Page 1 of Six Wishes

CHAPTER1

Exit strategy

Van

“Why don’t you buy me a drink, handsome?” a seductive voice whispers in my ear.

I turn my head and come face to face with a petite, heavily bleached blonde, hair all teased to hell like it’s still nineteen eighty-eight, and enough makeup to keep a lot of people in business.

The dress she has on is super short and tight, and her tits look way too big for how small the rest of her is. And she looks tiny enough to fit into my pocket. I am sitting down, and she still has to put her head back to look at me. Some stripper-like shoes complete the rest of her outfit.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a classic puck bunny, if I’ve ever seen one. As a professional hockey player for the better part of the last thirteen years, I have had my fair share of them. Now that I hit my thirties, though, they don’t represent the boatload of fun they used to.

“Sure, where’s your table?” I answer when it becomes obvious that she is not going anywhere.

She turns sideways and points toward a high round table that has three other bunnies sitting around it. They all give me seductive waves and come-hither smiles. Nothing I’ve never seen before.

“Tell Brenda here,” I point at the bartender for the night, “what you and your friends want, and someone will bring it to your table. My treat.” I try to give her my best smile, the one that got me a contract to advertise whitening toothpaste, then nod to Brenda to put it on my tab.

“Wait,” little Tinker Bell here grabs me by the arm, a little more forcefully than I thought she’d be capable of to be honest. Her face looks positively bitchy until she notices that I am looking at her, and the fake smile is back on. “Why won’t you join us?”

“That would be because…” I lean back against the bar, placing one elbow a little too far to the point where it almost slides sideways on the shiny surface. Something wet starts soaking into the material of my shirt, and I pull back, startled.

“Well, this is great,” a feminine and most definitely annoyed voice mumbles from next to me. My eyes widen in surprise when I recognize her face. Chloe Montgomery. Was she here all along?

A lightbulb goes off in my head, and in a split second I make a decision that I hope will save me from the puck bunny.

“I’m here with my girlfriend.” I grab Chloe and turn her around, then go the extra mile and kiss her right on the lips.

“What the…” she starts struggling out of my arms, and I decide to give her a little bit of space, taking in the way her blue eyes glow against the natural tan of her skin.

“Babe,” I squeeze a little tighter, “I was just telling…” I pause and realize that I don’t know Tinker Bell’s real name. “This nice young lady here…” I smile politely, and Tinker Bell is throwing daggers both of our ways. “That I can’t join her and her friends for drinks because I am here with my girlfriend. That’s you,” I clarify when her eyes narrow in annoyance, and I sense that she is about to blow my cover.

We stare at each other for a few moments, and it’s like we’re having a telepathic conversation, with her asking me if I am fucking serious, and me telling her that I am dead fucking serious.

“Okay?” I whisper and lean into her some more. I struggle to contain the moan that’s threatening to escape my throat when she licks her lips, then juts her chin for me to get off her.

As soon as we are both standing up right, I grab her and place her in front of me for bunny protection.

“And you are…?” Chloe leans down toward Tinker Bell. She looks like she is almost a foot taller than she is, and I am loving it. Why did I not appreciate before how tall Chloe is?

“Karla,” Tinker Bell responds in a snotty voice, taking a step forward and putting a hand on her hip.

“Okay, Darla,” Chloe purposely gets the name wrong, but doesn’t get far.

“It is Karla,” Tinker Bell enunciates, almost up on her tippy toes as she’s making a solid effort to get into Chloe’s face.

“That’s what I said,” Chloe’s voice betrays her amusement at the situation. “As my boyfriend here said,” she turns and hooks her arm around mine, “he’s busy. Thank you for stopping by to say hello. He is always happy to meet new fans. Right, baby?” I am momentarily distracted by how the side of her breast is pressed against my arm.

“That’s right,” I smile and jump to say when she pinches me lightly in the ribs. “Would you like an autograph?” I continue to follow Chloe’s lead. “A selfie?” Another pinch, this time harder, makes me jump back. “No selfie.”

“Ugh,” Tinker Bell rolls her eyes and takes off in a huff.

I feel Chloe attempting to pull her hand away from my body, but I press my arm harder against my side, not allowing her to do it.

“She’s gone,” Chloe hisses. “You can let go of me now.”

I smirk and relax my body. When I turn around, I am, once again, surprised by how tall this girl is. The top of her head hits at my shoulders, and that is a treat in itself since I am six foot seven. It is very hard to find a woman who I don’t have to bend in half in order to have a conversation with.

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