Chapter 11: Need Your Number: Chapter 11

Zane showed up with flowers and it was precious.  He gets extra first date points for taking me somewhere I really want to go.  I’m not really a fancy restaurant kind of girl.  I really just wanted to do a chill night and that’s exactly what I’m getting.  I am so excited to try a few of these different places they have here.  Zane has his hand on my thigh the entire drive.  I snap a picture of it, posting it on my story with just a kiss emoji.

I tuck my phone away and start singing to the lyrics from my playlist.  Once we get to Sparkman Wharf, I immediately take a picture of each of us in front of the Tampa sign.  I also get someone to take one of us together.  This place is what social media creator dreams are made of.  There are lots of places to take pictures and create content.  I am in awe as we walk around, taking tons of photos and scoping out the food options so we can circle back.  I don’t know the last time I had this much fun just hanging out with someone.

The food is amazing, and for dessert, we get these cute little popsicles!  We eat at the tables over by the stage and listen to the band play.  My face hurts from smiling so much.  We talk about our families, college, and the struggles of senior year; we discuss hockey and plans for the rest of the week.

Everything with him feels so natural; there’s no awkward tension.  I don’t feel like I have to put on a fake face to keep him happy.  I struggled with that with Justin.  He really made being happy hard.  I couldn’t pick the place we ate or suggest we take a million photos.  I definitely wouldn’t be wearing my Converse because it would turn into him screaming at me. He always said they are ugly and not dressy enough to be worn around him. I don’t know why it took me so long to leave but thank God I did because now I’m in Tampa with my family and I have Zane by my side.

He finishes his popsicle and then asks me to dance.

“I’m not a good dancer.  I will probably step on your toes,” I say.

As he grabs my hand, he pulls me into him and begins to sway. This moment is one of those they say will alter your brain chemistry.  It’s like we are alone dancing out here with no one watching.  We dance for multiple songs before we finally separate.

We get back in the Jeep and Zane says to me, “I had a great night, Fiona.  Thank you for coming.”

I squeeze his hand.  “This is the best first date I have ever been on.  Honestly, it is the best date I have ever been on in general.”

We keep holding hands.  “I’m sorry I can’t come over; I have so much I need to get done tonight. Maybe tomorrow after we go to the bar with Luke I can come over?”  I give him a reassuring smile.

“Of course, sunshine, I understand.  We get busy; it’s totally cool.  I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the bar, though.”

Zane walks me to the door again, and again we have a PG-13 make out session out front. The chemistry between us is orgasmic.  The smallest of kisses can almost get me off.

“Good night, beautiful.  I will text you; be sure to check Insta later.  I have the perfect picture to post.”  With a wink he walks back to his Jeep.

I go inside and pour myself a glass of wine.  Sitting at my desk, I get some last minute edits done for my meeting in the morning.

Lucy pops her head in.  “Have you been on Insta?”

I grab my phone.  “No, should I have?”

She jumps on to my bed.  “Check it.  I will wait!”

Opening the app, I see Zane’s post first thing and I just stare at the screen. It’s the perfect picture.  I am obviously laughing as the sun sets but I’m holding my wine glass up at the perfect angle that my face is blocked.  The caption reads, Sunsets are beautiful but this view – it’s breathtaking! with a sun emoji.

I notice I have tears.  “It’s amazing, he’s amazing.  No one has ever said such sweet things to me before.”

Lucy hugs me and drops a kiss on my head.  “Sis, you deserve every single moment of his love and attention.  Stop doubting yourself.”

I like the post and spend the next hour smiling like a fool as I work on revising the content we filmed this week.

I go to bed late because I am up editing the last of the away game prep.  The guys worked really hard to do some TikTok dances, lip syncing to funny viral sounds, and of course our usual “hot hockey guy” content.  The game scheduled for this week is only two hours away, so the team expects a decent number of fans to come along.  I will be going to this one, but the two games after I won’t be attending due to them being out of state.  I decided not to travel out of state unless it’s playoffs or the championship.  I don’t feel like I need to be at all the away games and I am not a huge fan of planes.  I get ready for bed so that I can prepare for this meeting with Marissa tomorrow to go over my progress.

I wake up late, so I have to skip a coffee run and head straight to the meeting.  Unfortunately, I don’t see any of the players because they aren’t off the ice yet.  I go over our content plans, showing all of our videos and the roll out time for each of them.  Marissa is impressed and the athletic director, who decided to sit in today, said she was incredibly impressed as well.

“Would you be willing to teach courses for the other social media interns?  You would be reimbursed,” the athletic director says.

I am shocked.  “Yeah, of course!  I’m pretty busy, but maybe each sport can shadow me here for a week and watch from planning to rollout. Then I can spend a day during that week at their sport to help guide them.”

The athletic director stands, smiling, and reaches to shake my hand.  “Sounds good.  I will email you to work out the specifics.  I am very impressed with what you have done so far with the hockey team.  If you ever need a job, our athletics press department will have a place for you.”

I shake her hand.  “Thank you so much!”

Marissa and I discuss a few things and then she congratulates me on such a big recognition and the job offer if needed.  I’m so lost in my thoughts as I walk to my office, I don’t even notice the McDonald’s Coke or Lucy holding it.

“Did the meeting go bad?  I thought your content looked amazing!” she says, looking concerned.

I shake my head.  “Actually, they offered me a full-time job after my internship and asked me to train the other sports for a raise in the next few months!”

“That’s amazing Fi!  Congrats!”  She hugs me and then walks in my office.

“Thank you and thank you for the Coke! What’s going on? What brings you to the rink?”  I follow her inside.

She gives me a small shrug.  “No reason.  I was just in the area and wanted to swing by and say hi. But I should probably head out. See you tonight!”  She runs out the door.

How weird, I think.  I look at the rink and see the team heading to the locker room.  I know that means I might get a chance to see Z if he’s able to step away before they start tapes.  I start posting and begin the never-ending task of responding to comments and interacting with followers.  After about thirty minutes I hear knocking and see Z walk in.

“I heard your meeting was good!  Marissa was raving about you impressing the athletic director.”  He wraps me in a hug.

“Thank you!  She asked if I would be interested in being paid to train the other sports social media teams.  I said yes, then she offered me a full time position here at the end of the year.  I thanked her; I don’t want to completely disregard the offer in case I don’t get hired by the Thunder.”

His lips take mine softly then slowly get rougher as he grabs a handful of my ass, making me moan.

“I am so proud of you babe! You are going to do great things and the Thunder would be stupid not to take you.”

He holds me against him and kisses my forehead softly. “I have to get back to tapes.  I will see you tonight; I just wanted to congratulate you!”

My day flies by.  I think the meeting results really put me in an amazing mood.  I am being extremely productive.  I even go online and order Zane some tape for his new hockey stick he just got last week.  I take a quick scroll through the socials for the Tampa Thunder.  They definitely could use more content.  I have so many ideas to help them control the NHL hockey social media scene.  One day, I tell myself, I will get my shot!

Heading home to get ready for the bar, I start to overthink.  What do I wear for my first official group outing with my boyfriend that I haven’t even posted online?  I look at multiple outfits before deciding.  I pick a forest green romper that shows off my legs and looks great against my skin. I keep my makeup simple, allowing my eyes to be the focus on my face.  I wear my hair in loose curls that I have pulled back with a small clip, and a cute pair of white strappy sandals to keep the outfit looking cohesive.

I don’t see Zane when I get to the bar, but I do see Luke.  I decide to head over and wait for everyone at the table.

“Hey, brother.  How are you?  How are your classes going?”

Luke pulls me into a side hug.  “Classes are good.  I’m keeping my grades up.  How are you?  I heard congratulations are in order!”

I smile.  “Thank you, and I’m good. The team keeps me busy, but it’s the best job ever.  Things are good with Zane, too, if that’s what you want to ask next.  Also, I know what you are thinking.  I’m telling mom and dad next week when I see them.”

He gives me a knowing smile and bumps my shoulder.  “I’m glad you are happy, sis.  Like I told him, try not to hurt each other.  You both have shitty ex’s and have had your heads messed with.  Just be each other’s peace, not chaos.  I will always pick you, but I do love him like a brother.  Just be careful.”

Tears well in my eyes.  It’s not often I have moments like this with Luke and I know he still feels guilty not being in Georgia to protect me from Justin.

“I love you,” I say.  “I will do my best not to hurt him.  He treats me really well, and I don’t want to lose him.”  We hug again and get back to small talk, both of us wanting out of the touchy feely moment.

Once everyone arrives, we get our drinks and play a few rounds of darts.  It’s turning out to be a lot less stressful than I expected.

I head to the bathroom with Lucy and Celisa, girl code and all.  We giggle about how Zane has repeatedly complimented my outfit, but also said he misses my Converse.  They know how special that is for me because Justin hated my Converse, so I stopped wearing them for a while.  They gush about how Zane stares at me like I hung the moon.  But all the good feelings end when we step out of the bathroom and look at our table.

We see five or six girls huddled around the guys. Luke seems to be eating it up.  Zane seems to be ignoring them, but one particular blonde I have seen before keeps reaching out and touching him, even though he keeps moving away.  He looks up at me and gives me an apologetic smile.  I’m not mad at him because he keeps trying to get away from her.  We haven’t discussed how we would be together outside of our close group of friends, but something just comes over me.

I walk over to Zane, throw my arms around his neck, and kiss him.  This kiss is one that says stay away – this man is mine.  I work my hands into his hair as his hands slide down to my butt, pulling me closer to him.  We get lost in the kiss, forgetting where we are, until Celisa whistles and brings us back to reality.

“I am so sorry!  I don’t know what came over me,” I tell Z with a sheepish smile. He puts his arm around me at the table.  “Don’t ever apologize for publicly claiming me as yours.  I love possessive Fi.” The rest of the night goes by without any issues.  We have fun hanging out, joking around about their classes and the away game this weekend.

After another beer, Zane whispers in my ear, “Are you ready to leave babe?  I want you all to myself before we get busy the rest of the week.” I look up and smile.  “Yes, I am ready to get some alone time with my man.” We say our goodbyes to the group and head to his Jeep.  I don’t miss the glares and giggling coming from the girls who were with Zane earlier.  But I’m the one leaving hand in hand with him so I’m not going to even react.

When we get to the Jeep, Zane opens my door, then picks me up and sets me on the seat.  I wrap my arms around his neck and he steps between my legs.  He kisses me.  “That was,” kiss on the neck, “the hottest”, kiss on the other side of my neck, “thing,” kiss on my collarbone, “to see you,” kiss on the mouth, “possessive like that.”  I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him to me.  “Kiss me, Z.  Show me how much you liked it!”

Zane takes my mouth in his, pulling my bottom lip to give it little nips, which make me ache between my legs.  He has his hand wrapped in my hair, tilting my head back just enough to give him better access to my mouth. “We should probably head out before this turns into something illegal,” he growls, and as he steps back, I can tell how hard he is.

Feeling adventurous, I decide I’m about to surprise him with something I have never done before – car head.  I think that’s what I heard Celisa call it before. When he gets in, I reach over to his pants before he has a chance to put his seatbelt on.

“What are you doing, Fi?” he asks me with a slight shake in his voice.

“Relax.  I want to do something special for you, something I have never done for anyone else,” I tell him as I work his zipper down.  His cock is hard and throbbing when I wrap my hand around it and begin stroking.

As I lick my lips I whisper, “I always loved the idea of being in public, the thrill of knowing you could always get caught.”

Before he can say anything, I have my mouth on him and begin sucking.  I swirl my tongue around the tip, flicking it over the slit that’s dripping precum.  Zane’s moans give me the courage to start going faster and, being daring, I lightly scrape my teeth as I go down.  He sucks in a deep breath, grabbing the back of my head.

“FUCK, sunshine, I don’t think I can last much longer.”

That was all the encouragement I needed to take him all the way back.  I start to gag, and my eyes begin to water.

“I’m about to cum, baby,” he murmurs.

I keep sucking and working him with my hand.  He loudly moans my name as I stare up at him with my eyes glossy and I swallow every drop.  I give the tip a little extra love as I pull back from him, smiling and wiping my face with my hand.

“Keep that up, babe, and I’m never letting you go,” he winks, and we head to his house with smiles of content happiness on our faces.