Riding Pine (Aspens Hpckey)

Chapter 1 Ben

one

Ben

“Who doesn’t want to dress up as a beaver is the question you should ask yourself, Ben.”

My best friend, James, settles on the giant sofa with his ‘wineglass.’ It’s really just a glass as large as a single bottle, but whatever makes him happy. Which is often wine.

“It’s easy money.” He holds up a finger as he lists each point, and I roll my eyes. “You love to dance. It’s literally your job to perform, and I know you miss the circus.”

With a groan, I plop next to him with my much more adequately sized glass. The problem with best friends is that they know you too well. You can’t use all the prepared excuses because they already know what you’ll say.

“I wish I didn’t miss the circus so much. It’s my fault I’m not performing anymore, so thank you for not bringing that up.”

James swallows with a smack of his lips and a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t think I need to keep reminding you about that part, Ben.”

No, he sure doesn’t. When you’re warned by multiple co-workers not to fuck the boss, you should probably listen. But I’m not exactly good at listening. It’s a weakness of mine, along with super fucking hot bosses who whisper all the right things.

The sex was almost worth losing my job over. Almost.

Some people joke about running away with the circus, but I lived the dream. I reached impossible heights and was an elite aerialist before I was twenty. But all good things must end, as they say. My Vegas dream crashed harder than any fall I’d taken from the silks.

I just wish I were better prepared to handle the aftermath. How do I rebuild my career when I’m back in my hometown and sleeping on my best friend’s couch? A circus show isn’t an option. That’s how I stumbled into my current predicament.

“A mascot for a hockey team nobody likes. I don’t even like hockey!” Shaking my head, I sip the wine. A mascot was not on my list of career goals. “This is my punishment for thinking with my dick, isn’t it?”

He raises his wineglass for a toast, and we clink. Not sure what we’re toasting, but I won’t leave him hanging. “This beaver gig seems like it might fill the void for you. I know it’s not upscale like Vegas, but maybe you need something a little less flashy.”

James is right. I won’t tell him that, though. The parties and the glamour blinded me. I know I made poor choices, and it ended my career, but…a hockey team mascot?

Rinks are cold. People get violent, and who in their right mind wants to play a game on the ice with blades on their feet? I’d rather risk my life dropping from a silk. It’s much more graceful, and the odds of losing teeth are slim.

“You don’t have to like it right away,” James says softly. “Give it time, and you might enjoy it. You said they wanted entertainment for the fans, right?”

“Yeah. The woman said she was the new PR manager, and they wanted to bring in crowds. New ownership, too. Since the team’s performance isn’t drawing fans, they’re hoping a mascot can.”

It’s not like I’m a stranger to pressure. My role was always at the centre of complex routines. If I fucked up, so did everyone else. That’s the prime reason I lasted so long in the biz. Pressure didn’t get to me, and I was the best.

Until the owner of our show caught me and the director getting more than a little frisky and a whole lot naked. Aerialists are a dime a dozen. Sure, I was good, but someone always hovered in the wings waiting for their chance.

I was dismissed, and he was told to keep his mouth shut. Not fair, but I wasn’t about to fight about it. Not when I’d already been blackballed. I packed my stuff and left.

“I’ll be honest and admit I’m flattered she asked me. I should’ve known something was up when she signed up for my aerial class and watched me for most of it instead of actually doing anything.”

James drains his glass and stands. “You still have talent, Ben. He didn’t take that away from you.

I believe in you. You’ll come back stronger than ever.

” He claps his hands and grins. “You’ll come out with me tonight.

I need to find a decent man, and it’s always more fun when you’re with me to vet my choices before I do anything stupid. ”

He walks down the hall to his room, peeling his shirt off as he goes.

Draining my glass, I follow him to my tiny corner.

Since I moved back to Bloomburg, James has allowed me to sleep in his office.

Which is barely big enough to fit the fold-out cot I bought to sleep on.

It’s more like a closet than a couch, but finding an affordable place to live in this town as a single person has been harder than I thought.

Urban sprawl from the city of Rosevale has reached the edges of this tiny town, and real estate has reacted accordingly. It’s just how things go.

“I’ll join you, but not too late.” The last thing I need is to show up for work hungover. “I have an early morning yoga class to teach.”

James exits his bedroom, buttoning up his shirt with a giant smile.

“Awesome! I miss this. You’ve been gone a long time, Ben.”

Ten years is a long time. He’s right. While I’m not pleased about the circumstances that brought me back home, I’m happy to be with James again. Who knows, maybe this really is the fresh start that will change my life for the better. My shrinking bank account sure hopes so.

“I miss it too. Let me change, and we’ll start a mission for you to find a hottie.”

There’s something to be said about the bars in small towns versus those on the strip in Vegas. They’re infinitely less expensive. While I rarely drink much, I order another one because a seven-dollar cocktail is almost too good to be true.

My shoes stick to the floor with every step in the packed bar. It seems dancing with drinks is still a thing in the small but comfortable bar with a country feel. The upbeat dance music vibrates through my chest, and I’m happy to be here with James.

The gay bar scene isn’t huge in Bloomburg despite the infiltration of big-city ways.

This place, with its mechanical bull in the corner and pride flags in the window, is as close as it gets, and honestly, it’s killer.

I’ve never been much of a country boy, even growing up here, but you can’t deny the draw of a well-fit pair of jeans on a farm boy.

Leaning against the wall, I watch my best friend while he grinds on the dance floor.

James is smiling and laughing with his dance partner. An older man with an infectious smile and a body built by manual labour. He’s attractive in the way farm boys seem to have without trying, and James is one hundred percent into the guy.

James and his dance partner, sweating and smiling, head my way.

“Ben! You want another drink?” His flushed pink cheeks and sparkling eyes are a sight I’ve missed. There’s no one more happy than James when he’s dancing and enjoying himself.

“I think this is my last one for the night, but you two go ahead.”

“Would you like me to bring you water?” The blond-haired man has a good vibe, and I appreciate his gesture. I also don’t miss his arm wrapped around James’s waist.

“Please, if you don’t mind?”

Nodding, he whispers in James’ ear, and my friend leans on the wall with me.

“Oh my god, Ben. Brandon is like the perfect gentleman. He’s so nice. And hot. God damn.”

Laughing with James as he watches Brandon move through the crowd, I nudge him with my shoulder.

“If you want to take him home, James, it’s your place.

I’ll hang out at the twenty-four-hour laundromat with a book for a while.

My clothes get clean while you get yours dirty.

” I wink so he doesn’t feel guilty about it.

But it’s his place, not mine. I’m not about to cramp his style or listen to him having sex.

James squeezes my hand. “I’ll see how it goes. He hasn’t actually mentioned our leaving yet. So don’t leave without me, just in case.”

Brandon returns with our drinks, and James melts when Brandon tells him he’s the best man he’s met in a long time. He doesn’t even care that I’m listening, and I like that about him. But I don’t want to eavesdrop, so I nudge James before excusing myself to head for the washroom.

But I don’t get very far because in the far corner of the dance floor, just before the hall leading to the facilities, is possibly the most handsome man I’ve ever seen… and he’s upside down. So that’s saying something.

The man holding his ankles lets go, and the upside-down guy walks two steps on his hands before crashing to the floor. He lands directly in front of me, and I hold out a hand to help him up.

His T-shirt remains all smashed up, revealing his amazing physique.

The guy works out a lot, and it’s hard not to notice.

He also likes ink. Tattoos cover one entire arm, and while nothing in his artwork immediately stands out, the man himself does.

Noting the strength of his sticky grip on my hand, I know why he couldn’t hold the handstand.

“If you want to control the walking part, you need to engage your core and lock your legs. When your legs flail, you lose your balance.”

The man rises and towers over me. My five-foot-ten feels like an inch next to him. He’s broad in the shoulders, and his hazel-flecked eyes shimmer with amusement.

“Are you an expert on handstands?”

“Actually, I sort of am.”

Cocking his head, he scans me, and I enjoy the appraisal. More than I thought I would, but the dude is smoking, and if he’s interested, I… might want to reciprocate. Just because I let my sex drive get me in trouble once doesn’t mean I’m suddenly celibate. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The man stumbles forward, pushed by a rowdy crowd behind him, and his mammoth hands grab my hips for balance as we’re squeezed together. He doesn’t step away immediately. Instead, his gaze roams my body, an obvious perusal. He gently squeezes my hips before taking a small step back.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to touch you like that.”

I’m certainly not sorry.

“It’s fine. You lost your balance, and I’m not offended.”