Page 28 of Rust
Years passed, and eventually, Rust became a free agent. He left Vancouver and signed with the Minnesota Extreme so he could be closer to home. I was a teenager then, and going through the awkward phase of puberty—and the first time I set my eyes on him as a hormonal teen,oh man,my early “fascination” suddenly clicked into place and made perfect sense. Rust was the most handsome man I’d ever set my eyes on. He could light the room up with his smile—and when he and my dad were together, they werealwayslaughing and smiling.
Drawn to Rust and wanting to know more about him, I started watching more hockey games with my dad. That’s when I saw what kind of player Rust was on the ice: the captain of his team, a physically imposing defenseman, the guy who played basically every single important minute of the game, and atotaltop-dog alpha. Physically, he was all over his opponents all night long, just utterly dominating them with his will. He wouldn’t let the other team get anywherenearhis goalie or his net. You could tell by the way they avoided Rust’s side of the ice that they were afraid of him!
But my favorite moments, of course, were when Rust came over to hang out with Dad. Being a teenager at this point, I couldn’t do the whole spying-from-beneath-the-table thing I’d done as a child anymore. Instead, I had to sneak glimpses at him in passing. I thought I was being smooth, but in hindsight, I was probably gawking at him like a total creep—but what can I say? That tall, handsome babe with the stacked chest and thick arms made a teenage girl feel all sorts of funny feelings, indeed. And once Rust had left, and I was alone in my room, all I could see when I closed my eyes was that strong, sexy athlete pushing me onto the mattress and having his way with me…
Ahem.
Long story short, Rust was aman.How was I notsupposed to crush hard on Rust Walker? Of course, Dad had no idea that his best friend had starred in thousands of his daughter’s hottest fantasies. If he did, I highlydoubt he would eventhinkabout having Rust over as often as he did.
But all good things come to an end. And after a few short years of playing for his hometown team, Rust quietly asked for a trade out of Minnesota. I was stunned when I heard the news he’d been traded to Winnipeg. I cried for an hour. I couldn’t believe it. The reason for the trade was kept hush-hush in the media, but Dad told me the real reason for the trade: Rust asked to be traded after he found out his wife was having an affair. He and his wife split, he left her the house, and he moved to Winnipeg.
I didn’t see him again until my birthday last week.
* * *
“Which brings us to last week,” I said, and then I gave the girls the rundown on that whole story.
“So you really think he was about to kiss you before your dad showed up?” April asked. “How sure are you?”
“Sometimes, I feel about eighty or ninety percent sure,” I said. “Other times, I think I imagined the whole thing entirely.”
“Hewas definitely going for it,” Farrah said with confidence. “And now that your dad finally flew back home, Rust isdyingto get in that forbidden, best-friend’s-daughter pussy.”
We laughed.
“But hold on. The dog sitting thing was her dad’s idea, not Rust’s,” April pointed out.
“So you don’t think he was making a move on me at the game?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Izzy,” she said. “Maybe he was. Maybe not. Either way, I don’t think it’d be a good idea. I get why this guy is exciting, but honestly, I think you’re looking for a fun little distraction after your breakup.”
Farrah chimed in. “Yeah, she wants a rebound! So what? She’s single. Nothing wrong with it. I saygofor it, Iz.”
“Nothing wrong with it,” April countered, “except for the little fact that he’s her dad’s best friend, you mean?”
“Set your morality aside for a second, Ape,” Farrah said. “You can’t deny it’s stupid hot.”
April bit her lip. “Banging your dad’s best friend? Welllll … as evil as it is—”
Farrah shrieked. “Evil?!”
“—itispretty dang hot.”
Farrah laughed victoriously and turned to me. “See? Even the good girl agrees. Besides, it’s not like your dad ever has to know you slept with Rust.”
“But if hedoesfind out,” April warned ominously, “it’d be a disaster.”
“I wanna fuck him so bad,” I whined. “But April’s right. It’dkillmy dad if he knew I fooled around with Rust. Or Dadwould killus. Either way, the ending would be tragic.”
“Don’t overthink it, Iz,” Farrah said. “You are going over there to watch a dog while Rust is away.Ifhe happens to make a move while you’re there?” She grinned devilishly. “Well, you can cross that bridge when you get there.”
Farrah was starting to win me over. All I was doing was agreeing to watch a dog. Besides, I couldn’t be sure if Rust actuallywasmaking a move on me or not. It was probably all in my head; a leftover fantasy from my adolescent crush.
“Where in Vegas does he live, anyway?” April asked.
“He told me he lives in Summerlin,” I said.
“Summerlin? Holy shit,” Farrah said, and sang, “Loa~ded.”
“He’s a millionaire athlete. He definitely has a fancy house,” April said, and now evenshewore a devious grin. “Y’know, Izzy, I bet his house could be a great backdrop for your photos.”
Oh man.I hadn’t even thought of that!
That could silence some of the haters who were getting bored of my content. It was like killing two birds with one stone, or, hell, three or four birds—so many birdswere about to get stoned!
I picked up my phone and tapped out a message to Rust. “Sure, I’d love to! Just let me know when/where.”
His response came a few minutes later. He sent me his address.“Great. I leave tomorrow morning. Probably best if you come over tonight so you can meet Minka. Does 7 work for you?”
“Yes!! Can’t wait!!!”