Tread This Fantasy

Mel felt like her face was flaming red. Her heart was beating so fast she was afraid a heart attack was imminent. Sid was halfway through his plate and telling her about his little sister between bites. And as much as Mel wanted to know more about him, she couldn’t stop thinking about him telling her that she was sexy.

She’d finished almost half of her own plate of ziti. It was just as good as the lasagna from last time. So good she found herself sopping up the extra sauce and cheese with pieces of bread from the basket. “How often does she get to visit you?” she asked.

Sid shrugged. “She likes to come down right around Christmas for a couple weeks. My parents will spend a few days in town if our schedule doesn’t give me time to get home, but my sister likes to stay over longer. Mario and Nathalie are great about letting her stay at their place with us. She’s about the same age at Stephanie and Austin so they’re like instant cousins or something.” He pushed the pasta back and forth on his plate before refilling their wine glasses. “What about your family?”

“My mom and dad live in South Carolina. I’m a single child, though.”

“Did you move here on your own?”

Mel shook her head and took a drink. “No, I was born here. When my dad retired, they moved down there for the milder winters and so they could be closer to the beach.”

“They like it?”

“They love it. They bought this old house with the colonial architecture--pillars on the huge front porch, rocking chairs to sit outside in the evenings, the whole deal.”

Sid smiled. “That sounds amazing.”

“It’s a nice change of pace. I don’t think I could ever live there, though. I’m too comfortable in Pittsburgh. I can’t imagine not having grey skies and snow almost all winter,” she said with a wink.

“Are you sure you don’t want some of this?” he asked, spearing a piece of chicken and a couple pieces of penne on his fork.

“You’re a growing boy; I can’t eat your food.”

Sid held the fork up, slowly extending his arm across the table. Mel swallowed hard as she looked from the fork to his face. He was trying to feed her and the thought made her swoon in her seat.

With a shy smile, she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the fork.

“I totally did that just so you’d flash me a little cleavage,” he said, glancing down at her breasts pressed against the table, the neckline of her dress gapping open a bit.

Mel squeaked and slapped her hand over her chest, chewing the food before she said, “You horndog!”

Sid laughed and drained the rest of his wine.

“Here. It’s only fair you get to try mine.” She held out her fork to him. He leaned forward and she pulled back slightly, making him chase her for it. Sid chuckled under his breath and moved closer until she let him have a bite. “Nice chest,” she said, glancing down at his.

He sat back in his seat, trying not to laugh with his mouth full. “I’m distressed that you’re objectifying my body.”

“Turnabout is fair play. Before dinner you told me that you thought of me as a burlesque dancer.”

Sid shook his head. “No, no, I said you reminded me of one. But now that you mention it, I think I could come up with a few fantasies that involve you in sequined undies and a bra with tassels.”

Mel laughed and pushed her plate away. “You’re sick. And I won’t be able to have tiramisu if I eat any more.”

As if on cue, Eddie opened the door and asked for their dessert orders. They decided to share a plate of tiramisu. It was there in only a handful of minutes, interrupting their conversation the practicality of flashy women’s lingerie.

“All I’m saying is that sequins should not be anywhere near a girl’s areas,” Mel waved her hand over her lap. “The edges of those little things are sharp. It’s just asking for trouble.”

“What if it’s only there for a minute?” Sid asked, digging into his side of the dessert.

Mel scooped a huge bite onto her spoon. “Only for a minute?”

“Just to entice someone to take them off.”

She flushed. “You *are* a horndog. Thinking about women’s panties...”

“Hey, you brought it up!”

She laughed and took another bite. “I did not. You were the one imagining me in sequined panties.”

“Oh, that’s right. I was. Hmm, damn. What about the tassel bra?”

“Ha! That one is only for the bedroom. Can you imagine the big lumps underneath a t-shirt. I still think that dual purpose is best--something wearable underneath clothes like a black lace bra, maybe see-through.”

Sid’s brows rose up. “Oh really? Are you maybe describing what’s underneath your dress?”

Mel licked her spoon playfully before using a finger to pull the jersey knit fabric of her dress out. She peeked down at her bra and then looked up at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would like to know,” he replied, leaning forward slightly and shoveling another bite into his mouth.

“As much as I’d like to know what’s underneath your shirt too, I’m not a first-date kind of girl.” She was feeling brazen and confident now that she knew he found her attractive. Flirting with him was fun and easy, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. If she put out tonight, then she’d probably never see Sidney Crosby again. The gossip mongers in Pittsburgh never talked about Sid the Kid, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t learn the tricks of the trade from his teammates that were well-known womanizers.

He nodded his head. “I can respect that. But I’ll give you a peek if you want.” With a wink, he undid two buttons on his shirt, flashing her the beginning of his right pectoral muscle.

Mel nearly swallowed her tongue instead of the tiramisu. Once she’d recovered, she fanned herself with her hand. “Giving me a little taste so I know what I’m missing?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s working, damn you,” she said with a grin.

Sid threw his head back and let loose his dorky laugh. She couldn’t help but join in and laugh along with him.

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

Sid insisted on paying for dinner again before he escorted her out to his vehicle. After tucking her into the passenger seat, he drove her home. The drive was quiet with subdued conversation about how good dinner had been and Sid’s upcoming schedule. A home game was scheduled for the next day, and then a road trip of two away games againts the Senators and the Leafs.

He pulled into the small parking lot in front of her apartment and walked her to the door like a true gentleman. Mel wasn’t used to the attention to detail. Most guys usually dropped you off at the door and gave you a kiss across the console of their car if that was in the cards.

Her heart was pounding like a hammer in her chest and she could barely pull in a complete breath because they were standing in the dim hallway alone. She unlocked the door with trembling hands, her mind racing, wondering if he would try to kiss her. After all that talk during dinner, she was hoping he would. But, at the same time, she was terrified of it. What if she had forgotten how to kiss? It’d been almost eight months since her last date.

“Thank you for dinner. The tiramisu was to-die-for and the conversation wasn’t too shabby either,” she said softy, turning to look at him. The door was to her back and Sidney Crosby was taking up every bit of space in front of her, his body filling the hallway.

His eyes were on her lips. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me. Tonight was refreshingly normal, and I’m really, really thankful for that.”

Mel let her tongue dart out to lick her lower lip. She could see his eyes darken as they moved back down to look at her mouth. “I had a great time.”

“Maybe we could do it again when I’m back from the away games?”

She nodded, trying not to look too eager. “I’d love to.”

“Can I ask you a question?” He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. She felt heat flood into her belly. The man didn’t know the power he had. She was wet just listening to his voice.

“Uh huh.”

“Ladies get tipsy, not drunk?”

“Yeah.”

“They don’t show people their underwear on a first date?”

“Right.”

“But are they against a kiss goodnight?”

Mel swallowed hard. “Goodnight kisses are acceptable.”

Before she could react, his lips were on hers. She took half a step back and felt his arm around her waist, his fingertips pressing into the small of her back. His other hand cupped her cheek, angling her face into the kiss.

His lips were soft and gentle, but the kiss had an edge of hunger to it. She parted her lips and he took that as an invitation to tentatively slide his tongue into her mouth. She groaned and kissed him back, letting the fingers of her right hand weave through the hair at the nape of his neck.

When they pulled apart to breathe again, his chest was roughly rising and falling. She could feel his heart beneath the hand she had placed on his chest. Reluctantly, she let the hand on his neck slip away to run over his shoulder and down his chest to rest beside the other.

Sid let go of her and wrapped his fingers around her wrists, pressing her palms more firmly into his hard chest. “Goodnight, Melanie,” he murmured softly, looking her in the eye.

She almost collapsed at his feet and begged him to come inside with her. Instead, she let her hands slide down his chest further until just the tips of her fingertips trailed along his upper abs. He released her wrists so she could pull away completely.

“Goodnight, Sidney,” she whispered back before gathering all her will power to reach behind her and turn the doorknob. She stepped back into her dark apartment while he took two steps back toward the main door.

Mel gave a short wave before shutting the door on him. She pressed her back to it once it was closed, and slid down into the floor. “Oh. My. God.” Her heart was slamming into her ribs.

She fumbled for her cell phone and dialed Lisa’s number. Her friend answered on the first ring.

“How was it? How was he? Why are you calling me at ten thirty? Didn’t you invite him back to your place?”

Mel opened her mouth, then closed it and tried again. “It was amazing. He was amazing. I’m calling you because I’m going to hyperventilate. And I’m not a slut that gives up the cookie jar on the first date.”

“It’s Sidney Crosby.”

“Believe me, I know. His chest is like a rock. Jesus, I’m shaking.”

Lisa gasped. “Did you touch him? I bet you, like, orgasmed as soon as your hand touched his chest.”

“Close enough,” Mel laughed.

“Did he kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Lisa squealed. “Fireworks?”

“Fuck yes.”

Notes