Chapter 10
PETAL
“You sure you want to hang out with this loser?”
I whip around just in time to catch Rake shoulder cuff a tall, gangly guy with a mop of brown hair.
He fake-flinches at the punch and rubs his arm like he’s really hurt.
He throws me a playful grin, and I suspect that, in spite of myself and my current state of what-the-fuck-ness, I’m going to like this goofball.
“Hey, I’m Tyler, Rake’s favorite teammate and the man who taught him everything he knows about hockey.” With a crooked grin that shows off a chipped tooth, he steps in front of Rake as if he’s not even there. It’s not the first time I’ve seen men play the cock-blocking game.
It’s always entertaining.
“You must be the charity date,” Tyler adds.
Charity date?
“What? I’m not… I mean… who told you I was a charity date?”
Is this a huge mistake? Should I be running away screaming from this whack-ass situation, rather than going to Vegas on a private plane with a bunch of people I don’t know? I don’t do a lot of spontaneous things.
Other than leaving assholes at the altar.
And charity date, my ass.
What were my so-called friends Lucy and Gilly thinking, pressuring me into this?
Rake rolls his eyes and uses his massive body to elbow Tyler back out of the way.
Cock-block challenge underway.
“She’s not a charity date, dude, and by the way, your fly is open.”
Tyler winces and his hands fly to his crotch. He tries to cover himself but when someone says a fly is open, doesn’t everyone immediately look?
I know I do.
And Tyler’s fly is just fine.
He gives Rake a dirty look. “You know, man, that’s just cold. You don’t do that to the guy you owe everything to.” He looks at me for my reaction, and in spite of myself and second-guessing the intentions of my best friends, I snicker. Can’t help it.
Rake puts a hand on my arm. It feels nice. “Petal, before you get nauseated by Tyler’s BS, let me introduce you to the rest of my friends.”
I hold my hands up. “Just a minute,” I say to them both. “What’s this business of my being a charity date? Do you realize you don’t call a woman a charity date? Like, ever? That’s a real Neanderthal move. One that could get you a knee to the balls.”
Tyler wisely covers his crotch and speaks up before Rake can. “I’m sorry, but that’s what he told me. Didn’t you?” His eyes are wide and innocent and it’s clear these guys bust on each other like this all the time.
Dude banter. I like it.
“Ty, I told you I was a charity fundraiser, and Petal bid on me. That does not equal charity date.”
Tyler’s head snaps back on his neck and he wrinkles his nose like he’s smelling something bad. He leans closer to me. “You… Petal, are you sure you bid on him? Because you seem like a smart woman—”
I nod. “The truth is, Tyler, I didn’t actually bid on him. I was using my paddle to swat a fly, and the stupid auctioneer thought I was bidding. I never wanted Rake. But, as you can see, I got him.”
If these guys can bust on each other, I’ll be damned if I’m going to be left out.
Rake’s hands fly to his heart. “That’s just cold.”
Tyler can’t stop laughing. “Holy shit, that’s classic. Hey, I hope you didn’t spend any more than ten, twenty dollars. Please tell me you didn’t.”
I cross my arms and don my finest resting bitch face. “Tyler, I’ll have you know, I am two thousand dollars in the hole over this guy.”
“What?” he screams, and everyone else in the waiting room turns to look. “Oh, darlin’ that’s just wrong—”
But before he can continue his protest, Rake swings an arm around my shoulder. “Petal, I want you to meet everyone else before Tyler drives you away.”
He pulls me into him a little and I have to admit I like it. The man towers over me and I fit into his armpit perfectly. We start to turn from Tyler, who gives us a little bow.
“Good luck, Petal,” he calls. “If you need any help managing this guy, let me know. He’s still not housebroken yet.”
Rake waves at him without looking back.
“Okay, here we have Jonas.” We approach a guy with gelled black hair, who’s a little shorter than Rake but still towers over me. “Jonas, this is Petal.”
He extends his hand. Damn. Another guy I have to crane my neck to look up to. I had no idea hockey players ran so tall. Not that I know any, other than these three.
“Well, well, Petal. Rake got seriously lucky the day you bid on him. So nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
These guys seem decent enough. Harmless. Maybe even fun. I can relax. Even enjoy myself, which would be a big surprise considering how much I was dreading the day.
A camera flash blinds me for a moment, and I realize the damn photographer followed us here. My smile fades as I glare at one of them, and he snaps a photo of me just like that.
Lovely.
“Are you psyched for some Vegas fun?” Jonas asks. “I sure as hell am. I’ve been adulting big time lately and need a fucking break.
I can relate.
Rake turns to me. “Jonas is a single dad, so he doesn’t have a lot of free time.”
He nods. “That’s right. And when I do, I tend to really go for it. Are you a good gambler, Petal?”
I shake my head. “Not really. I pretty much just play the slots.”
He pats me on the back. “We’ll teach you how to really play, Petal. Craps and roulette are where it’s at.”
“It’s a deal. But if I lose big, you’re covering me.”
He puts a hand on Rake’s shoulder. “Nah. This guy here will cover your losses. From what Tyler screamed, seems Rake owes you two thousand dollars.”
He has a point.
“C’mon, there are more people for you to meet,” Rake says.
As we walk away, Jonas calls after us. “Anytime you want to see photos of my kids, just let me know. I have lots, right here in my phone.”
Next, I’m introduced to Tito and Wendy, and Zink and Daria, couples, who I can tell, have been together for a while.
I keep my back to the photographer just to be a bitch, and as I start to chat with these new people, we’re called to board the plane. I join the crowd and once outside, place a hand on my swingy skirt so it doesn’t blow up again.
Holy shit. I’m doing this.
These people might be nice, but that doesn’t mean what I’m doing is not bat-shit crazy. And it doesn’t help when Wendy and Daria swoop in on me. For a moment, I’m terrified they might be mean girls taking me for some sort of hazing.
Been on the receiving end of that before.
“Petal, sit with us. It will be so fun,” Wendy says. “We’ll bust open a bottle of champagne for the flight.”
She got me at ‘champagne.’
I follow them up the boarding steps and into facing seats. Wendy and Daria are talking so fast I don’t even notice where the guys are until I crane my neck to ensure Rake did, indeed, board the plane.
He waves at me from a few seats away, throwing me a thumbs up and raising his brows like a question mark.
I return the thumbs up, and a funny little tickle runs through me.
I’m flattered. Actually flattered that he’s checking in on me. That’s a sign of a nice guy. Even if he is a jock I’ll never have any interest in hanging out with.
Daria reaches into a small fridge next to us and pulls out a bottle of bubbles and Wendy grabs three plastic champagne flutes. They are clearly pros.
We sit still while the plane takes off and when it levels out, Daria pops the cork.
“How often do you guys do this?” I ask, impressed by their routine.
She giggles. “Oh, we’ve done this a couple times before. Zink springs for the private jet and we take a short trip somewhere. A couple months ago we went to Palm Springs. Before that, we went to La Jolla. It’s so much fun.”
“Damn right,” Wendy says, sipping her champagne even as it bubbles over and spills down her hand. “Girl, I have five kids, so when these trips come up, I am the first one to sign up.”
“Who’s with your kids?” I ask.
She leans toward me. “My mother, who lives with us. The woman is a saint.”
“Cheers to that,” Daria says, and we raise our glasses.
Damn. These ladies are cool. All too often, women don’t start off being this nice. It’s like they have to feel you out or something.
Wendy looks over at the guys. “It’s nice to have you here, Petal. I can’t tell you the last time I saw Rake bring a girl somewhere.”
Daria nods, her face serious.
As if he has supersonic hearing, Rake appears with a beer in his hand and rests on my seat back. “Jesus, can you all give me a break?” he whines.
I pat his hand. “Rake, your friends are just looking out for you,” I tease.
He tilts his head at me. “You know, Petal, when I met you at the fundraiser, I didn’t peg you as a smart ass. But you fit in with these people just fine.”
Damn right.
He wanders back to the guys, and as he does, I lean into the aisle to watch his ass, nice and firm in his dark wash blue jeans.
When I turn back to Wendy and Daria, they are nudging each other and looking at me, pointing and laughing, and while I’m still not sure whether I made a mistake or not coming on this trip, I do know I’m in trouble.