Goodnight, beautiful

Getting acquainted with a new team meant spending time with its members. Kris never shied away from playing host so when Bristol came home that Friday night it was no surprise their apartment was occupied. The aroma of greasy pizza wafted in the air making Bristol realize she was far hungrier than she thought. Why pick through the salad she bought on her way home when there was a perfectly good pie in the kitchen?

Loud chatter rang out from the kitchen which thankfully gave Bristol the opportunity to slip into her bedroom and change before making an appearance. She had left the apartment to go shopping wearing her Adidas joggers which didn’t do much to flatter her figure. Feeling confident in a pair of skinny jeans and a maroon sweater, she made her presence known.

In the tight quarters of the kitchen sat six men, inducing Kris, around the kitchen table. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were the first to notice Bristol and welcomed her with loud ‘hellos.’ She could feel the blush settle into her cheeks once Daniel acknowledged her. Ever since their awkward first conversation, Bristol had tried her best to avoid him last night following the game as she didn’t trust her brain to work intelligently. When he smiled at her, her heart skipped a beat. She grabbed a slice of pizza and a shot glass before pulling a barstool to the table.

“Is this just the pregame?”

Bristol felt mildly underdressed, as the rest of the guys were dressed to impress. Ironed slacks and button downs. Claude and Danny Briere were even wearing a sports coat. Clearly clubbing was in their future.

She was in the process of pouring herself a shot from the whiskey bottle Carcillo handed her. He also responded to her question. “You’re damn right it is!”

Bursts of laughter rang out amongst the six men as Bristol let out a self-deprecating groan and tossed the shot back. It was clear none of them were going to let that go, especially Dan. She got up from the table, her tone playful,

“well, it was nice knowing you all, I’m headed back to Chicago!”

Kris called out to her as she headed back to her room. “Be ready to go in 40 minutes, I invited Dan just for you.”

“I hate you!”

More so close to an hour later, Bristol emerged from her bedroom freshly showered and dolled up. It had taken her almost twenty minutes alone just to pick out the dress she wanted to wear and after seeing the reaction she got from it, she knew she had a winner. The simple black mini dress hugged her Pilates-toned curves, the plunging neckline revealed a bit more cleavage than Bristol was used to. The choice of red pumps would later be something to regret as her feet easily became sore.

Danny Briere couldn’t keep his eyes from the redheaded beauty. It had been her smile that first caught his attention but he had no idea of the busting breasts she had been hiding under Versteeg’s jersey until now. He was never one to become jealous over a woman but watching Carcillo standing behind her as he slipped her coat on, sparked the feeling. Whatever Dan had whispered into her ear caused her cheeks to go crimson. He wondered what he said.

“Shall we?” Dan asked aloud, offering Bristol his arm to link hers with.

At the club, the group of seven had broken off into much smaller ones, each with their own mission for the night. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards immediately scoped out the sluttiest girls, winning them over by dropping hundreds of dollars each on bottles of top-shelf liquor. Kris had gravitated to the dance floor to showcase his skills and impress the ladies. Claude scoped out the place and found two beauties to occupy Danny with as he sweet-talked a barely legal blonde. Lastly, that left Daniel and Bristol. Unlike her bubbly friend, Bristol wasn’t much of a dancer so she and Dan found a comfy table near the bar.

The liquor and conversation had been flowing easily for over an hour. As the night wore on, Danny found himself becoming bored with the women Claude had introduced him to. It wasn’t that the topics they conversed about weren’t worth engaging in, Danny was just becoming more and more curious about what bullshit Carcillo was spewing to Bristol.

“You look gorgeous tonight.” Daniel moved closer to Bristol so she could hear him over the loud music. She knew he was laying it on thick; after her failed attempts to hid the slight crush she had on him, Bristol was smart enough to see Daniel knew he could get her into his bed.

She didn’t care.

Setting her drink on the table, Bristol tucked her bangs behind her ear. “You say that to all the ladies, don’t you?”

“I’m gonna be honest with you,” Dan placed a hand on his chest, cocked his head to the side. “I actually don’t because I only like taking the gorgeous ones home.”

The size of his ego didn’t shock Bristol. She guessed she would have one as big as his if she too were a professional athlete who had made millions. At least he was being honest.

Danny seized the opportunity to swoop in when Carcillo had excused himself from Bristol. The only woman smiled sweetly and tilted her head as she watched him walk in her direction. Claude kept an eye on him too; never has he seen Danny move with such fluidity when it came to approaching a member of the opposite sex. He placed his drink beside Bristol’s empty glass.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

The way Bristol bite her lip as she contemplated his question was something he found to be incredibly sexy. She accepted his offer and he took that as an invitation to keep her company. Politely stopping the cocktail waitress, Danny ordered Bristol’s drink of choice without even having asked her what she wanted.

Effen cucumber vodka and tonic.

Bristol was impressed. “How did you know I drink that?”

“I’m somewhat psychic.”

The vodka Danny was drinking loosened him up a bit and if it weren’t for his inhibitions dropping he would have just let Bristol be. He couldn’t compete with a rugged, young man like Carcillo so when it became painfully obvious how attracted Bristol was to him, Briere knew he didn’t stand a chance. Briere wished that just for once he could get the girl.

“Are you serious?” Bristol’s tone shifted with seriousness.

“No,” Danny busted out laughing, as did Bristol. “I overheard Carcillo order it at the bar.”

Bristol never imagined Danny being so slick with words. Since their introduction only three days ago, this was on record the longest they’ve spoken. Danny wouldn’t lie if anyone were to ask if he found her attractive. It had been nearly a year since the last time a woman like Bristol had entered his life—a woman worth pursuing. While he had been nothing more than a spectator to the banter that took place at the arena Tuesday and Thursday night, and hours earlier at the apartment, Danny was learning all he could about her. He knew Carcillo only relied heavily on his use of flattery to get women into bed because his repertoire didn’t go beyond sex. Sooner or later they would grow bored with each other. Danny mentally slapped himself when he realized that with just under a decade age gap between them, Bristol would grow bored of him.

Daniel reclaimed his spot next to Bristol just as she was finishing the drink Danny had bought for her. He wasn’t alone; Carter, Richards, Versteeg, and Giroux tagged along for a round of shots. Taking into account they had been drinking since before 7 pm (it was now well past midnight), Bristol was shocked any of them were still standing.

“You want a shot, Briere?” Carcillo eyed him, fully aware that his hand was resting comfortably on the small of Bristol’s back.

“Why not.”

Danny and Claude had decided to stay in Philadelphia for the night. It wasn’t a coincidence that Danny was childfree this weekend.

Once the shots were poured, the seven friends toasted in both French and English. Richards poured another round even before the first round of whiskey stopped burning in their chests. Bristol knew she would be hurting in the morning.

Notes