Puck Off!

Chapter 30

By the time Elske came home, Ryn and I were in the middle of a much needed nap, tangled together under a comforter and happily oblivious to the world. We only knew this because she saw the scattered clothes on the staircase and sent a text to Ryn so that we didn't come out naked with her there.

               I could understand that. Once Ella was living with us, we'd all have to be aware of that!

               Honestly, we were going to call it a day after the edging, but Ryn got a pair of emails that changed that. The first was from the Panopticon Gallery. They had received an offer for her 'Hull' photo for $5000. She was over the moon that her work was loved that much that someone would want to buy it. Yes, we'd have to get another print of it, because it had been her gift to me, but there was no way I was going to rain on her parade. This was a huge win for her, one that might mean even more than the upcoming tournament. Not for the money, but for the promise that her desired career was viable.

               The other email was from the Robert Klein Gallery. One of their representatives had seen her work over at the gallery and wanted to host her for a show some time in the late summer. The dates were vague, as were the number of photos they would need, but it was the second time on the same day that her artwork was acknowledged so positively.

               With all that good news coming in, it set off one more round, with Ryn riding me with as much joy as I'd ever seen on another human. By the time we were done, neither of us were in any shape to do anything more than fall into that aforementioned slumber.

               It was going to be a low key week. Both Iryna and Elske had to concentrate on their practice and getting ready for their tournament. My job was to make their time easier. Give the massages I'd promised Ryn. Have their dinners and breakfasts ready. I'd make sure they slept well. And always keep their spirits up.

               I did my job well. Every night they had the food they wanted, I had the massage oil heated and ready for Ryn's rub down and had fruit smoothie ingredients to go with their breakfasts. Yes, I was doing my best to be good hubby material, and Ryn let me know every day how much she appreciated it. No, not in that way, but there were a lot of promises about a future where I was ridden so long and so hard that I would be hard pressed to walk.

               I liked that vision of the future.

               At the same time, work had gotten much more interesting as well. No longer was I stuck looking over old algorithms, but instead I was writing new ones. I felt good about that. I was always good at that, one of the best, and I had a new one done by the end of the week that had Olivia gushing. If I had a few more of those this year, it was going to be a very good year come bonus time.

               The embarrassing part of work was that Cooper Green, the big boss, was now visiting my desk whenever he came down to see Olivia. That was at least a few times a week, and he was always interested in Iryna of course. We'd talk about the upcoming tournament, and the Eagle's chances in it. They were going to be one of the top seeds, along with defending champ Ohio State, and Cooper was already talking about seeing if he could get the whole team into the suite if they won. Considering there were 26 players on the team, plus coaches, it would be a tough fit. There certainly wouldn't be enough seating for everyone, but they could probably all fit if you had standing room only. He had little doubt that the Bruins would have a problem with it, they'd probably have a pregame ceremony for them regardless of the outcome.

               He was probably right. If they won the tournament, it would be an even bigger deal. All the local teams would get in on the celebration. I offered to talk to Iryna, and then she would present the idea to the coach, but I had a feeling there would be a sports director of some sort that would have to get in on the decision making process.