Tread This Fantasy

Sid was winded and covered in sweat when he stepped off the ice and made his way to the locker room with the other guys. They had done some good work on their special teams in practice today. He was looking forward to putting some of it to work tomorrow against the Islanders.

After stripping off his practice gear, he took a quick shower before digging his phone out of his duffle bag. He’d called her before he went out of the ice for practice, hoping she’d answer. It had been over a week since he’d seen her. The past few days had been hectic with two road games, keeping him out of town for four days. They were gearing up for two home games and he wanted to spend at least one of his free days with her. If she would return his call.

He sat down on the bench, just a towel tucked around his waist and pulled up his missed calls. Her office number was listed at the top and his voicemail notice was displayed across the status bar of the phone. Sid smiled and touched the voicemail icon.

“You and Kuni got that ESP,” Sutter said, sitting down beside Sid and toweling the water out of his hair.

Sid wanted to groan and run away. He’d been waiting days to talk to her and now he couldn’t even listen to her voicemail in peace. Sure, Sutter didn’t know that he was interrupting, but it still made Sid irritable. And then he remembered that Sutter had gone out with a friend of Mel’s.

“Yeah,” Sid agreed. “Took a few years to build it up, though.” He put his phone down and pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his bag. “Hey, you went out with one of Mel’s friends, yeah? Sophie or something?”

Sutter nodded and pulled on a pair of socks. “Yeah, a couple times. I asked her out again and she shut me down.”

“Why?”

“Beats me, man. Something about playing games or some shit. I got the impression she didn’t like that I was out of town a lot and couldn’t spend every day with her.”

“Oh,” Sid replied, flexing his fingers and wishing he could listen to the voicemail right that very second.

“You still seeing what’s-her-name? Mel? Maybe you could put in a good word for me.”

Sid looked over at his teammate for the first time. “You carrying a torch, Sutter?”

Sutter snorted. “Naw, I just... well, she’s hot. And I didn’t even get her into bed.” That said, Sutter stood up and pulled on his t-shirt. “Gotta go. See ya.”

“See ya,” Sid replied, sliding his phone off the bench and pulling up his voicemail again.

“Hey, it’s, uh, this is Mel. Melanie Kay. I was returning your... Ugg, can I start this voicemail over again? Why isn’t there a delete button. This is Mel. Sorry I missed your call. You probably don’t have my cell number because you never asked for it. It’s 412-867-7672. I saw the game yesterday. Were you showing off with that hat trick or what? I haven’t skated a lick since Friday before last and I’m hanging my head in shame like I should. When are we going to get tiramisu at Tambellini’s? Oh shit, sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. Like I was asking you out. You’re busy. Ignore me. Gez. Sorry. I’m going to go before this gets any more embarrassing. Bye.”

He couldn’t stop smiling. From the first moment her voice came out of his phone to the last word she said, he was grinning from ear to ear. He had developed an elaborate fantasy about sharing a plate of tiramisu before he cleared the table so he could lay her on it and have her as the second course of dessert.

“You win another trophy or did you get laid?”

Sid looked up to see Duper walking over to him. He tried to wipe the grin off his face, but it was hard when he was feeling so good.

“Neither,” he answered.

“Bullshit. You get a sext from your girlfriend?” Duper made a grab for Sid’s phone, but Sid was too fast. He shifted it over to his other hand and shoved it deep within his duffle bag. “You kids nowadays,” Duper said, shaking his head.

“Shut up, Duper.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“Fuck off,” Sid replied. The bite of the phrase was lessened by the chuckle that followed it.

*******************************************

He was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Southpointe rink. Almost all the other players had gone home to rest before the game tomorrow. Sid fished his phone out of the pocket of his pants and listened to her voicemail again, writing her phone number on his hand with a smile plastered on his face. It was just after two o’clock in the afternoon and she was probably at work. He saved her cell number in his phone next to her work number and then turned the phone over in his hands. Should he call? Should he wait? Would he have the balls to ask her out again once he was talking to her? She did mention the tiramisu. He certainly hadn’t forgetten that part of her message.

He breathed in deeply before choosing her cell phone from his contact list and hitting send. Half of him wanted to just leave a voicemail. Voicemails were easier. The phone rang three times. Right before the fourth ring, he heard a click and her voice.

“Hello?”

“You’re right; I didn’t have your number because I forgot to ask.”

Mel chuckled softly. “It was the lasagna. Blew your mind and you couldn’t think right.”

He smiled. “Something like that.” Really, she was the reason he wasn’t thinking right. “We were out of town for four days. Just got back in late last night.”

“I saw the Boston game. Flashy, flashy, Mr. Captain.”

He dipped his head, suddenly feeling shy. “Yeah, well, I was just trying to impress you.”

Her smile was evident in her voice when she replied, “No need to try; I’m already impressed.”

“Good, I was hoping I could take you up on your proposal. Tambellini’s on Wednesday night. You, me, tiramisu, the destruction of my trainer’s carefully planned diet.”

Mel laughed. “Far be it from me to turn down Sidney Crosby.”

“Sid,” he corrected. “Just Sid.”

She was silent for a moment. He hoped she understood the weight of what he was trying to say. Don’t go out with Sidney Crosby. Go out with *me*. “Sid,” she replied softly.

He grinned. “Can I pick you up around seven?”

“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised. “You want to pick me up. I, um, okay. Yeah, that’s fine.”

“You don’t want me to?”

“No, it’s fine. I just... like a real date?”

He raised his brows and ran his hand absently along the steering wheel. “That’s what I was going for.”

“Oh, wow. I...”

Sid frowned. “Not interested?”

“No! I mean, yes, I’m interested. I just... well, I haven’t been on a formal date in a while. I might be rusty.”

“You’re perfect,” he replied. There was a beat of silence between them before he continued by saying, “Text me your address?”

“Sure, coming right up. See you Wednesday at seven?”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it,” he said before telling her goodbye and hanging up.

Sid let his forehead fall onto the steering wheel, a shit-eating grin all over his face. He had a date. A real date with a beautiful girl who seemed to like plain old Sid.

*******************************************

He couldn’t stop fidgeting. For the twentieth time that evening, he adjusted the collar of his dress shirt. He had settled on a pair of black slacks with dress shoes and a crisp, white button-up shirt. And he was feeling good--confident, but anxious. They had won their game by three goals the night before. Two of the three goals he had been credited with the assist. Things with the season were going well and he felt focused and on top of his game. Now he just needed to work on his personal life. Living with the Lemieux’s was great, but sometimes he felt like an overgrown kid.

Her apartment was in a white brick two-story building that held four units at the end of a quiet, residential street about twenty minutes away from Downtown. He walked into the main door and noticed her apartment was immediately to the left. The door had a Penguins sticker above the doorknob. It made him smile.

He rapped the door three times with his knuckles and stepped back a foot to give her some space. It only took a few seconds for the door to open and reveal her. The first thing he saw was her nervous smile and the way the sides of her hair were swept back to reveal her face.

She was wearing a black wrap dress that hugged her curves and accentuated her breasts with a V-neckline. The hem fell just above her knees and her feet were encased in black suede pumps that had to be at least four inches, bringing her just a couple inches shy of his height.

“Hi,” Mel said. He looked up soon enough to see her eyes dart up and down his body. He tried to repress the smug smile, knowing that his body was in better shape now than it had ever been.

“Hi,” he replied. “You look great.”

“Likewise,” she said with a soft blush creeping up on her cheeks. “Let me grab my coat.” She reached around and plucked a black, wool peacoat from a rack by the door. Sid took it from her hands and held it out for her to slide her arms inside. She seemed thrown off by the gesture. He hoped that she was impressed with his dating etiquette instead of annoyed by his presumptions.

Sid stepped back as she closed and locked her door. “This place looks nice.”

She turned around to face him. “I like it. The first place I rented on my own was a trash heap on the North Side. I lucked out and found this place after a few months of fearing for my life. Takes me a little longer to get home from work, but it’s totally worth it.”

This time when he put his hand at the small of her back to guide her out to his car, he could feel her through the coat and dress. His hand felt hot at the idea of touching her without the coat on. “I hope you’re starving.”

“I am. Especially if I can get another helping of that orgasmic lasagna.”

He threw his head back and laughed while he opened her door and helped her inside the SUV.

They chatted about their days in the car on the way to Tambellini’s. It was well after 7:30 when the arrived and Eddie met them at the side door, letting them in through the kitchen and ushering them into the private room they had shared almost two weeks before.

Sid scanned his eyes over the space upon entering, hoping that the staff had followed his instructions. He’d asked for flowers and candles, though he’d left the details up to them. For a brief moment right before the door opened, he was nervous they might have overdone it. Instead, it was perfect--a square vase of pink and white lilies on the two unused tables with a single lily floating in a shallow water-filled glass bowl on their table. Two lit taper candles flanked the bowl on either side.

He glanced over to Mel and saw approval of the flowers and candles clearly on her face. “Shoot, you pulled out all the stops,” she told him as he helped her out of her coat and gave it to Eddie to hang.

“I’m competitive,” he replied.

She laughed. “You don’t have anyone to compete with.”

“I could one day,” he said with a shrug as he helped her into her seat.

“Well, you get a gold star and an A for effort. This is gorgeous.”

The soft glow provided by the recessed lighting and the two candles made her seem softer--gentle curves that would give against his hands or his body. He wanted to sit beside her and touch her hair, smell her perfume, slide his hands along her legs. Maybe even underneath her skirt if she’d let him. Unfortunately, his seat was across the table--too far away to indulge himself in her.

He settled down and asked Eddie for a bottle of wine which was promptly delivered to the table. He ordered chicken and pasta while she opted for baked ziti. A basket of warm bread was already on the table with a couple pats of butter.

“I can’t resist this,” she told him, carefully spreading a thin layer of butter on a piece of bread while he poured wine into both their glasses.

“Go for it,” he responded with a smile. “I’ve got a game tomorrow, so I’m trying to behave a little bit.

“Come on, live a little. You’ll still be faster than everyone on the ice even with half a slice of Italian bread in you.” She cut the slice in half with the butter knife and held a piece out to him.

Sid looked from her face to the bread, then back to her face. Finally, he leaned forward, hands flat on the tabletop, and plucked the piece of bread from her fingers with his mouth. She gasped lightly when she saw what he was doing. “You’re right; it might be worth the extra half hour on the bike,” Sid said.

Her eyes were wide and her mouth open slightly, showing the tip of her pretty, pink tongue just below her white teeth. He’d give anything to kiss that surprise off her face.

“Living dangerously?” she asked after she had recovered.

“I think I might start. I’m having a good time.”

“Oh God, I don’t want to be the one responsible for ruining our city’s golden boy.”

“You’re expanding my horizons,” he corrected, finishing the piece of bread she’d given him and taking a sip of wine.

She took a delicate bite of her portion of the slice and washed it down with wine as well. “This is sinful. I could never live without bread.”

“Do you like what you do?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I love it,” Mel answered, sipping at her glass of red wine. “Do you like what you do?”

“I do,” Sid said with a smile. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“I can’t imagine you doing anything else either; you were born to play hockey.”

He knew people considered him one of the best in the league, but hearing her say it like that made him duck his head down, blushing. “Aww, shucks.”

Mel’s musical laughter caressed him. “You are too cute.”

“Cute wasn’t what I was going for. Cute is puppy dogs and babies.”

“Are you fishing for compliments?” she asked with a grin, her wine glass held right below her lips.

“No. Maybe. You’re gorgeous.”

Mel blanched and then laughed. “Not as gorgeous as you, trust me. You’re, like, physical perfection.”

Sid grinned and took a drink. Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright. And she was attracted to him. The knowledge emboldened him. “A few years ago we were playing the Rangers in New York. We stayed over after the game because the next was in New Jersey. The Rangers game was at noon, so we had an entire night to ourselves. Three of the other guys wanted to go out and I agreed to go with them.”

Mel raised her brows at him, a smile creeping across her face as she no doubt wondered where this was going. He watched her sip her wine, a healthy flush growing across her face.

“We went to a couple clubs, but everything was too keyed up for us and the women were pushy once they found out we were hockey players. So, we ended up at a burlesque show. I’d never been to one before. I was probably about twenty-one at the time--just old enough to get in the door.”

“Uh huh...” Mel said, sipping her wine and watching him intently. He felt nervous, yet reckless at the same time. He knew he was tipping his hand, and he was hoping it wouldn’t scare her off.

“I have never been so... turned on by anything before. They didn’t strip, but my imagination went wild. They were curvy with hips and thighs and... Yeah, it was sexy.”

Her eyes were shining as she played with her wine glass, running her fingers up and down the steam. It was distracting and suggestive, but he didn’t think she realized what she was doing. “Who knew you were a fan of burlesque?” she said softly, a small grin on her face.

“Really, what I was getting at is that when I saw you--at Whim that first night--the reason I couldn’t stop watching you was partly because you looked like you could be one of those dancers. The way you look and move... It reminded me of that night.”

Mel’s eyes widened. “Are you for real?”

He grimaced slightly. “I hope that didn’t offend you. I just... I, you, you’re, like, perfect.”

She laughed nervously, her right hand going up to play with the chain of her necklace. The motion drew his eyes to the faintest suggestion of cleavage hiding beneath the dipping neckline. “Wow, I... don’t know what to say. I’m flattered. And you’re crazy. I’m nothing like those women that do burlesque. They’re so confident and sexy. I’m just a dork who works with money.”

“I’m not crazy and you’re very sexy.” He held his breath, still feeling reckless and confident.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the door opened and Eddie swept in with their plates. Sid wanted to curse and shove the man out of the room. Mel dropped her gaze to the napkin in her lap while Eddie sat the plates down and asked if they needed anything else. Sid shook his head and the man backed out of the room, leaving them alone again.

“So, change of topic because you’re totally embarrassing me,” Mel said, picking up her fork. “This smells delicious.”

He tried to suppress a smile. “It is. Do you want to try a bite of mine?”

Notes