Page 9 of The Power Play

By the time I’m in bed, I’m sated for now and know that I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow since the team is getting on a plane first thing in the morning to go to our away game the next day. The last image that consumes my mind as I drift off is brown eyes with green flecks almost covered with a mask and white teeth sinking into plush pink lips.

We flewinto Ottawa yesterday and I’m currently in the thick of my pregame rituals in the locker room. After warmups, I have to drown everyone out, drown out every thought from my mind because none of them matter in this moment. The only thing that matters is hockey. When I was younger and just starting out, my teammates thought I was an asshole because I refused to participate in any “team” rituals. I had my own. They work for me and I wasn’t going to screw that up.

The music is loud in my ears playing my specific pregame playlist as I mentally go over my strategies, both ones Coach has given me and ones I know on my own. I’m sitting on the bench with my gear on, elbows resting on my knees with my hands clasped between them as I stare at the floor visualizing the perfect plays. Picturing what I need to do and how to play my best game.

Our team captain, Collee, calls everyone around for the pregame pep talk, theonlyteam ritual I participate in. Mostly because it’s mandatory. Once it’s done, we head out on the ice for the game. I’m not on the starting line for the initial play so I take my spot on the bench as the national anthems for both America and Canada play before puck drop.

The game starts with its usual intensity as the centers face off. I’m doing my best to be completely focused on what is happening in front of me and prepping for when my teammate and I will be switching off, but the one distracting thought that I can’t fight is if Lacey is watching. And if she’s on cam doing what she said she would right now. Does she have the game on while starting her show? Is she really going to have special rewards for when we score or get penalized? The thoughts have me too distracted and I shake them away as best I can.

The last distracting thought I have as I see my line partner coming to the boards to switch out with me is that I know I want us to win so we can both be rewarded. With my mind back where it should be, I go flying onto the ice ready to win this game with my team.

We endedup winning in overtime after a shootout. I started to get pretty pissed at the other team toward the end, they were doing everything they could to make sure we went into OT and that included some borderline illegal hits that the refs didn’t call.

As soon as the game is finished, I race to the locker room hoping I can catch Lacey while she’s still on and message her so I can, maybe, see her and get some sort of recap on what I missed. Or hope she recorded it because I will pay whatever she wants to see it.

I grab my phone from my locker and instantly bring up the cam app, shielding my screen with my body. It shows her as still online, so I send her a message instantly.

Charlie: I’m sad I missed your show tonight pretty girl. I want to hear all about it if we can video in about an hour?

I set the phone down, waiting for a response as I take off my gear as quickly as possible. I know I’m at the mercy of the whole team to leave since we are all on the same bus to the hotel, but I want to be on there as quickly as possible.

I glance at the screen again before I start to remove my gear from the waist down to see she responded.

Lacey: I guess I can wait, but I think you should be punished for missing this show *devil emoji*

Charlie: Deal.

Tossing my phone back into my locker, I strip from the rest of my game gear, wrapping a towel around my waist before heading into the showers. I take a very quick and very cold shower to keep my dick from hardening at the thought of Lacey and our video chat. Sometimes the calls are fairly innocent, other times not so much. She’s the dream woman I can never have.

I’m one of the first guys back on the bus and I’m growing more irritated by the minute as the rest of the guys don’t join. I just want to get back to my hotel room and talk to Lacey.

“What’s your deal?” Dumont asks as he plops in the seat next to me.

“I don’t have a deal,” I snap, harsher than I intended.

“You’re shaking your leg and giving the death glare to everyone that comes in here,” he points out.

I shake my head. “I’m just tired and want to get back to the hotel.”

Dumont is a talker, and he isn’t great at letting things go, which I saw last season with him and McQuaid getting in little arguments. I’m still not sure how they ended up sharing a girlfriend, but it’s not my business.

“You got a girl you’re trying to talk to at the hotel?” he pushes.

“Nope, just want to go to sleep.”

“Well, I want to get back and be the first to call Chandler,” he reclines slightly in the seat with a smirk.

I don’t know what to say so I remain quiet, checking the time on my phone again. It’s been forty-five minutes since I messaged Lacey and I don’t want her to think I blew her off if we don’t get back before an hour.

It feels like forever until the whole team is loaded up and I’m glad the hotel isn’t far because I have less than five minutes left by the time we get back. I race out of the bus quickly, trying not to look too obvious. It seems like the elevator is moving slower than it should as I head up to my room and I’m ripping at my suit tie and the buttons of my shirt as I get into the room.

I’m instantly starting the private video call with Lacey as I strip off the restricting clothes. I never show her my face because I don’t need her possibly recognizing me, but she’s seen my body. And I know she likes what she sees, which gives me a shot of pride.

“You miss my show,andI don’t get to see you? Now you’re really getting punished, and I may not let you come ever again,” her voice instantly brings a small smile to my mouth as I continue to get situated on the bed.

“You wouldn’t be that mean to me,” I tease, lying back on some propped-up pillows and adjusting my phone on my lap so nothing higher than my chest will be seen.

“Do you want to find out?”

---