Page 9 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
“What took you so long?” Abby asked. “We were ready to send out the cavalry to search for you.”
“And you still have your jacket.” Willa pulled on one of the sleeves. “Wasn’t the whole trip to your car so you could ditch this?”
Now I’d have to tell them what happened. Howembarrassing. I grimaced and slid into a seat, relaying the story of finding Ozar leaning against the back of my car, and his dental issues.
Abby rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, you pulled a portable X-ray machine from your purse and took images right in the parking lot.”
“You aresucha dentist.” Willa laughed. “Although I’ve got to say, hockey players probably all need reconstructive work multiple times in their careers.”
I shuddered at the thought of all those broken and dislodged teeth. “They wear mouth guards.”
Butdidthe orcs wear mouth guards? The humans had pads, while the orcs had been skating around bare-chested. Maybe they weren’t provided with mouth guards, either.
The thought infuriated me. Did OSHA know about this? The National Hockey League? There had to be safety standards in place and those should apply to orcs as well as humans playing the sport.
Willa elbowed me. “Well, now you have a new client who probably has great insurance and deep pockets if they’re paying the orcs what they pay the human players. Maybe you’ll end up the official dentist to the team.”
“Maybe.” The thought didn’t really appeal to me. I preferred my current clientele and didn’t really want to turn into a sports specialist. But if my friends thought this was some sort of strategic career move, then they wouldn’t suspect the weird attraction I’d felt toward Ozar.
I’d never hear the end of it if Willa and Abby thought I was getting all hot and bothered over an orc.
Abby eyed me over her beer. “So, which one was he? The goalie? That forward? He was totally hot.”
I blinked in surprise. “You think the forward washot?”
My friend grinned. “I mean, they’reallhot. Tall, muscles out the wazoo.”
“Tusks?” Willa laughed. “I’ll admit they are totally jacked, and the green skin doesn’t bother me one bit, but how would kissing one work with those tusks jutting out of their lower jaw?”
They both turned to me, and I felt my face heat up at the scrutiny. “What? I’ve never kissed an orc. How am I supposed to know?”
Abby snorted. “We’re looking at you for a dental-expert perspective. And youdidget up close and personal to those tusks tonight. Do you think an orc is kissable? Or more importantly, is oral out of the question?”
And now there were images running through my mind of Ozar going down on me. The tusks were long enough that, with care, the points wouldn’t jab anything…important. And skillful pressure with one of them in the right place could be absolutely amazing.
I sucked in a breath, realizing that Abby and Willa were still staring at me, silent and waiting for my verdict.
“I think kissing could be…logistically different, and…oral could be interesting and enjoyable.”
Abby did a fist-pump. “Iknewit. Should we become Baltimore Tusks groupies, girls? Go to the parties and experiment with some orc loving?”
Willa shrugged, lifting her wine glass. “Hell, I’m up for anything. Count me in.”
“Uh, count me out.” I grimaced. I was too busy with my career to squeeze in all the partying and casual sex.
Although I couldn’t help but wonder…
I took a deep pull on the cold draft beer, wondering why it was extra hot in here. Puck’s was always hot, but I felt like I was ready to melt.
“I’m buying tickets for the next home game,” Abby announced, picking up her phone.
“I’ll research what bars they hang out at, and if anyone is hosting an after party,” Willa said. “Twitter and Insta, here I come.”
“Isn’t it called ‘X’ now?” I said.
Willa shrugged. “Fuck that. It’s always gonna be Twitter. And National Airport will never be called Reagan National. And McDaniel College is forever Western Maryland College.”
For a woman who was known for being adaptable, Willa was surprisingly inflexible about some things. I hid a smile behind my beer and took another sip. I’d arrived in Baltimore five years ago to start my practice, feeling out of place and lonely in the city. Willa had been a personal trainer at the health club I’d joined, and we’d quickly become friends. Abby had gone to college with Willa, and after a few happy hours, the marketing consultant ended up my friend as well. They were both smart, funny, and they kept me from becoming a slave to my job.
