Once Upon a Power Play (8 page)

Chapter Ten

“W
ho knew you had such a filthy mouth on you?” Becca teased, tipping her drink to Chloe in salute. “Don’t worry. I don’t think the kids could actually hear what you were saying over the noise of the crowd.”

Chloe shrugged and sipped her beer, pretending she hadn’t wanted to completely die of embarrassment when Ryan saw her screaming like a nut at the game. She’d slunk down in her seat, reminding herself that
it was just sex
. There was zero reason for her to be so invested.
Zero
. So why had her heart been beating double time? And why had her palms been all sweaty? Maybe those were typical reactions to hockey violence. That was probably it. Whatever the cause, it wasn’t exactly her finest hour. She’d vowed to keep her head down and her mouth shut for the rest of the game.

Which had proven easier said than done.

It was a fast-paced, hard-hitting sixty minutes. By the time the buzzer sounded, she was emotionally drained from the adrenaline rollercoaster. Thankfully, the Rangers had pulled it out, three to two.

When Becca had begged her to grab a beer after the game, it had been a no brainer. Needing something to distract her mind and her libido from Ryan Douglas, she hadn’t even argued when Becca insisted they cab it uptown, hell-bent on scoring a table at some trendy new club. It was the kind of place Chloe herself would have relished spending an evening not too long ago. The kind of place where she’d met Dave the Douche. She hardly needed a reminder of how well that had turned out. Which meant it was time to think happy thoughts.

“What did you think of the Garden of Dreams spot?” she asked, swirling her beer.

Becca pressed her lips into a flat line, apparently weighing her response. “I’m no expert, but if it brought in that kind of money from just one showing, you’ve got a winner on your hands.”

“Here’s hoping,” Chloe agreed, a warm glow spreading over her body. It was hard to remember the last time she’d been so proud of her work. When the GoD donations flashed on the big screen at the end of the game, she’d nearly gone into shock. She’d hoped the kids would melt a few hearts, but in her wildest dreams she hadn’t expected donations to surpass six figures. It was surreal. “We’ll be able to throw the kids one hell of a Christmas party!”

“Best ever!” Becca agreed, eyes scanning the crowded club.

“Looking for someone?” Chloe grinned. She’d know that look anywhere.

“No.” The other woman replied automatically, redirecting her gaze to Chloe. The blood that rushed to her cheeks told a different story. “Just you, me, and a whole lot of Jose tonight.” She signaled the waitress and ordered a round of shots.

Just as they were finishing their second round of beers, there was a commotion on the VIP balcony. Both Chloe and Becca turned to see security block off the lower landing as the Rangers’ players lumbered up the stairs.

“Son-of-a-bitching-god-damn-mother-freaking-karma!”
Chloe swore, throwing her hands in the air and rolling her eyes at the ceiling. “Can’t I get a break for one night? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on my best behavior.”

Becca avoided her gaze, shifting uncomfortably and looking guilty as sin. Well, didn’t that just figure? Her new friend had a mischievous streak.

“Did you know they were going to be here?” Chloe asked, resigned to her fate and scanning the club for the nearest exit. Ryan hadn’t seen her yet. Maybe she could still sneak out without looking like a stalker.

“I may have overheard the guys talking about it during sound bites yesterday.” Becca flashed an evil grin. “What? We work side by side with them all the time and I still haven’t gotten to meet Gabe Wright. He’s only been to one event this season, and like the cool chick I am, I took one look at those dimples and choked! I couldn’t think of a single thing to say.” She groaned, looking utterly horrified by her own behavior

“Trust me. You’re not missing anything. They’re a bunch of self-involved asshats,” Chloe assured her. She nodded at the security guard blocking access to the VIP area. They’d been in the club less than a minute, but already a horde of women had gathered, waiting to be invited up. “Besides, judging by the looks of it, you won’t be meeting him tonight anyway.”

The other woman sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, disappointment radiating from her every movement. “They can’t all be that bad.” She sniffed. “Look at all the charity work they do.”

Since she had no reasonable counterargument, Chloe did the next best thing and ordered a conciliatory drink for Becca, figuring she owed the other woman at least one more round before calling it a night. It was a big club. She’d be gone before Ryan ever knew she was there.

Or not. It wasn’t long before she felt the telltale burn of Ryan’s gaze on the back of her neck. Doing her best to ignore him, she focused on the conversation with Becca, leaning toward the other woman and using every last drop of willpower to avoid looking up into that balcony. Several women had been admitted, and the last thing she needed was to see one of them draped all over Ryan. Not that she cared what he did. After all, she knew his type, didn’t she? Too bad Becca’s eyes kept shifting that direction. When she couldn’t take it any longer, Chloe excused herself and went in search of the bathroom.

She shimmied through the crowd, getting pushed around more than she would have liked in the pulsating club. Still, it was better than being a sitting duck under Ryan’s demanding gaze. In the bathroom, she splashed some cold water on her face and ordered herself to pull it together. Sure it had been a strange night, but it was almost over. She just had to hang in a little longer. Turning from the sink, she bumped into a woman who’d apparently missed the memo on personal space.

“So you’re dating Ryan?”

It wasn’t so much a question as an accusation. She brought her eyes up slowly, taking in the lithe blonde who stood in front of her. Had to be Kelsey, the ex-girlfriend from hell, who Ryan had mentioned was now dating another player. And of course she was freaking gorgeous. Tall, thin, immaculately dressed. Chloe gave herself a mental face palm. It would be a lot easier to hold her ground if she actually felt confident. But standing face-to-face with Ryan’s supermodel ex? Yeah, confident was nowhere on the list of things she was feeling.

Kelsey crossed her arms over her chest, literally looking down at Chloe from the top of her to-die-for calf-hair Burberry pumps. “Let me give you a little friendly advice, you know, girlfriend to girlfriend. If you like the lifestyle, I suggest you move on.”

“Excuse me?” What the hell was she even supposed to say to something like that? Thanks for the tip, but I’m not a after his money. I’m just in it for the sex.

“Tonight’s game was a fluke. Ryan will never make a full recovery. He’s never had to work hard for anything—girls, grades, hockey.” She flipped her hair in that holier-than-thou way popular girls learned to do in middle school. “I’d know. We were together for six years. Trust me on this. Don’t waste your time. When things gets tough, he’ll crack.”

What a heartless bitch. No way was this chick going to intimidate her. Or scare her off. Or whatever she was trying to do. Besides, it wasn’t like she and Ryan were an actual couple. Far from it.

Wouldn’t nice girl etiquette say kill ’em with kindness?

Screw. That.

“Now let me give you a little friendly advice, you know, girlfriend to girlfriend.” Chloe smirked and stepped around Kelsey, pulling the door open. “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, sweetie. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”

On that note, she marched back to the table, head held high, feeling light as air, ready to grab Becca and get the hell out of dodge. Only Becca had different plans, plans that apparently included heading up to the VIP section with the team.

“No way,” Chloe said, shaking her head emphatically and silently cursing the fact that her night had gone from amazing to shit-tastic in the span of just a few minutes. This was Ryan’s doing. She knew it right down to her ovaries, which were suddenly very alert. “No. Way. I’m sorry, but it’s not happening.”

“Oh, it’s happening,” Becca said with a wicked smile, grabbing Chloe’s arm and dragging her toward the stairs. “They’re celebrating and they invited us up for a drink. It would be rude not to accept, and I am not missing my chance to meet Gabe.”

Chloe arched her brow. “You two are on a first name basis now?”

Becca squealed and pulled Chloe close, ignoring her sarcasm. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet Gabe Wright.”

Being dragged to a VIP party against her will? Not how she planned to spend her night, but if she was going, then she was going to make it worth her while. One drink wouldn’t kill her and no way was she going to let Ryan or Kelsey or anyone else manipulate her. It was time to turn the tables. Ryan wanted her to come upstairs for a drink and play nice? She’d show him nice. And she fully intended to wrangle a little more holiday cheer for Garden of Dreams while she was at it.

R
yan watched in awe as Chloe threw back a shot of whiskey and chased it with her beer, shaking her wild mane of curls as if she could cast off the sting of the alcohol. Jordy and Chloe were proving to be fast friends, and the half-pint would be toe up in no time if she didn’t slow down. There was no way she could keep up with him. Jordy had thrown down the gauntlet and she’d accepted with her usual bravado. In fact, if he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she purposely goaded Jordy into challenging her.

Chloe slammed her glass down on the table, a triumphant grin on her face. The group of players that circled them cheered, encouraging her to do another shot. He gritted his teeth, hoping like hell she’d pass. Trying to talk sense into her had been pointless. In typical Chloe fashion, his argument had fallen on deaf ears. Or more likely, she’d done it to spite him, proving she would do whatever the hell she wanted whether he approved or not. Honestly, it didn’t surprise him at all.

What did surprise him was how grossly the guys had underestimated her. Apparently she hadn’t been kidding when she said she could drink them under the table, and the guys were paying the price for it now. By his count, she’d scored two game jerseys, an appearance for the Christmas party, and a pair of club seats to the New Year’s Eve game, all of which would benefit Garden of Dreams.

Jordy pushed another shot across the table. Much to his relief, Chloe shook her head, signaling she was done with whiskey.

“Nice doing business with you boys, but I got what I came for. I’m going to dance.” She sat her beer on the table and high-fived her friend, the two of them celebrating Chloe’s hustle. Turning from the table, she crashed into Ryan in the tight space. His arms went around her protectively, preventing her from stumbling. Her body curled into him, her breasts pressed to his chest. And damn if he didn’t want to hold onto her all night.

“Move aside, wallflower.” She gave a throaty laugh and patted him on the arm, her dark eyes shining with life. “The dance floor is calling my name.”

“You’re going to go dance by yourself?” That sounded like the worst idea ever. She probably couldn’t even walk straight, let alone dance.

“Why shouldn’t I?” she asked, grinding her hips against his in a circular motion. On second thought, she seemed to have perfect control of her body. And his, too. His balls tightened in response to the feel of her soft curves against him. If she was trying to tempt him, she was definitely going about it the right way. “Won’t be the first time.”

“I wouldn’t go too far if I were you,” cautioned Jordy. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “The minute you turn your back, the puck bunnies will descend.”

“What the hell is a puck bunny?” Chloe turned to Ryan expectantly.

No way was he going there. Shaking his head, he took a pull on his beer. “Don’t look at me. Jordy brought it up, let him explain it.”

“A puck bunny is a woman who likes to fuck hockey players,” Jordy explained, completely matter-of-fact. “Single. Engaged. Married. With kids. They don’t care. They just like to puck.”

Chloe’s eyes ricocheted from Jordy to Ryan and back again. She burst out laughing. “You’re hilarious, Jordy.”

“Who’s joking?”

“Well, Ryan’s a grown man and he can do what he wants. Despite that nonsense on Page Six, we’re not a thing,” she whispered. With the loud bass pumping through the speakers it was more like a yell. Half the club probably heard her. “We’re just…
friends
. Hell, we don’t even like each other most of the time.”

Jordy quirked a brow at Ryan as Chloe sauntered to the dance floor without a backward glance.

He shrugged. What could he say? The woman had spoken, making it perfectly clear what they were and what they were not. He knew the deal. It really didn’t matter what anyone else thought, even if it did bruise his pride just a little to hear her say it so casually.

Chloe squeezed through the crowd, joining the hundreds of other pulsating bodies on the dance floor. Curious, he watched as she closed her eyes and began to move her body in time with the music. It was like she absorbed the beat, her small frame twisting and writhing in ways that had his cock twitching in anticipation. She raised her arms over her head, extending her body into one sexy, long line. Shaking her ass, Chloe eased her body toward the floor. Her moves were slow and seductive, knees parted just enough to hint at what lay beneath the short skirt.

The reminder nearly pushed him over the edge. There was nothing—
nothing
—he wanted more than to bury himself between those soft thighs. He would lick that sweet pussy of hers until she was thrashing against his mouth, back bowed, screaming his name with abandon.

Totally absorbed in the music, she seemed unaware of Ryan’s gaze, or any of the other men watching her alluring dance. His gut twisted. He really didn’t like the way they were watching her, eyes raking over her body, shit-eating grins plastered on their faces. Especially the guy in the silky purple shirt who seemed to be inching closer to her, preparing to make a move, like he thought he had a chance. Taking a pull on his beer, he reminded himself Chloe was an adult. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Hell, it was her mantra, and she’d reminded him no less than a dozen times. Besides, he had no claim on her. Nor did he want one.