Unwritten Words
Chapter 5
Benny and Soupy were the first guys downstairs and immediately saw Kara standing by the doors. Her hair fell loose around her face and her bangs were combed to the side. With heels she was still a few inches shorter than Benoit. She must have been around five foot eight, he himself six foot three.
“Good evening Miss Robinson,” Benoit greeted her. He was far more relaxed than he’d been this morning and his hand didn’t hurt anymore. “I hope you enjoyed your day.”
“Please call me Kara, will you?” She smiled up at the two men, rearranging the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Otherwise I’ll have to call you Mr Campbell and Mr Pouliot.”
“Okay, okay. Then I hope you enjoyed your day, Kara.” Benny felt quite comfortable in a suit. The only thing he didn’t particularly like was the tie. It sometimes felt like it was harder to breathe because of that thing. Greg on the other hand loved the tie.
“It was good. I did some research and that was basically it.” Kara crossed her arms over her breasts and looked from Benoit to Gregory. “Stacey answered my message and said that she’d come to kiss it better. She’d kiss other places as well to make you feel good.”
What? Had she really just said what he thought she’d said? Benny didn’t believe that she could talk like this. Then again, he didn’t know a thing about her.
“I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
Greg couldn’t suppress the laughter erupting from deep within his chest. He needed a few seconds to calm down, but then he opened his mouth: “No, no, that’s okay. I was just a bit surprised that you said that, but you fit right in, gurl. Maybe you should give me her number.”
“I’ll see how you behave today and then I’ll decide that.” Kara stared at him for a moment before she broke out in a smile. “I’ll write it down for you later, just remind me.”
“How about you type it in my phone? That way we can’t forget about this.”
“What? You’re already asking her for her number? Jeez, Soupy, give that woman some time to get used to this situation before you try to take her out or something.” Milan Lucic and some other players approached the three of them.
“Shut up, Looch.” Gregory shook his head and turned to his teammates. “It’s not her number. But you can go ahead and save that as well, if you don’t mind.”
Swift move. Benoit had to hand it to Soupy. he definitely knew how to do this sometimes, because apparently it worked. Kara smiled down at the phone in her hands and saved both numbers.
When she handed the phone back to Soupy, she added with a smile: “There you go. Be nice to that girl. She wanted to kill that Staubitz guy last night.”
“Every girl who wants to take on Staubitz for me already has a place in my heart, so don’t worry.”
“What are you even talking about?” Tyler Seguin stepped forward, rearranging his tie.
“I met this girl at the game yesterday and she freaked out during Gregory’s fight, so I offered to ask for a picture to send it to her so she knew that it wasn’t as bad as it looked.” Kara explained it to the rest of the guys that were there.
“And now I’ve got her number.”
“Are we ready to go then? I’m starving.” Dennis Seidenberg, the German defenseman, complained. Everyone agreed and so they left the building.
They’d opted for a Steakhouse just around the corner. It wasn’t even five minutes away and the food there was delicious. They always went there when they played in Toronto.
Kara was seated next to the coach and Tuukka Rask. Benny sat on the other side of the table, next to Soupy and Adam McQuaid. It was his usual place. The others talked about the menu, trying to figure out what they would eat this time. In the end everybody would eat steak, so why even worry about this? Benoit himself had been looking forward to this steak all day long.
“They have good salads here,” Marchand said to Kara, trying to be helpful.
“Salads?” Kara looked up from her menu across the table at Bradley. “Do I look like I only want to eat a salad?”
“Well, I just thought…”
“That’s the problem Bradley, thinking has never been something you’ve been good at.” Milan Lucic chirped in and chuckled to himself.
“It’s okay. But I’m not going to a steakhouse with a bunch of hockey players and eat a salad. I like food. A lot. And I would be stupid as hell to not order a steak here.”
Another surprise for Benoit. Marchy wasn’t the only one who’d anticipated her to eat a salad or something low-fat. They were too used to this behavior by women. He wondered how many surprises there were still to come this evening.
They ordered food and water, Kara being the only person deciding to drink a beer. One beer wouldn’t kill her and she hadn’t had one in quite some time. The last weeks had been stressful because she had to discuss the last bits and pieces about the release of her newest book in two weeks time. A few readings and a release party had to be organized, so Kara hadn’t had that much sleep and definitely no alcohol. She deserved this beer and she didn’t care that she was the only one with a bottle in front of her.
They talked a bit about the upcoming game tomorrow and Kara listened. She didn’t understand most of it yet, but she didn’t want to interrupt the guys, so she simply listened. Of course she tried to remember some things they said so that she could look them up once she was back at the hotel. When the food arrived the topic changed.
“My wife loves your books.” Daniel Paille leaned over the table to look at the writer. “When I told her that you’d be traveling with us because of your next book she got really excited.”
“Really?” Kara had to smile at this.
“Yes. She said she can’t wait two more weeks to grab your new book. She finishes them in one day.”
“She doesn’t have to wait for it. I have one of the books in my suitcase. You can take it home to your wife if you want to.” Daniel didn’t have to say anything. She could see it in his face that he would love to do just that.
“What are you writing about anyway?” Shawn Thornton posed the question everyone was interested in.
“I write romance novels. And please don’t start thinking about Regency novels with Sirs and Lords, men wearing skirts and all that stuff. My books are modern day romances that feature a lot of crime and thriller elements. I can’t live without that.” Kara took a sip from her bottle, glancing around the faces at the table. Nobody said a word which made her a little uneasy. “A friend convinced me to send my first finished script to a couple of agents and someone thought what I had written was good. That’s how I got here. The next book will be my seventh.”
“And you’re what? Twenty-five?” Benoit had already thought that she was about his age, but hearing that she’d finished her sixth book made this seem a little unreal.
“Exactly.” Kara nodded and looked straight at Benny. “After school I went to Germany to visit some family members, and then I stayed with a family as an au-pair for a year. In that time I finished my script. I was lucky I guess.”
“Hey Dennis, you got someone to talk German to over here.” Kara heard a little further down the table and leaned forward to smile at the defenseman. She’d read about him. Second German to win the Stanley cup. His younger brother was a hockey player as well and she had to say that he was quite good-looking.
“Ich hoffe, dass dich diese Chaoten nicht zu sehr in den Wahnsinn treiben werden.“ (I hope that these guys won’t drive you crazy.) Dennis used this opportunity to talk to her in German and shut the others around the table up. Zdeno Chara understood what was being said, hence the big smile on his face.
“Keine Sorge. Wenn dann werde ich mich schon zur Wehr setzen können.” (Don’t worry. If they should do that, I’ll be able to defend myself.) The looks from other players around the table amused her.
“Who had the idea of them talking German again?” Greg asked after he’d swallowed a bite of his steak. “They could have said anything right now.”
“She said that she’s happy to be traveling with us and getting to know us.” Seidenberg threw Kara a smile before he concentrated on Soupy again. “And she said that you’re too pretty to be playing hockey.”
Chuckles all around the table, even Benoit cracked a smile. Gregory wasn’t the only one who’d heard that statement a few times. Kara probably hadn’t said that, but she didn’t correct Dennis. She kept her mouth shut and concentrated on finishing her steak and her beer off instead.
“Doesn’t your boyfriend get a little jealous when you’re travelling with us?” Milan turned around to Kara, folding the napkin on his plate. “I know I would go crazy if my girlfriend did that.”
Kara put down her flatware and swallowed the last drop of beer. So far the evening was going even better than she’d expected. The questions were good to get to know her, make the guys feel more comfortable with having her around.
“No boyfriend.” She shook her head. “The last boyfriend took me to a Bruins game last season and that’s where it ended.” She saw shocked faces in front of her. “Oh, no, no. I was actually looking forward to the game but because of him I didn’t really see anything. He started bitching about different things so I couldn’t focus on the game.” She shrugged her shoulders and put on a smile. That evening had been horrible, but now she was really happy that their relationship had ended. He wasn’t someone she wanted in her life anymore.
“You wanna go out some time then?” Tyler Seguin said and immediately got a slap to the head from his captain.
To everyone’s surprise Kara laughed it off: “You’re cute, but no thank you. There are already loads of girls waiting in front of your door. And I don’t have time to date someone right now. I’m spending a lot of time with a whole hockey team in the next months, you know? I can’t fit a date night into that schedule.”
Benoit smiled to himself. She had a good sense of humor. A little dry, a little sarcastic. She would get along with most of the guys well as far as he could tell.
“Good evening Miss Robinson,” Benoit greeted her. He was far more relaxed than he’d been this morning and his hand didn’t hurt anymore. “I hope you enjoyed your day.”
“Please call me Kara, will you?” She smiled up at the two men, rearranging the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Otherwise I’ll have to call you Mr Campbell and Mr Pouliot.”
“Okay, okay. Then I hope you enjoyed your day, Kara.” Benny felt quite comfortable in a suit. The only thing he didn’t particularly like was the tie. It sometimes felt like it was harder to breathe because of that thing. Greg on the other hand loved the tie.
“It was good. I did some research and that was basically it.” Kara crossed her arms over her breasts and looked from Benoit to Gregory. “Stacey answered my message and said that she’d come to kiss it better. She’d kiss other places as well to make you feel good.”
What? Had she really just said what he thought she’d said? Benny didn’t believe that she could talk like this. Then again, he didn’t know a thing about her.
“I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
Greg couldn’t suppress the laughter erupting from deep within his chest. He needed a few seconds to calm down, but then he opened his mouth: “No, no, that’s okay. I was just a bit surprised that you said that, but you fit right in, gurl. Maybe you should give me her number.”
“I’ll see how you behave today and then I’ll decide that.” Kara stared at him for a moment before she broke out in a smile. “I’ll write it down for you later, just remind me.”
“How about you type it in my phone? That way we can’t forget about this.”
“What? You’re already asking her for her number? Jeez, Soupy, give that woman some time to get used to this situation before you try to take her out or something.” Milan Lucic and some other players approached the three of them.
“Shut up, Looch.” Gregory shook his head and turned to his teammates. “It’s not her number. But you can go ahead and save that as well, if you don’t mind.”
Swift move. Benoit had to hand it to Soupy. he definitely knew how to do this sometimes, because apparently it worked. Kara smiled down at the phone in her hands and saved both numbers.
When she handed the phone back to Soupy, she added with a smile: “There you go. Be nice to that girl. She wanted to kill that Staubitz guy last night.”
“Every girl who wants to take on Staubitz for me already has a place in my heart, so don’t worry.”
“What are you even talking about?” Tyler Seguin stepped forward, rearranging his tie.
“I met this girl at the game yesterday and she freaked out during Gregory’s fight, so I offered to ask for a picture to send it to her so she knew that it wasn’t as bad as it looked.” Kara explained it to the rest of the guys that were there.
“And now I’ve got her number.”
“Are we ready to go then? I’m starving.” Dennis Seidenberg, the German defenseman, complained. Everyone agreed and so they left the building.
They’d opted for a Steakhouse just around the corner. It wasn’t even five minutes away and the food there was delicious. They always went there when they played in Toronto.
Kara was seated next to the coach and Tuukka Rask. Benny sat on the other side of the table, next to Soupy and Adam McQuaid. It was his usual place. The others talked about the menu, trying to figure out what they would eat this time. In the end everybody would eat steak, so why even worry about this? Benoit himself had been looking forward to this steak all day long.
“They have good salads here,” Marchand said to Kara, trying to be helpful.
“Salads?” Kara looked up from her menu across the table at Bradley. “Do I look like I only want to eat a salad?”
“Well, I just thought…”
“That’s the problem Bradley, thinking has never been something you’ve been good at.” Milan Lucic chirped in and chuckled to himself.
“It’s okay. But I’m not going to a steakhouse with a bunch of hockey players and eat a salad. I like food. A lot. And I would be stupid as hell to not order a steak here.”
Another surprise for Benoit. Marchy wasn’t the only one who’d anticipated her to eat a salad or something low-fat. They were too used to this behavior by women. He wondered how many surprises there were still to come this evening.
They ordered food and water, Kara being the only person deciding to drink a beer. One beer wouldn’t kill her and she hadn’t had one in quite some time. The last weeks had been stressful because she had to discuss the last bits and pieces about the release of her newest book in two weeks time. A few readings and a release party had to be organized, so Kara hadn’t had that much sleep and definitely no alcohol. She deserved this beer and she didn’t care that she was the only one with a bottle in front of her.
They talked a bit about the upcoming game tomorrow and Kara listened. She didn’t understand most of it yet, but she didn’t want to interrupt the guys, so she simply listened. Of course she tried to remember some things they said so that she could look them up once she was back at the hotel. When the food arrived the topic changed.
“My wife loves your books.” Daniel Paille leaned over the table to look at the writer. “When I told her that you’d be traveling with us because of your next book she got really excited.”
“Really?” Kara had to smile at this.
“Yes. She said she can’t wait two more weeks to grab your new book. She finishes them in one day.”
“She doesn’t have to wait for it. I have one of the books in my suitcase. You can take it home to your wife if you want to.” Daniel didn’t have to say anything. She could see it in his face that he would love to do just that.
“What are you writing about anyway?” Shawn Thornton posed the question everyone was interested in.
“I write romance novels. And please don’t start thinking about Regency novels with Sirs and Lords, men wearing skirts and all that stuff. My books are modern day romances that feature a lot of crime and thriller elements. I can’t live without that.” Kara took a sip from her bottle, glancing around the faces at the table. Nobody said a word which made her a little uneasy. “A friend convinced me to send my first finished script to a couple of agents and someone thought what I had written was good. That’s how I got here. The next book will be my seventh.”
“And you’re what? Twenty-five?” Benoit had already thought that she was about his age, but hearing that she’d finished her sixth book made this seem a little unreal.
“Exactly.” Kara nodded and looked straight at Benny. “After school I went to Germany to visit some family members, and then I stayed with a family as an au-pair for a year. In that time I finished my script. I was lucky I guess.”
“Hey Dennis, you got someone to talk German to over here.” Kara heard a little further down the table and leaned forward to smile at the defenseman. She’d read about him. Second German to win the Stanley cup. His younger brother was a hockey player as well and she had to say that he was quite good-looking.
“Ich hoffe, dass dich diese Chaoten nicht zu sehr in den Wahnsinn treiben werden.“ (I hope that these guys won’t drive you crazy.) Dennis used this opportunity to talk to her in German and shut the others around the table up. Zdeno Chara understood what was being said, hence the big smile on his face.
“Keine Sorge. Wenn dann werde ich mich schon zur Wehr setzen können.” (Don’t worry. If they should do that, I’ll be able to defend myself.) The looks from other players around the table amused her.
“Who had the idea of them talking German again?” Greg asked after he’d swallowed a bite of his steak. “They could have said anything right now.”
“She said that she’s happy to be traveling with us and getting to know us.” Seidenberg threw Kara a smile before he concentrated on Soupy again. “And she said that you’re too pretty to be playing hockey.”
Chuckles all around the table, even Benoit cracked a smile. Gregory wasn’t the only one who’d heard that statement a few times. Kara probably hadn’t said that, but she didn’t correct Dennis. She kept her mouth shut and concentrated on finishing her steak and her beer off instead.
“Doesn’t your boyfriend get a little jealous when you’re travelling with us?” Milan turned around to Kara, folding the napkin on his plate. “I know I would go crazy if my girlfriend did that.”
Kara put down her flatware and swallowed the last drop of beer. So far the evening was going even better than she’d expected. The questions were good to get to know her, make the guys feel more comfortable with having her around.
“No boyfriend.” She shook her head. “The last boyfriend took me to a Bruins game last season and that’s where it ended.” She saw shocked faces in front of her. “Oh, no, no. I was actually looking forward to the game but because of him I didn’t really see anything. He started bitching about different things so I couldn’t focus on the game.” She shrugged her shoulders and put on a smile. That evening had been horrible, but now she was really happy that their relationship had ended. He wasn’t someone she wanted in her life anymore.
“You wanna go out some time then?” Tyler Seguin said and immediately got a slap to the head from his captain.
To everyone’s surprise Kara laughed it off: “You’re cute, but no thank you. There are already loads of girls waiting in front of your door. And I don’t have time to date someone right now. I’m spending a lot of time with a whole hockey team in the next months, you know? I can’t fit a date night into that schedule.”
Benoit smiled to himself. She had a good sense of humor. A little dry, a little sarcastic. She would get along with most of the guys well as far as he could tell.
I know I'm kind of late but I really enjoyed this story!
12/31/13