PUCKED

by Helena Hunting

  “I had no idea.”

  “He called me to explain. Apparently they’re close.” She produces her phone and shows me Alex’s cell number.

  “How did he get your number?”

  “Good question. Maybe you should return one of his calls and find out.”

  I ignore the jab. “What did he explain, exactly?”

  “About the photos. He was worried. He couldn’t get in touch with you and figured it might be the reason. You could have avoided all this if you’d called him or done some research.”

  I’m too embarrassed to admit I’ve scoured images like a junkie looking for smack, but I didn’t perform a search for this vital information last night. I’ve made a horribly ignorant assumption based on personal expectations.

  He really is a good guy. He took the time to seek out my best friend and relay a message through her, which tells me more about him than the flowers or the gifts.

  I check my phone to find my voice mailbox full, and I have twenty texts. I fear their content. The first two voice mails from Alex simply ask me to return his call. The third one is several minutes long and the reason my voice mail is full. I feel awful. He’s tried so hard to explain the situation and I’ve ignored him.

  I text him immediately. I don’t hear from him all day. He has a game tonight, so he’s likely at practice or he doesn’t have his phone with him.

  Karma dictates I put myself in the same shoes he’s been wearing for the past twenty-four hours. After work, I change into comfy clothes, grab a bag of pretzels from the pantry and a couple of beers from the fridge, and make the trek across the driveway to my parents’ house. The massive television in the living room is the best place to catch the game.

  The teams are evenly matched for skill. I watch with rapt attention as Alex scores a goal and manages two assists in the third period, leaving the other team unable to recover. Afterward, the sportscasters interview Alex. He’s riding the high of the win; I worry my late response is going to result in a self-fulfilling prophesy.

  I’m buzzed by the time the highlight reel is finished. The game has been over for an hour, and still no message from Alex. I return to the pool house and get ready for bed. Clutching the Waters beaver to my chest, I drift into a fitful sleep.

  I’m woken some time later by the sound of my phone ringing. I reach for it in frantic confusion, pressing wrong buttons until I finally answer the call.

  “Hi. Hello?” I’m so disoriented. I’ve been having Alex boob-fondling dreams.

  “Hey.” His voice is a fuzzy blanket of warmth.

  “Hi,” I breathe out, porn star style.

  “I’m sorry I woke you. I tried to call earlier but my phone died and I had to wait for it to charge. How are you?”

  God, I love him. Wait, what? No, no, I don’t love him. I love his sweetness.

  “I’m okay. I’m sorry I didn’t call you until today . . .” I feel guilty for avoiding him, afraid he was all up in someone else’s beaver.

  “I should’ve warned you. I know how the pictures look. Flying Sunny out was unplanned.”

  My remorse overrides my ability to censor my response. “I like you. I didn’t expect to see you with someone else. I thought maybe my brand of crazy was a bit too much to handle.” Goddammit, I was doing such a . . . mediocre job at being unaffected. Now I’ve shot the mediocrity all to shit.

  “You like me, eh?”

  If I could melt into a puddle, I would. Those Canadianisms get me every time.

  “Mm-hmm.” It practically comes out a sigh.

  “I like you, too,” he says softly. “Can you take Friday off? I’d love to fly you out to Toronto. You can come to the game, and we can hang out for a few days. I’ll take you to Guelph.”

  It’s hard not to get all swoony with Alex offering to fly me out to a foreign country. Okay, not foreign, but Canadians speak French and they have accents. I have vacation days. Time alone with Alex would be fantastic.

  “Violet?”

  Shit. I’ve been silent again.

  “Please say yes, baby. I want you to come.” His voice is low, gritty.

  He must know it drives me crazy in the best way when he calls me baby. “I want to.”

  “We can get a hotel room the first night, then stay at my condo in the city for the rest of the weekend. Just the two of us.”

  “You have a condo?”

  “I do. My parents stay there when I have Toronto games.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  The idea of spending a weekend alone with Alex makes my thighs clench. It’s been days since I helped myself out, and now I’m warm and wet and wanting.

  “I’ll have to check with work to see if I can get the time off. Last minute tickets will be expensive.”

  I slide my palm down my stomach to my parted thighs, stifling a moan. My breathing is already heavy, so I hold the phone away from my mouth.

  “Don’t worry ab—what are you doing?”

  “Uh, I—uh . . .” Should I or shouldn’t I? Prior to my discovery of the picture of him and his sister, he’d been sending me dirty texts all week citing the things he couldn't wait to do to me when he got home. In one he mentioned spending an afternoon with his face between my thighs. Except he didn’t use that particular phrasing. I moan. Once the sound is out of my mouth, I can’t mulligan it back.

  “Are you touching yourself?”

  “Maybe.” I slip my fingers into the little pocket in the front. Boy’s underwear are so convenient.

  “Yes or no, Violet?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah, fuck. Are you petting my pussy?”

  Oh sweet baby Jesus, he called it his. “Uh-huh.”

  I bite my lip to keep from moaning too loudly.

  “Don’t hold back. Tell me what you’re doing. God, I wish I could see you.”

  “I—I—”

  “You gonna get all shy with me now? It’s just you and me. There’s no one but us. Give me something to get through the next few days.” His voice is soft, encouraging.

  “Alex. I . . .” It’s barely a whisper.

  “Do you wish it was me? My fingers touching you?”

  “Oh, God.” I’ve never had phone sex. I’m not a conscious sex talker. The crap I spew is unintentional. “Yes, I wish it was you.”

  “Me, too, baby. Me, too. Where are your fingers?”

  I hesitate for a fraction of a second. “My clit.”

  “Are you wet like you were for me?”

  I debate the merits of telling the truth or embellishing for the sake of phone sex hotness. “Uh-uh.”

  “No?”

  “Not nearly as wet as I get for you.” I’m all breathy and moany.

  This is total bullshit. I’m one of those naturally lubey people. It’s a goddamn blessing. However, I’m all for stroking Alex’s ego while we stroke ourselves.

  “I can’t wait to have my mouth on you again. I’m gonna eat you like I’m on death row and you’re my last goddamned meal.”

  I moan—because what other response does a declaration like that warrant? Alex is really good at the phone sexing.

  I rub in earnest as Alex whispers dirty things in my ear about how he wishes it was his fingers and his mouth, how good it will be when he finally gets inside me again, and how much he wishes it was my hand on his cock right now.

  “I miss your cock,” I whisper.

  “You do, eh?” He follows that bit of Canadian cuteness with, “Tell me how you feel about my cock.”

  Good lord, this man’s head is about to explode right along with his dick. “I love your cock, Alex.”

  He sucks in a sharp breath.

  “I’m so close. Don’t stop.” I’m not talking to my own hand; I’m talking to Alex and his dirty mouth. It’s the driving force behind my impending orgasm.

  I moan his name and some profanity as heat funnels into the center of my body. The phone falls from my ear as the orgasm hits. It’s like dropping a Mentos into a bottle of soda.

>   Alex’s voice is soft and distant while he croons from halfway under my pillow. “That’s it, let me hear you come. God, I wish I was inside you . . . ah shit, I’m gonna—”

  I scramble for the phone. There’s no way I’m going to miss this. Alex rasps my name in the sexiest way imaginable. I close my eyes and envision him naked—fisting his cock, coming on his perfect abs.

  I give him a moment to catch his breath before I attempt conversation. It’s a lame one. “Sooo . . .”

  “God that was hot. What are you wearing? I pictured you topless in boxers.”

  “You got the bottom half mostly right. I’m wearing a tank top. It’s white, so you’d be able to see my nipples through it if you were here.” I find it interesting Alex asks about my apparel after the phone sex.

  “Will you take a picture and send it to me?”

  “What if you lost your phone and it got leaked on the Internet?” I also look terrible in most pictures, especially selfies.

  “Hm. Good point. I don’t want anyone else to see you naked. Or partially naked. I can wait if I have to. So you’ll come to Toronto? I’ll have the ticket sent to you tomorrow.”

  “Let me check with my boss first. Give me until tomorrow night to see if I can work something out. If Sidney and my mom want to go, he’ll cover the cost so you don’t have to.”

  “I want to buy the ticket.”

  I’m worried about Buck’s reaction. I don’t care what he thinks, but Alex has to play with him for the rest of the season. If things don’t work out between us, it could mess up his game. I can’t imagine Buck being all buddy-buddy with Alex if he finds out he’s sticking his monster cock in my beaver den.

  “When you make the playoffs, you can fly me out to one of those games.” Those are a long way off. Who knows what will be happening between us then?

  “You’ll let me do that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ll stay with me in Toronto even if you fly out with your family this weekend?”

  “Definitely.” I stifle a yawn.

  “Okay. I should probably let you go; it’s late there, isn’t it?”

  “It is. But middle of the night phone booty was worth being woken up for.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, sexy girl.” His voice is soft, like feathers drifting over my skin.

  “Night, Alex.”

  “Night, baby.”

  VIOLET

  The next evening, Charlene hangs out at my place. I have a plan to get Sidney to take us to the game in Toronto, and Charlene is part of the persuasion package.

  I prepare for martini happy hour and wait for my mother’s arrival. The drinks are necessary. She’s a cyclone you don’t want to get caught up in, especially with Charlene around to feed her hyperactivity. I didn’t get my energy level from my mom.

  Martini in hand, Charlene follows me into my bedroom while I search my drawers for something comfortable to wear. I need to do laundry. All my favorite Marvel Comic boxer briefs are dirty. I settle on leggings and a T-shirt.

  “What’s this?” Charlene asks.

  I turn, prepared to issue a snide comment, until I see she’s holding the Waters beaver. My fingers twitch with the urge to rip it from her hands.

  “It’s a stuffed animal.” I pick up my phone from my dresser and scroll through my messages to avoid eye contact.

  “I see that. Where’d you get it?” Charlene flips it over, inspecting the back of its mini jersey.

  “Alex sent it to me.” My skin gets hot. I bet I’m blotchy.

  “Oh, Violet.” Charlene nuzzles the beaver, rubbing her nose on top of its head. “Do you sleep with his beaver?”

  She’s mocking me, and I don’t appreciate it. Plus she’s touching my Waters beaver. I’m a tad territorial about my presents from Alex. I don’t let anyone else near the books he’s sent me. I also hid the box of Godiva from my mom to avoid sharing.

  “You can’t tell me that if you had a full-body pillow in the likeness of Darren Westinghouse, you wouldn’t hump it before bed every night.”

  Charlene drops the beaver on my bed and wipes her hands on her pants. “You’re disgusting.”

  “I don’t hump his beaver. I was making a point, you pervert.”

  “Oh. Right. Do you think I can get a full-body pillow of Darren?”

  “I’m sure you could have one made.”

  I pick up the beaver and cuddle him furtively—or not so furtively—before I set him back on the bed, pet his little head, and stroke his cute buck teeth.

  “So what’s going on? You’re like a crack addict on a sugar high right now.”

  I’m fidgety and bouncy, which are telltale signs something’s going down. “I have a plan for—” I’m interrupted by a knock at the door.

  My flower delivery guy is holding a huge bouquet of flowers with a Canadian flag perched between white and red carnations, white lilies, and a bunch of other flowers conforming to the same color scheme. The theme is strictly Canadian. Charlene is right on my heels, looking over my shoulder.

  “Hi, Fred.”

  “How’s it going, Violet?” He seems nervous. I can’t blame him. The last time he was here, I was pissed off and took it out on the flowers. I also made mention of hockey whores and hookers.

  “I’m good. Sorry about last week.” I take the flowers. Charlene is practically piggybacking me to get a look at them. “This is my friend Charlene.”

  “Hi.” Charlene waves.

  “Hey.” Fred waves back and gestures to the flowers. “I guess you made up?”

  “We did.”

  Fred nods and looks down at his feet. This is weird.

  “Well, thanks for bringing the flowers. Have a good night.” I send him on his morose way.

  “I bet Alex would be pissed if he found out the guy who delivers his flowers has a crush on you.”

  I put the new bouquet in a vase. “Fred doesn’t have a crush on me.”

  Charlene snorts but doesn’t comment further. “Hey, there’s something else here.”

  A small box sits in the middle of the bouquet. I open the card first.

  I can’t wait to show you around my hometown.

  ~xo Alex

  Charlene grabs the card out of my hand. “What’s this? His hometown? “xo”? Oh my God! What’s going on?”

  “Alex wants me to come to his game in Toronto.”

  “And?”

  “And spend the weekend with him in Guelph.”

  “Bless you.” Charlene hands me a tissue. “So where are you spending the weekend? You’ve already said yes, right?”

  “Guelph and no.”

  Charlene plucks another tissue from the box.

  “I’m not sneezing. Guelph is the name of his hometown, you asshole. I needed to make sure I could get the time off work first before I said yes.” I cleared it with the boss this morning. I told him it would be good for networking. It’s not a total lie.

  “This is huge. I can’t believe he invited you to his hometown. Does that mean you’ll meet his family? You have to go to this game.”

  “If we can convince my mom we need to go to Toronto, she’ll pester Sidney until he agrees, and he’ll get the tickets. The Hawks are doing really well. He’ll want to support Buck.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  I hand a martini glass to Charlene. “Right?”

  Having Alex buy the ticket for me is far too extravagant for a second date. If my parents go, it solves all the issues. I’ll still feel a little guilty about it, but I’ll survive.

  The other part of my plan is to convince Charlene to come, too. I’ll need her moral support at the game. It’s a lot to ask since I’m not sure I can get Sidney to spring for her plane ticket as well. “Will you come?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “Sidney can probably get an extra ticket to the game and the hotel will be covered.”

  Charlene immediately starts searching for last minute flights on her phone. “And I’ll get to meet Darren
in person, what could possibly be better?”

  I clink my martini glass against Charlene’s. I’ve got her on my side. All I need is to convince my mom and it’s a go.

  The deep rumble of my mother’s Mustang and the heavy dance beats signal her arrival at the end of drink number two. As usual, she doesn’t knock. “Is that Char’s car in the driveway?”

  “Hi!” Charlene puts down the shaker to accept my mom’s overzealous embrace.

  “You look great!” Mom kicks off her shoes and wanders into the kitchen. “Is that a martini? What kind is it? You girls don’t mind if I join you for a drink, do you? Sidney’s got a conference call in an hour, and I’m not in the mood for a quickie.”

  I pretend I don’t hear the last part and help Char make her a drink.

  “Oh, new flowers!” She waves her hands in the air like she’s ready to break into a dance routine. She sniffs the blossoms. “These are beautiful! What’s this?” She picks up the small box on the counter.

  I completely forgot about it, having gotten caught up in explaining the situation to Charlene.

  “I’m not sure.” I’m hopeful it’s nothing inappropriate or my mom is likely to overshare her own personal experiences.

  She thrusts the package at me. “Well, open it.”

  I take it with some reluctance, praying it’s not porn related.

  I tear away the red and white paper to uncover a box of maple leaf shaped candies. Huh. This is far from offensive. I’ve grown accustomed to Alex’s mildly inappropriate gifts, cards, and emails.

  I pop one into my mouth. It dissolves the moment it hits my tongue. Oh God, it’s heavenly. It’s like . . . maple sugar. Soooooo good. I do the contented moan thing. I don’t want to share them because I’m greedy, but I feel bad moaning my food pleasure while they stare.

  “Want one?” I grudgingly ask with a mouthful of melting maple sugar.

  They make the same noise I did. Now I get why they were staring. They sound like they’re on the brink of a sugar orgasm.

  “Can you get these outside of Canada?” Charlene asks with a knowing look. “I’d go to Canada just to get something like this.” She plucks another one from the box.