Chapter 18
Tane
The walk up to Antonio’s table at the restaurant meant passing various tables full of the cities great and good.
Politicians…
Businesspeople…
Sports stars and actors too…
But not a single person was as powerful as Antonio Cardini. The reach and command that the Cardini family held on the city went way beyond their ownership of the Enforcers.
In fact, Tane had often wondered why the Cardinis decided that they needed the day to day drama of running a hickey franchise. After all, it wasn’t as if their regular business was a walk in the park.
However, the inner dealings and motivations of Antonio Cardini and the rest of the Cardini family weren’t Tane’s business. Tane had long since accepted the fact that as far as the Cardinis were concerned, they were best kept at as much of a distance as was humanely possible.
If only I’d known who the Cardini family really were.
Would I have signed for the Enforcers all those years ago?
Fuck it. What’s done is done and I’m alive to tell the tale…
Tane thought back to the day he signed the contract.
His heart and his head were committed to being the best hockey player he could be.
He knew he had it inside him to carve out a brilliant career.
But something about meeting the Cardini family representatives for the first time had set off an alarm bell.
Tane didn’t know it at the time of course, putting it down to nerves at making a big career choice.
Still, that was a long time ago now.
Way too much water had gone under the bridge.
So with the sound of the restaurant’s hustle and chatter all around him, Tane found himself standing at Antonio’s table.
Antonio was wrapping up a phone call and motioned for Tane to take a seat at the extravagantly ornate table.
It wasn’t just the table that was extravagant either.
Le Steak was part-owned by the Cardini family and had a reputation as the finest dining experience in the city.
But it wasn’t just the food that made it special in the eyes of the city’s residents.
The gold leaf paint, the grand sculptures, and the swooping and dramatic internal architecture all added to the feeling that Le Steak was way more than just a fine dining experience.
People came to Le Steak to be seen just as much as they did to fill their stomachs with the chef’s undeniably exquisite cuisine.
“Don’t worry, Tane,” Antonio said, handing his cell phone to his assistant. “The chef has prepared a custom plant based meal for you. I know how much you swear by it.”
“I certainly do,” Tane replied, nodding respectfully. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. It looks as impressive as ever.”
“Thank you, Tane,” Antonio said, smiling as he surveyed the grand dining hall.
“You see these people? The so-called movers and shakers. The establishment. These are the very same people who hated the Cardini family only a couple of decades ago. We were made to feel unwelcome. We were chased and attacked from city hall to the DEA”s office and back again. But then… then we took over.”
Tane nodded.
Tane knew all too well about how the Cardini family rose to power and slowly integrated themselves into the city. By this point, the Cardini clan weren’t on the outside looking in, the Cardinis were the establishment themselves.
“And the Enforcers have played a big part in that,” Antonio continued.
“The team is beloved throughout the city. Even people who prefer football or basketball have come to love the Enforcers. And it happened because of us, the Cardini family. But not just us. You played a huge part in that too, and for that we will never, ever forget you, Tane.”
At this point, Tane wasn’t sure where Antonio was going with this.
The reason Tane had requested the meeting was that he was going to ask Antonio whether he could play on for one more season. This was going to be Tane’s request having dealt with the Cardini men in the launderette and looked after Jacob in the process.
But the way Antonio was talking, it sounded like Tane was being delivered a farewell speech…
“Antonio, I need to ask you something,” Tane said, deciding that it was best to rip the plaster off and find out whether he could play for another year or not.
However, as Tane knew all too well, when it came to the Cardini family it was rare for anything to play out simply. And it proved to be the case here too…
“Stop,” Antonio said, raising his hand. “I know already. You want to continue playing. I could see it in your eyes when you got back onto the ice after your injury earlier in the season. And I could see it in your eyes at the launderette too. I know you well, Tane Rivers.”
“You do,” Tane replied. “And I know you too, Antonio. So no bullshit, just tell me. Do I have another year or not?”
Tane could feel his heart thumping in his chest.
Tane had been in some of the highest pressure, winner takes all games in the history of hockey – but nothing compared to how he felt right at this moment.
Tane’s future in hockey felt like it was hanging by a thread, and it would all come down to whether Antonio granted him a fresh contract.
“The answer,” Antonio said, leaning forward and fixing his dark stare on Tane. “Is maybe.”
“Maybe?” Tane replied, not sure what to make of Antonio’s response. “Maybe?”
“If it was just my decision, of course I would say yes,” Antonio said, his voice genuine and almost, nearly, friendly.
“But you must remember that I answer to the senior men in the family. And they say that you can play for another year, but only if you prove your fitness in the playoffs. The Enforcers won’t ever keep a player on for charity or nostalgia.
And I know that you wouldn’t want that either.
So… fight for the team in the playoffs and you will have a two season extension.
But if you cannot, then we will shake hands and accept that the journey is over. ”
Tane could see that Antonio wasn’t bluffing.
The offer of an extra two seasons sounded incredible, but Tane knew that unless he got himself ready to go for the playoffs then the offer would be off the table for good.
Tane knew that there was no room for discussion – that wasn’t how the Cardinis worked and Tane accepted that.
I have to back myself to succeed.
It’s how I’ve always done things.
I’m going to show these mob sonsofbitches just how valuable I still am.
“It’s a deal,” Tane said, offering his hand to shake with Antonio. “You can expect to see me not only playing in the playoffs but lifting the cup after the final game too.”
“Now that is the Tane Rivers I’ve grown to know and love,” Antonio said, a smile of pure delight on his face. “Agreed. We have a deal.”
The two men shook hands and Tane felt his brain shift up a gear.
The motivation to prove his fitness ahead of the playoff run was already there, but with the carrot of a new two season extension on the table the stakes had been raised several levels higher.
Tane was determined to win his fitness battle for himself, and for Jacob too.
Speaking of Jacob, it seemed like Antonio was keen to discuss the boy…
“In case you were unsure, I want you to know that you have my blessing,” Antonio said, leaning back in his chair and sipping on a glass of vintage red wine.
“You and Jacob make a good couple. The senior family members do not need to know any details, but I have assured them that you are a good influence on the boy, and he is good for you too.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” Tane replied, a surge of relief coming over him. “But… how did you know?”
“You know me, Tane,” Antonio grinned. “I have little eyes and ears everywhere…”
With that, the two men laughed, and Tane was glad to see that his protein-rich plant based feast was on its way to the table along with Antonio’s steak.
Tane knew that after this meal, it would be time to make sure that everything in his life was on point.
Fitness.
Sleep.
Diet.
Every aspect of Tane’s life had to be fully focused on giving Tane the best chance of recovery he could possibly have. After leaving Le Steak, Tane already had a full hour of yoga scheduled into his timetable.
But one factor that Tane hadn’t account for was the arrival of a certain horny boy and rookie of the year hockey player by the name of Jacob Gosling…
* * *
“Here, let me help with that stretch,” Jacob said as Tane lay on his back and spread his legs out.
“Just apply some pressure to my ankles and push outward,” Tane said, groaning slightly as his legs slowly eased into the position. “Damn, I really must be getting older.”
Tane had been in his yoga flow for nearly forty-five minutes and was glad of Jacob’s company. It hadn’t been as easy a flow as Tane had hoped for.
Inactivity as a result of his shoulder had seen Tane stiffen up somewhat. In his younger years, Tane barely needed to warmup or stretch before hitting the ice, but now it was an essential part of his routine. Even missing a single day would have a knock on effect on Tane’s day to day life.
“How about this,” Jacob said, moving his hands further down the insides of Tane’s legs and toward his groin. “How does this feel?”
Tane looked up at Jacob.
The boy was wearing a black and purple Enforcers t-shirt tucked into a matching pair of team shorts. The word cute didn’t do it justice. In fact, the sight of Jacob’s lean, strong body in such tight clothing was making another part of Tane’s body wake up too…
“Hey!” Jacob gasped, looking down toward the rapidly expanding tent at the front of Tane’s yoga shorts. “Maybe you need me to help stretch that thing out too?”
Tane growled.
This wasn’t how a stretching buddy was meant to help out.
But on the other hand…
“Get down there,” Tane grunted. “Help me relax. I’ve had a buy day. I’ve got lots to think about. Take my mind off things for me, boy.”
Jacob didn’t need asking twice.
Before Tane knew it, Jacob had pulled Tane’s yoga shorts and briefs down and off his feet. With his thumpingly hard cock fully on display, Tane watched as Jacob moved his wide-open mouth in close and swallowed Tane’s full eight inches in one attempt.
“Mmmph, that hit the spot,” Tane grunted. “Now suck my cock until I cum.”
Giving Jacob the command was hot, but seeing just how eager Jacob was to please was even hotter.
Jacob began to work his mouth up and down Tane’s shaft, flicking and dragging his tongue up and down too. As Tane thrust his hips upward, Jacob kept Tane’s thick, throbbing dick in his mouth the whole time and showed that his ability with a hockey stick was far from his only elite skill.
“Lick my asshole too,” Tane growled, pulling his cock out of Jacob’s mouth and adjusting his body so that Jacob had full access to his ass. “Work my cock with your hands and use your tongue on my ass.”
“Yes, Captain Tane,” Jacob said, obeying Tane without a second’s pause.
Tane could tell how much Jacob was enjoying this, and the feeling of Jacob’s tongue lapping over his asshole was enough to make Tane truly forget about all his fitness issues and the precarious nature of his contract offer.
As Jacob pumped his fist up and down Tane’s cock while pleasuring him with his tongue, Tane began to feel himself approaching the point of no return.
In another situation, Tane might have delayed the inevitable.
But what Tane wanted now more than anything was to feel a deep, fast, and hard release. With his body tightening and experiencing the most sublime pleasure from Jacob’s mouth and hands, Tane felt himself erupt and shoot thick ropes of hot cum up onto his rock-hard stomach and pecs.
“Damn, that was fucking spectacular,” Tane said, breathing heavily and full of a most pleasurable post-orgasm glow. “You did good. You did real good.”
“And I know you’re going to do real good when the playoffs start too,” Jacob said, a smile on his face and his own cock now in his hands as he began to pleasure himself hard and fast. “Master, p-p-p-p-please can I cum?”
“Of course,” Tane replied, watching with sleepy eyes as Jacob pumped his fist harder and faster until he had his own orgasm. “I think the two of us need to hit the shower. And after that, how about some video games?”
“Hockey? Mortal Kombat? Mario?” Jacob said, a look of glee on his face.
“Whatever you want, boy,” Tane smiled. “Whatever you want as long as it makes you happy.”
Tane was all set for a leisurely afternoon with his beloved darling boy.
But there was no denying one thing – the real challenge for both Tane and the Enforcers still lay ahead…