It's Just A Job
Chapter Four
“I’m here with you and there isn’t any other place in the world that I would want to be.” Katherine made her way over to the bed where Paul was standing. He reached out to her and she melted into his arms.
Katherine woke to the sound of Paul snoring. Not a loud snore, but it was a sound asleep, pain meds induced, content snore. She lifted her head up to take a look at this man she found herself sharing a bed with. Paul possessed every trait she could possibly want or need in a man. He had a kind heart, always the consummate gentleman, he made her laugh when she least expected it, he kept her grounded when things got crazy, but most of all, he was what Katherine needed most in her life. When she looked at him, she saw a future past hockey.
Katherine rolled out from under Paul and slid off the bed. She grabbed her overnight bag, silently rummaged for her pajamas and shuffled off to the bathroom. After she got dressed and used the bathroom, she walked out to the living room to check her phone.
No messages. That was a surprise. Katherine thought for sure that her phone would have been overflowing with messages. She placed her phone back on the counter and walked over to the front window. She looked down the street, knowing that there may be lights on at the house that James owned. And sure enough, there were. For as tempted as she was to send James a text, there was no way she was going to start anything at 3:00 am.
Paul woke to find the early morning light filtering into his bedroom and a mess of auburn hair across his chest. He noticed that during the night Katherine must have woken up and put on her nightshirt and came back to bed. Paul carefully stretched and tried to gently pull himself out from underneath Katherine.
“Mmmm, where are you going?” Katherine mumbled in a still asleep voice.
“Shhh, go back to sleep.” “I’m going to go jump in the shower and make some breakfast.”
Katherine tightened her grip around Paul’s waist.
“Why would you ever want to leave this bed?” “Sooo comfortable.”
Paul knew she was still half asleep and as he placed a kiss on her forehead he promised to wake her up when the coffee was ready. He swung his feet off the bed, grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to the bathroom. Paul took one last look at Katherine before closing the bathroom door; lying on her stomach, head propped up on the pillow with her hair falling around her like a halo. He knew then and there that this woman would someday be the mother of his children and he would spend every day making sure she was never taken for granted.
Katherine heard the bathroom door shut and on instinct, she grabbed the pillow that Paul had been using and cradled it against her. Breathing in the scent of him, she drifted back to sleep.
James woke up early after a few hours of restless sleep. He rolled over and saw that it was still early, but he knew that Katherine would be awake. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand and started typing.
New Message – Kat
I’m awake.
Where do you want to meet for coffee?
Message Sent
Paul was in the kitchen making coffee when he heard Katherine’s phone vibrate and saw it light up. He leaned over to see who it was when he noticed the picture of James that came up along with his text. It looked like the picture was taken this past summer. James’ hair was long and wavy and there was water in the background. Paul thought to himself that it was probably taken at the lake, the last real time that James and Katherine spent any time with each other.
Paul had known about Katherine before he even met her. James showed up at his house with a shit-eating grin that day that he left Katherine’s hotel room. Paul listened as his friend talk about the girl he met and how she wasn’t like any of the other girls he had come to know in his time in Pittsburgh. Paul just wrote this one off, knowing James’ tomcatting ways, and he figured that they would probably run into this girl at some bar some night and James wouldn’t even remember her name.
He never expected that the girl that James was talking about would be the same woman that was his Katherine. Paul knew the games that James played, hell he played them with him after James was traded to Pittsburgh. They shared a house when James first moved to town and on more nights than Paul cared to count, they both had girls in their rooms. But after a while, it got old. When James ended up buying a house down the street from Paul, the two would still go out occasionally, but Paul was always the one to go home early and usually alone. He had done his time with the puck bunnies, in college, New Jersey and Pittsburgh. It was time to look for something permanent, something real.
Paul poured a mug of coffee, added a splash of vanilla creamer and set it on the counter for Katherine. Like a deliciously scented alarm clock, Katherine smelled the coffee aroma coming from the kitchen and decided it was time to face the world. She jumped out of bed and threw on Paul’s hoodie that was still lying on the floor from the night before. She loved the way it smelled like him and how it was the perfect size that it covered everything, but still left room for the imagination.
“Donnell, get your pretty ass out here and get your coffee before it becomes an iced coffee!” Paul yelled from the kitchen.
Katherine just smiled as she made her way down the hall to the kitchen.
“Do you dust and do windows too?” she asked as she peeked around the corner of the kitchen to see Paul standing at the counter cutting strawberries.
“No, but I’ve been known to get down on my knees to give one a hell of a buff job.”
Katherine could feel her chest and face getting flush, knowing exactly what his innuendo meant. Paul had given her more than just a buff job last night. She walked over to Paul and gave him a quick slap on the ass. He leaned in and gave Katherine a kiss on the check.
“Good morning babe.” “Nice sweatshirt.”
Katherine reached over and grabbed the mug of coffee Paul had set out for her and took a sip.
“You know, there is this guy I know, he’s a hockey player, has tons of these in his closet.”
Katherine bumped hips with Paul. “Why don’t you let me finish those up, you’ve probably been on that leg too long as it is.”
Paul handed over the knife and the chopping duties to Katherine while he grabbed a mug of coffee for himself and a seat at the kitchen table. He watched her as she meticulously diced the strawberries and bananas for her yogurt. Paul pulled out a chair from the table and propped up his leg. Two more weeks of this stupid cast and then we would be able to start rehab.
“What are you having?” Katherine asked.
“Oh, I’ll just make something later,” Paul said. “I just wanted to get you out the door before James was over here pounding on it.”
“By the way, he texted about 20 minutes ago.”
“Jesus fuck, Kat,” James though as he nervously checked his phone again. He had texted Katherine over 20 minutes and a shower ago and still nothing. He knew she was a Paul’s, hell Sid made that painfully obvious last night, and he swore that if she didn’t text him back in the next 10 minutes, he was going over there and interrupting whatever type of morning bang fest that was going on.
“Uuuugh, Paul why didn’t you tell me!” Katherine reached for her phone, not believing that Paul knew that James texted her and he was now just telling her.
“Because damn it, he doesn’t get to have you yet.”
Katherine stood in the kitchen dumbfounded.
“Paul, this isn’t a matter of him getting me, this is my job.”
“No Katherine, this is his mess.” “He doesn’t need to see you before the meeting.”
Deep down inside, Katherine knew he was right. She knew that the only reason why she had even sent that text last night was because she felt guilty for not being there.
“Kat, do you think that Phaneuf, had someone like you holding his hand when he got suspended?” “No, he didn’t?”
“Why can’t you let this be your job when it comes to Nealer?”
Katherine had never hid anything about her times with James from Paul. She wasn’t ashamed of what happened, the way things started and the way things ended. It wasn’t a relationship by any means and when they parted as friends on that summer afternoon in Canada, she knew she did the right thing. James wanted to be on the fast track; he wanted a Stanley Cup, an Olympic Gold Medal, expensive things and adoring fans. She also wanted the Cup and the medal, not just for James, but for all the guys. It was the rest and the way James pursued it was what she could live without.
“I guess the reason why I can’t Paul, is because I think James’ is just lost.”
Katherine stood looking at her phone. She touched James’ name under her contacts and the phone started ringing.
James was just about to put on his coat and walk over to Paul’s when he heard his phone ringing from inside his sweatpants pocket.
“I thought Paul had you bound and gagged or something kinky like that.” James tried to play off his anger with sarcasm.
“James listen, I don’t think we have time to meet this morning, so I’m planning on being down at the office around 11:00.” “It will be best if we are all there so that there aren’t differing opinions on what happened at the game.”
“Sure, I understand.” “Do you want a ride into town?”
“No, I’m good.” “I’ll see in Dan’s office around 11:00.” And with that, Katherine hung up.
James just looked at his phone. “What the fuck was that about?”
Paul stood up and moved towards Katherine. She walked towards him and with one swift move; she had captured Paul’s lips with hers. She was in love with this man and she never wanted him to doubt it for another second, ever.
“Hey, hey, hey, slow down.” Paul held her face in his hands. “What is going on?”
“I love you.” Katherine had blurted it out in a panic. There it was, just hanging in the air. Quickly, she started to make her case. “I just don’t ever want you to doubt me again.” Katherine said, not able to make eye contact with Paul. “What happened with James is in the past, but I can’t deny I still have the need to help him.”
“Wait, can we just deal with one thing at a time here?” “Katherine, I never said that you can’t help James, that isn’t what this is about.” “It is more about Nealer than you,” Paul gently kissed her forehead.
“Do you know why I asked you to text him last night, do you?” Paul stroked her cheek. “Because for as selfish as it sounds, I didn’t feel like sharing you with anyone else.”
Katherine just stared at Paul. She didn’t know what to think. Yes, he was being overly protective and possibly jealous when he didn’t need to be, but she saw the look in his eyes and she knew that he was being nothing but completely honest with her.
“Tell me you want me.” Katherine said in a slightly demanding voice.
“I want you.” Paul leaned into Katherine’s front and placing his hands on her hips.
“Tell me that you need me.” Katherine backed away from Paul and his grip loosened.
“Katherine, I need you.” “I need you in my life.”
Katherine slowly lifted the sweatshirt and nightshirt over and off of her body, leaving her standing there in the kitchen in only her panties.
“Tell me you love me.”
“Katherine, I love you,” and with all the strength Paul had in his right arm, he pulled Katherine tight to his body and kissed with everything he had.
They made love on the kitchen floor that morning and for weeks after that, they would just look at each and smile, remembering the moment when they first decided to say that they were in love.
Katherine woke to the sound of Paul snoring. Not a loud snore, but it was a sound asleep, pain meds induced, content snore. She lifted her head up to take a look at this man she found herself sharing a bed with. Paul possessed every trait she could possibly want or need in a man. He had a kind heart, always the consummate gentleman, he made her laugh when she least expected it, he kept her grounded when things got crazy, but most of all, he was what Katherine needed most in her life. When she looked at him, she saw a future past hockey.
Katherine rolled out from under Paul and slid off the bed. She grabbed her overnight bag, silently rummaged for her pajamas and shuffled off to the bathroom. After she got dressed and used the bathroom, she walked out to the living room to check her phone.
No messages. That was a surprise. Katherine thought for sure that her phone would have been overflowing with messages. She placed her phone back on the counter and walked over to the front window. She looked down the street, knowing that there may be lights on at the house that James owned. And sure enough, there were. For as tempted as she was to send James a text, there was no way she was going to start anything at 3:00 am.
Paul woke to find the early morning light filtering into his bedroom and a mess of auburn hair across his chest. He noticed that during the night Katherine must have woken up and put on her nightshirt and came back to bed. Paul carefully stretched and tried to gently pull himself out from underneath Katherine.
“Mmmm, where are you going?” Katherine mumbled in a still asleep voice.
“Shhh, go back to sleep.” “I’m going to go jump in the shower and make some breakfast.”
Katherine tightened her grip around Paul’s waist.
“Why would you ever want to leave this bed?” “Sooo comfortable.”
Paul knew she was still half asleep and as he placed a kiss on her forehead he promised to wake her up when the coffee was ready. He swung his feet off the bed, grabbed his crutches and hobbled over to the bathroom. Paul took one last look at Katherine before closing the bathroom door; lying on her stomach, head propped up on the pillow with her hair falling around her like a halo. He knew then and there that this woman would someday be the mother of his children and he would spend every day making sure she was never taken for granted.
Katherine heard the bathroom door shut and on instinct, she grabbed the pillow that Paul had been using and cradled it against her. Breathing in the scent of him, she drifted back to sleep.
James woke up early after a few hours of restless sleep. He rolled over and saw that it was still early, but he knew that Katherine would be awake. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand and started typing.
New Message – Kat
I’m awake.
Where do you want to meet for coffee?
Message Sent
Paul was in the kitchen making coffee when he heard Katherine’s phone vibrate and saw it light up. He leaned over to see who it was when he noticed the picture of James that came up along with his text. It looked like the picture was taken this past summer. James’ hair was long and wavy and there was water in the background. Paul thought to himself that it was probably taken at the lake, the last real time that James and Katherine spent any time with each other.
Paul had known about Katherine before he even met her. James showed up at his house with a shit-eating grin that day that he left Katherine’s hotel room. Paul listened as his friend talk about the girl he met and how she wasn’t like any of the other girls he had come to know in his time in Pittsburgh. Paul just wrote this one off, knowing James’ tomcatting ways, and he figured that they would probably run into this girl at some bar some night and James wouldn’t even remember her name.
He never expected that the girl that James was talking about would be the same woman that was his Katherine. Paul knew the games that James played, hell he played them with him after James was traded to Pittsburgh. They shared a house when James first moved to town and on more nights than Paul cared to count, they both had girls in their rooms. But after a while, it got old. When James ended up buying a house down the street from Paul, the two would still go out occasionally, but Paul was always the one to go home early and usually alone. He had done his time with the puck bunnies, in college, New Jersey and Pittsburgh. It was time to look for something permanent, something real.
Paul poured a mug of coffee, added a splash of vanilla creamer and set it on the counter for Katherine. Like a deliciously scented alarm clock, Katherine smelled the coffee aroma coming from the kitchen and decided it was time to face the world. She jumped out of bed and threw on Paul’s hoodie that was still lying on the floor from the night before. She loved the way it smelled like him and how it was the perfect size that it covered everything, but still left room for the imagination.
“Donnell, get your pretty ass out here and get your coffee before it becomes an iced coffee!” Paul yelled from the kitchen.
Katherine just smiled as she made her way down the hall to the kitchen.
“Do you dust and do windows too?” she asked as she peeked around the corner of the kitchen to see Paul standing at the counter cutting strawberries.
“No, but I’ve been known to get down on my knees to give one a hell of a buff job.”
Katherine could feel her chest and face getting flush, knowing exactly what his innuendo meant. Paul had given her more than just a buff job last night. She walked over to Paul and gave him a quick slap on the ass. He leaned in and gave Katherine a kiss on the check.
“Good morning babe.” “Nice sweatshirt.”
Katherine reached over and grabbed the mug of coffee Paul had set out for her and took a sip.
“You know, there is this guy I know, he’s a hockey player, has tons of these in his closet.”
Katherine bumped hips with Paul. “Why don’t you let me finish those up, you’ve probably been on that leg too long as it is.”
Paul handed over the knife and the chopping duties to Katherine while he grabbed a mug of coffee for himself and a seat at the kitchen table. He watched her as she meticulously diced the strawberries and bananas for her yogurt. Paul pulled out a chair from the table and propped up his leg. Two more weeks of this stupid cast and then we would be able to start rehab.
“What are you having?” Katherine asked.
“Oh, I’ll just make something later,” Paul said. “I just wanted to get you out the door before James was over here pounding on it.”
“By the way, he texted about 20 minutes ago.”
“Jesus fuck, Kat,” James though as he nervously checked his phone again. He had texted Katherine over 20 minutes and a shower ago and still nothing. He knew she was a Paul’s, hell Sid made that painfully obvious last night, and he swore that if she didn’t text him back in the next 10 minutes, he was going over there and interrupting whatever type of morning bang fest that was going on.
“Uuuugh, Paul why didn’t you tell me!” Katherine reached for her phone, not believing that Paul knew that James texted her and he was now just telling her.
“Because damn it, he doesn’t get to have you yet.”
Katherine stood in the kitchen dumbfounded.
“Paul, this isn’t a matter of him getting me, this is my job.”
“No Katherine, this is his mess.” “He doesn’t need to see you before the meeting.”
Deep down inside, Katherine knew he was right. She knew that the only reason why she had even sent that text last night was because she felt guilty for not being there.
“Kat, do you think that Phaneuf, had someone like you holding his hand when he got suspended?” “No, he didn’t?”
“Why can’t you let this be your job when it comes to Nealer?”
Katherine had never hid anything about her times with James from Paul. She wasn’t ashamed of what happened, the way things started and the way things ended. It wasn’t a relationship by any means and when they parted as friends on that summer afternoon in Canada, she knew she did the right thing. James wanted to be on the fast track; he wanted a Stanley Cup, an Olympic Gold Medal, expensive things and adoring fans. She also wanted the Cup and the medal, not just for James, but for all the guys. It was the rest and the way James pursued it was what she could live without.
“I guess the reason why I can’t Paul, is because I think James’ is just lost.”
Katherine stood looking at her phone. She touched James’ name under her contacts and the phone started ringing.
James was just about to put on his coat and walk over to Paul’s when he heard his phone ringing from inside his sweatpants pocket.
“I thought Paul had you bound and gagged or something kinky like that.” James tried to play off his anger with sarcasm.
“James listen, I don’t think we have time to meet this morning, so I’m planning on being down at the office around 11:00.” “It will be best if we are all there so that there aren’t differing opinions on what happened at the game.”
“Sure, I understand.” “Do you want a ride into town?”
“No, I’m good.” “I’ll see in Dan’s office around 11:00.” And with that, Katherine hung up.
James just looked at his phone. “What the fuck was that about?”
Paul stood up and moved towards Katherine. She walked towards him and with one swift move; she had captured Paul’s lips with hers. She was in love with this man and she never wanted him to doubt it for another second, ever.
“Hey, hey, hey, slow down.” Paul held her face in his hands. “What is going on?”
“I love you.” Katherine had blurted it out in a panic. There it was, just hanging in the air. Quickly, she started to make her case. “I just don’t ever want you to doubt me again.” Katherine said, not able to make eye contact with Paul. “What happened with James is in the past, but I can’t deny I still have the need to help him.”
“Wait, can we just deal with one thing at a time here?” “Katherine, I never said that you can’t help James, that isn’t what this is about.” “It is more about Nealer than you,” Paul gently kissed her forehead.
“Do you know why I asked you to text him last night, do you?” Paul stroked her cheek. “Because for as selfish as it sounds, I didn’t feel like sharing you with anyone else.”
Katherine just stared at Paul. She didn’t know what to think. Yes, he was being overly protective and possibly jealous when he didn’t need to be, but she saw the look in his eyes and she knew that he was being nothing but completely honest with her.
“Tell me you want me.” Katherine said in a slightly demanding voice.
“I want you.” Paul leaned into Katherine’s front and placing his hands on her hips.
“Tell me that you need me.” Katherine backed away from Paul and his grip loosened.
“Katherine, I need you.” “I need you in my life.”
Katherine slowly lifted the sweatshirt and nightshirt over and off of her body, leaving her standing there in the kitchen in only her panties.
“Tell me you love me.”
“Katherine, I love you,” and with all the strength Paul had in his right arm, he pulled Katherine tight to his body and kissed with everything he had.
They made love on the kitchen floor that morning and for weeks after that, they would just look at each and smile, remembering the moment when they first decided to say that they were in love.
Ahhhhh !!!! So good !!!
7/9/14