Page 38 of The Power Play

Clearly, I need to get my shit together. As I toss all the clothes into my hamper and climb into bed, I’m very aware that there’s a woman just down the short hall from me that I would love to have next to me right now. As I’m drifting off to sleep, I think that maybejust maybeAudrey will help me get past my little problem.

If she even wants to. Tonight could’ve been a fluke, but I have a feeling that she may be the one to bring me back and regain a piece of life that I’ve been missing out on for too long.

The next morning,I get up for morning skate and as I head into the kitchen to grab my coffee, I’m shocked to see Audrey sitting at the island eating some oatmeal with strawberries. The red fruit brings me back to last night immediately making my dick start to harden as I think about how I could taste the sweetness from them on her lips, mixed with the taste of me from her mouth then her pussy from mine. Fuck, maybe we could–

“Good morning,” she says nonchalantly.

I clear my throat, ducking my head mumbling, “Morning,” as I go to the coffee pot which is already filled so I’m able to pour some in my travel container. I look up at her, but she’s just staring down at her phone.

Suddenly, I’m wondering if last night even happened. Maybe I dreamed the whole thing. Or worse, it wasn’t anything special to her. Maybe I disappointed her, even. I know I’m out of practice, but she seemed toreallybe into what we were doing. And I like her being in control, though I wouldn’t mind if I could–

“If you’re staring at me, it better be because you’re remembering what I look like naked and how I taste,” she teases, finally looking up at me with a smirk.

“I was just…I don’t…” fuck I’m defective, looking to the side I see a stack of mail. “Oh, you got the mail.”

I’m reaching for it to see if there’s anything I should care about, even though the last thing I want to do right this minute is look at the fucking mail.

“No, that’s not–” Audrey sounds panicked and she jumps out of the chair as I lift the stack. The first thing I see is an envelope that has her name and address handwritten on it. I only get a glimpse at the return address that whoever it is has her same last name, Hudson, before she snatches the pile from me. “That’s not for you.”

“Sorry.” I nod toward the mail she’s clutching close to her chest, “What family member still sends letters? They haven’t heard of a text or even an email?”

She scoffs, walking back over to her seat at the counter without letting up on her death grip she has on the papers. “It’s my grandma,” she mutters. “And she’s heard of them but doesn’t have mine so this is her only resort.”

“Really? Why?” I’m intrigued to find out more about the woman who’s staying at my house, beyond just what she looks like naked and how she sounds when she comes. What is her family like? What’s her favorite color? Least favorite food? I want to know everything she will give me.

“Not a fun story,” she huffs.

“It doesn’t have to be fun, I told you my shit,” I tell her, approaching where she sits, slowly.

“Thisshitis a little…much,” her shoulders hunch over slightly and I can tell this really is a sensitive topic. I want to know, so I can help. But if she won’t tell me right now, I get it.

“Okay, if you ever want to talk about it, you can with me. Sorry to ask. I have to head to practice.” I’m going to be early, but feel like I’m hovering at this point and maybe I just need to escape this close proximity to her to clear my head. I feel like all the years I’ve been hyper focused on Lacey and now, knowing Lacey is Audrey and having her in my space, having her everywhere, completely surrounding me is driving me a little mad. In a good, but overwhelming way.

She just nods, “Have a good practice. Smack some pucks.”

I don’t know why I do it. It’s like I’m possessed when I walk up to her, pull her against me by the shoulders, and place a kiss on her hairline. Without giving her a chance to react, I turn and walk out without looking back.

While running drills at practice,I feel like I’m on autopilot, not really taking in any feedback given to me by our coaches. And hardly paying attention to my teammates when they try to talk to me. My mind is elsewhere. Particularly, it’s in my dining room replaying last night and how I wished this morning would have gone.

By the end of practice, I’m covered in sweat, but could not tell you what exactly we did. After I’m showered and changed, part of me wants to find something else to do that isn’t going home because on one hand, I want to see Audrey, but I’m not sure if she wants to see me. Also, I’m not sure if it’s going to be awkward.

We have one more home game tomorrow, then head out onto the road again. I can’t help but wonder if we are going to talkwhile I’m away or if that part of our situation is over now that it’s more…real.

At least more real physically.

I park in the garage of my building and just sit in my car. I realize I need to get over my worries of potential awkwardness. Audrey’s been staying at my place for a couple weeks and I’m pretty sure she hasn’t liked me very much for a majority of the time. Now that she seems to be coming around, I should embrace it, not hide from it. I’m just so fucked in the head when it comes to anything sexual that I don’t know how to act.

When I get up to my place and open the door, I don’t know why I’m half expecting Audrey to be laid out naked, waiting for me. Or worse, actively on cam in my living room. Maybe because I wouldn’t mind either of these scenarios being what I walk in on, but that’s not the case.

Instead, I’m met with silence, and I realize rather quickly that my worry and spiral of thoughts has all been for nothing because she’s not even here. I shake my head as I go to grab some food out of the fridge. I need to really get my shit together.

After I’m done with my lunch and I’m cleaning the dishes, I hear the front door opening and I can’t help the way my body reacts knowing it’s her. My heart races, and my mind floods with the different ways she could greet me.

“Why is life so fucking expensive?!” she exclaims. I turn around to watch her fall into one of the stools at the island and bury her face in her arms.

Okay, in all my ideas that came to my head, this was not one of them.

“What happened?” I ask, lamely.

---