Nikki Worrell - The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions)

Jody tried to keep it light, but internally he was a mess. Lacey stunned him. She looked like she’d been in a train wreck when she walked in, but all Jody could see was how enticing she was. Even with her hair sticking out in all directions, it was beautiful. Long and dark, it looked like it would be silky to the touch. She had soulful blue eyes that could hold your attention forever. Her cheek bones hinted at a Native American ancestry. And her lips. Hot damn! Her lips were full and pouty and just begged to be kissed. As his eyes had taken in the rest of her body, he couldn’t help but notice her phenomenal rack. Even hidden under her bulky sweatshirt he could tell she was stacked. What could he say? He’d always been a breast man.

Her bottom half was just as nice. She had legs that made him thank the Heavens she had neglected to put pants on. She was taller than most of the women he dated, which was an added bonus. He’d guess she was around five-foot nine-inches in height. Jody usually dwarfed the women he dated; not that there’d been that many. Better yet, she had some meat on her bones. How refreshing was that these days? He liked a woman with curves, and she had them in spades. Lacey was a breath of fresh air to a man like him.

It had been too damn long since he’d had a woman. He just wasn’t like the other guys who pretty much screwed anything that smiled at them. Lacey was a marked woman now, whether she wanted to be or not. Jody started making plans to get to know Lacey better – much better.

Zoe had known of Jody LaGrange from Vlad. He was the Scorpions goalie and a good friend of Jody’s. During his first session, Zoe learned a bit more about Jody on a personal level. The first meeting was just an informal half hour ‘get to know you’ kind of thing. There was no delving into his psyche in the first session. Zoe liked to get to know her clients a bit before getting down to business.

Not all psychologists worked that way, but it worked for her and she felt it helped her clients open up more. School had taught her that there was a fine line between being a therapist and being a friend. Getting too close to your clients could adversely affect their therapy. While there was absolute truth to that, Zoe found that she got better results by straddling that line with these guys.

“Well Jody, you know why you’re here. And I understand that you probably don’t want to be. I take a slightly different approach to therapy for you guys. I’m not going to ask you to divulge your deep, dark emotions until you feel comfortable doing so. I want you to be able to consider me a friend that you can literally say anything to and know that it will never leave this room.” Zoe hoped that her unorthodox method of trying to lessen the line between doctor and client would appeal to Jody.

“I can live with that. I don’t want to offend you, but you’re right, I don’t particularly want to be here. I’ve always hated the therapy thing. It feels unmanly somehow.” And what if she hit on something and had him crying like a baby? He was a freaking enforcer. He was a tough guy. Therapy was scary.

“I get that; I do. You won’t offend me, but I can guarantee that if you give it a chance, I might be able to help you someday. One thing I will insist on. I’ve given you my card and it has my cell phone number on it. If you ever need someone to talk to at any time, day or middle of the night, I need you to call me. Can we agree on that?” This was usually where the player brushed her off with a ‘yeah, sure.’ She went through the motions anyway, because if there was a chance she could help even one of these guys someday, she’d take it.

Jody surprised her though. He took out his phone and programmed her cell number in it. “Thanks Dr. Millis. I can’t say right now that I’ll use it, but I’m not stupid enough to throw out a possible lifeline. I’ve seen what head injuries have done to other players, specifically enforcers. I’m sure you know we lost three great, young guys last year to suicides, and they were all enforcers. I’d rather not be a statistic.”

Zoe gave Jody a sad smile. “Yes, those three guys were part of my reason for changing my therapy style. When I let down my walls and stepped out of the comfort zone of being the doctor with the white jacket, I saw better results. I’d like to think I can help you guys deal with the mental and physical pressures of your job.” Giving Jody a happier smile she said, “And get rid of the Dr. Millis; it’s just Zoe, okay?” Zoe got some other preliminary information from him and ended the session.

One of the things Zoe found out about Jody was that he was single. That could be good to know if her hunch was right. Lacey was absolutely floored by Jody. That was a rarity. Zoe hoped she’d give him a chance. They obviously had a physical attraction. Zoe thought they’d both go up in flames when they met. There was instant chemistry. No one should ever waste that. She would find out tonight if it was really as strong as it seemed. Jody had asked Zoe if she was bringing Lacey to the team’s meet and greet. The team did that every year with whoever wanted to go from the organization. They were meeting at the Irish Pub at seven o’clock. That was plenty of time for Lacey to feel human again and clean herself up.

When Zoe went upstairs to tell Lacey that they were going out, she was surprised to see Lacey sitting on the floor, her legs crossed, staring at the wall. She was completely still and didn’t even notice that Zoe had walked in. “Lacey, what’s wrong?”

Lacey finally looked up and saw Zoe standing over her. “Zoe, he is, shit, I don’t even know how to describe him. I mean, wow …”

“Okay … Is it the no panties thing? Are you embarrassed? Because you shouldn’t be; he thought it was funny. It’s not much different than being in a bathing suit, you know?”

“Huh? Oh that. I don’t care about that.” Lacey went back to staring at the wall, shaking her head in disgust.

“So what’s the problem? Why are you sitting here staring at the wall?”

Lacey looked at her again. “Zoe, I do not want to be attracted to him. He’s a player. He travels all the time, just like Steven. He has access to all kinds of women, just like Steven. Think about it. And I saw him looking me up and down. You mark my words-he’s a player, and even though I’ve already been down that road, I liked the way he looked at me. Aw crap Zoe, I liked it!”

Obviously Zoe knew about Lacey’s trust issues, but her reaction to Jody was over the top. Who wouldn’t like it when a man appreciated the way she looked? Lacey acted like they’d already dated and he’d cheated on her. “So, if he asks, don’t go out with him if he freaks you out that bad. But I’m telling you right now Lacey, you need to find a way to trust again. The only one hurting you now, is you.”

Lacey knew that any way she responded to Zoe’s words, Zoe would tell her how great hockey players were, blah, blah, blah. In the end she decided to answer with bald honesty, because she didn’t know what to do. “Zoe, I have never in my life had such a reaction to someone. But I don’t want him. Well, I don’t want to want him. I’m not going to get into that type of relationship again. You can’t trust men when they come home every night, let alone when they travel. I hope I was wrong about the way I think he looked at me.”

Oh, she wasn’t wrong. Zoe walked over and sat down next to Lacey. Slinging an arm around her, she said, “Lace, how will you know unless you give someone else a chance? For your own sake, you have to try to let the past go. Not all men are like Steven. I know he broke your heart, but don’t let him dictate the rest of your life. You’re missing out, and you’re letting that asshole win.”