Texas Hellcat

by Shelley Stringer

  “Kelly, do you think there is any chance you could have been raped?” she asked softly.

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. Liam told Tana he would take me home. He put me on the couch, and then sat with me until they got home about an hour later. I was still in the same clothes when I woke up this morning.”

  “Well, if you think we need to, we can do a rape kit,” she said as she wrote in my chart.

  “No, I don’t think it’s necessary. When will this wear off?” I asked nervously, remembering the millions of times I’d seen my mother working her way back from a party “high.”

  “We gave you a shot to help with the nausea and dizziness. Just drink plenty of fluids and take it easy. You should feel a lot better by tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I will. Thank you, doctor.”

  “You should always be careful. Don’t party with people you don’t know, and never leave your drink unattended,” she warned, patting my shoulder.

  “I won’t. Thanks.”

  Back in the reception room, Tana had been waiting two hours to get my prognosis. She pounced as I walked back in.

  “Well? What did they say?”

  “I’m sorry you had to wait so long, Tana. I’m fine.”

  “Did they find anything?” she asked, picking up her purse.

  “Yeah. Someone slipped pills in my drink at the club… Rohypnol or something. It was still in my bloodstream.”

  “My God…that’s a date rape drug, right? Who could have done it?”

  “I…I don’t know.” My voice began to shake, the seriousness of the situation finally sinking in. “I guess I was lucky Liam took me home, and y’all were watching over me. It could have been bad.”

  Tana put her arm around me as we walked across the parking lot. “Do we need to do anything?”

  “No, I just need to sleep it off. They gave me something to help and said to drink a lot of fluids.”

  She helped me in the car, and was quiet on the drive home. When we pulled into her space, she turned to me.

  “Kelly, there weren’t many people at the club aside from Austin, Inc. employees.”

  “I know,” I replied softly. “Someone we both know slipped me the drugs.”

  Tana’s eyes watered as she pulled me into her arms. I could only remember a handful of times she’d ever cried. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Let’s get you up to your room.”

  * * *

  “Hey, Tana made you some soup,” Jen called from the stairs. I pushed up in bed, my head feeling as though it weighed a hundred pounds.

  “Feeling any better?” she asked. I nodded as I took the bowl from her, and then she placed a bottle of water on my nightstand.

  “That Liam guy who brought you home last night stopped by and brought you some kind of high-powered electrolyte solution. It’s supposed to be good for this sort of thing. Tana is going to bring some up to you.”

  “He did? But how,” I began.

  “Tana called him after y’all got back from the ER. She had a couple of missed calls from him so she told him what happened. He seemed really concerned about you, but he didn’t want us to wake you up.” She paused as she considered my expression. After I’d sipped from the water, I looked back at her. She hesitated beside the top of the stairs.

  “He’s some serious eye-candy, Sanger! Are you going out with him?”

  “No! I mean, I just met him,” I clarified. Jen rolled her eyes and left me to rest. Tana followed her about thirty minutes later with the drink and some Advil.

  “Here, I read your discharge orders. I thought you might need these,” she offered, handing me the drink.

  “Thanks. I can’t believe he brought this by.”

  “I told you, Cat…I think he’s really into you.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. My first impression of Liam Covington must have been way off. He was just a really nice guy. He would have done that for any of his co-workers, I surmised.

  After my roommates went to bed, I climbed down out of the loft in search of some warm milk to help me go back to sleep. With my mug filled, I sat down on the sofa. Memories from my dream came flooding back of Liam holding my head in his lap, stroking my hair, and whispering something to me as he bathed my face with a wet rag. I shook my head. It had to be a dream! I slid my hand down beside the cushion and found a kitchen towel. It was still slightly damp…had he used it to wipe my face?

  My heart raced at another flash -- his face hovering over mine, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

  Four

  The next morning found me back to my old self, into my old routine -- running. Running was exhilarating. It seemed the only activity I’d allowed myself that could get my heart rate up, adrenaline pumping, and I could find some sort of release to leave me spent and satisfied. I’d become a junkie. I had to run. I rose every morning at fifteen till five, donned my spandex yoga pants and sports bra, strapped a water bottle on my arm, and ran the five blocks from our warehouse apartment to the bike path along Lady Bird Lake. The path was peaceful, although by five a.m. there were usually enough runners and bikers to keep me from feeling alone. I’d never clocked the path for sure, but I guessed my usual route gained me somewhere between four and five miles. I noted as I rounded a turn in the path and began the last stretch of my route this morning there didn’t seem to be many runners out. A fine mist was falling on the lake when I began, and it had turned to a light shower. Thunder rolled in the distance as I took to the stairs to gain street level. I shuddered, suddenly wishing I had a running partner. I’d never liked the sound of thunder. It seemed to evoke lonely memories of childhood days spent huddling with Dana Rae in a dirty, full-size bed, crying out in the darkness.

  “Mommy, Mommy where are you?”

  “Make it stop, Kelly-cat. I don’t like it.”

  “Is mommy coming back?”

  I paused and leaned over, my hands clasped just above my knees as I caught my breath. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I tried to shut the disturbing images out.

  “A kindred spirit. I thought I was the only one who rose before dawn to run.”

  From behind me in the darkness, a familiar voice caused my heartbeat to spike. I gasped and turned to find Liam Covington standing behind me with his hands on his hips, pausing to catch his breath.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to frighten you. You just finishing up?” he asked as he took a swig of his water bottle.

  “Um, yeah.” I reached for my bottle, mimicking his actions. As I drank, I noticed him studying my attire, taking me in from head to toe. It made me achingly uncomfortable. I was totally drenched, soaked not only from the rain but from the buckets of sweat my pores seemed to produce. I wasn’t like one of those Barbie dolls from the gym. Once heated from any kind of exertion, sweat poured from every part of my body, my hair would saturate, and my face would become as red as a ripe tomato. I was sure I reeked with the odor of my workout, while at this distance I could smell the fresh scent of his masculine body wash and the lingering scent of cologne I couldn’t quite place.

  He extended his hand, obviously offering to shake mine in greeting. I hurriedly dropped the water bottle, and the sudden rush mixed with the adrenaline flow caused a momentary light-headedness. As I swayed, his arm shot out, grasping me around the waist.

  “I think you might have overdone it a bit this morning.” He led me silently to a bench.

  “No, I’m fine…really,” I breathed.

  He guided me over and then motioned for me to sit.

  “Kelly…we meet again.” He held his hand out to me.

  “Yes.” I extended my hand again, and he grasped it, his hand engulfing mine, his fingers long and sculpted.

  “I’m not sure you’ve fully recovered from the incident Friday night. Should you be running?”

  I was once again stunned by his unusual blue eyes. They were such a deep, Mediterranean blue I wondered if they were shaded by blue contacts. I realized I was staring, so I pulled my foot up to the ben
ch to loosen the laces on my tennis shoe. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, by the way, for taking me home the other night and bringing the drinks and checking on me. It was really sweet of you.”

  “You’re welcome. Although I’m not sure my intentions were entirely honorable,” he murmured.

  “Pardon me?”

  “Nothing. I’m sorry, I’m being a bit obtuse this morning. Must be the new job affecting me so strangely.” He shook his head and grinned at me.

  “Are you coming to work for Austin Design and Management Inc.?” I asked casually.

  “No, not really. I’ll be there for a short while, observing and doing some consulting work. Have you been there long, Miss Sanger?”

  “Please, call me Kelly,” I replied. I was beginning to catch my breath enough to make a full sentence without gasping for air. “I’ve been there almost a year. I joined Design right after I graduated from UT.”

  I noted the time on my watch as the sun peaked around the buildings to the East of the city.

  “Yeah, it’s just past six-fifteen,” he noted. He glanced back at me just as I started to rise.

  “Are you all right to make it back to your apartment?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assured him as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “Do you always run alone?” His voice took on a sharper tone than before.

  I glanced back up at him, taken back by his question.

  “Yes, I do in the mornings. If I go after work, my roommate comes with me sometimes. She doesn’t like to run in the mornings, she says I run too fast for her.” I realized I was rambling, so I turned his question back on him. “Do you usually run alone?”

  “Yes…I usually prefer my own company, most of the time. You shouldn’t run alone before sunrise, Kelly. It’s not safe.” His tone was disapproving and brusque.

  I squared my shoulders and faced him. I didn’t know why his tone irritated me, but it did.

  “I’ve never had any problems before, and I’ve been running here for months.”

  “Still, you should always have a running buddy,” he replied as we started across the street side-by-side.

  As we reached the sidewalk on the opposite side, I replied, “I’ll take it under advisement, Mr. Covington.”

  And with my bit of attitude, he turned silently and jogged away from me. The entire meeting was awkward, and I felt much like I’d been rebuked.

  * * *

  A few days passed, and one morning as I pushed the door open to our building, a muscled man in basketball shorts and fitted under-armor stepped to the side to allow the door to open. When he turned, I recognized Liam.

  “What are you doing here?” I burst out with the rude question, surprised to find him outside my building.

  “I told you before, it isn’t safe for you to be running alone before sunrise. Since we seem to be on the same schedule, I thought we might run together.”

  I was momentarily stunned. I was under the impression he thought of me as somewhat of a nuisance. Why would he go out of his way to run with me?

  “I thought you preferred your own company most of the time,” I shot back at him, a sudden burst of anger at his earlier comments firing my resolve.

  “I think we might have gotten our wires crossed the other day. Let’s start over. Would you like to run together? Or I can run behind you, if you think I can’t keep up with your pace,” he taunted, obviously remembering my comment about my roommate.

  He really wanted to run with me. Wow. “Um, sure…okay.” We walked along in silence for a few blocks, stretching our arms and picking up our pace as we neared the lake. I could sense him studying me and it was unnerving.

  “What do you do for fun, Kelly?” he blurted out, taking me by surprise again.

  “Excuse me?” I asked as we started down the steps to the biking trail.

  “Fun. That thing most twenty-something people have when they aren’t working,” he coaxed as we began to jog.

  “Oh. Well, I read a lot. I like to go to the UT football games, and I go out with my roommates sometimes.”

  “Ummm…like the other night. I’ve been out with the crew since then, you haven’t been there.” I could tell he was one of those runners who could talk as they jogged. I couldn’t utter more than four words without sucking in a breath.

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “You’re boss says you never go out with the office crew… the other night was a first.”

  I shot him a look that drew his attention. “You ask Dan Carter about me?” I asked warily.

  He paused a moment, seeming winded as well. “The subject came up. Your boss, Carter. Is he good at his job?”

  His question threw me. The whole conversation seemed surreal. Mr. Tall, Dark and Executive was making small talk with me while we were working out together. I felt he was totally out of my league. And in view of the fact I still had no clue what his purpose was or what his presence meant at Austin Design, Inc., I thought it best to be guarded with my answers. It was probably best I be as positive, but vague as possible.

  “I suppose he is. He is clear about his expectations, and he utilizes the office staff and their talents to the best of his advantage,” I tried for the most diplomatic answer I could manage.

  “A tactful way to put it. What you mean is he is demanding, overbearing, and uses you and the other assistants in the office to push his projects through and pass their work on as his.”

  I stopped and rested my hands on my hips, drawing in a deep, cleansing breath. I wondered where this conversation was leading, afraid he was feeling me out about my loyalties. I finally looked up into his inquiring deep blue eyes, one eyebrow cocked at me as he waited for my response.

  “Those are your words, Mr. Covington, not mine,” I replied as I kicked a stone with the toe of my Nike.

  “But you don’t disagree with my assessment,” he countered.

  I decided silence was best.

  He unhooked his water bottle from his belt and took a large drink, and then squeezed some over his head, drenching his beautiful bronze hair.

  “Do you date?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Liam walked around me and stood directly in front of me. A bead of water ran down his neck, across a corded muscle in his shoulder and disappeared into his shirt. I could suddenly imagine my lips tracing the path the water had taken. Butterflies I’d never felt before stirred to life in my stomach. I was shocked at the way my body betrayed my thoughts.

  “I asked you if you date anyone.”

  “Um, no. Not at the moment. Why?” I asked warily. I couldn’t believe he could possibly be interested in my personal life. He brushed the water droplets from his hair, and then shook it, grinning at me with his wide, sexy smirk.

  “Well, I thought if you would like to, we could attend the upcoming gala together. You are going to the gala?”

  I tried to recover. I felt like shaking my head and tapping each side of my head with the heel of my hands to clear my ears. Liam Covington had just asked me out on a date. Finding my voice, I almost whispered.

  “I…yes, of course. I’m heading up the team planning the event. Of course I’m going.

  “Great. Then we will go together. I’ll pick you up at your apartment, say around six-thirty?”

  “Okay, sure,” I answered him mechanically, suddenly not able to think clearly. Even my breathing seemed automated. He moved closer and reached his hand up to my neck. I held my breath…surely he wasn’t going to try to kiss me, right here on the bike path?

  He slapped my shoulder lightly, swatting a mosquito. “They’re out early this year. It was sucking on you,” he whispered, inches from my face.

  I let out my breath, feeling rather silly I even let my mind go there. There was no way he was attracted to me. I shrugged my shoulder forward to examine where the insect had been.

  “Lucky mosquito,” his lips brushed my earlobe as he breathed into my ear.

  I pulled away, stunned. I wondered if I should g
o back to my apartment and start over again, for I seemed to be dreaming. An awkward silence ensued, so I struck out again down the path, sensing he was right on my heels.

  After several moments, he cleared his throat.

  “Are you ignoring me?”

  I slowed and allowed him to pull next to me. I realized we were nearing the end of our run. I slowed, opting to walk and cool down the rest of the way.

  “No, just going over my optional responses in my head.”

  “Oh?” He slowed his pace alongside me, and swept a stray lock of hair behind my ear that had slipped from my ponytail. My hair was damp with perspiration, and he had to try a second time to loosen it from my neck, his fingertips brushing the skin under my ear. I was having an increasingly hard time concentrating on his questions with the movement of his muscles under his wet, clingy t-shirt.

  “You’ve caught me off guard with our conversation, that’s all. Why do I feel like I’m taking some sort of test?”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. His eyes sparkled, his hair curling in disarray around his face, and coupled with his sexy crooked grin he struck me as the most ruggedly attractive man I’d ever come in contact with.

  “Why would you feel that way, Kelly?” His grin deepened, and I sensed he was playing with me.

  “Because I work for…we work together, I mean…we work for the same company,” I stammered, realizing I really didn’t know what our work relationship was. The company had made no announcements about his position as of yet. “Austin Design and Management, Inc. has clear policies about dating in the workplace, although there seems to be a lot of looking the other way in our office,” I murmured the last part. I leaned against the bench beside the bridge.

  “Is that your only concern?” he asked as he eyed a group of runners approaching us. “Because first and foremost, I date whomever I please, and second, I don’t work for Austin Design and Management Inc. I’m simply there to observe and do some consulting.” He moved closer to me, placing his hands intimately on my shoulders. He watched my eyes as he tightened his grip, working his thumbs and index fingers as though he were massaging my neck and shoulders to loosen me up. I closed my eyes and rolled my head.