Nikki Worrell - The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions)

Jody looked down at their hands entwined and gave Lacey a wink. He leaned over to her (which gave him a great view of her rack) and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Lace, this is, um, a fan. I’m sorry; I never caught your name.”

She responded, “My name’s whatever you want it to be.”

Lacey looked at Jody and then back at the girl and said, “Are you serious? I’m standing right here. I think it’s pretty obvious that Jody’s taken. Feel free to remove your hand now.” When she didn’t take her hand away, Lacey did it for her. Since it didn’t look like the girl was going to leave, Lacey gave her a little more incentive. She turned to Jody, ran her hands up his chest to wrap them around his neck and tilted her head up. Now the ball was in his court. His eyes widened a bit, but then he gave her a sly smile. He slipped his hands down and cupped Lacey’s ass, then lowered his head and licked her lips.

Whoa, Lacey thought, that was way more than I bargained for. Involuntarily, Lacey moaned against Jody’s lips. She could feel her whole body tighten at his touch. Heat pooled between her legs, and she parted her lips. It was all the invitation he needed. One hand squeezed her ass while the other traveled up so that he could hook his thumb in the waistband of her jeans. He deepened the kiss and sucked on Lacey’s tongue. It was the most erotic kiss she’d ever had. Knowing that people were watching them together actually added to her excitement. There was something just a little bit naughty about that.

Jody could not believe his luck. He hadn’t even started planning his seduction of Lacey, and here she was in his arms. Part of him was braced for her to shove him away or even slap him. He hadn’t meant to grab her ass like that, but it was just so tempting. Truth be told, when he thought about Lacey, those thoughts tended to lean toward Neanderthal territory. He wanted to grab her and have his way with her.

When Lacey regained her wits, she backed away a couple of inches and noticed that Ms. Puck Bunny was gone. “Well you’re safe now Jody. The big, scary girl is gone.”

Jody laughed and said, “I know; she left as soon as you turned to me.” That would be before he grabbed her ass and kissed her like that. Lacey just gaped up at him with raised eyebrows. Jody gave her one of those crooked smiles that made her tummy flutter and said, “Close your mouth Lace-unless that’s an invitation.” While she was still staring at him in amazement, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Thanks again, Lace”. With a wink, he gently swatted her bottom and walked over to his buddies to thank them for the intervention.

Jody had shocked her. Lacey stood there and watched him walk away, heartily enjoying the view. His teammates called him a monk? One kiss almost brought her to her knees, and they called him a monk? There’s got to be more to that story. And as for her, she was a bit disgusted with herself. How could she let him affect her like that? She had already decided that he would not do for her fling. And why did he do it? He had to be playing games with her. He was Jody LaGrange. He could have anyone he wanted.

If she were honest with herself, she would admit that a little part of her wished it was her that he wanted. She needed to shake it off. It was just a kiss. Okay, so maybe it was an extraordinary kiss, but it was still just a kiss. Well, a kiss and a little ass grabbing. Whew.

Zoe walked over to collect Lacey since it seemed like she wasn’t capable of movement yet. “Damn Lacey, I said to help him out, not suck his face off.”

“Well, that was not exactly my plan, but I can’t say that it was the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to me. That kiss curled my toes. I just wonder what game he’s playing, you know? He could have anyone, and I’m sure he does all the time. I know I let myself get carried away, but I need to tell him that I was just trying to help him and that I’m not interested. I’m not going to be another notch on his bedpost. My fling is going to be on my terms. I will pick the guy, not vice versa.”

Vlad sauntered up and offered his arms to both girls. “Come on ladies, I’ll escort you to the meeting room. I’m sure Lacey here could use a drink … or maybe a cold shower.” He laughed to himself, even as Zoe gave him the evil eye. Vlad knew that Zoe preferred that he didn’t touch her, but he didn’t think she’d rebuff him in public. And hell, he liked touching her. She gave him a tight smile, and let him lead the way.

Most everyone could see that there was an attraction between Vlad and Zoe, but Zoe knew all too well what would happen if she let that attraction get out of control. Vlad knew, too, but he was more of a ‘fuck it, let’s see what happens’ kind of guy. Zoe, on the other hand knew that a relationship with him could cost her a great job that she loved.

While Zoe was trying not to think about the solid muscles in Vlad’s arm, which currently rested beneath her hand, he was telling her and Lacey why they called Jody a monk. Jody was never seen going anywhere with any of the puck bunnies, or anyone else for that matter. The guys actually speculated that he might be gay. Jody put that rumor to rest when he heard about it. It turned out that he was just a bit more discriminate than the other guys when it came to his relationships. Apparently Jody didn’t believe in casual sex. Most of the guys thought he was nuts, especially the young ones.

Vlad was looking expectantly at Lacey. “Why are you looking at me? It’s really none of my business what Jody does or doesn’t do. Really, I was just trying to help him out, and I guess we got a little carried away.”

Vlad stopped walking and turned Lacey toward him. “I’m looking at you because Chief’s one of my best friends, and he’s a hell of a guy. He deserves a good woman. He’s had his heart broken before, so he’s slow to trust and doesn’t take interest in too many women. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you when he saw you walking toward him. Listen, all I’m saying is, don’t shut the door to the possibilities without exploring your options, you know? Take a chance on him. I’m just making a pitch for my buddy. What you do is obviously up to you.”

The room in the back was darker than the main bar. There was one pool table with a Budweiser light illuminating it, a small jukebox and a bar about half the size as the main one. A couple of crooked tables were set up haphazardly around the bar area. It was small, but spacious enough.

When the three of them walked into the back room, the guys started clapping. Lacey’s face went up in flames amid shouts of “Nice job new chick!” and “Can you help me out like that, too?” Why couldn’t guys just be quiet and giggle like girls did? Lacey was mortified that they had had an audience at all, let alone how she shamelessly enjoyed Jody’s body for those couple of minutes.

Jody stood against the wall, pool cue in hand. A couple of the guys had a game going. When he caught Lacey’s eye, he winked at her, which made Lacey’s face flame up again. She walked over to the bar to order a drink with Zoe. Tonight she was sticking with good old diet soda. Even the smell of the alcohol was enough to turn her stomach after the previous night’s drinking binge.

Ian was Jody’s partner in the pool game. “So what’s up with you and Zoe’s friend? Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a PDA.”

“PDA?” Jody asked.

“Public display of affection. What, do you live under a rock?” Ian stood there looking at Jody and shook his head. “Man, you must have it bad for this girl. Didn’t you just meet her?” Jody told him how they met and that he just felt something for her. He couldn’t explain it, but it was there. Ian knew Jody well enough to know that he didn’t mess around with girls. He knew Jody was a good guy and Lacey seemed like a nice girl. Ian told him to go for it. “Why don’t you ask her to the skating party?” Each year the team threw a skating party right before Training Camp as a way to kick off the season for the players and their friends and families.