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A/N: Can’t even see the buildings of downtown Denver because of the smoke from the wildfires, my eyes are burning, my throat is scratchy, the world smells like burned barbecue and yet I’m compelled to add another chapter, it’s like an addiction, I can’t stop, my head is running with fiendish tales can’t stop, can’t stop.........ooooooooooh my allergies!!
Chapter 38: Foppa IV—Impossible to Forget
It was a good thing that Joe was gone with a concussion, Forsberg concluded. Maybe now he could sort through and correct these feelings he was starting to have for him. With no Joe on the ice, talking to him, in his face, and above all naked in the shower, Peter could be free to think.
He looked around the locker room, men in varying states of nakedness, he looked discreetly at each one of them, scanning their bodies. Nope. Nothing. He didn’t feel the least bit attracted to any one of them, they were just guys. At least that was a relief, he wasn’t lusting after man-flesh....just after Joe’s man-flesh. But why? What the hell was wrong with him that he wanted his captain’s ass?
Peter shook his head, leaning over and running his fingers through his auburn hair. He had to find a solution to this problem fast. The last thing he wanted was to end his life muttering to himself and sending Joe gift baskets on the top of every hour. Maybe he needed a steady girlfriend; he needed to be distracted badly.
"Hey boys!" Danny Hinote chirped as he pranced into the locker room. "Guess who’s been cleared to skate!"
"Ooooooooh!" Footer cooed, "When can I hit ya?"
"Not for another week," Danny sniffed.
Peter scruffed up his hair and looked at Patrick who had just pulled off his shirt. "Oh my God!" Peter gasped. "Patty what the hell happened to you?" Patrick had a large ugly bruise at the base of his neck the majority of which was covered with a square, gauze bandage. There were also a few red lines of scratches on his shoulder.
"Eh?" Patrick asked.
"Patrick," Foote said, with a wrinkled brow, "That looks pretty bad, what did ya get into a fight with a cat?"
"Oh," Patrick said. "Right, she bit me."
"The cat?" Peter asked.
Patrick grinned wickedly and winked. "No," he said, "My wife. She got a little rough with me a couple nights ago."
Forsberg raised his eyebrows and shook his head while the majority of the guys hooted and laughed.
"Getting a little kinky there, aye Patty?" Keaner asked.
Patrick shrugged. "What can I say," he said. "She got a bit feisty."
That brought a smile out of Peter and another round of catcalls and backslaps from the guys.
"Well, well, Paht-tee," David Aebischer purred, "Did you at least show her a lesson or two? Or did you just enjoy the beating?"
"Sluts aren’t allowed to speak," Patrick calmly said. "Shut-up Abby."
Peter mouthed out the word "woah". It looked like Abby was in Patty’s doghouse again for some reason. He had never seen Patrick have so much tension with a back up as he was now with David.
Abby held his hand over his chest and mock pouted.
"If you look like shit how’s your wife?" Hinote asked. The kid looked really pale all of a sudden.
Patrick snapped his gaze over at Danny. "None of your business," he said.
Danny stood up and began walking out of the locker room.
"Hey, where ya going?" Peter called after him.
"I can’t skate with you guys anyway," Danny barked. "I gotta go. See ya later."
"Weird kid," Patrick muttered.
"Hey, that’s nothing!" Pascal Trepanier said. "Have you seen my back?"
Forsberg’s eyes widened as he thought of Pascal’s back, constantly scarred and cut. "Your wife does that?" he exclaimed.
Goosebumps peppered Peter’s skin when Pascal smiled at him. French Canadian relationships all of a sudden sounded really, really, cool.
"How bout you, Alex," Peter asked a gaping Tangers, "Do you like that kind of treatment?"
Alex shook his head.
Maybe that’s what Peter needed! He thought about it as he was in the middle stages of wolfing down a steak lunch. Patrick seemed quite happy with the wounds from his wife and Pascal seemed addicted. Stuff like that had never attracted Peter before, in fact it had always plain scared him. Was that why he was bored? Were the women he picked way too soft, way too nice?
Peter grimaced. Flashes of possible scenarios with freaky, rough women flashed before his eyes. He thought of the wound on Patrick. Michele did that? He rubbed his neck. Frightening. He’d sooner do Joe! Great, now he was thinking of Joe again.
Calm, gentle but firm captain Joe. Icy gray blue eyes.
"Ugh!" Peter moaned and he shook his head. There he was again, mooning over Joe. Poor Joe, he probably was having really bad headaches and dying to be on the ice now. He knew how Joe was when he couldn’t be there with the team. What a leader!
Joe had made it clear that he wanted Peter and Footer as the Alternates for tonight’s game. It wasn’t a surprise that’s usually how Joe had it when he couldn’t be there. What was more special for Peter was the time when Joe had been out with a rib injury for such a long time, that he had given his C to Peter. At the time, Peter was pleased and proud to receive it. Now that he thought about it, he appreciated the gesture far more. Joe once gave me the C! Peter thought. That’s how much he cares about me!
Peter sighed. He had to cut this out and fast!
Distraction! He needed a distraction! Something, anything to get his mind off this obsession!
"Oh Joe," he muttered. "Joe, Joe, Joe.......Jo!"
Peter recognized her as she passed by the large window of the restaurant. That long dark hair, those long dark legs, those luscious red lips, it had to be her!
His heart glugging in his throat, Peter jumped up from his seat and dashed for the door.
"Hold it!" a waiter, yelled. "You haven’t paid!"
Peter whirled around to face the waiter holding his hand up. "Give me five minutes!" he said breathlessly. "You know who I am! I’ll be right back!"
Not waiting to hear the waiter’s reaction, Peter ran out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk, he could see her standing at the street corner. It had to be her. "Jo!" he called.
Josefina turned around, a confused look on her face at the sound of her name and then Peter felt chills when he saw the recognition on her face. "Oh, hi!" she exclaimed.
"Hi," Peter said. Suddenly he was at a loss for words.
He had forgotten how beautiful she was. Kaspar was right, she was a goddess. He even found himself catching his breath, gazing dumbly at her velvety brown eyes. She had a smile on her face as she walked to him, her high heels clomping on the cement of the sidewalk.
"Hi....uh..." she said with a blush and a smile.
"Peter," prompted Forsberg.
Jo held up her slender, brown hand. "Right," she said. "Sorry I didn’t.."
"It’s OK," Peter said. "I don’t think I told you my name. Hey, can you come in the restaurant with me, I, uh, still have to pay my bill."
Jo smiled. "Sure," she said.
"So where were you headed?" Peter asked as they sat down at the bar.
"I was going back to my hotel," she answered sipping at her drink. "I was thinking of napping away the day."
Peter smiled.
"I’ve been thinking about that smile," Jo said, "You’re a tough one to forget."
"And you’re impossible to forget," Peter said. "What are you doing here?"
"Business," Jo said. "My father is thinking of locating a restaurant here, so I’m checking out the lay of the land."
This was too perfect! Peter thought.
"How long do you have here?" he asked.
Jo smiled. "Oh I don’t know," she said. "It depends on how friendly the landscape is. And how long it takes me to make my assessment."
Exactly what he needed!
"Can I help you with that decision?" Peter asked.
Josefina picked up her drink, draining the rest of it. "I thought you’d never ask," she said.
Later, as they lay gasping, naked and sweating on the carpet of Jo’s hotel room, she ran her hand over his chest, over the little red welts of bite marks she had left, and she said to Peter’s infinite delight. "Yes, I think I’ll need to take a little more time here."
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