Chapter 44

Monday morning I was out of the condo before Emma made her appearance and was on the ice before any of the team showed up. After the usual stretching and skating warm-up, I peppered Patrick from the point, half boards as well as skating in on him, simulating a breakaway or penalty shot. The team started trickling out onto the ice about twenty minutes later and each of them came over and welcomed me back. John came out about middle of the pack and came over after stretching for a bit.

"Hey Mike, glad to see you back on the ice," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good actually, you're looking nicely tanned," I replied. "Did you and Amanda go down anyway?"

"Yeah, it was that or find a new girlfriend," he said with a laugh.

"How was it?" I asked.

"It was great, lots of sun, girls in bikinis and too much to drink and eat," he replied with a grin. "We didn't want to come back."

"I'm glad you had fun, I'll get you some cash to pay back your folks," I said quietly.

"Thanks Mike," he said before skating away to warm up.

Eventually the team was all out on the ice and the coaches joined us and gathered us around.

"I hope you all had a good March break, I think we all needed some time off," Coach Benson started off. "Judging by the tans on a few faces, it looks like some of you had a good time."

There were a few remarks and some laughter from the guys.

"Now it's time to get back to business, we have the Western Michigan Broncos in for two games to start the CCHA quarterfinals, so we need to get ready for them," Coach continued. "They beat Lake Superior State last week to make the quarter finals. We split the series with them back in November, losing the game here so we need to buckle down and get ready for them."

"Mike is back from his extended vacation lazing around on his stomach for a month," Coach added. "He's been working out all last week trying to get back into shape and we're going to see how far he's progressed. Mike will be wearing the red no-hit jersey for the week until the doctor gives him the all clear Friday morning so no cheap shots on him. Alright, let's get busy."

Frank came over and told John and I that we would be paired up for now and would be the third pair again. He handed me the red jersey and I slipped it on before joining John on the ice.

The coaches had us practicing ways to bring the puck up against various neutral zone traps to start. The non starters got into a two-one-two trap and each line and defensive pair started from our zone and tried to get it into their zone. I was a bit rusty with my long passes at the start but it came back pretty quickly. My skating seemed to be ok and I actually found myself a bit faster with being lighter by ten pounds than usual.

After about twenty minutes we progressed into different offensives; dump and chase, puck possession, keeping the puck in deep or feeding the defencemen for screened point shots. I keep out of the rough stuff against the boards but boomed a few shots from the point for the forwards to tip in or screen the goalie.

We moved onto special teams where I participated in the power play at the point but was kept off the penalty kill units as there was too big a risk for contact. Finally, we had a lively scrimmage where I had to use only my stick and speed to stop the forwards as they came in on me. It was good practice for me as I relied too much on my size to overpower my opponents.

I had to shower and dress quickly when we were done in order to make my algebra class on time. I arrived just as the professor entered the classroom, so I quickly found a seat and got ready to take notes as he got out of his coat and prepared for his lecture.

The professor welcomed us back from March break and then explained the compressed schedule for the next month before the final exam in the first week of April. After that news, he launched into the new chapters and when the period was done, he had covered two of the more difficult ones in the book. I packed up went down to the front where Dr. Milan handed me my midterm that Professor Hiller had marked for me last week.

"Congratulations Mr. Stewart, I'm glad to see that you faired so well on the exam with all your difficulties last month," Dr. Milan stated. "Keep it up and you should do well on the final."

"Thank you Dr. Milan, thankfully I had time to study while hanging around the hospital," I explained.

I moved on to calculus and Professor Hiller was just as determined to get through two chapters as was Dr. Milan was last class. She was looking very svelte in a blouse and dress pants and I had to stop myself from staring at her wonderful derriere when she was writing on the board or I would get behind. I stayed behind and she handed over my finished exam from last week with a ninety-nine written on the front page.

"Congratulations Mr. Stewart, it was a very well written exam," she said.

"Thank you Professor Hiller, I worked hard to get caught up," I told her. "Thanks for all of your help with both classes."

"You're welcome, it was a pleasure," she replied as she looked around. "We better not linger here; my stalker is probably around somewhere."

"You need to lodge a formal complaint against him," I suggested.

"I'm low woman on the totem pole around here, so it won't go over well," she explained.

"Let me know if he becomes a bother and I'll find a way to discourage him without him knowing who it is," I told her.

"I might take you up on that if you can guarantee that he won't know who did it or why," she replied.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," I told her. "I'll see you Wednesday, Professor."

"See you then and thanks," she said as she left the room.

I walked in the other direction and grabbed some lunch while revising the Philosophy paper according to the recommended changes Pam had done. I saved only the corrected version on the memory stick to hand in to the professor. After finishing up my hamburger and fries, I packed up my stuff and headed to class. I found an aisle seat and pulled out my clipboard to get ready to take notes. I got a few looks as the rest of the students filed in; mostly curious or simple recognition expressions though a few girls gave me a smile. Nora made a point to pass by and say hi before joining her latest guy.

The professor came in right on time and got to work right away on the new chapters. It seemed that every professor realized how few weeks were left in the semester and were making sure that they would cover everything they needed to. At the end of the class, I waited until the normal infatuated girls finished up with their questions for the professor.

"Professor, here is my second paper, thank you for allowing me to hand it in late," I said.

"Mr. Stewart, how are your injuries healing?" he asked as he took the memory stick.

"All healed up Sir, just getting back into playing shape for Friday's game," I replied.

"Good to hear it," he responded. "I'll have this back to you on Wednesday."

"Thank you Sir," I replied before heading out.

I walked to the arena and watched the skaters through the lobby glass for a bit before joining Emma and Asuka in the stands.

"Hello ladies, how was your day?" I asked.

"It was good, I enjoyed going to their classes," Emma stated.

"It was an interesting day, I had to be on my toes with this one around," Asuka said, nodding at Emma. "Her fans kept coming up and asking for autographs or pictures."

"And I suppose you were in protection mode the whole time?" I asked her.

She smiled and nodded and Emma looked at her in surprise.

"Really, I'm so sorry Asuka, you didn't have to do that," Emma said. "I don't need protection here."

"I'm sure you never thought you needed protection in New York a month ago either," Asuka said. "I'm already in protection mode for Mitsy, so I just keep an eye on you as well."

Emma had the grace to blush when she looked back at me.

I laughed and said, "It's ok, it comes natural to her and to me as well," I told her. "So you had a good day?"

"Yes, it was interesting to experience university life with them, I can't wait until I get to go," she replied.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," I remarked. "Ok, I'm going to work out before practice and leave you in good hands. I'll see you at six. Oh, I forgot, Daphne will be coming with the groceries at six thirty. Do you have anything that you want this week? I can email her and she can pick it up."

"Nope, I'm fine with whatever you have," Emma responded.

"Ok, I'll see you both in a bit," I said before heading down to the locker room.

After changing, I had a good workout, using about sixty five percent of my normal weight. I found the weight not to difficult but didn't raise it this time, wanting to go a bit slower this week. I had a quick shower and got into my hockey equipment when I was done.

Emma and Asuka were waiting for me in the seats by the tunnel.

"Have a good workout?" Emma asked.

"Yes I did," I replied. "I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal. I still used sixty five percent of the weight but it feels comfortable now."

"You're looking better, even from Saturday," Emma remarked. "Your colour is better and you don't look as thin."

"Well, you're going to have to stick around then, you're obviously good for my health and well being," I said with a grin.

"I've hardly been with you the last couple of days, so it can't be me," she retorted.

"Just imagine if you spend the whole day with me, I'll be back to normal in a day or two," I told her.

"Or you'll have a relapse," she replied with a laugh.

"I'm willing to take that chance, and I'm sure the girls won't mind you spending some time with me," I said.

"I have been neglecting my hero, haven't I Asuka?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure he would like your company, but he's not going to fall apart if you leave him alone," Asuka replied.

The figure skaters came off at that time and Casey and Mitsy came over to us.

"You two skate beautifully," Emma told them. "You're both so talented and graceful."

"Thank you Emma, I'm glad you liked it," Casey said.

"Yes, thanks Emma, that means a lot to us coming from you," Mitsy added. "Michael, how was your workout?"

"It was good," I replied. "I'm finally starting to feel normal."

"That's good to hear," she replied. "So what have you two been talking about?"

"I've been neglecting Michael the last couple of days, but Asuka thinks he won't fall apart because of it," Emma said with a laugh. "I'm not so sure, so I might spend tomorrow with him."

"Oh, you probably should spend a full day with him and find out how annoying he can be," Mitsy advised. "Then you'll be begging to stay with us the rest of the week."

"You're just saying that to steal my guest from me, I think Emma wants to get away from you," I rebutted. "I'm surprised you haven't changed her hair style, wardrobe and her accent already."

"Unlike you, Emma is a nice person with impeccable manners and grace," Mitsy responded. "You however, are in serious need of professional help."

"Well you're short and very annoying," I replied, sticking my tongue out at her.

"And he proves my point, yet again," Mitsy said with a grin.

"I don't have to stand here and take this abuse, I have a whole team that wants to abuse me on the ice," I replied. "I'll see the rest of you later and maybe you can lose the shrimp in some puddle somewhere."

I went on the ice to set up Patrick on the far net. I started my usual stretches and warm up skating and then shot on Patrick until the rest of the team joined me. Practice was similar to this morning's and we were let go just after six. After a shower and getting dressed, I joined the girls out in the seats.

"Ladies, I see you couldn't lose the tick," I said in greeting.

"Nope, because she arranged for dinner tonight," Casey said with a grin. "So let's get going back to the condo so we can get changed."

I led the way to the SUV and unlocked the doors with the remote. Emma got in the front passenger seat and the others took the back seats. We drove home and marched up to the lobby to check our mail and found Daphne in the lobby with a pile of groceries around her. I let her in and grabbed most of them while the others all helped. Daphne carried the lasagne into the lobby.

"Hey Daphne, these are some friends of mine, Mitsy, Asuka, Casey and Emma," I made the introductions.

"Hi everyone, are you all models like Mike?" she asked. "You all look so gorgeous."

"I like this girl already," Casey said. "No, we're just friends except for Emma here. I'm sure you know what she does for a living."

"Holy Shit, you're Emma Watson, the girl Mike saved last month!" Daphne said. "I can't believe it's you! I watched every Harry Potter movie and you're the best one in them."

"Thanks Daphne," Emma responded. "So, you've been taking care of Michael here for a bit now. How is he to work for?"

"Mike's the best, I've only been working for him for a week, but I try hard to do a good job for him," she replied. "He insists on overpaying when I just want him to pay for what I do. I don't want charity from him."

We got into the elevator and the girls lightly interrogated Daphne all the way until we were in my condo. Everyone pitched in to put the groceries away and the girls told me to go get dressed for dinner while they had some girl talk with Daphne.

"Ok, but don't leave until I pay you," I told her.

She nodded and I left them in the kitchen. I quickly went to my bedroom and put on some slacks, a good shirt and socks before heading back to the kitchen. When I stepped in, I saw Daphne laughing along with the others so I was relieved.

"Not bad," Emma said, looking me over. "Shall we go dressed ladies?"

"We'll see you downstairs in twenty minutes," Casey said as they got up.

I pulled out my wallet and slipped Daphne two hundred dollars.

"Mike, we agreed on a hundred for Mondays," Daphne argued.

"The other hundred is for your discretion," I said. "As hard as it's going to be, I don't want you to tell anyone about Emma being here. If anyone asks you, you tell them that you're cleaning Barb's condo, ok?"

"Mike, I wouldn't tell anyone," she said.

"Not on purpose, but I know how hard it is to keep a secret like this," I told her. "You might be just having a conversation with a girlfriend and you let it slip. I'm hoping the extra money will jog your memory before that happens."

"I like all those girls, I won't hurt you or them," she said firmly.

"Good, now take the money and put it in the bank," I told her. "I'll see you Wednesday afternoon."

"Ok Mike, but I want to earn the money, not be given it," she said as she got up.

"And you will, I promise," I responded. "Now follow the girls down to the next floor and you can catch the elevator there without a key."

"See you Wednesday and thanks Mike," she said, running to catch up to them.

Emma had carried a garment bag with her downstairs so I watched some TV for the next twenty minutes. Eventually it was time to leave and I put on a good coat and headed downstairs. I knocked on the door and Asuka opened it, wearing a short, form fitting red dress that had a distinctive modern Japanese style.

"Wow, Asuka, you look marvellous," I said. "I love the dress and how you look in it."

"Thank you Michael, I'm glad you like it," she said with a smile. "You better come in; the other four are still getting ready."

I walked in and we sat in their living room to wait for the others.

"Your hair looks wonderful pinned up like that," I told her. "It shows off your wonderful neck and shoulders."

"Thank you Michael, I'll have to wear it up more often for you," she said with a grin. "That is if the other ladies don't get jealous."

"And we will get jealous," Casey said as she came into the room. "She's not only beautiful, she gets ready in half the time we do."

She was wearing a clingy short dress in silver and her blonde hair was also up on her shoulders to show off her beautiful neck.

"Jesus, are you all trying to get me killed tonight?" I said. "I'm going to have to fight off the entire city if you all go out looking so gorgeous!"

"Why thank you Michael, we just decided to dress up for dinner," Casey said sweetly. "So where are you taking us?"

"We should probably upgrade from McDonald's I guess," I admitted. "Frankly I don't have a clue what would be acceptable the way you two are dressed."

Barb came out in a short. light green dress, followed by Mitsy in a sexy black one.

"What are we talking about?" Mitsy asked.

"Michael doesn't have a clue where to take us," Casey said.

"In my defence, there probably isn't a place in the state that would do justice to how you ladies look," I said. "You two look gorgeous as well."

"Thank you Michael, you look handsome this evening," Barb replied.

"We're going to my family's restaurant of course," Mitsy stated before turning to shout down the hallway. "Come on Emma, I'm sure Michael will love it."

Barb whispered to me, "She's really wants to knock your socks off so she's going all out."

"Really, I thought she was avoiding me the last couple of days," I whispered back.

"She's been asking all sorts of questions about you," Casey added. "It would have been sickening but she's so nice we can't get mad at her."

"Well, I can get mad at her if she isn't out here soon; we have seven fifteen reservations and only ten minutes to get there," Mitsy stated before shouting down the hallway again. "Emma, we're going to be late and that's an insult to my family. I'm sure you look wonderful."

Emma came out a few seconds later, carrying a small purse. She had on the requisite short, clingy dress, in blue and black. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and she looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her in any magazine or movie premiere. I stared at her as she walked up to me and pushed my mouth shut with a finger.

"Michael, don't you know it's impolite to stare?" she asked with a grin.

"I can't help it, you look utterly beautiful," I said. "Wow, I think I've died and gone to heaven."

"Well ladies, we've managed to impress the hottest model in the country, I'd say we've ready to go," Emma said to the other four.

"He's probably not the best judge as he's also a hockey player who gets hit on the head once in a while," Casey said. "But I do believe we are pretty damn hot tonight."

The girls put on their high heels at the door while I watched their sexy legs in their short dresses. I had a big grin on my face as they finally stood back up.

"I think he enjoyed that," Barb said with a smirk.

"We probably couldn't get that grin off his face with a sandblaster," Mitsy added.

They got their coats on, insisting I help each one with them. I stood behind them as they all backed into the coats and rubbed their bodies against mine.

"Well, it looks like the CK ads weren't airbrushed to enhance him in any way," Emma said, looking down at my growing erection.

The girls all laughed while I blushed and pulled my long coat away from my body.

"Nope, I've seen him in his underwear while we were modeling and that's all Michael," Barb said with a smirk. "He's not an underwear model just for his body, you know."

"I didn't know actually," Emma responded, looking at me with a look that I couldn't fathom.

"Ok, let's go people," Mitsy insisted.

I followed the girls out the door and we took the elevator down to the garage. I drove over to the restaurant and had to drive around to find a parking spot.

"Why is this place so crowded on a Monday?" I asked.

"This is a very popular restaurant, not only in the city but the state as well," Mitsy answered. "I couldn't even get a private room for us, so we'll be out in main room tonight."

Mitsy led the way inside, stopping at the hostess station.

"Miss Matsuda, it is a pleasure to see you tonight, my apologies that we could not honour your request for a private room this evening," the hostess said as we approached. "We are extremely busy this evening for some reason."

"That is ok, Etsuko," Mitsy replied. "This was a last minute decision."

Etsuko bowed guided us to the coatroom and, after we had checked our coats, led the way to a large circular table as the girls were all admired by the men as we passed. The diners were a mix of Japanese and Caucasian but every man in the building, regardless of race, watched as the ladies glided through the crowded restaurant. Not that I blamed them; the girls would garner that much attention even if we were in a room of supermodels. I helped each of the ladies with their chair and then sat down between Emma and Mitsy.

"I'm going to order a bunch of dishes and we can all sample them," Mitsy told us. "There will be rice, soups, seafood and other meat dishes that you can all try. We'll even try you out with chopsticks."

We talked amongst ourselves until our waitress came and took our drink order and then talked to Mitsy in Japanese for a minute. She nodded after listening to Mitsy rattle off our meal order and left to go put it into the kitchen.

From time to time people came up to the table to talk to Mitsy in Japanese. Some we were introduced to and some she only spoke to them for a short while. Her cousin Hiroto and Kiyomi came by after our drinks arrived and stayed for a while.

"Michael, we were both worried when you got hurt saving Miss Watson, I'm glad you're looking so well," Hiroto said to me.

"Thanks Hiroto, I'm feeling almost back to normal," I replied. "Emma, Hiroto helps run Mitsy's family businesses and Kiyomi is their corporate lawyer and Hiroto's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you both," Emma said.

"I must correct you my good friend, Kiyomi has consented to be my wife; she is my fiancée now," Hiroto said, beaming with pride.

"Congratulations to the both of you, I hadn't heard," I said with a smile.

I got up and shook his hand and gave Kiyomi a hug.

"Well it's thanks to you that we're together at all," Hiroto stated. "You let me know if you need anything and I'll try my best to get it for you."

"Nonsense, you did all the hard work, I just got the two of you together for lunch," I replied. "I'm happy for the both of you."

"I see you have surrounded yourself with five beautiful women for tonight's meal," Kiyomi said with a grin. "Are any of these wonderful ladies your date for this evening?"

"These gorgeous women are my good friends," I replied. "You know Mitsy and Asuka, and this blonde beauty is Casey, Mitsy's skating friend and roommate, while this redhead beauty is Barb, Melanie's sister. Last but not least is Emma Watson, an English goddess and actress extraordinaire."

"Of course we recognize Miss Watson, it's so good to meet you," Kiyomi responded. "You're more beautiful in person than you already look on screen. I'm glad Michael was able to keep you from harm."

"Believe me, so am I," Emma said with a smile. "I must say, every woman Michael knows is very beautiful. I love that dress on you, Kiyomi."

"Why thank you Emma, I love yours as well," Kiyomi responded.

"We should leave you to your meal, I see they're starting to bring out some dishes," Hiroto said. "We'll talk to you later and it was nice to meet all of you."

"Yes, enjoy your meal and make sure to take care of Michael," Kiyomi added.

"Oh we will," Mitsy replied with a grin. "I ordered enough food for ten people, so he should be happy."

The girls all laughed as I smiled and patted my stomach. Hiroto and Kiyomi laughed as well and then left to go back to their table. Several waiters and waitresses soon had rice and soup in front of each of us and then brought another round of dishes; seafood, both raw and cooked, grilled chicken on skewers, breaded pork and some barbecued beef. We all looked to Mitsy and Asuka to guide us.

"Ok, we start with the soup and then mix in the meats with the rice in small bites," Mitsy said, looking at me at the end with a raised eyebrow. "After we're done with the soup, we'll get you all practicing with the chopsticks."

So it was with some relish that we all dug in to the meal. Everyone was eager to try every dish at least once and we quickly found out what we liked and didn't like. I tried my best to eat slowly and appreciate the tastes and none of the girls had to hit me in the ribs or glare at me, so I assumed I did a decent job.

After the dinner dishes were all cleared, we were offered tea, plum wine and traditional desserts. I stuck to my Diet Coke but enjoyed sampling the various desserts as did the girls.

A group of four Japanese young men, probably in their early twenties, came up to the table, dressed in expensive suits. They pulled chairs from the neighbouring tables and sat down between the girls; one between Mitsy and Casey, the second between Casey and Barb, a third between Barb and Asuka and the fourth between Asuka and Emma. Asuka usually sat beside Mitsy as a matter of course, but had switched to help the girls with the Japanese cuisine.

The men helped themselves to a glass of plum wine and to the desserts as they put an arm around the women. I made to get up as I looked to Mitsy but she held me down with a hand on my knee. She looked mad and said something in Japanese to them. The leader, the oldest guy sitting between her and Casey, said something back to her that made her look furious. She spat something out, again in Japanese as she pushed her chair back in preparation to getting up.

The leader got angry and rattled a sentence in Japanese as his arm came back to smack her. I pulled her chair back further and got up to get between them. My arm went up and I blocked his slap and pushed him back, causing him to stagger a bit.

"That was a mistake, gaijin," he said. "You should have stayed in your seat. Now we're going to have to make you pay."

The other three laughed at his posturing.

"I suggest you leave before things get out of hand," I replied. "This is hardly the place for this type of behaviour."

"Pretty boy, I suggest you sit down and keep quiet until we're ready to deal with you," the leader said as he pulled up his sleeves to show his tattoos. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

"I'm afraid I'm not up on my tattoos, am I supposed to be impressed with them, little man?" I asked.

"Typical gaijin, thinking size is everything," the leader snarled. "I'm sure your Japanese whores can tell you who you're messing with."

"Oh man, you just blew any chance of getting off easy," I told him as I shook my head before looking behind him. "Mr. Matsuda, I'm sorry that this has caused a disturbance in your restaurant."

Mr. Matsuda Senior was standing with another older Japanese man and the two were flanked by Mitsy's father, her two male cousins and another two very capable looking men. Surprisingly, it was the old man standing beside Mr. Matsuda Senior who spoke first. He rattled off a few sentences in Japanese that had the four young men standing up quickly and bowing to him.

The leader said a few words in Japanese to him and the old man responded with a few sentences in a harsh tone, pointing to Mitsy and then at her father and her grandfather. He then pointed at me and spoke for a bit more. Finally, he pointed at Asuka and must have told them about her because the four of them got shocked looks on their face and shuffled away from her. Asuka nodded to the old man and then looked at each of the four young men with a look that made them cringe.

The old man gave the four some obvious instructions and then looked at the two men that accompanied their group. The four were marched away to one of the private rooms by the two men while the Matsuda men and the other old man sat down in the chairs vacated by the four, with Hiroto standing behind his grandfather.

"Michael, it seems I must thank you again for defending my granddaughter," Mr. Matsuda senior spoke for the first time. "Ladies, I apologize to you all for this unfortunate incident; for you to have this happen in our restaurant is most disgraceful. Rest assured that those four will be dealt with most severely for their behaviour."

I nodded as did the girls.

"My oldest and dearest friend here, Mr. Yamamoto, has come here for a visit and employs some men for security," he further explained. "These four are new trainees and the honour of joining his security team has unfortunately made them arrogant and foolish. I assure you that you were in no danger; Asuka and Michael would have easily handled any physical confrontation. What I am appalled at is their touching of the ladies and their verbal attacks on all of you. Rest assured that you will be compensated most generously for this incident."

"Thank you Mr. Yamamoto for defusing the incident so quickly," I said, bowing to him and then to Mr. Matsuda.