20. Operation Lucky Charm #2
I’ve never heard Lexi say my name so many times during training. Usually she calls on me to help demonstrate the correct way to perform a step, but not today.
Today, the frustration I heard in her voice matched my own, as I couldn’t get anything right.
So I’m not surprised when she asks me to step into her office when we break for lunch.
Am I about to get cut? My heartbeat is sounding loudly in my ears as I follow our chief choreographer into her office.
Of course I don’t want to get cut, but there’s one part of me that doesn’t feel as devastated as I thought I would be at the idea. At this point, with only two games left in the preseason and before the final thirty-two Shooting Stars are announced, maybe not making the team wouldn’t be all bad.
I’d have to get myself a job if I wasn’t dancing professionally, but the money from the reality show and from the dolls should help me survive until I figure something out.
The definite silver lining would be that if I weren’t a part of the team, I could date the guys in the open. Maybe that would make my stalker lose interest. Especially if I’m right and the person who’s been stalking me and blackmailing me is Genevieve.
“Taryn, take a seat.” Lexi invites me after she closes her office door behind us.
One of the film crew that has been following our trainers everywhere comes to film whatever is about to go down.
“Are you ok? Did you get injured? I’ve never seen you make so many mistakes.”
She looks genuinely concerned and disappointed, and I hate the feeling that I’m letting her down.
“No, ma’am. I’m not injured.”
“This isn’t like you, Taryn. You’ve been my best dancer since day one.”
I hang my head. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“If you had danced like you did this morning, you wouldn’t be at training camp. You would’ve been cut way before the final selection. As it is, this morning you did worse than the girls we are watching for potential dismissal. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, ma’am. I just had a bad night and I couldn’t sleep. I’m just really tired.”
To my surprise, Lexi’s expression softens.
“I understand. Carole and I know how much we’re asking of you and your teammates.
We know the physical and mental toll training camp takes because we’ve been in your shoes before.
And even now, we’ve barely seen our families since we started the audition process. ”
I hadn’t thought about how demanding camp is for our coaches, but I guess Lexi is right.
Even though they don’t have to go through the physical exertion we do, our trainers are here twenty-four seven.
They work just as hard as we do, and if we feel under pressure, I can only imagine the expectations and responsibilities that weigh on their shoulders.
“Ok. I’ll tell you what,” Lexi clears her throat. “We have two more hours of rehearsing after lunch.”
I nod. I know the schedule.
Lexi continues. “Then we were planning to give you the rest of the afternoon off before we see you at the arena at seven p.m.. How about you just skip the last rehearsal and catch up on your sleep so you’re refreshed for tonight’s performance?”
“Ma’am, I don’t—”
“You do, Taryn. There’s no shame in admitting that you’re struggling. Unfortunately, camp is condensed into a handful of weeks, and we can’t make many allowances, but I think you need to rest.”
I know Lexi is right. “Thank you, ma’am. Does this mean that I’m not performing tonight?”
“That is up to you.” She says. “We need to make our final cuts by next week. As you know, we’ll announce the final thirty-two live after the Cove Knights’ final game.
It would be important to see all the dancers perform tonight.
If this were someone else, I would be nervous to have them perform after skipping the final rehearsal.
But when we started learning tonight’s routine yesterday, you had it down on the first try.
So I know that this morning’s disastrous training session was just a fluke due to lack of sleep. ”
Her words should make me feel relieved, and they do.
But relief isn’t my only emotion. There’s a part of me that wouldn’t have been completely devastated if Lexi had asked me to sit tonight’s performance out.
I file that feeling aside for later and nod at the team’s chief choreographer. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.”
The older woman offers me a nod of her own.
“I hope today will serve as a learning opportunity for you, Taryn. We expect flawless performance and professional conduct from our dancers at all times. That, however, includes knowing when you’re not in a condition to perform.
So it’s your responsibility to ensure that if tonight you aren’t back to your usual self, you’ll come to me before you have to be called out. ”
The implication that if I fuck up tonight, there are going to be consequences is abundantly clear.
“Yes. Ma’am.”
“Now go and rest. See you at seven in the locker room.”
As I leave Lexi’s office, I start walking toward the dining hall. I check my phone and find a message from Jodie. As expected, she’s worried about what Lexi wanted to talk about in her office.
My best friend isn’t the only person who messaged me though. The second message is from Tucker.
Despite the disaster I caused yesterday, he wanted to check that I’m ok.
Tucker: Hey baby, are you ok? Coach has just released us after morning skate and I’ve spent the last hour trying to establish a solid pre-game routine.
I hope that something I do will stand out.
So if we win tonight, I’ll have a new lucky charm.
I’m about to make myself a PB that’s a possible good luck ritual.
Then I’ll take a nap. It’s something a lot of NHL players swear by on game day.
I hope your rehearsal goes well. I just wanted to let you know that I miss you. Kissy face emoji.
I smile as I reread his message again and again. Tucker isn’t just smoking hot and funny. He’s also surprisingly sweet, and that is my favorite thing about him.
An idea makes its way into my head. What if I could help Tucker with a new good luck ritual? Maybe we could nap together, and I have an idea to help him relax.
I change course and head to the housing building. If I hurry, I should get to Tucker’s apartment while the cheerleaders are still on lunch, so there’s very little chance of being seen.
“Hey Tar-Tar,” Mack, Colsen, and Nash are closing the apartment’s door behind them.
There’s no one else in the hallway, so when Mack envelops me in a brotherly hug, I don’t pull away. “Are you guys going to the dining hall? The cheerleaders’ lunch shift doesn’t end for another forty minutes.”
They explain that Vaughn is making lunch for the whole team.
“Is Tucker not coming?”
Colsen rolls his eyes with a chuckle. “No. He’s been acting very strange today. He’s been quiet and a little antisocial.”
I lower my gaze, feeling responsible for Tucker’s odd mood.
“I came here looking for him. Do you guys mind letting me in?”
Nash swipes his key card to open the front door for me. “Sure. Hopefully, seeing you will get him out of his funk.” He closes his hand over my shoulder as I walk past him and brushes my temple with his lips. “I missed you, Trouble.” He whispers.
“I missed you too.” I smile.
His dark green eyes are intense, and I know he must be thinking about our last night together.
“Hey pretty girl,” Colsen’s lips curl into a smile as he slaps Nash on the back. “I missed you too. See if you can cheer up Tucker. We’ll be back in about one hour.”
I enter the guys’ apartment. Everything is quiet and there’s no sign of Tucker, so I head to his room and knock on the door.
“Tucker? Can I come in?”
His deep voice responds shortly after. “Yeah, come on in.”
TUCKER
My eyes skim over Taryn’s body as she steps into my room in her practice uniform. The way the spandex crop top pushes her perfect tits together and the tiny shorts hug her hips does nothing to calm down the situation in my pants.
For a second I’m almost embarrassed, but then I realize that she’s seen me hard enough times that trying to hide the bulge in my shorts is totally pointless.
“Hey baby.” I greet her as she stops at the foot of the bed. “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be having lunch?”
She checks me out the same way I just did with her before explaining.
“I’ve been up all night and had a disastrous rehearsal.
Lexi told me to go rest before tonight’s performance.
I was about to go eat, but then you texted me and I decided that a nap sounded better than lunch.
Especially a nap with you. If you’ll have me. ”
The last bit comes out a little uncertain.
I reassured Taryn dozens of times last night that I’m not mad at her for washing my lucky pants. But the hesitation in her voice tells me that she didn’t totally believe me.
“Of course I’ll have you.” I smile, patting the empty spot by my side. “Truth be told, I was struggling to fall asleep.”
The second she climbs onto the bed, I pull her to my side.
Her eyes travel the length of my body again, more slowly this time. “Yeah, I guess I can see you’re wide awake.”
I can practically feel the heat of her gaze where my cock is straining against my shorts.
“Yeah, well.” I whisper, tracing the shell of her ear as I tuck away a strand of hair that has escaped her ponytail. “I was thinking about you, and that’s the result.”
Taryn’s hand lands on my chest, and my heart immediately picks up its pace under her palm. “I couldn’t sleep because I was feeling terrible about what happened yesterday.”
“Baby,” I sigh. “I told you I’m not mad at you. Look, hockey players are a superstitious bunch. You really don’t need to worry about me. I’ll find something else to bring me good luck.” If I say it enough times, I’ll eventually convince myself.