Texas Was You

Chapter 13

Tyler came to practice with a vague sense of irritation, which wasn't helped when he saw Jamie with a cheerful look on his face. "I could hear you guys last night", he said sourly.

"Do not be upset because your captain got laid, Segs", teased Alex.

"Shut up, Toaster. Don't rub it in my face", he muttered.

"Tyler, you scared her off. Josephine told me she's a virgin", said Jamie.

"What the fuck, how can a hot chick like that be a virgin?", he asked incredulously.

"Because she has a big brother who plays hockey, mon ami. And I mean it, if you hurt her, I will kick your ass back to Canada", said Antoine, a mocking gleam in his hazel eyes.

Tyler nodded, knowing the normally cheerful Frenchman meant business. "I know, Antoine. But I'm not used to chicks like your sister", he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Act like a gentleman and go on a date. You have work at it", said Antoine.

"All right, I just hope I didn't scare her off", said Tyler.

"Wizard, did yoi know Jamie and his girl went at it last night?", teased Alex as the captain turned bright red.

"Guys, this is not the time to talk about that", chided Coach Lindy Ruff.

"Sorry about that, Coach. It's just good to see our captain get laid, maybe he'll score more goals then", joked Ray.

"I understand, but not aroundt he kids", he said as they prepared for practice.

"Tyler, what going on with Jamie?", asked Valeri.

"Uh, Val. You might be a bit too young for that", he warned.

"Like what, he have girlfriend?", he asked.

Tyler sighed when he saw the big young Russian genuinely had no idea. "Val, Jamie and his girlfriend were so loud we could hear them, they are loud during sex", he explained.

Valeri's blue eyes went wide as saucers. "Da, wow. I never be with girl like that, it American thing?", he asked.

"I don't know, I've never been with a Russian girl so that makes us even. How many times you've gotten laid, Val?", asked Tyler.

Valeri turned bright red as he averted his eyes. "Nyet, a girl suck my dick once when I play in juniors, girls like older guys", he mumbled.

"Val, we got to get you laid. You are in Dallas, Texas, there's a lot of hot cowgirls and Mexican chicks. Just go out with Toaster and Antoine, they're French and girls like them", said Tyler reassuringly.

"I hope you help me find nice girl", said Valeri.

"We won't get you an ugly chick, unless that's your fetish", teased Tyler as the Russian looked horrified.

Jamie chuckled and saw the text from Josephine, seeing that the girls were ready. Tyler's face lit up when he saw Lisette, his brown eyes raking over her body and a slow smile forming on his lips. "You look hot, my little French tart", he drawled.

"Merci, Tyler", she replied, a slight blush on her cheeks. Lisette wore a simple turquoise dress with a halter neckline that exposed a hint of cleavage, her ash-blond hair swept up with a comb and a necklace of chunky turquoise stones around her slim neck.

Tyler offered her his arm and the group went downstairs to the parking lot, piling into Jamie's and Tyler's trucks. Jamie handed the keys to the valet and they were quickly ushered up to the VIP section where a chilled bottle of Grey Goose waited for them. Alex and Antoine were already checking out the girls on the dance floor, heading downstairs with Valeri in tow.

The big young Russian was in awe at all the hot girls he saw, so different from the single dingy club back in his hometown. Antoine had already started chatting up a brunette in a red dress while Alex danced with a blond in a black dress.

"Hon, are you new here?", asked a female voice witha heavy Southern accent.

Valeri turned and came face to face with a girl his age, slim and pretty with long straight jet-black hair. "Da, I new here. I from Chelyabinsk in Russia", he said.

"Wow, that's far. I'm Carlotta Alvarez", she said, extending her hand.

Valeri thought about shaking her hand but instead he gave it a soft kiss. "Privyet, devushka Alvarez. I am Valeri Nichushkin, but call me Val", he said.

"So Val, what brings you to Big D?", she asked.

"I work here, I play for the Stars", he said proudly.

"That's great, reckon I never met a hockey player before. Let's dance", she said as a big grin formed on his face.

"Looks like Carla likes your friend", said Isabella Alvarez.

Antoine just laughed as he brought the pretty Mexican girl a drink. "Oui, mademoiselle Alvarez. I wanted to help him find a girl, him being a rookie on our team. Since me and Alex are French, we thought we'd help him out", he joked.

Isabella giggled, her dark eyes full of laughter. "How thoughtful of you, Senor Roussel. I hope he knows what he is doing", said Isabella.

"Val is a virgin, he's from some butthole town in Siberia", he explained.

"And what about you, Senor Roussel?", she teased.

Antoine laughed and took a sip of his beer. "I was born in France but my family moved to Montreal when I was in high school, I've played in Chicoutimi, Providence, Chicago, Austin and now Dallas", he replied.

"Damn, I've lived here in Big D my whole life. My grandparents are from Mexico", she said.

"When you are a hockey player, you play where you can find a team. If it wasn't for hockey, I would still be in Montreal or France and not with a pretty girl, ma belle Mexicaine", he teased gallantly.

"You are such a charmer, Senor Roussel", she giggled.

"Merci beaucomp, mademoiselle Alvarez", he chuckled.

"I can't believe the son of a bitch did that", said Tyler angrily.

Lisette sighed as he drove his truck through the outskirts of Dallas on the almost empty freeways. "Oui, that is what I am afraid of, Tyler. And you do have quite the reputation", she said.

"That's been blown out of proportion, Lisette. I did party a bit when when we won the cup on 2011, who wouldn't? And Marchy is nowhere near as crazy as people think he is, he's just a pest but he gets under people's skin and that let's him score goals. When the Bruins get here, you'll meet him. He's surprised that I found myself a girlfriend so fast", he said with a laugh.

"Do you miss Boston, Tyler?", she asked.

Tyler looked thoughtful. "Sometimes, some of the guys were awesome like Marchy and Big Z and Bergy were like mentors to me. And Boston is a great sports town, the fans are really hardcore. But I'm getting used to Big D", he replied.

Lisette noticed they were somewhere out in the suburbs and she immediately became alarmed. "Relax, my little French tart. I want to show you something", he said.

Lisette visibly relaxed as she watched him drive, his big hands steady on the wheels. Tyler drove out towards Plano and followed the signs to a local park, stopping the truck under the canopy of a large pine tree. "This is a good place to think, it's very soothing. It's like the park in my neighborhood back home", he said.

Tyler rolled down the windows and put the truck in Park, a comfortable silence between them. A slight autumn breeze was in the air and somewhere an owl hooted, the breeze rustling leaves in a nearby oak tree. The ink-black sky overhead was illuminated by a fat yellow harvest moon and tiny pinprick stars, a few lights from nearby houses adding to the natural illumination.

Tyler took off his seatbelt and leaned over, taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips. Lisette moaned softly and felt her lips part under the gentle pressure, her fingers tangling in his brown hair. Tyler reluctantly broke the kiss and smiled at the hazy look in her green eyes and her slightly swollen pink lips. "I don't want Antoine to send out the SWAT team, my little French tart", he chuckled.

"Oui, je sais", she said pertly.

"This is why I wanted Bergy to teach me French", he joked.

"You are always hanging out with mon frere, he ought to teach you French", she teased.

"I know the curse words, maybe that counts for something. That's Patrice Bergeron, he's from Quebec City but his dad is Irish. The nicest guy you'll ever meet, married to a nice French girl he's known since high school", said Tyler wistfully.