Hockey Is My Boyfriend: Part Three (40 page)

I
was
full of delicious thin-crust pizza and feeling awesome. Phil was right; putting my troubles onto his broad shoulders was very therapeutic. Somehow, when I exposed my worries, they shrank away to something very manageable. Phil wasn’t going to do the same things that Jimmy had done, and if he did anything that bothered me—we could work it out. I had a full, interesting life of my own, and I had options now. I could stay with him because I wanted to and not because I had to.

Since we had settled all the emotional stuff, we could get onto the fun stuff.

“Don’t forget your promise,” I told Phil. His grin told me that he knew exactly what I meant. He threw the pizza box into the garbage and cleaned off my little coffee table.

“What are you doing?” I wondered.

“I’m going to move the bed and the sofa together. That way we have more room for sex, and we can sleep together tonight.”

“Engineers have the best ideas,” I said, helping him. Moving things in my tiny apartment was a little like a game of Tetris since there wasn’t a lot of space. Phil made me get out the extra sheets and, in no time, we had a double bed of sorts.

“I hope I don’t fall down the crack,” I said, and Phil laughed rudely.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold onto you.” Then he frowned. “Oh shit. I better go out and get some more condoms.”

I put my hand up to stop him. “It’s okay. I’m on birth control… and we’re in a committed relationship, right?”

Phil put his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. “I could not be more committed to you, Kelly. I told you, us being together—for real—is my biggest dream.”

I waited for my body’s reaction to that sweet, but essentially sappy, remark. Instead of fear, his remark made me feel a little squishy and warm inside.

“I’m cured,” I announced.

“From what?” Phil asked.

“All the crap,” I replied vaguely. “Now, let’s get you undressed.” I started unbuttoning his shirt for the second time tonight. I threw open his shirt and enjoyed the view of his lean torso and delineated six-pack.

“Careful,” he said, leaning back as I undid his zipper.

“Oh, you went commando,” I observed, cradling his balls in my hand. A happy shiver went through his body. I used my other hand to stroke his penis and make it even harder—and bigger. “No condoms is a good idea. I’m all for feeling this amazing cock the way nature intended.”

“Why do you still have clothes on?” Phil complained

“Time me.” I started peeling everything off, and Phil laughed heartily.

“Um, 38 seconds. The new Olympic record.”

“See, buddy, you’re about to get lucky with the Olympic undressing champion. But you don’t have a watch on, so I’m not sure how you knew the exact time.”

“I used steamboats,” he said. “Although when you took off your underwear, I may have lost count.” He leaned against the back of the couch part of the makeshift bed and pulled me onto his lap. I straddled him and when I leaned forward, he cupped a breast in each hand.

“Man, that feels so good already.” My nipples were puckering as Phil’s warm palms brushed them. His touch was gentle and yet electrifying. “Your hands are magic.”

“Better test that theory,” he told me and started feeling me up everywhere. He ran his hands down my sides, over my thighs, and around to my ass. “Oh yeah,” he murmured. “This perfect ass.” He squeezed it for emphasis. And I was lighting up everywhere.

He craned his neck up to kiss me. His kiss was so right—firm lips, nice pressure, just a bit of tongue. I yielded my mouth completely to him.

After some long moments of exquisite kissing and touching, I wanted more. I moved around so I could take him into my mouth. He tasted so good to me that I went, “Mmmmm.” Phil’s happy groan made me realize how much he enjoyed the vibrations so I kept them up. After a few minutes I stopped and told him, “Almost as yummy as dinner.”

“Oh, fuck.” Phil twisted around and pulled me onto the bed. “Let me taste you too.”

He got between my thighs. Then he planted a series of moist kisses along my thighs and finally all the sensitive places between my legs. When he kissed and sucked my clit, I automatically arched my back and offered more of myself to him. He tongued all around my clit, and I moaned happily in response. He teased me almost to the point of orgasm, and when he stopped, I grumbled in frustration.

Phil spread my thighs really wide and told me to hold them there. He inserted a finger into me and started making weird circles inside me. It felt okay, but not really sexual. More medical actually.

“Um, what are you doing?” I asked him.

“Looking for something.”

What? A contact lens? Nemo? Ugh, I wanted him to go back to the licking stuff!

Finally he made an “aha” sound and placed one hand on my tummy just above where his finger was inside me.  And then he started rubbing and tapping on a spot inside me. At first it felt like I had to pee, and I was wriggling in discomfort, but Phil just continued until as these incredible feelings built up in me. All these new nerve endings inside me were getting lit up.

I felt kind of congested, like I was swelling up in there. Finally I couldn’t concentrate on anything but these building sensations. I was spiraling out of control—panting and flopping all over the bed. Then just when I was on the verge of this totally amazing inside-the-body orgasm, Phil took his finger out.

“Oh my God, you’re killing me,” I protested. Why did he keep stopping just before I was going to come?

The bastard chuckled and moved up between my legs. He turned me over and raised my hips. I felt the tip of his swollen cock enter me, and then he began thrusting. With each stroke, he targeted that same spot of swollen flesh he had awakened. His cock felt so good without a condom, and by the sounds he was making, Phil was finding our sex pretty intense too. He kept fucking me hard and steady, and I was out of control. I was screaming and thrashing my limbs everywhere.

“Oh fuck. Phil, it’s so good. I’m coming, I’m coming.” I tensed and pushed my ass up against him as this unbelievable whole body orgasm took over my body. Then he turned me over, his cock still lodged inside, and started thrusting again. He reached down and pinched my clit too, which sent me into a complete frenzy as I came yet again. Finally he came too; I could feel that one last deep thrust and heard his tortured groan of pleasure.

We both collapsed in exhaustion. Good sex was like a workout. Phil pulled the sheet up over us and put his arms around me.

After a few minutes, I recovered enough to ask him, “What was that?”

“Sex,” he replied.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve had sex like that before. Incredible.”

“There’s more where that came from.”

“Oh, I’m gonna hold you to that.” I sighed happily. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a great fuck?”

Phil laughed in this easy way I loved. “You’re such a sweet talker.”

We lay there a while longer in a happy silence. I felt blissfully relaxed.

“I love you, Kelly.”

“I love you, too.” No hesitation or panic wrecked my post-sex high. I was cured. I snuggled into him. “I’m not sure if I still want to go hiking tomorrow.”

“Today, you mean,” he said. I guess it was long past midnight. This had been one hell of a night. “Why not?”

“I’m thinking that spending the day in bed with you—” I smacked his ass for emphasis “—might be better.”

“We can do both. Shorten our hike and have sex—before, during, and after.”

“That’s a good idea,” I murmured. I was almost asleep.

“We can have it all,” Phil assured me, and that was my last conscious thought.

F
ebruary 2010

Six months later

“
K
elly
, we need you,” Betty called to me from her office. The Olympics had turned our broadcast centre into a madhouse, with twice as many people stuffed in here and broadcasting going on 24/7. I was being used as a point person, helping all the out-of-town people find their way around the studio and the city.

“I’m here.” I zoomed over. Everything was urgent.

Betty consulted the big whiteboard where she kept all the assignments and schedules. “Well, Germaine’s crew is stuck at the speed-skating venue in Richmond, there was a technical problem and it’s going late. I need someone to take her place. I was thinking you could do it.”

“Me? Really?” I was getting a chance to go on air?

“Don’t get too excited. It’ll probably end up being under thirty seconds. But you’ll get to go to the event too.” She ran a finger over the magnetized event names. Betty was supremely organized. “Let’s see—curling or women’s hockey? I sent Jack to U.B.C. for something else, so he could do the hockey. You can meet the crew at the curling venue.”

Damn! So fucking close. I tried to smile, but my lips seemed to be getting stuck on my teeth. “Okay, great. Thanks so much for this opportunity.”

She began to laugh heartily. “If you could see your face, Kelly. Of course I’m sending you to women’s hockey.”

“
E
xcuse me
, Ms. Tough. Coast 2 Coast Sports would like to talk to you about the game.”

“Oh my God! Tank.” Deirdre’s eyes and mouth both went wide.

I gave her a huge hug. She was still wearing all her equipment and she felt damp and clammy.

“Look at us. Living our dreams! I’m playing for the Olympic team, and you’re a hockey reporter.”

“Well, kind of. It’s going to be my first time on air.”

“And I get to bust your broadcast cherry—fucking A.”

“Let’s not say stuff like that when I interview you, or it could turn out to be my last time.” I looked around, but my cameraman wasn’t here yet.

“You really want to talk to me?” she asked.

“Sure, I get to choose, and you scored two goals.”

Deirdre’s huge personality would make an impression on the audience. You always had to be thinking about what made great TV, even if we had to mute some of her language.

“Every fucking player did,” Deirdre said. They had defeated Sweden 13-1.

“No kidding. Where’s the mercy rule when you really need it?”

“Every goal counts in the Olympics.”

“We should meet tonight,” I told her. “I want to get caught up and hear all about Calgary.”

“It’s amazing. And Tank, you could totally play on the CWHL team there. They’re really flexible about games too. They understand that everyone has to work. The club players pick up the slack if we’ve got national team stuff, so we keep a big roster.”

“Sounds great.”

Now that the Olympic building boom was over, Phil was on borrowed time. Eventually he was going to be transferred back to head office in Calgary. We had some back and forth discussion, but the bottom line was that as much as I loved him, I needed to put work first. However, once I finished the internship program, I was willing to apply for jobs in Calgary. And Phil was equally open to asking for more work in Vancouver, or even applying to engineering firms here. We were both at the right age to focus on our careers. Once we were established, our options would open up and we could be in the same place.

Since I had a media pass, I was allowed into the Athlete’s Village to meet Dee that evening, but the security was pretty tight. Once I got through the gates, there was a real party atmosphere. I got invited to two parties just trying to find her building.

I finally asked a security guard. “Excuse me. Can you tell me where the Canadian hockey team stays?”

He motioned me towards a big tower on the west side of the village. Deirdre was living large.

Being among all the athletes made me remember all my dreams as a girl. I shivered as I imagined what it would be like to play for Canada. But now that I had this great job, maybe I’d get to go to my share of Olympics anyway.

“Kelly?”

I almost crashed into three large guys in Team Canada jackets. Ty, Mac, and—Jimmy. My insides took a dipsy-doodle, but I managed to stay calm.

“Hey, guys. How are you?” I hugged Ty, but awkwardly avoided hugging the others.

“We’re great. What are you doing here?” Ty wondered. Jimmy stared at me, but he didn’t say a word.

“I’m meeting someone. She’s on the women’s hockey team.”

“You’re headed the wrong way. We’re in this building,” Mac said. “I’m pretty sure that the women’s team is over there.”

Ty picked up my lanyard and had a look. “What’s this? You’re media?”

“Yes. I work with Coast 2 Coast Sports Television,” I said proudly.

“You should call Maddy,” Mac suggested. “She’s here with her parents, and she’d love to see you.”

“Okay, I will. Does she have the same cell number?”

Mac nodded. I realized that everyone had the same cell numbers except me.

Jimmy still hadn’t said a word. He kept staring at me with his lips slightly parted. This was beyond awkward, so I decided to get going.

“Well, I better meet Dee. Great to see you guys, and good luck tomorrow.” They were playing Switzerland.

I walked swiftly towards the building that Mac had pointed out. Just before I reached the door, I heard footsteps behind me and I knew who it was without even looking.

“Kelly.”

I braced myself and turned around. Jimmy looked good as usual. He was wearing one of those Team Canada bomber jackets that everyone wanted. His hair was shorter, his face was stern, and he had a new maturity. I calculated that it was nearly a year since we’d seen each other.

“I’m glad you got the job you wanted.” He motioned to my media tag.

“Thank you. The classes I took really helped. You got the cheque I sent, right?” As soon as I was able, I had repaid the tuition money with a money order—that way he had to cash it. It was my way of evening things up, although I could never repay everything he had spent on me.

His eyes widened, and his mouth drooped. His expressions were always so easy to read. “I’m really sorry about everything that happened. Not just that night when—you know, but the way I pressured you and tried to change you. It’s what I do to myself, and I felt like you were an extension of me.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. But you might want to get that looked at,” I suggested.

Jimmy nodded. “When you left, it was the playoffs and all this pressure—I finally spoke to the team sports psychologist. He sent me to talk to someone.” He looked over his shoulder; Ty and Mac had walked on without him. “Nobody knows, of course, but it helped.”

“That’s good. I’m glad for you.”

He smiled down at me. I was struck by the fact that while I still found him attractive, I wasn’t drawn to him in that insane way I used to be.

“Yeah, there were so many times I wished I could tell you about all the stuff I fixed. Your leaving was a big wake-up call.”

I was sure it shocked him to find out that something on the life list might have to be un-ticked. But I was beyond anger. “I’ve thought about everything that happened and realized I made mistakes too. I should have stood up for myself more. I think everyone was right—we were too young.”

“I can’t believe you’re taking responsibility. I figured you hated me.”

I laughed. “I try to move on.” I had been bitter and angry, but that was short-lived. Negativity wasn’t my default mode. “Well, it was good to see you again. I know you’re going to have a great series.”

He began as the thirteenth forward, but his ice time was already increasing. People were really noticing him.

As I turned to leave, he blurted, “Are you back with Phil?”

“Yes.” It sounded so simple in this context, but what would be the point of explaining the whole ballet Phil and I had done to find each other again?

His forehead creased. “I guess you wish you made a different decision way back in the summer.”

I considered this and then shook my head. “I know it ended badly, but still—you and I had some incredible times together.” Our love had been so intense and all consuming. Could it have lasted even without Jimmy cheating on me? Maybe it would have burnt out some other way.

I continued, “Besides, it sounds crazy, but I feel like when I got hurt so badly—well, it made me appreciate everything more.” I never took Phil’s consideration and support for granted. I knew exactly how lucky I was to have him in my life.

But my words had affected Jimmy. He looked really upset now. “I’ve worried so much. About how you are and what you’re doing. You don’t know how many times I wanted to erase that stupid night and what I did.”

I put a hand on his chest. “Stop, Jimmy. It’s okay. I’m fine now. Bad stuff happens and we learn from it. Clearly, we’re both better now.”

He put his hand over mine and squeezed. “You’re such a good person.”

“I’m not. I’m normal.” I pulled my hand away. I could see he was starting to idealize me again, and that wasn’t healthy. “It’s great that we saw each other and cleared things up. But I have to meet Deirdre now.”

“Yeah, I have to go too.” But he didn’t move an inch. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “Thank you, Kelly. For everything.” He carefully emphasized each word.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. I had no idea if he meant my forgiveness or our time together, but I knew there was some hidden meaning. However Jimmy’s intense feelings weren’t something I had to worry about ever again, and that realization made me feel lighter.

“Bye, Jimmy.”

I headed towards the building without looking back.

“
G
et up
, you lazybones. I didn’t take the day off to spend it watching you sleep.” Phil poked me in the side. We were lying in his king-sized bed.

“Want to sleep,” I muttered and buried my head in the pillow. Now that the Olympics were finally over, Betty had given me two days off. I had only worked every day for the past three months. But it was completely worth it. I had gotten more experience during the Olympics than most interns would get in two years. And I had made a number of media contacts for the future. My career possibilities were very bright.

“I know exactly what you need. Put on your running gear. We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

I rolled over and opened one eye. Phil was sitting on the edge of the bed, and his naked torso was so attractive. I leaned over and kissed the nearest part of him. “Is there breakfast?”

“If you get up right now and get ready, I will make you breakfast,” he promised.

Twenty minutes, later we were on the road. I was drinking tea and munching on a toasted bagel, but I was wide-awake.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” he replied. I realized we were headed towards the North Shore.

“I’m not exactly ready to see Greta,” I complained, pulling down the visor mirror of the VW Tiguan. I had on running gear and a ball cap, and I hadn’t even showered. Greta was back to full health now and as domineering as ever. Except now that I knew her marshmallow core, I wasn’t scared of her anymore. However, I wouldn’t mind dropping in on my parents, and I knew my mom would be delighted if Phil came by as well.

“I meant home in the general sense. The area we grew up in.”

“Speak for yourself, I haven’t grown up yet.”

He laughed and pulled down my ball cap.

“Kelly, I got some news from work. I’m heading back to Calgary at the end of the next month. We will have wrapped up all the conversions from the Olympics by then and there’s lots of work back there.”

“Oh no,” I said. The sunny day suddenly felt dark. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Phil patted my hand. “I’m really going to miss you too. But we discussed all this before.” We were going to date long distance until we could find the right match for our jobs. I wasn’t in a position to move until I had at least finished my internship. The flight to Calgary was only ninety minutes, so we could spend weekends together.

He drove up the mountain until we got to Rice Lake. The weather was incredibly mild for February, something that the snowmakers had been complaining about all during the Olympics. We ran around the lake five times, and then Phil wanted to stop and sit down.

“I can’t believe you’re quitting. You’re always the one who wants to run for ages while I’m sweating and dying.”

“Are you sweating and dying now?” he asked.

“No. I feel fantastic.” Despite the bad news, I did feel great.

“It’s the magic cure for a tired Tanaka: exercise and fresh air.”

I grinned; he was totally right. I took a drink from my water bottle and leaned over and kissed him. “You know me so well.”

“Years of experience.”

We sat in silence for a bit. I was enjoying the calm after the hectic pace of the Olympics. I already felt less ripped up about Phil leaving. It would be a challenge, but we’d get through it. We had gotten through so much already. I leaned against his firm shoulder. Might as well get all the physical contact we could while he was here. Phil smiled down at me. “Remember when we got back together, I pledged I’d show you every day how much you meant to me?”