Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett

another article about me and that includes getting to see me around my family.”
    “Well, if you’re sure?” She sounds shy all of a sudden.
    “I’m sure. Besides, I need you to hang out with some people that can vouch that I’m not a bad guy.” I’m joking with her, but I realize with absolute certainty that I need for this woman to see that I’m not a bad guy. And I’m not sure where that is coming from. I’ve never really cared what a woman thought before, other than to make sure she was pleased in bed.
    I figure it must be the fact that I don’t want my fans to be disappointed in the article that she writes. That has to be it, because the alternative is not something I want to give credence to. Because it spooks me to no end that I may actually like Ever just a bit and her personal opinion of me is important.
    Her next words thrill me. “I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Linc.”
    My heart lifts up and somersaults in my chest, a reaction that disturbs me greatly.
    Fuck! I don’t like what those words do to me.

 
     
     
     

     
     

     
    I’m sitting in a hospital room and I couldn’t feel more out of place. The room itself is lovely. It’s lavishly decorated with hardwood floors and ambient lighting. The furniture looks to be mahogany and even the windows have expensive treatments adorning them. It looks like a room at the Ritz...or so I would imagine. I suppose if you’re married to a New York Ranger, you get star treatment.
    The chair that I’ve taken in the corner lets me observe everything, despite the awkwardness of the situation.
    We are here to visit Danny Burnham, who just had her baby last night. Danny looks amazingly beautiful, especially given the fact that she went through several hours of hard labor. She’s watching her mother-in-law hold the baby, a dreamy look on her face.
    The room is full of family and I am an outsider. Emily hasn’t talked to me yet but she gave me a hard glare when I walked in. Linc quickly introduced me to everyone and explained that I was doing a follow up piece to my original article. This statement was met by polite smiles but I can tell everyone is pissed at me for what I wrote.
    I have no right to let it hurt my feelings. I deserve it.
    Linc woke me up this morning at 6:00am and we went on a run. I had no problem making the five miles, although I am a little sore. It also probably has something to do with the fact that I tried to work out with Linc at the gym yesterday afternoon. But after an hour, I had to give up and watch him...counting reps as he told me I would do.
    The man is a machine. I’ve never seen anyone push their body as hard as he does. I thought I’d be bored, just watching him workout, but I’d be lying if I said it was a chore. His body is unrealistically beautiful. He’s all tanned skin and hard muscle...chiseled perfection. Hell, even his sweat is sexy.
    And his work ethic is beyond amazing. I’m starting to understand that there is no summer long vacation for NHL players. They work year round and have to make a lot of sacrifices, which causes my respect for him to increase a little.
    I watch Linc talking with Congressman Burnham. He is naturally at ease, his hands casually tucked in his pockets. They’re talking about golf, a sport that I found Linc enjoys playing. He tells a golf joke—which I don’t get—and Mr. Burnham laughs with gusto. It’s a marvel to me that Linc is so poised at age twenty-four, but I guess when you are in the public eye, you learn how to handle yourself.
    Admittedly, my feelings about Linc are conflicted. On the one hand, I have accepted the fact that I misjudged the situation that had occurred last Friday. He wasn’t the complete man-whore I thought him to be, but he’s by no means a monogamous angel either. I have not been able to get out of my head when he told me that he had fucked that woman, and fucked her hard. My sensibilities say I should be offended. Instead, I’m a little jealous and