Free Drive by Brenda Rothert

obsessing over it. Was that line funny or stupid? Too long? Too short? Overly confident? And even though I’d pored over the spelling of every word, I continued checking it again, just in case.
    Was that line about getting lucky too cheesy? Getting lucky. That made me think of sex, which of course made me think of Niko.
    I clicked on to my latest column, which I needed to get to Miranda by five. I’d written about my renewed commitment to yoga and pilates, and how no one could ever appreciate or care for my body as well as me. Not exactly the truth, since Niko had done things to my body at the bar the other night that I was still fantasizing about. What would it be like to turn myself over to him for an entire night, and let him do as he pleased?
    I blew out a breath. That wasn’t an option. I had to finish this column and get to the arena so I could take Kyler off of Dell’s hands. There was a home game tonight, and he and I would be watching it from our usual seats.
    It would be easy to send both of these things off right now. Close them and be done with it. I wanted to hold on to the query for another day or two, but why? Only because I was scared to send it. But it was as polished and professional as it was going to get. I sent my column to Miranda and then attached the query to an email to the editor of the travel magazine. Before I could lose my nerve, I hit ‘send’.
    My stomach rolled with nervous anxiety. I got up from my desk and went to change clothes, deciding to put the query out of my mind.
    I had my favorite jeans almost all the way on when I paused. Maybe I’d wear a skirt again. Not because I wanted to send some sort of message to Niko, just because I liked skirts. Right. I needed to wear skirts more.
    I found a black one I liked, adding leggings, boots, a black V-neck shirt and a scarf. I grabbed my coat and slipped it on, stopping in the doorway. Perfume, maybe? And some lipstick? In a rush, I went to the bathroom to freshen my makeup and add some finishing touches. Now I was ready to watch hockey with my favorite six-year-old.
    By the time I walked in to the arena, it was already buzzing with pre-game excitement. I felt a little of it, myself. The more I watched hockey, the more I liked it.
    The usher recognized me and let me on the elevator that took me down to the locker room. I texted Dell that I was here and then stood in the hallway outside the locker room to wait.
    Niko was on the other side of the wall, potentially only partially dressed. I bit down on my lip as I pictured him sitting on a bench in the locker room, shirtless. He was probably taping his stick, those gorgeous, dark eyes focused intently on it. That made me think of his hands, and the way he’d touched me at the bar the other night. No man had ever come on to me like that. Niko had shoved me against a wall in the back room of a bar and felt me up. And I’d been so turned on by the way he’d taken control of me, completely confident in his ability to get me going. Would he be going to Lucky’s again tonight?
    “Hey,” Dell said, walking out of the locker room. I snuck a peek in the door as it closed, hoping for a look at Niko. Kyler came out next, his attention focused on a handheld video game.
    “Hi,” I said. “Has he had dinner?”
    Dell immediately looked guilty. “No. I’ve been crazy busy.”
    “It’s fine,” I said. “We’ll get hot dogs and nachos. I haven’t eaten, either.”
    “Yes, hot dogs!” Kyler said, glancing up at me with a grin. “Hey, why are you all dressed up, Aunt Sadie?”
    “I’m not,” I said, a little too defensively.
    “You do look extra nice,” Dell said. “Are you going out later?”
    I shrugged. “No plans to.”
    “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a date.” Dell looked at me through narrowed eyes.
    I glared at her and hugged Kyler close. “The only date I have is right here.”
    “Aunt Sadie ,” he groaned, pulling away.
    “What? Are you too cool for me