Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Chelsea

“Remind me again why I wanted to work with the Smashers.” I poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Sadie Cross, my longtime friend and housemate. There wasn't much she didn't know about me. I trusted her with all my deepest, darkest secrets. She trusted me with hers.

She took the glass and nodded her thanks before taking a sip. “Because you love rugby union? Something about rugby players’ thighs?”

I sat down beside her and pulled my legs up onto the couch until my knees were almost touching my chest. “I'm not that shallow. I also like their chests.”

She laughed. “I'm sure there's something about their personalities that draws you in, too. That whole rugged exterior, ready to throw all of themselves into the game, regardless of the cost to life, limb and brain cells.”

We both sighed.

“Okay, that might be it. But Storm Keller is something else.” The way he looked at me like he might eat me alive sent shivers of anticipation up and down my spine. I should be used to that look from guys by now, but he took it to another level. Possessive in a way I hadn't seen before.

“What about the rest of them?” Sadie asked.

“I haven't met any others yet.” I sipped my wine, letting the fruity flavours sit in my mouth before I swallowed. “After Doctor Stuart was finished with the paperwork, he gave me a look around. Smashers Stadium is something else too.”

“What is Doctor Stuart like?” Sadie gave me a sly look.

I snorted. “About seventy years old. Old enough not to take shit from players or people like me. But he's highly experienced. I'm going to learn so much from him.”

“And from Storm Keller?” She adjusted her position on the couch, crossing her legs and leaning back against the cushions.

“I'm pretty sure he could learn a thing or two from me,” I said.

Sadie smiled. “You heard it here first, folks. Chelsea Miller is going to educate the Dusk Bay Smashers fullback in the art of luuurve.”

I reached over to swat her on the arm. “Who said anything about love? You of all people should know I don't have time for things like that, even if I was interested in him or anyone else.” Tonight was a rare night off from study or working at Flirts.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Fine. In the art of fucking then. You're not involved with anyone. As long as he's not involved with anyone, then I say go for it.”

“What makes you think I'm interested in him? Or anyone else for that matter?” I asked.

“Because you have that expression on your face.” She squinted at me. “The one that says your panties are about to melt right off. If he was here right now, you'd be jumping his bones.”

“I would not,” I protested. I sucked in a breath and shook my head. “He has a big enough ego without me throwing myself at him.”

What about the rest of it? I couldn't deny the physical attraction between me and him was off the charts.

She hummed her disbelief. “What are you going to do then?”

“I'm going to go to work tomorrow and be a professional,” I said. “I'm going to work my ass off to make sure I get a permanent spot as a team doctor. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardise that. And I'm not going to let him, or anyone else, ruin this opportunity for me. I've worked too hard for too long to let it slip through my fingers now.”

“The team would be crazy not to hire you permanently,” Sadie said firmly. “Although, I'm surprised the Demons weren't knocking down your door to give you a placement.”

“Who says they weren't?” I asked, giving her a cagey look.

“They'd be out of their minds if they didn't,” she said. “But I'm glad you got the one you wanted. I've seen how hard you work. No one deserves it more.”

I reached over again, but this time to pat her hand. “That's sweet of you to say. You deserve all the good things too.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I'm happy just tending bar at Flirts and fucking around with whoever I feel like. Give me a low pressure lifestyle any day.”

Sometimes I envied her. The ability to enjoy each day as it came. I could do that if I wanted to. Give up medicine and stick to getting naked for money.

On the other hand, dancing in heels was hard on a person's body after a while. I only had so many more years of wearing stilettos left in me. Medicine wasn't easy, but it was easier, if only when it came to footwear. And it involved a lot less giving of blowjobs to strangers.

“Your family must be very proud of you,” she said. “Another doctor in the family. My mother would say your parents must have done something right with you and your brother.”

“Yeah,” I said noncommittally.

My brother was more interested in treating people after they were dead. I tried not to think too much about the ones he helped to get that way. I knew very well what he and his partners got up to. I preferred to stay out of that lifestyle. I wanted to help people, not tear literal strips off them. That was one part of my life I didn't go into detail with Sadie about. She had an inkling, but that was all. The less she knew, the better.

“Don't tell me, they wish you'd gone into bartending instead?” Sadie teased.

“My parents would be happy with whatever I did,” I said. “As long as I'm enjoying my life, that's enough for them.”

“They don't know you work at Flirts,” she stated.

I grimaced. “Not a clue. That's not something you bring up over a family dinner. What would I say anyway? Hey, Mum, Dad, I take my clothes off and fuck men for money. Can you pass the mashed potatoes?”

Sadie giggled. “I suppose that would be awkward. I mean, mashed potatoes of all things.”

I laughed. “Yes, that's the takeaway here. Deconstructed potatoes. Nothing to do with the rest of it.”

“Have I ever told you what happened to Yolanda?” Sadie asked. “She worked at Flirts before you did. One night, she was in the middle of a show when an older guy walked through the door. For at least two or three minutes, he stood there staring at her, saying nothing. We've all seen that before, right?”

I nodded and gestured for her to continue.

“When he finally snapped out of it, he pointed at her and said, 'That's my daughter up there on the stage.' As you can imagine, she was absolutely mortified. He clapped a hand over his eyes, turned and tried to walk out the door. He might have bounced off the wall on the way out.” She grinned.

I choked back a laugh. “That would be my worst nightmare. My father seeing me half-naked on stage. Or coming out of one of the private rooms with a customer.”

“It could be worse,” she said. “He could be the customer.”

“Sadie!” I shook my head at her. “That would definitely be worse.” What people did behind closed doors was their business, but I had no interest in being intimate with my father. “What happened to Yolanda?”

“She never came back after that,” Sadie said. “I don't think she could bring herself to perform. Although, safe to say, there was no way he was walking back through the door.”

“Poor thing.” I took another sip of wine. “I can't say I blame her. I'd probably die of embarrassment, if that's even possible.”

“In this case, it probably was,” she agreed. “Much better to be seen naked by guys like Storm Keller. Which brings us back to him. Does he smell as good as he looks?”

“Better,” I said with a sigh. “There's nothing quite like the smell of honest sweat. It was good on him.”

Not like he wasn't washed, but like he trained hard and played hard. Of course, now I was thinking about his cock and how hard it was the other night. I couldn't let him get under my skin, but he might get under the lace of my panties.

“I wouldn't be opposed to an introduction to him,” Sadie said. “Or any of the guys on the team. For research, of course.”

“What are you researching?” I asked.

“An in-depth comparison of the skills of rugby union players versus ice hockey players,” she said. “Doesn't the world need to know which one of them fuck better? I'm happy to do the research and reveal my findings for the good of humanity.”

“You're so noble,” I teased. “What a sacrifice to make.”

And yet, the idea of Storm touching her made me see red around the edges. I owed him nothing, and he owed me the same, but I couldn't suppress the burst of anger without a gulp of wine.

“Right?” Sadie cocked her head at me. “Are you sure you're not into him? You look kinda pissed off right now. I can stay away from him. No problem. You know the last thing I want to do is step on your toes.”

My anger dissipated as quickly as it came. “I know. There's nothing to step on, really. We've had two conversations and watched each other have orgasms. That's all there is to it. Aside from that, he's a patient, and my position is tenuous until the placement is over. When I have a full-time position, I might have time to rethink being involved with him or someone else. I can't afford to lose this opportunity.”

“I can't afford to lose your friendship,” she said softly. “Especially over a guy. Knowing men like him, he's a total fuck boy.” She rolled her hips a couple of times, miming thrusting. She could have been a dancer with those moves, but she preferred to stay behind the bar and flirt with customers from there. And disappear into private rooms with them after a shift, from time to time. Mostly, she stuck to serving drinks and keeping an eye on the dancers to make sure no one was being bothered or harassed.

“Fuck boy, ruck boy,” I said with a nod.

He had exactly that vibe. Like he said, he'd never had to pay for sex. No doubt he had women throwing themselves at him right and left. Being famous and hot would do that for a guy. He didn't need me, Chelsea Miller, and he didn't need Panther. That night was nothing more than a distraction.

What about him being possessive then? Maybe we just got caught up in the moment. Us being so close to each other. Me standing up and telling him what I thought. He might not be used to that. Some guys like to be told to back the fuck off. It had the opposite effect on them. The more they were told to go away, the more they wanted to stay.

Sadie giggled. “Ruck boy, I like it. That suits him down to the ground. And you want to spend the rest of your career taking care of guys like him.” She raised her glass and toasted me, her green eyes wide with humour and teasing.

When she put it that way…

I wrinkled my nose. “Does that make me some kind of crazy? That's exactly what I want to do.”

“I don't think that makes you any kind of crazy,” she said. “There's nothing wrong with knowing what you want and going for it. Ruck boys need love too. And medical care. You'll have your work cut out for you, that's for sure.”

That was one hundred percent, without doubt, true. Storm and the rest of the team were going to keep me on my toes and I couldn't wait.

What were the rest of them like? I looked forward to finding out exactly how full my hands would be.