No Thank You

“I have a call for you Ms. Kavanagh.”
Her assistant’s voice was shrill through the intercom on her table. Rubbing her face, Alex lowered her reading glasses and moved her hand to push the button on the little apparatus.

“Is it the same guy as the last 3 times?”

She could hear her assistant giggle quietly before she was able to mutter an answer.

“Yes it is. I told him first thing this morning you wouldn’t be back until 10am; next time he called I said that you had an appointment until 11am. Last time I told him you were for lunch and that I was not authorized to give out your cellphone number…. I think he’s getting a little bit impatient. In fact, he was a little bit rude to me just now when I put him on hold.”

Alex had to chuckle: this guy really was not giving up and he hated that his status didn’t get him a preferred treatment.

“Alright then, put him through Maddie. Thanks for putting up with him, I will ask him to apologize to you.”

Taking her finger off the intercom button, the light for line 1 flashed like a little alarm bell was going off. Staring at it for a few more seconds, she sighed and picked up the call.

“Alex Kavanagh?”

There was silence on the other end, apart from deep breathing. It almost weirded her out but then she remembered that Maddie had mentioned that he had been quite annoyed so he was probably trying to calm himself down.

“I want to ask your assistant to work for me. It’s not even this hard to get a hold of me, and I am kind of a big deal around here.”

Alex laughed and leaned back in her chair, enjoying how flustered Sidney seemed to be.

“I offer great wages and a pretty good medical plan, I just don’t think she’d go for that offer Mr. Crosby.”

She had wanted to say ‘Sid’, but it simply didn’t seem proper seen that she had given him the cold shoulder the night before. Thinking of the way he had kissed her made her instantly press her knees together and sit up more straight.

“I wanted to apologize for last night. This…I don’t just go around and kiss girls like that, especially not if they don’t seem to be interested in me whatsoever. It was a good game and I guess I was in high spirits and-“

“No harm done Sidney, I was just surprised. I can understand that the constant pressure from being in the spotlight and having people adoring you and your abilities as a hockey player makes you want to lose yourself sometimes. Turns out you had me thinking of you quite a bit last night and it was hard to fall asleep, I’m so tired.”

She was glad to hear him laugh meaning her comment had made him light up a little bit. It caused her to smile as well as she could picture his face as he laughed.

“Do I have to pay for this call, because you totally just tried to analyze me.”?

Alex laughed again: at least he had not just looked for the number when looking at the card but read the whole thing.

“This one was for free. But if you make me do it again I might charge you for a consultation. And I am not cheap.”

She could hear some commotion in the background, wondering where exactly he was. Seen that he had tried to get through to her since the early morning hours she simply assumed he might be with his friends and didn’t pay attention to it.

“Alex, come to the game tonight. Matt has been talking about you non-stop and I am sure even Letang was pretty impressed about your short visit to the guys’ table. I may have rubbed in the fact that you gave me your number after all….so they are adamant that you be there tonight. If you don’t come, they’ll declare me a loser. You don’t want me to suffer having to get them laugh at me, do you?

She was thinking about the handsome boy Matt making fun of his captain, a thought that made her smile. Looking at the time she knew that Sidney was calling her from the arena, as it was almost 4pm, explaining the commotion in the background earlier.

“Mhhh, yeah Matt was cute. I should have totally given him one of my cards, too. Shame you guys got rid of Talbot, I am sure him and I would have had a lot to talk about. So, you were just calling to invite me to the game? You could have left a message with Maddie you know.”

Without hearing it, she could sense that she had unsettled Sidney: he was quiet. Too quiet. She assumed he had moved the phone away from his ear, as the noises around were a little more predominant.

“Yes, I thought it would be nice if you were there. I know the guys are going out after. I am…if I’d tell the guys you were coming I can promise no one stands you up. “

She swiveled in her chair, looking out of the windows, feeling intrigued.

“You do know that I know you want me to be there to see you score, right? And that at some stage during the festivities after you defeat the Sabers, you will tell me that you scored that goal for me, see yourself bend me over the massive dinner table you have just because I believe you.”

There was another silence on the other end and she felt almost bad for being so graphic. If the previous night had really been a lapse of his normal behavior, putting images like this into his head was very uncalled for.

“I don’t like the fact that you know us hockey players so well Alex. Makes me suspect there is a reason behind your dislike towards us hockey players.”

She chuckled as his voice had dropped. It sounded similar to the way he had spoken top her the night before when he had surprised her outside the bar with that kiss. It made her shiver.

“Now look who’s analyzing who Dr. Crosby. I hate to disappoint you, but you’re wrong. I simply don’t like putting myself in a position that leaves me as a disposable one night stand, it’s too cliché and I don’t want to end up as locker room gossip within a group of adolescent guys.”

He was silent again though the background noise on his end was still boisterous. Hearing a scuffle on Sidney’s end and a few choice words from him, someone started talking again.

“You’re not doing a good job letting him down easy, you know how this could jeopardize him not having his head in the game tonight? We would never hear the end of it. We expect you at the game, maybe even wear his jersey if you must. He doesn’t need to know that your heart is secretly beating for me.”

Alex had to laugh as Matt delivered his speech, amused to no end that he was not only suggesting it would be her fault if they lost the game but also showing up Crosby in the same breath. She liked his humor.

“You got me, I just didn’t want to break his heart but admitting I have fallen in love with his team mate.”

Hearing him laugh out loudly, she remembered his big smiles from the night before. All in all it had been a very short encounter, but there was nothing not to like about him or any of the other men she had met. Not even thinking about the heavy PDA outside just before she was able to jump into a cab and pinch herself, making sure that Sidney’s kiss had not been a dream.

“Come on Alex, it’s not like you have something to lose coming to the game tonight and maybe meet for a few drinks after. I mean, if any of the boys would have made inappropriate moves I could understand that you’re not too keen on it, but it’s just a game of hockey and a few drinks.”

Biting her lip as she yet again remembered the way Sidney Crosby’s toned body had pushed her against the brick wall, his hips connecting harshly with hers’. As much as she tried to deny it, her body was clearly betraying her rational thinking.

“Alright, alright! It was bad enough Sidney has been terrorizing my assistant all day, but you twisting my arm as well is just the last push I needed. I’ll be there, just don’t count on me being happy about it; I’m only doing this so half of Pittsburgh doesn’t have a reason to hate me for you guys losing.”

She was about to end the call as she could hear Sidney’s voice again:

“I’ll make sure to leave a ticket at will call for you. And I’d really like to apologize for last night in person, too, so if you would come out with us after…I promise not to behave like I did last night.”

Alex exhaled sharply. Was she disappointed that he wouldn’t manhandle her again or relieved? She knew he was not an athlete who showed his face on a night out all too much with his status, and he was certainly not someone who would appear in gossip columns much.
Clearing her throat she sat up straight again, placing her free hand on the smooth surface of the wooden desk.

“That sounds good. I’ll just head home now and throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and I’ll be ready to go. Good luck tonight Sidney.”

She knew that the last part of the sentence must have come across a little breathed, receiving a low growl through the phone that instantly turned her on. It was primal and she got goose bumps instantaneously.

“Use that kind of voice on me again Dr. Kavanagh, and I will take my promise of behaving around you back and I will not be pushed away as easy this time around.”

She caught herself release a small moan. She could imagine the fire in his eyes right now, how he set his jaw in a straight line, maybe even licking his lips.

“Tell me Sidney, are you currently picturing the dinner table I mentioned earlier?”

Alex couldn’t help but ask as her hand was now placed on top of her thigh, her fingernails already making dents in her milky flesh through the layer of skirt material. She knew she was teasing him and she wasn’t sure why she got such a kick out of it, but him taking her bait like this was certainly not helping her to stop either.

“No,”

He shot her down with certainty in his voice, not even sounded like he was entertaining her suggestive talk until he continued,

“I don’t think we’d make it to the dinner table. I would have you pinned against the inside of my front door, begging me to have you right there. If you’re good you would be naked on the cold tiled floor in 3 seconds flat and depending on how much you really want this-“

He got cut off by someone shouting his name in the background, causing both him and her to crash back into reality. And the landing was hard: he realized that his little slip into a forbidden fantasy could have easily gotten him into trouble, whereas she shut her eyes in silent disbelief how unprofessional she was.

“I have to go now, I’ll see you at the game in a few hours. Now go and clean yourself up, judging by that little excited moan earlier, you might be in need of a fresh pair of panties.”

She stared at her phone in disbelief as she could hear him chuckle before he ended the call. Exhaling deeply to calm her nerves, she dropped the receiver of her phone back into the cradle.

“I don’t think The Kid is as innocent or inexperienced as a lot of people think.”

Alex mused as she stood up to grab her purse, her peripheral vision landing on her leather seat: an unmistakable damp spot was neatly positioned in the middle of her seat. Next to the shame she was feeling and her cheeks heating up instantly, she smirked before biting her lip.

“I hope he takes as good as he hands out.”