The Next Year

*Dec. 16, 2013*

I'd been having a problem and I wasn't sure how to solve it. We were on our way to New York to play the Rangers and were about two months into our season. The problem was that unless we were firmly ensconced in our own home, my husband would barely touch me. Goal cellys aside I was itching for just a simple touch from him that showed me he knew I was there. I guess I bitched enough about it to Mari cause she finally snapped at me. "If he's not willing to do what you need, seduce him damn it! Leks you know he loves you, but sometimes you need to remember that you need to communicate too. Not that I don't love hearing from you but he's the one you need to talk to, so find a way."

So now I was waiting for a chance to talk to Frank, he'd know Sid's schedule. He came into the lounge we were having our team breakfast in and I moved over to him. "Not shadowing anyone right now?" I teased him.

He chuckled and turned to see me a bit better. "Even superstars have to eat Aleks, you should know that. Kind of surprised to see you not trying to get into his room for some one on one time." I laughed and smacked him. We moved through the line pretty easily and sat down together. "Ok, what's really going on?" He asked low and clear. I was going to play it off like nothing but Frank knew me as well as he knew Sid.

I sighed and leaned over. "Do you know what his schedule looks like today? I need to see if I can get a few hours of one on one time." It sounded desperate but I was really close to that.

His brown wrinkled. "Trouble in paradise?" He pulled out a sheet of paper and laid it between us. I rolled my eyes and looked at the sheet. It was pretty packed during the day but after 6 it was completely clear. "Aleks what's going on?" he asked when I didn't respond to his dig.

I sighed and looked around the room, most everyone else were not down yet. "Frank, I don't know what to do. He'll talk to me if it's about the game and on ice but off it, it's like I barely exist. Watch when he comes down. He'll sit with the guys even though I can bet you the chair next to me will stay empty until _after_ he's seated. He barely looks at me, I don't know what I'm doing wrong if anything."

He put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. "Relax Aleks. You need to have a serious conversation with him I'd suggest you do it over dinner somewhere just you two. I'll put your name down at 7 and make sure you've got the rest of the night. I'm sure you can find a good spot, you know what you both like. He may not even realize what he's doing, you know how clueless he can be." It was a patented Frank speech. I knew that they varied but it had all the hallmarks. I sighed and turned back to breakfast. Frank would have my back.

An hour later we were in Madison Square Garden for our practice, the game wasn't for a couple nights. I was in the stick area, making up a couple, when Sid came over. Once I had finished the cutting he shoulder bumped me. "Hey, can we talk for a sec?" I looked up and shrugged, he took it as a go ahead I think as he continued. "Did you talk to Frank this morning?"

I nodded. "Yeah a little bit, why?" I was continuing to work on my twigs while we were standing there. It helped keep me calm. I looked over as I finished filing the cut end to see Sid holding a piece of paper out to me. Taking a look I recognized it. "Today's schedule and?"

"Look at what is written in at 7." I did and while I knew what was going to be there I didn't expect _how_ it was written, in red pen. "What did you talk to him about?" He'd lowered his voice so that it didn't carry beyond the two of us.

I sighed, tears pricking at my eyes. "Is it so bad that I'd like to have some time with you?" Sid looked away towards some noise that echoed from the room. My heart contracted, as he looked, at least to me, a bit guilty as he looked away.

As he looked back, and I tried not to let my hurt show, he sighed and mussed with his hair. "I didn't say that!" He said it louder than he meant to as he then repeated it quieter. "I didn't say that, god. I just wanted to know just what you guys talked about and why you rate the red pen." He moved us a little ways away from the stick bench.

My heart was aching, but I couldn't tell him that right now, so I went with something else. "I asked if I could have some time with you. I didn't say when I certainly didn't say to put anything in pen. Frank said maybe dinner would be a good time." I was down playing it, yeah, but until we got there and could really talk I couldn't spook him.

He looked taken aback. "I know we haven't really spent time together but why'd you talk to Frank about it?" I couldn't believe that and so gave him the ‘did you _really_ just ask that' look. That seemed to get through to him as he sheepishly replied. "Oh yeah, we haven't really talked have we." I shook my head. Again he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, Pat's in town and he really wants to meet with me tonight to go over some stuff. I'm sure he won't care if you're there."

Just what I didn't want; to share him tonight. I sighed, heart heavy. "No, you go meet with him. I'll find something else to do." Even though it hurt to say it, the look on his face told me that it was the right answer. He grinned and just about skipped away. I went back to readying my sticks with a much heavier heart.

I was concentrating so hard on not feeling that I didn't hear someone behind me until they spoke. "Now why, after you spoke to Frank this morning, did you let him do that?" I turned to see Mario standing with Dana; it was Mario who had spoken. My shoulders slumped and I sort of deflated. I could handle anyone but him speaking to me about this right now. Dana made himself scarce as Mario came over to me. "I noticed you talking with Frank, even saw him write your name in pen on today's schedule, so why did you not fight for the time?"

There was no way out of this, I knew that so I put my stick down next to the bench and moved so that this conversation could be more private. "I don't know why I did it, I just… I need to actually get him to _talk_ to me about some stuff and it seems like he's staying further and further away." Mario stepped closer to me and rubbed my upper back. "I know I'm a rookie and he doesn't take a huge role with the rookies, but..."

"You feel like that is all he is seeing right now." Mario finished for me. I hadn't realized it but I had started to cry, I noticed when a tear hit my arm as I nodded. "Aleks you are _more_ than just a rookie, it sounds like he needs reminding of that." He turned me away from the few guys in the hallway and looked at me himself. "I would suggest that you _do_ need at least a meal away from the boys and if he isn't willing to go to dinner with you then go with someone who _does_ want to be in your company." He paused, took out his phone and looked at his own schedule. "In fact, be ready to go at 7 and you and I will go to dinner and continue this. There is clearly more that needs to be said by both of us and now is not the time." He pulled me close and gave me a big hug. "You will survive this Aleks, have no doubt of that."

He must have been satisfied with what he saw in my face as he let go of me as he nodded and went on his way. I worked for a few minutes to get myself under control again before going back to the stick bench. Flower was there by now working on his own. "Talking to t'e big man huh?"

I nodded. "I've got some stuff going on that he's willing to listen to." I saw the look of hurt cross Flower's face and shook my head. "Trust me you don't want to be in the middle, I wouldn't ask you to do that. At least I know with him, none of the guys will chirp me about it."

Flower knocked his shoulder against mine. "You can always talk to me Mal, even if it's about Mr. Big Butt. Don' t'ink we 'ave not noticed you are no' 'appy. Adsy, Duper and me were going to go to lunch and we look for a fourth, sound good?" I chuckled, trust Flower to invite me along without asking the others.

Speaking of Duper came over then. "There is our favorite little sister." I just shook my head as he said that. "Quel est le problème Aleks? (What's wrong Aleks?)" He looked at Flower. "Qu'est-ce que tu lui as fait? (What did you do to her?)" His switch to French didn't bother me, we were always doing that when we were around each other.

Flower balked. "Je n'ai rien fait! Vous voulez quelqu'un à blâmer, essayez notre capitaine. Je l'invite à déjeuner, elle a l'intention de dîner avec Mario (I did nothing! You want someone to blame, try our Captain. I invite her to lunch, she has dinner plans with Mario.)" Looking at Duper I saw a small smile cross his face. "Anyway, we 'ave your back Mal, always." He knocked shoulders with me and wandered off.

Duper worked on his sticks. "So it is as serious as some of us think. To have you talking to Mario, it 'as to be serious." I dryly chuckled, he'd hit the nail on the head there. "Remember t'at not even Mario can solve all the problems, you 'ave to talk to your husband as well." That was Duper, dispensing sage wisdom while doing such a mundane task.

"Je sais que mon ami, mais quand il ne parlera pas à moi, si il ya quelque chose qu'il veut, et encore moins de me toucher en dehors d'un jeu, dont le problème est-il vraiment alors? (I know my friend, but when _he_ will not speak to me unless there is something he wants, let alone touching me outside of a game, whose problem is it really then?" Pascal looked over at me with sorrow in his eyes. "Ne dites pas à tout le monde s'il vous plaît. J'espère que Mario aura un aperçu ce soir. Il nous deux sait très bien. (Don't tell everyone please. I'm hoping Mario will have some insights tonight. He knows us both very well.)" He lightly punched me in the shoulder. "Do you mind that Flower invited me?" I continued. "I can find others to go out with."

"Non, it is fine. Maybe we can help you in some places Mario can not. We know how his schedule can be. We did not know it was such a big problem though, or we would 'ave stepped in earlier."

By now I had finished my sticks. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Truth be told, I was trying to hide it and apparently failing. Don't blame yourself." I don't know why, but I had a feeling that lunch was going to be less about the game and more about my issues. I turned to walk away, then turned back. "Hey Duper?" he looked up at me, "thanks for not minding if I gatecrash lunch. Maybe a real conversation will be had and not bitch about the tv we're missing." He grinned, we all had shows we missed during the year. A lot of the time we bitched about it too.

After a good hard practice, there was a change to the lunch party. Adys had something to do for the Player's Association so Tanger joined us instead. That meant that the entire conversation would be in French and not English, not that it would bother me. We chose a nearby cafe and ordered, then they asked me what was truly going on.

"Aleks, nous vous aiment et Sidney, mais il ya clairement quelque chose qui cloche. Vous savez que vous pouvez nous faire confiance, de nous parler. (Aleks, we love you and Sidney but there is clearly something amiss. You know you can trust us, talk to us.)" Trust Flower to start like that, problem is I knew he was right. They even would keep this out of the room if I asked. Tanger wasn't sure what was going on at first but he quickly got it when I spoke up.

"À quand remonte la dernière fois où il m'a touché quand l'un de nous avait pas fait un bon jeu ou marquer quand nous avons été sur la glace? (When was the last time he touched me when one of us had not made a good play or scored when we have been on ice?)" They all looked puzzled briefly before I continued. "Je peux vous dire, avant que nous partions le Burgh sur ce voyage. Avant le dernier voyage, c'était aussi avant que nous quittions la maison. Il est à peine à me parler trop. Je ne sais pas ce que j'ai fait de mal, si quoi que ce soit. J'ai parlé avec Frank au petit déjeuner pour essayer d'obtenir une chance de nous en sortir, mais qui a échoué sur le banc de bâton ce matin. Ai-je commencé à sucer ou obtenir laid quand nous sommes partis? (I can tell you, before we left the Burgh on this trip. Before the last trip, it was also before we left home. He's barely speaking to me too. I don't know what I did wrong, if anything. I spoke with Frank at breakfast to try and get a chance to work this out but that failed at the stick bench this morning. Did I start sucking or get ugly when we left?)" That told them how worried and desperate I was feeling.

Tanger spoke up. "Vous êtes magnifique et alors que nous avons vu à mieux jouer, vous n'avez pas sucer. Je suppose qu'il vous a parlé dans le laisser aller à une autre réunion. (You are gorgeous and while we have seen you play better, you don't suck. I am guessing that he talked you into letting him go to another meeting.)" I nodded and they all shook their heads. "Fleur a dit que vous êtes en train de dîner avec Mario, donc pour l'instant, nous allons oublier et avoir du plaisir. Nous allons laisser Mario aide à faire face à cela, nous allons travailler pour garder votre esprit hors de lui plus tard. Quel est votre endroit préféré à New York? (Flower said you are having dinner with Mario, so for now we will forget this and have some fun. We will let Mario help you deal with this, _we_ will work to keep your mind off of it until later. Where is your favorite place in New York?)"

I thought about it for a few minutes. "Je ne dois aller faire du shopping pour certaines choses, je suppose FAO Schwarz pourrait faire partie de cela. (I do need to go shopping for some things, I suppose FAO Schwarz could be part of that.)" I saw both Tanger and Flower grin while Duper was shaking his head. "Quoi? Je ne les gâte pas et tu le sais. Peut-être que je suis dans le besoin de quelque chose à partir de là. (What? I don't spoil them and you know it. Maybe I am in need of something from there.)" Okay that was a stretch, but it got Duper grinning.

In the end we went to FAO Schwarz and Neiman Marcus. Normally I would have found one of the few ladies to go to Neiman's with but right now I needed a man's opinion. If I couldn't trust Tanger, Flower and Duper to give me the truth, there was no one I could trust. I had the beginnings of a plan and that required a knock out dress. Did it look odd for three grown men to be following me into the ladies dresses section, probably. I didn't care though. "I need something that will make his jaw drop." I said as I perused the selection. Neiman's was good for high end special things. "The color doesn't matter to me as much as the reaction."

Flower, who had seen Sid's reaction to that red dress I loved, piped up. "Better than or on par wit' the one from skates and plates?" He was looking through some cocktail dresses with Tanger.

"I meant what I said Flower. That one brought him speechless, I want this one to make him sit up and beg." Forget Mario's advice, I was going to take Mari's. I was looking through the dresses when one of the attendants coughed discreetly.

I looked over and she smiled. "It's not everyday that a woman comes in with 3 handsome gentlemen to look for this kind of dress. Can I help you?" I looked over and found the guys deep in conversation over a dress.

"I hope so. I need a dress that will knock my husband on his ass. The guys know me and him well, not to mention all dress well themselves. I trust their judgement." She nodded. I put the one I was looking at back. "I want sexy but not giving too much away."

I wasn't sure if what I wanted could be found until she smiled. "Excuse me, I'll go speak with your friends and we'll get you started." she went to go speak to the guys while I turned back to the rack I was looking at. They were bandage dresses which I'd never worn before, something about a hockey body.

It took a lot less time than I thought to have them find a selection of dresses for me to try. The first was a called a ballerina dress, it had a sweetheart neckline and was tea length. I looked nice in it but it didn't wow me. I knew it wasn't the one, but when I came out of the dressing rooms Duper's meh reaction clinched it. "If Duper isn't reacting, it's not good enough."

The next was metallic and had a handkerchief hemline. It had a deep v neck in the front and back which showed me off without showing too much. I wasn't a fan of the skirt though. When I came out Flower twirled his finger, telling me to spin around. I heard soft gasps at the back and then Tanger spoke. "The back is incroyable but I do not t'ink this is the dress either." I nodded, agreeing with him.

"Not a fan of the handkerchief hem myself, the skirt doesn't feel right but the bodice is a wowza for sure." Tanger turned and went back out to the floor. I was confused by that until he came back with another dress.

"Try this so we can see what a tighter fit will do." It was an ombre dress and was basically backless. I took it from him and went back into the dressing room.

As I put this on, the fit looked better but the neckline I hated. I wanted to show off not be covered up. The back was showing off but the front was too covered up. Wrinkling my nose in a grimace I went out. This time I found Duper in the section while the other two were near the dressing rooms. I turned so they could see it properly. The attendant sighed. "That does amazing things for your back and legs but the front, it doesn't speak to me."

Duper came up then with a light grey dress. "Are you proud of your hockey curves?" He asked. Tanger and Flower looked at him, they knew what he meant they all teased me enough about them.

The attendant looked from Duper to me, confused. "Of course I am. I put up with you three commenting about them enough." I said, slightly offended he had to ask. My chest was a bit smaller than most women and my thighs and ass were bigger. It made fitting clothes a pain but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

He handed me the hanger. "Prove it, show them off. You want his attention, make _others_ notice you." I could mentally smack myself. He was right, that was the key to getting Sid's undivided attention, make him see others enjoying how I looked. Make the green eyed monster in my husband take notice.

The attendant smiled. "Ah, so I see what's going on. Is someone not paying enough attention to you?" All of us nodded. She chuckled. "He's right honey, show off what you have. Go try that one and if it fits like I think it will, we'll go from there."

I looked at the back and sighed. "I'm gonna need help with this one. I won't be able to zip it up without help." I saw Flower grin. "Sure MAF, why not." He followed me into the room but not into the stall. I changed and couldn't help but gasp aloud as I got the dress on. I opened the door part way and he discreetly zipped me up. I then stepped out of the stall.

Flower's eye bugged out a bit and he looked behind me at how well the back fitted. "Holy! Go show them." He walked out behind me so I couldn't see the grin on his face.

The shocked but happy looks on the faces of Tanger and Duper were enough to confirm that I looked amazing in this dress. The attendant smiled. "Claudia looks very nice on you." She walked a bit away and came back. "Try Lilykate and see how she looks, this silhouette works for you but I'm sure we can make even these boys drool a little bit."

I laughed, knowing they were all married, if only in how attached they were to their ladies. "If that happens whomever this designer is might become my go to." I took the dress she offered and went back to change. Flower helped again with the zippers and when I came out, before the other two saw me, sounded like he'd been punched in the gut.

Coming back out I heard both Tanger and Flower speaking in low tones. Duper was nodding in approval, but the attendant was looking at me critically. '"Lilykate makes you look sexy but you need a slightly different hemline. It's too tight around your knees." She went over to a rack near the register and came back. "Here, try Isabella. It's in the same line but I think she'll fit what you want better. In fact, the gentlemen can stay here and I'll help you zip her up."

We went into the change stall and got ready. When we tried zipping me up, the dress was too big. "You aren't a medium, I'll be right back with a small." I waited nervously. I hadn't been a small in anything for years. She was back in a jiffy and soon was zipping me up. I saw the triumphant smile on her face and looked at myself. Isabella showed off everything I wanted to show off, covered well and the fit was amazing. "Oh yes, let's go see what your friends think."

She went out first and I followed. I knew how I felt, all sucked in and sexy, but until the guys all went speechless I wasn't completely sold on this dress. Duper leaned towards me with a look of shock. Tanger's jaw actually opened and when I looked at Flower he had a smug look on his face. "Attendez qu'il vous voit dans ce. Vous allez avoir du mal à lui faire garder ses mains pour lui-même. (Wait until he sees you in this. You will have trouble to make him keep his hands to himself.)"

Finding the right shoes to go with this took no time at all. When I couldn't find a bag I liked to go with it, I decided that it could wait until tomorrow, when the stylist Pat had helped me find was with me all day. We went back to the hotel and I stashed my purchases in the closet. They'd be no problem getting home, I just didn't want Sid finding them before he saw me.

At 6:45 I was on my way down to the lobby to wait for Mario. Yeah I was early but it was easier to be rather than have him wait. I sent him a message that I would be waiting in the bar and got myself a pop to wait. I didn't want to drink until I was soon to have food, so this was safer. I was sitting there a couple minutes when I heard a familiar voice behind me. "What does a guy have to do to see you?"

I turned my head and found my own agent. "Hi Pat, he said you were meeting tonight." He said down next to me with a smile.

"I am indeed but he told me that you originally had tonight in red pen and let him break that for me. Did you really do that?" Pat leaned on the bar and I sighed.

Nodding I admitted it. "Yeah, but it's not what you might think. Not directly anyway." I wasn't going to tell Pat what I was planning. Some things our agent didn't need to know at all. "We're having a slight communication issue, nothing we can't get past." Pat nodded sagely and then towards the door to the bar. I turned to find Sid coming in.

He came over to us and put his hand on the back of my chair. "Not trying to woo her away from me are you?" He teased. Pat held up his hands while I closed my eyes as my heart contracted.

"Hey I'm only trying to protect my interests. She's wanted by a lot of sponsors and I had to get a feel for how she felt about some of them." He had some paperwork in a file folder. "In fact if you want to review these and get back to me, it'd be great."

I smiled and took the folder. I would look over the proposals and get back to him as soon as I could. "Sure." Sid leaned against my chair a bit. It felt oddly after what had been happening between us.

Mario came in then and found us all. "Well well. I come to take my rookies for a nice dinner and a chat about how things are going for them." He looked around. "Where's Olli?"

I caught the ball he was throwing. "He went out with Beau and Bort. Told me to tell you he was sorry but you still kind of unnerve him." Mario nodded, seemingly in understanding.

Pat smiled. "Well would you mind if we joined you for dinner then? We can strategize over upcoming events then. Sochi and a certain announcement that will _have_ to happen after." I knew what announcement that was, about our marriage.

Something felt off about this but I wasn't sure what it was completely. "If it doesn't bother Mario it won't bother me. Might even give us a chance to go over these." I lifted the file folder and watched Pat smile.

Mario chuckled. "Then I guess it's a good thing I made the reservation for 4. Shall we go?" I got up, having already paid for my drink. Pat offered me his arm without a thought leaving Mario and Sid to follow behind.

Out front I slid into the town car and then found Pat across from me and the door 'fell' closed. "Aleks, Mario told me what was going on. If I had known I would have insisted he meet with you." Pat said in a rush. I flushed, knowing now what was going on. As the door opened I mouthed two words to Pat, thank you.

We ended up going to Ben and Jack's Steakhouse on 5th Avenue, not far from the hotel. Mario hadn't just made a reservation, he'd booked a private room. Once we were seated and our orders taken Mario got down to brass tacks. "Sidney I have to apologize. Pat and I lied to you." His eyes bugged out as he sat across from me. Mario continued. "I heard what you asked of Aleks this morning. I also heard her ask Frank for some time with you this morning. I called Pat and set this up so that you two could work things out. Aleks had no idea."

Pat added his own voice to the conversation. "We do have things to discuss about how we want to handle you two letting the hockey world know about your marriage but if you two are having issues now, they could get worse by then. We're going to go to the bar for a little while, when our food comes back we'll come back in."

When the door closed I took a drink of the wine Mario had ordered. "I didn't want to talk to you like this, but they won't let us go until we've hashed things out." I felt horrible, two people who should have our backs had led us into a trap.

Sid was confused. "What is going on? Does this have anything to do with how cryptic you were this morning?" He held his hand out over the table trying to hold mine.

I felt my eyes prickle and laid my so called cards on the table. "You know this is the first time we've been out of the house, even out of PIttsburgh that you've tried to touch me without something good happening on the ice." My voice had taken on a sad tone as I tried not to cry. I saw a look of horror cross Sid's face.

It was a few minutes of us sitting there in misery before Sid softly cursed. "Fuck." He moved his chair around next to mine and pulled me into his arms. "Babe, oh babe I had no clue." I started crying then. "This is what you wanted to talk to me about isn't it?" I nodded as I leaned into him. He held me while I let my heartache flow. Sid just held me for a while. When he finally spoke it was in a whisper. "I am so sorry babe. Why didn't you tell me?"

I sniffled and worked on answering him. "Because you didn't change what we would do at home, just when we were out. At first I didn't think about it but as it's gone on it's..." I shrugged.

Sid leaned his head against mine. "I'm so stupid. Here I thought you were wanting space when we were on the road so we'd keep our secret until Olympics were over. I should have asked." He clutched at me. "I saw that you were unhappy when we were on the road but I thought it was the hiding. God babe I feel awful."

I reached over and grabbed my water glass. "It's not all your fault. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong either." I took a drink and set it back down. "I could have asked as easily."

He laughed dryly. "Aren't we a pair. Oh babe, tell you what. We aren't done talking about this, not by a long shot, but I think it's going to take more time than we have right now. What if, after we're done here I'm all yours for the rest of the night. We can get everything out in the open and actually figure out a way to not have this happen again." He lifted my face to his and wiped my cheek. "What do you say? The rest of the night with your husband in a hotel."

I heard the hope in his voice. He was right, we were a pair for sure. "On one condition." He quirked an eyebrow as we moved to face one another. "That we, tomorrow night, forgo tradition and go to dinner just you and I. I choose where and when. All you have to do is come with me and try not to drool on me." I knew what I was wearing and that he would need a napkin.

He pulled my face to his and softly kiss me. "Whatever my beloved wife desires, so shall she have." He pulled me into his lap and kissed me breathless. Sidney didn't go for the sappy romantic gestures very often. He certainly never spoke like he just did without reason.

We were so absorbed into each other that when the door opened we both jumped as if we were kids who'd been caught doing something they shouldn't be doing. Mario on the other hand just chuckled warmly. "Nice to see things have been worked out. I hope this is never needed again." Sid moved the chair back to it's place and then claimed the seat next to me, surprising no one.

Over dinner we mapped out a strategy for making our announcement after the Olympics. Neither of us had any desire to have ourselves under that scrutiny before the games. We knew that both the Pens and Hockey Canada were well aware of our actual relationship. We also knew that it was up to each of us to make the team, nothing would be handed to us. Exactly what we wanted.

*Dec. 17th, 2013*

This morning dawned with me in bed with Sidney in my hotel room. My phone was ringing. I answered it in a sleepy voice. "Hullo?"

"Hello, is this Aleks Malakhov?" It was a female voice I didn't know. "I'm Penny Blackmar. I believe we have an appointment in an hour." Oh, I knew who this was.

"Yeah, sorry my alarm hadn't gone off yet. What's up?" I sat up which woke Sid. I was looking forward to this today, I would be figuring out how to make myself look and feel good about what I was wearing.

Penny sighed. "I'm sorry to call but I'm wondering how much you're willing to trust me. I've been looking at the pictures that you sent me and I want to know if you're open to a makeover head to toe." I heard her typing but I didn't care.

"Are you kidding? I'm up for anything honestly. I'm tired of my hair, there's only so much I can do with it to keep it looking nice. I've been thinking about cutting it." Sid balked, which got him smacked by me. "It gets tedious to care for. Would be nice to not go to bed with a wet head."

She laughed melodically. "Oh I know that issue. Though I don't have the same frequency." We both laughed.

"This is true, I do have the issue pretty often. We're still meeting downstairs in an hour right? What do you want me to wear?" I was now getting out of bed, much to Sid's dismay. He tried to keep me by clamping an arm around my waist. I excused myself briefly from the conversation. "Hold on a moment." I looked at Sid. "Let me go so I can get ready and get to our dinner sooner."

"Fine but I'd rather snuggle. I hope you have fun today, getting paid to shop." He got out of the bed and wandered towards his connecting door. That's something I liked, I might be a rookie but I never had to share a room and had always gotten a connecting door with Sid. I guess they didn't want either of us to do a walk of shame.

I shook my head, rolled my eyes and came back with. "I'm not getting paid to shop. I'm having Pens TV tag along with us while I learn how to dress even better than I try to already." I heard Penny laugh on the phone. I put my phone back to my ear. "Oh hush. I'm not getting paid to do this today. It is, however, something I agreed to." I looked at Sid. "I'll see you at breakfast downstairs." He saluted me and went into his room.

Another laugh greeted my ears. "Why don't you dress like you would for a game, that way I can see what I have to work with. I haven't scheduled anything anywhere so we can go where we need to. I am talking about the skin out too. I'll want to see your foundation wear as well."

That made me laugh. "Oh I don't have a problem there. I schedule a professional fitting at least once a year. Normally around my birthday. I like pretty bras and panties, it's the rest of it I have a problem with." I heard Penny exhale in what sounded like relief. "What's the happy exhale for?"

She shifted on what she was sitting on, it squeaked. "It's for not having to talk you into getting one. It's so important to know what size you really are and most women don't. You know, I have an idea. Would you mind if I crashed your team breakfast? This way you can show me everything and I can talk to your teammates and see what they think you can do to be better."

I easily agreed to this and looked at what I had brought with me. It wasn't a lot as I knew I would be getting things here. I pulled open the closet and looked at what I had, not a lot. I would make do though. I put on one of the skirts I got at Talbot's and then struggled to find a top to go with it well. I'd always hated dressing up for games, it felt so unnatural, but I was a girl damnit this was supposed to be second nature. I finally settled on one and grabbed my keycard and such to go out to breakfast.

Of course some of the guys decided that I was chirp worthy because of what I was wearing. That all stopped when Pat came in with Penny. "Aleks, this is Penny. She tells me you have spoken on the phone even just this morning.". I stood up and smiled.

"Yeah we have and did. We're going to go upstairs after I eat and she'll get a look at the little I brought with me this trip. Then the day will really start.". I felt the Pens TV guys all relax, they had a timetable for when today would start. Jen came over and I grinned. " Oh good, I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind coming with us to maybe tweet about some things while we're going.". She grinned at me, I was volunteering myself for tweet fodder.

"That sounds fun. I've never had much style training myself so maybe we can both learn something." I may have liked Penny so far but I knew Jen a lot better, having her with me would mean that PR would be happy.

I ate around talking to Penny and Jen about what I wanted out of today, then I remembered something I wanted to look into. "I'd really like to find a good lingerie shop. I need some help in another aspect of that area."

Of course Flower overheard that. "What she means is that she needs some knock out stuff to keep our illustrious captain happy. Don't let the girls know please, I don't need descriptions from Vero." He held up a hand in front of his face as if he was not looking at me.

"Âne (Ass). You were fine helping me yesterday but knowing more is bad. For that we girls will get together and I'll show them everything after Christmas." I threw my napkin at him which made him and his table laugh. I saw the odd looks from Jen and Penny and headed off the questions. "A few of them helped me find a knockout dress for my dinner date tonight. It's upstairs."

Soon enough the three of us were in my room looking over the things I had brought with me. Penny had one of my blazers in hand. "Classic lines, timeless colors. Good base." She looked at me. "How do you feel about finding a tailor to help fit these perfectly?"

Both Jen and I laughed. "Actually I have one already. He loves it when I come in. I try to buy 1 to 2 sizes up and get them tailored to perfection. What I have may not be designer suits but they are well tailored. I don't know a pro hockey player who doesn't have someone. Between larger legs and asses that make black women cry, we need them."

"I heard that!" Sid shouted from his room. I quickly closed the closet so he wouldn't ruin the surprise I had for him.

"I wasn't talking about your ass, just hockey players in general." I didn't make fun of Sid's ass, I liked it too much. He came over and hugged up behind me. I had my entire wardrobe for this trip on the bed. "Besides you know Dale and how he loves to see me."

Sid made a disgruntled noise and sighed a bit. "There's something unholy about the sparkle in his eyes when you come in."

I smacked him and sighed, we'd had this conversation every time we went to see Dale. "He likes that I'm his only female client. Of course he also likes that I bring him things to make even more fitted. I really feel great in them when he's done."

Penny smiled. "This day gets better and better. Willing to change from head to toe, has a tailor and knows the value of well fitting items, Work basics are timeless in color and fashion. How do you feel about color?" She leaned towards me.

Sid giggled. "Are you kidding?! Aleks loves color. She keeps trying to get me to branch out in my color choices too."

That was it, I pushed him out the connecting door. "Ok, thanks you've helped enough. See you at 7 for dinner." I closed and locked the door behind him. I then went over to my tablet and showed off some of the pictures I had taken with it, of the rest of my wardrobe. "I thought you might want to see the rest of it. He's right I like color. It's easier to add color by wearing a bright blouse than to have an entire suit of that color. I don't mind a jacket or a skirt here and there of a single color though." I went to the closet and opened it again.

"That being said, I do have something I need to show you and that he hasn't seen at all." I brought out the Neiman Marcus bags and showed off my outfit for dinner. "Tanger, Flower and Duper went with me and found this yesterday afternoon. When those three all have their jaws hit the floor you know you look good."

Penny whistled. "That's sexy. I want to see it on you before we leave. After you can get into something you find comfy and we'll go." Not caring that they hadn't seen me before really, I stripped and put the Herve Leger dress. Penny made me twirl like Flower had and smiled broadly. "Not afraid of being sexy either, this is very good. I'm guessing that this is for the guy you just pushed out of here like you'd done it before."

Jen laughed. "She has. Aleks and Sid are a couple and have been for years. The hockey world has crowned them the King and Queen of Canada." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "They are both very down to earth and while they might live in big cities, both have a small town feeling about them. I know that she likes to be a good role model for other girls who want to play professionally which means not too sexy outside of dates with Sid."

That was important. "Yeah, I'm not adverse to showing more. I just don't want to be hanging out of anything. Girls have enough people who do that already. They need to know class can be sexy too." Penny looked at the shoes and wrap I had gotten and nodded.

She then put them back in the closet and shut it. "Then let's hit Nieman's. Where else do you like to shop?" I picked out a pair of jeans and kept the top I had worn.

I made sure that I had everything I needed and we walked out the door. "Um, Talbot's is a good place. Macy's too. Or wherever Vero says we need to go." She'd broken me of the habit I had of buying at Target and WalMart.

Soon enough we were in Neimans and looking at suits. "Ok, I like what you have already but I think it's time that you have at least one designer label you have as a go to." She began looking through the racks of suits. "Ready to wear things are fine as long as you size them up for later tailoring. Well it looks like we might be hitting more than one store before we hit the lingerie shops. I'm only seeing Armani Collection here and I'd really like to see you in more than one brand before making a final decision."

By now I had forgotten that Pens TV was with us, probably a good thing, and responded. "As far as I'm concerned as long as I make my dinner with my other half I'm all yours until then." Jen chuckled. "What? Do you know how hard it really was to talk him into changing this one time? I hope to god we win the game otherwise it'll never happen again."

Jen sighed. "I know all about his habits remember. Hey what should the first tweet be?" She had the Pens Twitter open on her phone. "What about this? Learning how to look even better for our fans, with a pic of you two looking at the racks."

I laughed. "Sounds perfect. Penny, shall we find the Armani portion to try on here and then figure out where else to go?"

She smiled. "That sounds perfect." She picked up one of the jackets and I turned to look at what she was seeing. "I'm looking at the seams to see how big they are so I can determine how many sizes we'll end up going up. Right now I'm thinking one or two for the jackets and as many as three sizes for the pants and skirts." She looked at me. "You do want skirts too right?"

I nodded. "Trumpet skirts make me feel the best but if it's fit right I can do a pencil. I wouldn't mind vests too, so I could wear a solid blouse and that and not worry about a jacket sometimes. Versatility is good." Soon I was trying on various cuts of Armani women's suits and finding the ones that even before tailoring looked the best. We found two sets of suits that liked me. By set I mean jacket, pants and skirt. One was in gray and the other in black.

We went over the basics of finding the right fit for everything from bras to outerwear. In some areas I knew what I was looking for and others I still was confused. I _was_ learning though which was what I really wanted. I only got the suits we found at Neimans, nothing else struck me as a need to get it now. That meant we were on our way to another store. Penny told us which one finally. "I figured that since you shop at Talbot's and Macy's that we could look there for some things too. Then we'll hit Bloomingdale's for the Hugo Boss suits they carry. If you like something please say something, this is about you figuring how this will work for you as well as looking good."

In Talbot's I was even more comfortable than at Neiman's. I also had a clue as to what I liked better here. Of course the first thing I showed Penny and Jen were the Seasonless wool and crepe separates they had. This one had a vest as well as the other things I liked so much so I showed them what I had meant before about wearing a vest with a blouse. "I like a three piece suit occasionally. Not too often but every now and again it's a nice change. Looks good even without the jacket too."

Penny looked at me critically, walking around me as well. "I can see the occasional vest but they do make you look a little teacher-ish which isn't what we're going for. One or two times a season would be ok in the right circumstances, but I would stay away overall." Jen patted my shoulder. I put the vest back on the rack and began looking at shirts nearby. I found a few before we left for Bloomingdale's. We decided that skipping Macy's was a good idea.

Once in Bloomie's I went for the tops first. I knew what I wanted to find. Penny and everyone trailed behind me. When I got there I started checking over what I had learned. "Well fitting suits in classic colors as a jumping off point. Use colors in tops and accessories to brighten the overall outfit I can pull off most cool colors due to my skin tone but warm colors I have to be careful with and try them on before buying."

Penny laughed. "You learn faster than the other younger guys do. Do you do the shopping at home too?"

I turned and smiled. "Actually we've found that it goes faster if we split the list and distract people. One does their half of the list and then changes spots with the other who had been signing and taking pictures. So if you see one of us, we're probably both actually there. If people give us a chance we'll do the best we can. There's always a chance we won't have time to do a lot, but we will do our best.". I was talking to Penny, Jen and the fans who would be watching this footage.

With Penny's help I learned a lot, but now it was time to go to the salon and get my makeover done. I was nervous. "Jen, let me put my hair down and take a shot of it. Let's see what the Pens Nation wants me to do." I knew that I got a lot of people watching how long my hair was, as many as Tanger but a slightly different demographic. We took the picture and she sent out the tweet. "About to get my makeover going, how short should I go?" She'd taken two shots one from the front and another from the back, she sent out the back one. How did I know, my phone buzzed with an alert from Twitter.

As my phone buzzed Jen looked at me oddly. "What is that?" She asked. Sheepishly I took out my phone and showed her. I'd been talked into getting Twitter by a couple of the guys. I'd been having fun so far just seeing who I could follow. I quickly found out that Geno never answered people who followed him and that I should probably get Instagram as well.

"A couple of the guys finally talked me into getting Twitter." I pulled it out and showed her the list I had. All of my friends, no matter their team, I could find and the official Pens Twitter at the top of the list. I only had a few tweets and all of those were replies to others. "I'm not quite ready to interact with people just yet which is why I hadn't told you. I'm getting the hang of things though and even have a direct message conversation going."

She took a look at whom I was following. "Wow I had no idea you knew this many people from around the league. If you need a course in how to use it, let us know. We should put out the welcome mat soon for you. They'll love that they get at least you or Sid and maybe both in pictures."

I sighed. "Jen, look at the screen name I used. Do we want that getting out until we're ready?" I pointed to the screen name, Aleks78Crosby. "I don't want this secret being spilled yet."

Her mouth formed an O as she read the name. "Never mind, my advice is to put your account on private and only talk to those you know for now. After you've made your announcement we can let people know about your Twitter page." I nodded and put my phone away. I'd do something spectacular after our announcement and show everyone I had it.

We got to the Wonderland salon and in the doors. By now Jen was reporting that no one wanted me to cut my hair to which I just rolled my eyes. "It's being cut, this is their time to voice how short I might go. Otherwise I'm liable to go shorter than they want or like. Heck I might give them a voice and just do what I want anyway." I was shown into the back and changed into a robe they provided. I was then shown to Mitchell's station.

We chatted a bit, him getting to know me and what I did for a living. He was shocked when I told him. "You play in the NHL? So you're a tough woman." He was playing with my hair, getting a feel for it.

"Yep, the only woman in the league. Though I hope to change that by proving we can make it. Needless to say that's sometimes as many as 3 to 4 showers a day after getting hot and sweaty. I've been feeling like I've been in a hair rut for a while now but without a good stable stylist I haven't had the confidence to change that. Now that I'm done with college and in my chosen profession it's time to change both." He hadn't stopped playing with my hair while we talked. It was kind of nice, Sid did the same when we were at home.

The murmur of the other employees and clients went up a bit. It didn't faze me much until another man came over and Mitchell deferred to him. "Hello, I'm Michael Angelo, the salon's owner. Did I hear you telling Mitchell you play for the Pens?" I nodded, I might not be a girly girl but I knew who this man was. Mitchell give her something incredibly easy to maintain, not a lot of product. My goodness your hair is so soft for doing your job."

I flushed. "Thank you, I do try to take care of it. That's why I need to cut it so I can do so easier. I also deep condition it once a week during the season and once every two weeks during the summer." My care routine was something Sid tried chirping me about once, he quickly found out I had the easiest routine of the entire room who did more than wash it. "I'd love something I could let air dry. My hair right now takes hours to do that and I hate going to bed with it still wet, talk about tangle city."

Mitchell moved into my eyeline. "So shorter would be good, does it curl or anything?"

I chuckled. "Yeah it does, tamed right they are more waves than curls. I've had a love/hate relationship with them my whole life. I've gotten to the point that I can live with them but would love to love them again." I caught a glimpse of the camera and got a flash of embarrassment.

We discussed my hair and what I wanted or needed to do with it a bit more while he washed it. "I love that you deep condition your hair, but what products do you use?"

This kind of embarrassed me too but I answered him. "L'oreal, the evercurl line mostly. It just leaves it so soft and manageable.". The smile that filled Mitchell's face brought one to my own.

"They do make excellent products. So you're already sulfate-free and low bubble, that's good. Don't change what you're using no matter what people might tell you. What you've got is some of the best on the market." He picked up his tools of the trade and started looking critically at my hair. "Do you mind if I start with a dry cut and then go from there?"

I laughed. "I don't tell professionals how to do their job. If that's how you want to start, go for it." He measured what was down my back and snipped a single lock to see how it would curl. It came up to just my shoulder as it curled. I saw him smile and then begin in earnest to cut my locks. The conversation flowed easily between the two of us, it was nice to talk about what we were doing and not have a guy roll his eyes at me. Once he was satisfied with the dry cut we went and cleansed my hair.

"So how did you know you wanted to play in the NHL?" He asked as he began layering it so it would have body instead of frizz.

"It's the dream of most people who play to be in the show. Some make it on merit, some are right now locked out, and some are damned lucky. I'm in the last two categories." I then explained how I got my shot, he seemed amazed by how everything had panned out for me. "So now my biggest worry isn't making the Pens but rather the Men's Olympic Team for Canada. I petitioned the IIHF and won the right to fight for a spot on that roster. We find out in about 2 weeks if I make it, I'm positive my other half will."

Mitchell shook his head. "Well I guess I'll see how good you are for myself, a few of us from here are going to the game tomorrow night." The guy next to him brightened. "Christopher is a big hockey fan, but a Kings fan."

"Yeah and I wasn't thrilled with how Aleks schooled them in the Finals a few years ago." He smiled. "Though watching your parade and who was with you made it easier to bear."

I deliberately misunderstood his meaning. "Yeah, it was great that my brothers were able to stay with me. They were on leave from their jobs for the finals." I knew he meant Sid but we never made a big deal that he had been there. "Our grandfather was supposed to stay but at the last minute he wanted to go with my folks."

He shook his head. "So you're not going to mention who else was there? I mean only the best player in the league was in that truck with you."

I sighed. "We don't like to make a big deal out of relationship. It makes things easier, but yeah Sid was with me too. I was with him in 2009 and hopefully we'll _both_ be in a parade this year, though probably in separate trucks." I saw Jen smile, that made me feel good.

Soon enough I was faced away from the mirror so my completed cut would be a surprise, even the Pens TV guys moved to where I couldn't be seen easily. Mitchell spoke while he was finishing me off. "Ok, I've used similar products to what you have already so it should be easy for you to maintain. I think it's a really cute look on you and if you need help finding a regular stylist don't hesitate to call." He walked the chair around and I saw my new look.

I couldn't help but gasp. It was long enough to run fingers through it but short enough that it curled on its own. With the curl allowance it came up to just above my shoulders. I shook my head to get a new feel for it, while it moved easily it didn't stay in my face. "I love it! Jen take a picture to tweet out the news." She did and captioned it Love my new do.

After getting Mitchell's card and paying for the cut, it was nearly time to say goodbye to the Pens TV guys. Once we were standing outside the door of the first lingerie shop I pulled a fast one. I put my hand out and stopped the crew. "Sorry Pens fans, this is where you stop. I hoped you enjoyed following me as I learned how to always represent Pittsburgh by looking great. I hope you also love my new do as much as I do, I'll see you all on the ice." I waved and smiled. They cut the cameras and looked pouty. "There are some things the fans, and especially those I work with, don't need to see. What I find in here is for private consumption only." That seemed to make them understand what I was really looking for.

While the crew left, Jen stayed. The three of us went into the shop and began looking around. There was some terrific stuff in here, I was glad I had a second opinion with me. I looked at first at everything, finding a set of thigh highs I laughed about and knew Sid would love. They had 'this way to heaven' up the back seam. Probably not for tonight but soon definitely. I started to look at baby doll lingerie. It looked the most covering and comfortable.

Soon a sales associate came over and asked if I needed help. "I think so yeah. My husband's favorite color is blue and mine is purple so I'm looking for things in those colors. He also really likes thigh highs. What can you recommend?"

She smiled. "At least you have a starting point, a lot of people don't when they come in here or are too afraid to say it if they do. The babydolls are good, we have some chemises that come with thigh highs in the colors you mentioned as well. Have you ever worn a corset before?" I shook my head no. "I'd recommend you try one, they do wonders for anyone's figure. We even have some you can wear in place of a top which can be really sexy and comfortable."

My curiosity was piqued now. "Thanks for the tip I'll have to try one."

She smiled. "I love putting people in the right lingerie and making them feel incredible. We have a large selection so if you or the other ladies have any more questions please ask." We swore we would and she left us to browse with more confidence.

We all found things that we fell in love with. I was looking for thigh highs for tonight's seduction when I heard someone questioningly call my name. "Aleks?" I turned to find Lindsey Staal. "It _is_ you."

I smiled and moved over to hug her. "Hi Lindsey. Yeah it's me. I'm at the tail end of an entire day of makeover and learning how to best dress myself. This is part of my reward."

She smiled and giggled a little. "Your reward huh?" I winked at her. "This is one of my favorite shops in town. Marc doesn't mind it either." We looked at a few things together while we chatted.

In the end I walked out of the shop with several purchases. A corset bolero top in blue, a babydoll named Sensual Queen, a gold corset which was also outerwear, and 3 new sets of thigh highs. We now were on our way back to the hotel, good thing too as it was 6 o'clock now and I had an hour to get ready.

Once back in my room, Penny helped me get everything perfect then bid me a good night with a saucy wink. It was now 6:45 and I was nervous. To calm myself, I picked up my phone and texted Sidney. 'Meet you in the bar' I went downstairs, sat at the corner of the bar and got myself a glass of white wine. I had on the dress and one of the new sets of thigh highs I had gotten. I loved how I looked and hoped Sidney would too. My phone's alarm went off at 7 and I had to close my eyes to calm my excitement.

Unfortunately there were some guys in the bar who thought I was a 'working girl'. "Hey honey, you waiting for a friend?" I had a group of 3 "gentlemen" come over and try to surround me as I sat at the bar.

"Actually I'm waiting for my husband." I said as I flashed my rings quickly, thinking that would stop them from hitting on me, boy was I wrong.

"Come on now honey, you're not married. He might be your sugar daddy but he won't marry you. We'll give you a better night." One of the others tried to slid a hand down my arm. I moved it away.

They pulled closer, making my skin crawl. That's when I got rescued by Paulie. "Mal, wow don't you look good." I smiled and chuckled at him. "Oh yeah, you two are going to your private dinner tonight aren't you. Where are you going?"

Paulie would appreciate where I'd chosen, so I happily told him. "Water's Edge. I'm hoping that it gives us the romance we need." Being a teammate he knew that there was something off between us, but not what exactly. "God help me if it backfires though."

Paulie laughed, as everyone in the room knew Sid was extremely careful with his game day routines. "I hope for your sake things go well tomorrow then." He lifted his glass at me. I returned the salute. That simple gesture brought another of our teammates over to us, Sidney. "Hey man, you're one lucky guy tonight."

"Hey Paulie, why's that?" He hadn't noticed me, only Paulie. I couldn't help it, I laughed. That caught his attention. "Aleks?" He looked at me sitting there trying not to let his jaw drop.

"Hey babe, got my text I see." I hauled him in and kissed him. As I let him go, he still hadn't fully gotten himself back under control.

"Wow..." He shook his head, not believing his eyes. "Gosh babe you look, wow." I had my shawl on still so he only saw the bottom of my dress, I now stood and turned to lay the shawl on the chair I was sitting on. I heard Sid sharply gasp and smiled to myself. I turned back around and smiled at him warmly. He cleared his throat a couple times before he was able to speak. "Shall we... shall we go?"

I leaned in and kiss his cheek. "You keep your hands to yourself and I'll let you peel me out of this later." I whispered in his ear and felt him exhale raggedly on my neck. I turned back around and grabbed my shawl again. Sid made grabby hands at it and wrapped myself in it. He then firmly tucked me under his arm and lead me from the bar to the front and the waiting town car I'd ordered.

Once in the back and moving, he moved close to me. "God what I want to do to you because of that dress." I laid my hand on his upper thigh with a sly smile, my plan was working. Sid looked a bit shocked. "You planned to look super sexy at dinner with me didn't you?"

"How else would I have your entire attention all night?" He looked liked he was going to argue but he finally nodded. "I got some great things at the end of the day I know you'll enjoy." He groaned as if I was torturing him. "Then again I'm pretty sure you'll love what I'm wearing under this dress too."

Sid put his head on my shoulder and shuddered a bit. "Killing me." He leaned further and laid a kiss on the top of my cleavage. This wasn't just hell for him, if I wanted him to be good I had to be as well. He straightened and changed the topic. "Where are we going?"

"Waters Edge just over the bridge in Brooklyn. I thought somewhere a bit romantic and out of the way would give us a chance to be a bit more normal." He relaxed into the seat. "I've got us a reserved table overlooking the water but as private as we can have in the main room."

"Frank knows where we're going right?" I nodded. "Good." Fortunately our trip was shortly over and we were shown to our table. Once seated and having chosen a Pinot Noir for us to enjoy with the meal, he proposed a toast. "To you babe, for putting up with me and all of my routines. Let's hope this date becomes one of them."

I couldn't help but blush, he was admitting that he knew his routines sometimes got in the way of the two of us. "No, to us may we prove all the haters wrong." We touched glasses and sipped.

Dinner was much more than I hoped for. We had a blast and no one seemed to know who we were. At 9:30 we got back to Hotel Pennsylvania and up to our connecting rooms. I let us into my room and found the connecting doors open. I had closed my side before I left and hadn't noticed if it had been open when I was getting ready. Sid took a hold of my shawl and pulled it off my shoulders. "The last two hours were not nice of you." He growled at me. He interlaced our fingers and pulled me to him.

I moaned softly as I hit his chest. "I'd apologize but it wasn't just torturing you." He leaned over and began kissing and sucking on my neck. I let my head fall back to give him better access.

He let our hands go free and slowly pulled off my neck. "I'm going to go hang up my suit after I peel you out of this." I was turned around and he slowly unzipped me. I knew both by feel and by sound when he got to my waist. I then felt his hands coming around my ribs to feel me put. He groaned as he encountered the nu bra I had on. He pulled his hands out and unzipped the rest of the dress while his breath got ragged. "Holy hell babe."

I leaned back against him and knew for sure that my plan had worked. I pulled him flush to my back and groaned aloud as his erection wedged itself between us. "Hello there." I said, my voice going husky with my own growing desire.

He leaned into my ear and whispered. "What you do to me... I'm gonna go into my room and you're going to put on one of those new things you were torturing me with and come get your punishment." He arched himself into my back as he finished his sentence.

My voice died as my mouth went dry. When I found it again, I was well and truly turned on. "You never punish me, being with you is a joy my love." He quickly turned me around, gave me a hard almost savage kiss and stalked through the connecting doors. I closed my side lightly and put my dress up. I got out the Sensual Queen babydoll I got and left on my thigh highs.

When I was ready I put on my robe and knocked on the door between us. "Come!" I heard and I opened the door. Sid was still half in his suit, yeah I had that little fabric on. "Don't move." He said roughly as he finished taking his clothes off and laid on the bed. "Ok, come show me babe."

I sauntered into the room, standing at the end of the bed. I made a show of taking off my heels in front of him, knowing that he didn't care for me wearing them to bed. Slowly I untied and opened my robe. Sid's eyes hadn't strayed from me once but he did groan and take a firm hold of himself as he put the condom on. I dropped the robe, showing off the babydoll outfit and the top of my thigh highs. He crooked a finger towards him and I crawled up the bed too him. "Trying to kill me?"

A low chuckle escaped me. "Kill no, fuck your brains out definitely." I lead one of his hands under my top and let him discover what I hadn't put on. The feral smile that filled his face as his fingers found how ready I was made my breath catch. I went to take the top off and he stopped me.

"No, I want you to take me like that." He pressed his fingers deeper making me moan in need. I felt myself positioned over him and sank onto him with a soft and happy moan. It didn't take long for us to find a good hard rhythm. I was trying to not be too loud as we knew how thin the walls were. Sid wasn't making it easy though as he freed my breasts and latched onto one of them.

Needy noises were coming from me as I neared my own orgasm. Sid was whispering filthy things at me driving me crazy. "You're such a naughty wife, wearing those. You make me want to coat you inside and out." I whimpered wanting him to do all of that. "That's right love, take your punishment." He grabbed my hips and slammed up into me before groaning and keeping our hips locked together as he came. "Oh god Aleks." He ground out as he finally could speak. I had gotten right to the edge of orgasm when Sid had cum.

He must have realized it quickly as I hadn't stopped riding him. With practiced ease he found my clit and began circling it, sending me finally over the edge. I cried out as I came, I couldn't help it. It felt so good to have him where he was. As I came back to myself after nearly whiting out, he leaned me down to his chest. "Don't let me be this stupid again." He panted out as we cuddled. "Bring some more of those and remind me." We panted at the ceiling while our hearts finally slowed.

"I don't have a lot more yet, wasn't sure how'd you'd like this one." He finally moved and took care of the condom.

He chuckled sensually. "I like it, I like it a lot." He moved to the end of the bed. "In fact I'm hungry again." He moved the babydoll upwards. "Time for dessert." My confusion must have shown on my face as he smirked at me. "Grab a pillow babe, time for my favorite dessert ma femme, comme elle l'orgasme. (My wife as she orgasms.)" After a second, harder round of cumming from me, Sid and I drifted off to sleep. Operation Seduce Sidney was a complete success.