“Thank you.” I lean back in my chair. “I’ll see you after the game?”
“Yes, sir,” she confirms, “and I asked for the day off tomorrow so I can spend time with you before you leave.” I smile big. “I know how needy you can get.”
I look around, making sure I’m all alone. “Well then, I’m just going to have to fuck you hard enough to make sure you don’t forget about me for the three days.” She laughs and it makes my dick stir in my pants.
“Challenge accepted. Go make them skate hard, my love.”
“I’ll try,” I reply. “See you later, yeah?”
“Only if you win.” I can hear the teasing in her voice. “No one wants to go out after they lose a game. It’s all like mopey and shit. Ruins it for everyone.”
“Goodbye.” I disconnect the phone on a laugh.
I get behind the bench when it’s time and look up to the suite. I know she’s there, seeing movement but not seeing her. My heart beats in my chest hard. “I’m so fucking nervous,” I confess to the guys, “and I’m not even the one on the ice.” The whole bench chuckles. “I can’t even imagine how you guys must feel. Your hearts must be ready to come out of your asses.” I walk up and down behind the bench. “Three periods. No pressure, but this could make or break us.”
“No pressure.” Eric chuckles as the puck drops. The guys are playing as if their lives depend on it. They are the first ones on the puck; they are winning the battles in the corners. They are shooting the puck and hitting the net, but the goaltender is having the game of his life tonight.
The game is tied and it’s four minutes left in the third period. I look up and down, going to Cam. “Calling a time-out,” I tell him. “Show them the play we worked out in the second period.” He nods at me, going to the side to get the whiteboard.
I noticed the other team is playing the box with four of the players and using a forward to chase the puck, leaving the middle open. If we get a guy to go into the middle, it will leave the sides open for our guys to try and take the shot.
I hold up my hand in the air for a time-out as the referee blows the whistle and the guys come over to the bench. Standing next to Eric, I mumble, “If this doesn’t work,” and then I hear Cam giving the instructions to the play. He’s fucking it all up, basically saying to give the puck to the guy in the middle of the box, who will have no chance to get it to the net with all the bodies in front of him.
“Hold on,” I snap and walk out, grabbing the whiteboard and seeing he fucked it up on purpose. “That is not what we are doing.” I look at Cam. “Get the fuck out of here.” Finally confirming my suspicions that he’s the whole reason that half the plays are not working.
“What?” he says defensively. “I’m doing it how you called it.”
I look at the guys in front of me, erasing the board. “This is how they are playing.” I mark the opponents in X’s. “I want Kirby and Jaxon here.” I point to the blue line. “Aaron, I want you in the middle with them, the three of you passing the puck. I want you skating into the middle but passing it back to Jaxon, who one times it to Knox.” I then do two circles. “Knox,” I look at him, “I want you here.” I do the circle right next to the goalie. “Lane,” I do the other circle, “you jump on the rebound.”
The whistle blows, telling us that it’s time to get back on the ice. “You are not to touch another fucking play.” I lean over to Cam. “That’s the last time I’ll coach with you behind the bench.” He leers at me.
I’m not even watching the ice when the roar of the crowd makes me turn my head and I see Knox skating to the side, pointing over at the bench. “You fucking did it!” Eric cheers. “You fucking did it!”
thirty-seven
Zane
Eric comes over to me and slaps my shoulder and then squeezes it. My eyes are on Cam as he looks up at the Jumbotron. I walk to him and whisper in his ear, “Get the fuck off my bench.”
“Fuck you,” he hisses at me, “you don’t tell me how to do my job.”
The horn blares, telling us the game is done, and the guys are jumping over the bench, heading to the ice to celebrate with Sammy. I look over my shoulder at them, skating over to the middle of the ice, holding up their sticks to the crowd who are on their feet. I stand in the tunnel as Cam walks out. “Dressing room. No press,” I snap. He looks over at me and if I didn’t know he was gunning for me before this, the look on his face solidifies it.
I look at Eric. “I need you to find Ken,” I tell him. “Get him to the dressing room.” He nods at me and looks back at Cam. “This ends tonight. I just hope it ends in my favor.”
“I have your back.” He slaps my shoulder as he starts to walk off to find Ken.
The first couple of guys come off the ice, my fist is closed to hit theirs. “Way to fucking play, boys,” I praise as they trickle off. I’m not expecting Owen to fist bump me, but he does.
“Nice play there,” he says, nodding before pushing off his helmet and heading to the locker room.
“I want no press in the room!” I shout down the hallway as the crowd roars, and I look up to see they announced Knox as the third star. He does a circle by the bench and then comes back down the tunnel, holding up his hand.
“The comeback king.” He smirks at me. “Who would have thought you had it in you?” he jokes with me, hitting my shoulder with his.
“Shit is going down,” I tell him quickly. “I need you to make sure no one leaves the dressing room until I get there.”
“You got it, Coach,” he assures me, taking off his glove and walking down the hallway as Kirby skates off the ice.
