All Hands on Deck

Tessa arrived at the arena the next morning about an hour earlier than she had been asked to. She had been here so many times over the years, knew every inch of the halls by heart. Except, of course, the ones that would now be her home as an actual employee of the Flyers. She had thrown on the most practical thing she could think of, athletic shorts since the weather was mild and an old Flyer’s shirt that used to be her mom’s. It gave her a feeling of comfort as she got on the familiar train that would take her work from now on.

Outside the doors she was supposed to enter she took a deep breath and pulled out her phone, thinking about calling Sidney. Instead, she stuffed it back in her bag and took another breath. As much as she wanted to hear his voice, she didn’t want to get into the habit of bothering him all the time. She was more excited than nervous, but either way her heart was pounding. Finally, she got up the nerve and opened the door, following the instructions Don had given her over the phone.

Walking the halls she had to smile. Not that she ever disliked the Penguins, in fact, she had grown very close to them and still considered them her friends, but this was the Flyers, her team, her colors, her home. It was a different feeling. Working for the Pens had been an NHL job, but this was her dream job. The deeper she got in the arena, the more her nerves were overwhelmed by enthusiasm. Sidney, her mom, Ryan, and even she herself were right - this was a great opportunity, the best. She was lucky. She deserved it. She would be happy here.

Coming up on the locker room she saw a group of players she naturally recognized, Couturier, Simmonds, and Giroux. The fangirl in her started losing her shit, but the adult professional side of her brain forced her to stifle the smile that spread across her face and keep it together.

They arrived at the doors at about the same time since she had inadvertently sped up. When Giroux caught sight of her trailing them, he smiled and held the door open. “Let me guess, Contessa, right?”

In the locker room he held out his hand and she willed her palms not to sweat too badly when she took it. “Yes, don’t tell me I’m already a source of gossip.”

He shrugged, looking guilty. “A woman on the staff for the first time ever who also happens to be coming over from the Pens? Sounded like espionage to us.”

Tessa humored him with a grin and indicated her shirt. “They must have left out the part where I’m a Philly girl at heart, my mama raised me right.”

“Oh, yeah? Nice.” He pointed her in the right direction as he made his way to his stall. “Don’s through there. Welcome home, Philly.”

Tessa walked away grinning, sadly the first thing on her mind being running home and telling Ryan that she had just casually spoken to Claude Giroux. (Cue internal screaming!) Ok, ok, she told herself, get it together, this is your job now, calm down!

She found Don and they exchanged handshakes as well. After settling in his office, they went over her contract and salary as they had discussed on the phone. Paperwork done, he showed her around the arena, introducing her to the guys as they went. It was a surreal experience, she knew all their names, all their faces, could have rehashed a thousand memories she had of watching some of them play for years. And yet, she had to cooly shake their hands and let them rattle of their names, nodding as if she wasn’t already familiar with them. She knew it was just a matter of time before she was joking around and making fun of them just like she had come to do with the Pens, but on her first day, she would admit, she was a little star struck by it all.

Everyone was getting ready for morning skate when MIchael Raffl finally arrived, late, and found her in the trainer’s room where she was getting settled in. “Hey, sorry, hello. Michael Raffl. Don said I should see you about my shoulder.”

Alright, truth time. Tessa had told Sidney she had just been teasing about fantasizing about Raffl, but that wasn’t entirely true. The Austrian had many times worked his way into her thoughts during some of her alone time, not since she had met Sidney, but definitely in the past. Now, faced with the man himself, she felt her skin burn red, which included Sidney’s goodbye present on her neck. It’s not that she was actually tempted by Raffl or concerned about doing anything inappropriate with him, it was merely his existence, her previous thoughts, and the lie she had told Sidney that were affecting her equilibrium.

She mentally got it together and willed her skin to return to a normal temperature. “Of course, yes. Contessa.”

He pulled a face when he shook her hand. “G said you were Philly.”

Tessa bit her lip as she smiled. “Oh, God, I thought he was joking. But sure, you can call me Philly.”

He kept making that same odd face at her, but he at least let go of her hand. “I’m sorry, do I know you? Have we met before?”

Tessa started laughing when she realized where Raffl probably knew her from. “Um…yeah. I came to signing in October with a friend of mine. She asked you to, uh, say something nasty in German. And you did, as I recall.”

Raffl now laughed and blushed along with her. “Oh, right, right. Ryan? Was that her name?”

“Good memory, yes.”

“Yeah, yeah, I do remember. The two pretty girls in the Brière jerseys asking me to talk dirty in German. How could I forget?”

“In my defense, she was the one who asked for dirty talk. I just wanted an autograph.”

“Sure, just guilty by association.”

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention that to your teammates. I don’t need them thinking I’m some sexual pervert who’s gonna be peeping on you guys when you change.”

He leaned in looking serious, “Aren’t you, though?”

Tessa suddenly became defensive. “What? No, no, no, Michael, that’s not…I wouldn’t -”

“I’m teasing, teasing. Besides, we already agreed, if the the sissies in Pittsburgh can handle a woman in the locker room, we have no problem. We’re all glad you’re here.”

“Thank you. Now, tell me about your shoulder.”

In Pittsburgh, Sidney got up with his alarm in Tessa’s old apartment. It was an off day, no practice, no game, but he still had his routines. He stretched out in bed, his long body situated diagonally to maximize the small space. Everything still smelled like her and the emptiness he had managed to avoid last night came crashing back onto him suddenly. He picked up the pictures he had set on the floor and put them back on the pillow. How he longed to have her here, see that bright smile in person and kiss her until she pushed him off while laughing that he was going to be late.

He spoke aloud to himself, but really for her. “Day one, Tessa. Hope yours is starting better than mine.” He finally forced himself up and into the bathroom. He thought about taking the picture of her in the mirror, the one of her naked and glorious, and bringing it home with him. Instead, he left it, deciding that when he wanted to see her, he would come her to feel close to her. There were a lot of memories in that apartment and he wanted to keep it just as she had left it.

That morning he finally went home, showering and dressing in sweatpants and a t-shirt so he could go for a run. Stretching out his legs in his living room, he wondered what Tessa was doing and he checked the time. She was probably still at home, drinking tea with sugar and toast with jelly like she did every morning. He thought about calling her, just to say good morning, good luck, I miss you. Instead, he put the phone back down and bent forward into another stretch. He didn’t want to annoy her on her first day of work; she probably has a million and one things to do, he thought, and he would talk to her later.

As he was about to leave the house, his phone rang.

“What’s going on, Letang?”

“Not much.”

And then Kris was silent. Sidney let it settle and then asked, “You ok?”

“Sorry, yeah. I was just calling to see how you are.”

There was an awkward tone between them and Sidney didn’t know what was causing it. “I’m fine. You?”

“Good. You know…I just wanna make sure you’re ok…since things are over with Nessie. I know you liked her.”

There it was; Kris thought that her moving away would end things. “Letang…I’m fine.”

“You sure? You know you can talk to me about it, man. I mean, I know I wasn’t nice about it, but you’re my friend. And I’m here if you need anything.”

“Thanks, but I’m good. Really. I’ll let you know if that changes, ok?”

“Alright. See you tomorrow, yeah?”

They hung up and Sidney wondered when he had become the sort of guy who lies to his good friends. He had done it because it was the right thing to do, for him and Tessa. If Letang thought it was over, that brought the list of people who know about them, who would hurt them with the information back down to zero. On the one hand he felt terrible about the lie, but on the other, he felt a sense of relief. Even though he never worried about Letang selling them out, it was still nice to be back to no one knowing.

He stepped out his door into the sunshine and smiled to himself. Ok, day one was getting a little better. He put in his headphones and started out on his run, trying to keep his mind clear and focused.

Meanwhile back in Philadelphia, after morning skate, Giroux treated Tessa to a cup of coffee at her favorite little cafe. She was surprised he had even heard of it and a little impressed, actually. It was nice to be with someone who knew Philly almost as well as she did.

Not long after, Giroux’s lips were on hers, tasting of coffee and scones, kissing her tenderly in his living room. His hands groped her body, pulling her hips against his and then stroking her back. Tessa pulled back in the middle of it. “Wait, wait…I have a boyfriend.”

He answered with that adorable accent that she loved so much. “In Pittsburgh?”

“Yeah. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Giroux shrugged as if he really didn’t care either way. “He’s there, but I’m right here. And I have a girlfriend. No one has to know, Tess.”

Tessa ran a hand down his firm chest until she reach the band of his sweatpants. It was wrong, she knew it was, but Claude was just so handsome, so fit, and so very present. And he was right, Sidney just felt so far away. She was amazed this had happened so quickly, but also grateful. She was lonely already and Giroux was just what she needed. “Kiss me again.”

He grinned and leaned in, claiming her mouth with passion as she moaned against his lips, rubbed her body against his. He hauled her upstairs to his room and stripped her down, tossing her naked body on the bed. He peeled off his sweaty shirt and then lost his sweatpants in one smooth motion.

Tessa was grinning when he crawled on top. “No one hears about this. Right?”

“No one.” And then he was thrusting into her and she was throwing her head back, mouth open in pleasure, breathing out his name.

He was good and he was big. Bigger than Sidney, she thought, and oh so sexy. She brushed all that lovely ginger hair back from his face to gaze into his eyes. As he fucked her, she admired his beauty, his wide smile, his lithe body working so well with hers. Wrong, maybe, but goddamn it felt good.

She cataloged all the ways Giroux was better than Sidney, cuter, funnier, better body, bigger dick, softer features, more nimble hands, smoother skin, fuller beard, and he player for her favorite team. That counted for a lot. She had been watching and cheering for him for years. He wasn’t just any Captain, he was her Captain, always had been, always would be. To be there with him like that was perfect, everything she ever wanted.

She started to come and Giroux sped up, pushing her over the edge with his name on her lips. He turned her over, pulled her hips back and up so he could start again. His cock burrowed home, thrusting deep and hard and building the tension in her body anew from scratch.

Her hips sought his, jerking back as her body arched and sweat dripped from her skin. Claude smacked her ass and she moaned, so he did it again. His hips whacked against her ass whenever his hand wasn’t doing the same and pretty soon, Tessa rubbed at her clit and came while he was fucking her.

He wasn’t done. He turned her over and took her from the front again, much to her amusement. “Jesus, Claude, you’ve got some kind of stamina.”

“Better than most, cherie. I can make you come more than any man you’ve ever met.”

Tessa laughed, but had to agree. “I believe you. Make me come again.”

And he did, fucking her as she scratched his back until they both released together in perfect harmony. Later, they showered and he fucked her against the wall…

In Pittsburgh, Sidney snapped back to life when a car hooked a few inches from him. Jumping back onto the curb, he let the cab drive on. Heart still pounding, he abandoned crossing the street and started up the block, looking around to determine where he was. When he found a quiet corner, he called Tessa.

Raffl was on her table when her phone started to ring. It was Sidney’s tone, bringing a smile to her face as it always did. “Hold on for just one sec, okay?”

She reached for her bag nearby and answered casually. “Yeah?”

Sidney sounded frantic, worried. “What are you doing?”

Tessa looked around her, fighting back a laugh. “I’m working. What are you doing?”

“You’re at the arena?”

“Yes…”

“You’ve been there all day?”

“It’s nine o'clock in the morning, where else would I have been today?”

“I…I don’t know. You didn’t have coffee anywhere?”

“Babe, you know I don’t drink coffee. I had tea and toast before I Ieft home. Are you okay? You sound upset.”

“I just…had a bad dream. Really bad.”

“You’ve been up for two hours. Dream still bothering you?”

“It was a daydream, actually.”

“With me?”

“Yes.”

“And let me guess…someone else?”

“Yeah.”

“Babe -”

“I know, I know. I’ll let you go. Call me later, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call you later.” She hung up and let out a sigh, turning back to her work.

She returned her hands to his shoulder and Raffl asked, “Boyfriend?”

“Yes. First time we’ve been apart. We’re both still adjusting to long distance.”

“Hmm. Not easy. He’s in Pittsburgh? He can’t move here?”

“Work keeps him there. He’s a lawyer, busy practice, travels a lot for big clients. It’s okay, we’ll see each other soon, but…he’s a little possessive. I think he’s having a hard time not having me close so he can keep an eye out.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tessa wanted them back. What the hell was she doing? Sharing the intimate details of your relationship was not something you did at work, let alone on the first day, let alone with a man you’ve had sexual fantasies about in the past. She quickly tried to fix her mistake.

“Sorry, TMI. Anyway, I think I got the knot out. Tell me how that feels.”

Raffl sat up and rolled his shoulder around. “Good, yeah. Thanks.” He jumped off the table and gave her a smile. “And if I can just give you some advice?”

“Oh, Raff, please don’t, I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“No apologizes, you’re on our team now, we look out for each other. I was only going to say that a man who gets worries about what you’re up to when he’s not around is a man who doesn’t trust you. And this…” He tapped the massive bruise on her neck with his index finger. “That’s not normal.”

The rest of the morning passed quickly, uneventful. When morning skate was over, Tessa took the train home, thinking she would have to get used to making two trips to the arena everyday since the team wanted her there whenever the players were, unlike the Pens who usually only asked her to be around for game time.

Ryan was at work when she got back, so she made herself a snack and went to her room to see Nova Blue and call his father. She was still thinking about what Raffl had said, not about the hickey not being normal. She knew that it wasn’t normal, Sidney wasn’t normal, but that was what she liked most about him. No, what she was thinking about was the idea that Sidney didn’t trust her. She wanted to talk to him before jumping to any conclusions and she hadn’t really considered the possibility that that was what his actions meant until Raffl had said the words.

Sidney answered on the first ring, sounding slightly sheepish. “Hey, baby.”

“Well, hello there, Mr. Sandman.”

“Tessa…I’m sorry.”

“For…calling me when you knew I was working to make sure I was really working?”

“Yeah, for that.”

“Sidney, I don’t wanna fight. But I have to ask, do you not trust me?”

“What? No, I trust you completely.”

“Then why did you freak out when you had some ridiculous daydream about me and…?”

“Giroux.”

“Oh, come on! I already told you -”

“I know you did, but that’s just how my brain works. He’s my competition, on every level.”

“Fine, that aside, can’t you see why I would think you don’t trust me when you’re having daytime nightmares about me fucking Giroux?”

“Tessa, listen. I just…worry about you realizing I’m not everything you thought I was and finding someone else who’s better. That’s what bothers me. Because I’m not there to remind you of how good we are together or to hold you when you’ve had a long day. I don’t think you’re gonna be fucking random dudes, but just that you’ll see how great some other guy is and leave me because he’s right there.”

“You don’t need to be here for me to know how amazing you are. And I couldn’t do better if I tried, Sid, you have to know that. But you also have to trust me. We are never gonna make it if you spend all your time worrying about what I’m doing. I promise you, my life here is gonna be just as normal and boring as it was in Pittsburgh. I’ll get up, go to work, hang out with Ryan, and talk to you.”

“I know.”

“Do you? Really? I told you before I left, you don’t need to worry about these guys because I only ever think of you and I wasn’t fucking around. Beau? Kessel? Giroux? Raffl? They’re nothing, just clients to me, maybe my friends, but nothing like you. And don’t get me wrong, I love how possessive you can be, I really, honest to God do. But if you can’t trust me, if you just want me to be yours, but can’t believe that I really am? Then this isn’t going to work, you and me can’t work if you don’t trust me to be only yours in Philly. And the thing is, that’s what I am, Sidney. I’m yours. You won! You made me get involved with a player when I swore I never, ever would. You made me yours, now you need to believe it.”

Sidney thought about what she was saying and tried to focus on his response, but all he could do was smile. God, how good it felt just to hear her say that she was his. It was all he wanted and she was right, he needed to believe it. Finally he said, “You are mine. And I believe it. I’m sorry for acting crazy. I just can’t lose you, Tess. You make me too happy.”

She heard the smile in his voice and it made her mouth curve as well. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere. You’d never lose me to any of these guys, least of all Giroux. He’s the Captain, I love him for that reason, for being on my favorite team, but that’s it. You, you’re the only one I want calling and harassing me for no reason. Just you, Sid. So the next time your imagination starts running wild just replace the guy with you and then call and tell me what you thought about.”

He remembered his dream and imagined himself fucking Tessa for hours like they had done so many time. “Alright, I can do that.”

“Good. Now, tell me what you conjured up in your mind today. Go slow, give me all the details. And put your hand on your dick.”

Sidney laughed and he heard her shifting against her pillow and giggling. “It’s not even noon and I have stuff to do, Tess.”

“Fuck your routine.” She was already slipping her hand in her pants to stroke her pussy and panting. “I miss you so bad already that this’ll take, like, two minutes, just be a little late on your schedule today, ok?”

“Ok, just for you. First…tell me how wet you are.”

Notes