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  © Copyright 2021 by Van Cole All rights reserved.

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  Training a Hockey Star

  Gay First Time Romance

  By: Van Cole

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Come Stalk Me!

  Foreword

  My Nightmare Client Became My Lover, a Hockey Star Treated my Heart like a Puck

  I thought my dreams had come true when Rudy Marsh came back home and decided that I, Josh, was going to train him during the off season. All I wanted was to be a fitness trainer and now I had one of the hottest stars in the business. He would be the catalyst for my success, all I had to do was treat him well.

  But God he didn’t make it easy. From the first moment we met he acted like he was my enemy, torturing me, tormenting me, pushing me to my limits because he knew I was desperate.

  And then it happened. He made me do something I never thought would happen.

  He pushed me too far and I realized I liked it. We went from enemies to lovers in a hot romance.

  Training a Hockey Star

  Chapter One

  Josh

  I was sitting on my couch with a beer in my hand watching a clip of Rudy play. He’s one of the all time greats, and I feel proud that he comes from my little corner of the world. I guess the rest of us do as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if a statue gets erected of him by the time his career is over. It’s not like our small town is famous for anything else. Rudy is an inspiration to us all, and it’s easy to see why. Watching him on the ice is like watching a master artist at work. The ice is his canvas, the hockey stick his paintbrush, except by the end of the game he’s cloaked in blood and sweat rather than paint. I watch as he surges past an opponent, their hockey stick is flailing in the air as they try to trip him up, and fail. Then he swivels, before striking the puck. It’s like he’s pulled off a magic trick. One moment the puck is by his stick, the next it’s in the goal and the keeper is standing there, as stunned as the rest of us. Rudy turns away and lifts his stick in the air triumphantly. He pulls his helmet off and I can see the pure joy on his face. It’s infectious and I can’t stop smiling.

  That’s the effect he has on people.

  That’s the effect he has on the whole town.

  He’s a goddamn hero, and he’s going to be my client.

  I take another swig of my beer to calm my nerves, and I wipe clammy moisture off my palms. Skin peels off my lips as I gnaw at them and I wonder if I’m actually going to be able to pull this off. I’d only contacted him on the off chance that he might want some training on the off season. If I managed to get a good review from him then my fledgling business could take flight. I was never going to be as successful as Rudy, and there certainly wasn’t going to be a statue of me near the town hall, but I could at least make a name for myself and become a success, which is more than most people could hope for in this place.

  Rudy is going to be my first client and I almost can’t believe that he’s going to entrust his fitness to me. I keep thinking that it’s some strange dream, that I’m going to wake up and find out this is all make believe. Look at him, the crowd is cheering him, pinpricks of light flash behind him as they try to capture his image in a photograph. I just know that he’s the key. If I can get him as a regular client then who knows who else I’ll be able to get? But he’s the crown jewel, he’s the one I really want.

  The only thing that’s surprising to me is that, as he wheels away after scoring, none of his teammates skate beside him. It’s as though he’s alone on the ice, as if he has the entire world to himself. I know what loneliness is like, although I don’t imagine he’s alone off the ice. A man like him must always have someone around. There is something ethereal about him, something that makes him larger than life, something hypnotic. It took a while before I realized how long I had been staring at him, but that was the mark of a great man. They held the world in their hands, and nothing could rip it from them.

  *

  It was the first day of our training session and I paced about the gym nervously. I’d rented out a small space. It was humble, but it would do, considering I only had one client. I’d been studying furiously, so much so that I’d barely slept the past few nights. Nerves were churning in the pit of my stomach and I kept shifting my gaze between the clock and the door, for Rudy was late.

  Maybe I had been too optimistic to think that Rudy would actually show up. I was a trainer with no reputation, just starting out, and he was a hockey star. Of course he could have done better than me. I looked around at my humble beginnings and let out a dry chuckle. Sometimes I wondered if I should have done what Mom said and thrown away this dream because it was never going to put food on my table. But I didn’t want to end up like everyone else here.

  I wanted to be like Rudy.

  Then it happened.

  The door opened and he walked in. I didn’t realize until a few moments later that I had been holding my breath. The air seemed to shimmer around him, and that was how I knew I was in the presence of greatness. He seemed larger than life on the TV screen, but in person the effect was magnified. He looked like a giant, and my lips parted in awe.

  He looked around at the gym and nodded, then walked up to me, holding out his hand.

  “You’re Josh I guess?” he said in his pleasant drawl. I took his hand. The grip was firm, his smile magnetic, and his eyes seemed to drill right into the depths of me. This was the difference between people like him and people like me. He made an impression on people.

  “Yes, that’s right. It’s a great honor to meet you, and I’m glad that you’re here. I look forward to working with you,” I said, trying to remain professional, but it was difficult to not let my fawning admiration seep through.

  “Yeah, well, I thought I’d better keep myself tuned up during the off season. I wouldn’t want to lose that edge,” he said, and dumped his exercise bag by his feet.

  “Of course. I’ve researched a lot of diets and I’ve put together a few nutrition plans based on what you want to accomplish on the off season. I don’t know if you want to put on some extra muscle or if you just want to maintain things for the moment,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Nerves were bubbling inside me and I didn’t want to appear unprofessional, like I was just some fan who caught a lucky break, which as it happens is what I did feel like.

  Rudy scoffed. “Don’t you think I’m in good enough shape already?” he asked, flexing his arm under his tight t-shirt. It was impossible to not admire his figure, purely from an aesthetic perspective of course. The angles of his body were illuminated in such a way that they flowed from one to the other. It was as though he had been sculpted by a master craftsman, every imperfection chipped away until what was left was this pure form.

  “Sure, sure,” I said, feeling sheepish. What right did I have to tell this successful athlete how to look after his body.

  “Look, I’m not going to lie, all I really need is for someone to help me stretch and things so I keep limber. The season is intense and I don’t want my off season to be all serious. I don’t get the chance to come home often so I’m planning to enjoy myself, and that involves drinking copious amounts of beer and relaxing a little.”

  I tilted my head and summoned up my courage. “Are you… are you sure that that’s a good idea? I mean, you don’t want to lose your touch for the season.”

  As soon as the words slipped out of my mouth I regretted saying them. His head snapped around to glare at me, and his eyes were like two shards of ice, cutting and chilled.

  “Are you going to tell me how to manage my body? Don’t you think I’ve picked a few things up considering I’ve played hockey… oh… let’s see,” he started to count on his fingers before he yelled, “all my life!” He marched towards me and I got a sense of what other players must have felt when they collided on the ice. “Let’s get one thing straight,” the words flew like bullets from his mouth. “I’m not here because I’m paying for the best. I’m here because the club needs me to have someone watching over my fitness so they can have peace of mind. I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing this for them, and the sad thing is that this rinky-dink town doesn’t have anyone of the caliber I need. So congratulations, you’ve got the job. If you play your cards right then this is going to be the easiest job you’ve ever had because all I need is a few sessions a week and then a report sent to the club. Other than that, I plan to enjoy myself while I’m home. And you get to say that you have me as a client. Frankly I would have thought you’d be jumping for joy. Do you know how much of a big deal I am?”

  “Y-yes,” I stammered, averting my gaze because I was afraid of the thunder in his eyes.

  He prodded me in the chest. “Well then, I hope that
you know you can stuff your nutrition plans because I’ve had enough of that. I’m not going to do anything I don’t want to do, and if you try and push me, then I can bury you just as much as I can make you. Do you understand?”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. Suddenly my dream had turned into a nightmare and what else could I do but go along with him? He was Rudy “fucking” Marsh, and I was just a nobody. I had to do what he said.

  The worst, most humiliating thing was at the end of the session. He’d dismissed me and I was sitting on a chair, waiting for time to crawl by so that I could get out of there. I never thought holding a training session with Rudy Marsh would end up making me feel like crap. I watched him go through the motions, going far gentler than I would have been. He barely warmed up before he told me that he was ready to go, but before he did he had something he finally wanted me to do. At first I was just glad to actually do my job. I started to rise, assuming that he wanted my help to stretch or something, but I had barely lifted my butt out of the seat when he pulled it towards him and placed his foot on top of it, pulling his shorts so far up his groin I was one inch short of seeing his stick and two pucks. I guess it was his way of asserting his dominance.

  “I’m feeling a bit tight Josh. Do you mind giving it a bit of a squeeze before I go?” Rudy asked. There was a smug, sneering look in his eyes. I glared at him and gritted my teeth. I knew he wasn’t doing it because he truly needed my help. He just wanted me on my knees, to remind me that he was in charge here. If I had been a stronger man then maybe I could have stood up to him. Maybe I would have told him that he was a cruel bastard and nobody should have to put up with this treatment. But the fact was that he had me over a barrel. I knew it and, more importantly, he knew it. If I walked out now then he would tell everyone that I failed him, and nobody would ever hire me again.

  So I sank to the floor, bowing my head to hide my shame. Frankly, I didn’t even want to look at him. I grabbed some lotion from my bag and squeezed it into my palm. The gel was cool against my skin as I rubbed it in. Then I placed my hands upon his thigh, feeling the strong muscles. They were so taut, so powerful. As someone who had spent a lot of time studying the human body, it was impossible to not be impressed with the state of his. His fitness was impeccable and even though he was a jerk, I couldn’t deny that his body was one of the best I had seen. I pressed my fingers around his thigh, feeling the supple flesh underneath my finger tips. There were dark hairs that swept along his tanned skin like wild grass in the desert. I couldn’t feel any knots in the muscles, so I was doubly sure he was only doing this to make me feel like crap. Still, I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. I rubbed him as hard and as good as I could. If nothing else I hoped that it might prove to him that I was actually great at my job. I wrapped my hands around his thighs and squeezed, feeling the heat of his body emanate around my hands.

  “Go lower. My calf is starting to feel tight too,” he said. I grimaced, but said nothing as I did as he asked. I figured my best bet was to just grit my teeth and get on with it. If I could just put up with his bullish behavior then at the end of it I would at least be in a better position, and I’d be more likely to get some clients. I brought my hands down behind his knee, feeling the soft flesh of his calf muscle. I looked at the pale veins that ran underneath the skin, each one of them were rivers carrying life throughout his body. My fingers sunk into his flesh. My gaze flicked up and glanced at the rest of him. I couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like under all those clothes, how sculpted and pristine his torso must have been. I never usually preoccupied myself with so many thoughts about the male form, but when in the presence of someone like Rudy I couldn’t help but wonder what the apex of human conditioning could be, and how close he came to it. As he stood there with his foot on the chair, looking up at the ceiling, he looked like he was posing for a statue to be made of him. I wished I had been stronger. I wished I had been able to assert myself. It was something of professional pride that I should be concerned with the way he treated his body. The last thing I wanted was for him to grow lax and lose the fine conditioning his body was in. It certainly wouldn’t reflect well on me, and it wouldn’t do him any favors either.

  As I massaged his flesh I dreaded it becoming soft and flabby. It deserved to be hard. His body was a temple and it deserved to be worshiped by fans. Even though Rudy had inspired nothing but hatred for him from me, I was still in awe of his flesh. It was impossible not to be. I imagined that anyone in my position would have been the same. They would be mesmerized by the way his flesh glistened after it had been coated in oil, by the way the firm elasticity stretched under the weight of fingertips pressing against it, and they would have been transfixed by the feeling of it. It was so warm. I found myself being entranced by it, as though his flesh was a vast desert of unblemished smooth sand that was waiting for someone to mark it with footprints. It was so easy to become lost in a man like him.

  I shook the thoughts from my head, telling myself that there was a point where professional interest went too far. I quelled the fluttering feelings in my stomach and told myself that I was being foolish. I didn’t need to be in thrall to this man, no matter what kind of shape he was in. I was just here to do a job, and I was going to do it about as well as I damned well could.

  Chapter Two

  Rudy

  Being back at home was a strange sensation. It had been a long time since I had returned. I liked coming back here, you know, I mean, it’s not exactly a chore to come back to a place where you’re worshiped, but there’s something about being a big fish in a small pond that I just don’t like. These people, they put all their hopes and dreams onto me, like I’m some kind of talisman for their success. It’s almost like they don’t have to try in their own lives because they can look at me and think ‘yeah, he’s made it, that’s cool, I can just live off his glory’. I never wanted that responsibility. I never asked for it either, and yet I find myself carrying the burden anyway.

  But what do I know? I guess if people want to treat me like a king then I’ll let them. There’s no harm in it after all, and it’s not as though I don’t deserve it after everything I’ve done on the ice. Countless player of the season awards, records broken for goals scored, scoring streaks, winning streaks, you name it I’ve done it, and everyone here loves it.

  Usually I hate the off season, but this time I’m looking forward to it. My body could use the break. It’s not that I’m old. It’s still a few years until I turn thirty, but the last few seasons have been tough. My body has been through the wringer and all the seasons have taken their toll. The last thing I need is to train too hard over the off season. I didn’t want to train at all, except that I was forced to. Despite being a big shot hockey player there’s always someone else calling the shots. Unless you’re an owner you don’t get to do shit, even though I’m the one making them millions. I’m glad for the break. Something happened that left a bad taste in my mouth and I need some time to sort my head out.

  Have you ever wondered where your life is heading? For someone like me it’s always been a straight line to the future. Even when I was young I knew where I was going to end up. I was too good as a hockey player to ever be anything else. I’ve never believed in destiny or any of that shit, but some things are written in the stars I guess. But I know that it’s not going to last forever. I can already feel my body creaking. I’ve got a few seasons left in me, but how many at the top? I’ve seen too many other legends fade away because they don’t know when to quit.

  For the first time in my life I’m staring at a blank slate. When my time on the ice is over what is there for me? I have to try and make it last as long as possible. God I miss the days when I knew exactly what I was doing, when life was simple. Over the years it’s gotten more and more complicated, and more people like to butt their noses in. At least back here I’m away from all of that shit. The last thing I need is for someone to tell me what to do here as well, which is why I don’t have much hope in this trainer.