Counting Stars

The last two days have been some of the most hectic and stressful of my life. Between shooting, phone interviews and reviews from my last movie coming in I have barely had a chance to breathe, much less think about tonight’s game. I’m in the trailer when Emma waltzes in holding a bag, “Hey, are you excited for tonight? Sidney had me drop this off.” She tosses me what I’m assuming is his jersey.

“Thanks, I’m looking forward to having a night of fun you know?” she looks guilty. “Oh, no what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Janet just said she was stopping by during your lunch. So that probably won’t be good.”

I shrug, “As long as it doesn’t interfere with tonight I don’t care. I don’t think I need you with me for the rest of today, if you want you can work from your room. Let’s leave for the game around 6:30 again?”

She nods and leaves my trailer. Janet immediately replaces my good friend, “I brought fresh salads.”

I try to smile, “Thanks Janet, Emma said you wanted to talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I think we need to discuss this weekend,” Janet locks the door and then sits down on the couch facing me. “Zac’s manager contacted me, they want to thank you and make sure everything it going to stay quiet.”

“I don’t want to hurt Zac’s career,” I sigh. “But, I’m not going to sit idly by for much longer they are enabling him Janet, you know that.”

“I do, but it’s not easy for everyone to just leave like you did Brooklyn. And since you left it’s not your business anymore,” she grabs my hands. “The story is going to break that he has relapsed and people are going to ask questions. You cannot comment on it.”

“Fine, I won’t.”

Janet pulls away obviously happy with my answer, “Now on to happier things. I’ve been looking for scripts that are going to film here in Pittsburgh per your request. And unfortunately, there is nothing right now. The Studios are focusing on TV shows and you don’t want to move back to TV.”

“And that was supposed to be happy?”

“While I was searching, I heard some rumors that they are remaking Gone with the Wind and looking for a new Scarlett O’Hara.”

“You’re kidding me,” This would be the part of a lifetime. It’s an iconic role, and one of the few classics that hasn’t been touched.

Janet just nods, “I’ll keep you updated. Remember you are going to be doing press pretty much from January through March with awards season. And then Cannes for this project followed by the premiere and another round of press tours. So ideally I don’t want you filming again until August or September.”

“Sounds good to me, we’ve been moving at a breakneck pace.’’

“Have to strike while the iron is hot my love,” she laughs and then pauses. “Any reason why you want to stay in Pittsburgh, or anyone?”

I pause before answering and decide to tell a half truth, “It is close to my family.”

“Oh hun, I know you’re a better actress than that,” With that parting comment Janet leaves me alone in my trailer.

The rest of the shoot passes by in a blur. After the final cut I practically run back to my trailer, we finished late and therefore I was running late. I swear that I break land-speed records to get back to my hotel suite in time. Once I walk in, I throw my clothes on the floor and grab a pair of skinny dark blue jeans. I wash off the layers upon layers of makeup and quickly redo it. Right around 6 I hear Emma enter my apartment, “Bridge! I brought sustenance.” Emma is carrying burgers for each of us.

I meet her in my bare feet, “God Bless, filming ran a little late tonight.” I take a bite, “Important question though, what shoes should I wear?” In one hand I held a pair of average black boots, while in the other was a pair of platform black pumps with embellishes on the heel and platform.

Emma pauses to think and I take in her outfit. Her dark brown hair is straight and pulled away from her face by a clear, thin headband. Of course she is wearing Beau’s white jersey with a pair of black skinny jeans and black booties that have a thick cuff and a fairly high heel, “The heels of course. You are wearing Sidney’s jersey as his girl. You need to make an impression.”

I nod and slip on the shoes and then throw on Sidney’s black and jersey that I practically swim in. “I feel like an idiot.”

Emma’s back is to me while she eats her burger, “I didn’t want to stress you out, but there is a good chance that we might being go up to the family box during the intermissions and fans know where it is so they will take pictures if you show up there. And they will eventually come to the conclusion that you and Sidney are something special so you are going to want to look your best. Or else those fan girls will tear you apart. Trust me.”

Emma’s face looks withdrawn, “Oh Emma, what did they say about you?”

“Nothing really, just petty things,” she turns around. “Oh my god, he gave you a game worn jersey. You will definitely need those heels then.”

I drive the two of us to the arena and the crowds outside are huge. We park in the surface parking across the street, which is reserved for those with special passes. For the quick ride there all I can think about is what Emma said. If the fangirls attacked her someone who is casually seeing an essential rookie how will they react to me? The last thing that I need is more critics and judging by the looks Emma and I are receiving already as we get out of my car I have a few dozen more. The two of us grabbed our pea coats from the back seat and made our way towards Consol. People were definitely noticing us and not in a good way. We almost made it to Will Call when a group of guys stopped me, “Holy crap, you’re Brooklyn Donahue! We have to get a picture.” He handed his phone to Emma and him and his friends all squeezed close, we took the picture quickly and I smiled. The photo attracted other people’s attention and I realized it was time to get inside as soon as possible.

“Two tickets for Donahue?” I ask the ticket lady. She looks and replies that she doesn’t have any under that name. I look at Emma, “That’s what they were under last time.”

Emma chuckles and then speaks to the woman, “How about any under Crosby for a Donahue?”

The woman looks startled, but checks anyways. I hear her exclamation and assume that she has found them, “This rarely happens ma’am, I’m sorry for the confusion. Here are your two tickets as well as your security passes. In addition present these passes and you have free food and beverage all night. Enjoy the game ladies, and congratulations.” She hands us the small packet with a wink and the two of file into the concourse.

We reach the same seats that we had a few weeks ago and only encounter a couple of whistles as we get settled in. “You are going to have to take your jacket off some time you know.”

I nod, but I feel like everyone is staring at me, “I know, your little speech just terrified me okay.”

She laughs, “That wasn’t my intention. Besides if it gets bad we will go get more of these free beers and just get drunk. Deal?”

“Deal,” And with that I slide off my jacket and proudly display my man’s numbers.

******
Unsurprisingly, the game has been intense. The Flyers have been physical bordering on dirty the entire game, but honestly we have all retaliated. I look around at my teammates in the locker room and see the pent up energy bubbling beneath their tense muscles. The shootout will be starting in a few minutes, and the last two and half hours will be decided by just six shots.

Coach Dan walks in, “Alright boys, we’ve fought hard tonight. So let’s trust Geno, Neal, Crosby and Flower to finish this for us.”

We all tap our sticks and file out of the locker room. The arena is loud and vibrating with sound when we make it back to the bench. James nudges me and points up. I look up and sure enough Brooklyn and Emma are once again on the screen. They are both cheering emphatically; I smile quickly and then focus on the task at hand. As the first Flyer’s player approaches center ice chants resonate throughout Consol. Fleury gives up the first goal and the atmosphere deflates.

Geno hops over the boards and takes his shot and scores. He comes down the high-five line all smiles. Fleury stops the next shot and Nealer misses his. The last Flyer’s attempt it also a miss. Nealer yells in my ear as Consol starts to chant my name, “No pressure man.”

The short skate to center ice gives me a few moments to shake off Nealer’s comment and drown out the environment. At center ice I take the puck on my stick and focus on the goalie. I can see he is favoring his left side and I easily pick my target. Deking left I take a hard shot to the top right shelf, never taking my eyes off of the goalie. The next thing I remember is the guys crushing me on the ice and we have a quick celebratory hug in the corner before making our way to the other end to congratulate Flower.

I’m the last one back to the locker room after a postgame interview on the ice. Coach Dan is just finishing his speech, I wait until he finishes and then walk to my cubby. Grabbing my baseball cap I fit it over my sweaty head and focus on looking at least slightly presentable before the press comes in. James crosses the room and stands next to me, “She tweeted about tonight you know?”

He tosses me his phone with Brooklyn’s twitter page pulled up.

@BrooklynRae: Lovely night with the one and only @BrownhairedBeauty #letsgopens

@BrooklynRae: I guess they call him Captain Clutch for a reason #colormeimpressed

I laugh, “Well at least it sounds like she had fun.”

“After party at the usual place?”

“I’m going to see what Brooklyn wants to do.”

James leaves and a small army of press takes his place. The usual questions come pouring in. Dan Potash finally asks a question about Brooklyn, “You had a pretty famous fan in attendance tonight. Any comments?”

I’m a little more prepared for this question than last time. I wipe my face with a towel and then respond, “Yeah, I think I heard something about that. It’s great that she came, hopefully she had fun.”

As soon as the press leaves I quickly change back into my suite. Geno waits for me and we head out together. We walk into the sparsely populated family suite and I locate Brooklyn, who is standing with Beau, Emma and I swear half of my teammates. She is listening intently to one of Duper’s stories. No one has noticed that Geno and I walked in so I take a moment to admire my girl. As expected my jersey is way too large for her, but she carries it well. I notice that she is a little taller than normal. Looking down I realize she is in heels that highlight her already stunning legs. She looks good, really good. Geno coughs and the small group acknowledges us, I hope I’m not imagining the way that Brooklyn smiles when she notices me.

We walk over and I hug Brooklyn first giving her a quick peck on the cheek, “You look so great in my jersey.”

She smiles softly, “Thanks for letting me wear it. You played great tonight!”

I pull her over to the other side so she stands by me and I wrap an arm comfortably around her waist. Carole-Lynn is standing next to Duper and coos, “The two of you are actually so adorable.”

There is an awkward silence and then Beau speaks up, “We all need to go get wasted in celebration of kicking Flyer ass tonight. Who is coming with?”

Everyone agrees and we make our way out of the arena. Brooklyn and I walk hand in hand down to the parking garage. She stops by my car, “Emma and I drove here. I’m going to drive my car back to my hotel quickly. Can you pick me up there?”

“Of course, are you going to be okay walking alone?”

“Aww that’s sweet, but it’s right across the street. I’ll see you in a few.”

*******
I was upstairs in my room debating if I needed to change when I hear the doorbell ring. Quickly, I go answer the door and naturally it’s Sidney. He has lost his jacket and tie since the last time I've seen him and he looks great. I let him in, “I should change right?”

He bites his lip, “As much as I love seeing you in my jersey, I don’t think that really appropriate for a club.”

I laugh and start thinking about a conversation that Emma and I had a few days ago, “Is it a turn-on, you know to see me in your jersey?”

Sidney doesn’t answer right away, instead he moves closer to me and slowly runs his hands down my sides lifting up the rough fabric until he touches bare skin, “You have no idea.” He leans forward and captures my lips in a quick searing kiss before breaking away and moving towards the kitchen area. “You change, I’ll make us a quick drink.”

I disappear back into my bedroom, a little unsteady; Sidney’s actions have my mind most definitely in the gutter. Moreover, who would have thought that Sidney was such a tease? Looking through my closet I come to the immediate conclusion that I need to make him suffer. I slip into leather leggings and keep my high black heels on. Instead of Sidney’s jersey though I put on a black lacey bra with a gold sequined crop top, which exposes my toned stomach. Taking one last look in the mirror I walk out of my room and over to Sidney, my heels alert him to my arrival and he turns. It is easy to tell he appreciates my outfit. His eyes slowly scan down from my head to my toes searing each spot his eyes touch. He clears his throat, “You look, uh good, great really.”

Suppressing my smile I walk towards him slowly swaying my hips all the way there. He hands me my drink which I down in one large gulp. To put the glass into the sink I reach across him and make sure to brush his chest. Instantly Sidney’s hands are on me, “I can’t let you leave here looking like this. Every man is going to be looking at you tonight.”

I lean into Sidney’s chest and whisper in his ear, “They can look all they want, but only you get to touch. You know that.” Sidney disentangles himself from me and walks a few feet away and pulls out his phone. “What are you doing?”

“I’m telling the guys that we aren’t going to make it,” Sidney eyes clash with mine. “Come here Brooklyn. Let me touch you.”

I’m not quite sure how my legs carry me over to Sidney but they do. Once I’m within arm’s reach Sidney grabs me and pushes me against the wall. His lips immediately meet mine in a desperate kiss. I gasp and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his body closer to mine. The space between us is nonexistent and I absolutely love it. Sidney’s hands feel like fire against the bare skin that the crop top left vulnerable. I slide my hands down Sidney’s torso and feel the hard planes of his stomach and am consumed by the need to feel his skin. I untuck his dress shirt from his pants and start to push it up revealing pure muscle. He groans as my hands move to undo his belt and immediately his hands are caging my wrists. With what seems little effort to him my arms are pinned above my head. We pull apart and Sidney smirks at me as his lips attack my neck and work down my chest to just above where my breasts are almost spilling out of my bra.

Vainly, I twist my hips in an attempt to get closer, but Sidney moves just out of my reach. I groan and throw my head against the back of the wall, “Sidney, don’t be a tease.”

He looks up at me and makes eye contact; his eyes have darkened with desire to an almost black color. It is easy to see the intensity in his eyes, his competitiveness. And I realize this like everything in his life is a competition, “Oh babe, I haven’t even started yet.”

Luckily, for Sidney I love competition. I lean into Sidney and our tongues mingle for another deep kiss. My teeth nip on his gorgeous full lips and Sidney recoils in shock. In his surprise he releases my wrists and I move away, sauntering towards my bedroom. I slide my top off and drop it on the floor. Looking over my shoulder I see Sidney disheveled and aroused rooted to the spot, “Are you coming or not?”

Sidney catches me before I make in to the bed and practically tackles me. We roll and I end up on top. I’m straddling him and start unbuttoning his formerly pristine white shirt. Running my hands up and down the hard planes of his chest I realize that he spends almost every waking hour perfecting this body and I’m in awe. I lower my head and kiss his lips before kissing every inch of bare skin I can find, I move lower and lower before returning to his neck and I feel him shudder. He reaches behind me and undoes my bra and practically throws it across the room. His hands immediately begin playing with my breasts and I bite back a moan. In my distracted state Sidney flips us again so he is on top. His hands are touching every inch of skin and sliding off my leggings barely taking time to admire my lace thong. Once I’m completely naked beneath him he leans back, “You are absolutely stunning Brooklyn.”

I smile and move my hands towards his half undone belt, “Your turn captain.” With the two of us working together we quickly divest him of his pants and underwear and I can fully appreciate Sidney. And my mouth goes dry. He is a specimen and I suddenly feel out of my depth. Sidney doesn’t let me dwell on this for long though as I feel him slip a finger into my tight hole. I gasp and Sidney leans back down to ravage my mouth. In a few moments he adds a second finger and I don’t know if I can take much more. The quick thrusts of his fingers are driving me crazy and my breath is coming in shallow pants. “Sidney, please, I need you.”

He withdraws his fingers with a satisfied smirk, “Condom?”

I reach over to my nightstand and hand him a condom. He quickly rolls it on and moves his hard member to right outside my entrance. He pauses and my eyes meet his, Sidney tucks a stray hair behind my ear and tenderly kisses my lips before slowly and purposefully thrusting in. My body stretches delightfully and arches up. Sidney groans and thrusts twice firmly, “You feel so good baby.” I moan loudly and Sidney tucks his head into my neck. He speeds up and I know I’m close. With each thrust I feel myself getting closer and closer to that peak and when Sidney’s hand deftly drifts down I know I’m lost. The last thrust hits deep and powerfully and I go over the edge with Sidney’s name on my lips. Now that I’ve finished Sidney pumps quickly two more times and finishes his hands clenched tightly on my hips. He collapses on me for a moment and then rolls to his side. We are both silent for a moment and Sidney pulls me close to him, “I could get used to that.”

I laugh and bury my head in his shoulder, exhausted. “Same here, Captain. Same here.” Closing my eyes I feel Sidney quickly kiss my forehead and then fall fast asleep.

Notes