Page 6 of One Last Puck

“Hey, Jax!”

A couple of women walked by, throwing flirty glances in my direction. They were cute. Some of them I may have fucked already, but none of them caught my eye like Lafayette. I wasn’t in the mood for anything less than her. The bartender sauntered by, and I slid a tip her way. Then I slowly headed for the exit. I needed to shower and grab a few things before heading to her room.

“Tighten up, nigga,” I muttered to myself before stepping off the elevator.

I smoothed out my t-shirt and gripped the wine I had picked up from the hotel’s convenience store. It had been years since I’d been this nervous about pulling up on a woman. I usually fucked women without a care in the world, but this felt different. This felt like the last time I would ever pull up on a random woman again. I had a deep connection to her that was more than just sex. I hoped my little wager didn’t make her think that was all I wanted from her. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the woman with the infectious smile and unrivaled knowledge of sports.

The stories my father used to tell me about meeting my mother on campus and knowing immediately he was going to marry her kept playing repeatedly in my mind with every step I took down the long hallway. I never believed that it waspossible. I used to think the old man was exaggerating, but the closer I got to Lafayette’s door, the more I was starting to get it how someone could meet a woman and spend the next twenty-five years with her.

I stared at the room numbers, counting them down as I moved along.

“7796, 7794… 7792.”

I was here. I could still smell the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the hallway, enticing my senses. Taking a deep breath, I tapped lightly on the door, looking around to see if anyone was watching. The hallway was empty. Nearly everyone staying here was at the party. The door slowly creaked open, revealing the most beautiful woman I’d seen wrapped in a towel. She was fresh out of the shower, and her hair was pulled up in a bun. She stared at me. Her eyes were low with lust and need.

“I brought wi—” I started, but she pulled me inside before I could finish my sentence.

“Come on before someone sees you.” She shut the door behind me.

“Hey, Lafayette. I brought wine.”

I held up the bottle awkwardly. Losing all my cool, I wasn’t expecting her to be damn near naked and waiting. I thought for sure we’d have small talk and ease into the sex.

“Faye,” she stated. “Everyone calls me Faye for short, and thank you.”

She took the bottle and walked toward the counter. She grabbed two glasses before opening the bottle and pouring us a drink. I watched her move around. The towel barely concealed her assets. Water still glistened on her skin. She looked like a freshly picked peach and I couldn’t wait to bite into her.

“Is this your first time in Hollywood?” I asked her, finding a seat on a nearby couch.

“No. I came here after college. I was going to dive headfirst into sports journalism and land me a big job. After more no’s than I could count, I hightailed my ass back home.”

She made her way over to me, surprising me by taking a seat on my lap.

“Look at you now. Back with all expenses paid. Presenting at the EPIC Awards! Does it feel good?”

“It feels great actually.”

There was that smile I couldn’t get enough of.

“I never in a million years thought I would actually make it here. The podcast was my last ditch effort at making this thing work.”

“Well, you did it! How about a toast?” I took one glass from her hand and clanked it against hers. “A toast to finally catching up to our dreams.”

“To finally catching up to our dreams,” she repeated before lifting the glass to her lips.

I watched as she guzzled down her drink and I did the same. I guess we were both nervous.

“What about you? You sneak up in every sports journalist’s room when you’re in Hollywood?” she asked playfully.

“Nah. I’ve only been waiting for this one reporter.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.” I grabbed her chin and brought her lips to mine while removing the glass from her hand and setting it on a nearby table. “Was kissing you a part of the wager?”

I stared into her beautiful brown eyes.

“You tell me. You made the offer.”

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