Page 95 of Offside Attraction

They piled the gifts on a table in the corner and all drew a number out of Darcy’s hat. He got the first pick, which was arguably the worst, so nobody accused him of cheating.

Darcy chose a purple bedazzled bag, then sat back on his stool and pulled out the tissue paper. He reached in and pulled out a large rubber phallus, purple and sparkly, with a suction cup base.

Laughter erupted around the table.

Tyler raised his voice. “Okay, who raided Brett’s bathroom.”

Brett flipped him the bird.

Number two, Curtis’s wife Sasha picked a medium sized box. Inside she found a pillow with the words “Open for Sex” on one side and “Don’t Ask” on the other. She clutched it to her chest, kicking her feet with glee.

The pillow got stolen almost immediately. Darcy changed his grip on the dildo every round in the hopes of making it look more appealing to the masses.

Rhonda just about died when Anne opened up a pair of boxer briefs with the words “I licked it so it’s mine” across the front, and then all laughter died when Fly opened up a set of custom shot glasses decorated with the Pucks Deep logo.

Tina’s eyes shot to hers. Rhonda waved it off. It didn’t need to be a big deal and?—

“I think Rhonda needs those,” Darcy quipped.

Rhonda’s blood turned to ice. “Excuse me?”

He held out his hands. “Not like it’s a secret anymore. Everyone saw your tongue down his throat.”

Anne cleared her throat. “Okay?—”

“No.” Rhonda drew a deep breath and grinned. “I can take a joke. Better than Darcy can take purple sparkles.”

The group erupted, and she poured herself another beer. But then Sean spoke up from the end of the table. "I just hope you’re being careful."

Rhonda's jaw clenched. She exhaled and counted to three to make sure she wasn’t going to rip him a new one, then stood and held up a hand. "Alright, let’s just get this over with.”

Everyone quieted.

This was not how she’d intended to rip off the Band-Aid, but here went nothing. "First of all, I love you all. You know that, right?" She waited for nods. “And I know you all probably think I'm certifiably insane to be seeing Jordan." She paused, looking around the table. "You all think Pucks Deep players are a bunch of assholes and you hate Jordan?”

“We don’t hate—” Suraj started, then stopped when he saw Rhonda’s eyes flashing.

She pointed at Sean. “You hated Tyler at first. When he started dating Emma.” Then she pointed at Jenna. “You hated Country. For like, a minute before you remembered you had a lady boner for him for thirteen years.”

Country snorted, and Tyler looked a little smug.

“All I’m saying,” Rhonda continued, “is that when you get to know someone, they’re usually pretty great.” She sat back on her stool and held up her slip of paper with the number nine. “Jordan’s great. I was into him before I ever knew he was on Pucks Deep, and I almost didn’t do anything about it because he was. He’s my boyfriend. Get over it and hand me those damn shot glasses.”

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Jordan

Jordan clockedout at the urgent care, his shoulders slumping as his shift officially came to an end. He rubbed his eyes, the fluorescent lights glaring down from the ceiling.

“You out of here?” one of the nurses called from the station.

“Yeah, I’m out. Merry Christmas, everyone.” He waved and headed for the break room. He opened the bag he’d stashed under the sink earlier and pulled out a variety of snacks. Protein bars, fruit, assorted gourmet teas and coffee. He knew what the other nurses liked, specifically not more candy, and he’d picked up their favourites.

He set the snacks on the table, arranging them neatly, and then pulled out a handful of gifts. Personalized hand sanitizers and packets of gourmet hot chocolate. Nothing fancy. He left them on the counter and avoided the main hallway, opting to slip out the back door to the parking lot.

The early morning frost clung to the streets, the air crisp and biting. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked to his truck. The second he closed the door and started the engine, he re-read the messages from Anne and Tina.

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