Page 17 of Game Changer
He got off the train in Chelsea with a couple of hours to kill. The miserable February weather drove him into the nearest Starbucks, where he took his Americano to a table to sit and think about a certain NHL superstar.
He had been kind of hoping the two-week Scott Hunter drought would be enough to end this ridiculous crush. It was unlikely he would be seeing Scott on a regular basis, or at all, for much longer. One bad home game and it would be over. Or maybe Scott had already found a new good luck charm.
Anyway, the drought hadn’t ended the crush.
He had tomorrow off at his other job, but would be working Friday. Hopefully Scott would come by, if only because Kip wanted to thank him for the tickets.
When Kip wasreallybored, like right now at his little table in a Starbucks in Chelsea, he would let himself fantasize a bit about what it would be like to date Scott Hunter. For one thing, just having access to that body... What would all those muscles feel like under his hands? What would it be like to have the full weight of Scott covering him, pressing him into a mattress? Or against a wall...
He wondered what kissing him would be like. If Scott’s full, pink lips were as soft as they looked. He wondered how he tasted. What it would be like to run his tongue over those perfect teeth.
And what would it be like to date someone as famous as Scott? Asrichas Scott. Kip couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have that much money. Even a fraction of that much money. Hell, at the moment Kip couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be able to afford the Starbucks sandwich he had kind of wanted to order with his coffee.
He let himself daydream about going to the games as Scott’s boyfriend. Sitting in his usual seat, bursting with pride when Scott did something amazing. They would celebrate Scott’s big win at home that night. Together.
Maybe he would greet Scott at the door when he came back from a long road trip. Scott would be so happy to see him...
Kip was getting a little hot and bothered in this very public coffee shop.
He sighed and took a sip of coffee that was far too hot. The pain brought him down to earth.If you put half as much energy into finding an actual, realistic boyfriend as you do into fantasizing about a superstar millionaire who probably isn’t even interested inmen, let aloneyou...
Kip hadn’t gotten any action in...a month? No, two months?
God, almost three months.
It was his own fault, really. He hadn’t been going out much. He used to, all the time. He’d never been in a relationship that he would call serious, but he used to love the challenge of picking guys up at bars or gyms or even grocery stores. He was naturally flirtatious, or at least he used to be. Something about being twenty-five, living with his parents, and working at a smoothie shop with nothing promising on the horizon had killed his swagger.
He took another sip of coffee that wasstill too hot—how?
There might be a cute guy working with him tonight. Maybe he could break this dry spell.
* * *
Scott tugged at his navy tuxedo jacket and fiddled with his cuff links. He hated these events, but wanted to use his celebrity for good, and children’s hospitals were a particular favorite cause of his.
He was scheduled to speak tonight, but he wasn’t nervous about that. He never minded public speaking, and this would only be a short speech anyway. What he hated wasthis: being on display for a room of wealthy, fawning donors. Making small talk with tedious people. Wearing a tuxedo. Being mindful of his every move, his every word.
He was tired. The road trip had been long and they had just gotten back this morning. It would be a challenge to stay in a good mood tonight. But he would. Because that was his job.
There was a loud din in the room of people talking and laughing. It was a sea of dark tuxes and mostly dark gowns. In one corner of the room, a trio played mellow jazz music.
He stared into his pilsner glass of beer and realized he was starving. The only food seemed to be on little trays being carried by servers wearing all black. He inched toward one, hoping to snag a shrimp or something.
The server turned, and Scott was shocked to see that it was: “Kip!”
Kip looked just as surprised. He took a step back, and the tray wobbled dangerously on his arm before he quickly grabbed it with his other hand. “Scott! Uh, I mean...”
Scott gathered himself and smiled. “Scott is fine.”
“I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“That makes two of us.”
Kip’s eyes were stunning, set against all of the black of his uniform. He was more beautiful than Scott remembered, even.
Scott took a couple of things off Kip’s tray, just to make it less awkward. “Do you work a lot of these things?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation normal.
“A few. This one was last-minute.”
