Pucked: Pucked Over Part 7

"Sure. No worries if you can't."

He's so easy about it. I can't decide if that's good or bad until he speaks again.

"One way or another I'll get you alone this weekend, even if I have to lock you in a bathroom."

The naked part is implied.

Chapter 7.

Xbox Lectures RANDY.

Miller's distracted state is allowing me to kick his a.s.s at Xbox. Also, I'm better at the game than he is. Not that he'll admit that. Either way, the lack of compet.i.tion is unsatisfying. His phone rings in the middle of a level, and he pauses the game to take the call.

"Hey, sweets! How was the flight? That's good. I can't wait to see you. You think you'll be at your brother's in an hour? Cool. I'll meet you there. Yeah. Yeah. I'm with him now. Oh, yeah?" He gives me a sidelong glance. "Is that right? Okay. I love you, too, Sunny Suns.h.i.+ne."

I shut the game off without saving it and make b.l.o.w. .j.o.b gestures at him.

"I was beating that level!" He points to the blank screen.

"I smoked you six times in a row," I remind him. "It's not even fun anymore. Besides, I hear you're leaving soon." I don't ask about Lily, though I know she flew in with Sunny. She hasn't gotten back to me about getting together. I haven't pushed either. I don't need to chase girls. If she's not interested, I'll leave her alone. I'll know better tomorrow-unless I get an invite to Waters' place tonight. I'm not banking on that, though.

"I think we need to talk about tomorrow night." Miller settles back against the couch and stretches out an arm.

I pick up my beer. "The Lily situation is under control. I've talked to her since the exhibition game. We're good."

"That's what I'm worried about. What does good mean?"

"It means we've talked. We'll be fine with each other." I haven't been totally up front with Miller about Lily, but then, there isn't anything I need to share. We're just talking, and hopefully this weekend we'll be f.u.c.king.

"Sunny says you've been sending her messages all week."

"Well, yeah. I'm gonna see her, so I figured it'd be a good idea to make sure we're cool. And we are. So problem solved. She isn't going to try to beat me with a hockey stick or ruin any more of my clothes. You've got nothing to worry about." I forgot that girls talk. Of course Lily's going to say things to Sunny, and she's going to tell Miller.

"Randy, man, we talked about this; you can't screw her around."

"I'm not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her around. We're just having fun. She lives in Canada, for Christ's sake. How often can I see her?"

He gives me a look. Sunny lives in Canada, too.

"Yeah, but you guys have a plan. Sunny's gonna move here, and you're all serious and s.h.i.+t. That's not gonna happen with Lily. I'm a rebound. If I think it's going in a direction it shouldn't, I'll back off, okay?"

Miller scratches the back of his neck. "Just don't get too comfortable with her if you're gonna pull the usual routine."

"I never get too comfortable."

"Yeah." He looks like he has more to say, but he slaps his thighs instead and stands. "I should get going. I gotta pick up a few things from my place before I head to Waters'. Thanks for the hospitality, b.a.l.l.s."

"Anytime you want an a.s.s kicking, you come see me and my Xbox."

As soon as he's gone, I check my phone for messages. Nothing from Lily.

I message Lance to see what he's up to. Turns out he's at a bar, which isn't unusual. I don't have anything better to do, so I call a cab and join him.

I end up staying over at Lance's place, thanks to the drinks we consume. He doesn't bring home bunnies. It's the first time that's ever happened that I can recall, although I've only known him a few months.

Lance and I hit the gym in the afternoon in an effort to sweat out the residual booze. I don't hear from Lily all day, other than one quick text telling me she's in Chicago and she'll see me later. Miller keeps sending me pictures of Waters' mom. She has the most f.u.c.ked-up hair I've ever seen. It's insane. In the grainy background of a couple shots I can see Lily and Sunny. They're out of focus, but obviously having fun. If I'd gotten an early invite, Lily and I could've found a private place to say hi-naked, with o.r.g.a.s.ms.

"You need a haircut, bro," Lance says on the way home from the gym, breaking me out of my p.o.r.nish thoughts.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair."

"That man-bun bulls.h.i.+t has got to go. It looks like you've got a stubby Doberman tail hanging off the back of your head."

I laugh. "The ladies like it."

"Yeah, well, you look like a douche."

On that helpful note, Lance drops me off at my place so I can get ready. He'll swing back around and pick me up tonight since I'm on the way to Waters'. It's not a formal event, but we're supposed to look decent, what with the whole thing being a catered dinner. I put on my favorite Lily-decorated underwear and cover them with black pants and a dress s.h.i.+rt. I'm not dealing with a tie tonight if it's not mandatory, but I pocket one just in case.

By six-thirty Lance still hasn't arrived. He's much like Miller in this regard, so I'm used to him being late, but tonight I'd like to be on time. Or at least close to on time. I sit on my front porch and drum on the arm of the chair. I've already sent him a couple of messages. He a.s.sures me he's on his way, and that Tash is the hold up. I don't see how that's possible, as Tash is about as low maintenance as a chick can get. I've never seen her in anything other than athletic gear and a ponytail.

It's another fifteen minutes before they finally get here. Lance is driving his Hummer. It's lime green. He likes to make a statement. Tash gets out of the pa.s.senger side, and for a second I don't recognize her. She's in this slinky black dress-not s.l.u.tty, just fitted. It hugs all the incredible curves of her very toned, very fit body. Her hair is wavy and loose. And she's wearing makeup.

"Holy s.h.i.+t."

She flips me the bird. "Keep your opinions to yourself." She adjusts her dress and touches her hair. "You can take the front seat. There's more leg room."

I shake my head. "No way. You stay put. There's lots of room in the back of this a.s.shole ride."

I hold out my hand, offering to help her back up. She's wearing heels. I'm not sure it's something she does all that often based on the way she grips my arm.

"You're smokin', Tash." I pat her hand.

She gives me the evil eye; then a hint of a smile appears. "Thanks, Randy."

"You better watch yourself tonight, girl. You're gonna need all those ninja fighting skills to keep the guys off you."

"Get in the d.a.m.n car, b.a.l.l.s. We're already late," Lance calls.

"Calm your t.i.ts, bro. That's not my fault."

"It's not mine either," Tash says.

There's something in her tone and the way she looks at Lance. A while back Miller asked if I thought something was going on between them. Now I'm starting to wonder if he was on to something. Lance is giving her the eye-and not the angry eye, but the f.u.c.k eye.

I get into the backseat and slide to the middle so I can stick my head between them and be a d.i.c.k. "So whose fault is it that we're so late?"

Tash looks at Lance, a coy smile pulling at her lips.

He keeps his eyes on the road. "Tash had wardrobe issues."

"If you say so," she flips the visor down and checks her makeup.

It takes thirty-five minutes to get from my place to Waters'. The driveway is packed with cars, and there's some dude in a suit directing us down the street. Lance lets us out and then parks the car so Tash doesn't have to walk a long way in her heels.

I give her a sidelong glance. She does that fidgety thing girls do when they know you're looking at them and they're self-conscious about it.

"What?" she asks.

I shrug. "Nothing. You a little antsy tonight or something?"

"No. I'm fine." She adjusts her dress again.

She's been the team trainer for about two years now, according to Miller. I've only been in Chicago for a few months, so I don't know her all that well. She's good at her job, she pushes us hard, and she's fun to hang out with, but tonight she seems off.

"You wanna wait for Lance or head inside?"

"He knows where we'll be. Let's go." She flips her hair over her shoulder and starts up the driveway.

Waitstaff greet us at the door with c.o.c.ktails. We each take one and survey the house. It's full of people, but I can see from the front foyer all the way to the open sliding doors at the back. They lead right into the backyard, which is also packed.

"Holy h.e.l.l, Waters knows how to throw a party." Tash takes a sip of her drink. "Don't let me have too many of these; I'm liable to get up on a table and do a striptease."

"I don't think you'd get too many complaints about that. Except maybe from that one over there." I point to a little old lady sitting on the couch, holding a wine gla.s.s with two hands.

"Oh, G.o.d. There are grandparents here. I hope the team doesn't do anything to embarra.s.s Violet."

I snort. "Pretty sure she can do that all on her own."

Violet is a riot. She's probably worse than most of the guys on the team with the stuff that comes out of her mouth. I'm not sure if she's a nervous person or half-crazy, but she's entertaining to be around.

As if she hears us talking about her, Violet comes traipsing through the crowd. She's all curves with a tiny waist. She's wearing a red dress. It's one of those wrappy things, so there's a lot of cleavage. Violet's got a huge rack, especially on a body as small as hers. It's hard not to stare.

"Tas.h.!.+" she yells and waves. There's a slight weave in her step. When she sees me, she gets the look on her face she always does. I stuff my hands in my pockets and suppress a grin. I already know what's coming.

Violet can't deal with my name. Miller shortens my last name to b.a.l.l.s-it's kind of an inside joke, which he's not allowed to share with anyone or I'll kill him-and her whacked-out brain changed it into something dirty. Although, I guess given my reputation with women, it's not all that far out there.

Violet stops about three feet away from us. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. The empty gla.s.s she's holding shakes. After a few more seconds she opens her eyes and smiles. "Hi, Randy," she says through clenched teeth.

"It's killing you, isn't it?" Usually there's some thrusting action that accompanies the articulation of my name.

"You have no idea. It's guaranteed I'm going to say something embarra.s.sing tonight. So far I've only accidently referenced Alex's d.i.c.k once."

"Oh, G.o.d," Tash stifles a laugh.

Violet holds up a rea.s.suring hand. "It's okay. I don't think my grandmother caught it; she's not wearing her hearing aids. I'm keeping everything crossed that I can control my mouth for the rest of the night, but it's not my strong suit." One of the waiters comes by to take her empty gla.s.s. Violet takes a new drink from his tray and holds up a finger so he doesn't leave. She gulps it down in one swallow, hands the gla.s.s back, and reaches for another.

"Violet, baby, there you are." Alex comes up behind her and s.n.a.t.c.hes the gla.s.s away before she can get it to her lips. "Here. You should try this instead." He folds her hand around the new gla.s.s and acknowledges us. "Hey, guys. Glad you could make it. Natasha, you look stunning."

"Ooooh! What's this?" Violet holds out the champagne flute. The concoction is pink, with little berries floating in it. A toothpick threaded with candies lies across the top.

"Charlene said you'd love it."

Violet takes a sip and smacks her lips. She's definitely drunk. Tonight should be interesting. "This is awesome. You're the best, baby." She runs a hand down his chest.

Alex catches it before it can go too low. "Anything for you, gorgeous."

She leans into him and clutches his s.h.i.+rt, pulling him down. He gives us an apologetic look, and that's before she says, louder than she probably means to, "Tonight I'm gonna ride your d.i.c.k like we're at the Calgary Stampede."

"Shh," he mutters. "We can talk about that later."

"Right. Shh!" She puts her finger to her lips. "Speaking of riding things..." She lets go of Alex's s.h.i.+rt and points at me. "You might want to find Lily. She is a hot tamale tonight. If I wasn't marrying this s.e.xy piece of a.s.s, and I didn't love his monster c.o.c.k as much as I do, I might be interested in her. Except she's a girl. So I'm not. But there are a bunch of h.o.r.n.y guys who are." She turns to Alex and cringes. "That was too far, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, baby." He nods. "You saw the line and bulldozed right over it."

"I told you this party wasn't a good idea. We need to elope." She guzzles the rest of her drink. "I need another one of these."

"Let me take care of that for you." Alex takes the gla.s.s and puts an arm around her. "I'll catch you guys in a bit. Make yourself at home." He steers her away as she grabs his a.s.s.

Tash and I look at each other. "I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting night."

"You can say that again," Tash agrees.

Lance is still missing, so we make our way through the crowd. I'm on a mission to find Lily, especially after Violet's report. Though she's drunk, so she might be exaggerating. I don't see Lily anywhere inside, so I shoot her a text telling her I'm here and ask for a location.

As Tash and I step out onto the deck in the backyard, her heel catches between two boards. I catch her before she can go down.

"Oh, c.r.a.p! These shoes were a stupid idea."

"You're fine. I got you."

She puts a hand on my shoulder and twists around so she can see what's keeping her locked to the deck.

"d.a.m.n it. It's really stuck!" She jerks her foot a couple of times.

"Let me see if I can get it."

Just as I bend down, I spot Lily. She's wearing a little blue dress, her lean legs on display. It reminds me of her figure skating outfits. It's light and flowy, covering everything and not enough at the same time. And f.u.c.king Kirk is talking to her. He's a dog.