Instead of being grateful that I was in the right place at the right time, it was one more thing Jody held against me. In his defense though, I think he was more pissed that he couldn’t protect his woman at that very second than he was at it being me who helped her out.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you didn’t hang out after the games. Great game, by the way. Again.” Karen gave me a quick hug and moved back next to Jody.
“Well, Keith asked if I wanted to come, and I figured I had nothing better to do, so…” I didn’t want to sound too pathetic, so I just let that hang out there. On the same hand, I wanted to tell her that she made me want to try making friends. She did that for me.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. What do you want to drink? My treat.”
Oh, hell no. She wasn’t buying me stuff. She wasn’t even working at the moment. Yeah, yeah …another Jodyism. “Thanks, but I don’t think so. I’ll get my own. What do you want?”
She laughed, and it was a balm to my soul. “And you say Jody’s a Neanderthal?” She let it go, though. “You can buy me a Jack and Coke.”
“You got it. Anything for you two? Lace? Jody?”
“I’d like another glass of water, please.”
“I’ll get your water, Angel.” Jody followed me to the bar. Of course he couldn’t allow me to get his wife a glass of water. What a control freak.
“Look, Booker. You know I’m not a big fan of yours, but Karen seems to be in your corner, so I’m going to try to give you the benefit of the doubt for her sake, okay?”
I laughed. I mean a real laugh, like a big old belly laugh, because I knew Jody well enough to know that that was his interpretation of an apology for being such an ass to me. But he was Karen’s brother, so I took the high road. “You know what? I think that would be great. And I’ll try to not be such an asshole.”
To my surprise, Jody laughed back at me. And his laugh was real, too. I wasn’t ready to grab hands and sing campfire songs with him or anything, but it was a step in the right direction. Damn, Karen made me want to be a better person. It was a real shame she was only here for a visit.
Chapter 8
An entire week and a half had gone by with no sight of Karen again. We’d texted a bit, but that was it. When I did see her again, it wasn’t my best night. I wasn’t sure exactly why, but I slipped back into my role as “Dick of the Year” quicker than you could say, “Rumpelstilskin”. Not my proudest moment. To be perfectly honest, I’d rather skip this part, but you deserve to know all sides of me, I suppose.
So here goes…
We had just come off the ice after losing to the Redwings when Rush—you remember him, right? Our enforcer with the big mouth?—came over to me and slapped me on the back.
“That last goal was pretty soft, wasn’t it, Booker? Your panties pinching one of your short hairs or something?”
What the fuck was it with everyone and their ‘panties’? There was no way in hell I was going to bother answering him. It was best to let him simmer at my silence, so I shrugged him off me and walked past him, heading for the showers. When he followed me, I knew the silent treatment wasn’t going to work right then.
I let out a gusty sigh, which should have told him I wasn’t in the mood for his shit, and turned to face him. “I’m not perfect, asshole. I lose games now and then. What’s your excuse?”
He’d let a newbie kick his ass in a fight. The kid was twenty pounds lighter and two inches shorter. He was more of an instigator than a real enforcer.
“Whatever, Cage. You lost the game for us tonight. Our defense was right on, our offense scored, you just gave up. Where’s your head? It wasn’t in the game. Word is you can’t get laid lately. Is that the problem?”
“Fuck you.” Yeah, okay. Maybe not the most original response, but come on. Was I supposed to tell him that I’d been thinking about Karen? About how she made me want to stop being a man whore, but at the same time made me weak? Fuck that. Honestly, I started thinking it was time to revert back to my “Cage doesn’t give a shit about anything” persona. Longing for Karen simply wasn’t good for me. “I just lost a game. It fucking happens.”
“Fine. Stick to that story, Booker. I’m going to The Pub.”
Just like most nights for Rush. For me, going there the other night to be with the team was a rarity, but tonight? Fuck it. Tonight I wanted nothing more than to remind those assholes (okay—Rush) who they were dealing with. Plenty of chicks to pick up at The Pub. I didn’t need to go there to hang out with the guys. I was Cage Motherfucking Booker. I needed no one and could get any woman I wanted. Let them admire me, and remember who ruled the rink—not to mention the puck bunnies.
***
Karen
The Pub was crowded, as was to be expected for a Friday night after a game, I would imagine. Lacey, who had become a close friend to me over the weeks, talked me into stepping out.
“Why don’t you have some fun with a hottie while you’re here? I know you’re not a one-night-stand kind of girl, but some of the guys are genuinely nice and would love to take you out.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. The “guys” were mostly young, adventure-seeking kids, and I wasn’t. I’d seen it before. Those kind of guys—the young ones who got rich quick and had girls hanging all over them—were blinded to anything other than a night of quick, hot sex. Not that there was a damn thing wrong with hot sex, but like Lacey said, I wasn’t that kind of girl.
“Yeah, um, I don’t think so.”
“Good answer, sis …and stop helping, Lace.” Jody stood between us with his usual scowl in place in order to scare off any potential one-night stands that I could be interested in anyway.
I was about to exert my independent status on my brother, once again, when I saw Cage standing at the bar with his arm around what I could only assume was the girl du jour. No sooner had I turned back around than I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, Karen. Jody. Lace. What’re you guys doing out?” He pulled his date closer and lazily ran his fingertips up and down her arm, looking me in the eye. It was apparent that he wanted me to know he wouldn’t become a monk just because I wouldn’t go out with him.
Lacey answered for us. “Vlad and Crystal are having Daddy/Daughter night, so Zoe offered to babysit. We weren’t going to say no to a chance to get out for a few hours.”
“I figured I’d tag along.” For some reason unknown to me, I added, “But I’m leaving shortly. I can’t wait to get out of these clothes and into a hot bubble bath with a good romance book. What are you two up to?” Why did I deliberately bait him? Ugh. Making him think about the last time I was in the tub was a stupid idea. I mean I was the one who always ended our flirting.
“Oh, sorry about that.” He belated realized he’d not introduced his date. “This is Kyrissa. She’s visiting her cousin over there at the bar. Kyrissa’s in the Marines and her cousin’s in the Navy here in San Diego.”
At the mention of her name, the stacked brunette looked me up and down. She quickly decided I wasn’t a threat and ignored me. Right in front of us, she moved herself to stand in front of Cage and stroked his thigh. And not really even his thigh, if you catch what I’m saying. “Actually, I’m in the Air Force, not the Marines.”
Still holding my gaze, he smiled and gave me a wink. “That’s right. Air Force. Well, it was nice seeing you. I think we’re going to get out of here now. We need someplace a little less crowded.”
Before he had a chance to leave, Dan Wyeth, the equipment manager, sauntered up to our group. I’d met him the night I went to see Cage play, but hadn’t seen him since. “Hi, Dan. It’s nice to see you again.” I put my hand on his arm, and he trapped it with his.
“Hey guys.” Dismissing the rest of them, he looked at me with his typical “come fuck me” look. Dan was a major player. Lacey had told me all about him. He’d tried to pick her up before she started dating Jody. If someone kept track, he’d gotten as many bunnies, if not more, than C
age. He was eye candy supreme, with his sandy blonde hair and a slight cleft in his chin. Even though he was a bit on the short side at a couple of inches under six feet, he had huge muscles, and I’d always loved those. I doubted they made a t-shirt big enough to fit around his biceps.
His green eyes bored into mine like I was the only girl in the room. That was, until a willowy, long-haired blonde in thigh-high boots walked by, which was all of approximately two seconds later. I pulled my hand out from under his, the movement causing him to turn back to me.
“Hey, Karen. I was wondering if you’d like to go somewhere else and get a drink with me. Somewhere quieter maybe?”
Cage snorted at the question. “She’s not your type, Dan.”
Well, yeah. He was right. I wasn’t Dan’s type, but who was Cage to answer for me? “Sure.” Shit.
Cage took a step forward, but was instantly tugged back by his date. Between clenched teeth, he growled out, “Great. Have fun, kids.” As he walked away, I watched him slid his hand down to cup Kyrissa’s rear end. His statement was obviously not heartfelt, but it didn’t bother me a bit. Why would it, right? Anyway, I had my own agenda.
***
To my surprise, Dan took me to a classy upscale bar complete with a piano player. It was close to midnight, and I really would have preferred to be in a hot bath with a good book like I’d said earlier, but since I’d agreed, I might as well enjoy myself.
A pretty waitress in a skimpy yet classy uniform sashayed her way over to us. Whoever designed those outfits was an outright genius. They were snug and short, but everything was covered except the tiniest hint of décolletage. If you wanted to, you could peek in there to see a bit more, but if not looking for it, it was a respectable amount of skin showing. Best of both worlds. Something for the men, but the women couldn’t really object. Of course, Dan was the type who went for the extra look, causing me to laugh at his obvious player style.
His eyes snapped up at my chuckle. “What’s funny, gorgeous?”
And there he went with the charm. “Nothing, really.”
“It had to be something.”
I was saved from answering as our waitress gently interrupted. “Good evening. My name is Natalie. Can I get you two something from the bar?” Her eyes lingered on Dan for a second longer than appropriate, but really, I could hardly blame her.
“Karen?”
“I’ll have a Jack and Coke, please.”
I could swear dear Natalie’s voice lowered an octave when she addressed Dan. “And you, sir?”
“Whisky. Neat.”
“Thank you. I’ll come soon. Back. I’ll come back soon. With your drinks.”
Well, so much for Natalie’s professionalism. I was going to have to say her particular uniform was meant to be skimpy, not classy. I laughed again as I watched Dan’s eyes follow her all the way over to the bar. How on earth did this guy get so many dates? “You don’t date the same girl twice, do you?” I wasn’t mad, and smiled at him to let him know. He didn’t owe me anything, and I wasn’t interested in him anyway.
“Huh? Why do you say that?”
“Because you haven’t taken your eyes off of Natalie yet.”
With a frown creasing his forehead, he asked, “Who’s Natalie?”
I didn’t just chuckle then. A nice, loud laugh came out of my mouth. “Oh, you’re precious, aren’t you? Natalie. The waitress? The one with the big boobs you were staring at not more than a second ago?”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t. I was …yeah, okay. Sorry about that. I’m all yours. I promise.”
Natalie came back with our drinks. She plunked mine down in front of me, and it spilled over her hand. When she handed Dan his whiskey, she looked him in the eye as she licked her Jack and Coke soaked fingers. His eyes widened a fraction, but to his credit, he looked back to me, giving me a nod as if to say, “See? I can ignore her.”
“You know what? I think it’s time to go. Natalie, what time do you get off work?”
She turned to me with a jerk, surprised I was talking to her, I guess. “I’m done now, why?” Understanding swept through her and she tilted her head back as her brows shot up. “Oh. You mean …” She made a circular motion with her index finger (the one she’d just licked) encompassing the three of us. “A threesome? Oh, yes. I’m in.”
“Oh, God. No. That is not what I meant.” She sidled over to me and brushed my hair back.
“Are you sure, kitten?”
Jesus. Honestly, all I wanted was a hot bath! Alone. I chugged my drink down, enjoying the burn, and stood up. “I’m going to go.” Dan started to protest, but I stopped him with a finger. “Three reasons. Number one, no offense Dan, I didn’t really feel like going out in the first place. I’m not sure why I said yes.” I held up finger number two. “Secondly, I think you and Natalie here have more in common than you and I do. And third—actually I don’t have a third.”
“Karen, I’m sorry. This isn’t how I planned our night out to go. I’ll take you home.”
For the first time all night he was being genuine. Maybe there was hope for him yet, but not with me. “It’s fine, Dan. Really. I’m just going to grab a cab.”
I walked out of the bar and went across the street to an all-night convenience store. All of the sudden I was in the mood for a KitKat. Yeah, I won’t examine that too far.
It was kind of ironic. When I was a kid, there was a boy I used to play with, Malcolm, who loved KitKats, too. Malcolm and I used to run down to the corner store after school where they had penny candy and buy as many as we could. We’d save for weeks to be able to afford some KitKats. They weren’t just a penny like the other candy, though. They were on the top shelf where the expensive candy was.
I swear, it was magical. We’d walk into that corner store after saving and searching for every penny available, and you could hear angels sing when our eyes landed on that shiny red and black wrapping. Any money left over after we bought what usually amounted to three whole KitKats went to penny candy. Most often Swedish Fish. Good times.
Anyway, I told myself that was why I had a craving for KitKats, and it had nothing to do with a certain wayward hockey player I know. And then …speak of the devil. “What are you doing here? It’s after midnight.”
Cage was straightening out some crumpled dollar bills at the front counter. When he saw me, he put his hand over his purchase to hide it from view. “Didn’t know I had a curfew, Mom, but I’m buying condoms if you really want to know. Kyrissa and I ran out.”
Mom? I had no idea what had happened to cause Cage’s about-face. I thought we were really making headway in my bid for friendship, but it was apparent that he was not happy with me at the present time. His smart ass attitude was out in full, but I still didn’t totally buy it. It hadn’t been all that long since we’d both left the bar. “Yeah? What kind? I like Trojans the best.” Two things were wrong with me at that moment. First, I had no idea why I was still taunting him, and second, let’s face it—I hadn’t needed condoms in so long it was depressing. Lucky for me I could even come up with the name Trojans. Shit, did they still even make them?
“Good to know. Me too. Magnum Trojans to be exact.”
Of course. Magnum. The devil had a hold of me and my mouth. I scanned him from head to toe, pausing at his button-fly. “Huh. Really?”
“Really.” A smile was playing about his lips. He knew I was just egging him on now, but as soon as it appeared, it vanished. “Your date over already?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t really in the mood to be out after all. My body’s so stiff. I just want to go home, get naked and relax in some bubbly, hot water. You know how I love to sit in the tub.” I added a big stretch, and even moaned a little. Seriously, I had no idea what was wrong with me.
Cage’s hand tightened on his alleged box of condoms. After he paid the cashier, he asked for a bag.
“You want a bag to put the bag in?” The cashier looked at him like he had just made an outlandish request.
“Just
give me a bag, huh?”
Quick as can be, Cage put his package in the bag and turned to leave. “Good night, Karen.”
“Night.” I shook my head as he walked out. The bag was so thin, not only could I see the red & black of the KitKat wrapping, but I could also see he got a fifty count. Trojans, my ass.
Chapter 9
Cage
I’d only seen Karen twice more since we ran into each other at the convenience store a few weeks ago. I knew I acted like a dog, but fuck it. Since then I’d been dating Kyrissa a bit, but I think our time was about up. She wasn’t interested in me any more than I was in her. Turned out she was too much like me. She only wanted me for sex. I know—it sounded like I was complaining. The sex was good, but it was like I was just doing it to do it, you know? We both got the ultimate reward, but there was no big over-the-top explosion. I wanted to be in a frenzy with the woman I was with.
Whatever. I was tired of thinking about it. The old me was more fun and let loose so easily. I seemed to have lost him. Now I wanted—well, that was the problem, I didn’t know what I wanted. For now, I needed to concentrate on my game anyway.
Things around the rink got a lot more intense as the playoffs rolled around. During playoffs, I tended to keep to myself even more than usual. I’m sure you’ve heard that goalies can be a bit unbalanced, right? There could be some truth to that.
Back in the locker room after a pretty intense practice, the guys were making plans for the night. Most of them were going home for a quiet night since we had another early practice tomorrow, but some of them were going out to grab dinner. It was a commonplace thing, but as you may have suspected, I didn’t participate too often. And tonight was no exception. I wasn’t just blowing the guys off tonight, though. I was going to break things off with Kyrissa, and then I was going to see if Karen wanted to grab a bite to eat. I missed talking to her, and I probably owed her an apology.
Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) Page 7
