by Kristen Echo
“If I thought it would make a difference, I would. These guys all have a one-track mind and that’s on the Cup. I’ve told her that, but she’s trying to teach someone a lesson or something. She hasn’t come right out and told me, but I think she’s trying to make an ex jealous. I’m thinking the marriage part isn’t as important as the notch on her bedpost. The national league is big, but small at the same time, and guys talk.”
Sylvie offered a weak smile. “Like how you thought Martin and I were a couple.”
“Yeah, I guess. Either way, I’ll go tell her to back off. He might not be yours, but I can see in your eyes that he should be,” Carly said as she stood.
“You don’t have to.” Her words trailed as Carly sauntered off on her mission to right something that wasn’t wrong. Sylvie’s festive mood vanished.
“Hey, girl! Are these seats taken?” Miranda asked. Her hand was wrapped around a mammoth of a man.
Sylvie pulled out the empty chair next to her. “It’s all yours. I assume this is your husband?”
Miranda beamed. “Yes, this is my Chuck,” she said, sitting down. “Chuck this is Sylvie.”
The man reached down and shook her hand before pushing his wife’s chair in. “Ah, you’re the woman’s who dating Martin Thomas.”
This had the making of a long and awkward night if people kept asking that. Especially, if he was off fucking someone else while she sat there like an idiot. Her stomach knotted. A waiter came by with a tray of hors d’oeuvres and the scent made her guts flip. She felt ill all of a sudden. “We’re not together. Just friends. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find the ladies room. It was great meeting you and I’ll be back in a moment.”
On her way, Sylvie bumped into Caroline and Nico as they mingled. She thanked them for the invitation. Nico mentioned the guys had played indoor paintball and go-karting. It sounded like he enjoyed his day. The couple couldn’t take their hands and lips off each other. His eyes conveyed the message he was dying to get their evening over with so he could be alone with his bride to be. It did her heart some good to see love win for a change.
Once she made it to the bathroom, she sat down and took a few deep breaths. This evening was about celebrating love and it struck her that she might never have a night like this. A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She blotted her eyes with toilet paper and tried to compose herself. When she exited the stall, Beth stood by the mirror, reapplying her lipstick.
“Oh hi. That dress is killer.”
Sylvie wanted to bawl her eyes out because Martin had kissed this girl. Or if he hadn’t yet, he wanted to. Christ, if she was a man she’d want to fuck her. “Thanks. You look stunning.”
Beth smoothed the front of her dress and smiled. “I really have to pee,” she said, stepping closer to her and the stalls. “Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“I’m not feeling the greatest, actually. I might call it an early night.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. The strippers will be here soon enough. Are you sure you can’t stay?” The concern sounded genuine which only made her feel worse.
She couldn’t even dislike the girl. “You have fun.”
“I plan to. See you around.” Beth closed the stall door and Sylvie’s eyes filled with tears again.
Sylvie caught sight of her reflection and batted them away. Only a short time ago she’d felt sexy and on top of the world. She was so mad at herself for getting caught up in an impossible situation. The only person doing anything wrong was her. She decided to leave and get her head on straight.
A quick walk back to her table revealed that Carly, Theo and Martin had joined Miranda and Chuck. Laughter rang out, and she stilled when she reached her chair. A waiter went by with champagne and he placed a glass in front of each person. She grabbed her glass from him, thanking him for the drink.
Carly stood up. “Here’s to the happy couple. May they laugh as hard as they fuck!”
“Carly!” Miranda chided, as she stood. “You shouldn’t say things like that. You’re supposed to say may their lives be forever blessed with happiness and love.”
“Whatever. Grab you champagne and toast with us.”
Miranda had a glass of water in her hand. “I can’t.”
“Why, are you pregnant?” Carly joked and Miranda’s cheeks flushed. “Oh my god! Seriously?”
Sylvie looked around the table and Chuck’s eyes filled with tears of joy. “The doctor says we’re five weeks along,” he said with a smile so big, it barely fit inside the restaurant. He squeezed his wife’s hand and kissed her wedding ring.
“I’m going to be a mamma come October.” Miranda had a glow, Sylvie hadn’t noticed earlier. “We planned to wait a few more weeks before we started telling people.”
Carly jumped up and down and then hugged her friend. Sylvie caught sight of Martin as he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. She set down her champagne. Her heart shattered. No matter how much she loved him, he would never change. He didn’t want to get married or have kids. She did. She wanted the works. That was a deal breaker.
She took her turn hugging Miranda and congratulating Chuck. “I’m so happy for you both. Children are such a blessing. I’d love to stay and celebrate all the great news and love in the air, but I need to go.”
Martin stood and came to her side. “You seem pale. Do you want me to call a cab?”
It was the first thing he’d said to her and it was the wrong thing. “Nah, I can take care of myself.” She grabbed her purse and tucked it under her arm. “Have a great evening everyone.”
“Sylvie—” he said as she strode to the coat check area, hoping he hadn’t followed her. He had. “Give me a moment to say goodbye and I’ll come with you.”
“Don’t bother. You’ve got commitments here to Nico and I will not be good company.” The attendant handed her, her jacket, and she pulled it on.
He fidgeted in his pockets as if he wasn’t sure what to do. “I don’t want to leave you when you’re sick. Let me come with you and I’ll take care of you.”
“Don’t do me any favors.” Words like that had gotten her into this mess. She’d been naïve enough to confuse attraction with love.
“What?”
“I need air.” She bolted out of the restaurant before the first tear fell. Her heels clacked against the concrete sidewalk as she reached inside her purse and pulled out her phone. She’d memorized the bus routes in the city and pulled up the website. Luck was on her side. The bus she needed approached as she reached the stop a block away from the restaurant.
The cold hardly registered but the warmth from inside the bus brushed her face as she boarded. She flashed her bus pass, and the bus took off. She sat down and buried her tear stained face into her hands. The night and her life had turned into one big mess. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she saw Martin’s face across the screen. She hit ignore. He couldn’t fix this and hearing his soothing voice would only make her cry harder. She needed some distance.
He sent a text message. “Where are you? I can’t find you.”
She didn’t want him to worry. “I took a bus. See you later. Have fun.” She typed her response and hit send.
His response came immediately. “I’ll meet you at home.”
Fuck! The last thing she wanted was him to see her crying. It would only confuse him and stress him out. The harder she tried to get her emotions in check the faster the tears came. She was fighting a losing battle. When the bus pulled up outside the condo, Martin stood there waiting.
She stepped off, and he enfolded her in his arms. He held her there while she sobbed. “What’s wrong? Is it a migraine? You haven’t had one of those in years. What can I do to make this better? Please, talk to me. Tell me what to do.” He kissed her temple.
“There’s nothing you can do,” she answered. It was the truth. She didn’t want to change him. He was perfect. He simply wasn’t the guy for her. There was no game they could play that would change that.<
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Chapter 16
Sylvie woke up with a headache and a pain in her chest. From the moment he wrapped her in his arms at the bus stop, the ache continued to expand. Martin had doted on her for the rest of the evening, making her both love and hate him more. Her emotions were all over the place and it was exhausting.
He kept asking if she was all right and she answered honestly that no she wasn’t. She asked him to leave her alone, but he refused to leave her side. What she wanted was distance and time to think about the mess she'd created. Instead, she got his undivided attention. His gentle touch and soothing words, kept her on the verge of crying until she fell asleep.
They didn’t have sex. She couldn’t bring herself to connect with him on that physical level again. Given her state, he hadn’t pushed the matter.
“How are you feeling this morning?” He rubbed her back as she hugged the pillow to her chest.
She had no more tears thankfully. “Like I told you last night, I’m fine. I needed quiet and sleep. I’m really sorry you had to leave the party before it even got started.”
He kissed the nape of her neck. “And like I told you, you’re more important. I’ve seen my share of strippers and food is food. I’d bet that Nico and Caroline didn’t make it to midnight before bailing.”
“There were lots of other people there. You would have had fun and maybe met someone.” She closed her eyes tight.
“It’s all the same people and I’m not interested in meeting anyone. Trust me, there was no woman more beautiful at that restaurant than you. You looked amazing and I love you in red.”
“You are so full of shit,” she said, pushing his hand away when it traveled over her hip.
He pushed her onto her back and straddled her legs. “I’m fucking drop dead serious. Are we back to you doubting yourself again?”
She pushed his chest, trying to remove him. He caught her hands and held them over her head. She wiggled but couldn’t get free. “We aren’t anything. Get off me!” Her attempts at bucking him off failed.
“Feisty this morning. It’s good to see the fire back in your eyes. I’m not letting you go until you admit you looked great last night.” He held her firmly in place with one hand and used his other to brush the hair from her face.
She tried again to free herself from under him. They wrestled, but it ended with her in a pretzel position and him between her legs. Their naked lower bodies rubbed against each other with a mind of their own. “Fine. I looked great,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You can let go of me now.” She was so hot, sweaty and wet. It wasn’t fair what he did to her.
“Never. Say it like you mean it. Own it.” His nose was inches from hers as his erection slid through her soaking folds. He had control, and she was at his mercy.
“You’re an asshole!” And that didn’t stop her from wanting him. “I hate you so much.”
He kissed her. Hard. She shook her head and bit his lip until the metallic taste of his blood blasted her tongue. He smiled and licked the spot where her teeth left their marks. “You don’t hate me. You want me as badly as I want you. Like if I’m not inside you in the next second we might both lose our fucking minds.”
“Do it!” Sylvie screamed in his face. “Fuck me until I can’t think anymore.” Sweat dripped down her cheek. This wasn’t love. It was too primal and too fierce.
He slammed into her, pushing her knees next to her ears. He roared like a lion. His cock hit her G-spot on the first thrust. In this position he pushed so deep. He stared into her eyes as he pulled out slowly, agonizingly slow. Then reversed and pushed back in at the same deliberate speed. She couldn’t take it anymore. She turned her face to the side and closed her eyes.
“Look at me, Sylvie. Watch me make love to you. Feel how beautiful you are.”
She whimpered at his words. “Please, fuck me hard and fast. I don’t want to feel beautiful, just make me come.” If she opened her eyes, she knew she’d never be able to look at him the same again. If she watched him love her, they couldn’t be friends anymore. She’d always want more of this. So, she kept her eyes scrunched closed.
As if he knew how close she was to breaking, he did as she asked. He pounded into her. Unrelenting and without mercy. They came together. He cried out her name, and she did the same. When he let go of her arms and legs, she didn’t retreat. She wrapped herself around him and kissed him; kissed him goodbye. They couldn’t do this again and be friends.
“Will you tell me what happened between you and Marianne?”
Martin scratched his head. “You know the old story. She wouldn’t move out here without a ring and we were way too young. I couldn’t give her what she wanted.”
“But why not? You loved her. Why not ask her to marry you and follow you? She loved you enough.” Sylvie tucked the covers around her body.
“It wasn’t the right kind of love,” he said, leaving the bed.
“What does that mean. There’s only one love.”
“No, there are different kinds of love. Marianne had too many expectations, and I never lived up to them. She would have hated it here and resented me. When the chance to play here came up, she wasn’t happy for me. It was an inconvenience to the plans she had for us. I’d spent so much time trying to make her happy those last few months I suffered mentally. We loved each other, but she couldn’t handle the time apart, the long hours or the attention I got. Nothing I did made her happy anymore. The results were that my game suffered. I spent my entire life trying to make it to the NHL and love was holding me back.”
“Okay, so she wasn’t the right one. Why do you blame love?”
He tugged on his hair. “Why all these questions? I have a lunch meeting with management soon.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m trying to understand why you’re still so bitter after all these years. Don’t you want to fall for someone again?”
“Sylvie, it’s not that simple. My life sucks like ninety percent of the time. I work out, I practice, I’m with the team and repeat. If it’s not hockey, there’s charity events and other commitments. My time isn’t my own. You’ve seen what my schedule’s like these past weeks. There’s no time for anything even if I thought I wanted someone or something more.”
“Do you want more? One day. Cause you seem to scoff at marriage and kids and all that stuff.” His schedule wasn’t that bad. They’d found plenty of time to be together and when they weren’t she’d been busy with work. She thought their schedules worked rather well together.
“I’m not anti that stuff. It’s you… I have to go or I’ll be late. This is what I’m referring to. There isn’t even time to finish conversations. Although, I’m not sorry to cut this one short. I’m glad you’re feeling better, ma belle.” He leaned down to kiss her lips, and she gave him her cheek.
He marched out of the room and took a shower. She rolled over and hugged the pillow again. A few minutes later he returned wearing nothing but a towel. Any other day, she would have raced over and pulled the towel, but not today. He dressed in a suit, looking red carpet ready. She would miss watching him transform from naked sexpot to dashing businessman.
“I’ll see you after my meeting. I’ve got the rehearsal dinner tonight and you’re welcome to come. After, we can catch a movie or do something chill. Tomorrow will be busy with the wedding.”
“And then I’m leaving.”
“Right.” He straightened his tie, hesitating at the door. “We’ll talk more later.”
She waited until she heard the main door close before she screamed. “Fuckkk!” She’d given him an opportunity to say anything about her leaving. He didn’t. She couldn’t stay and be his date on Valentine’s Day. That was a day reserved for people in love.
Nico and Caroline’s wedding would be perfect. Her dreams brought to life for another couple to live. The team captain and his bride had the kind of love that inspired romance novels; a love that could weather any storm. She’d fooled herself into thinking what she had with Marti
n was similar. Martin had healed her heart and claimed it for himself. She was powerless to stop the train wreck on the horizon.
Attending the wedding and watching him stand at the altar in a tux, wasn’t a wise decision. She’d end up picturing the two of them, saying I do. She’d wish for it to be them, devoting their lives to loving each other. That was as likely to happen as getting struck by lightning while holding the jackpot winning lottery ticket.
She called the airline and moved her flight. As much as she hoped to catch a flight out as soon as possible, there was nothing until the following evening. Whether she left early wouldn’t make a difference to him because he would be so busy. But it could save her a world of pain. It was the right choice. The only choice if she hoped to salvage her dignity.
The longer she let that settle in the better she felt. She called her folks to tell them the good news. They didn’t answer. She left a message, providing her travel itinerary and told them she looked forward to seeing them tomorrow. Her voice may have cracked at the end, but she laughed it off.
A long shower helped strengthen her resolve. They’d made love for the last time. Kissed for the last time. There was nothing left, except to say goodbye. She dreaded that part. She rehearsed the best way to tell him she'd bumped her flight by a day when he stormed into the condo, slamming the door behind him.
His hair was a mess, standing in all directions. “Trades… Mother-fucking trades,” he mumbled, waltzing passed her. He opened his liquor cabinet and pulled out the scotch.
“Hi. What’s going on?” She sat down on the couch.
“I’m out and Benny Wilder is officially on the roster.” He didn’t use a glass and chugged straight from the bottle.
“Woah, calm down and take a seat. Tell me what happened.” She patted the cushion next to her.
“I can’t sit down, and I don’t want to fucking talk about it.” He took another large gulp. “All I want to do is drink.”
“That’s one option. The other is to pass me the bottle and I can get drunk with you.”
