Page 2 of One Last Puck

“Guilty,” he said, showcasing a very arrogant smile, showing off the diamonds in his mouth I hadn’t noticed before. “And you’re Lafayette Porter, right? I’ve heard you say great things about me on your podcast.”

He watches my podcast.He’s heard me talk about him.My face lit up, and excitement washed over me. I’d never actually met a professional athlete in person.

“I’m Lafayette, um… y-yeah, that’s me,” I stuttered.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret: Most of the team watches your podcast.” He leaned in with a whisper. “You’re funny, and you keep it a hundred.”

Jaxton Saint called me funny. My face flushed red, and I smiled as the bartender finally returned with my drink.

“I’m sorry. I can’t believe real athletes are paying attention to little old me.”

A group of celebrities tuned in to my podcast was crazy. Before winning the contest, I didn’t even know people were noticing me on a large scale. I had about 75,000 subscribers. I mean, I had a few videos to go viral on Hollywood Tea Room, but I was still building my platform.

“It’s nothing little about you, shawty. I mean this in the most respectful ‘I’ll eat you off the bone’ way. You Big Mama around these parts!”

There went my cheeks again.Was he flirting with me?

“Thanks, I guess!”

I took my drink to the head and took a big sip. I needed to ignore that. The last thing I needed was for people to think I was using my sex appeal to get ahead in this male-dominated industry.

“It means a lot that people are tuning in. I’m just trying to elevate the black faces in sports, especially in hockey, where players that look like you are few and far between.”

“Exactly! That’s why I appreciate your show and why I choose to play hockey. I want to break barriers.”

His voice was warm, charming even, and turning me on. I watched as he shifted his bar stool to be closer to me. He was probably tired of shouting over all the noise.

“So, what brought you to the EPIC Awards? Are you nominated tonight?” I asked. The journalist in me was already going to work.

“Apparently, it takes more than skill and being the first black goalie in over a decade to get recognized. They’re strict over here.” He chuckled, and I joined him.

“You were robbed. You definitely should have gotten a Best Rookie nomination.”

“It’s cool. My time will come. I’m here to support a teammate’s nomination. My nigga Reese is nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete,and a bunch of the team is here rooting for him.”

“That’s dope actually. Shows you’re a team player.”

“That, and I would not miss the free liquor.” He grinned, holding up a drink.

“Touché!” I took another sip of mine. “For what it’s worth, nominating you would have been a better story.”

“You got that right!” he said, and we nodded.

The conversation flowed seamlessly between us. It was like I had known him forever. I figured that maybe I should shoot my shot at getting my first celebrity guest on the show. That was what I was here for, after all.

“So, if you’re not doing anything after the awards, I’d love to have you come on the podcast,” I suggested. My heart raced slightly.

“Definitely,” he replied. His gaze flickered with interest. “I’d be down for that. When are you recording?”

“We can set something up for next month. I usually do it on Wednesdays,” I said, mapping out my schedule mentally. I hoped he didn’t think I was being too forward. Who knew when the next opportunity would present itself?

“Sure. I’m always down to talk about the game,” he continued, leaning closer slightly. “I’m going to make everybody in the locker room jealous of this one.”

“I don’t know why. You’ll be the biggest guest I’ve ever had on the show.” I cursed myself as the words escaped my lips.Why would you say that? He didn’t know that.

“So, no one’s said yes to coming on?”

“Not yet.” I shrugged. “But I haven’t really asked many people. I’m still just a tiny podcast, which is why winning the contest has been so huge.”

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