Chapter 21: Game Two, The Aftermath

Mel released a deep sigh as Sid pulled the duvet over them, slipping his arm over her waist as he hugged her sweat-slicked body closer to his. They had a few more hours before they actually needed t o get up, and he wanted to hold her tight until Flower came to pick him up. Coach had changed the schedule, deciding to leave a day early so that the team would have more practice time at Joe Louis Arena. Those damn boards were a pain in the ass. And this year, this year he didn’t want to give them a lead going into games three and four.

As he pressed his face against her neck, breathing in the smell of her skin mingled with her shampoo, Sid couldn’t help but cling to her like he was in the middle of the lake at his summer house and she was his life preserver. The pressure was back… could he handle taking the team into the Finals again this year? Would he be able to bring the Cup to Pittsburgh? Was he really that good?

Last year, the media had been all over him. In the end, he was glad that they had lost. He’d never admit that to anyone, other than the woman in his arms. She’d been the best listener over the past few days. He couldn’t have asked for a better person to share himself with. When he wanted to talk, she listened. And when he needed her, she opened herself up to him.

She’d taken him back to the hotel the other night and shown off each piece of lingerie that the girls had gotten her until his cock was ready to burst at just the sight of her skin, barely covered by the vibrant patches of satin and lace. Sid ran his thumb over the light blue material of the bra she had on at the moment. It was one of the new sets from her birthday. The first one she had put on for him.

‘Okay baby, here’s the first one. Ready?’

‘I’m ready.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Melany…’ he growled impatiently.

‘I just want to make sure that you can handle this little peep show.’

‘If you don’t open that door and bring your ass out here now…’ His words caught in his throat and he tried to close his mouth but he knew that he was going to be a goner tonight. Melany walked through the bathroom door, her fingers running through her hair as she twirled around once, slowly.

‘What do you think of it?’

It’s very blue.’

‘Is that bad?’

‘God no…’

‘Then why are you just staring?’

‘I can’t think…can’t find words,’ he whispered. She looked so beautiful. The blue with yellow embroidery was a drastic contrast against her lightly tanned skin. He’d never make it through two more sets like this and the two chemises. ‘Will you show me the others please?’

Melany had smiled at him, nodding and turning back around. Even the panties made his breath catch. After the other two bras and panties had been shown, she came out in a pale pink robe. He crooked a finger, beckoning her over to him. His fingers pulled at the sash until it came undone. Shaking slightly Sid parted the folds of the robe and touched the matching silk underneath. There was a strip of lace in the center, and two ties that laced between it.

‘It’s beautiful Melany. You’re beautiful.’

‘Wait until you see the last one.’

‘Do it quickly because I don’t think I can keep my hands off you much longer,’ he growled. Then he laughed as he watched Mel’s eyes go wide and she backed away, fleeing into her makeshift changing room. She popped her head back out about thirty seconds later.

‘You should take some clothes off Sidney, because I don’t want to have to deal with taking them off of you. And you may not be able to function properly when I walk out. I’m told Max had a hand in this one.’

Sid stood up and ripped his shirt apart, pulling it and his undershirt off. Next he unfastened his pants, letting them fall to the floor. Then he bent over, shucking off his shoes and socks. After pushing everything away from the foot of the bed he took a deep breath and sat down on the edge once more. As if she had been listening, the door opened and he saw an arm appear.

‘I don’t know how much I like this one,’ he heard her say, laughter in her voice. Then she stepped out.

‘Fuck me, Max…’

‘You see this and you want to fuck him instead of me. His taste must be fading,’ she chuckled.

‘Come here,’ was all he could manage to rasp out. He stared at the vision before him. The satin ran down the middle of the nightie. And on each side there was a fine black mesh. The seams had black lace that ran from the bottom up to the seam that separated the cups from the rest. Her breasts looked like they would spill out at any moment, more black lace running over the top of the material. She did a little pirouette and he noticed that the back was similar to the front.

‘Do you like it Sidney?’ Mel purred at him when she came to a stop in front of him.

He thought hard about what he could say that would make her understand how he felt at that very moment. But nothing felt like it would suffice. Instead, he stood up and pulled her against him, his lips crashing down on hers as she let out a startled gasp.

Sid poured all of the love and desire he was feeling into the kiss, his tongue seeking, no, demanding entrance before sliding inside her mouth, mimicking the actions he planned on doing in about three seconds. Hearing her moan, her hands fisting in his hair, Sid took initiative and picked her up, throwing her onto the bed behind him before leaning down and crawling up beside her.

His lips skimmed over her, his tongue tracing over the mesh along her hip and then the satin that covered her breast. He pulled her nipple into his mouth, sucking both her flesh and the material before biting down. When she moaned his name Sid brought one hand up her leg and under the material. Wasting no time he plunged two fingers inside, listening to her gasp of pleasure as she lifted her hips, fucking herself against him. Something was different though.

‘Oh god Sid, please baby… don’t tease this time. I want to feel you deep inside me, please.’

It was that second breathy please that did him in. with a growl he released the flesh he’d been sucking on and pushed the flimsy material up to her waist. Obviously she and the girls had had a lot of fun the day before he thought as he stared at her lower lips, completely free now of even the trimmed hair that she’d had Friday morning.

‘Do you like?’

He didn’t answer her. Instead, going against her wishes, he slid back down and pressed his lips against the smooth flesh between her legs. As his tongue slipped between her folds he could taste her juices and feel how ready she was for him. Sid flicked his tongue against her clit a couple times and then chuckled as she shuddered and tried to pull him up by his hair.

‘Someone seems a little greedy tonight.’

‘Fuck. Me.’

He chuckled once more as he pushed his briefs over his hips, taking his cock and placed it against her wetness. As he pushed himself between her thighs they both let out a contented sigh. She pulled him down for a kiss and Sid wondered briefly how she felt tasting herself. Her hips lifted against his as he slammed into her over and over.

Bringing his hands down he held tight to her backside, grinding his pelvis against hers as he stayed deep inside. Mel was moaning in his ear, praising him and telling him how much she loved him. Those were the sweetest words anyone could’ve told him at that moment and as she raked her nails down his back Sid brought his hands around, unhooking her legs from his hips and spreading them as he started thrusting again.

They worked each other’s bodies into a frenzy until she screamed his name a final time. As she trembled in his arms he came, whispering how much he loved her as he felt himself come inside her.

They’d tried out some of the other goodies that their friends had found so amusing to give to her after a brief rest. That first night was spent decorating one another with the chocolate paint. That was a new experience for him, and he couldn’t wait to buy more. She was the best chocolate-coated snack he’d ever tasted.

The second night… it had been so intense. Mel promised him that she would tell him if she got uncomfortable at any moment. Sid remembered the slight tremor he had felt course through her as he clicked the handcuffs around her wrists.

Mel brought her hand up ran it through his ever-growing curls, ending his reverie. She massaged his scalp and told him to get to sleep while he still could.

“I keep thinking of things.”

“Hockey things?”

“No,” he answered in a husky tone. He couldn’t go again, he wasn’t sure if he could ever go again after the night he’d had. But as his hand roamed down Mel’s body and he felt her hips move to grant him permission, Sid started to remind her of his favorite parts of that night not too long ago. “I keep hearing that beautiful voice of yours, begging me to do…things.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have teased me so much.”

“You asked for it. You were so… I can’t even explain it. But I knew that we were going to have a really. Good. Time.” He felt her shudder as his fingers found her sweet spot once again.

“Sid… I seriously can’t go another round baby.” His mind registered the sleepiness in her voice and he could practically feel the exhaustion coming off of her body. Bringing his hand back up, Sid curled his fingers around her hip. He heard her sigh and felt her body relax as she started to drift off to sleep. His mind started wandering once again but he didn’t realize it until Mel grabbed his hand.

“Sidney Patrick… Now I know you’re thinking of Detroit. Go to sleep!”

“I’m not… I’m not doing anything…”

“You’re going to rub my skin raw if you don’ stop soon! It’s like pacing, only with your fingers.” He laughed lightly as Mel twisted around and then curled up against him, snuggling into his chest. “If you’re going to take your stress out on me, at least make it a decent massage,” she joked.

Sid bent his head and caught her lips in a quick kiss. He knew that he really needed sleep. But she was in his arms, and he couldn’t seem to remember what he was and wasn’t supposed to do when that happened. And for once, playoffs be damned, he was going to make love to his girl until she couldn’t get out of bed!

Rolling onto his back, Sid brought Melany up, dragging her up his body until she was centered over top of him, her legs on either side of his. He heard her laugh before she ran her fingers over his chest, tweaking one of his nipples. He gasped and jerked against her.

“Not gonna lie, I love doing little things like that to shock you,” she laughed as she bent over him and took that same nipple between her teeth. He shivered as her tongue ran over his skin before she trailed soft kisses up his throat and over his jaw. “Didn’t I tell you that I couldn’t even go again?”

“You did.”

“Then why are you pushing me down along that hard length of yours… again…”

“Why are you rubbing against my cock and toying with my nipple? And kissing me? And looking at me like you want to devour me?”

She laughed and nibbled on his ear before bringing her mouth down on his, running her tongue along his lower lips before she started nibbling on it. He’d found that she had this weakness for his lips. And he planned on using that to his advantage if he had to. Sid laughed to himself at the thought of pouting to get her to fuck him once more.

“Don’t you even think of sticking that lower lip out at me Sidney Crosby. It won’t work. Besides, like you really need to make those lips any bigger. Now, move those damn boxers so that I can get what I want!”

“Yes ma’am,” he told her as he did as she asked. He gasped as she lifted her hips and then sunk down over him, his hands gripping her waist as he filled her. Sid groaned as she tightened around him after only a few thrusts of his hips. God, she is so fucking responsive to me. He brought his hands up and roughly pawed at her tits, still encased in bright blue. When they were done, once again, he smiled as she collapsed on top of him as they both tried to draw in enough breaths to calm down once again.

“I’m going to miss not having you in bed with me for the next couple nights,” he mumbled against her temple.

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna like not having to move that big butt of yours onto your side of the mattress,” she teased.

“You always end up curled on top of me, so I should be the one complaining. I always wake up with drool on me!”

They both laughed and then he traced little circles on her back as she snuggled against his skin. He fell asleep hoping that he could come home to her with at least one win under his belt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“FUCK!”

Mel hopped off the couch as she cursed the hockey gods. The announcers broke for the second intermission of Game 2 and Mel was pacing the floor of Geno’s media room. Two periods in and the score is the same as Game 1. C’mon boys, get your heads out of your asses.

“They still have twenty minutes,” Erin said, trying to put a lot of pep in her voice and Amanda was smiling and nodding her head. Mel wasn’t fooled. They were going down the same path as last year, and she knew that the three of them were thinking the same thing. If they lost tonight, they’d be coming back to the Mellon with a two-game deficit. They had just swept their conference team. They aren’t even playing as a team!

“Just think,” Amanda chimed in, “it’s not as bad as last year. We’re scoring goals.” Mel knew she was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She gave a small smile and nodded, wanting to make sure that her friends knew that she was trying to be optimistic. It wasn’t like her to be in a bad mood of negative. And she knew that Erin would give her a ‘talk’ if she didn’t start the peppy-pep.

Mel wandered around the room for a moment before pulling the darts out of the board along the side wall. She walked over to the spot that was designated as ‘the spot’ to throw the darts from. Lining up her shot, she threw the dart with all the force she could muster, letting all the frustration flow through her arm as the pointed tip headed toward the cork.

About thirty minutes later Erin was beside her, taking the darts from her hands before she could try and throw them again. One of them was stuck in the cork that surrounded the board and try as she might, she couldn’t get it to come out. As the minutes had ticked down on the time clock, the force of the throws had gotten harder and harder. Erin turned her around and gently pushed her toward the door.

“Uh, why don’t you go outside for a moment and walk around. Let out some of that anger. If the gym was fully done, I’d tell you to go there. Just… take a few deep breaths and look at the stars or something. Come back when you’ve, kind of, calmed down.”

She knew Erin was right. They weren’t planning on meeting the boys at the airport, Sid didn’t even know she was in the area. He was going to be stressed enough, if he felt the tension that was pouring off of her, it would do no good whatsoever. If she could calm down, then she could go with Erin and Amanda to meet the guys and surprise Sid. That would make them both feel better!

Grabbing her iPod out of her bag, Mel took off toward the back door. She heard Erin yelling something about the porch light, but she just slipped her sneakers on and headed out the door. Before she stepped off the porch she shoved the buds in her ears and turned on her playoffs mix. Letting the first song blare into her brain she started down the couple steps and began tromping through the yard. She knew if she went down toward the stone patio she could sit for a few moments.

‘Bang the Doldrums’ was playing through the headphones and she was stomping in time with the beat when she tripped over something and went tumbling. She rolled a couple of time before her body came to a stop about twenty feet from where she’d tripped. Her knee was throbbing right away and her clothes felt caked in dirt in a few places. No doubt she’d have grass stains on her jeans as well. Next time, I’ll turn the damn light on.

Moving to her side, Mel surveyed the damage in what she could see with just the moonlight. There was indeed dirt all over her jeans and a grass stain on her left knee, which was starting to hurt a little less. Running her fingers over the denim-clad joint, it didn’t hurt when she poked at it so Mel figured that she had only twisted it slightly.

Then she felt a twinge in her cheek and, bringing a hand up, she realized that in one of the tumbles she had scraped or cut her face on something. Probably a tree branch or something. Mel let out an exasperated sigh and turned her iPod off while whipping her phone out of her pocket. She hit 5 on her speed dial and waited for the voice to come on the other line.

“Why are you calling me? Did you get lost in the back yard or something?”

“Har har. Could you please come turn on the fucking porch light? I need some assistance…”

“Assistance… Mel, do we need an ambulance or something?”

“Just grab Amanda and come out back. You’ll see,” she told Erin. Then she flipped the phone shut and leaned back on her elbows, testing her knee. She could bend it without feeling anything.

Bright light bathed the yard a second later. Rolling her head to the side, Mel glared at her friends who were laughing in the doorway.

“I’m glad you two find this so fucking amusing.”

They tried to calm themselves but even as they were helping her up, Mel could feel their bodies quaking in silent laughter. She knew that she looked a complete mess and at that point she just didn’t care. They were going to the airport, together, and they were going to talk with a certain group of men. She leaned against the island in the kitchen.

“We need to run to Wal-Mart to grab a brace for this,” Mel said as she pointed at her knee. Amanda touched the area on her cheek that hurt.

“You may wanna get a couple of those butterfly bandages for this too. Unless Geno has some.”

“He’s a hockey player,” Erin said with a laugh. “Of course he’s got those. I’ll run up to the bathroom and grab them.”

“Great. Then we’ll go to the airport and wait for the guys.” That stopped Erin in her tracks.

“I thought you weren’t telling Sid you were here.”

“Yeah, and I was just going to go meet Brooks at his place.”

“Fuck it. I know they’re going to be pissy… but now I am too. And someone needs to tell them to fucking shape up. This isn’t going to be a pep talk ladies, I’m thinking more of a swift kick in the ass.”

“I know you’re upset about the losses, and now falling… but maybe you should just stay here and wait to see him until morning. This might not be the smartest thing for you to do.”

“Oh, you’re going to help me! I’m not doing this alone. Don’t tell me you aren’t mad…”

The two of them looked at her and slowly nodded in agreement. They told her that she was going to be the one to break it to them though. Mel didn’t have a problem with this. The three of them were getting into Erin’s car when Mel’s phone started ringing.

“Hi Hun… are you guys getting ready to take off?”

“Almost, yeah. And I know you weren’t planning on coming back to Pittsburgh until tomorrow, but I could really use some support right now.”

“I was actually going to surprise you,” she said with a small smile. We thought we’d come give a little pep talk to the weary travelers.”

“Pep talk? That sounds good. We could use some love from you ladies. Gotta go, love you.”

“Ditto.” Let him think it’s a happy pep talk. If he knew what she was planning, he’d just get upset. She had put her phone in her purse when she heard Amanda snort in the back seat.

“Pep talk my ass. That’s the farthest thing from your mind right now.”

“Yeah, well… he’ll get over it… I think.” They all chucked as Erin pulled into the parking lot of Wal-Mart.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sid stepped off the shuttle and looked around for Melany. She’d said they were going to give them a pep talk. He’d told the guys while they were flying and they had all agreed to stay and listen to what the girls had to say. His eyes lit up as she hopped out of the passenger seat. Then he noticed her slight limp. Glancing down her saw her left knee wrapped in a black brace. Looking back up at her face, he saw two butterfly band-aids over a scratch on her cheek.

“Mel, what the hell ‘appened to you,” Max asked as he came to a stop beside him. Sid was wondering too, and he quirked an eyebrow, waiting for her response.

“Well, you see… I was a little stressed earlier tonight. And after taken my aggression out on Geno’s dartboard for thirty minutes,” he watched her give Geno an ‘I’m sorry’ look, “Erin told me to go for a walk. So I did… and I tripped over something and fell. Now, here I stand, and let me tell you… I. Am. Not. Amused.”

“Baby, let’s get back to Mario’s and relax for a bit. I promised the guys that your ‘pep talk’ wouldn’t last too long. We could sure use the pick-me-up right now, but I think we’re all pretty exhausted.”

“Yeah, well… you probably aren’t going to like my pep talk.”

“Say what?”

“You need to get your fucking heads on straight and learn to play some damn hockey!” He stood there, staring at the little spitfire in front of him. She’d never made any type of comment like that before. She’d never complained about their game…

“Are you drunk?”

“No , I’m not fucking drunk! You are going to listen to what I... we… have to say! I don’t care how tired you are. I don’t know what Disco has been telling you guys, but it obviously isn’t working. So let’s all gather ‘round like one big happy family and you can open up your ears and take what we say to heart.”

Sid was still just staring at his girlfriend. He was completely shocked. She was always so understanding and so willing to just let him vent. Never once had she said anything that might make him think she doubted he could do anything. And here she was, telling him that she was mad because he hadn’t won the games. Max started grumbling about this being the worst pep talk ever when Amanda surprised them next.

“Oh stuff it Talbot. You don’t deserve to talk right now. Now, I’m sure that you’re getting crap from your coaches, the media, each other… well, now you get to add your girlfriends to the list! We have sat in those boxes, in the stands, at each other’s house, even out on the lawn, just to support you guys! We’ve cheered out hearts out, made you good luck cookies and played out our own set of hilarious superstitions. All in hopes that when it came down to game time, you guys would fly out onto that ice, bring you’re a-game, and kick the shit out of Detroit! But you haven’t…”

He shifted his eyes from Amanda to Mel. She was standing there, very still, as if waiting for him to stop their little tirade. But he knew that they were right, at least on some level. And he knew that this was something that they needed. They needed to hear from the most important fans they had that they were idiots. He looked at Erin.

“Well, you might as well start bitching at us too.”

“Fine. They got some lucky breaks. They got the goals and you didn’t. Well, tough shit. You got lucky breaks in other games. And you know what, I did not introduce Mel to this wonderful sport so she could sit there and watch you and the rest of this team go down in a flaming pile of crap! Amanda was right. You haven’t been playing like you want the Cup… and it needs to stop. For some reason you got to the Finals and it’s like you decided to go back to the team you were in the winter. You’ll get swept in this series if you keep it up!”

He looked around at the guys. Most of them had their heads down, almost like they were ashamed. He had withdrawn into himself after the first game, and he knew that he wasn’t doing his duties as captain as well as he could have. These weren’t just his teammates, they were his closest friends. He felt the anger coursing back through his veins. He couldn’t believe that he’d been so stupid. Sid felt someone in front of him and opened his eyes to find Mel standing in front of him. She looked around and then back at him before bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. He closed his eyes, relishing her touch as she started talking in almost a whisper.

“They’re just a fucking hockey team. They aren’t unstoppable. They aren’t unbeatable. And if you hit them, I’m pretty sure they’ll bleed, just like you.” Her voice got louder, like she was now talking to the whole team. “You guys are acting like they’ve already won the series, like they’re going to hoist the Cup next Thursday. I mean… I know this is the Finals, so there’s a lot more pressure. But you guys seem to thrive on all that! I know you want to win, to prove that you are worthy of that stupid trophy. But what if you didn’t win?! What then??”

He opened his eyes once more as she pulled away from him. Stepping backward to her friends, Mel looked as if she wanted to slap them all. He wouldn’t be surprised if she attempted it.

“I know you can come back from this, but I can only cheer so much. You have to believe that you can too though. You’ve come so far! I would hate to think that you’ve lost your spirit now… You took Philly out in six games, proving again that the Battle of Pennsylvania belonged to you. And Maximus even tried to fight…”

“ No listen, I knew what I was doing when I talked ‘im into that!”

“Yeah yeah, we know Max,” Amanda laughed. “What about Ovie? Huh? It took you seven games, but you proved that you could personally take them on. Sid, you got a fucking hat trick… in Washington! And then Game 7… Man, you all blew them out of the water! Marc, that save, EPIC!!”

“And what about Carolina?? It was like they were having some Cinderella story or something, and you swept them! We thought that they were going to be the hardest team you had to face, and you spanked them!” Erin sidled over to Geno as she spoke. “And you got that hattie. I was so proud of you. But now, it’s like you and Sid are being covered better than fresh meant in a whorehouse! So, it’s time for EVERYONE to come alive.”

Sid noticed that Erin stayed over near Geno, and that Amanda was walking toward Brooks. They must be wrapping up their speech. He felt empowered. They were right, he knew that they were. And he could hear the guys murmuring agreement all around. He was staring at Mel as he heard Amanda speak once more.

“Now, we have all the faith in the world that you could lose this next game, be down in a 3-game deficit and win the final four games straight. But there’s no need for that. Instead, you could just win these next four games,” she said with a smile. Sid watched Brooks laugh and lean down to kiss her senseless.

“And we know that they’re a different team that Washington, Carolina and Philly. And we know that they’re the champs from last year. We know the team is stacked with veterans, and everyone thinks you’re nothing but a punch of punk kids, but look at what you’ve managed to pull of this season when it looked like you were done for. Then you switched coaches, came back and finished fourth in the conference. You’ve taken out everyone that has stood in the way so far. And now you’re only four games away from the most coveted trophy in sports!”

“So, what we’re trying to say,” Mel chuckled as she came back to stand and lean against him, “ is that we believe in you. And yes, there’s a lot of pressure on you right now. The media is doubting you at every turn, the fair-weather fans are out by the thousands and just think of what it will be like if you guys can’t come out on top in the end. Imagine how bad it’s going to be then! You don’t want that, right? Start psyching them out like you seem to be doing to yourselves!”

Sid kissed her forehead as he held her tightly.

“Are you guys done? I don’t know how much more we can take,” he said with a laugh.

“I think so. We really do believe in you, you know what right?”

“I do now. I don’t think anyone but true fans would have enough courage to tell us that we suck.”

“You don’t suck,” Erin said as she and Geno were walking past them. “You just needed a little butt whooping. And I’m glad that Mel talked us into doing this. You’ll win Tuesday and Thursday night! That will cover two of the four wins that you need. You’ll win Game 6 here at home too.”

“And hopefully,” TK said, “we’ll take Game 5 in Detroit!”

“But if you can’t, then you’ll take Game 7! Either way, you’ll need to take home a win at the Joe. Think you can do that?”

“If it means no more so-called pep talks then we’ll all score goals… every night!” Sid laughed at Duper as he through his fist in his air while he yelled. The rest of the guys were all in agreement and there was a ‘3 cheers’ chant for the ladies.

“I love you. And thank you,” Sid whispered as he and Mel walked back to his car after promising to meet at Geno’s for lunch tomorrow. Mel would need to get her bag anyway. He held her hand as they sat in his vehicle, staring at one another. She was the most amazing woman that he had ever met. And she had great friends who would help her stand up to them. When he had first got off the bus, all he could think about was taking out his frustrations on that supple body of hers. Now he wanted to take her home and just bask in the fact that he was in love with a woman who loved him enough to tell him when he was being stupid.

“Let’s go home baby. I’m pretty wiped out. Didn’t realize how much a pep talk would tucker me out!” He laughed and crooked a finger at her. When she leaned over and whispered ‘yes?’ he bent his head and kissed her until she was breathing hard and a small moan escaped. He pulled back with a smile.

“Yeah, let’s go get some sleep,” Sid said as he winked at her.

They really did collapse as soon as they hit the bed, still dressed in the clothes that they’d met up in.