeanette. If you'll just follow me, we'll get you a press pass," she said, holding the office door open for me.
"Thank you," I said and followed her closely. Our heels clicked against the concrete floor in unison as we walked.
We reached the box office and she unlocked the door. "Wait right here. I'll be just a minute."
I heard giggling coming from the adjacent hallway. I knew I needed to stay put, but curiosity got the best of me and I inched slowly toward the wall at the end of the hallway. I fumbled with a pen inside my bag, to make my presence look less conspicuous. I glanced around the corner and saw one of the players in full gear leaning into a petite brunette wearing cut-off jean shorts and a tank top that barely covered her chest. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. His hand wandered down her back and cupped her ass. He squeezed hard and she let out a playful shriek. I turned away from the couple as sauntered back to the box office window and waited patiently. A few moments later, Nancy came out of the door holding an ID card attached to a green and gold lanyard that read, "PRESS" and beneath that it read, "Ally Monroe - GO! Arizona Magazine".
She handed it to me and I thanked her again. "Ok, Ally. I have a five o'clock, so I'm gonna give you the condensed version of the tour."
I nodded. "This hallway will take you into the locker rooms for the home team," she said as she pointed to the hallway I'd just been spying on moments ago, "and since this is just practice, you can take any of the corridors around the mezzanine level down to the ice. Once the practice is over— which will be soon. You'll meet with Coach Vaughn first. Timothy Sullivan our forward, Carrick Malone and Brody McCabe, who are both defensemen."
Oh, fuck.
I nodded again and she continued, "Coach Vaughn also coaches his son's little league team, so he'll probably wanna make it quick. As far as the players go, you'll have a half hour with them and you can interview them all together if it makes you feel more comfortable. Then tend to get a little pushy, but you look like a woman who handles herself well, so you shouldn't have any problems."
"Thanks," I said.
"I have a list of questions that are strictly off limits. Other than that, good luck," She said handing me the list. She shook my hand once again and retreated down the hallway back to her office.
I rounded the corner, followed the hallway until I could see the ice. I took a seat at the glass next to a small group of news reporters who were all busy with their phones. The players skated around the ice during their warm ups. Coach had them doing stop-and-go drills by the middle of practice and I assumed it was because the guys looked a bit lazy. Teams of five and six skated from the goal line to the first blue line and back. They repeated the maneuver until they reached the opposite goal line. It looked fairly simple, but I hadn't skated since I was a kid, they could've done triple axels and I would've thought it looked easy.
I spotted Brody on the far left side of the ice and my heart fluttered. He was undoubtedly the biggest player on the team, aside from the goalie who looked massive. It could've been all of his gear, but I swore his body covered half the goal.
The players continued with passing and shooting techniques. The other reporters began gathering their things. A handsome guy in a grey pin-striped suit eyed me and then cocked his head to the right as if he were motioning me to follow the group. I scooped up my messenger bag, notebook and phone. I shoved everything into the largest pocket on the front of the bag and slung it over my shoulder. I motioned for the man to wait for me, but he'd already disappeared into the tunnel.
I scrambled to my feet, reminding myself that heels were a bad choice, as I almost rolled my ankle trotting down the metal stairs. I followed the group down the cool hallway, which smelled of bleach and sweaty socks. I pinched the bridge of my nose and walked quickly along the rubber mats lined up along the floor. The group stopped outside the locker room and chatted. I caught up and thanked the man for giving me a heads up.
"First time, huh?" He asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Am I that noticeable?"
He laughed. "Don't worry, Hun. Good looking girl like you will make quite the impression on these boys."
Great. Just freaking fantastic.
"Uh—Thanks, I guess," I said as my hands begin to shake.
Thunder from the storm outside, shook the arena and the noise reverberated through the concrete tunnel.
"Wow. Bad storm," I said out of sheer nervousness.
He smiled and reached his hand out. "Parker. Dustin Parker with the Daily News sports blog."
"Ally Monroe. GO! Arizona magazine," I said shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Ally."
"Likewise," I said smiling.
"So, Ally. How long have you been doing sports for Go?" He asked.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder. "Actually, I'm just doing a colleague a favor. She's doing a spotlight piece for the magazine on local sports teams and came down with the flu. So I'm just filling in for her. I write a travel column, so I'm sort of out of my element here," I rambled nervously.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Did you read over the list of forbidden questions yet?" He said jokingly.
I giggled. "Yeah. They seem pretty silly if you ask me. I mean, why would anyone want to know if a player sleeps in the nude or not?" I said pointing at #8 on the list.
He laughed. "Yep, they actually do. I've had my fair share of banned questions. Since we have a large following on the blog, which just so happens to be mostly female, we get requests to ask the players questions like that all the time."
"Oh—" I said, suddenly wishing I hadn't mentioned it, "You can't be serious? People actually want to know that?" I whispered.
He shrugged. "The ladies, mostly. You'd be surprised."
"Huh." I said and stood in amazement, but in the back of my head I couldn't help the fact tha
t I secretly wanted to see a certain player naked myself.
The thunder boomed again and snapped me out of my brief daydream. It must be pouring outside, I thought. I hadn't thought to bring an umbrella. Crap!
A moment later, I heard voices at the end of the tunnel. The team. My palms were clammy and I wiped them on my skirt. I stood against the wall with the other reporters and watched as the players filed into the locker room. They laughed and joked as they walked in their skates, not one looking up at us as they passed.
Dustin leaned over and whispered, "You look terrified, Ally. I can honestly say, once the gear comes off, they're just ordinary guys," he said, patting my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was a professional. I stood up straight and squared my shoulders.
"Thanks, Dustin. I've got this," I said, hearing the confidence in my voice.
He smiled and leaned over my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck before he even spoke and it sent chills up my spine. "You wanna get some dinner after this?" He asked.
I continued to look forward. Something about Dustin didn't sit right with me and I shook my head slowly.
"Um. Thanks for the offer, but I already have plans with my friend tonight. Sorry," I said quickly.
He placed one hand on my lower back and with the other, he moved my hair away from my neck.
I swatted at his hand but he caught my wrist and pulled me so my back was against the wall.
His eyes grew darker and he spoke again. "Come on, Ally. I won't bite. I just think you're gorgeous and I want to take you to dinner. That's not too much to ask is it?" His fingers traced a line up my side and he cupped my jaw, turning it to face him. I kept my eyes trained forward on a quote painted in forest green on the opposite wall, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take -Wayne Gretzky"
I swallowed hard and my heart pumped furiously in my chest. I needed to get away from him, but my body froze and I couldn't move.
"Look, Dustin," I said hoping my voice wasn't as shaky as it sounded, "you seem like a decent guy, but I'm not interested."
His grip tightened on my wrist. He was hurting me, but I wasn't about to let him know.
"Ah— Ally, it's only dinner," his voice wrapped around me like a snake, "and maybe if you're lucky, you can have a little desert too."
"No thank you. Really, I appreciate the offer. I'm flattered, but I'm just not interested."
"I won't take no for an answer, Sugar," he said as he cupped my breast and kissed my neck with his filthy lips. He had pushed me back away from the others, who didn't even seem to notice what was going on, I found myself in a dark doorway shielded from their sight. I needed to rectify the situation and quickly, it had already gone too far. I took a deep breath, smiled and stepped back, jabbing my heel directly onto the top of Dustin's foot. He winced, but kept his grip on my wrist and grasped my face with his other hand. His fingers painfully dug into my cheeks and I winced.
"You fucking bitch," he snapped, closing the gap between us as he drew me closer. "I think you broke my toe, cunt," he whispered as he let his tongue graze my lips.
"Good," I muttered as adrenaline coursed through my veins.
"There's one thing I learned from having an older brother," I said and with as much force as I could muster, I raised my knee in one quick motion and connected with his groin. "You never let your guard down, asshole!"
He released me and crumpled to the ground, holding his crotch as he cried like a baby.
I felt a hand on my shoulder as I backed away from Dustin and it made me jump. I stood guarded with my fists balled at my sides until I realized who had startled me.
"You touch her again and I'll fucking kill you myself!" Brody shouted and held his skate to Dustin's neck. He had a blade protector on it, but I was positive he could do some serious damage, with or without it there.
"Brody, stop!" I shouted and tugged on his jersey so he would face me.
My entire body trembled as my adrenaline spiked and Brody sensed it. He dropped his gear and pulled me against his chest. He smelled like sweat and the outdoors. A familiar smell I was beginning to recognize as 'Brody'.
"It's okay, Ally," he said softly as I shook uncontrollably.
He held me close to him as he called for security. In an instant two men hoisted Dustin Parker onto his feet and dragged him down the tunnel.
Brody cupped my face and his green eyes darkened.
"Did he hurt you?" He asked looking me in the eye.
I shook my head.
"I'll fucking kill him if he hurt you, Ally. Don't lie to me. Did. He. Hurt. You?" He asked again.
"No. I swear. He just scared me is all. I promise, I'm alright," I said, my voice sounding as shaken as I felt.
He stepped back and looked me over just to be sure I hadn't been hurt. He reached out, took my hand and lifted it up.
"The fuck he didn't!" He snapped.
My wrist, I'd totally forgotten about my wrist.
"It doesn't hurt, I swear," I lied. My wrist was red and beginning to show signs of a bruise already. And it really did hurt, but I wasn't about to tell him it did.
Brody dropped my wrist, clenched his jaw and balled his fists at his sides. His eyes widened and through sweat-coated hair, I saw a vein bulge in his forehead. He was furious. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, while shaking his head frantically.
He turned, cupped my face in both hands and spoke softly, "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute. Whatever you do, don't move from this spot. Do you understand?"
I nodded, "Yes."
He picked up his gloves, helmet and hockey stick and retreated into the locker room. Just as the door swung shut, he cursed as one of the metal lockers became a casualty of his fury.
The other reporters had gone into a press room, while I stood alone in a cold hallway obeying Brody's order to stay-put. I shivered and rubbed my hands on my bare arms to warm up. My messenger bag lay open on the concrete floor with its contents strewn about. I knelt down and gathered my belongings, only to find the strap on my bag had snapped. I tossed my phone, lip gloss and notepad back into the front pocket and secured the clasp. I picked it up and held it close to me as shivers ran through my body, causing my teeth to chatter.
Well, there goes my adrenaline rush.
The locker room door swung open again, out came a freshly showered Brody wearing a pair of dark denim jeans, his signature belt buckle and a grey t-shirt. He hoisted a large duffle bag over his shoulder and began walking down the corridor.
"Follow me, Ally," he said and I immediately sensed irritation in his voice.
I did as he said and clutched my bag to my chest as I followed him.
We rounded the corner in the underground maze and I was sure, there was no way I could ever find my way out. He dropped the bag at his feet and motioned for me to go inside the office to his left.
It was a security office, filled with floor to ceiling monitors and a switchboard you usually only saw on a TV crime show.
An older man sat at a desk adjacent to the monitors. Brody nudged me forward with his hand and the man motioned for me to sit.
"Bruce, this is Allyson Monroe," he introduced.
"Miss Monroe," he said nodding, "I'm Warren Bruce, head of security here. Please have a seat."
I shook his hand a sat in the hard plastic chair in front of the desk.
"I understand there was an incident involving Mr. Parker. Can you tell me what happened?" He asked as he scribbled onto a piece of paper in front of him.
"Of course, Sir," I said and looked up at Brody who nodded.
"I'd never been to the arena before. I followed the group through the tunnel. We stopped outside the locker room and waited for the players to come off the ice. I stood in back against the wall away from the others. Dustin Parker was among the group and I figured it would be nice to make small talk, since I didn't know anyone. He asked me if I'd like to have dinner with him, I respectfully declined. He
asked again and I said 'no'. Apparently he didn't like my answer, so he became forceful. He held me against the wall, so I slammed my heel into his foot...I think his toe might be broken. He kissed my ear, tried to kiss my lips and groped me, that's when I kneed him in the balls— Excuse my terminology. Groin, whatever."
Bruce peered around the desk and glanced at my shoes. He nodded and scribbled some more.
"Would you like me to call local law enforcement? I don't have the authority to arrest him, but if you want to press charges against Mr. Parker, I can have an officer come get him."
"I don't think that's necessary, Mr. Bruce. I think he's learned his lesson." I said, as my gaze fell to the floor in embarrassment.
"Bruce, can I speak with you privately, please?" Brody asked.
"Of course," he said a stood from his plush chair.
"We'll only be a minute, Allyson," Brody said.
I nodded. The two walked into the hallway and closed the door behind them.
I scanned the surveillance screens and spotted one that was fixed on the hallway outside of the locker room where I had been standing just a few minutes ago. I wondered if that same camera had caught Parker's actions on film.
The door opened and the two men came back into the room.
Brody stood behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed lightly.
"Miss Monroe, I'm most likely crossing the line here, but after speaking with Mr. McCabe, I suggest we call the police," Bruce said.
I shook my head. "I still don't think it's necessary."
"I think it would be wise, Ally. For your safety," Brody said quietly as Bruce punched the numbers into his phone.
"Fine, call them—" I said, "Please," I added.
I shrugged. I was 99% positive, Brody wouldn't let Dustin Parker just walk out of here without a fight, so I agreed.
"They're connecting me to dispatch. Would you mind waiting outside, please?" Bruce said holding the phone to his ear.
