Hockey Is My Boyfriend: Part Two (6 page)

“
G
uess what
, Jimmy?”

I was totally excited and started bouncing up and down. We were sitting on the players’ bench while evaluating the scrimmage. I noticed Steve was watching me, actually watching my chest, and stopped bouncing. What a perv.

“What?” Jimmy asked, keeping his eyes on the ice.

“Burt let me know, they’re bringing in another girl to help out. She’s not a hockey player, but she’s a local girl who is taking courses in early childhood education. Her name is Loreal.”

Steve perked up. “Loreal? I don’t know her. What a crazy name. I’m picturing a tall, gorgeous blonde.” He smiled, obviously honing his seduction plans for the new girl. If this meant he would finally leave me alone, it was almost as good as the news about getting help.

Jimmy didn’t seem interested in the new girl. He was sitting on the bench beside me, writing out rankings on a clipboard when suddenly he dropped it and yanked my head into his lap.

Excuse me? I wasn’t sure which was more upsetting; suddenly being in the fellatio position or the fact it was kind of turning me on. I felt his quad flexing under my cheek, and then he let go of my head. I popped back up.

“What the hell, Frechette?”

“Sorry, sorry, Kelly. Someone shot the puck hard, and there wasn’t even time to warn you.”

I gave him a suspicious look, but Jimmy looked completely sincere. I had been watching the skaters, and I didn’t see a puck or hear anything.

“Oh thuck.” I turned and looked at Steve. His lip was split and already swollen. “I got a thucking puck in da mouf.”

Maybe you should have been looking at the ice and not at my breasts. But I didn’t say a word since he was clearly in a lot of pain. I offered him a tissue.

Steve 'Fat Lip' Owen was right on two counts. Loreal denHertog was tall, almost six feet. And she was blonde, almost white blonde. But beyond that she was huge, a big-boned gal who towered over me and looked stronger than half the guys here. I was a bit intimidated when I first met her. However, she had a gentle manner and absolutely loved kids. And they loved her in return; all the girls who had been rowdy and disobedient with me were suddenly angels with Loreal. She was seriously the answer to my prayers, and we bonded right away.

“Kelly, it must have been so difficult for you to handle twenty-four girls.” We were lifeguarding a swim session at the lake. Loreal wore a black Speedo-type suit that looked almost retro, and her hair was braided into pigtails. I could imagine April itching to get her magic makeover wand out, but Loreal cared less about her appearance than anyone I had ever met. Her regular uniform was a t-shirt with a wolf painting and cargo shorts. She was making me look
Vogue
.

“Yeah, it totally sucked. But I bet you could have done it alone. You’re amazing with kids.”

“I love children. I want to have at least five or six myself.”

She was a year older than me and thinking about kids? Holy smokers. I spent more time worrying about not getting pregnant. Well, Loreal could repopulate the planet on my behalf. She was a cool, refreshing breeze in the camp’s testosterone-charged atmosphere.

“Hey, guys.” Jimmy’s low voice came from behind us, and I turned around. He was standing on the dock with Xavier, both of them dressed in t-shirts and board shorts. Unlike my dreams, his actual board shorts were a black and brown check.

“Hi. Are you guys here to take over for us?” I joked. Not that I really cared because after a good night’s sleep, I was my energetic self again.

“Nah, it’s hot, so we thought we’d have a swim after our ice sessions,” replied Jimmy.

That didn’t strike me as the most relaxing idea, since there were a bunch of squealing girls in the water, but it sure was hot. Xavier dropped his towel and t-shirt on the dock beside us and then Jimmy did the same.

Holy shit. Jimmy without a shirt looked even better than my dreams. He was slightly sweaty, and his tanned skin looked like it had been oiled. He had an incredibly cut upper body, with almost squared-off pecs and big delts. I already knew he had great arms since he did a lot of gym work on his bi’s and tri’s. But my eyes kept getting drawn down to his hips, where a combination of his jutting hipbones and sharply-defined iliopsoas muscles meant there were these lines pointing towards his cock. Like neon arrows at a diner flashing “Eat Here! Eat Here!” His board shorts hung a little low, and when he finally dove into the water, I realized in embarrassment I had been staring at his crotch for like a minute. Thank God I had sunglasses on.

“Wow,” I said to Loreal. “That’s a body.”

“Not bad,” she agreed. “Maybe a little boyish. I like some hair on the chest, myself.”

Boyish, really? Jimmy had pretty much the most mature body I’d ever seen on an eighteen-year-old. And judging from the increased volume of shrieks in the water, some of the young girls agreed.

“Is something going on with you and Jimmy?” Loreal asked me.

I shook my head. “We’re friends. That’s it.” My desire to lick the sweat off his body was strictly platonic.

“Oh really? But you’re always hanging out together—” Loreal turned and motioned for two girls to stop fighting over a snorkel. “I don’t know him very well. Everyone in Fredericton knows him, of course, but I live here.”

Jimmy and Xavier swam out to the raft and pulled themselves up. And he looked even better soaking wet. I blessed those laws of physics or whatever that meant his wet board shorts clung to his lower body. His legs were short relative to his body, and his quads were so big that they almost filled out the loose shorts. Then he turned around and his gluts were gigantic. I had already noticed his ass at the gym, but now I was getting the full picture.

“Kelly! Kelly!”

Janine, one of the younger girls, was standing right in front of me. “Finally. It’s like you’re in dreamland. Can you fix my swim-mask?”

“Oh sure, sorry.” I tied up her mask and checked my watch. “I guess we better get everyone out and ready for dinner,” I said to Loreal. But Loreal wasn’t even beside me anymore; she was helping someone in the shallow part. Jeez, I needed to be paying better attention to my job and not to, um, other stuff.

Burt had cleverly arranged the camp so the first week was Bantam girls and younger boys, and then vice versa. Thus he avoided having thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls and boys here at the same time. These precautions saved a lot of adolescent mooning. But all that hormonal energy had to go somewhere, and at night I was privy to a few of the girls fantasizing about the various instructors.

“Steve is way the handsomest.”

“I think Xavier is a hunk.”

“No way, Jimmy is the cutest. Plus he’s going to play in the NHL.”

“You’ll have to fight Kelly for Jimmy, she has a major crush on him!” Giggles, whispering, and peeking at me followed.

“Girls, let’s go to sleep, okay?” How could they not be exhausted after all the ice time, dry land training, swimming, and the trivia quiz that night?

“Kelly, do you like Jimmy?” one of the girls boldly asked me.

“Jimmy is my friend. Now let’s get to sleep.”

“He likes you,” someone else piped up. “He’s always staring at you when you’re not looking. And I heard him say—”

“Shut up,” one of the younger girls said. “Some of us are trying to sleep, and you keep talking about stupid boys.”

Exactly right, but first I wouldn’t have minded hearing what Jimmy had said.

The girls finally settled down to sleep, and I got a moment to think. Now that I was rested and ready-to-go, my energy seemed to be centered on the area below my waist. Here I was supposed to be this example of a mature female hockey player, and I was acting like a lovesick teenager.

Sure, Jimmy was attractive, but he was way too young. He was actually only a year older than my little brother. Yuck. Of course, my brother and his friends were skinny, nerdy, little guys whereas Jimmy was over six feet and about 180 pounds of muscle and general hotness. In fact, when he pulled himself onto the raft this afternoon, dripping water off his concave abs, I had to remind myself to breathe. Bad Kelly!

The guy had told me he wasn’t interested, and you couldn’t get more direct than that. With the girls finally asleep, I drifted off too. My nightly sex dream had us doing it in the dressing room at the rink, and I woke up in the night, sweaty and full of desire. Knowing Jimmy was sleeping only 200 metres away wasn’t helping.

E
veryone on staff
was looking forward to Saturday night, when we were finally getting a night off. The first set of campers would be leaving on Saturday afternoon, and the new set would arrive after lunch on Sunday. Aside from some clean up and setup, we were free.

Most of the guys wanted to party, and they were planning to go to a bar in town, a place called the Lakeview Hotel. They invited Loreal and me to go as well, but I wasn’t that enthusiastic. However, Loreal really wanted to go; in fact, it was the most insistent she had been about anything. I hunched she might have a crush on one of the other counsellors, but she never said a word.

On Saturday, nine of us set out. I knew full well that Eric, Xavier, and Jimmy were not nineteen, but I assumed they had fake I.D.

“You need a nickname,” said Riley. Everyone at the camp seemed to have one. Riley was called Dogs.

“I used to be called Sparky in house hockey,” I replied. “I’m Tank at McGill.”

“Tank?” asked Xavier. “But you are not a big player, even for girls.”

“It’s short for Tanaka.”

“Kelly needs a nickname that comes out of something she does,” said Steve-O. “Maybe tonight she’ll let loose, and we’ll see the real Kelly. After a few drinks.”

“The real Kelly will be asleep after a few drinks, so good luck with that.”

I whispered to Loreal, “You can handle booze, right?”

“I can drink a lot,” she confessed. “It’s my Dutch heritage and my size. Don’t worry, I got your back. What can you handle, one beer?”

“Two, if I pace myself. But I’m not exactly exciting when I’m drunk; I get red and tired.” That was my Japanese heritage. I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight anyway.

The Lakeview Hotel was a big room with worn wooden floors and junky memorabilia on the walls. There was a bar in the middle, tables down the sides, a big stage and dance floor in front, and a couple of pool tables at the back.

The bartender was this big guy, with a broad face, smiley eyes, reddish hair and a thick beard. He was very friendly and welcomed us all. “Ah, the hockey camp crew. Good to see you here. What can I get you?”

He seemed to know a lot of the guys already, and he could chat and pour beer at the same time.

“Nice to meet you, Kelly. And Loreal, good to see you, how is Dirk doing?”

“Oh he’s fine, Karl.” She turned a pretty shade of pink. Aha! This was the reason Loreal wanted to come here. As we took our drinks to a table, I asked her about him.

“Karl is a friend of my older brother’s. I have known him for years.”

“And you like him?”

“Is it that obvious? Well, I have always liked him, but he sees me as a little sister.”

Maybe we could change that tonight. Loreal had done so much for me; it would be nice if I could return the favour. For on-the-ice leadership it was Jimmy, but off-ice, Steve-O was your man. I walked over to where he was shooting pool.

“Hey Steve, I have an idea. We could help out Loreal, if all of the guys were to ask her to dance and show someone she’s a potential date.”

He gave me a skeptical look. “Someone?”

“Well yeah, the bartender, Karl.”

He didn’t say anything else. He took his shot and sunk a red ball. His lip was almost all healed up now and if he didn't say a word you would think he was attractive.

“C’mon, Steve-O, you like Loreal, don’t you? She’s so nice. Please.”

He missed a shot on the pink ball. Then he walked over and sniffed my drink.

“What’s in your glass, Kelly?”

“Coke, why?”

“Babe, you’re a little uptight. Even now you’ve got some scheme going, I get that. But you need to relax and kick back. All work and no play, right?” He smiled. “I’m not only asking for myself, although we both know I’d like a shot at you. But check out poor Jimbo over there.” We both looked and Jimmy was leaning against a wall, drinking a bottle of beer and watching us. “He’d like to see you loosen up so he could take his shot now he’s got a little liquid courage. There’s a few other guys too.”

“Sorry, but what does my kicking back have to do with anything?” I asked.

“I’m saying if you want me to help you with your little plan, I want some payback.”

“Forget it.” I knew where this was leading, and there was no way I was going anywhere with Steve, even for Loreal.

“No, hear me out. All I’m asking is that you switch to booze. I’m not going to force drinks down your pretty little throat. You just have to start drinking like the rest of us.”

“That’s it? I have one drink, and you’ll help me out?”

“As soon as one rum and Coke passes those sexy lips, Loreal’s dance card will be full.”

Those sexy lips grimaced for a moment, and then I said okay.

“Okay,” Steve said happily. “Did you want me to get the drink?”

“As if I would trust you not to drop some GHB in.”

“Kelly, if I had some, I would have put it in your orange juice days ago.” Steve laughed, and I had to laugh too. At least he was honestly perverted. We walked together to the bar.

“Karl, a rum and Coke please.” I hoped Karl was going to be worth the effort. He seemed nice.

“Make it a double,” said Steve.

“No, a single.”

“C’mon. Are you that much of a lightweight? A double.”

I mouthed the word “single” to Karl and he nodded slightly.

“Here’s a double,” he said, and winked at me. Good choice, Loreal.

“Thanks,” Steve said, “Put it on my tab.” He handed the drink to me. “Cheers, gorgeous. Here’s to relaxation.”

I clinked the glass against his beer and had a swig.

“Okay, I’ll go and sit with Loreal, while you get things set up.”

“No way, Kelly. You’re the type to pour the drink into a plant when I’m not looking. Stick with me until you finish it.”

“God, you’re like my mom. No dessert until you finish your dinner.” But he was right; that was exactly what I had been planning.

“Hey Steve-O, it’s your shot,” called Riley.

“Let’s go.” He put a hand on my back and steered me back.

“Sit here,” he said, pointing to a bar stool beside the pool table and far away from any potted plants. “Where I can keep an eye on you. Dogs, make sure Kelly doesn’t spill a drop of her drink while I’m shooting.” Riley came over and stood beside me without asking any questions. I kept sipping at the drink.

Jimmy walked over as well, “What’s going on with you and Steve?” he asked me in a low voice.

“Jimbo,” Steve called from across the pool table. “Don’t worry, I’m getting Kelly lubricated for you.”

Well, didn’t that sound nice? “No big deal, we’re helping each other out.”

Jimmy leaned over to whisper something in my ear, and his hot breath on my neck was turning me on. I swallowed hard. Get a grip, Kelly.

“I thought you didn’t like Steve. You said he was an a-hole.” Did Jimmy not even swear? Man, we were so incompatible. So what was up with those dreams?

“I don’t. If I finish this drink, he’s helping me out with something for Loreal. That’s it.”

“What’s the big deal about the drink?”

“Nothing, it’s a rum and Coke. The thing is: I’m not really a drinker.” Probably the understatement of the year, since I was feeling pretty warm and relaxed after only half my drink. Maybe I needed to be eating something as well. I got off the stool to find some potato chips.

“Stop, Kelly.” Steve commanded. “Sit, that’s a good girl.” Memo to Steve: treating women like dogs was not the shortest way to their hearts.

“I want to get some chips.”

“I’ll get them for you,” Jimmy said and left.

The band was starting to set up. I was a little surprised there even was a live band in such a small town, but this was the place to be on Saturday night. The bar was more crowded now. Lots of women too. Maybe Steve could find someone else to be his true love tonight.

Speaking of the devil, Steve walked over and stood too close to me.

“Ready for another drink yet, Kelly?”

“Nope, still working on this one.”

Jimmy returned and held up two bags of chips. “I didn’t know what kind you wanted, Salt and Vinegar or BBQ?”

“I loooove BBQ!” I said and giggled. Uh, oh, I was already sounding a little bombed.

“Kelly, what a cheap date you are,” said Steve, who didn’t miss a thing.

I started eating chips right away. About ten minutes later, I had finished my drink. Steve got me a new one immediately, but I was ignoring it.

Time for Project Loreal. I took her to the ladies room and outlined the plan first, getting her to take her pretty blonde hair out of its braids. I was helping someone else to look better for a change. Loreal was nervous, but I reassured her.

“What’s the worst that can happen? If Karl doesn’t notice, then at least you’ll have fun dancing all night.”

But Steve delivered. Not only did he get everyone dancing with Loreal, but when he danced with her he really seemed to mean it. He was attentive and interested as they boogied around the dance floor. The house band was great; I think they were the reason the place was so packed. They played music from the seventies and eighties, but all the rocking tunes. People were filling up the dance floor. I was dancing with all the guys from the camp, except Jimmy. He didn’t seem to dance.

I was hot and sweaty, so I got off the dance floor to dump my sweater and find my drink. I took a big swig before I remembered there was rum in it. Blech. Karl leaned over the bar to talk to me.

“Hey, Kelly?”

“Yes?”

“You’re friends with Loreal, right?”

“For sure.”

“Is something going on with her, and that guy?” He motioned towards Steve who was two-stepping Loreal around the dance floor with style. Karl’s normally jolly face was scowling.

Hmm, what was the right thing to say here? “Well, lots of the guys at camp like Loreal. But I think she has a preference for the mature man.”

“Really?” This idea seemed to cheer him up.

“Definitely.”

I caught Steve’s eye and gave him a little tilt of the head. After the dance ended they came over to join me at the bar. Loreal got a beer from Karl, who started talking to her in a low voice. Steve winked at me and asked, “Have I earned my reward yet?”

“What would that be?”

“A dance with you?”

“Sure.” And we went out on the dance floor. He taught me to two-step, which was fun. I was pretty excited things were working out for Loreal, and I thanked Steve for everything he did.

“You know, there are way better ways you could thank me. Why don’t we step outside for a little fresh air?” He put his hand on my cheek and lifted my chin. He was trying to kiss me, but I easily deked my way out.

“Steve, I think there’s a nice guy under that jerk exterior. Let him out more.” I turned and left him on the dance floor.

I went back to the bar and sat beside Loreal. Karl was off serving someone on the other side.

“So?” I asked.

“So, things are good.” She was beaming. “He asked me to go canoeing next week, after the camp is done.”

“That’s great.” For Lake Carswell, this seemed like a very romantic outing.

Just then, the lead singer announced, “Now we’d like to slow things down and play something for the lovers out there.”

Jimmy magically appeared and asked me to dance. Clearly, good deeds did get rewarded.

We moved out onto the dance floor, and Jimmy held one of my hands to navigate through the crowd. His hand were soft except for the slight calluses on his fingertips. He moved his thumb across my palm, and I felt a jolt run from my hand to my panties. When we got to the middle of the dance floor, he pulled my hand into his chest and put his other hand on my back. The music was slow, and we were close enough that I could feel the body heat radiating through Jimmy’s thin t-shirt. My head hit at his chest level, so I leaned against him. I could feel the dip of separation between his pecs and the throbbing of his heartbeat. I was having trouble remembering why it was bad for us to get together.

Jimmy moved his hand down to the small of my back and pulled me in closer to him. Now I could feel his strong quads and the flat of his stomach muscles. I was remembering my dreams. Although it was the first time we had really touched, everything about him seemed familiar to me. It was a weird sensation

It was too noisy to talk much, so we just danced. My head and my body were having this big argument. My head was saying, “Kelly, he’s too young and he acts young too. You’re only together for another week, and you can’t go there. It’s nuts. There’s no future here.” But my body was saying, “Kelly, he’s smoking hot, why not go for it? Are you going to be a spinster nun forever? Who cares about the future?” And while my body parts were busy arguing with each other, apparently Jimmy had been talking to me.

“Kelly?”

“Oh sorry, what did you say?”

“Nothing.” He looked disappointed. If I kept up the internal debate, I could blow it before I had a chance to decide.

“No, Jimmy, what is it? It’s kind of noisy.” I smiled encouragingly at him.

He smiled back at me. “It’s okay.” And then he pulled me in tighter to him and as our lower bodies pressed together, I could tell he really, really liked me.

Once the song ended, Jimmy didn’t want to dance anymore. He headed for the washroom, and I went back to the bar with Loreal. Suddenly, the lights came up on the band and the crowd.

The lead singer was a skinny guy in his late thirties and a real showman. “And now, we have a special song, for a special lady.” People were clapping and cheering.

“The only problem,” he continued, “is that my special lady and I called it quits last week.” He made a fake sad face and everyone went, “Awwwww.”

“So I would like to call up a volunteer from the audience to be my special lady tonight.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then someone started chanting: “Kellee! Kellee! Kellee!” All the camp guys joined in. Beside me at the bar, Loreal was laughing and chanting too.

The lead singer raised a hand for silence and then spoke into the mike. “Is there a Kelly here?” I tried to duck down, but the guys started pointing at me. “C’mon, Kelly,” the singer said. “Don’t be shy. Let’s give her a hand everyone.” People started clapping, and Loreal gave me a shove.