Offensive Plays: A Surprise Baby Hockey Romance (Heatwave Hockey Series)

2. Libby

The action on the theater screen reaches a climax—the engines roar, the music thrums with urgency—but my attention strays.

My gaze flits between the gripping chase on screen and the bag of popcorn crushed in the tightening grip of my bestie, Kesley, as my brother Zane”s hand ventures further up her thigh, his face nuzzling her neck on the other side of her.

I school my face into submission when it involuntarily scrunches up in disgust.

Don”t get me wrong, they both deserve this.

For so long, I watched Kesley endure an endless parade of romantic misfires while raising the sweetest child as a single mother. I was always there with a shoulder to cry on and a plate full of chicken nuggets for us all to dive into when she inevitably announced that she had found yet another dud.

She had good reason to be picky. Her little boy, Liam, who had been my third roommate for the last six years, is the best human being in the world. So who better than the man who was always meant to be his daddy to be the one absently teasing her neck right now?

I shift in my seat, accidentally nudging her, and it”s like a domino effect. She closes her mouth and straightens uncomfortably, and then Zane shifts in his seat, too, his hand slowly slipping off his wife”s thigh.

I didn”t mean to break up their little peck fest. I just need an excuse to leave so they can have their fun.

I grab my drink and swish it around—empty. My phone vibrates in my back pocket with the familiar feel of my app’s notifications. The app.

I should...probably go pee.

Yes. I”ll go to the bathroom, check my phone, get a refill, and hopefully, that”ll be enough time for Zane and Kesley to finally just go ham with each other without my presence interfering. Maybe I”ll get another nephew out of it.

I lean over and whisper to Kesley. ”I need to pee. Refill?”

She cinches her brow, ”Now?” And motions toward the screen. It”s the moment of the movie we”ve all been waiting for.

I shake my giant empty cup at her, and she nods her understanding. Zane leans over and grabs my wrist, ”Grab me a cup of ice. Will you, Lib?”

”Just ice?” I whisper back, confused.

The lady seated in front of us shushes us.

He nods with a smirk, and I notice Kesley go beet red like she knows exactly why he wants it. Something tells me he doesn”t intend to eat the ice. I roll my eyes and pull my arm away, slowly maneuvering over the strangers next to us until I get to the end of the row and can finally make my escape.

My phone buzzes again in my back pocket. I”m careful not to make a mockery of my profession by tripping in these damn heels, but I can barely see the steps in front of me.

When I make it down without looking like an idiot in front of this packed theater, I confidently walk the rest of the way to the theater exit. I pull out my phone and open the notification for my dating app.

A new photo has been received.

I lose all my senses when I open it and see what it is.

Tripping over nothing at all, my phone goes flying through the air with a picture of a very pierced, very well-endowed schlong open for all to see. I nearly fall flat on my face, but strong arms are there to catch me just as my phone hits the floor—screen up—a few feet away.

”Woah, woah. You ok there—Oh! Libby!”

The man holds me by my shoulders until I”m face to face with—Oh, good lord.

”Jonah...wow.”

Fuck.

My ex-boyfriend smiles brightly, and a corner of his mouth quirks up as his eyes give me a swift assessment.

I”m dressed in what I would consider normal Libby day wear: a cropped semi-see-through shirt to show off my pink couture bra and a leather mini skirt finished off with a fun heeled knee-high boot. Simple. Cute.

But under the pastoral gaze of the man in front of me, I may as well be naked.

”Excuse me, ma”am, is this yours?” I turn my attention away from the dark-haired devil to a sweet-faced woman in a billowy white sundress holding up my phone with the dick pic on full display.

Jonah”s eyes take in the picture on the phone just as I snatch it from the clueless woman”s hand and stuff it right back into my pocket. ”Thank you.” I nod at her before turning to bolt.

I hear the woman say to Jonah, ”Aren”t you going to introduce us?”

”Wait, Libby. I...want you to meet my fiancee,” Jonah calls back to me.

I breathe in a quick gush of air before returning to the ideal couple with their flowy dresses and ironed slacks.

”This is Lillian,” he says hesitantly.

Turning on my heel, I give the woman my hand. ”So sorry, where are my manners? Hi, Lillian. I’m—“

”Libby,” Lillian says. ”Yes, I”ve...heard about you.” She sounds almost suspicious of me.

My eyes shoot to Jonah, who slips his arm over her shoulders as she drops her hand from our handshake. His expression isn”t giving anything away.

”Have you now?” I say, still looking at Jonah and failing miserably to hold back my glare.

”Yes, when Jonah and I first started dating...gosh...how long ago was that, honey?” She looks up at Jonah.

”Uh...what, like, seven or eight years ago?” he offers, scratching the hairs on his jaw.

Jeez. Seven or eight years and he still hasn’t tied the knot?

”Well, he told me all about your summer of...fun.”

Okay. It”s awkward enough to run into an ex I”d really rather never see again in my life. But now I have to meet his soon-to-be wife, who clearly has me pegged as her man’s ex-hussy.

Or maybe Jonah told her…

I laugh out loud, hardly able to contain myself. ”Summer of fun?” I cross my arms over my chest wanting her to elaborate.

”Oh, you know. The one where you two...” she pauses and looks around before cupping a hand to the side of her mouth and whispering, ”Lost your v-cards?”

So no...he didn”t tell her.

Jonah squeezes her shoulder abruptly. ”Ok, hon. We don”t...we don”t have to talk about that.”

”No, no. Of course not,” Lillian says, running a hand down her dress as if attempting to straighten it more than it already is. ”That was all...before. The Lord has forgiven you both,” she says with a smile. ”So, naturally, I will, too.”

”Naturally,” I parrot.

I haven”t moved from my spot a few feet from them. My mind is swirling with memories of the summer she”s talking about. Only, I wouldn”t have called it fun.

Hell. Torment. Guilt. All would be more suitable than fun.

”Well, this has all been so—“

”Great,” Jonah says, cutting me off and clearing his throat. He seems to be as uncomfortable as I am. ”So great to see you, Libby.”

”Yes, Libby. So great to finally get to meet you. Oh, you know what?” Lillian says excitedly. ”Our wedding”s in just a few weeks. June 1st, 5 pm in the church gardens. You should come!”

She smiles sweetly, and I”m more than confused by this sudden invite.

”Uh..ha, that”s so nice of you to invite me, but I just don”t think—“

”Oh,” she tosses a hand in the air. ”The past is in the past. I know you”re an old family friend. It would be an honor to have you there wouldn”t it, J?”

Family friend? That”s a long shot.

According to Jonah”s mother, I”m more like the woman who nearly single-handedly destroyed the Ferguson name.

”Honey,” Jonah says to her, pulling her deeper into his side embrace. ”It”s probably just a little uncomfortable for Libby to be around us. That”s okay, Libby. There”s no pressure at all.”

Yeah, no. I feel absolutely no pressure. The last thing I want to do is be around Jonah and any of his family, and much less at his wedding.

”Well, who knows? Maybe you can find yourself a decent man there,” Lillian says, motioning toward the phone. And no doubt referencing the aforementioned schlong. ”There”ll be a bunch of single guys from the church there.” She gives me a wink.

”You want me to come to your wedding to see if I”ll hit it off with someone from your church?” I clarify.

Lillian shrugs and holds an effortless smile in response.

”Thanks, but I think I”m better off alone,” I say, returning her smile. ”Decent men seem to have a hard time with me. The not-so-decent ones, too, apparently.”

Jonah clears his throat again. ”Hon, we should get going. Our movie will be starting any minute. Uh, it was good seeing you, Lib.”

”Think about it.” Lillian gives me a faint wave just as Jonah ushers her along to their theater.

They disappear through the doors of a theater playing a sequel to Kung Fu Panda. What grown adults go to a theater to see a kid”s movie?

I think about it alright. For a total of two seconds before doing my best to shake off the awkward exchange and push open the door to the bathroom like I had planned to all along.

I lean against the stall door and take a deep breath, opening the app that just made an uncomfortable exchange nearly unbearable.

Since graduation from college, my biggest priority has been taking care of my nephew, Liam. But now that Zane and Kesley are together, it”s time to have some fun before getting serious about my own life goals.

This particular app filters out any facial features until we are within the same vicinity for our first date and agree to share. It”s dumb, but it”s new. And I”ve tried everything else you could possibly find on the internet to meet a man. Though I’m not really in the market for a decent man like Lady Lillian seems to think I need.

I just need a really good lay. The questions that were asked during the sign-up process were just interesting enough to convince me that it might be worth a try. And this guy I”ve been talking to seems to be able to deliver just what I need.

I open the picture again and let out a whistle before typing out my reply.

LeaveHerWild: When I asked you for proof, I didn”t expect to see all that.

His response comes in right away.

strangerDanger23: You asked.

strangerDanger23: Anyways, I figured I”d return the favor.

I smile, remembering the barely-there outfit I wore out last night. I felt sexy and snapped a picture of it with my hand between my thighs when I got home from a party last night. I may or may not have been slightly buzzed.

I”ve been messaging strangerDanger23 for over a week, and we”re finally getting into ”we should hook up” territory.

He checks all the boxes.

Smart—he”s a software developer.

Nice body—he enjoys working out.

Kinky—he has a metal-laden cock, for goodness” sake.

I”m totally going to let this guy do unspeakable things to me.

I zoom in on his picture and try to count the number of rungs he has on his ladder. Seven. Of course, the perfect number. I”ve had my fair share of dong. But a pierced man...this is new even for me.

LeaveHerWild: So you have some features, but do you know how to use them?

strangerDanger23: Lol. I was beginning to wonder if I scared you off.

LeaveHerWild: No. But the ex I just ran into did.

strangerDanger23: What an idiot he is.

LeaveHerWild: You don”t even know him?

strangerDanger23:I don”t need to. Any man who could even come close to having a chance with you and blows it...is an idiot.

He makes me smile again. Rare for a guy from a hookup app.

strangerDanger23:Was it awkward?

LeaveHerWild: What”s worse, I met his prim and proper fiancee, and she knows about things we used to do together. Awkward doesn”t begin to describe that interaction.

strangerDanger23: I bet he feels like such a dumbass for ever letting you go. Are you still wearing that skirt?

I take a picture of my outfit.

LeaveHerWild sent a photo.

strangerDanger23: Fuck. Beautiful and smart. You can”t be real.

LeaveHerWild:Neither are you. Be honest. You stole that dick pic from the internet, didn”t you?

strangerDanger23: Wouldn”t you like to know, butterfly?

I would. I very much would.

LeaveHerWild: butterfly?

strangerDanger23: The picture you sent me last night. You have a butterfly birthmark.

That sends electric pulses straight to my core. It”s a small birthmark on the inside of my right thigh. That he picked up on it means he must have really been looking.

LeaveHerWild: Let”s meet. I”m free tonight.

strangerDanger23: You”re a forward one. But I can”t tonight.

strangerDanger23: As much as I”d love to.

I take a quick mental inventory of my schedule. I promised Kesley I”d go skating with her and Liam tomorrow for the Heatwave after-school skate program. On Saturday night, we have the Heatwave charity auction. But that”s at six, so maybe I can make an early break.

LeaveHerWild: Saturday night, then?

strangerDanger23: Saturday works. But I want to take you to dinner first.

I roll my eyes.

LeaveHerWild: The app is called BlindBang, stranger. I think we both know where this is going. You can drop the gentleman act.

strangerDanger23: And where exactly do you think this is going?

I zip down my top even more until my hot pink bra is fully displayed, snap a photo, and send it to him.

LeaveHerWild sent a photo.

strangerDanger23: Fuck, butterfly. At least let me buy you a drink.

A drink I could do. But then I immediately need to spend the rest of the night wrapped up in this guy”s sheets.

LeaveHerWild: The Breakaway bar downtown... 9 pm?

strangerDanger23: I”ll be there.

strangerDanger23: Don”t send those pictures to anyone else.

LeaveHerWild: Possessive much?

strangerDanger23 sent a photo.

strangerDanger23: You have no idea. I”m going to need a cold shower now. Thanks.

I open the image, and his bionic schlong is now at attention hardened against washboard abs. I lean my back onto the stall door and hit it with the back of my head a few times.

How will I be able to hold on until Saturday?I make a mental note to grab fresh batteries for my toy collection in my nightstand on the way home. This is going to be a rough couple of nights.

Making plans like this makes me feel alive. I don”t just bang random guys from dating apps. Then again, I”ve never wanted to so badly without even seeing what the man looks like.

At this point, he could look like Dobby for all I care. All he”d need to do is wave that magical dong wand in my direction, and I”d be the one serving him.

strangerDanger23: You”re quiet.

strangerDanger23: What are you thinking about?

Oh my god. This is why I”m so wound up. This mystery man with the eight-pack abs and rippled cock has been driving me to insanity, and he doesn”t even know it.

LeaveHerWild: Locked in a bathroom stall. Counting the rungs on your ladder.

strangerDanger23: Have you ever felt a pierced cock, butterfly?

LeaveHerWild: no...

strangerDanger23: There”s so much it can do for you.

LeaveHerWild: So you do know how to use it. Tell me how, stranger.

strangerDanger23: Well first...I”d kneel in front of you.

Oh god. I look through the slit of the door to make sure I”m alone. The bathroom is empty.

Yeah, this is happening.

I”m about to do this in a movie theater stall. I”m sure it”s seen worse. Look out, world! Libby O”Connor is finally getting some sexual relief.

I slide my panties down my thighs, grateful that I opted for a mini skirt today, and run my fingers slowly back up my thigh as I stare down at his incoming text.

strangerDanger23:I”ll pull you toward me and own that beautiful slick pussy of yours with my mouth.

I imagine him on his knees before me. Head turned. Licking me like I was his favorite dessert. My fingers find the warmth between my legs, and I throw my head back as I work my clit.

strangerDanger23:I”ll taste and suck and lick you until I have you riding your pleasure out on my face, butterfly. And when you think you”ve felt as amazing as you can...

My brows cinch as the powerful image he”s painting in my mind has me feeling everything through the tip of my finger. My lips part, and I look down at the phone when another message comes through.

strangerDanger23: I”ll sit you on my lap facing me, spread those beautiful legs of yours, and rock your pretty clit over the ridges of my cock until you”re begging me to take you.

My eyes shoot closed as I take in the words in his messages. One hand holding the phone, the second bringing me to the edge of ecstasy.

strangerDanger23: I hope you”re quiet because you”re touching yourself.

LeaveHerWild: Keep talking...

strangerDanger23: *smirk emoji*

strangerDanger23: And only when I hear your begging and whimpering for me will I toss you on the bed and claim that pretty pussy.

strangerDanger23: You”ll feel me fill you up inch by inch. The ridges of my piercings lighting you up from the inside out while I keep pressure right where you want it.

I imagine him doing just that and my lips part, unable to stop the wave that”s about to crest.

strangerDanger23: I”ll keep thrusting and you”ll take my cock like the good girl you are, butterfly. And I won”t stop until I hear you shattering all around me and screaming out my name.

I”m shattering now. The thought of him pounding into me. The mixed moans and sweaty limbs. Good god. I want this. I need this.

My breathing goes ragged as I hold back a whimper. The sudden burst takes me under, and I stare down at my phone once I”ve recovered from the onslaught. Finally, I”m able to breathe. Some relief.

LeaveHerWild: I can”t believe I just had an explosive orgasm in a public restroom.

strangerDanger23: I”ll make sure it”s not your last.

Ok. This guy is frisky, flirty, so fucking dirty...I”m in. I”m all in.

I clean up and open the stall to wash my hands when I see a steely-eyed blonde leaning on the counter with arms crossed and staring me down.

”Oh, shit,” I breathe out, with a palm to my chest.”I didn”t think anyone was in here.”

”So I heard,” she smirks at me.

I scoff. ”Seriously, Kes? Pervy much? How long have you been standing there?”

I brush past her and squirt way too much soap into my hands.

”Who is it?” she says, facing me in the mirror.

I deadpan into the mirror, meeting her eyes.

”Who”s got you so worked up, Lib? You”ve been staring at your phone and giggling all week. If you”ve found a new bestie, I need to know.”

I rinse my hands and reach behind her to grab the tiny amount of paper the dispenser has allotted. I wave my hand frantically, but only a few more inches come out before I grab it with gusto.

”Nobody”s ever gonna replace you, Kes. You”re my ride-or-die. My best bitch, ok?” I tilt my head and wait for her to be satisfied.

”But you”re jealous.” It”s a statement, not a question.

I groan. ”I don”t mean to be...it”s just... I kinda miss you and Zane bickering and me getting to swoop in and save the day. Now I feel like an extra. Nobody needs me.” I sigh. I sound like a mother whose kids have just moved away from home, and I”m left with the realization that I have no hobbies or friends and don”t even know who I am without them.

Kesley drops her arms and reaches for my hand. ”You”re never an extra, Lib. You”ve got main character energy down pack.”

”I mean, I know I”m cute and all,” I say, tossing my red locks back.

”It”s true,” she smiles. ”And we”ll always need you. But right now, we need you to be happy. And to find out what that means for you. You”ve put everyone else around you first, and right now, it”s about you. What does Libby need?”

I purse my lips and think of the stranger with the pierced dong. Right now, that”s what I need.

A smile tugs on my lips and Kesley turns to the mirror and fixes her hair. ”He must be good if he has you doing bad things in public places.”

Her eyes meet mine in a knowing glance.

”Oh...he”s good,” I assure her.