glance but waited until they reached the locker room before saying anything. Then she turned to face Sasha, fanning her cheeks with her fingers. âIâve said it before and Iâll say it again. That man is potent,â she declared.
Swallowing, Sasha nodded her agreement. That was the Godâs honest truthâmore potent than anything sheâd ever before come across.
âAt first when he was standing so close and looking at youâthe way he was looking at youâI was a little jealous. I mean, I saw him first after all.â
âYeah, but you didnât say dibs.â
Connie laughed. âYeah. And just as well, I think, too. I have a feeling that fella is way more man than Iâd know how to handle.â
Sasha grabbed Connie by the wrist and dragged her over to the frayed couch in the corner of the room. âAnd you think I can?â she demanded, collapsing onto the dusty cushions. âEven supposing that I wanted to . . . God, Connie, he probably comes on like that to every woman he comes into contact with.â
âNo, I donât think so, Saush.â Connie sat down next to her. âI stood there talking with him for a while and there wasnât so much as a hint of anything like that. Not with me, not with Karen this afternoon, and not with Brenda, Lois, Mary, or Sara, all of whom came up for introductions about the time you were coming off the ice. God, when he said âweâll . . . talk,â I about swallowed my tongue. I think what he was really saying was, âcome to my room and Iâll rip all your clothes off and do stuff to your body so nasty itâll make you scream.â â
Sasha licked her lower lip. âIt wasnât just in my mind then,â she said slowly. âI thought maybe I was exaggerating the . . . vibrations.â She rubbed her hands down her thighs and gripped her knees. âWow,â she whispered. âHeâs good. I mean, Iâm used to those guys who drool all over me after theyâve seen me perform, and I know how to handle them. But heâs a lot more subtleâwhich makes him about a hundred times more effective.â She turned her head to look at Connie. âI take it itâs safe to assume he watched the âPlaying with Fireâ number?â Dammit, how many times had she been through this, through the multitudinous come-ons from men who thought she was what she skated?
âYeah, he did,â Connie acknowledged. âAnd Iâm as sure as I can be, without having checked to see if there was any action going on behind his fly, that it turned him on. But I think youâre seriously underestimating the man if you think heâs the type to allow himself to be led around by his hormones. Yâask me, if heâs decided he wants you, itâs got nothing to do with having watched one performance on ice.â
âMaybe. But in a way, Connie, thatâs an even scarier scenario, donât you think? Because, I mean, youâre right.â She leaned over and tugged at her laces, working them loose to take off her skates. Finally, she looked up at her friend. âHe is potent and youâre not the only one who wouldnât have a clue how to handle him. Thereâd be no staying in control with that guy.â
âSo youâre going to just let an opportunity for a romp with a man like that one pass you by? Ah, Saush, tell me it isnât so.â
Sashaâs laugh was involuntary and nervous. âWell, at the very least I think Iâll exercise a little native intelligence for once in my life and arrange for any future meetings between the two of us to be conducted in the hotel coffee shop.â Her eyes held confusion when they met Connieâs. âMaybe if we didnât have to work with this guy for God knows how long...â
She blushed and gave Connie a sheepish smile. âYou know Iâm not a big fan of one-night stands, but