Chapter 23

Sid was sitting at the desk, scrolling on his laptop. Maddie rolled over, felt around the bed and sat up.

“Are you looking?” she asked. He nodded. “How bad?”

He tilted his head side-to-side, noncommittally.

“The Sporting News says ‘Sid the Kid may be all grown up. He hit the red carpet at the NHL Awards with a tall brunette on his arm. She was stuck to his side all night – his doing, or hers?” he read.

“Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog says, ‘Get it Kid! Sidney Crosby finally mans up and lands himself a knockout date. If she knows a thing about the game, we hope he marries her soon. First order of business: a prenup as long as her legs.”

“And your favorite, Hello Canada says, ‘Sidney Crosby’s date, Madeline Cartwright, seemed perfectly at ease in front of the cameras and reporters at Wednesday’s NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Either she’s very comfortable under pressure or she’s had some practice getting her hands, and legs, on superstar athletes. She became part of the festivities when Capital’s star Alexander Ovechkin called her on stage, then carried her off in his arms. Crosby didn’t move to rescue her – he must be quite sure his paycheck is big enough to keep her from jumping ship with the strapping Russian forward.”

Maddie laughed. “Okay, okay. At least they didn’t call me ugly.”

“Honey,” he said. “They may have questionable ethics, but they are not blind.”
___
Jordan threw a paper down on the table at breakfast. “Guess what they have in the gift shop? Canadian papers.”

Max snatched up the Toronto Globe & Mail. He turned it for everyone to see – on the cover was a photo of Sid and Maddie from the red carpet. “The Kid Grows Up” was the headline. He turned the page. “Ooh, it’s an op-ed. Much more juicy.”

“NHL superstar Sidney Crosby may never escape his nickname, but he attended the annual NHL awards ceremony looking very grown up. Crosby made his first ever public appearance with a girl on his arm - a tall, leggy brunette named Madeline Cartwright. She even stole the show when Alex Ovechkin called her on stage and pretended to kidnap her from the Penguins captain. In a knockout pink dress, we might have tried the same thing.

It remains to be seen if Crosby’s first public girlfriend will last. As the face of the NHL and spokesperson for Reebok and other companies, Crosby has a very carefully constructed image to protect. While no one expects a young, wealthy, famous athlete to stay single forever, Crosby has long shown a solid business sense when it comes to marketing himself. Athlete love affairs rife with scandal are a constant fixture in tabloid news. Currently under a 5-year contract worth $43.5 million, plus endorsements, the hockey community has been waiting to see how the Boy Wonder will handle the challenging issue of women.

At the after party, I passed Cartwright flying solo, laughing and talking hockey with Brendan Shanahan. She looked like she could handle the situation with grace. Let’s hope Crosby can man up and do the same.”

Max put the paper down and everyone applauded. Maddie smiled sheepishly.

“That was a little harsh on you,” she whispered to Sid.

He was grinning. “I am used to it. I’m just glad they’re being nice to you.” He picked up the paper. “This picture is going on my fridge.”
___

Maddie squeezed Cynthia’s shoulder. “Potty party,” she whispered. Cynthia followed her into the Ladies Lounge.

“I think it’s time for Kris’ fandemonium moment,” Maddie said, and revealed her plan.

Cynthia shook her head. “You are an evil genius.”
___

Cynthia and Maddie hung back as the group trooped out of the restaurant. Sid moved to wait for them, but Maddie shook her head. He watched for a minute as Cynthia rolled the waistband of her skirt, making it much shorter. Maddie unbuttoned the front of her shirt and pulled her boobs up high in her bra. “Go,” she mouthed.

It took Sid a minute, then his eyes went wide. He went left, around the tables, to get in front of the group. Deanne and Jordan stopped at a craps table to watch the game, so Kris would have to stop behind them. Jordan looked over his shoulder and gave them a little nod.

“Oh my god!” Maddie screamed at the top of her lungs.

“It is! It is him!” Cynthia yelled, and grabbed onto Maddie’s arm.

Kris turned as the girls were running in his direction. He was just feet from a crowd of people at the table, some of whom also looked to follow the screaming. The girls ran right up to him, squealing.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod,” Maddie was loud, holding her hand over her chest and drawing a lot of attention to her unbuttoned top.

“I can’t believe it! Kris Letang!” Cynthia squealed. “You are, like, THE greatest hockey player in the WORLD.”

The craps game, and all the games around it, had completely stopped. Players and dealers alike were watching the scene.

“Stanley Cup champions! You were so hot in that last game, in the handshake line, your hair was all messy.” Maddie reached out to touch his hair and pressed her chest right up to him. “You’re dreamy.”

Kris’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t seem to think Maddie was actually going to do cause a scene. She winked at him.

“We are you biggest fans,” Cynthia carried on. “I can’t believe we are meeting you! Eeeeeeeeeee!” She threw her arms around him, practically jumping up and down.

Maddie pulled a sharpie marker out of her pocket. “Could I please have your autograph?” She pleaded, and moved right into him. “Please with a cherry on top?” She held the marker up in front of his face. He looked like he was going to burst out laughing.

She stepped back an inch and pulled the top of her shirt open, revealing a lot of exposed cleavage. She batted her eyelashes at him. He took the marker and scrawled his name across her chest, complete with a little #58.

Cynthia practically threw Maddie out of the way. “Me next,” she breathed. She pulled her skirt up her leg. Kris knelt down and Cynthia put the ball of her foot on his knee. He signed his name across her thigh and, slowly, wrote his phone number underneath it. Then he stood.

Cynthia leaned in an kissed him, then darted away. Maddie stepped in and, much to Kris’ surprise, pressed her lips right where Cynthia’s had just been. She ran her hands through his hair, then broke away.

“Couldn’t resist,” she whispered. She grabbed Cynthia’s hand and they ran off, leaving Kris standing kiss-stung and dumbstruck in the middle of the casino.