“Thank you Alicia, it really does look great around here.”
“Not a problem.” She looked down at her phone. “It’s Carter.” She disappeared onto the balcony to take her phone call.
Madison turned on the television as her phone rang. “Hey Hunter.”
“Hey gorgeous, how was your day?”
“It was good. I picked out my dress for the wedding.”
“That’s great. I think Carter is taking the guys next weekend to get all the measurements for the suits.”
“That sounds like fun.”
Hunter laughed. “We will see about that. I put the tickets for tomorrow night at will call. There are two of them so if it doesn’t work out with Alicia, don’t worry about it. I have a feeling she will be in your parents’ suite anyways.”
Madison groaned. “I forgot about that.”
“Don’t worry about it, Maddy. They are down the hall. You don’t even need to see them.”
“I know. I will just feel guilty if I don’t at least say hi.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty about anything, Madison! They are the ones who didn’t treat you properly! They are the ones who denied you the love that you deserved!”
Madison started to cry as she stood up and ran into Alicia as she walked back into the apartment. “What’s wrong, Madison?”
She shook her head as she walked in the kitchen.
“I don’t mean to upset you, honey. I really didn’t but your parents are a sore subject with me.”
“I know they are Hunter but they are still my parents. I’m trying to move on but it’s hard.”
“I love you and I’m just looking out for you.”
Madison took a deep breath and smiled. “I love you too. I will see you tomorrow night, ok?”
“Are you mad at me?” he quietly asked.
“No, I can never be mad at someone for speaking their mind especially when they are just protecting me.”
“See you tomorrow.” They hung up and she leaned against her kitchen wall.
Alicia came over and hugged her. “Did you want to ride with me tomorrow afternoon?”
Madison nodded. “That would be great. Are my parents going to be there?”
She nodded. “Of course but you don’t have to see them. Just enjoy being with Hunter’s family. They love you and I know his mom is dying to see you again.”
Madison smiled. “Ok.”
Alicia left shortly after and Madison cooked herself a small dinner. The sun was setting as she lit the candles on the balcony and ate her dinner. She looked over at Mike’s apartment and noticed the lights were on but he wasn’t outside.
She thought about earlier in the day when they were at the dress shop. His reaction to her in that dress was unnerving to her. She didn’t understand why he left so abruptly. She knew she had self esteem issues but she was trying to move past them.
She got up and took her empty plate into the kitchen. She heard Mike’s door open and slam close as he ran down the stairs. She walked across her apartment and watched him cross the parking lot and onto the beach. He walked down the wooden path and sat at the water’s edge.
She knew she shouldn’t follow him but she decided it was time to make a friend. She grabbed her light sweater and laced up her sneakers. She followed down the same path as he did and walked slowly behind him.
She could see that he was just staring at the water. He picked up a rock and chucked it into the water. She walked beside him and looked down. “You ok?”
He jumped up startled. “You scared me to death!”
“I’m so sorry. I heard you storm out of the building and wanted to make sure you were ok.”
He watched her closely. “Why would you care about me?”
Madison didn’t know what to say. She was taken aback by his stare. “I’m looking for a friend, Mike. I thought you could use one right now.”
He blinked a few times and smiled. “I’m sorry for my outburst. I think she did a number on me and trusting people will be hard for me.”
Madison nodded. “I can understand that,” she paused. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No. I need a friend too.”
She smiled. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Her name is Jennifer and she is trying to destroy me. My family comes from money and is known around this area. We met at a club about six months ago and she lured me in. I’m normally very cautious about whom I date because I don’t want to ruin my family’s reputation but there was something about her.”
He sat down on the beach again as Madison followed his direction. “I’m going to assume that your breakup wasn’t good.”
He chuckled. “You could say that. I invited her into my life. Come to find out, she was sleeping with a friend of mine. I caught them at a club together in a dark corner by the bathroom.”
Madison gasped. “Oh my God, that’s….” she trailed off in thought and blushed.
Mike smirked noticing the change her in breathing. “I’m not going to comment about that right now because of information I learnt about you today.”
Madison got mad. “I’m trying to be your friend but you are turning into a jerk.” She got up and started to walk away from him. She felt his hand wrap around her arm.
“Madison, I’m so sorry again. You are right. I’m acting like a jerk. I didn’t mean anything by that comment.”
She snapped around. “Yes, you did! You know that I lost virginity today. That means I have no experience in the sex game. But what you don’t realize is it’s because I grew up in a household that overlooked me. I’m the little sister of a hockey superstar. No one cares about her. I missed out on everything in my life because my parents couldn’t give a crap about me. I didn’t have my first kiss until I met Hunter. I only read about the passion that you get from real relationships in my romance novels. So maybe I don’t know what it feels like to be thrown against a wall in a dark corner of a bar and have that kind of passion rip throughout your body but it doesn’t mean I haven’t dreamt about it!”
Mike stared at her and closed his eyes briefly. “I really bring out the anger in you, don’t I?”
Madison wiped her eyes and couldn’t believe she had just unloaded onto a stranger. “No, you don’t. It’s been a whirlwind the past twenty four hours and I just need some sleep.”
“Come on, I will walk you home. I don’t need you to get hurt and Longo to kick my ass.”
Madison frowned. “You didn’t finish your story though.”
He sat on the wood stairs and frowned. “After I confronted them, she told me that she was out to screw me from the beginning. Apparently, my father’s company put her father’s company out of business. She was out for revenge. She used a fake last name so I wouldn’t connect any dots.”
Madison sat down next to him and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”
“She was posting all my secrets online and trying to get me to reveal information about my family business. Last night, a friend of mine notified me of her blog which listed everything that we had done together, with pictures.”
Madison gasped. “You can sue her, Mike.”
“Oh, I already have my lawyer sending her a letter. The website will be offline as of tonight but I have to do damage control.”
“You don’t have to tell me but what business is your family in?”
Mike shrugged. “We own a large department store chain. Her father had a mom and pop store which closed when our store came into the neighborhood. They lost everything and she was out for blood. I have a track record and she knew it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was in and out of trouble a lot during my teenage years. My father hid a lot of information from the press so that it wouldn’t ruin the store’s image. I was rebelling.”
Madison nodded. “I’m so sorry, Mike.”
“Still happy that you moved next door to me?” he chuckled.
She smiled at him. “T
he jury is still out.”
He laughed. “Come on, let me walk you home.”
She got up and walked across the parking lot. He opened the door for her and she climbed the stairs. She stopped at her door as Mike leaned against his. “I have a question.”
His gaze moved to her eyes. “What’s that?”
“If you have money, why do you live in this small apartment? Shouldn’t you own one of those big houses along the ocean?”
He smirked. “The way I look at it, my parents are loaded. I’m not. I have my savings but I don’t like to touch it. I work at a local construction company and help my sister out with her store.”
She was surprised by his answer. “Hey, I have an extra ticket to see the playoff game tomorrow night. Do you want to come with me?”
He looked at her. “Are you kidding me?”
She shook her head. “It’s yours if you want it. I think you need to break and I promise you that we will have fun. Alicia is going too.”
He laughed. “My not so secret admirer.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
He opened his door. “Thank you for the talk tonight.”
“Anytime, it’s nice to find a friend so quickly.”
He smiled as he disappeared into his apartment. She opened her door and heard her cell phone ring. “Hunter, what’s going on?”
“I’ve been calling you for an hour. Is everything ok?”
“Sorry, I forgot to take my phone with me. I was talking with Mike.”
“Oh, your horny neighbor across the hall.”
Madison chuckled. “Hunter, I love you. I gave you every part of me this morning.”
“I feel like shit that I had to leave you so soon afterwards. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to spend the whole day in bed together.”
Madison blushed as she sat on her couch. “We can finish what we started after the playoffs are over.”
“It’s a deal. Are you all set for tomorrow night?”
Madison panicked. “Yeah, you were right about Alicia. She’s sitting with my parents but I found someone else to give the extra ticket too.”
Hunter sighed. “Don’t you dare say Mike.”
“He’s going through a lot right now and he needs a friend. Hunter, I need friends too. Please trust me.”
He was silent for awhile and then answered, “You are right. I’m glad you found a friend and I will try my best not to kick his ass.”
“I’m going to bed, Hunter. Say good night.”
He laughed. “I really love you. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
She laughed as she changed into her boy shorts and t-shirt. She walked over to bedroom window and opened it slightly. She could hear Mike talking on the phone. She decided to give him some privacy and settle into bed.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was around four in the afternoon when Alicia knocked on Madison’s door. “Hey girl, ready to go?”
“Yep, do I look ok?” Madison asked.
“You look hot. I love that shirt. It doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination.”
Madison frowned. “Do I have time to change?”
Alicia laughed. “You are fine. I love that you are coming out of your shell. The shirt is great. I love that it looks like a jersey but slutty for a girl to wear.”
Madison laughed. “What else would a girlfriend of a hockey player wear?”
Alicia gasped. “Hey, I’m not wearing Carter’s number.”
“That’s because you guys have been together forever and all the romance is gone.”
She punched Madison’s shoulder. “You would be embarrassed if you knew what your brother does to me!”
Mike knocked on the door at that exact moment. “I really don’t think she wants to know that information.”
Madison nodded. “Amen! I don’t want to know that my brother has a kinky side.”
Alicia smirked and turned back to Mike. “Hey sexy, what’s up?”
Madison jumped in. “I forgot to mention that he’s coming with us. He’s going to use my extra ticket for the suite.”
Alicia smiled. “Oh really, does Hunter know about this?”
Madison nodded. “Yes, I told him last night. He’s happy that I found a friend.”
Mike winked at her. “You look great, by the way. That’s a great shirt.”
Alicia grinned. “You guys ready to go?”
They walked downstairs and Mike opened the passenger door for her. He hopped into the back of Alicia’s SUV as they drove towards the city.
In typical Alicia fashion, she started her line of questioning. “So Mike, you are a big hockey fan?”
“I’m a huge sports fan in general.”
“That’s cool. You know that Longo is very protective of Maddy, right?”
Madison looked at her. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Mike jumped in. “Yes, I do. I already got that strong impression directly from him.”
Alicia smiled. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Madison laid her head against the car window and whispered, “You have got to be kidding me.”
Alicia remained civil for the rest of the trip. She pulled into the parking lot as the fans filtered into the arena. Madison quickly sent Hunter a text stating that they had arrived.
She approached the will call window and claimed their passes. She handed Mike the extra ticket as they headed into the arena. Fans were cheering for their team as they passed through the security gates. A bunch of guys had pushed their way between her and Mike and she lost him in the crowd.
One of the strangers grabbed her around the waist. “Hey baby. God, you are a sexy thing, aren’t you?”
Madison looked around for Alicia or Mike but couldn’t find them. She watched as the drunken idiot’s friends approached. “Where are you sitting, baby? You can sit on my lap if you wanted to.”
All of a sudden she felt their hands being removed from her as Mike pushed him up against wall. “You really want to touch Hunter Longo’s girl? How stupid are you??”
“I didn’t know man! I was just talking to the pretty girl.”
“Don’t even look at her again!” Mike released him and made his way back to her. “Are you ok?”
She nodded. “Thank you, Mike.”
Alicia hugged him. “You are a good guy, Mike.”
Mike looked over Alicia’s shoulder at Madison. Her heart skipped a beat as he pulled away. “I’m just being a good friend.”
Alicia grabbed her hand and led them through the arena. They hopped on the next available elevator and Madison leaned against the back wall.
Mike leaned down and whispered. “Are you ok?”
She nodded. “Thank you again. I panicked. No one has ever grabbed me like that. I didn’t understand what was happening.”
Mike shook his head and looked at Alicia. “She really does have a self-esteem problem.”
Alicia wrapped her arms around her. “We love you, Maddy. One day you will realize that every man takes a second glance in your direction.”
Madison rolled her eyes as they stepped out of the elevator. She tensed when she saw her parents standing in front of their suite.
Her mother looked at her. “Alicia, how nice to see you tonight, I didn’t know you were bringing Madison with you.”
“Don’t worry. She’s in Hunter’s suite tonight. I just gave her a ride.”
Her mother looked over her body as she frowned. “I don’t approve of your outfit. You will be a disgrace to our family. Who dresses like that?”
Madison took a deep breath and looked at Mike. He frowned and she could tell that he was put off by her comments.
“Mom, it doesn’t really matter what you think. I'm trying to become my own person."
Her father stepped out of the suite and looked at Madison. "Hello Madison. It's nice to see you. Alicia, a pleasure as always and who is behind you?"
Madison turned back towards Mike. "This is Mike. He's my next d
oor neighbor.”
Her father extended his hand to shake Mike's hand. "Mr. Sinclair, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mike Henderson."
Her father carefully eyed him. "As in Henderson's Department Store?"
He nodded. "My father owns the chain."
"Madison, you should have mentioned that. Mr. Henderson, would you like to join us in our suite tonight?"
Madison just shook her head in disbelief. She was so embarrassed with the way that her parents presented themselves.
"Yes, you must join us. We have friends with us tonight that we would like you to meet." Madison's mom pleaded.
Mike looked at Madison. "Thank you for the offer but I'm Madison's guest tonight."
Alicia jumped in as if she could sense Madison's discomfort. "Madison, let me show you the Longo's suite again."
They headed down the hallway as Mike finally spoke up. "What the hell was that?!"
Alicia smirked. "Did you enjoy meeting Maddy's parents?"
"I just can't believe what I witnessed. Are you ok, Madison?"
She chuckled. "That's my life, Mike. It doesn't faze me." She lied.
He grabbed her arm and spun her towards him. "Don't give me that crap. I've only known you for about forty eight hours and I can clearly see it affects you. I'm starting to understand why you needed a clean slate and move here. I get it. I may not have a great relationship with my father but at least I know he's there if I need him."
Madison straightened her back. "I'm done talking about this. I'm about to go see my boyfriend's parents and I don't want to be crying all night."
She walked towards the open door and was greeted by Hunter's family. "Madison, you are sight for sore eyes!" Mr. Longo greeted her.
Hunter's mom walked up the steps and threw her arms around her. "Hey sweetheart, I was excited when Hunter said you were coming tonight. He told me that you are moved into your new apartment and starting college next month. That's a wonderful thing."
"Thank you, Helen. It's exciting to be here." She turned towards the door. "You remember Alicia."
"Of course, how are you?" she asked as she hugged her.
"I'm doing great. I wish I could stay but the in laws are waiting for me." She waved as she left.
"Mr. and Mrs. Longo, I would like to introduce you to Mike Henderson."
Ice Dreams Part 2 Page 4