Slap Shot(63)

“It looks very Roman,” I said to Rick. “The girls really went all out with the theme.”

“Yes, you should be very proud of them.”

I nodded. “Yes, but it’s hard to let go of the reins. Best Laid Plans is something I’ve worked hard on for a long time.”

A passing waiter switched our empty glasses for fresh ones.

Rick pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I know what you mean. Control is something I like too, but one thing I’ve learned over the years as captain is that sometimes you have to delegate, trust other people to do what you’ve asked and also allow them to make decisions without you. It’s called teamwork.”

I nodded and was about to reply when I spotted a gentleman with wavy gray hair taking the stage. The crowd hushed and Brick wound his arms around Carly and looked up expectantly.

The gentleman on the stage tapped the microphone. “Testing, testing,” he said in a booming, echoing voice.

I jumped at the sudden noise and Rick stepped in close behind me, wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me into his body.

“Oops, it’s working then.” The man laughed and everyone chuckled with him. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Carly’s father.” He paused and smiled at his daughter who beamed up at him. “I would just like to take a moment of your time to say how thrilled I am, I mean we are…” He pointed into the crowd toward a woman who looked so similar to Carly it would have been impossible not to put them together as mother and daughter. “How thrilled we are that Carly and Brick have made the delightful decision to spend the rest of their lives together. Marriage has to be worked at but the more laughs you can throw into the mix the less like work it feels. And when I see Carly and Brick together it always warms my heart to see how much time they spend laughing, surely a great starting point to a lifetime together.” He swallowed and his eyes looked moist. “So please, can I ask you all to raise your glasses and congratulate Carly and Brick on their engagement.”

I lifted my glass, murmured, “Congratulations,” and leaned back into Rick, sipping my champagne. He slid a hand down my waist, over my hip and onto my thigh.

“Aren’t you wearing any panties?” he whispered, re-exploring my hip area for signs of underwear.

“Of course not, they’d ruin the outline of my dress,” I said, feigning horror.

He pressed a hand over my belly and pulled me closer. The hardness of his growing erection jabbed into my lower back. “Oh jeez,” he muttered. “Now look what you’ve done.”

“Hi.” Mae came bouncing up, looking every bit the Country-and-Western superstar she was. “Great to see you.” She flashed a grin up at Rick then looked back at me. “Awesome party, Dana. You always manage it.”

“Hello, Mae,” I said and started to step sideways. Rick clamped his hand on my waist and held me tight in front of him. He was using me to screen what now felt like a full-blown hard-on. “Congratulations on your latest single,” I added.

Mae rubbed her hands in glee. “I know, it’s already in the top ten and it was only released last week.”

A naughty devil on my shoulder told me to wriggle against Rick, just a little, just to hear his sharp intake of breath and feel his body tense against mine. “The video is great, I saw it on MTV,” I said conversationally, acting for all the world like a cock primed for action wasn’t straining against me.

“You like the video?” Mae asked. “I was worried it was too raunchy for some of my fans.”

“Nothing wrong with raunchy.” I giggled and, as Mae’s attention was caught by someone onstage, I slipped a hand behind my back and through Rick’s shorts stroked my fingertips along the length of his cock.

His hold on my hip tightened and his fingers pressed into my flesh. “You’ll pay for that, wild thing,” he muttered hotly. “Big-time.”

“Mmm, I hope so,” I said, putting my empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray.

As the waiter paused, Rick put his half-drunk champagne down too.

“Right, that’s my cue. Enjoy the party, catch you both later,” Mae said over her shoulder as she walked off through the crowd.

As the first chord of Mae’s latest hit belted out, Rick released me, grabbed my hand and dragged me back into the house.

“Where are we going?” I asked, tottering along behind him.

“I’m going to show you what happens when you tease me in public.”

My heart rate tripled and my stomach somersaulted. He was walking with such purpose and the expression on his face was only comparable to the look he gave the net just before he drove the puck home in Tuesday’s game.