Status: a work in progress.
Trying to Forget
Captivation
Rolling over he glanced around the dimly lit room, remnants of last night sprawled across the floor. It had been an eventful night to say the least with...what was her name? Leah, Lisa? Whomever it was, he knew she would be the one he was going home with from the minute he and the gang stepped into the bar. The way she looked at him through her bleach blonde hair, shielding her bright green eyes and smiling innocently.
Sitting up he pulled on his boxers from the foot of the bed and quietly stood so as not to disturb the sleeping figure next to him. Tiptoeing around the room he found his clothes and made his way out of the bedroom to dress. Once he was fully clothed he found a scrap piece of paper and left a note:
Thanks for last night. I had a lot of fun. JB
Setting the piece of paper down on the counter he made his way out the door to the stairs which led to the busy Boston street below. As he reached the outdoors he took a deep breath of fresh air and smirked to himself, another notch under the belt, the boys will be proud, he thought to himself as he made his way to the nearest subway station.
...
"Hey Johnny, what happened to you last night man? We were all having fun and sippin' beers together then bam, you were gone," teammate Tuukka Rask asked as he entered the black and yellow locker room and made his way to his stall.
"What can I say? I was mesmerized by her."
"Oh no, not another one," Ference said teasing. "Christ, and here I thought us 'veterans' were supposed to be setting an example for these young guns," he said punching Tyler playfully in the arm.
" Hey, there is no harm in having a little fun every now and again."
"True, only in your case it's every night with someone new."
"Got to keep it interesting," he said strippong off his shirt and tossing it into the stall.
"Its interesting all right. What I don’t get is how you never have any drama after," said Seguin.
" Practice young child," he said with a smirk.
"Practice my ass, thats pure luck Seggs. Dont let him fool you," Andrew chimed.
"Hey, whatever you say but it works doesn’t it?"
No one could deny that. For the past two seasons he had been seeing different women on practically a nightly basis, only taking time off for the playoffs so he could maintain focus. Aside from that, he hadn’t slept with the same woman more than twice in months, except for the bartender at The Fours, she was hot and good in bed. No, intimacy was not his forté and he was alright with that. Grabbing his stick he stood up and made his way to the ice for practice.
***
“Hey Johnny, practice at 3 at Fenway. Don’t forget your glove, we’re going to be doing some fielding this afternoon,” Looch reminded him as he tossed his practice jersey into the hamper.
“I’ve got it right by my front door, I won’t forget.”
“Alright man, I’ll see you then.”
“Later.”
As he stepped out of the side door and into the parking lot of the TD Garden he was greeted by a crowd of cheering fans, each with their own piece of memorabilia to be signed.
He made his way over to them, stopping as he reached the first, a little blue-eyed, blonde haired boy with a puck. He recognized him from the night before, he had been standing at the glass for practice and he had tossed the puck to him.
“Hey, I recognize you. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nate, you played awesome last night. Are you feeling okay after that big hit from number 8?”
He was referring to the body check he had received from Alex Ovechkin as he went to clear the puck out of the defensive zone. That hit had been hard, hell it had even knocked him off of his skates, but it hadn’t rattled him too much.
“I’m good bud. Thanks for asking and thanks for coming to the game. Here you go,” he said handing the puck back to the boy and signing a hat that was thrown in his direction.
He signed autographs until the next player came along and he was able to escape. Thank God for Peverley driving through. It wasn’t that he disliked signing for fans, in fact he really enjoyed it and loved how dedicated they were. He just didn’t like how pushy some of them got and demanding. He tried to be fair to everyone, it didn’t matter how much you pushed and shoved, if you weren’t a little kid you were going to have to wait. He had seen some people literally push kids out of the way just to get to him to which he purposely would go to the kid first. Some people called him an asshole for it, but oh well. Kids came first.
He had always been a sucker for kids and wanted some of his own, but he wasn’t one to settle down, at least, not yet. He firmly believed that when he met the right person he would know. Granted his lifestyle and the way he was loving wasn’t the best way to find a soulmate, but hell, you’re only young once, right?
“Johnny?” he heard a female voice ask from a few feet ahead. Picking his head up he saw a petite blonde standing in front of him.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Johnny Boychuk of the Boston Bruins?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
“One in the same,” he smirked.
“I can’t even believe I’m talking to you right now. Oh my gosh. Hi.”
“Hello,” he said as his smirk turned into a full-blown smile. This girl was cute when she babbled, not that he wasn’t used to it, but there was something about her that was different, good different.
“I’m sorry, I’m not used to running into athletes on the street. I feel like a fool. I wish I was more prepared.”
“More prepared?”
“Yeah. I write for a sports blog, well, just started and I would love to interview you, but I don’t have any of my materials. Oh, this is what they were just lecturing about too, that I need to be ready for any situation..” she was rambling.
“How about you show up to Fenway this afternoon at three and I’ll give you an exclusive interview. I’ve got some batting and fielding practice for a charity event,” he said looking at her behind his sunglasses, watching her face light up as he spoke.
“Oh, really? That would be amazing,” she said pulling her Blackberry from her pocket, “It’s at three you said?” she said looking up at him through thick lashes.
“Yeah, and while you’ve got that out, I’ll give you my number, in case you have any questions on where to find me.”
“Alright, shoot.”
“617-710-8155.”
“Alright.”
“Alright, I’ll hear from you soon.”
“Perhaps,” she said smirking as she walked away.
Reaching the front door to his apartment he pushed it open. It never got old, people always wanted him for something. Autographs, interviews, appearances, sex, you name it. To be honest he missed the quiet lifestyle he used to have. After all he was in his mid-twenties now, he would like to settle down, have a family of his own, but women nowadays only wanted him for his money.
Typically he didn’t give out his phone number as it only led to problems, but there was something unique about...shit! He hadn’t gotten her name. He’d have to make sure he got it tonight at practice. She was sure to show up there, after all, she was the one who wanted an interview.
As he turned the key in the lock he kicked off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. Chugging it down he placed the empty glass on the counter and made his way to the leather couch in the center of his apartment collapsing onto it. Reaching over the armrest to the end table he grabbed the remote and flipped on the television to kill some time.
“Coming up on NESN, the Bruins head to Fenway for batting practice,” Andy Brickley’s voice announced through the television speakers.
“No shit, you don’t say,” he said out loud.
It never failed to amaze him the amount of publicity he and the guys got sometimes, even for something as little as practicing batting for a charity game. But the fans ate it up and there was no doubt there would be a whole truckload of them at Fenway waiting to meet him. Some days it would be nice to just go somewhere and not have to worry about fans or media, but that was the job and it paid the bills.
As he sat there and watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory on TBS the time passed by and before he knew it it was time to leave for practice. Changing into a pair of track pants and a t-shirt he picked up his glove and made his way out the door and hailed the first taxi that he could get.
“Fenway Park please.”
Twenty minutes later he arrived at Yawkey Way, tossed a fifty at the cab driver and made his way through the crowd to the entrance. To his surprise there weren’t that many people outside, only about a dozen or so and half of them didn’t even see him sneak by. As he made his way around the stadium and to the field he saw the petite blonde he had run into earlier standing a few feet in front of him.
“Hey stranger,” he said as he reached her.
“Hey yourself,” she said smiling showing off her pearly white teeth. Damn she was captivating, he thought to himself.
“So, you ready to see some hockey players fail at baseball?”
“Fail? I thought all you athletes were bi-sportual?”
“Bi-sportual?” he asked half-laughing.
“Yeah, you know, able to play more than one sport like they were born to, like it was some sort of God given right to play sports.”
“Haha, not exactly. That might hold true for soccer or lacrosse. but baseball is entirely different.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, there’s no contact, we’re forced to be nice to each other.”
Laughing, she replied, “Oh, I see. So is that why you decided to become a hockey player, the contact?” she asked raising an eyebrow at him and smiling playfully.
“You’ve got it,” he joked, “But shhh, it’s our little secret,” he said pressing his finger to her lips feeling an electrifying shock race through his veins.
“Get on the field Johnny and hit some homers.”
“Ha, I’ll try, it’s pretty far though.”
“You can do it,” she winked at me.
“Hey Johnny, quit flirting and get over here!” Tuukka yelled across the field at him.
“That’s my cue,” he said before jogging over to where the goaltender stood.
“Who was that?”
“Some reporter, I ran into her this morning after practice. She wanted an interview so I invited her.”
“Hey Johnny, I didn’t realize you knew Rhena?” Milan said coming up behind him putting a hand on his shoulder, “Small world.”
“Rhena?” he asked confused.
“The woman you were just talking to? Works for Renee’s marketing firm as their new blogger? I invited her here to cover our charity event for her first article.”
“Oh, yeah, well I just met her today.”
“Wait, I thought you said you invited her Johnny?”
“I did. I told her to meet me here and she agreed, she never mentioned she was already invited.”
“You mean Johnny was...played?” Tuukka and Milan looked at each other then back at him.
“No, I wasn’t played. I simply didn’t get all the details.”
“Do you ever?” Looch asked.
“Hey are we all here to bust my balls or are we going to play some ball?” he asked getting a little irritated.
“Yeah, you’re right, let’s get to practice, we’ve only got an hour and a half.”
For the next 95 minutes they practiced pop flys, stealing bases and determined who was going to play where. It was determined that he would play in left field backing third base due to the fact that he could throw long distances and he didn’t have to worry about covering a base on steals. Truth be told he had never played baseball a day in his life. Sure he had swung a bat a few times, but he’d never been big on little league. He was strictly hockey.
As he was preparing for his last run around the bases he scanned the stands for Rhena. It baffled him that she had toyed with his head and he didn’t realize it, but at the same time it excited him. He had never had anyone play back before, the girls he had always gone after were easy.
Ting! The sound of the cork and rubber bal connecting with the aluminum bat rang through his ears, signaling him to run like the wind. As he neared third base he saw for mer Patriot Joe Andruzzi waving him around, signaling him to run home. Out of his peripheral vision he saw Mottau bobble the ball and went for it, sliding into home just as Mottau threw it in. He was safe.
“Woooo!” He said as he stood up from home plate and made his way to the dugout to grab his glove.
“Nice job Johnny, that’s the way you run,” Looch said joining him, “Run like that tomorrow and we’re sure to beat the Rocks.”
The Rocks were the team we were facing, sports reporters, tv personnel, radio hosts, the media people we were surrounded with day in and day out. It was them against us, the Jocks. For one day we were able to simply mess around and have fun. He was actually looking forward to it, especially seeing how good his team was today, not that it mattered if they won, it was all in good fun.
“Thanks Looch.”
“Anytime. I’ll see you in the morning, eh, around ten?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” They were going to go for a run and then grab a bite to eat before the game.
“Alright, I’ll see you then,” he said before heading towards Fred Toucher from the Toucher and Rich Show.
Scanning the crowd he found Rhena and went over to her, “You could have told me you knew Looch,” he said coming up behind her.
“Well, I was told you were a player and I knew if you thought I was just another reporter you wouldn’t give me the time of day, seems I was right.”
“I don’t like being played.’
“I didn’t play you. I simply omitted some minor details, now how about that interview.”
“Nope, I think you owe me dinner first.”
“Ha, you’re crazy Johnny. I don’t owe you anything, all I need is ten minutes of your time.”
“Well, my time is very valuable so unless you agree to go out to dinner with me tonight I’m walking.”
“If I say yes, you’re going to give me more than ten minutes of an interview.”
“Fine, fifteen,” he said with a sly grin.
Rolling her eyes she agreed,” Fine. I’ll have dinner with you, but I’m choosing where.”
“Fine.”
“Fine, I’ll text you.”
“I look forward to it.” With that he watched as she turned around and headed towards Tuukka, pen and paper in hand. Damn she was difficult, but he liked that. It was the difficult ones that were always great in bed and damn he had a feeling that she would be. All he had to do was charm her at dinner and she would be panting for him. He was always one who liked a challenge and Rhena was definitely that. Challenge accepted, he thought to himself.
***
Reaching his apartment he decided to take a shower and get ready for his date with Rhena. As he unlocked the door and stepped inside he was greeted by Roxanne, the bartender at the Fours.
“Roxanne, how the hell did you get in here?” he asked surprised.
“I may or may not have had a key made while you were sleeping the last time,” she replied coming closer to him.
Oh shit, he thought to himself. “Roxy, give me the key,” he said as she started unbuttoning her shirt and coming towards him. Damnit, he knew something like this would happen at some point in time he just never thought it would be Roxy!
“Oh, why do you have to be like that? I come over to give you the time of your life and all you want is the spare key to your apartment?” she said nibbling his ear making his heart beat faster and his senses go numb.
“Roxy, I’m only stopping into shower and get ready for a date. I can’t do this right now. If you would please just give me the key..” he was cut off by her forcing her tongue down his throat, causing a groan to escape from his throat.
“Mmmm, you know how much I like to do it in the shower,” she purred in his ear, “Come on, I’ll join you then you can have your key,” she said dropping her shirt to the floor and making her way towards the bathroom.
How could he ignore that? Sure it was probably wrong on a few different levels that he was going to have sex before going out with another woman, but hey, it was just for an interview after all right?
Entering the bathroom he lifted his shirt above his head and stepped out of his shorts, one leg then the other leaving him completely exposed. As he stepped in the shower curtain he was greeted by a firm grip on his manhood and a waiting mouth wanting to divulge his. As the warm water ran down his back and her hands caressed his shaft he could feel himself getting harder. The more she caressed, the deeper he kissed her from her mouth to the nape of her neck, listening as she let out little gasps. He ran one hand down the small of her back pulling her towards him while the other was tangled in her long brown hair.
She knelt down on her knees and with one hand grabbed onto his ass while holding a firm grip on his penis with the other. Next thing he knew her mouth was fully encircling his member taking it in and out, flicking her tongue on the tip causing his legs to jerk. Damn it felt good, he thought. She moved her tongue around his member as if she were licking an ice cream cone and it was driving him insane, he had to feel her, had to be inside her. As she looked up at him with daring eyes she sensed his needs and stood. She put her arms around his neck and he grabbed onto her ass lifting her up. Slowly she eased her way onto his penis until she took all of him in and together they moved in rhythm. He could feel himself getting closer and closer with each thrust and he could feel her insides tightening, her breathing becoming heavier, it was only a matter of seconds before they both came. In one motion they were both pushed over the edge and he had one of the most earth shattering orgasms of his life. Slowly he lifted her off of his cock and leaned against the shower wall to keep his legs from buckling.
“Was that good for you sexy?” she asked as she stepped out of the shower leaving him to clean up.
“You are amazing,” he said leaning his head out of the curtain to plant a kiss on her pouty lips.
“Here’s your key, thanks for the afternoon delight,” she said with a wink.
“My pleasure,” he said rinsing off his hair.
“So who’s the girl?” Roxy asked as she slipped back into her black jeans and bar shirt.
“Just some reporter, she wants an interview for some blog.”
“Ah, another groupie. Have fun with that.”
“I will and Rox.”
“Yeah?”
“Leave the key on the counter would you?”
“It’s right here,”she said pulling the key from her pocket and setting it on the toilet seat cover.
“Thanks.”
“No problem, I got what I wanted, hot shower sex on my lunch break. That’s number seventeen on my list.”
He laughed as he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off.
“Laters,” she said walking out of the bathroom and through the front door. She may be a little crazy, but she was always fun and damn she was a good lay. If only every girl could be like her, no strings attached just sex and be perfectly alright with that, he’d be set.
Getting dressed in jeans and a button down shirt he checked his phone, one message.
From: 617-710-8219
Meet me at the Fours in an hour. -Rhena
Shit, the Fours? That’s not exactly the most ideal place for a first date, eh what the hell, it wasn’t going to turn into anything. Besides, if it really didn’t he could always bring Roxanne back to his place for some more fun. Sure, the Fours would work.
Grabbing his coat he threw it on and made his way out the door once more.
***
Making his way through the door he scanned the crowd for Rhena. Realizing he was early he asked to be seated by the door so he could greet her when she showed up. As he waited he ordered a Sam Adams Summer Ale and sipped on it until he saw her petite frame walk in.
“Rhena, over here,” he said standing and motioning for her to join him.
“Hey, sorry I’m a little late, Mass transportation was ridiculous.”
“No problem, I’m glad you made it. I didn’t think you were going to, I thought you would chicken out,” he said through a sly grin.
“I’m here,” she said grinning back as she took her jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair.
“Can I take your order?” Roxanne came over and asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“We need a -,” he began.
“I’ll take a Ray Bourque and whatever is on tap,” she said without missing a beat.
“Okay, and for you,” Roxanne said directing her attention to me like I was a complete stranger.
“I’ll have the Bobby Orr.”
“Alright, any appetizers?”
“Some buffalo chicken nachos,” he replied looking straight into Rhena’s eyes, damn they were beautiful, he thought. How had he not noticed them before?
“So, how was your afternoon after practice?” she asked interrupting his thoughts.
Um, good. Yeah, I went back to my apartment and watched some SportsCenter,” he said as Roxanne brought her beer and stifled back a laugh.
“Did I miss something?” Rhena asked catching on.
“Hm, oh, no. Just typical guy, watches sports, made me think of this guy I’m seeing.”
“Ah,” she said side glancing at him, she knew something was up.
As Roxanne left the table she put him on the hot seat.
“You’re the guys she’s seeing aren’t you?”
“What?!”
“Don’t deny it, she’s hot if you’re into that sort of thing,” she said taking a sip of her beer.
“Whoa, wait, what?”
“What? I mean sure she’s got a nice figure and a set of nice tits, but that’s it. She’s just a hot bod, great for a few rounds in bed probably good with her tongue and that’s it. There’s no emotion behind her, she’s all bod and no brains.”
“When the hell did you become an expert on women?”
“So you have slept with her?”
Laughing he took a sip of his beer, “A time or two yes.”
“I could tell. There’s a few rumors circulating and the way she undressed you with her eyes earlier was easy to tell there was a history between the two of you,” she said sitting back in her chair and folding her arms over her chest with a grin.
“Very perceptive.”
“What can I say, it’s a gift. So are you two dating?”
“No, we are not dating. If we were I wouldn’t have asked you to come out.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re an athlete.”
“So?”
“Athletes have a reputation for being just what they are, players.”
“Well, that’s not me,” he scoffed.
“Oh really, then why are you getting bent out of shape at that statement?”
“Because I can’t believe you would make that assumption. That’s bold and quite frankly rude.”
“But it’s the truth, otherwise you wouldn’t be so hurt over the statement.”
Damn, if that wasn’t hitting the nail right on the head he wasn’t sure what was. Generally he didn’t care what people thought of his ‘dates’ it was his business. He really didn’t care what people thought of him, but for some reason, her judgement made him feel like dirt. He wanted to prove her wrong and show her otherwise.
“Alright, I’ll make a deal with you.”
“Oh?”
“Let me take you out on a real date, not just sitting in a bar over beer and burgers. Let me really take you out.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“Because obviously you have been burned by an athlete before and I want to show you that we aren’t all like that.”
“What makes you think I’ve been burned before?” she asked sounding a little uncomfortable.
“The way you are so quick to judge me.”
“Alright fine, so what if I agree to go out with you.”
“Well then you owe me an apology and we’ll call it a day.”
“That’s it? An apology?”
“Yup.”
“Alright, you’ve got yourself a date,”she said extending her hand across the table for him to shake.
“Alright.”
“Here’s the Ray Bourque for you and the Bobby Orr for you,” Roxanne said presenting them with their dishes.
“Awesome, looks great!”
Together they ate their burgers and snacked on nachos while discussing everything under the sun. Before he knew it it was nearing midnight.
“So, wait a minute, you used to ice skate?”
“Yup, since I was four years old, but it was a little too cutesy so I switched to hockey thanks to my brothers.”
“Wow.”
“What, surprised that a girl knows her way around a rink?”
“A little, I’m not used to females knowing my sport the way you do.”
“What can I say, I like to get pushed around a little,” she said laughing.
“Well, it’s getting late and I have an early practice in the morning. Do you have everything you need for an article?”
“I think I have more than enough information on you Johnny.”
“Alright, then I’ll see you later,” he said standing up to put his jacket on.
“Alright,” she said standing with him in unison.
Awkwardly he leaned forward and gave her a hug, “I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks.”
“No problem, right back at ya,” she said tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“Let me fetch you a cab, Mass transportation can be scary at this time of the night.”
“No, no it’s alright.”
“No I insist. I kept you out this late and being a friend of Milan’s he would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
“Alright.”
As he hailed her a cab and shut her door he couldn’t help but wonder where she had been his whole life. She was unlike any woman he had ever met before. Sure at first she was just someone he was going to try and get in bed, but after tonight and the way she judged him, he wanted to prove her wrong. He wanted to show her that there was more to him than just his profession and sex drive, that he was an actual human being too. So as he strolled through the streets of Boston he devised the perfect date to sweep Rhena off her feet.
***
“Johnny, step it up, what were you up late last night?” yelled Claude after letting Seguni fly by him again and scored.
“Sorry coach.”
“Don’t apologize, step it up otherwise you’re doing laps. Sooner or later you have to realize that there is more to being a hockey player than screwing every girl that looks your direction.”
“I know coach.”
“Good.”
Twenty more minutes and practice was over and he could go home and sleep. He had tried to sleep when he got back from his date but he couldn’t get Rhena out of his mind. She captivated him and that was unusual and it bothered him and intrigued him. This woman was unlike anyone he had ever met. She was funny and smart and loved hockey and the best part, she treated him like any other ordinary guy.
“So you stayed out late with Rhena huh?” Looch asked as we got out of our practice gear.
“I did, but it’s not what you think.”
“I know bro, I know how Rhena is. No offense but she isn’t the one night stand kind of girl.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“She’s a tough girl and can handle her own.”
“I figured that out last night. Looch, she’s not like anyone I’ve ever met and to be honest I’m kind of freaking out.”
“Johnny, you’re only freaking out because you’ve never been rejected.”
“No man, that’s not it. There’s more to it than that, that’s why I’m so tired. I couldn’t sleep at all.”
“Now you are starting to sound like Adam.” Truth be told McQuaid was a hopeless romantic and always fell super hard for gold diggers that couldn’t appreciate a good mullet when they saw one.
“I mean it, I think there is really something there.”
“Hey if you think you have a shot in hell with the ice princess then by all means be my guest, but I swear to God if you do anything to hurt her Johnny, there are going to be consequences. That girl is like a sister to me.”
“I understand, and trust me I don’t plan on fucking this up.”
“Alright.”
Pulling out his phone he sent Rhena a message:
What’s your address, I want to pick you up for our date tomorrow night - JB
To which she replied:
660 Washington Street, what are you up to?
Smiling he responded:
Alright, be ready at 7 it’s a surprise. - JB
He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do, but he had a pretty good idea of where he was going to start. WIth a smile on his face he put his phone in his pocket and headed towards Faneuil Hall, there was some planning he had to do.
“Hello, who would I talk to about planning an event for tomorrow?” he asked at the information booth.
“That’s Kristin and you will have to call her, she’s out of the office today.”
“Alright, what’s her number?”
“617-523-1300”
“Alright, thanks.”
Dialing the number on his phone he listened to it ring until he heard a female voice pick up on the other line.
“Hi Kristin..Hi, I’m calling in regards to planning something tomorrow night.”
***
Checking himself over in the mirror one more time he smiled to himself. Tonight was going to be a perfect night and Rhena would see that he wasn’t like all the other athletes she had ever come across. She would see that he truly did care about her even though they’d only met a few days ago. He had never felt this way about anyone and he wanted her to know it. Taking a deep breath he grabbed the bouquet of roses he had bought and got into the horse drawn carriage awaiting him.
He was getting some sideways glances having the horse drawn carriage bring him through town, but he didn’t care how foolish it made him look. Or the fact that he was dressed in winter weather clothes and it was August. In talking with Rhena the other night she had mentioned how winter was her favorite time of year, so he arranged for a winter wonderland to be in store.
Pulling up in front of her door he got out of the carriage and walked up to her door, ringing the bell.
When she opened the door she was in a black skirt and red blouse, her hair falling loosely around her face meeting her shoulders. A look of astonishment covering her face.
“Johnny, what is this?”
“Your ride awaits my dear. You said you liked winter, so I have arranged for us to have some winter fun tonight.”
“Johnny, you realize it is July right? It’s ninety degrees outside.”
“It’s Christmas in July my dear, come on, lets go for a ride,” he said extending his arm out to help her get in.
He studied her reaction as they got closer to Faneuil Hall. The closer they got the more lit up the city became. He had arranged for all of the trees and streetlights to be decorated just as they are at Christmas time. They were headed to Faneuil Hall Ice Skating Rink. He was able to pull some strings and get a rink made overnight and rent out the entire area for the night for just the two of them. They were going to have a candlelit dinner and skate under the lights under the stars. He even had some fake snow arranged for later on in the evening.
“Oh my God, how did you?” she said her face filling with excitement. “Johnny it’s so beautiful, how did you do all of this?”
“I just made a phone call. Do you like it?”
“This is beautiful, I love it!” she said throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”
“The best is yet to come, wait until we round that corner.”
As the carriage rounded the corner and entered the center of Faneuil Hall he watched as her jaw dropped. In front of them was the rink all decorated with lights and a Christmas tree all decorated in the center.
“You said you loved Christmas time and that your greatest memory as a kid was skating around on the pond behind your parent’s house. I know this isn’t a pond, but it’s the closest I could get to one.”
“Johnny this is beautiful, it’s perfect.”
As if on cue Christmas music began streaming through the sound system, filling the night air.
As the carriage pulled up to their table he helped her get down and settled at the table before sitting down himself.
“Tonight I wanted to show you that not only am I not like the other guys, but that I truly care about you.”
“Johnny, you only met me a few days ago, how can you say that?”
“Rhena, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since I met you. I’ve never met anyone like you and I don’t care how long it takes for me to prove it to you, I will do anything.”
“Johnny, I-”
“Look, Rhena I’m not going completely drastic and asking you to marry me, I’m just saying give me a chance. Let me shower you with affection and show you how you deserve to be treated.”
“How do I know that the first girl that catches your eye on the road you aren’t going to hop into bed with.”
“I promise you, you are the only woman that I want to be with. I don’t care how long I have to wait for you to even kiss me, you are all I want.”
“Why me, why do you want me so bad?” she aske through tear filled eyes, a smile on her face.
“You’re unorganized and pushy, and you talk too much, but you’re everything that I want. I can’t explain it Rhena, but I can feel it. You are the who I am supposed to be with and I’m completely going out on a limb here, this isn’t what I normally do, but I can’t think straight when it comes to you.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance,” she said smiling.
“Thank you Rhena, I promise I won’t let you down,” he said standing up and pulling her to her feet, engulfing her in a hug.
“You better not because I have connections you know.”
Laughing he replied, “I know, I have already been warned by Looch.”
Looking down at her as he held her in his arms he watched as a snowflake gently landed on her nose. Wiping it off with his gloved finger he tilted her chin up and met her lips with his. She was what he had been missing all along.
Sitting up he pulled on his boxers from the foot of the bed and quietly stood so as not to disturb the sleeping figure next to him. Tiptoeing around the room he found his clothes and made his way out of the bedroom to dress. Once he was fully clothed he found a scrap piece of paper and left a note:
Thanks for last night. I had a lot of fun. JB
Setting the piece of paper down on the counter he made his way out the door to the stairs which led to the busy Boston street below. As he reached the outdoors he took a deep breath of fresh air and smirked to himself, another notch under the belt, the boys will be proud, he thought to himself as he made his way to the nearest subway station.
...
"Hey Johnny, what happened to you last night man? We were all having fun and sippin' beers together then bam, you were gone," teammate Tuukka Rask asked as he entered the black and yellow locker room and made his way to his stall.
"What can I say? I was mesmerized by her."
"Oh no, not another one," Ference said teasing. "Christ, and here I thought us 'veterans' were supposed to be setting an example for these young guns," he said punching Tyler playfully in the arm.
" Hey, there is no harm in having a little fun every now and again."
"True, only in your case it's every night with someone new."
"Got to keep it interesting," he said strippong off his shirt and tossing it into the stall.
"Its interesting all right. What I don’t get is how you never have any drama after," said Seguin.
" Practice young child," he said with a smirk.
"Practice my ass, thats pure luck Seggs. Dont let him fool you," Andrew chimed.
"Hey, whatever you say but it works doesn’t it?"
No one could deny that. For the past two seasons he had been seeing different women on practically a nightly basis, only taking time off for the playoffs so he could maintain focus. Aside from that, he hadn’t slept with the same woman more than twice in months, except for the bartender at The Fours, she was hot and good in bed. No, intimacy was not his forté and he was alright with that. Grabbing his stick he stood up and made his way to the ice for practice.
***
“Hey Johnny, practice at 3 at Fenway. Don’t forget your glove, we’re going to be doing some fielding this afternoon,” Looch reminded him as he tossed his practice jersey into the hamper.
“I’ve got it right by my front door, I won’t forget.”
“Alright man, I’ll see you then.”
“Later.”
As he stepped out of the side door and into the parking lot of the TD Garden he was greeted by a crowd of cheering fans, each with their own piece of memorabilia to be signed.
He made his way over to them, stopping as he reached the first, a little blue-eyed, blonde haired boy with a puck. He recognized him from the night before, he had been standing at the glass for practice and he had tossed the puck to him.
“Hey, I recognize you. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nate, you played awesome last night. Are you feeling okay after that big hit from number 8?”
He was referring to the body check he had received from Alex Ovechkin as he went to clear the puck out of the defensive zone. That hit had been hard, hell it had even knocked him off of his skates, but it hadn’t rattled him too much.
“I’m good bud. Thanks for asking and thanks for coming to the game. Here you go,” he said handing the puck back to the boy and signing a hat that was thrown in his direction.
He signed autographs until the next player came along and he was able to escape. Thank God for Peverley driving through. It wasn’t that he disliked signing for fans, in fact he really enjoyed it and loved how dedicated they were. He just didn’t like how pushy some of them got and demanding. He tried to be fair to everyone, it didn’t matter how much you pushed and shoved, if you weren’t a little kid you were going to have to wait. He had seen some people literally push kids out of the way just to get to him to which he purposely would go to the kid first. Some people called him an asshole for it, but oh well. Kids came first.
He had always been a sucker for kids and wanted some of his own, but he wasn’t one to settle down, at least, not yet. He firmly believed that when he met the right person he would know. Granted his lifestyle and the way he was loving wasn’t the best way to find a soulmate, but hell, you’re only young once, right?
“Johnny?” he heard a female voice ask from a few feet ahead. Picking his head up he saw a petite blonde standing in front of him.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Johnny Boychuk of the Boston Bruins?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
“One in the same,” he smirked.
“I can’t even believe I’m talking to you right now. Oh my gosh. Hi.”
“Hello,” he said as his smirk turned into a full-blown smile. This girl was cute when she babbled, not that he wasn’t used to it, but there was something about her that was different, good different.
“I’m sorry, I’m not used to running into athletes on the street. I feel like a fool. I wish I was more prepared.”
“More prepared?”
“Yeah. I write for a sports blog, well, just started and I would love to interview you, but I don’t have any of my materials. Oh, this is what they were just lecturing about too, that I need to be ready for any situation..” she was rambling.
“How about you show up to Fenway this afternoon at three and I’ll give you an exclusive interview. I’ve got some batting and fielding practice for a charity event,” he said looking at her behind his sunglasses, watching her face light up as he spoke.
“Oh, really? That would be amazing,” she said pulling her Blackberry from her pocket, “It’s at three you said?” she said looking up at him through thick lashes.
“Yeah, and while you’ve got that out, I’ll give you my number, in case you have any questions on where to find me.”
“Alright, shoot.”
“617-710-8155.”
“Alright.”
“Alright, I’ll hear from you soon.”
“Perhaps,” she said smirking as she walked away.
Reaching the front door to his apartment he pushed it open. It never got old, people always wanted him for something. Autographs, interviews, appearances, sex, you name it. To be honest he missed the quiet lifestyle he used to have. After all he was in his mid-twenties now, he would like to settle down, have a family of his own, but women nowadays only wanted him for his money.
Typically he didn’t give out his phone number as it only led to problems, but there was something unique about...shit! He hadn’t gotten her name. He’d have to make sure he got it tonight at practice. She was sure to show up there, after all, she was the one who wanted an interview.
As he turned the key in the lock he kicked off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. Chugging it down he placed the empty glass on the counter and made his way to the leather couch in the center of his apartment collapsing onto it. Reaching over the armrest to the end table he grabbed the remote and flipped on the television to kill some time.
“Coming up on NESN, the Bruins head to Fenway for batting practice,” Andy Brickley’s voice announced through the television speakers.
“No shit, you don’t say,” he said out loud.
It never failed to amaze him the amount of publicity he and the guys got sometimes, even for something as little as practicing batting for a charity game. But the fans ate it up and there was no doubt there would be a whole truckload of them at Fenway waiting to meet him. Some days it would be nice to just go somewhere and not have to worry about fans or media, but that was the job and it paid the bills.
As he sat there and watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory on TBS the time passed by and before he knew it it was time to leave for practice. Changing into a pair of track pants and a t-shirt he picked up his glove and made his way out the door and hailed the first taxi that he could get.
“Fenway Park please.”
Twenty minutes later he arrived at Yawkey Way, tossed a fifty at the cab driver and made his way through the crowd to the entrance. To his surprise there weren’t that many people outside, only about a dozen or so and half of them didn’t even see him sneak by. As he made his way around the stadium and to the field he saw the petite blonde he had run into earlier standing a few feet in front of him.
“Hey stranger,” he said as he reached her.
“Hey yourself,” she said smiling showing off her pearly white teeth. Damn she was captivating, he thought to himself.
“So, you ready to see some hockey players fail at baseball?”
“Fail? I thought all you athletes were bi-sportual?”
“Bi-sportual?” he asked half-laughing.
“Yeah, you know, able to play more than one sport like they were born to, like it was some sort of God given right to play sports.”
“Haha, not exactly. That might hold true for soccer or lacrosse. but baseball is entirely different.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, there’s no contact, we’re forced to be nice to each other.”
Laughing, she replied, “Oh, I see. So is that why you decided to become a hockey player, the contact?” she asked raising an eyebrow at him and smiling playfully.
“You’ve got it,” he joked, “But shhh, it’s our little secret,” he said pressing his finger to her lips feeling an electrifying shock race through his veins.
“Get on the field Johnny and hit some homers.”
“Ha, I’ll try, it’s pretty far though.”
“You can do it,” she winked at me.
“Hey Johnny, quit flirting and get over here!” Tuukka yelled across the field at him.
“That’s my cue,” he said before jogging over to where the goaltender stood.
“Who was that?”
“Some reporter, I ran into her this morning after practice. She wanted an interview so I invited her.”
“Hey Johnny, I didn’t realize you knew Rhena?” Milan said coming up behind him putting a hand on his shoulder, “Small world.”
“Rhena?” he asked confused.
“The woman you were just talking to? Works for Renee’s marketing firm as their new blogger? I invited her here to cover our charity event for her first article.”
“Oh, yeah, well I just met her today.”
“Wait, I thought you said you invited her Johnny?”
“I did. I told her to meet me here and she agreed, she never mentioned she was already invited.”
“You mean Johnny was...played?” Tuukka and Milan looked at each other then back at him.
“No, I wasn’t played. I simply didn’t get all the details.”
“Do you ever?” Looch asked.
“Hey are we all here to bust my balls or are we going to play some ball?” he asked getting a little irritated.
“Yeah, you’re right, let’s get to practice, we’ve only got an hour and a half.”
For the next 95 minutes they practiced pop flys, stealing bases and determined who was going to play where. It was determined that he would play in left field backing third base due to the fact that he could throw long distances and he didn’t have to worry about covering a base on steals. Truth be told he had never played baseball a day in his life. Sure he had swung a bat a few times, but he’d never been big on little league. He was strictly hockey.
As he was preparing for his last run around the bases he scanned the stands for Rhena. It baffled him that she had toyed with his head and he didn’t realize it, but at the same time it excited him. He had never had anyone play back before, the girls he had always gone after were easy.
Ting! The sound of the cork and rubber bal connecting with the aluminum bat rang through his ears, signaling him to run like the wind. As he neared third base he saw for mer Patriot Joe Andruzzi waving him around, signaling him to run home. Out of his peripheral vision he saw Mottau bobble the ball and went for it, sliding into home just as Mottau threw it in. He was safe.
“Woooo!” He said as he stood up from home plate and made his way to the dugout to grab his glove.
“Nice job Johnny, that’s the way you run,” Looch said joining him, “Run like that tomorrow and we’re sure to beat the Rocks.”
The Rocks were the team we were facing, sports reporters, tv personnel, radio hosts, the media people we were surrounded with day in and day out. It was them against us, the Jocks. For one day we were able to simply mess around and have fun. He was actually looking forward to it, especially seeing how good his team was today, not that it mattered if they won, it was all in good fun.
“Thanks Looch.”
“Anytime. I’ll see you in the morning, eh, around ten?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” They were going to go for a run and then grab a bite to eat before the game.
“Alright, I’ll see you then,” he said before heading towards Fred Toucher from the Toucher and Rich Show.
Scanning the crowd he found Rhena and went over to her, “You could have told me you knew Looch,” he said coming up behind her.
“Well, I was told you were a player and I knew if you thought I was just another reporter you wouldn’t give me the time of day, seems I was right.”
“I don’t like being played.’
“I didn’t play you. I simply omitted some minor details, now how about that interview.”
“Nope, I think you owe me dinner first.”
“Ha, you’re crazy Johnny. I don’t owe you anything, all I need is ten minutes of your time.”
“Well, my time is very valuable so unless you agree to go out to dinner with me tonight I’m walking.”
“If I say yes, you’re going to give me more than ten minutes of an interview.”
“Fine, fifteen,” he said with a sly grin.
Rolling her eyes she agreed,” Fine. I’ll have dinner with you, but I’m choosing where.”
“Fine.”
“Fine, I’ll text you.”
“I look forward to it.” With that he watched as she turned around and headed towards Tuukka, pen and paper in hand. Damn she was difficult, but he liked that. It was the difficult ones that were always great in bed and damn he had a feeling that she would be. All he had to do was charm her at dinner and she would be panting for him. He was always one who liked a challenge and Rhena was definitely that. Challenge accepted, he thought to himself.
***
Reaching his apartment he decided to take a shower and get ready for his date with Rhena. As he unlocked the door and stepped inside he was greeted by Roxanne, the bartender at the Fours.
“Roxanne, how the hell did you get in here?” he asked surprised.
“I may or may not have had a key made while you were sleeping the last time,” she replied coming closer to him.
Oh shit, he thought to himself. “Roxy, give me the key,” he said as she started unbuttoning her shirt and coming towards him. Damnit, he knew something like this would happen at some point in time he just never thought it would be Roxy!
“Oh, why do you have to be like that? I come over to give you the time of your life and all you want is the spare key to your apartment?” she said nibbling his ear making his heart beat faster and his senses go numb.
“Roxy, I’m only stopping into shower and get ready for a date. I can’t do this right now. If you would please just give me the key..” he was cut off by her forcing her tongue down his throat, causing a groan to escape from his throat.
“Mmmm, you know how much I like to do it in the shower,” she purred in his ear, “Come on, I’ll join you then you can have your key,” she said dropping her shirt to the floor and making her way towards the bathroom.
How could he ignore that? Sure it was probably wrong on a few different levels that he was going to have sex before going out with another woman, but hey, it was just for an interview after all right?
Entering the bathroom he lifted his shirt above his head and stepped out of his shorts, one leg then the other leaving him completely exposed. As he stepped in the shower curtain he was greeted by a firm grip on his manhood and a waiting mouth wanting to divulge his. As the warm water ran down his back and her hands caressed his shaft he could feel himself getting harder. The more she caressed, the deeper he kissed her from her mouth to the nape of her neck, listening as she let out little gasps. He ran one hand down the small of her back pulling her towards him while the other was tangled in her long brown hair.
She knelt down on her knees and with one hand grabbed onto his ass while holding a firm grip on his penis with the other. Next thing he knew her mouth was fully encircling his member taking it in and out, flicking her tongue on the tip causing his legs to jerk. Damn it felt good, he thought. She moved her tongue around his member as if she were licking an ice cream cone and it was driving him insane, he had to feel her, had to be inside her. As she looked up at him with daring eyes she sensed his needs and stood. She put her arms around his neck and he grabbed onto her ass lifting her up. Slowly she eased her way onto his penis until she took all of him in and together they moved in rhythm. He could feel himself getting closer and closer with each thrust and he could feel her insides tightening, her breathing becoming heavier, it was only a matter of seconds before they both came. In one motion they were both pushed over the edge and he had one of the most earth shattering orgasms of his life. Slowly he lifted her off of his cock and leaned against the shower wall to keep his legs from buckling.
“Was that good for you sexy?” she asked as she stepped out of the shower leaving him to clean up.
“You are amazing,” he said leaning his head out of the curtain to plant a kiss on her pouty lips.
“Here’s your key, thanks for the afternoon delight,” she said with a wink.
“My pleasure,” he said rinsing off his hair.
“So who’s the girl?” Roxy asked as she slipped back into her black jeans and bar shirt.
“Just some reporter, she wants an interview for some blog.”
“Ah, another groupie. Have fun with that.”
“I will and Rox.”
“Yeah?”
“Leave the key on the counter would you?”
“It’s right here,”she said pulling the key from her pocket and setting it on the toilet seat cover.
“Thanks.”
“No problem, I got what I wanted, hot shower sex on my lunch break. That’s number seventeen on my list.”
He laughed as he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off.
“Laters,” she said walking out of the bathroom and through the front door. She may be a little crazy, but she was always fun and damn she was a good lay. If only every girl could be like her, no strings attached just sex and be perfectly alright with that, he’d be set.
Getting dressed in jeans and a button down shirt he checked his phone, one message.
From: 617-710-8219
Meet me at the Fours in an hour. -Rhena
Shit, the Fours? That’s not exactly the most ideal place for a first date, eh what the hell, it wasn’t going to turn into anything. Besides, if it really didn’t he could always bring Roxanne back to his place for some more fun. Sure, the Fours would work.
Grabbing his coat he threw it on and made his way out the door once more.
***
Making his way through the door he scanned the crowd for Rhena. Realizing he was early he asked to be seated by the door so he could greet her when she showed up. As he waited he ordered a Sam Adams Summer Ale and sipped on it until he saw her petite frame walk in.
“Rhena, over here,” he said standing and motioning for her to join him.
“Hey, sorry I’m a little late, Mass transportation was ridiculous.”
“No problem, I’m glad you made it. I didn’t think you were going to, I thought you would chicken out,” he said through a sly grin.
“I’m here,” she said grinning back as she took her jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair.
“Can I take your order?” Roxanne came over and asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“We need a -,” he began.
“I’ll take a Ray Bourque and whatever is on tap,” she said without missing a beat.
“Okay, and for you,” Roxanne said directing her attention to me like I was a complete stranger.
“I’ll have the Bobby Orr.”
“Alright, any appetizers?”
“Some buffalo chicken nachos,” he replied looking straight into Rhena’s eyes, damn they were beautiful, he thought. How had he not noticed them before?
“So, how was your afternoon after practice?” she asked interrupting his thoughts.
Um, good. Yeah, I went back to my apartment and watched some SportsCenter,” he said as Roxanne brought her beer and stifled back a laugh.
“Did I miss something?” Rhena asked catching on.
“Hm, oh, no. Just typical guy, watches sports, made me think of this guy I’m seeing.”
“Ah,” she said side glancing at him, she knew something was up.
As Roxanne left the table she put him on the hot seat.
“You’re the guys she’s seeing aren’t you?”
“What?!”
“Don’t deny it, she’s hot if you’re into that sort of thing,” she said taking a sip of her beer.
“Whoa, wait, what?”
“What? I mean sure she’s got a nice figure and a set of nice tits, but that’s it. She’s just a hot bod, great for a few rounds in bed probably good with her tongue and that’s it. There’s no emotion behind her, she’s all bod and no brains.”
“When the hell did you become an expert on women?”
“So you have slept with her?”
Laughing he took a sip of his beer, “A time or two yes.”
“I could tell. There’s a few rumors circulating and the way she undressed you with her eyes earlier was easy to tell there was a history between the two of you,” she said sitting back in her chair and folding her arms over her chest with a grin.
“Very perceptive.”
“What can I say, it’s a gift. So are you two dating?”
“No, we are not dating. If we were I wouldn’t have asked you to come out.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re an athlete.”
“So?”
“Athletes have a reputation for being just what they are, players.”
“Well, that’s not me,” he scoffed.
“Oh really, then why are you getting bent out of shape at that statement?”
“Because I can’t believe you would make that assumption. That’s bold and quite frankly rude.”
“But it’s the truth, otherwise you wouldn’t be so hurt over the statement.”
Damn, if that wasn’t hitting the nail right on the head he wasn’t sure what was. Generally he didn’t care what people thought of his ‘dates’ it was his business. He really didn’t care what people thought of him, but for some reason, her judgement made him feel like dirt. He wanted to prove her wrong and show her otherwise.
“Alright, I’ll make a deal with you.”
“Oh?”
“Let me take you out on a real date, not just sitting in a bar over beer and burgers. Let me really take you out.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“Because obviously you have been burned by an athlete before and I want to show you that we aren’t all like that.”
“What makes you think I’ve been burned before?” she asked sounding a little uncomfortable.
“The way you are so quick to judge me.”
“Alright fine, so what if I agree to go out with you.”
“Well then you owe me an apology and we’ll call it a day.”
“That’s it? An apology?”
“Yup.”
“Alright, you’ve got yourself a date,”she said extending her hand across the table for him to shake.
“Alright.”
“Here’s the Ray Bourque for you and the Bobby Orr for you,” Roxanne said presenting them with their dishes.
“Awesome, looks great!”
Together they ate their burgers and snacked on nachos while discussing everything under the sun. Before he knew it it was nearing midnight.
“So, wait a minute, you used to ice skate?”
“Yup, since I was four years old, but it was a little too cutesy so I switched to hockey thanks to my brothers.”
“Wow.”
“What, surprised that a girl knows her way around a rink?”
“A little, I’m not used to females knowing my sport the way you do.”
“What can I say, I like to get pushed around a little,” she said laughing.
“Well, it’s getting late and I have an early practice in the morning. Do you have everything you need for an article?”
“I think I have more than enough information on you Johnny.”
“Alright, then I’ll see you later,” he said standing up to put his jacket on.
“Alright,” she said standing with him in unison.
Awkwardly he leaned forward and gave her a hug, “I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks.”
“No problem, right back at ya,” she said tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“Let me fetch you a cab, Mass transportation can be scary at this time of the night.”
“No, no it’s alright.”
“No I insist. I kept you out this late and being a friend of Milan’s he would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
“Alright.”
As he hailed her a cab and shut her door he couldn’t help but wonder where she had been his whole life. She was unlike any woman he had ever met before. Sure at first she was just someone he was going to try and get in bed, but after tonight and the way she judged him, he wanted to prove her wrong. He wanted to show her that there was more to him than just his profession and sex drive, that he was an actual human being too. So as he strolled through the streets of Boston he devised the perfect date to sweep Rhena off her feet.
***
“Johnny, step it up, what were you up late last night?” yelled Claude after letting Seguni fly by him again and scored.
“Sorry coach.”
“Don’t apologize, step it up otherwise you’re doing laps. Sooner or later you have to realize that there is more to being a hockey player than screwing every girl that looks your direction.”
“I know coach.”
“Good.”
Twenty more minutes and practice was over and he could go home and sleep. He had tried to sleep when he got back from his date but he couldn’t get Rhena out of his mind. She captivated him and that was unusual and it bothered him and intrigued him. This woman was unlike anyone he had ever met. She was funny and smart and loved hockey and the best part, she treated him like any other ordinary guy.
“So you stayed out late with Rhena huh?” Looch asked as we got out of our practice gear.
“I did, but it’s not what you think.”
“I know bro, I know how Rhena is. No offense but she isn’t the one night stand kind of girl.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“She’s a tough girl and can handle her own.”
“I figured that out last night. Looch, she’s not like anyone I’ve ever met and to be honest I’m kind of freaking out.”
“Johnny, you’re only freaking out because you’ve never been rejected.”
“No man, that’s not it. There’s more to it than that, that’s why I’m so tired. I couldn’t sleep at all.”
“Now you are starting to sound like Adam.” Truth be told McQuaid was a hopeless romantic and always fell super hard for gold diggers that couldn’t appreciate a good mullet when they saw one.
“I mean it, I think there is really something there.”
“Hey if you think you have a shot in hell with the ice princess then by all means be my guest, but I swear to God if you do anything to hurt her Johnny, there are going to be consequences. That girl is like a sister to me.”
“I understand, and trust me I don’t plan on fucking this up.”
“Alright.”
Pulling out his phone he sent Rhena a message:
What’s your address, I want to pick you up for our date tomorrow night - JB
To which she replied:
660 Washington Street, what are you up to?
Smiling he responded:
Alright, be ready at 7 it’s a surprise. - JB
He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do, but he had a pretty good idea of where he was going to start. WIth a smile on his face he put his phone in his pocket and headed towards Faneuil Hall, there was some planning he had to do.
“Hello, who would I talk to about planning an event for tomorrow?” he asked at the information booth.
“That’s Kristin and you will have to call her, she’s out of the office today.”
“Alright, what’s her number?”
“617-523-1300”
“Alright, thanks.”
Dialing the number on his phone he listened to it ring until he heard a female voice pick up on the other line.
“Hi Kristin..Hi, I’m calling in regards to planning something tomorrow night.”
***
Checking himself over in the mirror one more time he smiled to himself. Tonight was going to be a perfect night and Rhena would see that he wasn’t like all the other athletes she had ever come across. She would see that he truly did care about her even though they’d only met a few days ago. He had never felt this way about anyone and he wanted her to know it. Taking a deep breath he grabbed the bouquet of roses he had bought and got into the horse drawn carriage awaiting him.
He was getting some sideways glances having the horse drawn carriage bring him through town, but he didn’t care how foolish it made him look. Or the fact that he was dressed in winter weather clothes and it was August. In talking with Rhena the other night she had mentioned how winter was her favorite time of year, so he arranged for a winter wonderland to be in store.
Pulling up in front of her door he got out of the carriage and walked up to her door, ringing the bell.
When she opened the door she was in a black skirt and red blouse, her hair falling loosely around her face meeting her shoulders. A look of astonishment covering her face.
“Johnny, what is this?”
“Your ride awaits my dear. You said you liked winter, so I have arranged for us to have some winter fun tonight.”
“Johnny, you realize it is July right? It’s ninety degrees outside.”
“It’s Christmas in July my dear, come on, lets go for a ride,” he said extending his arm out to help her get in.
He studied her reaction as they got closer to Faneuil Hall. The closer they got the more lit up the city became. He had arranged for all of the trees and streetlights to be decorated just as they are at Christmas time. They were headed to Faneuil Hall Ice Skating Rink. He was able to pull some strings and get a rink made overnight and rent out the entire area for the night for just the two of them. They were going to have a candlelit dinner and skate under the lights under the stars. He even had some fake snow arranged for later on in the evening.
“Oh my God, how did you?” she said her face filling with excitement. “Johnny it’s so beautiful, how did you do all of this?”
“I just made a phone call. Do you like it?”
“This is beautiful, I love it!” she said throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”
“The best is yet to come, wait until we round that corner.”
As the carriage rounded the corner and entered the center of Faneuil Hall he watched as her jaw dropped. In front of them was the rink all decorated with lights and a Christmas tree all decorated in the center.
“You said you loved Christmas time and that your greatest memory as a kid was skating around on the pond behind your parent’s house. I know this isn’t a pond, but it’s the closest I could get to one.”
“Johnny this is beautiful, it’s perfect.”
As if on cue Christmas music began streaming through the sound system, filling the night air.
As the carriage pulled up to their table he helped her get down and settled at the table before sitting down himself.
“Tonight I wanted to show you that not only am I not like the other guys, but that I truly care about you.”
“Johnny, you only met me a few days ago, how can you say that?”
“Rhena, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since I met you. I’ve never met anyone like you and I don’t care how long it takes for me to prove it to you, I will do anything.”
“Johnny, I-”
“Look, Rhena I’m not going completely drastic and asking you to marry me, I’m just saying give me a chance. Let me shower you with affection and show you how you deserve to be treated.”
“How do I know that the first girl that catches your eye on the road you aren’t going to hop into bed with.”
“I promise you, you are the only woman that I want to be with. I don’t care how long I have to wait for you to even kiss me, you are all I want.”
“Why me, why do you want me so bad?” she aske through tear filled eyes, a smile on her face.
“You’re unorganized and pushy, and you talk too much, but you’re everything that I want. I can’t explain it Rhena, but I can feel it. You are the who I am supposed to be with and I’m completely going out on a limb here, this isn’t what I normally do, but I can’t think straight when it comes to you.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance,” she said smiling.
“Thank you Rhena, I promise I won’t let you down,” he said standing up and pulling her to her feet, engulfing her in a hug.
“You better not because I have connections you know.”
Laughing he replied, “I know, I have already been warned by Looch.”
Looking down at her as he held her in his arms he watched as a snowflake gently landed on her nose. Wiping it off with his gloved finger he tilted her chin up and met her lips with his. She was what he had been missing all along.